Charles Grunewald was perhaps the only person in the world to become less calm as he slowly sipped his morning Earl Grey.

Over the past three weeks, his daily ritual of solitary Sudoku over a leisurely breakfast failed to quiet his restless mind. The balding man's pencil paused halfway through an 8 as thoughts of new opportunities emerged unbidden. New mysteries to solve, new talents to hone, a whole new dimension of life and beyond to explore...

Charles Grunewald didn't much like such things.

"Oh, Charlie, come quick!" an enthused voice called out. "You have to see this!"

Charles let out a sigh, finished his 8, and took his sweet time walking to the living room. While the years had wizened him into a mellow and practical soul, Linda never changed a bit. She must be calling him out of his chair just to look at the latest... thing her friend sent. You know, the pictures with the "funny" captions. What were they called... mems?

The moment Charles's socks crossed the threshold, a honey-blonde woman fervently pointed at the television.

"Look, Charlie! This man says he's a plant!"

Charles's hazel eyes lazily wandered to the screen. But he didn't see the crazed disheveled "Florida Man" he expected. Instead, two sharply dressed young men and a middle-aged woman in a lab coat sat in a well-lit studio. As the dark-haired man reached toward the man with a microphone, Charles read the bold caption at the bottom of the screen.



The dark-haired man closed his eyes as he lightly touched the microphone man on the forehead. As the seconds of awkward silence passed, skepticism began to leak through the host's politely neutral face. Then his eyes lit up.

"Oh yeah, I think I feel it!" the reporter exclaimed. His unimpressed expression morphed into wonder as the dark-haired researcher allowed a slight I-told-you-so smirk. "Oh man... I would've skipped the cheap stuff in the lobby if I'd known this was coming!"

"I know, right?" the researcher replied. "I can't wait until I get my super speed."

Both men chuckled at their corny jokes. The woman sitting between them maintained her serious composure, moving only to blink. Charles took another sip of tea and tried to hide his sudden interest from his wife.

"So what do you plan to do now that you're among the blessed?" the host inquired. "Open an alternative coffee shop?"

"Nah, my place is right here," the researcher replied with a charming smile that rivaled the host's. The middle-aged woman nodded and finally opened her mouth to speak.

"Over the past few years, we have fielded well-meaning but ill-informed complaints about the small percentage of people with animal essences on our staff. We want to reiterate, to regain the public's trust, that we hold those few employees in high regard and consult them in all matters to discern what these people truly want and need. Companion Biotech, and myself as Founding Director, have always believed in the inclusion and empowerment of such individuals at the core of our philosophy. Whether animal-essenced people are nervous about science after the appalling experiments they were subjected to during the Cold War, or they succumb to the stereotype that they are better for physical labor than intellectual fields like scientific research, we simply have fewer qualified applicants among this population than we would desire. Now that one of our head researchers possesses an essence of his own - a newly discovered plant essence, no less - we open up even greater opportunities to put our minds and talents together to achieve the best life and health for everyone."

The woman's face maintained an earnestly serious expression as she continued.

"This is the main reason for our upcoming Summit on Human and Animal Relations with Plants. Companion Biotech wishes to have an open, collaborative discussion with members of all three groups. You need not be a scientist or doctor to attend. We will include some conferences, but we also plan to include more lighthearted activities to attract a wider sample of public opinion."

"Everyone is welcome," the dark-haired researcher paraphrased. "We especially look forward to hearing from our new allies in the plant kingdom. That's why, if you can show solid proof that you possess a plant essence, we'll refund 2/3 of your admission fee."

For the first time, the lab-coated woman's face showed a flicker of emotion: surprise. She glanced toward the researcher with widened eyes for just one second before smoothing her visage back into mature stoicism. Perhaps the coworkers hadn't reached an agreement about the matter at hand before going on air. The researcher let out a smug grin. He knew what he did.

"Oh, Charlie, we should go!" Linda gushed. She was already pulling out her phone to enter the ticket reservation website displayed on the television screen. "Wouldn't it be so great? You could make some AMAZING new friends!"

"Let's not jump right to giving away our money just because some charming guy on tv said we should," Charles grumbled in reply. "All these 'leadership conference' things are scams. They make it sound like they're generously providing all these great opportunities to connect, but I'm sure they're just trying to make a buck off of some bright-eyed fools somehow."

