Violets between Daffodils [Toby & Cissy]

POST-ERUPTION HAD ALWAYS BEEN DRAINING for the crimson gentleman. He’d erupted about the middle of the prior week, missed the rest of the week of school as his body recuperated. Of all the quirks Tobias could have been given, why was his so much like a chronic illness? Why couldn’t it be something useful?

Anyways, it was early Sunday morning when he realized that the Yumenoshima Tropical Greenhouse was having its annual sale that weekend, in light of the cherry blossom viewing and all. And though the volcanic golem was absolutely spent from his recent eruption, he wouldn’t miss this fundraiser for the world.

So Tobias roused himself from his bed, obsidian fingertips paying homage to each of his cats, who were curled-up at the foot of the bed. Alice, a predominantly white cat with grey tabby spots, meowed and stretched. Gertrude, a predominantly tabby cat, gave an annoyed mrrrp but otherwise didn’t move.

As the librarian got moving for the day, the cinder sprites roused themselves from the sooty corners of Tobias’s room. Their smoldering ember-eyes followed him from the room towards the closet, and some bobbed after him as if tugged by a string.

Wherever he went, so did they—however unintelligent they seemed, they at least were very good at following along.

Tobias padded to his closet, and surveyed the available shirts and pants—the sharp edges of his obsidian armor was likely to tear the fine fabric of his dress shirts, so perhaps something more casual, and sturdier?

He settled for a short-sleeved denim button-up and some darker khaki pants. The casual Sunday ensemble was completed with his usual eyeglasses, and a pair of canvas sneakers. Truly the metropolitan visage, and far more casual than Tobias was usually comfortable with. Lastly, Tobias donned a leather jacket, snagging his keys and wallet on the way out the door. The gentleman then set-out, cinder sprites following closely in his wake.

It was mid-morning by the time that Tobias had arrived, and already there were a few people there—not a lot, mind you, because most of the diehard botanists came on Friday or Saturday, and much of the public preferred visiting in the afternoon (for picnics). Tobias parked his car, paid his admittance, and strode down the familiar, crushed granite path. His footsteps were slow and measured. The cinder sprites, all the while, followed behind him like a flock of ducklings.

It wasn’t required, to pay admittance to go to the sale—the sale was hosted outside of the greenhouse, to mitigate the potential confusion of botanists and casual gardeners trying to buy the specimens that weren’t for sale. Tobias just loved walking the garden, anyways. And he needed the walk.

He strolled without paying mind to the directory, familiar enough with the lay of the garden that he didn’t really need to check it. He walked with hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket, breathing in the warm air.

A woman who had been sitting upon the bench rose from her place, leaving behind a tangle of plastic. Upon closer inspection, Tobias realized that these were sunglasses.

“Miss?” Tobias called-out, “Miss!”

He strode towards the bench, carefully grabbing the sunglasses by their arms, so as to not risk scratching the lenses, and then walked steadily after the woman.

“Excuse me, miss—“ Tobias said again, as he drew nearer, “Your sunglasses?”

He held the accessory up for her taking as he asked the question, offering a toothless smile. Most people found his molten smile disconcerting, so Tobias was careful to not grin outright when obsidian. Particularly when in the company of a lady.

“They were on the bench,” he advised her, for fear of being incriminated as a sunglass-thief.

ft. Narcissa King

quirk: c-rank burn, durability, heat resistance; combat abilities: jujitsu (e), magma sleeves (e), regeneration (d), cinder sprites (f)(summon); etc.: info. sifting (f), problem solving (f), interrogation (f), first aid (e)

ooc notes:

THE OBSIDIAN GOLEM SMILED-- at least, as much as he could while his outer shell was so stony—when the woman turned to face him. Molten yellow-orange eyes pinched slightly from behind the rimless spectacles that were balanced upon his nose, and apparently held in-place by a fastening strap. The woman seemed startled, but at least she didn’t shout or flinch. Just… alarmed? That was natural.

The cinder sprites bobbed around Toby’s ankles, inclining their heads towards the peculiar woman as she searched the crown of her head for the phantom glasses. When she realized what Tobias had meant, the gentleman would keep the sunglasses held-out until they were taken, and then he would let his hand to fall to the side.

“My pleasure,” Tobias said simply, bowing at the waist.

Rather than asking about his usual visage, she instead asked about the sprites that lingered around him. Tobias had expected a question—it would either be about his appearance or his entourage.

“Oh, these?” he echoed. The sprites turned towards him expectantly, “These are nuisances.”

It was a droll sort-of response. Because they were, in fact, nuisances—but it was an unsatisfying response, so the gentleman supplemented his response with another, more concise answer. No need to sour first acquaintances with sarcasm.

“They’re sprites that come around me, from time-to-time,” he confessed, “A product of my Quirk. A summon, if you will.”

He inclined his head, attempting to steer the conversation away from his spectral tagalongs—their presence, and his appearance, were rather embarrassing. Not exactly the kind of thing one wanted to discuss in polite company.

“Are you here for the sale?”

