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Fresh wind, green stalks dancing along, dressed in colorful petals, butterflies following the movement, the only thing that stands out from this marvelous scenery was the fire of their tail. It was not an unfamiliar environment for them, as they would often wander in the huge garden in order to find some peace for themselves. Their long hair waved in the air, while their body was firm, standing, showing no weakness against the strong wind.
But, despite how chill the air could be, they were burning inside. Their chest were ignited with a never dying flame, each breath they took ached with an usual pain. Never would they be able to get rid of the fire in their heart.
Sighing under their breath, their emerald eyes were focused on the plants in front of them; beautiful flowers of royalty, the white lyses were almost standing straight like their observer, their giant petals weighing against the weather.
The calm painting created by this sight was almost way too silent, as if in the end, they started to miss the usual rumble of the company they took shelter in.
"Hi! Is everything alright?"
As they were debating between going back inside or staying longer, their train of thoughts immediately got stopped by a voice behind them. With a very brutal tail swing, they did a turnaround, maybe way too fast, betrayed the unease in their eyes as they fixed the stranger.
"Ah," this one's expression took a surprised turn, before showing what seemed to be remorse, or softness, they couldn't tell. "did I scare you?"
The Draco could only stare at the person in front of them; much smaller, her (or his?) hair in a white almost as shining as the flowers they were staring at just moments ago, the Kuranta was dressed in what seemed a police uniform, one that the horned one knew way too well.
"What… Who… Are you?" They whispered, their eyebrows knitted together in a frown. Their enormous tail, despite being probably way longer than their body, was slashing the wind behind them.
"Operator Grani! From Rhodes Island." the introduced operator made an innocent smile, her purple eyes shining with kindness. "Nice to meet you! And you are?"
The tallest one could not understand what goal she had in attempting conversation with them. Maybe she knew? They took a single step backwards, wary, not hesitating to show their uncomfort. "I don't think I… Give you a written authorization to address me."
Grani blinked in confusion, tilting her head slightly on the side, almost looking childish combined with her ridiculous size. "An authorization?" but all she won was an annoyed sigh from the draconic one.
"If you wish to talk… With me, you would need to have a written authorization from myself." They almost did not reply, but upon seeing that the Kuranta was refusing to leave, they finally shuffled those words, their voice so low that all it earned was some steps from the operator in front of them to hear them clearly under the wind.
"Oh! I see I see - so can I get one now?" She smiled so innocently, as if she truly was expecting a positive answer. At least, the Draco could admit that she was polite enough to ask.
"No." obviously, they were not trusting the short horse enough to give her their trust. Hopefully she will leave now…
But all she did was to thumb up with the same smile, "Understood! Won't talk to you then." and stray around, but not where they would have wished, instead just turning around, her hands tied behind her back, as she profited of the weather.
Then it fell silent again.
It was just as before, flowers moving with the blows, nature blossing all around, insects welcoming its warm embrace. But with someone else. A very silent someone else, but someone else regardless - despite her efforts to stay as quiet as the breeze, and to respect the fiery one's boundary, she was still getting all of their attention by simply being here. This presence was weighing a lot, resulting in their tail twitching around with anxiety and frustration. They wish they were better at expressing themselves sometimes, but that's a problem they can't help, they knew.
After long, long minutes, feeling that they could not take it anymore, they finally turned around and walked away under the eyes of the officier. This one was expecting them to completely leave, but in the end, they stood in the garden after giving an anxious sight to the inside of the ship - it was still too crowded. It seems like Perfumer's garden was their only escape, hoping that it won't get ruined soon.
They simply crouched near another patch of flowers, purple hyacinths this time, that they slightly brushed with the tip of their fingers - immediately leaving burn marks on said flower. Ah, they were careless, hopefully that won't cost them to be grounded. They finally ended up sighing and sat down, their knees close to their chest, that they wrapped with their arms and long tail, letting their chin rest above. They would sometimes throw a look or two towards where they used to be, looking at the flowers they admired minutes before, now being the center of the Kuranta's interest, before slowly closing their eyes.
"What do… You want?" the next time they opened their eyes, it was to stare at the white haired one who took a seat just next to them. Well, they may sound mad, but it was not even close to what they felt, neither annoyance. It was uncomfort, and only this - to stay away from those who tried to get near, by fear of burning them down.
The second operator replied by pointing at them with one finger, before pointing at her own face, making a sad expression, probably to mock the Draco's, then tilted her head. "You can… Talk. I won't understand… Otherwise." they finally gave up their boundaries, looking away - if really, it was getting too much, and they felt in danger, they still had the option to talk about it to the Doctor.