The portly man tipped his mug back for more tea, but only a single drop dripped down. Before he could stop himself, he automatically looked inside the cup for more.

The next moment, Charles was nowhere. Warm darkness surrounded him, and an incomprehensible voice like a gentle grandmother murmured from multiple indiscernible points in the nothing.

Charles rubbed his temples. The objective pleasantness of the experience made it difficult to hate, which only added to the logic-minded man's frustration.

The man continued to drift in the formless space for several seconds. Then, a more detailed stimulus began to take shape. What started as a rumble turned into a staccato roar. Charles was just able to grasp the clarifying noise as the fierce bark of a dog.

As suddenly as it began, the vision ended, and Charles found himself back in his living room. He shook his head and sighed. Charles hadn't owned a dog since he was a child, no close neighbors owned a dog, what the hell did a dog have to do with ANYTHING? Maybe he would be more eager to follow the "mystical guidance of tea" or whatever if it told him something useful for once.

At least the morning show that interrupted his morning was about to wrap up.

"You've been hearing from Lakshmi Gupta and Preston Nichols of Companion Biotech. I'm John Jacob, and this has been American Morning. Have an excellent day, and we'll see you tomorrow!"

Charles was not listening to the host's exit speech. He was gazing at the Companion Biotech logo scrolling across the bottom of the screen. It featured two images of an ECG heartbeat. In between the heart beats, in the same style of line, was an outline of the head of an alert guard dog.

Charles frowned for a few seconds. Then he marched to the kitchen, brandishing his mug of damp leaves like a weapon, followed by the bemused gaze of Linda. Charles threw open the lid to the garbage can and dramatically splattered the tea leaves all over yesterday's corn husks.

"YOU DON'T GET TO BOSS ME AROUND!"

---

The tea bossed him around.

As Charles parked in a gravelly parking lot surrounded by wilderness, Linda nearly leapt out of the car with excitement. At least somebody was happy to drive halfway to the Everglades and pay $150 each for a chance to hear people who think they know about plants talk about plants.

"Oh, Charlie, look at that one!" Linda enthused before he hardly had a chance to look at the previous one. "The trees are so big here. It's been SO long since we went camping!"

"Mmhm, it'll be nice," the tea reader flatly replied as he prepared to heft the bulk of their luggage several minutes to reach the cabins.

Ten large cabins, each capable of holding thirty or so people for the night, sprawled in a large circle around a rustic yet beautiful central pavilion. The check-in man at the pavilion directed him to Cabin 3. While Linda immediately chatted up another lady getting settled in the cabin, Charles sank into his cot and rubbed his already aching knees.

After a few minutes, the portly man stepped outside and walked closer to the encircling wall of trees. He closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh wilderness, listened to the quiet. It was beautiful here, and it had been a while since the couple had done something remotely close to camping. Perhaps... he could make the most of this journey, despite whatever inane nonsense it may involve. This could be no ordinary day. A packet of Lipton told him so.

A few days earlier, a woman arrived. She'd hitchiked most of the way there, walking in between and camping out wherever the day ended.

Not that there weren't complications, of course. Shoes were the first to be abandoned, heavy things that got caught on something, and then her feet came out like a cork. And when one's soles have the solidity of a pillow, they don't need protecting from pointed rocks. Next to go were her pants, which kept falling down every time she stretched taller and her waist got thinner.

It turned out there were lots of things Muriel didn't need any more. Even a conventional tent had been abandoned at a rest-stop with a 'Free' sign pinned to the packaging. It was just as easy to sleep in the treetops, drooped back and forth over a sturdy branch like an python.

Maybe it was something to do with the apparent plant-affinity she'd ended up with that nature was providing... then again, it was still far easier to acquire food and water in shops than the wilderness, so plant-bondings would only provide so much.

Eventually, however, Muriel reached the meeting spot, from behind. She was interested to see what was going on, but the last time she'd been called a 'Flower Child', Uncle Sam hadn't been taking names to send them all Christmas cards. Still, with room for three hundred, nobody was likely to notice an extra person, right? She just wouldn't tell people which cabin she was in, and they'd assume it was one that wasn't theirs.