Surely her early arrival alluded to some passion for botany... right?

ft. Narcissa King

quirk: c-rank burn, durability, heat resistance; combat abilities: jujitsu (e), magma sleeves (e), regeneration (d), cinder sprites (f)(summon); etc.: info. sifting (f), problem solving (f), interrogation (f), first aid (e)

ooc notes:

THE MAN SHOOK HIS HEAD, raising a polite hand to the woman’s bashful apology. Perhaps his strained smile had come through his obsidian facade too clearly? Perhaps his droll tone had hit the mark too resoundingly? Certainly, the topic made Toby uncomfortable, but he didn't want to make the unfamiliar woman uncomfortable in-turn.

"You needn't apologize for curiosity," the gentleman insisted, "Curiosity breeds understanding. Which is much better than its cousins, misconception or bigotry. I take no offense."

Some of the sprites ebbed around his feet, while others were dangling off of a low-slung branch, tittering amongst themselves.

"A sale, yes!" Tobias echoed, mistaking the woman's bewilderment for excitement, "Some of the specimens they have here can produce plants from semi-ripe cuttings, or the seeds that they disperse. So, a few times throughout the year, they sell plants as a fundraiser for the garden."

His clipped, formal way of speaking grew progressively more animated as he gushed about the sale. Toby's excitement was practically tangible.

"What a fortuitous day to visit," Tobias congratulated the woman, clearly pleased, "They have such lovely plants to offer."

Belatedly, the man realized that he was getting carried away with his gushing-over-plants. He cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses, before timidly declaring that, “I’m getting ahead of myself. My name is Tobias Murakami. May I ask your name? Would you like to accompany me to the sale?”

ft. Narcissa King

quirk: c-rank burn, durability, heat resistance; combat abilities: jujitsu (e), magma sleeves (e), regeneration (d), cinder sprites (f)(summon); etc.: info. sifting (f), problem solving (f), interrogation (f), first aid (e)

ooc notes:

THE WOMAN SEEMED REASSURED BY Tobias’s hasty explanation, and complimented the wisdom of his words. The hard, stony surface of his face did its best to return the smile, but it seemed stiff.

Polite conversation had a way of bringing a smile to the hero’s face—so often, when it came to investigative work, the crimson gentleman was faced with uncommunicative and, frankly, rude people of the public. This was far better. Cathartic even. And to be in the company of such a beautiful woman…

“Narcissa King,” he echoed, bowing at the waist, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

What an unusual name! Certainly not Japanese, but… lovely nonetheless.

“Your name is… very regal, no irony intended, King-san,” Tobias remarked, raising from his bow, “I don’t suppose that your parents were, ah, fans of mythology?”

Tobias was one to keep his distance from people, too—but he had no qualms about keeping polite company, particularly by happenstance. There was a certain degree of safety in anonymity. No need to worry about the stranger you chose to be your friend for the hour, because it was not like you would see them ever again… right?

The redhead moved slowly along the path, the sprites ebbing around his feet as he moved. He would clasp his hands behind his back, his gaze trained on the plants just beyond the retaining wall, varied and beautiful.

“I’m a librarian, so… please pardon the nerdy mythological references?” he said lamely, molten eyes sliding back towards her, “I’ll spare you any ham-handed references to Greek myth, though, I promise.”

Another stretch of silence followed, and Tobias came to a halt besides one particularly enthusiastic birds-of-paradise.

“What sort of plants do you hope to find?” he mused aloud, “A perennial? A succulent?”

Perhaps it wasn’t a fair question to ask someone who hadn’t even expected to be a sale… but once his mind found a common interest, it sometimes cleaved-on to it.

ft. Narcissa King

quirk: c-rank burn, durability, heat resistance; combat abilities: jujitsu (e), magma sleeves (e), regeneration (d), cinder sprites (f)(summon); etc.: info. sifting (f), problem solving (f), interrogation (f), first aid (e)

ooc notes:

SOMETHING ABOUT THIS EXCHANGE MADE Tobias’s heart flutter. It was a weird sensation—he chalked it up to the excitement of having found someone to keep the company of. It had been a few days since he’d kept polite company, given the recentness of his eruption, and all. And, what more, this lady seemed interested in—or at least, polite enough to ask about—niche interests of his.

She seemed flustered by the bowing, only bowing after Tobias had. Foreign name, a lack of awareness about Japanese customs. It wasn’t necessarily a polite question to ask, but… if they were keeping each other’s company…

“I have a question. Pardon me for asking,” Tobias said, his tone careful, “Where are you from?”

His sentences lost their usual floweriness, electing for a more straightforward sentence structure. Perhaps it was rude to ask someone if they were from somewhere else—but it was ruder to talk circles around them while they looked shell-shocked by the barrage of Japanese.

“I… noticed that you seemed… a little lost, while I spoke?” Tobias offered, “Are other languages easier for you?”

He knew enough English, from all the students that came from abroad. He also knew sign-language, thanks to Jessie.

With the woman’s blessing, Tobias would continue speaking—this time, in English. He was decidedly less silver-tongued, in that language.

“The story of Narcissus, yes, is the story of your name,” Tobias explained, his English thick with his Japanese accent. If he weren’t obsidian-mode, he might have blushed around the tips of his ears at his own misspoken-ness.

