UUU: "Fruit of One's Energy"

on
Cast: Seed (Deme) and Namaka (Shade)

TLDR:

Support Points Earned: 2

LadyDeme:

It was about time; another round of blossoms had gone, and ripened beautifully across his branches as deep purple fruit. One had come tumbling down when he turned his head the other day; Seed had realized that it was time to do this. Which is why he'd decided to devote the afternoon to handling the matter. He'd found a mirror for it -- otherwise, he would have to fumble around grabbing things, and that was no good. His reflection looked at him... Seed puffed sadly at his reflection. His reflection looked peaceful, he supposed... Or, perhaps, wistful. It was a quiet melancholy mood that filled him, a grey sky. He didn't have a reason exactly.

LadyDeme:

He turned his eyes away for their own hooded reflections, but towards his branches. He reached for the first of the fruit, a little bigger than a cherry, a little smaller than an apricot, and it came away easily in his hand. And another, moving along the wreath of branches that partially encircled his head. And another. He'd have to do the branches that grew from his shoulders next, but the bulk of his fruit were around his head, so he would be there for some time. Each fruit he picked was ordinary, save that it was not a fruit that could be found on a normal tree (Well, he mused, perhaps there were trees out there, left along his path, that had them); each went into a large white bowl he sat next to him. The action was almost a meditation, in which he contemplated snatchets of poetry -- when the air is bright and brittle cold, and the sun is a golden cloak thrown about your shoulders , was there more he could push that? The North Wind and the Sun? -- and his own feelings, stirred. Did he want to find Marcia? Did he want to believe forever she was happily married? And was there a way to make the hurt he felt, thinking about her, stop? So he could ... He'd rather made a mess of things, hadn't he? No, there wasn't really any chance there'd be anything he could do. He smiled at that, not happily. And so after a time, he was staring somewhere far off as he worked, hands reaching for another fruit.

Shade:

"Is that fruit?" Namaka appeared behind Seed's shoulder in the mirror, staring curiously at Seed. She had been walking along when she noticed Seed set up in front of a mirror, doing something she couldn't make out from where she had been. A part of her realized she probably should have called out to warn the Florkana before she approached, but her curiosity about his activity was stronger than her sense of decorum. She was careful not to touch him, though, hands intentionally clutched behind her back; on some of her first visits to other countries, Namaka's inquisitive nature had gotten the better of her and she had touched a Laguz's ears without warning or permission. Not a pleasant experience to look back on.

LadyDeme:

People existed in the world, which also existed, and he, Seed, was in it. This was so alarming that Seed was jolted, the fruit getting tossed up into the air, where he fumbled with it for a second, before holding it. He looked away from the mirror to properly see one of their troupe behind him, examining his process. Seed nodded. "Yes. It's not the grandest harvest, but it's been a rough few months... I think," he answered. There was some degree of critical assessment needed in this sort of thing, or at least there was to Seed. The bowl wasn't even half-filled, which spoke to his moods lately. An unsteady heart lost too many blooms to early...That was how it always seemed to him. He gestured to the bowl. "I need to decide what to do with them before they go bad. Would you like one?" Trying to anticipate her thoughts, he quickly appended to his question, "...They won't cause either of us any harm to eat."

Shade:

"I'd love one!" Namaka hadn't even thought of the fruits being harmful to eat, but the assurance from Seed was something she was happy to hear. Being able to eat fruit from a Florkana? While she didn't know if the experience was a rare one in general, it was something she had never even known about before, much less gotten the chance to do, and the Ayzer leapt at the opportunity. Without hesitation, she reached into the bowl and picked out one of the small fruits, popping it into her mouth with a smile. The seeds inside of the fruit were a bit crunchy, and the flesh of the fruit was rich and sweet. Quickly chewing and swallowing it, Namaka let out a contented hum. "Ooh, it's delicious! You grow some good fruit, Seed!"
September 6, 2018

LadyDeme:

Seed chuckled at her obvious satisfaction, which always was a little source of pride for him. It was probably one that would sound strange to some other peoples, but there was an enjoyment in those things at once innate about you and at once somewhat worked for, or, at least, costly, coming about to bring someone happiness. It was like being good for something besides pretty words. "Why, thank you. While it might be nice to leave a few for camp, right now I think they'd make a good jam, don't you think? Something for friends or visitors, that kind of thing," He explained as he picked another fruit for the bowl, and then reached for another... But upon trying to pick it, winced and stopped, with a huffy little grunt. That one was, whatever its color claimed (though color was generally not perfectly even), not ready yet.

Shade:

Namaka gave Seed a wide grin. "That sounds like a neat idea! What were you planning on pairing it with?" She noticed the Florkana's wince after trying to pick one of the fruits, and moved closer with worry on her face. "Oh, are you okay?"