All of which is why a seemingly-young woman wearing only a long t-shirt and a bikini, with local wildflowers in her hair and a fannypack of party drugs snuck into the campgrounds unregistered and arrived at the cabins from one of the wilderness trails.

---

The day before...

---

The summit had better be worth it, Mara thought as she bustled around the cafe.

For someone with a newfound command of electricity, she felt more like a drained battery than a live wire. Admission wouldn't be cheap, and if this turned out a scam, she wouldn't be seeing a cent of refund money. Hence the extra hours rushing around on sore feet, smile plastered to her face, while resisting the urge to 'accidentally' dump food into the laps of less than pleasant customers.

One such customer loudly cleared his throat in her direction.

"Miss? How do you explain this?" Scowling, he jabbed his finger at the menu. "There's no Milano hot chocolate. What the hell kind of cafe doesn't have Milano hot chocolate?"

It took all Mara's willpower to keep her tone bright. "I'm afraid we don't serve it," she replied, biting back what she really wanted to say, "but instead I can recommend..."

"I don't care!" the man snapped, like it was somehow her fault. "Not like there's anything good on the whole menu anyway. I'm a journalist, you know, and I'll be writing a review of this place..."

Mara took deep, steady breaths as the customer's verbal lashing went on, but it was no use. Under the rubber gloves she'd taken to wearing, her hands tingled. No time to excuse herself. She slammed down the tray she'd been carrying onto the nearest table and ran, reaching the staff room just as her arms started sparking.

Fuck fuck fuck get a grip get a grip GET A GRIP, she mentally yelled at herself, hunching away from anything in the room she might fry. Freaking out didn't exactly help matters. She forced more slow, shaking breaths of lemon-scented air, sighing in relief as the sparks died down. Crisis averted. For now.

As much as she dreaded the summit, if she wanted these electrical malfunctions under control, there was no way around it.

---

Conference day

---

That wasn't to say she raised her expectations too high. Driving into the parking lot, Mara grumbled to herself. The scolding from her boss yesterday for 'slacking' hadn't helped her mood, and she'd never been one for camping anyway. It brought back unwelcome memories of family vacations, and the relentless mocking for not being able to take to the skies or the bottom of lakes. As she climbed out of the car and headed towards the circle of cabins, she braced herself for any braggarts she'd all too likely meet.

Out of force of habit, her gloved hand drifted to her jacket pocket. She sighed. Usually in times of stress, she'd reach for the lemon candies she carried around, one of her former favourite snacks. She'd gotten rid of them though, since they seemed to make her sparking problem worse. Yet more proof of her affinity.

"What a joke," she muttered. Lemon essence? It sounded like a baking ingredient. Still, she wasn't going to stand around sulking. She'd wanted a power, she'd gotten one, and she had to deal with it. First thing to do was find a BioTech member, in case they had any useful advice. If they even cared about helping, that was.

She glared around the area, spotting a middle-aged man and some hippie woman but nobody in BioTech attire - and failing to notice the rock in her path until she sprawled forward. "Ah!" As the forest lurched and her palms slammed against the ground, panic wasn't the only jolt that ran through her. Electricity arced above one of her gloves. A nearby tuft of sun-dried grass smouldered and caught aflame.

"Shit no!" Mara scrambled to her feet. Letting loose a string of expletives that cut through the quiet, she stomped out the fire before it could spread. Heart thudding, she grimaced down at the blackened patch, a whiff of zest rising from it with the smoke. Another close call.

Yeah, this was already turning out to be a bad idea.

A hard swallow.

Do it, mate. Get out the damn taxi. They paid to get you across the pond, and over here. Just step out the damn taxi.

Kerri didn't wanna move an inch, as stared out the window of her Uber, as she struggled the windows suddenly pulled down; the heated breeze made it apparent that her perfume was wearing off, and her deodorant was coming undone, allowing her undesired power to worsen inside the poor sedan she was in. It was at the level of terrible body odor, but mounting as the horrid heat of the Floridian spring was creeping into the nightmarish inferno of a Floridian summer. In a minute, she would be sweating more than any scent masking product could dream to disguise, and smell like a trashcan full of rotting meat.

