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(Posting this from google docs with Sara's permission. It's not finished.)

Prompt 10 (Winter Star Poinsettias): Poinsettias are common during the winter seasons, so it isn't unusual to see them decorating windowsills and local establishments. What is unusual are the unique Winter Star Poinsettias that seem to have accidentally mixed into the bunch. They look like ordinary Poinsettias reflecting a bit of glow from nearby lights--only, the leaves themselves are emitting a soft, silvery glow. They look like they are covered with a fine morning dew, only with fine silver glitter peppered in to give it a unique sparkle. They seem to have gone unnoticed by most of Destiny City and the landscapers, and it's not clear how these plants were selected, but anyone with a keen eye might recognize them as the catastrophe of Destiny City Botanical Garden's 2016 Winter Extravaganza. Thankfully, these variants are far less dangerous than their counterparts, however, these plants have a strange pollen that acts like an allergen and can cause agitation, oversensitivity, and sneezing to anything with much of a strong smell. Anyone who comes into contact with these plants may also find themselves suffering from flu-like symptoms such as fever, coughing, fatigue, and nausea and no medicine will relieve it, but the symptoms gradually fade. The leaves of the poinsettia are sharp and can sting like a papercut, so be careful! ...If you're worried about an all-out attack again, it might be a good idea to destroy these poinsettias--if you can manage to do so without getting caught.



Lorcan was supposed to be spending some time with him tonight, nothing powered tonight, but he’d gotten a message from his cousin telling him he was running late. He was going over something at the clinic so he’d offered to drop by and see what was going on and he’d offered to pick him up a drink on the way if he wanted. Stepping into the office, in a heavy sweater since it was snowing outside, the blond was nearly drowning in the heavy knit he wore. A scarf, made of the same material ,was wrapped about his neck but no coat was needed given how heavy and warm the fabrics were. Even he wasn’t going to get cold in this.

“I’m here Lorcan.” Calling out as he took the time to look around the office, shifting his weight from one booted foot to the other, he’d slipped into his snow boots before leaving the house today. He still found it a bit odd to drive in them but he was getting used to it, he didn’t often go out when it was snowing enough to need the boots, but he was fine with things.

Spying the innocent red flowers of the two poinsettias he went over, reaching out to touch them gently, he found himself yanking his hand back before it even made contact. He knew that look…that glittery look to them. “Lorc?” Calling out in question. “Who got these plants out here?”

—————-

Lorcan sat at his desk combing through the newest medical journal that had arrived with the new year. It had come in late with the mail and with how the weather of he’d decided to stick around and wait for the worst of it to pass. Alexandre understood that and at least was coming here tonight. He’d be checking on them after that fall through the ice and see if he couldn’t get back to that line of questioning he’d been on about before things had happened.

“In here, my office.” Calling out as he heard his cousin’s voice. The next question made him think though. “It was my secretary, she said she’d gotten them on the way in one day. I’m not one for plants normally because of allergies but she insisted. I haven’t really looked at them much.” Getting up from his desk, he peered out from his office doorway towards the other blond. There was still snow all over them, they’d tracked it into his clinic. Sighing a bit at the mess, he would have to make sure the night cleaner worked a bit harder to get the salt up.

—————-

“I’d burn them if I could…I doubt you’d like the smoke and fire though….” He stated looking up at his cousin seriously. “These things…I’ve seen them before, or a slightly different variation of them. But they are nearly the same.” Staring at them, they really were so damn pretty, he considered for a moment kidnapping them and bringing them to his own underground greenhouse and seeing if he couldn’t tinker with them somehow. He wasn't sure how but he was certain that they, already being magical in some way, would allow for some more mutation and change to occur within them. Avoiding them as he approached his cousin slowly, holding out the drink he’d gotten for the other.

“They haven’t started an outright attack, thankfully, but those plants a few years ago did. I’d keep an eye on them.” If only he wasn’t being serious…because he did sound mildly insane, and like he needed to be on medication which he was certain Lorcan could assist him with, but given this was Destiny City he was very much not joking.

“You said you wanted to talk?”

