( open ) may catchall

[memors]

WHO: ryoji + you!
WHAT: post-surgery wuh-ohs, ducks, and some gardening
WHERE: around base
WHEN: first couple weeks of may
WARNINGS: cw for discussion of surgery, needles, etc.


a. post-op glitches

[ So, as it turns out, the only thing worse than signing up for two enhancement procedures at once is dealing with the aftermath when your brain is fried.

No matter how approachable and grounded Ryoji is, even he can't escape from his hubris, and having never experienced significant pain in his human form, he didn’t…think it would be all that bad. Uncomfortable, maybe, inconvenient, yes…but he completely did not anticipate the way that the pain fully overrides any other cognitive thought in his brain. It hurts, to move, to think, to simply be conscious, and he has only stumbled out of the medbay for a few moments after being released that the impact of the double surgeries fully overloads him at once.

For a few long, untenable moments, it’s like he blacks out completely – and when he comes to again, staring at the hands that caught up, it’s like he doesn’t recognize them. Are they his own?

A simple question carrying a lot of weight, when he can’t remember anything about who he is or what he’s doing here. All he really seems to recall is that he was going somewhere, and given he just received a nice teleportation upgrade, well.

In attempting to find his destination by testing out this new power he can’t even remember how he got in the first place, he may just wind up in your room, looking half-dead (ha) and delirious. While he's usually in his human form, he may appear as a Shadow instead, without consciously making the effort to change. Whether you’re awake or asleep or even just heading back to your room yourself, he hardly seems to register another’s presence, instead muttering to himself: ]

No, this isn’t right…

[ He needs to go to…the top level of Tartarus, right? So why can't he remember how to get there? ]

b. duck tales

[ Well! Those were events that sure transpired, and while Ryoji is still feeling out some of his new abilities, he’s at least recovered enough from the surgeries that he’s back in his right mind and up and about again. Whether or not he should be, strictly speaking, remains to be seen! But whatever, it’s fine. Violet needs walkies.

Around the base, Ryoji can be encountered walking…a duck. A beautiful, newly acquired mandarin duck, wearing a jaunty little bow around her neck. Since Outsiders aren’t, you know, supposed to keep pets, strictly speaking, Ryoji has taken great care to plan routes for them that will hopefully avoid crossing paths with LILITH officers. However, Violet is as inquisitive and independent as her owner, and also a duck, so when she catches sight of your shoelaces or anything shiny you may have dropped on the ground, she waddles right over to pick at it with her beak, chirping with enthusiasm.

…Or that’s how it sounds to Ryoji, anyway. ]

Ah, hello there. I’d love to chat, but we have a schedule to keep…oh, but if you’d like to join us, you’d be more than welcome!

[ Who wouldn’t want to walk a duck?? And Ryoji is there, too, I guess. ]

c. flower gardening

[ At various points during the month, Ryoji can be found in the greenhouse, tending to some flowers. It’s a curious hobby that he’s picked up, one he didn’t expect to find himself so captivated by, and one that’s perhaps a bit ironic for him, all things considered – yet even given his proclivities, there’s something so captivating about the way life can bloom from a seed, with just a little sunlight and water, a little currency of time...

...and whatever mutant fertilizer they use in here, but that’s not important.

Whether you’re enjoying the plantlife independently or have approached to peek at the flowers that he tends to, Ryoji swiftly plucks one of the blossoms, sweeping down into a bow, and offers the flower to you with an outstretched hand. ]

Please, take this. You deserve it, as the only thing here that eclipses its beauty.

[ He’s feeling back to his usual self, it seems. ]

Comments

[ignoreher]

I wouldn't worry about getting a call from me anytime soon, I'm not really looking for something like that right now. More trying to figure out what I want, you know?

[ ... but he's right, she ought to -- even if there shouldn't be anything to worry about no matter how she acts with her friends, because if she's chosen someone she's chosen them for a reason. the thought lingers in mind before she tucks the flower behind her ear, trying to fix it herself before she turns her face back to him. ]

So you're really feeling better now, Ryoji?

[memors]

[ A thoughtful nod. Trying to figure out what she wants...he can understand that well himself, especially in the wake of Minato's departure. For all his bluster, he has to consider whether he would really be ready for more than that, if the time comes.

But better to not linger on that for now. He can appreciate how charming Malkuth looks with the flower tucked behind her ear, without making it into something complicated. ]

Oh, definitely! I'm still adjusting a bit to my new abilities, but I'm fully recovered from the procedures. A word of advice, though...don't do two at once. It's...not a process I would recommend, despite its efficiency.

[ Human bodies sure are squishy, huh. ]

[ignoreher]

I only want the teleportation one anyway. Everyone I know is getting healing, so I don't need to worry there, and I'm more than capable without the others... But I'll keep it in mind.