An uncomfortable cough was issued from the front seat, the old woman in the front seat was cherubic in patience and kindness, but, like any human with a working nose, she had her limits. Reaching into her bag of savings, Kerri fumbled out the fare from the airport terminal to the summit gathering point, and more to, hopefully, allow her a deep clean on her poor car.

"I don't know if this will help, but I hope it does," Kerri says, as she fisted a crumble equal to $210 dollars, almost three times her fare alone. "Sugah, you don't need - " Kerri just insisted with a silent thrust and shake, "Oh, I hope these people can help you. They sound smart enough, but you know how smart people are..." Kerri opened her hand, so the exchange could be made, and then she reached into her bag to withdraw a disposable, medical mask. Donning the mask, she opened the door, and stepped out onto the gravel pathway that lined the throughway for cars. Shutting the car door, she looked back, "Thank you, ma'am. I'm sorry about the smell."

"Don't worry none," the old woman said, her Louisiana drawl stronger than a cup of black coffee straight, "Just... get better, hun."


Such hauntingly innocent words.

As if, her affliction was a curable disease.

"Thanks," Kerri says, offering a lame smile before she turned back to face the gathering. The shift of her clutch rattled the small cabinet’s worth of perfumes and deodorants that she carried; reminding her that she needed to reapply everything, and wash her shirt, if she even wanted the smallest chance of smelling tolerable. So, to the nearest bathroom she trudged - trying to avoid every look, comment, and question that came her way.

It wasn’t like --

"--you’re not saying anything I haven’t heard before, luv," Kerri ground out between clenched teeth, as she turned on a drunk woman with a little too much liquid courage in her system. "Been in this hell o’ mine for a little over a month. Last thing I need is some slag, drunk off her tits, reminding me of the fact that I smell like a sun dried cat on Baker Street. So, if you have nothing better to do than waste my time, I would suggest parking your arse on a toilet, so you can dump your shitty opinions where they belong, and flush."

It was a rare occurrence for Kerri to speak in anger, much less berate a customer, but tonight wasn’t the night. Summer was coming, London was hot in the day, and she spent too much of her day sweating like a stuck pig, and stinking the same, to come to her night job in the blissful, merciful cold to deal with drunks and purists about her lingering scent of death and decay.

Her superpower.

Her goddamn SUPERPOWER.

That’s what that damn talk show had called it. It had a more official term - Americans loved their “official terms” for everything - but the world ‘round decided that “Superpower” was more marketable than “Plant Essence”.

As one in the business of customer service, Kerri couldn’t argue that it wasn’t the better choice.

It sure didn’t feel super on her end, however.

Kerri looked in the mirror; taking in her visage - sunken eyes, dark circles, pale cheek, and bloody red irises... like something out of a trashy women's novel about vampires. Only, instead of becoming an unstoppable machine of sex and confidence, she'd transformed into a sweatshop on legs that grew the most unappealing of flowers. God save the Queen , Kerri thought, as she pulled down an eyelid, and remembered the day her essence took root.

It all started with her boss telling her --

"--you look like shite, Rachael, proclaimed Daniel Flaggins, owner and barkeep of Flaggins Flagons, a Mom and Pop run Lord of the Rings themed pub tucked away, conveniently, in a more rural part of the ever-changing London. Kerri sighed, hearing her given name issued from the half-Giant ginger man's mouth - she hated her name for many reasons, and never went by it beyond legalese. Daniel, however, a polite man in any given situation, was one for the "proper protocol", which meant, despite her name tag saying "Kerri" it was "Rachael" to him.

A fact that earned a sharp "tsk~!" from his cosmically opposite, yet spiritually appropriate wife, Samantha, co-owner and head chef, as the flaxen-blonde Hobbit of a wife delivered an accompanying punch to her husband's solid chest. "It's Kerri, Daniel," she roused, crossing her thin arms over her chest. Daniel looked down at her, and sighed. Kerri looked at the couple before her; the husband standing at 6'4", while the wife barely reached 4'9" - being a 1/4"too short. It was as if they were born to run the business they choose.

A business she was poorly affecting lately.

