12th bloom; renewal

[punchtheflowers]

[Video feed turns on, and a face that has been somewhat absent from the school this past month greets the screen. He is astoundingly disheveled, covered in a mossy beard, long, wild hair the usual facial piercings. For some reason he's also got monk's robes on? You can probably imagine he smells pretty strong right now too. Because he does. He smells overwhelmingly of flowers.

Vinnie's still a little out of breath and maybe a bit red in the face for some reason, but he's home. And looking a good deal happier than he did when he left in December.]

Al'right, I'm pretty sure I was gone at least 5 months, so... [He glanced at the calender on the computer.] Is this right? It's still Feburary here? Shit, no wonder nothing's blooming yet.

Uh, I dunno if you got all my letters then. Well. [Pause.] S'that mean there's another one of me runnin' around in Johto right now...?

[Time travel, you were really weird. But he wasn't going to think too hard on that right now. Vinnie shrugged and smiled.] I guess I'm back. Did I miss anything important? Has everyone been okay? Red? Where is everyone? I really miss the shit out've you guys.

((ooc note: thanks to Celebi, Vinnie's been 'ported back to school! His solo logs will, however, continue in 'real time.' So if he mentions something that hasn't happened to him in the logs... chronologically, it hasn't yet.))

Comments

[liberatedempath]

Being connected to someone isn't the same as having them within arm's length or knowing that you can wake the next morning and go down the hall to see them. Maybe we're all a bit selfish, but most of us need a little more than the mental discipline and logic of, "We're always together, even when we're far apart."

In the end, we all missed you, too. [She can't think of anyone who missed him more than Sonny, however.]

[natureprincess]

Ahh, yes, that would certainly do it.

... Hm. Shortly after you left... well. I'm afraid you won't be able to meet them now. It was a gruesome display. I admit I am still a bit fuzzy on what is actually the truth of the matter and what is just the buzz of a rumour, but there appears to be evidence that linked the incident to the other murders. Now there's news of kidnappings...

Yes. It's been busy.

[punchtheflowers]

[Suit yourself. Being just being outside at all should help to alleviate some of the anxiety fatigue. Vinnie, however, was gonna disrobe his upper half and get some sunlight on his back.

The scars draped across his shoulders hadn't gotten any smaller with time. But he seemed more comfortable wearing them out in the open, now.

Vinnie closed his eyes and breathed out, not saying anything.]

[punchtheflowers]

It makes no sense, but Mt. Silver's just special t'me. It's where I evolved, after all.

I think it worked. Still kind've an in-progress thing, but I needed it.

[In return, Vinnie gave his best unspoken please stop worrying, to reassure him.]

[punchbulba]

[Admittedly, he did feel significantly less... blah. The majority of his upset feelings stuck around, though. Mostly because he actually was just upset. And he was still anxious, but that was because he was Marie.

And the inevitable happened. They hadn't even sat there for a full minute before Marie started crying.]

[punchtheflowers]

I know. An' I owe it t'them to make up for the lost time. Leavin' was my selfish thing, but it took that for me to realize what was right in front've me.

[myimmortal]

Exactly! Thus it remains a mystery!

[rivaltwat]

[Worrying was unfortunately a staple of Bulba's existence. But he did smile again.]

In-progress is still good progress. ... Uh... If there's anything I could actually do... [Marieba shrugged a little.] Let me know.

[throughthefireandflames]

Oh okay. [She held up her hand as if holding an invisible knife.] They taught me discipline when I cut up meats and vegetables. When you're afraid of holding a weapon it's a sign you're afraid of yourself and being a weapon, you know. It was...uh....they'd probably explain it better than me.

[Blink blink. So helpful there Sasha.]

Have the others contact you yet?

[thewunderkind]

Depends...

[punchtheflowers]

[It was inevitable, but it did break Vinnie's heart to hear it. If you thought it was impossible for a springtime Venusaur who hasn't bathed to smell sweeter, you were wrong. With a sympathetic sigh, he pulled Marie into his arms and hugged him. He was not going to take no hugs for an answer.

Vinnie was still quiet, though his breathing was slow and deep. Calming.]

[punchtheflowers]

I think my main problem was really not knowin' how to accept myself... and it wasn't a thing I figured anyone else could help me with. But I was seein' things the wrong way.

[He paused.]

But maybe all that should wait 'til this body swapping nonsense is fixed.

[punchtheflowers]

Being a weapon, huh. I guess that was pretty much how I felt when I got turned into a Ninetales.

Think of it this way. Fire's somethin' you get from what burns inside you. Grass is different - strength is something you get from being connected to life outside've you.

[He scratched his beard thoughtfully.]

You're the first one, seein' how Sonny's not back yet. Ko's probably working.

[And the other two were probably mad at him still.]

[punchtheflowers]

On what?