“Narcissus was a hunter,” Tobias explained, “The son of a god. He was very beautiful. He fell in love with his face on the water-“ his reflection, that is, “-and died. Then a flower grew where he died. A, erm…”

How ironic, to tell this story in a garden. Tobias dug for the word in English, but without finding it, he fell briefly back into Japanese.

“A daffodil. How do you say “daffodil” in English?”

Molten eyes drifted back towards Narcissa, the fluttering remaining in his chest. Her dark spill of hair, her proud face—it was no wonder her parents had named her for a thing of beauty. That wasn’t a polite thing to say, though…

“My library is very small, at a school, so I am always busy,” Tobias said modestly, “I do not read as often as I would like to, either.”

Perhaps, one day, he could get a student-assistant, or two, or four, to help with the more menial tasks… but for now, Tobias was the only person available to run the place.

“Some perennials do really well in pots,” Tobias offered, musing aloud, “Like… lavender? And it smells good… bees love it…”

ft. Narcissa King

quirk: c-rank burn, durability, heat resistance; combat abilities: jujitsu (e), magma sleeves (e), regeneration (d), cinder sprites (f)(summon); etc.: info. sifting (f), problem solving (f), interrogation (f), first aid (e)

ooc notes:

THE WOMAN CONFESSED THAT SHE was from Barbados—a Carribean Island. Were they one of the islands that spoke Spanish? Or French? Or perhaps English? It was such a gamble, for Toby to start prattling-on in English. But the absolutely luminous expression that crossed her features was worth it. He smiled back, trying in-earnest to stay focused on the story. She made it hard to keep any semblance of linear thought. God, I’m like a teenager all-over again.

Toby laughed as Narcissa remarked on her own name, and the joke that she sometimes made about it.

“See? You already knew the story of your name,” he remarked, clearly pleased, “You knew, without knowing you knew.”

Something about this conversation thrilled him—it made him more bold than he usually was—more keen on saying things that he wouldn’t typically want to say.

“I think… that you can be beautiful without being vain,” he hazarded, “You are… very… reasonable! To me!”

And, at the last second, he chickened-out. The implication was there, but Toby couldn’t bring himself to be that guy. You know, that guy that made unsolicited comments to girls in public. Ew. It wasn’t a good luck for anyone, particularly an apparent-mutant.

He could feel his face growing hot beneath its outer crust.

“What kind of books do you read?”

It was a common question for a librarian—and much safer than almost accidentally telling a stranger that they were beautiful. Tobias shrugged his shoulders when asked what plants he was looking for.

“I have no… specific plant. I came here to see what they had.”

Gosh, he hoped that made sense. So many of the students spoke Japanese well enough, that his English was admittedly really rusty from lack of practice. And it was difficult to remember all the names for all of the flowers, particularly ones where Japanese hadn’t borrowed the word.

For a guy with an American mother, his English was admittedly horrible.

“Dahlias are my favorite flower, I think,” he explained, “I like their shape. If they have dahlia’s I will buy them.”

His garden was, of course, already filled with dahlias, though. They were perennial plants, and Tobias took rather good care of them.

ft. Narcissa King

quirk: c-rank burn, durability, heat resistance; combat abilities: jujitsu (e), magma sleeves (e), regeneration (d), cinder sprites (f)(summon); etc.: info. sifting (f), problem solving (f), interrogation (f), first aid (e)

ooc notes:

TOBIAS BASHFULLY RUBBED THE BACK OF HIS NECK, rock scraping against rock.

“In English, I don’t know,” Tobias said simply, closing his eyes, “In Japanese it’s a ‘demigod’ though… using the kanji for… ‘half’ and ‘god’.”

Of course, the woman’s embarrassment was only met with more embarrassment on the man’s part. He’d tried to back-track out of the unsolicited compliment, but it’d take an idiot not to notice that the compliment had been given. And this woman had already proven herself to be very smart.

He pocketed his hands, shrugging his shoulders at the woman’s question. Oh no, a voracious reader—the hardest one to find new books to read for. Thankfully, she narrowed her books down to genres—romance (sometimes) and frequently thrillers.

“What kind of thrillers?” Tobias insisted, “Supernatural? Crime? Or… something else?”

He wasn’t an expert on the romance genre, able to supplement his own lack of knowledge with recommendations from a burly, romance-devouring second-year in the Literature Club.

The woman tried to recall what “dahlias” were, mimicking the bloom’s magnitude with cupped hands.

“Yes, yes!” Tobias agreed. He held out his own hand, one palm skyward, “And the flower, it looks like this-“

Using the index finger of his free hand, he traced a spiral on his own palm, starting at the center of his palm and radiating outward.

“What’s the word for that shape?” he asked, tracing the spiral again, “Like a rose.”

It was kind-of silly, two grown adults, holding their hands out as if waiting to receive communion from one another.

ft. narcissa king

quirk: c-rank burn, durability, heat resistance; combat abilities: jujitsu (e), magma sleeves (e), regeneration (d), cinder sprites (f)(summon); etc.: info. sifting (f), problem solving (f), interrogation (f), first aid (e)

ooc notes: