Ballad of Flowers

Chapter 7

                The room was silent, other than the occasional draft of air through the hatch. She wasn't sure how to feel, sadness clouding her mind, an irrational anger at Apple shrinking back from the small amounts of fear for what might be lurking in the shadows. Cold. She felt cold. Orchid tried to solve this, grabbing a blanket while laying down in her hammock. The cold never left. The cold felt so... unnatural... like an entity was lurking in the room. She whimpered and curled up, scales fading to a snowy white as her eyes darted around the room. Heart racing, she built the courage to call out to the spirit, shivering from the imaginary cold she felt in her heart... "H.... Hello? I-Is anyone there?" She hesitantly asked, wishing that Alex was still there. Suddenly, the tall figure she saw earlier reappeared, a small grin spread on their face. They had large, black tentacles sprouting from their arms and back, slightly hovering off the ground. With a flinch, Orchid froze in place, eyes wide as she stared at the figure re-adjusting their suit and tie. "Hello, Ma'am. I hope I didn't scare you... But, from the looks of it, I did... Sorry about that..." They said in a slight British accent, the tendrils curled and set back. As She silently stared at the creature that just started talking to her, she didn't even notice her breathing had sped up, and her tail was curled up rather tightly. She whimpers and faints, falling out of her hammock with a small thud. They look down at her small, limp body and sigh. "Oh no..."

She woke up not too long later, gingerly tucked into her hammock with a few more blankets than the one thin sheet she had used earlier. With a small groan, she looked over to the tall figure sitting in a chair not too far away, sipping at some warm tea they made while she was out. "Oh good, you're awake! Please don't freak out this time, I swear I wish you no harm whatsoever..." They murmur, setting down their tea with a sigh. "W-Who are you?" She whimpers, not fully convinced. "My name is Pinstripe, ironically... What's yours?" She looks away, unsure if she was dreaming. "I'm Orchid... Why are you in my home?" "Oh, I've been seeing the things that happen to your species, and I saw you just the other day in the market. I just felt like I should get to know some of your people, and decided you were the best candidate... How are you feeling?" She sits up, rubbing her head. "I feel... confused... afraid... lonely..." She whimpers softly, scales now a swirl of light blue and white. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Pinstripe asks calmly, looking her over. "You can tell me how you got in here..." They perk up, getting out of the chair and unraveling their tentacles. A small yelp escapes Orchid when she sees them, blushing while small spots of maroon appear on her scales. "Don't worry, they won't hurt you either... I'm what they call a Voidblinker, a spirit of sorts that uses the endless void to travel throughout space and time. You can tell someone is a Voidblinker by the iconic tentacles and the way we slightly hover off the ground. We normally all follow the same colors and body structure, white head and torso, black legs and tentacles." She took in the information, unsure of their gender in the subject. "... Are you a boy or a girl?" They blush, looking away. Pinstripe obviously was uncomfortable with the subject, remaining silent as they curl up their tentacles back up and sit down.