"Sorry, sir. My flat, she's not the best. A/C's been down, and it's not particularly pleasant weather," Kerri excused; honest truth shouldn't sound so pathetic, judging from the softening of the Flaggins' expression, "I don't sweat this much, normally, though. Maybe, I'm coming down with something." Samantha drew up a step-stool, and stood upon it, so she could be at Kerri's height; pressing a hand to her forehead, she frowned deeply. "Luv, you are roasting," she says, drawing her hand away. "You shouldn't be working tonight, or tomorrow night, until your forehead isn't able to bake my hand like a Cornish hen."

Daniel took his wife's tiny hand into his giant hand, and whistled, "That's a mighty fever, if I can still feel the residual heat," to which a decision was made immediately, "Sick leave, Rachael. Three days paid," he ordered, "We'll call you, and you tell us if you need more." Kerri started to protest, but she knew better, once Daniel made a "shoo-shoo" motion with his hand; she'd witnessed the finality of that dismissal across several firings with her five-year tenure. Picking up her bag, she duffed her apron and cap, and bare her bosses a good evening.

As she boarded the bus, Kerri tried to ignore the looks and whispers; unknowing that that judgement was the mere start of her problems...

This first day was hot. Insufferable, in its own unique way. No air conditioning, no breeze, just heat and stagnant air. The wretched smell of death clung to her. There was no way this was a regular Spring cold. Did a regular cold make your sweat slimy and sticky? Did a regular cold make you smell like death warmed over? Kerri had always been a sickly child, but this was intense.

The second day wasn't better; rounds of cough syrup and handfuls of painkillers did nothing to quell the storm, as her nose couldn't take the smell her own body was producing, and retched up every meal soon after it came to settle. Something cosmic had been offended by her existence, as she spilled her guts over the edge of her mattress, and messed the floor for the nth time. This was no regular cold.

The third day her fever broke, the combination of the day's heat and her body overheating, had turned her bed into a futile sponge. At the very least, she was too weak to throw up any food, because she simply couldn't rouse herself to eat any. What little of her lucid mind was able to focus was focusing on the rash of welts that were lining up her arms and legs; heat rashes, she told herself, logically. They had to be.

By days four and five, it was obvious that was not the case, the rash's welt had grew in size and mass over the course of the two days, and by the end of the fifth - all too suddenly - split open to, quite literally, bloom into putrid flowers of muddy red with white lumps and bumps. Up and down her arms, the rash had ruptured into a field of these corpse-scented flowers, and had attracted the presence of flies. In her silence, for to scream would be to invite her empty stomach to empty further, Kerri could only issue her first of many prayers to the God she never had faith in before, as a rat crawled over her stomach.

Upon the sixth day, buried beneath her self-grown field, Kerri felt her body lurch - like, she was yanked in a tug of war with only herself to pull. A pain unimaginable sat her up, and she clawed at her arms; fingers shoving, barely able to close, at the flowers. Was she a corpse? Was she a zombie? Was she alive? What was happening? Why was it happening? Questions surged through her mind, a mile a minute, as she fumbled with the parasitic plant-life; knocking wilting blossoms to the bed, disturbing the gathering of flies, and sending the swarms of rats away.

All she could focus on was getting every flower off. Skin torn were it was rooted, angry patches of red left to bleed for a moment, before healing with an alarming quickness. It hurt like every hurt combined into one, but she would power through. Her immune system seemed to externalize itself into a frantic attack on the external invasion, and she had no argument to cease it.

And, on the seventh morning, like the God she never held much belief in, Kerri rested among a pile of decaying death flowers, rat droppings, sweat, and her own blood.

The scariest part: she never felt better.

May 5th, 2021, and Kerri felt like she’d been reborn a new woman. Had she been blighted by some Cosmic Entity, and purged of some terrible sickness, or simply incorporated it into herself, and it was now her terrible sickness? She had so many new questions, and no answers to any of them...

That, and several missed calls from work.

‘Perhaps, dying would have been better...’ Kerri reached for her cellphone, and redialed her bosses’ home number. “Flaggins Flagons, Samantha speaking!” answered the ever-chipper woman. "It’s Kerri, ma’am..." the brunette croaked out, "Returning your phone call..."

