Cloud

[residentflorist]

code

Lilium
Derived from Latin lilia, which may have come from a corrupted
pronunciation of a word from an extinct Eastern Mediterranean language
Humility, devotion, restored innocence after death

"Lovers used to give these when they were reunited."

Comments

[residentflorist]

Well...names aren't everything, you know? They might not mean anything to them at all.

[residentmerc]

They're probably cult names. [ he's not disagreeing, he's just. dismissive. ]

[residentflorist]

And that probably means they have other names that might be more fitting.

[residentmerc]

Sure.

[ is he humoring her. yes a little ]

How d'you find them, then? [ as people. not like. how did you send a message. ]

[residentflorist]

[thanks cloud.]

Hm...Pestilence is probably the easiest to speak with. They showed me a little more of their garden and let me help with some things, but they were pretty forthcoming with answers. And Famine will keep saying they don't care about opinions and that they don't want to know more about us than what they have to know, but they're willing to listen for as long as you want. I think they really do want to help us as much as they can.

[i.e. she talked to them for. a long time.]

Death seemed easy enough to talk to when we spoke yesterday, but I'll have to find their crow again for another time. War, too.

[residentmerc]

... Do you trust them?

[ that's not what she said, but she sounds like she wants to be able to trust them, which is maybe the same thing, cloud thinks, wrongly, ]

[residentflorist]

[she thinks about this for a moment.]

They haven't given me a reason not to yet. I don't know what their full expectations are, but I think they're serious about helping us find a way out.

[residentmerc]

... Well, we'll see. But it'd be better if you were right.

[ he can't trust things anymore he trusted ONE CAT and they were BETRAYED ]

[residentflorist]

[she kind of forgave cait so she is aware she has a different set of standards than cloud right now.]

Give them a chance and see what you think. Maybe you'll have a different conversation with them than I did.

[residentmerc]

[ he has mostly forgiven him hes just, also, still pissed about it, ]

I said I would. It'd be stupid not to.

[residentflorist]

[she looks at him for a moment.]

And if the first conversation doesn't work out, you have to try again. [she knows...sometimes...you are just a little bitch.]

[residentmerc]

I'm not that bad.

[ hey >:/ ]

[residentflorist]

[look.]

You've gotten better.

[residentmerc]

[ why's that condescending... ]

... Better.

[residentflorist]

Better! [now it's a little more sincere, as if that helps.]

[residentmerc]

Aerith.

[ IT DOESN'T HELP ]

[residentflorist]

[anyway!]

Oh. Here's something you might be able to ask them about. I saw Lucas earlier today. He's been praying in different parts of the town, but...he said he's been hearing some sort of strange gospel after a while. [thinking...] "The Lord said to His lamb, 'Rachel! Go forth, and head to the south, and meet the people in Riverdale.'" And then something about sacrificing goats without eating from the holy flesh, or all food will become ash in a person's mouth going forth.

[residentmerc]

[ what the actual fuck it's week zero ]

... Are we sure he's not just hearing voices?

[residentflorist]

Could be. [just admitting that.] But if he isn't, it could give us a direction to follow to learn more about the cult.

[residentmerc]

That's true. Or... maybe even a direction in general if some of that fog lifts up.

[ GO SOUTH, GUYS ]

[residentflorist]

Pestilence said that when they first picked this place for us, some of the buildings weren't here and they showed up later. It's possible the fog will lift for us, but...it means we have to stay a little longer.

[residentmerc]

[ ignoring having to stay longer because hm. he doesn't care for that. ]

So... Does that mean the whole town's fake? [ IF THE BUILDINGS JUST. APPEAR. ]

[residentflorist]

[that is not her favorite possibility, actually.]

I don't know. The way it was explained was that this was all part of a ritual, but some parts of the ritual had to be substituted. So it's possible that that's why things can change while we're here.

[residentmerc]

They tell you why it needed substituted?

[residentflorist]

They sort of compared it to a recipe whose ingredients were out of stock. So...their ritual to bring us here couldn't be performed correctly because some of the magic needed didn't work, I guess.