—————-

”I would appreciate you not setting off the sprinkler system and alerting the fire department.” Sighing and dragging his hand down his face for a moment, he really didn’t like such drastic measures when it came to things at his job or home. “I can just toss them out with the garbage and tell her there were some insects on them. I don’t much care for plants anyway, sorry.” He knew his cousin had a love for the things and grew all sorts of them outside the project he was working on but it didn’t mean he liked them as well.

“Yes, it’s about that tart. I mean, René. Something happened didn’t it? Not that I particularly liked the fellow or the whole situation but something seems different this time around than in the past.” Shuffling out of his office the rest of the way, he took the cup and sipped at the tea they’d gotten him. “We were rudely interrupted by that icy puddle last time and I would still like to know.”

—————-

“Why don’t you toss one of those plants…I think I’d like the other. I missed out on getting one years ago. Aiden bought me a ticket so I could get one and we went, with everyone else, and they attacked us.” Sighing he let his eyes drift over to the little plants, so innocent looking. “I considered proposing that night, ring or no.” But the moment had passed, thanks to the little plants, and it hadn’t ever returned.

“Mmm, something with Rene? No, he’s just become attached and I don’t want to.” he answered honestly, if not a bit distant, as he turned his eyes back to his cousin and sipped at his own drink. “I told him I didn’t want any attachment…and it seems I can’t even get that lucky.” He couldn’t have luck with a relationship or with a lack of relationship.

—————-

That hadn’t been what he had thought had happened in the slightest to be honest so it took him a moment as he looked at his cousin. To go from them talking about a failed proposal to avoiding someone getting attached to them. It was whiplash in a way and something he really didn’t have much experience in himself.

“So now what?” It was a bit uncomfortable to bring it up knowing what answers might come from it but he wanted to make sure nothing riskier was going to happen. It still wasn’t something he had expected to hear, that the tart that got around enough to require testing to be done had gotten attached to his cousin. Was it for money? Was it because of something else? He had known his cousin had gotten the family to pull strings and had been going to visit them often. It made sense in a way that something like this might happen if his cousin kept doing favors and visiting them but he also wasn’t really sure of what else had been going on. It wasn’t his place to pry in that side of things, he at least had an excuse when it came to the Negaverse since he’d joined because of Alexandre.

—————-

“Now? I hope those attachments die and things can go back to what they were…” Though he did sound a bit helpless here, as if he didn’t believe he’d get so lucky. He really didn’t think this would work, maybe he’d just been too nice to the other? He’d just wanted to help someone. He wasn’t looking for some form of attachment - it never lasted.

“I don’t want to go finding someone else, it’s a lot of work, I got lucky with the randomness of meeting Rene. But I can’t do another relationship, it’ll just fail like the rest.” And he didn’t want to be alone either. Unlike his cousin who didn’t seem to have certain needs, or wants, Alexandre was not like that and hadn’t been in a very long time. “I might just have to though.” Which he knew his cousin wouldn’t like hearing, not with how worried Lorcan became for him and how protective he seemed to be. It was like they were children again.

“I don’t like worrying you, and I don’t want to, but…” Trailing off as he slipped past the other and into his office to seat himself. “I also don’t want to be alone either. I just know where to draw the line now…I’ve realized that after so long.”

—————-

”So that’s why you’ve been restless lately, between the spar with me and Aoede and then one with the other general.” Following along he sat at his desk and watched them, listening as they sounded so defeated and weary of things. He didn’t like that, didn’t like the implications that someone who pushed and pushed for things was giving up. Even if he wasn’t one to look for a relationship or anything outside of what he had built for himself, he knew that had been something most of his family wanted and needed.

“So you stepped back to hope things cooled off? Maybe you’ll get lucky and it does but if it doesn’t? I really don’t like the idea of you finding some other so and so.” Waving his hand around generally, he also knew that maybe because of this all that his cousin had gotten a bit attached to the French tart. He didn’t like that either but… it was certainly better than watching his cousin spiral.

