War of the Roses (3) (MANUSCRIPT)

Stem 6: The Lion, Part 2

    Leleonus' cheek itched. The sun poured into the dank, wooden room and blasted Vaal with a dose of rays. Both of their skins turning pale, Vaal's hair contrasted the organic light. His arms covering his face, Leleonus' friend grunted, then turned towards Leleonus. 

    "Yo, your face okay, my dude?" Vaal pointed as a group of clouds passed over the natural, solar body. 

     Closing his eyes, Leleonus whistled. So, it's been that long since I've seen the sun, huh? Shit. Blinking at Vaal, he poked at a green sapling which protruded from his cheek. "Yeah, I guess my face is okay. It's seen better days, though, hasn't it? Wonder if they make a cream for this." 

      "'Better days', huh? Yeah, probably, like, I don't know, maybe the ones where asparagus-seeds weren't trying to grow out of your cheek, yes!" Vaal nodded. 

      "Oh, would you- Ugh, they're saplings, not seeds! And they're for," Leleonus held his breath, grinned, then nodded. "lavenders." 

      "C- Come again? Also, where's Madame Verv-" 

      Green hair swooshing around, a tall, thin woman, a silhouette stretched out its posture. "You two boys are still together, I see. Glad to know I found another pair of people!" 

      "Vervain!" Vaal snapped his head around as his arms went out. 

      Hm. Say, where is everybody? After all that noise of a stampede a moment ago, this gigantic treehouse of ours has felt a lot lighter, and now Vervain is acting surprised to see us? Leleonus dug two fingers into the cuff of his collared shirt. 

      "The entire school exited the other way, I'm guessing. Surprised that Ms. Dendron didn't give me a Communi-Spore, but she's gotten quite forgetful in her old age." Madame Vervain shrugged her shoulders as the palms of her hands produced a series of small, white puffs. "Oh well, I'll just send a little legion of my own Communi-Spores out to find them. They were in quite the rush!" 

      Leleonus' eyelids lowered. Why do I feel like Vervain is laying something on thick, here? 

      Vaal pouted."Ugh, just great! Could those guys not wait any? We have all eternity, after all. Well, in as far as the Earth still spins."  

      Winking at Leleonus, Vervain then jumped backwards. "Well, I do have a message for you two, if you're interested. I've tucked it away within the strands of my spores. Here," The woman held out her palm to Vaal from her distance. "please watch it over carefully. Once you make up your mind, I hope you'll entertain us." 

      "V- Vervain! Wait, where are you going, though?" Vaal put his hand out, catching the spore. 

      Leleonus rolled his eyes. "To find the other-" 

      "No, I know that. Yeah, the other students. Sure, whatever. I mean, why not bring us along? You're just gonna leave us here, stranded?" 

      As she started in the other direction, Vervain then turned around and eyed the pair. Standing atop a large branch as it jutted out from the innards of their academy, the woman's lips curled upwards. Putting a hand to her hip, she produced a smirk, while her eyes twinkled. 

      "Well, times have changed, Leleonus." 

      What? Why address only me out of the two of us, Vervain? Leleonus looked over to Vaal. "What do you mean by that, Madame President?" 

      "Hm, what do I mean? It's funny you still keep calling me that, even though you may remember me under a different name, Leleonus." 

      "Eh? Uh, Lele, what's she on about?" Vaal kept his stare towards the tree. 

      Leleonus's gaze widened as he took note of the woman's skinny waist, and a piece of black cloth which hung around her belt. 

      "I thought you would've forgotten. It seems you've remembered, looking at your expression." Vervain wagged the torn cloth around. 

      "Wh- What are you d- doing with that? That belongs to-" 

      "Danica, your late, adoptive father's housekeeper, right?" Vervain stuck her tongue out. "It's funny how many names and incarnations a Flower Child can go through, really. Sure, there's nothing weird -- for us, anyway -- about the immortality of it all, but right when you think things are getting a little stale, you re-blossom into a woman named Danica, who just so happened to look after two children who were also Flower Children, just like herself. Or, pardon me, is that giving too much away?" 

      Leleonus' gaze fell some. 

      Vaal turned, tapping his friend on the shoulder. "L- Leleonus? What's going on? What does sh-  she mean?" 

      Falling to his knees, Leleonus' eye flashed a snowy white again. Wilting in place, the boy put a hand to his head. Vines growing from his neck, he began to grunt. 

      Cracking sounds coming from his throat, he gulped. His heart raced in the prison of his bony chest. The ground rumbling beneath him, Leleonus grunted.

      Vaal stepped back. "B- Buddy? You ok-" 

      "Vervain, this is- Oh, yes. This is such a good discovery!" Leleonus jumped up, the vines gurgling and hovering around his body. "How did you ever get to regain your memories, though, when becoming who you are now, Danica?" 

      Shaking her head, Vervain sighed. "It's pretty easy, kid. You just keep a patch of some of your previous 'bits' with you before you go melding into the Earth like some chocolaty fondue. It isn't really that complicated." 

      Looking down at the spore that Vaal received from her, Leleonus smiled. "Excellent. You see, my curiosities have come to their peak inside my 'mind' for quite some time now. Danica, how do I access the memories of my previous lives? You say you essentially had some 'hooks' with you before you went, but now I'm awfully impatient, and it doesn't explain what happens if I didn't have any 'hooks' with me." 

      Vervain took a step back. "Leleonus, you seem awfully listless. I'm surprised, then, if you've had such a 'curiosity', that you haven't taken the liberty to hi-jack the academy's library. All of the stuff on our reincarnation is in there, you know. You just haven't taken as much initiative as I thought you would. Sad, I guess. Nonetheless, please just quit stalling me, and watch the little 'movie' that shall come out from that sp-" 

       "Lelenous, whoa!" Vaal fell to the hard ground, his arms going out behind him. 

       Leleonus gritted his teeth as a series of tentacle-like vines whipped around, stealing Vervain closer to him. Looking deep into her eyes, he winked. 

      "What if I don't wanna watch a movie? You could easily give me the answers I desire. I want to know who it was I used to be before I got caught up in being the adopted son of some discount-farmer, as well as a student in a dreary, drab tree. Who was I, damn it? Who was I before I took on this boring, sad life?" 

      Vervain struggled some, her shoulders wiggling under the constriction. "Y- You think you've gotten 'caught up' in things already? Oh, boy, just wait 'til you watch the movie in the spore I gave you." 

      Leleonus looked down at the white puff in his hand. 

      What could she possibly have stored away in this thing? Well, if she's not going to let up, I actually can't harm her further, anyway. She knows things. I need her alive.