[ though she's sure she could handle the pain, really -- nothing could compare to the loss of self she experienced during that excruciating moment just before death. something she keeps to herself, smiling brightly. ]

I'm glad, though. You really had me worried... Just give me Vivi before you get any others, if you're tempted.

[memors]

Don't worry. I think my natural abilities more than cover what I'd be able to do with the rest, so unless they develop any new ones, I won't be returning anytime soon.

[ And that's just as well. Even going through one procedure would be bad enough, and it's not a process he's eager to repeat. ]

Was Vivi alright for you? I'm sure yours and Mauve's presence put her at ease more than anything else would.

[ignoreher]

She was an angel! ... For the most part. Kept wanting to go back to your room after our walks though -- habits are hard to break.

[ she gets it. but it was fun to toddle around with them both too. malkuth stands up with her camera after a moment, brushing her backside off. ]

Speaking of walks, why don't you show me around a little? I like coming here to read, but I can't say I know about a lot of the plants and flowers. I wanna take some good pictures too -- I'm thinking about making stickers out of them.

[memors]

I'd love to! A lot of these plants seem to have been engineered by LILITH, and I'm not sure exactly what they're for...but I know what they like.

[ Even flowers and plants have tastes and preferences. Brushing the dirt from his hands, he stands and offers Malkuth his hand before he leads the way. ]

Right this way! I know just the ones you'll want to make stickers of. On one condition: you have to make some for me, too.

[ He'd like to decorate his things with them, too. ]

[ignoreher]

[ she takes his hand easily, face turned to take in the plants as they pass. no one needs to see how wide her smile is. ]

That's the least I can do for you, Ryoji. Are flowers picky with what you feed them?

[memors]

[ Maybe she hides her smile by turning to look at the flowers, but Ryoji makes no such effort, his grin abundant from ear to ear. ]

They have some special plant food in the shed here that I think LILITH specially engineered to help them grow. They do seem to like it...but I also found a little shop in the city that sells some good, old-fashioned compost. That's just for special occasions, though.

[ Who knew cow manure could be so expensive... ]

[ignoreher]

[ it's because animals are rare... maybe they can find kaiju poo. ]

What would you consider a special occasion? Like a particular flower?

[memors]

Mh-hmm. A special flower, maybe given to a special someone as a token of affection.

[ His priorities are, as ever, in order. ]

[ignoreher]

[ she loves this about him promise. so much care and consideration put into things, even if the other person would never really know just how much. malkuth will when she sees that person carrying around a special flower from him. ]

In that case, it should definitely be their favorite flower if you can manage it! I think that'd mean more than a rose or three, even if those are supposed to be the romantic ones.

[memors]

Their favorite flower...

[ That actually reminds him of something else he's been curious about, and given how knowledgeable Malkuth is, maybe she might know something about it. ]

Flowers have special meanings, don't they? Like roses are romantic, as you mentioned, but there are other meanings for other flowers, right?

[ignoreher]

[ his faith in her is so strong? you help a guy out a couple of times with wizened words of experience and he thinks you know the universe. or flower meanings. ]

I only know some basics, really... Um... [ let's see. ] Tulips are usually given to friends, some lilies are for funerals but other places use chrysanthemums... so I guess they're like, condolence flowers? I do know that color can change the meanings though, so every one really is special!

[ it's really fun!!! maybe she should look into it more. ]

The average person wouldn't know any of that, but maybe we're drawn to certain flowers whether we know their meaning or not. It can't be that hard to learn if you're interested.

[memors]

[ Tulips and chrysanthemums are two he'll have to keep an eye out for, if they're related to death...seems like ones he should cultivate, as fascinating as it is that there are living, blooming flowers that signify a person's passing into the next life. ]

Mostly...I wonder why those flowers come to represent the things that they do. Humans tend to assign abstract meaning to a lot of things, yet the combination of flowers and colors feels somehow...particularly poignant to me.

[ A beat, before he adds: ]

I'm not sure I have a favorite myself, so I'll need to figure that out as well. Do you?

[ignoreher]

Daisies.

[ immediate. ]

I love, love, love how adorable daisies are... I've heard you can make crowns out of them, but I've never tried. And I really like dandelions too, but more because it's inspiring to see them grow where they shouldn't! Like between concrete, or in the rubble outside the city.

[ resilient. it gives her hope in a lot of ways; if nature can still find a home, if it can still heal the land forsaken by others, then couldn't humanity find a way to reclaim it too? ]

The second reason is because after they've bloomed, they turn into those adorable puffballs with the seeds you can blow. If you manage to get 'em all off in one breath, then your wish'll come true.