Let it grow, let it grow

[heal_theworld]

Who: Martel and you!
What: Planting flowers in the garden.
When: Today!
Where: Outside in the garden
Rating: ...T, just to be safe?


Martel was out in the garden on her down time, and for once she wasn't playing her panpipes. No, she had decided the garden needed some more flowers. And not just any flowers. The fandalia flowers she had gotten from home for Christmas had flourished in her room, and were growing out of their large pot. So Martel had taken it upon her to take a good portion of them out to the courtyard and into the garden. She intended to plant them by the truffula tree, and hopefully they would grow around it into a field of white fandalia flowers. She had also brought her Oddish out, who was currently pretending to be a plant in the corner. Every so often it moved and made a noise, but otherwise it stood silent, soaking up the rays of the sun.

She had just dug a small hole, and was placing a few of the flowers into the hole, covering it up with dirt. Then she stood up, looking around and spoke mostly to herself:

"I suppose I can spread them out a bit, to make sure they do grow."

[ooc: Open to prose or actionspam!]

Comments

[hometutor]

Ouch.

She does manage to take him off guard at that, but with his hand already on it he makes quick work of juggling it between his hands and then putting it back on and then turning back to her as he straightens it as if nothing had just happened. "No it's not, but when one produces an egg for a rampaging turtle, you could start to wonder."

[heal_theworld]

Well, she supposes that was too much to hope for, really. The fact that she even caught him off-guard was good. But now he would be on alert to save his hat, so she would have to be even better. Martel gets a bit closer, circling him.

"You know, we have giant turtles on Aselia. They come out of the sea and try to eat people on the beaches."

[hometutor]

Yes he would be and he's already watching her, still as ever and attempting to figure out her plan of attack. Staying calm in the face of battle and such.

"Enzo isn't a problem until he absorbs water, then he tries to eat people. Though at least those giant turtles aren't from a chameleon." Though he naturally sees no problem with this, really Leon is Leon.

[heal_theworld]

Martel knows not to underestimate this man. Oh no, she would never do that. Now being afraid of him, on the other hand, she was not. Which is why she makes her move then, darting behind him and aiming to sweep the hat right off his head.

"Yes, well, that's nothing new. Most living things on Aselia try to kill you at one point or another."

[hometutor]

He's not going for afraid, Reborn doesn't like to terrify the people he likes. Which is why he isn't trying too, instead he lifts his hat up in a sign of hello to her Oddish (or so he'll say later), and totally makes her miss, having seen her dart behind him. Her staff instead just makes his hair even more of a mess then normal, thanks Martel. He casually puts it back on his head though and turns to her.

"As do most things in the Mafia world."

[heal_theworld]

Excuse her while she has a moment of frustration, because she knows he is doing this on purpose and to tease her, in a way. Martel will get that hat eventually, though, even if she has to magic it off his head to do it.

"For some reason I don't think you have ogres or chimeras."

[hometutor]

Yes, yes he is. It's really all a game to him as if she wins she gets his hat to do with as she likes, and he just gets the pleasure of her company until then. Or something like that. Reborn takes a moment to tug on his sideburn as he thinks, shaking his head finally.

"Not unless Verde makes something similar to them. The Vindice are the closest to any sort of monsters outside of those creatures we Arcobaleno have."

[heal_theworld]

Martel will get it eventually. It's just how many tries until she decides that magic is the best way to go. And as a consolation prize, he'll still have the pleasure of her company. Now, how to attack him this time...

"You've mentioned them before. The Vindice. Dare I ask what they are?"

[hometutor]

This is true! And as he's lacking Leon, and any real desire to harm her or use his pistol, he's at a disadvantage. So when she asks what they are he doesn't bat an eye, she deserves that explanation.

"The guardians of the laws of the Mafia world, powerful enough that not even I would face them unless there was no other choice."

[heal_theworld]

She circles around him, and makes a jab at his hat, just hoping to knock it off of him.

"Then what makes them monsters, if they're guardians of the Mafia world?"

[hometutor]

That just makes lean down back to stare up at the sky, and also not at her when he answers.

"They're Arcobaleno that have had their pacifier removed and survived."

[heal_theworld]

He said it so casually, it took a moment for her to register exactly what he said. That the Vindice are former Arcobalenos who survived being replaced. If Reborn survived, then he could become a Vindice.

And he called them monsters.