"I noticed that you -- "

"--called and called, and were worried sick about you!” Samantha ranted, her tiny frame a heaving bundle of motherly terror that her husband knew to allow time to peter out. Samantha fancied Kerri something of a rescue, and took a vested interest in her; if not for their business and Daniel's actual ability to hold her back, she would have gone on a manhunt after the first day of calls missed.

"Sorry, ma’am," Kerri mumbled, as she rubbed her arms; they weren’t sore, but she could feel phantom buds, like she could resummon them at-will. "You ought be! If you had only called us, we could have nursed you through such an ordeal!" Samantha raved, as she stamped her tiny, booted feet. "Sam, would you relax," Daniel sighed, finally cutting his wife off her rhythm. "Girl’s been through some kind of hell and back. Last she needs is you chewing her ear like a fresh steak," he says, "Rachael, are you fit?"

Kerri nodded. Finally, a question she could answer.

"Schedule’s on the wall. Pick four days, then get on the floor," Daniel says, no-nonsense, and to the point. "Ask Mandy what section you can work in." Samantha “tsk~!” at him, and crossed her arms, "C’mere, first." Kerri approached, as Samantha stood on her step-stool, and fully expected a slap in the back of the head; only to get her forehead pressed. "See about a washing up, first, and some perfume," the flaxen-blonde sighed, "You’re a might sweaty and still smell like a bitta dead. You can use the guest washroom upstairs, and some of my perfumes."

Kerri looked up, tears well in her eyes, before she collapsed forward, and hugged her surrogate mother, in all but the legal sense; wailing a week’s worth of misery away into her bosom. Daniel sighed, for the years - now, one score - to which he’d been wed to his wife, she’d never made a lick of sense when it came to things of this nature, as she was ranting and raving a moment ago, and now as matronly and gentle as the Saint Mary.

Rubbing his temple, Daniel took a seat in his lazy boy/office chair, and looked up. This was gonna be --

"-- a long time coming, dear," Samantha says, holding a small box of cash that had been amassed over a clear period of time. "The Americans are holding that convention at last for the people afflicted with this terrible plant business," she says, "So, Dan and I started squirreling away a few dimes here and there, so you can go." Kerri’s breath caught in her throat, causing her to almost swallow her strawberry gum. "Ma’am, I couldn’t!" she says, looking at the cash presented. "And, yet, you will," Samantha says, sternly. "What happened to you isn’t fair, and, maybe, there’s nothing that can be done to change it, but... maybe, you can get some sense of control."

"Control that doesn’t result in Sam or I getting a call from the police station," Daniel says, cutting her off from saying that she had control. Kerri’s defense fell short of even existing, as her surrogate father read her mind; coming into their lives as a surly teenager and college dropout had given them a fair insight into her mind. "It’s been five years, Rachael," Daniel says, taking her hands into his, "We’ve seen you fumble through the tail end of your awkward years, and stumbled into adulthood completely unprepared, but blossom, ironically, into a fine woman,” he says, looking at her firmly, "Your parents, we might not be. However, we care in the same vein."

Kerri gasped, tears welling in her eyes. "S-Sir..." she started, only to be pulled into a hug. "Go to America, Kerri," Daniel says, shocking both women in the room. "For better or for worse, you’ll always have a home to return to. Flaggins Flagons is your home." Kerri sniffled once, before she broke down, and hugged Daniel back even tighter. Behind her, Samantha joined the hugging and waterworks. Daniel sighed, more fatherly than disgruntled, and patted Kerri on the head.

He would cherish the moment, since he wouldn’t seen Kerri for --

“-- a while,” a voice says, disrupting Kerri’s flashback, “Just staring into the mirror.” Kerri looked behind herself, and noticed that several women were staring at her staring into a mirror.

"’Ello, ladies," Kerri chuckled, "This is awkward..."

Conner pulled into the parking lot of the retreat in his blue car. It took a lot of doing to get to tickets to this thing. His parents wouldn’t pay for it, so of course he had to save up the money for himself. Of course, his parents didn’t know he was here. As far as they were concerned, he was away surfing for the weekend. Naturally they didn’t approve, but Conner knew they would never approve of anything he did or didn’t do. So, he just went, approval be damned.