LadyDeme:

A smile was hastily erected to re-assure her, accompanied by a shake of his head that rattled leaves like the wind. "Oh, I'm quite fine. I misjudged how ripe that one was, so it was attached a little too firmly for me to want to pick it off now. Like most fruits, a truly ripe one will come off so easily I barely feel it. But at worst with something so small, it's like pulling a hair." He supposed, then, that perhaps the feeling of the fruit being unripe was like getting his hair caught in something -- yes, an apt simile. He suspected it'd be good for other things, as well, the sharp stabs you'd feel sometimes, when you were caught up on old feelings of guilt, or sharp needles of the future. He tried to avoid dwelling on the needles bit, because there, it rather broke, didn't it? "As for what to pair it with... I was thinking something baked; bread, perhaps? A scone? If it's something where you can choose what topping to put on, I'll still be able to enjoy the snack without losing my manners."
September 7, 2018

Shade:

"Oh, that's good to hear. Just gotta wait for it to ripen, then!" Hair getting accidentally caught and pulled was something Namaka was all too familiar with; swimming through the ocean could be... painful, on occasions, if something was floating too close by. "A scone sounds like a great idea! ...What do you mean without losing your manners, though?" Namaka tilted her head to the side, giving Seed a curious look.

LadyDeme:

"Ah, that... Among Florkana, it's customary not to eat one's own fruit," Seed said thoughtfully -- already anticipating that he would have to explain a custom that, frankly, had puzzled him just as much as it might puzzle her. It was rarely actually explained, rarely actually spoken. It just wasn't done, in the silent way of traditions older than history. So, then, why did he heed it? Because otherwise, it would be crystal clear he was an outsider, and a rude one, at that. And for an outsider to explain it to an outsider was a difficult matter. But he tapped his chin and gave it some deeper consideration, he made a shot at it. "My impression of the thinking... Is that it's considered rude because it's considered selfish. Or, perhaps, wasteful. The energy you took from the world, you do not return to the world if you eat your own fruit. Eaten by others, the fruit is enjoyed, and you pass a little of your own energy onto them, and the seeds are carried into the world; you add to someone's happiness. Composted by the earth, the ground becomes richer, and new plants can grow; Eaten by one's self, it is a closed loop, a snake eating its own tail... That's the way I've chosen to look at it, after dwelling on it for a while. I don't know if that's really the reason; it's too old a custom to say." He explained, meditatively picking more fruit. He shrugged at the end of this, one glossy-skinned orb resting loosely in his hand.

Shade:

Namaka frowned. "Hmmm... That seems kinda sad to me, not being able to eat your own fruit. That means you don't get to enjoy the thing that you spent the energy growing, yeah?"

LadyDeme:

"That may be true," he said, looking down at the fruit in his hand. The color was good, and the skin looked right, smooth and a little waxy, unbroken by insect bites. He normally didn't have a problem with insects; a sense for herbs helped see to that, as, of course, did being able to bat away anything he didn't like. With a leaf at times. "As I said, I don't know if that's really the reason or not; I might just be trying to explain why it's rude without really understanding anything. However, it is... The upside, at least... when there are other Florkana around, you'll get to try others' fruit... But... I also think there are things about people they rarely get to enjoy about themselves. In that sense, it's hardly an exception..." His eyes darted to the mirror, where he could see her face more easily than if he turned his head. Perhaps water magic was not quite the same as other arts -- because he thought there was an art to it. When he read his own writing, it was so stale; it tasted like the inside of his mouth. "Do the Ayzer have any customs you don't fully know the reason behind?"

Shade:

"Mmm, none I can think of off the top of my head, sorry!" Namaka shrugged. "I'm sure there's probably stuff I'm not really remembering, but I've been interested in other places a lot, so I don't think about home and their customs much, yeah?" She pauses a moment to stretch, arms reaching up above her head before dropping back down. "Only real 'custom' I can think of at the moment is the sleeping in water thing, and that one I know the reason for. We have to make sure we keep hydrated, and it's a lot easier to refill overnight while we sleep than remember and take the time to do it during the day."

LadyDeme:

"Ah, then, who can say? Perhaps there's ones you do not know. Perhaps even ones you don't know you don't know." He seemed to have come full circle across his head, the full crown picked. There were a few unripe ones still waiting, but the Florkana shook out his head from side to side. The fruit rattled a little, but none seemed inclined to fall off. His hair, however, swished from side to side, coming loose from a small ponytail he'd been keeping it in that day. A shame. He chuckled and turned to look at her. "All picked! Would you like me to invite you when there's jam and scones?"

Shade:

"I'd love to!" She grinned at Seed, excited at the prospect. The fruit itself had been delicious, and she was sure that turned into a jam, it would be just as tasty. Plus, she decided, Seed was a nice person to talk to, and getting to talk with him more would be fun. "Just let me know when you've got them all prepped. I can try and bring some food too, if you want... Although I'm not exactly a cook, so I'd just be getting it to bring and have with the jam and scones."

LadyDeme:

"That sounds like it would be an excellent addition to this little tea party. I look forward to it," said Seed. He collected his mirror and bowl and rose, bowing to bid his farewells. For something that had been routine, it had become a little bit more exciting, with the promise of being given a snack at the end of his labors. With that, he began to head back to his things.

Shade:

Namaka blinked, and then with a smile, returned the bow. The movement was slightly awkward, as she was mostly trying to mimic it as Seed had done the action. As Seed left, Namaka waved to him. "Talk to you later, Seed!"

LadyDeme:

== RP End ==

Comments

Post a Comment