[rivaltwat]

[He nodded quietly. He did enough of his own cooping up to understand where Vinnie was coming from to a point.

Then he glanced down at his freckly hands and sighed.]

Yeahhh, that's probably a good idea. I hope its over with soon.

[punchbulba]

[That was... okay. No. Actually, it was kind of exactly what he wanted in a I-don't-want-to-admit-that kind of way.

Just because he was sort of melting into Vinnie's hug didn't mean Marie had forgiven him. He was still angry, and he was still bitter, and he still didn't want to talk about it. But Vinnie smelled good and being hugged was incredibly comforting. Especially being hugged by his brother who, even through the anger, Marie had missed tremendously.

He wasn't finished crying, either. There was still that.]

[thewunderkind]

What song it is of course! Not all of them can be programmed inside a tiny oar like that, it's a special type of musical coding to transfer them and I can't do it with all. It only holds about 10 songs maximum.

[throughthefireandflames]

Oh I get it!

[No..actually yes she did.]

Letting your chi flow more efficiently right? In tune with the earth under you. I kinda had to so something familiar. They said something a Charizard forgets is that we walked on the ground for more than half of our lives and then when we take to the skies we forget how to use our feet.

[She held one up, wiggling her clawed foot]

That's why I don't ever wear anything! Sides, the claws would just tear up stuff that wasn't sandals.

[She paused to think about it, almost as if she heard his thoughts.]

...and Marie, I haven't seen him the last few days. Chika's pretty moody. But...she's always been moody. I think she's bottling something up.

[flowerofmtsilver]

[That was the thing about plants. Sometimes, you didn't need to talk. Vinnie sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, focusing on the core of his self that traveled down his spine.

It took a lot of concentration the way he was now, but he could still reach out to the flora around him. They hummed at the edge of his senses, each one a unique component of harmony. And with an unseen touch, he let his heart ripple out into the sea of voices.

Bulba's flower was there too - a confused, off key belonging to a Squirtle twisted up with conflict. And in the purest way he knew how, the Venusaur spoke to him, flower to flower.

I love you. I will always love you. No matter what happens, you are a part of us.

You are loved by us and you are needed by us.

We are not whole without you. We are all one.

The effect couldn't last long with Vinnie's weakened state, but something once said could not be unheard. With an exhausted sigh, the elder saur all but collapsed against him.]

[flowerofmtsilver]

Can't last much longer than a week though, right? Unless swapping is different...?

[It didn't seem like anyone else had switched bodies around the place. So it if wasn't a school-wide phenomenon, would it still wear off?]

[punchbulba]

[Well, that was something that Marie hadn't quite expected. Being a part of this mysterious plant network was a side-effect of the bodyswap that Marie had resented up until that moment. He was sure he'd hate it again later, but the delivery of Vinnie's sentiment carried a particular weight to it that made Marie feel ... was there a word for it?

Marie wrapped his arms around the Venusaur instead of just letting himself be held. At some point or another, he'd let out a loud sob. He was completely overcome with what felt like every single emotion at once.

He wished he knew how to respond. But he didn't. Not entirely sure what he was apologizing for, Marie blurted out a mumbled:]

I'm sorry.

[punchtheflowers]

[It was an overwhelming thing, that feeling of being so dwarfed by the sea of life around you. To someone who had never felt it before, it made you feel absolutely insignificant. Lost in the crowd.

But perhaps that one moment was enough to let Marie glimpse into what Vinnie experienced, day by day. Never feeling alone, never isolated.

The Venusaur's breathing was heavier now, more laboured from the strain of exerting his floral half. But he hugged Marie back as tightly as he could manage.]

It'll be okay...

[punchbulba]

[Just a day or two ago, Bulba had insisted the same thing. It felt like it had come from the wrong person, and Marie had a difficult time accepting the good-natured comment coming from him.

When Vinnie said it, Marie... well, he sobbed. Quietly this time, but thankfully it lacked the pathetic, desperate quality of the previous one. He was comforted. For the first time in a long while, Marie wasn't angry with his brother.]

I missed you.

[He wasn't just talking about while Vinnie was away...]

[punchtheflowers]

I missed you too.

[Vinnie craned his head to nuzzle Marie's cheek encouragingly. He'd spent too long trying to cut himself off from everyone in pursuit of what he thought were his obligations, what he had mistakenly called strength.

Ever since his injury, the Venusaur had felt diminished in every way possible, and frightened. But trying to hide his vulnerabilities only managed to distance himself from the people who made him whole. It was agonizing. He wasn't healing.

The idea seemed outrageous, now. How could he ever have removed himself from his family?]

I'm back now. I promise I won't leave again.

So much love

[tank_rockarms]

Good.

And you know, nobody in that Viridian forest place knows where the heck you were? Not even the little worm guys. Or Viridian City or Professor Oak?

You forgot your phone.