It would all be worth it in the end. A fun weekend away from his family, and a chance to find out about these new powers he had suddenly been bestowed with. Plus, unlike most of the stuck up snobs in his family, Conner actually enjoyed camping. Especially if they were near a beach. Though, any body of water would do really. Ever since he discovered he could move water with the movement of his hands, Conner had been having dreams about being under the ocean surrounded by seaweed. For a while, he didn’t know what that was about, and all it did was make him want to pee afterwards. It wasn’t untill he heard about this summit, and the whole plant essences thing that he put two and two together. Getting powers from seaweed. It sounded like something you would read about in a comic book!

After parking, he stepped out of his car, and looked around. Besides all the trees, there was definitely a varied assortment of people around. Most of which would probably never be around each other under normal circumstances. As he walked, he saw a blonde woman trip and fall, letting out some electricity out of her hands, and setting a small patch of grass on fire. Conner’s eyes lit up excitedly. A chance to show off what he could do! That chance was quickly over when the woman stomped out the fire herself. Strangely, the area smelled vaguely citrusy... instead of the expected scent of smoke.

”Isn’t it awesome!” Conner exclaimed as he decided to approach the woman. He would be around these people for the weekend, he may as well try to make some friends from this experience. “It’s like we’re superheroes or something! I’m Conner by the way. Watch this!” He opened up a water bottle he was carrying, and waved his hand over it causing a small stream of water to flow out. “It’s not much, but I’m hoping I can learn to do cool stuff with this in the future.” He lowered his arm, and the stream of water went flying, splashing the girl in the face. Conner struggled to hold back giggles. ”Oops!”

@LuckyBlackCat

Arthur stared into the bathroom mirror, still coming to terms with what he saw. His skin had become noticeably paler since he had last looked into the mirror in the morning. While he had heard of diseases that changed skin pigmentation, he could think of none that would do it so rapidly and then also change back to normal. He also seemed taller, something Arthur had always wished for, not liking his small body.

Hoping to see for sure if there was a change of height, Arthur walked over to his storage closet, fumbling through the mess for a few seconds before finding a tape measure. Lining up next to the wall in the hallway, Arthur extended the measure vertically down his body, noting the height. He had become just over an inch taller than he was this morning.

Still amazed, Arthur walked over to some hand weights lying next to his couch. Before whatever this is happened, Arthur could barely lift anything, with almost no arm strength. But now that he had changed, he could easily lift these basic weights. But that was only at night, as during the day he went back to his usual weakling self. Arthur picked up the weights, finding them even easier too lift than a few days ago. He thought that perhaps he should buy a heavier set.

Arthur put down the weights and went back to sitting in front of his laptop. In his browser he had several tabs open, each one a page related to superpowers. However, the tab that he was on was about a conference on plant essence powers. A few months back Arthur would of thought the notion of plant powers ridiculous, but his own power experience seemed to be tied to it. Arthur could clearly deduce that his powers came at night and went away during the day. He couldn’t help but be reminded of certain flowers that bloom at night and close during the day. There were several types of such plants in the community garden he worked on, each one very special to Arthur.

Arthur re-read the info page on the conference, noting that it wasn’t terribly far from where he lived. The only problem was the price of tickets. Arthur had been saving his money for college tuition as he still did intend to eventually attend. But figuring out his powers was very important to Arthur, as it would irrevocably effect his whole life.

Arthur decided to search what other people were saying about the conference online. After scrolling through several tweets making fun of it, Arthur found a few posts about people who believe they have plant essence powers and were genuinely stoked to learn more about them. What finally sealed the deal for Arthur was a re-tweet stating that those who can prove they have an animal essence get two-thirds of their admission back. Arthur figured that wouldn’t be hard to do as all they had to do was just look at him during the night.

Arthur went back to the conference website, hoping that there was some tickets left. Luckily there was, so Arthur gladly paid the fee. He then remembered that he needed to call his work to get time off, with only like a week in advance notice. Arthur prayed that they would let him.



So Arthur managed to get the time off, as the other receptionist at the office wanted to pick up a few more extra shifts. And Arthur had promised to owe her a favour. Arthur didn’t know what the favour would be as he drove down the wooded road in his bright red Volkswagen Beetle. Arthur wasn’t entirely sure where he was going as he made his way through the woods. The GPS app on his phone had decided to stop working about half an hour ago, and like most people his age, Arthur didn’t have a map of the area in his car.