"And what makes them monsters?" Her staff is pointed down at him, and she's deadly serious now.

[hometutor]

Everything is casual to Reborn, it's just as natural as breathing to him really. Don't be bothered, stay calm, don't show you care, things he's had drilled into him for years. And dropping that bombshell on her is normal to him.

Having a weapon pointed at him is too.

"They survive off of a different type of flame that I only recently learned of, one that needs hatred and comes only from their leader." They survive off of hatred and a desire to kill Checkerface, but he's not spilling that last tidbit, not yet.

[heal_theworld]

That answers her question and yet not. There's more he's not telling her. That staff doesn't move an inch.

"And they survive off that hatred, and the flames from their boss, to guard the Mafia world." Something seems off about that. Where did the hatred come from? Their predicament as Arcobaleno?

[hometutor]

Just staring at her staff still, he pulls his hat down over his eyes even as he takes a step back so he can stand upright, but doesn't move away from the staff.

"From any who would break it's laws." He takes a moment to straighten his tie and then look up at her. "Either live off of hatred in scarred bodies with power to take down the strongest, or die."

[heal_theworld]

She's quiet, almost too quiet. Because there are parallels that she is making that should not be made.

"And which would you choose? Death, or a horrible half life?"

[hometutor]

And yet they are there, and Reborn is taking this entire thing calmly.

"I would choose the path that would keep Tsuna away from being an Arcobaleno and alive." Fighting the Vindice? Yeah, not conducive to keeping his student alive.

[heal_theworld]

"That's not an answer, Reborn." It's not a direct answer, at least. It left her to figure out which would give him the advantage to help Tsuna.

[hometutor]

"The Vindice don't interfere in Mafia affairs." Does that make his answer more clear?

[heal_theworld]

That did make things more clear. He would rather die, as then he couldn't help Tsuna. If she read him right. And she didn't want him to die, but if that was the other option...

Nobody wanted to be a monster. She knew, since her blood made her one in the eyes of humans, of the elves. Her crystal made her an angel, and Zack's words of angels being monsters echoed in her ears. She could still feel her skin as it crystallized, turning her into one giant, ugly crystal.

But she was staring into the distance and keeping him waiting while she thought about this. She hoped he hadn't noticed. "...Good."

She wasn't a monster. No matter what. Even if she was in some people's eyes.

[hometutor]

If they were to go into the argument about angels and similar, Reborn could go all day about a certain person as well. But it's never really been an issue to him what a person is so long as well, they're decent at the end. Or he can talk them into what he needs them to do. He doesn't use the word monster lightly however.

Though at this point he's waiting on her to talk and yes, he had noticed but again he's too polite to say anything about it. Instead he just takes his fedora off and casually hangs it on the end of her staff, letting his hair just be crazy as he looks up at her. "You owe me a new hat."

Because that is a better conversation then the one they had just been on.

[heal_theworld]

It was a better conversation, and she's mildly surprised when he hangs his hat on her staff. He didn't usually give up easily, but then again, he had probably noticed her distance. He knew her too well now to realize it as what it was. And giving her his hat was Reborn distracting her and trying to cheer her up.

She smiled down at him. "I'll make sure to get you a good one this time. Not...whatever this thing is." With a swing of her staff she flips it hard into the air, and she's already casting. "Photon!"

And then it was only ash in the air.

[hometutor]

Yes, that's it exactly. Letting her be something other then at least somewhat cheery, even on the outside, rankles his gentlemanly sensibilities or something like that. Yup.

"It was a good hat." He just watches her fry it however, hand over his heart in a dramatic fashion as if in mourning over it. Because it's perfectly natural to do that.

[heal_theworld]

Of course it does. Reborn can't have her being sad. And he denies he was a gentleman.

"It was an ugly hat. May it rest in pieces." And with that she moves back to what she was doing, picking a spot for more the flowers. "Whatever did happen to your hat and Leon?"

Martel doubted Leon (or his hat) was in any real danger, as Reborn didn't seem too concerned about them. But he was missing them, and it made her curious.

[hometutor]

Of course he does, can't be letting his secret get out now can he?

He just brushes his suit off for a moment before reaching up to tug on his sideburn again, following her over to watch her as they talk.

"Leon's visiting someone, and my hat is his favorite perch." So it seemed natural to pass both hat and Leon along to whoever they were visiting. Yup.