“You also don’t sound very convinced of things either…” Reaching forward, he patted his cousin's head awkwardly, trying to comfort them a bit. “It’s been a week so far, maybe give it a bit more then see how things go? I don’t really know much about them other than they sleep around so maybe it will work out how you want it to. At least then I know which so and so you’re getting along with.” It hurt to say it because he really didn’t like that option but it was the lesser of two evils. And with them being a civilian he wouldn’t have to worry much about it affecting the work that the other was doing with the Negaverse.

“To be fair I think that you might find someone at some point that works out for you. But I also don’t know much about the rest of what happened other than what you just told me of a failed proposal. We really never got the time to talk about things like that while I was in college and Med school. I am sorry that things drifted apart between that and the secret you had to keep about being in the Negaverse.”

—————-

“Of course I don’t sound convinced. Nothing has worked before so I doubt it’ll work now, even if it’s the opposite this time.” He really was starting to wonder if it wasn’t just bad luck with people, in general, at least with those who weren't family or strictly friends.

Shaking his head he leaned back, appreciating the others consoling pat on the head, and smiled. “It’s fine, you were busy with med school. I wasn’t going to burden you with what I’d gotten up to. It was so far from what I’d planned for myself, and even further from what is the norm for anyone in our family. I became more of a black sheep than anyone knows.” He couldn’t help but laugh at that. The dark smudge on his name, which his family thankfully ignored, was even darker than his family knew and certainly darker than those outside his family who called him a black sheep knew. It wasn't his own family who gave him that nickname, he was still Tink to his family, it was those in their social circles who knew how unsettled he was.

Bouncing from job to job and in and out of university….like a child who couldn’t make up his mind. He couldn’t even find a proper relationship and settle down in that respect, and it wasn’t like people didn’t offer up their daughters or themselves. Not that a female would interest him, far from it in fact, but he couldn’t find any sort of thing which kept him still and gave him some stability in his life. No steady job or solid thing to come home to. He was a drift and he certainly felt it, sometimes more than others.

“I would like it if I could find someone but I doubt it. I’ve tried since I was sixteen and even if they last a while they end…and it’s always my fault somehow. I’m the problem. It’s why I don’t want to try again - I just want what I had with Rene even if it can’t be him. I’ll settle for what I can get in life and continue as I have been. I’ve gotten rather used to it.” Even if it was at times lonely at least it wouldn’t be anymore. He had Hudson and now he had Lorcan, who he’d been closer to when growing up. “You know I am proud of what you’ve managed, it’s nothing I could have managed even if I tried. I was far more artistically inclined. Science and math were never my thing.” And they still weren’t really…though the science of plants he did well at, always had. As he spoke he got a bit watery eyed, he could feel it and blinked several times while trying to look up at the ceiling with only his eyes. “I wish I could be a bit more like you - less needy or wanting for human company.”

—————-

”Maybe you can’t settle on anything but even if you are a black sheep you still are part of the family and care about things. But I understand ,at least in part, about how you want company. I’m an odd one out when it comes to that but luckily I have my brother who is more than willing to settle down with someone so I don’t have to.”Scratching at the back of his head, he tried to think about how to go about things as his cousin was obviously hurting over things.

“We both know I’m needy in my own way but it’s for structure rather than for people. I think something will change one day though because you really do deserve better.” He hoped at least, because his cousin needed something besides family to keep him from taking so many risks. But he could tell it was hard for them too.

—————-

“Lorcan, you are already helping. It is one less person I am holding so many secrets from, one more person I can speak to freely, and the help you offer when I do stupid things which I know will drive you crazy.” Setting his drink down, leaning forward to do so, he leaned back in his seat.

“I am just glad our family has no idea how much an outcast I really am, or anyone outside of our family. You might be an outsider but not like I am. You are a bit odd in not wanting to settle and have a child, as many do, but at least you have a stable life and no one can find issue with that. I can’t manage to get any part of my life stable and hold it together for long.” He’d managed to teach for a while, he’d worked retail, he’d worked a few normal jobs that nearly anyone could be hired for. He was hoping with the degree in botany he might find something he could settle for, he really was, at least it was something he enjoyed and was good at.