"I just want to know if everything's fine." The sudden softness in Grani's voice caught them off guard, convincing them to put their attention back on her, to finally face a worried, but sincere expression. "I always notice you being alone."
Was it true concern, or was it a trap to force them to open up? Should they sincerely reply, or should they avoid her? Despite their long hesitation to reply, Grani didn't move an inch, except to look away at the flowers around them. Somehow, knowing that the horse was not looking at them anymore made them feel more comfortable.
"You are part of the Victorian's… Mountain Police, right? I don't… Have anything to give you." they as well looked away, and their next exchange would be without any eye contact from any of them.
"Huh? It has nothing to do with that. Between us, I'm just operator Grani." despite not being able to see her expression on her face, they could still guess it at the tone of her voice - calm, reassuring. "Just like you are an operator of Rhodes Island. There's no such as ranks, or formalities to have between us, we're all working hand in hand towards the same goal after all!"
The horned one could hear a scoffed sound that they guessed to be the Kuranta clearing her throat, as if she tried to catch herself on raising her voice a bit too much. "So, it's only natural to look after each other. We should all feel safe together here, don't you think?"
To feel safe… Equal to each other… The conversation once again fell into silence as the long haired one wandered in their thoughts. It's true, Rhodes Island was their little paradise, a shelter, it gave them a new chance to be someone, someone of their own. Someone who wouldn't be a shadow. Yet… It was exactly how they acted.
Yet they knew they could not help it. After all, she was probably aware that they were here. A single mistake. A single information they could let slip. And it will be over. They would lose everything they had.
The only place where they could be themselves, they can not be themselves.
"You can call me… Reed." they finally muffled inside their arms, still not wishing to stare back at the operator next to them, but feeling comfortable enough to at least share their code name. Nothing bad would come out of it.
"It's a nice name. Do you like plants?" curiosity, they guessed, but also gentleness, by avoiding continuing on the tracks of the previous subjects. "They remind me… Of my hometown." it was not the reason for their codename, but the question was not necessarily focused around it.
"I see. Did you know that plants have a language? Well- I mean, I don't know it myself, it's just what Quercus told me." consideration, with a slight laugh on her end, she once again avoided to ask about Reed despite the occasion having presented itself. "They do. The lys is a symbol of… Royalty, but also purity."
"Ooh," an awe. "so that explains why Victorian kings used this symbol. Makes sense. And the ones in front of us, what is it?" she continued on the flowers, understanding that it was a subject she could continue on without any risk, yet the tall one could still note some honest interest. "Purple hyacinth. It means… Seeking forgiveness. But it can also mean happiness."
"You really do know a lot," admiration, as they heard a movement, probably the operator adjusting her position to be more comfortable. "but I'm curious why giving a meaning to plants. I mean!" another scoff. "it's not a bad thing at all. The opposite rather. But does it have a use? Can we… Talk to plants?" innocence, an attempt to lighten the mood.
"They are somewhat… Used as a language for people to express themselves with something different than words. When you offer specific plants to… Someone, it's like a message." feeling as they were already talking way more than before, they kept a comment on poetry for themselves, maybe for another occasion.
"I see… I can see why you appreciate them this much." assumption, but a gentle one; understanding. Somehow, Reed felt as if they could be read like an open book by the white haired operator, but not in an uncomfortable way - more as if she was able to understand them, as if they both shared something in common, or that she simply knew how people just like Reed tend to think or feel. The Draco did not reply to it with words, instead humming something that could be understood as a confirmation but also as just a "if you want".
"Alright," after long minutes of silence where both simply profited of the kind nature, the horse operator got on her legs. "I will return inside, if you don't mind. It was very nice speaking to you! Next time, I will try to make sure I get an authorization, or I will speak to you in plant language - maybe a plant that would mean "Take care", or "I'm here anytime". I will ask Quercus for some advice!"
She went back to a joyous tone, but still made sure to keep her voice low enough to not disturb Reed further. This one could hear some footsteps, as well as a "See you soon, Reed!" that started to feel distant - and instinctively, their emerald eyes shifted to look at the leaving one, observing her silhouette disappear inside the ship; also noticing that this one got emptier while they were talking to each other. They opened their mouth, as if wishing to reply something, but ended up whispering something incomprehensible, even for themselves.
Speaking to each other in plant language? Maybe Reed should offer her some hydrangeas.