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“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen this plant before.” Kana stopped their progress to peer down at the solitary lump of spiky purple leaves. “Can anyone identify it? Is it native to Dyrwood?”
Edér was the first to reach the other man’s side and joined him in his study of the strange plant. “I’ve seen that before. Don’t recall the name, but if you chew the leaves a few times then hold it under your tongue it’s supposed to be good for headaches.”
“Well sure,” a feminine voice agreed pleasantly from behind them. “You do that and you’ll be too busy shitting out your insides to worry about a little headache.” Adira reached down and proceeded to rip the entire thing out of the ground, roots and all. “This is what we used to call ‘Gillage’s Worry’ back home. You boil these leaves up into a poultice and put it on wounds to leach out poison.”
“Two identifications and no way to know which is correct. A mystery for the ages,” Kana announced in his booming voice. He appeared only mildly disappointed to be leaving without an answer.
“Not quite. I’ve got several different poisons in my pack.” The Watcher was already digging through her bag. “If Edér’s willing to chew on a few and see what happens, I’ll dose myself with one of these,” she said as she held up two different bottles.
“Oh no. Much as I’d love to be proven right, that ain’t gonna happen.” Edér prudently removed both the plant and the poisons from her hands and handed them to the Aumaua. “Whatever she says, don’t give them back.”
“Spoilsport.”
“Call me anything you want. If my options are to either spend the day squatting in the bushes or watch you die from your own poisons, I’d rather not know the answer.” He reached out to pull her to him, planting a kiss on her lips as he did so. “Just got used to having you around and I’d rather not lose you.”
Warmth flooded Adira’s face as she smiled and returned the kiss. “That might just be the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me.” A look of consternation marred her features for a moment. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Don’t leave without me,” she said and promptly turned and disappeared into the dense brush around them.
When she returned as promised several minutes later, her hands were full with a variety of brightly coloured blossoms. “I’m sorry I suggested we settle this with assured death or massive discomfort.” She pushed her makeshift bouquet into his large hands. “These yellow ones symbolize contrition. The blue ones are for remorse and the white ones are for repentance.”
He regarded her with a quizzical tilt of his head. “Those all mean the same thing.”
“They do. I don’t know the meanings of flowers,” she admitted while she plucked one back out of his hands and stuck it behind his ear. “But I’m pretty sure this one means ‘I love you’.”
Her words brought a blush to his cheeks and made him momentarily speechless. He cleared his throat as he took an identical blossom and wound its stem through her hair. “Guess we’ll have to make sure we keep these on hand then.”