“I just hope I don’t drive you too crazy cousin. I can’t always promise to keep safe, not in a war, and magic is unpredictable.” Which meant anything could happen really, or close to it.

“You were questioning me before I wound up inside the puddle…and I did answer what was going on with Rene. I’m rather certain you’d have had other questions - so ask.”

—————-

”To be fair it drives me less crazy knowing what’s going on because at least I know some of the circumstances now. Maybe I do enjoy a bit of excitement sometimes as well, though I prefer the quiet times at home or reading. It’s been an exercise in my flexibility I will say but I don’t mind it much.” Leaning back in his chair, his leg still felt a bit sore from the spar the other day but it wasn’t too bad.

It did take him a moment to think more about what line of questioning he had been ready with the other day. “Ah, I remember, it was about some of the plants but we can put a pin in that for now. Unless you want to talk more about the prior occurrence with those poinsettias? I don’t think I’d heard about that. But either way I had been looking into a few things about some common plants that have sort of an effect you may be looking for, most of them have caffeine as the major compound. But that has its own issues when talking of standard plants. Though with how yours have changed due to the way they are being grown I have a feeling whatever research I look through won’t have a precedent for this.” Rubbing his face a bit, it really was a puzzle of sorts. Magic and science mixed together with a bit of art since making it into a food really needed more creativity than he had available.

—————-

“I’ll talk about those poinsettias at a later date, though I will be kidnapping one of the ones at your front desk, I doubt we’ll have to worry about them out right attacking people as they did the first time around.” For which he was grateful, that had been a horrible experience. To have to destroy plants…and to be attacked by them - it felt like some sort of betrayal. He just didn’t figure these plants, while not attacking them, were safe to keep. But he wanted one in his negaverse greenhouse.

Oh good, nothing else about Rene or his personal life. He was glad for that, he’d worried Lorcan would ask more personal questions. “Yes, mine have altered and that is going to be what needs to be worked with. I have equipment and we’ll need to test things to see how potent they are now - if they still even have those properties.” Which he assumed they would, you couldn’t just make things vanish right? But you could alter and change things. “I gave you an inventory of the plants I had for this project so you know what I’m working with, if I need to grow anything else I certainly can, we just need to figure out how to deal with the side effects of caffeine and how much people may be ingesting.”

He almost wanted to tease his cousin about holy water and burning the plant, it was something which only applied to Lorcan's branch of the family, but he held back from doing so. At least he'd finally get the plant he'd been wanting for years, though it was still dangerous it wans't like it had been years back. He just hoped it wasn't going to do anything other than maybe cut him with the leaves, because they looked sharp.

"Sounds good, we can start looking over the plants and seeing if they are stable and where they stand with how potent they will be. We might have toi test each individual plant before even making products and adjusting everything for each batch made." Since plants weren't so stable and easy to figure out this sort of thing. It's why some people could take a few berries from one plant and die and hand fulls from others and survive. Plants varried a lot.

Ready to continue talking plants, and assuming that's what they would be discussing, he was surprised by the sudden and drastic change in things. "O-oh." Staring for a moment he shook his head and brought his hands into his lap slowly. "I am sure of that. I've accepted that relationships are doomed to fail - because of me." He was the one common factor in all the relationships which had failed.

Leaning back he sighed. "The first person I dated was when I was underage...they found out. I never would have allowed anything illegal, it was just dating. But that ended for obvious reasons. Than there was two or three one night stands with different people...all in the Negaverse. There was a very loose relationship that failed...even if I wished it could have become more, that was then...I'm glad it never became more. I wish I'd never met them in fact." Though back then, caught up in it all, it was a wild ride of emotions because so much had been happening.

"Aiden was good...like a breath of fresh air. He wasn't involved in the war, hadn't been tainted by it. It was all nice and normal feeling. But it came with secrets which I needed to keep. I could have told him, I know that, but I didn't want to burden him and have him worrying about me when I wen tout at night. He didn't like my spending, didn't understand, hid my bank card...and so I could only imagine he'd try and stop me from going out at night as well. But that wasn't even the problem...when he was out at work I'd have other officers over, to meet and talk. He found out, somehow, that I had people over and that caused him to leave." At least the other hadn't found out just how many secrets he'd been keeping, hadn't found out what he was. He doubted Aiden could have handled dating a monster who enjoyed hurting and killing people.

"I jumped too fast, to far, with Mason. I wanted him to move in too soon, I'd just...become used to having someone living with me I suppose. My weakness - my need." His need to not be so alone, even if Hudson lived with him. He still had a neediness and had been trying to fill that hole. "He persued me, Mason, but it felt like everything I did wasn't good enough or wasn't right. He just seemed to keep thinking I'd leave him...that I'd realize I was too good for him or something." Shaking his head he ran his fingers through his bangs, tugging at them gently as he spoke.

"How do you convince someone of that? What woirds do you say or things do you do? I tried it all...repeated it all but it didn't work. Maybe I wasn't convincing enough or maybe I didn't say it right....I wish I knew. He also seemed to have issues with hid own appearence but again...how do you convince someone that they are wrong - that you don't have a problem with such? I tried over and over in every way I could think." And here he just threw his hands up slowly, as if showing just how hopeless he'd felt.

"It failed - I failed. Again. So, I want no attatchments...I can't manage it, they all failed. And now, when I've finally accepted this fate of mine...when I'm finally looking for to take what I can get and be comfortable with it. I wind up with someone who agrees to it...only to become attatched. If this had been months ago...years ago - it would have been everything I'd wanted. But now...now it's everything I don't want." And his voice broke and he stared at his cousin with wet eyes, no tears fell, as he sat there.

He was tired of trying, it hurt too much, and now when he was broken down the one thing he wanted offered itself to him. "How can I even trust he'd stay even if I accepted what he's wanting? Every other time it's failed. I don't want it...I can't." It would hurt too much when it failed. "I wanted to help him, he helps me and I help him...and we both take what we can from the other and be content with it." Not that he'd said those exact words, perhaps he should have.

Drawing his legs up, onto the chair, he knew the other was likely to scold him for it. "No, I'm not getting attatched. It's we crossed paths at the wrong time...where wants don't align right. Had this been another time for him or for me and it would have been fine..one way or the other. But it's not...it's all a big tease." Holding his knees he let his chin rest on top of his knees.

Plants were something easy, even if they weren't stable, it was the imperfection which was perfected by nature in them. He understood it well enough and found beauty in it - in the imperfections. He knew it was there and knew each one varried...no two plants were the same, even if they looked it. It came as easy as beathing for the blond.

It was relationships which had never come easy, as his poor cousin got to hear, and now he sat drained of emotions. Listening to his cousin he nodded slowly. "I think you are right..I was trying to apply a bandage but I thought it was more...that it could be more than a simple bandage. A wound deeper than I knew and oh how I tried to deny it...to be blind to how deep it was. I just continued to struggle..." Like he was caught ina web, or was chained and couldn't get free, he had finally found himself free but not just free of trying to do the impossible but free of the relationship entierly. It had been good for him, in a sense, while he didn't like being so alone at least he was less stressed because he wasn't constantly worrying over so many things. He didn't feel like he was doing nothing even when trying to do so much.

"He's been texting - a lot...." He answered while pulling up the messages on his phone and offering it to his cousin. "I know you don't like him, I doubt you ever will, though he isn't the one who corrupted me as you might see it. As I'm sure this talks proved already." But would he take Lorcan's advice? Should ghe see Rene again and talk to him? Could he? He'd likely already damaged things with the other. To think his cousin was even suggesting he talk to Rene was something. Was he really that bad? Laughing he shook his head. "I'll try and talk to him..once I get the nerve up to do so." Because he really would need to. At least he felt better talking to his cousin, because it felt good to not keep so many secrets...to tell someone so much.

He could have always told Hudson, his cousin wasn't clueless and had been around a while now, but he'd never wanted to burden him. But now things had boiled over and Lorcan was a part of things...and Lorcan was the calmer mind...the calmest really. He had other cousins who were similar but none who knew him as well....none he cared for as much as Lorcan either.

"Wish me luck? I think I might need it for once."