After winding around the trees for a little while longer, Arthur finally saw another car. Then another. Then a few more. Figuring that they were headed the same way, Arthur followed behind them. The assumption proved right as they soon came upon a sign saying Cypress View Retreat. Arthur pulled into the parking lot, finding that there was still a decent amount of parking spots.

Getting out of his beetle, Arthur half expected everyone’s power to be evident. Instead he saw mostly middle aged people or young hipsters scattered across the parking lot. Arthur did realize that he as well wouldn’t stand out as the sun was still shining. Also, maybe people had an interest in plant essences, even if they didn’t have one.

Still kind of disappointed, Arthur grabbed his bag from the trunk and walked over to the entrance station. He pulled out his ticket and showed it to the check-in man. He scanned the ticket before directing Arthur to cabin five. Arthur said a quick thank you, before walking across the pavilion and toward where the cabins were situated.

As Arthur neared his assigned cabin, he saw a seemingly strange woman emerge from the wilderness, sauntering toward the cabins. Arthur was slightly stunned by her appearance, she was pretty, but looked like a mess in just a bikini and shirt, with flowers strung across her hair. Arthur wondered what she was doing here as this was a scientific conference and not burning man.

“Are you alright miss?” he asked, not really sure what kind of response he would get.

@Bai Suzhen

"Oh hey there. Yeah, everything's groovy. Just waiting to see what sort of event this is gonna be, you know?" Muriel responds with a bright smile and lazy wave, sitting cross-legged atop one of the picnic tables, rather than any of the benches.

Possibly seeing some of Arthur's impressions of her in his look, she continues "It's gonna be interesting to watch. Everything's all white-coats and stethoscopes right now, but if Plant Essences are like Animal Essences, then there's all sorts of things people have tried to commune with them. I think they might respond better to harmonious thoughts than prodding and jabbing, you know?"

@Martian

@Crimson Flame

”Isn’t it awesome!”

At the sound of the excitable voice - way more excitable than Mara was in the mood for - she turned round. Inwardly, she groaned. Considering what she'd just done, the guy in front of her had an odd idea of 'awesome'.

"That isn't quite how I'd describe it," she muttered, stretching her rubber gloves up her arms as far as they'd go. The guy - Conner, as he introduced himself - simply went on. Mara couldn't help rolling her eyes at his eagerness to demonstrate his power. Oh, she knew that attitude all too well. Great, less than five minutes into the conference and she'd met a show-off already.

Irritation turned to caution as Conner opened a water bottle, making a stream fly out with a wave of his hand. While it was more impressive than she liked to admit, any electrical accidents would be even worse with water added to the equation. She stepped back, but not fast enough to avoid the errant stream, which splashed all over her face.

"Watch it!" Staggering further back, she gritted her teeth and counted backwards from ten in her head. If she let herself spark while soaked, that'd be nothing less than catastrophic. She pulled a tissue from her pocket, holding it with the very tips of her gloved fingers, and dabbed the water from her face. "You might want to tone down the showiness there," she grumbled, shifting her position so the sun would dry her clothes, keeping her distance from Conner as she glared. "Especially around, y'know, electrical hazards. So much for the superhero thing, if we'd more likely cause a disaster than stop one."

She huffed and shook her head, dumping the tissue in a nearby trash can. Superheroes? Did this guy read too many comic books? She had no particularly noble aspirations anyway, and even if she did, she'd make a pretty terrible hero. She gave a hollow laugh at the thought. What would she be, Faulty Wire Girl or something?

"Anyway," she continued. Instead of moaning, it was best to talk about something practical. That and showing vulnerability in front of smug people was a bad idea. "You wouldn't happen to have seen any BioTech staff around?"

Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Somewhere on the long road, a young girl rest her head against the cool glass window pane of the family car. She stared blankly out at the side of the road, watching trees and clouds and houses go by. She was day dreaming--the rest of the world had been tuned out; there was only Danielle and her imagination.

She became an angel flying among the clouds with a bird essence, or sped along the roadside with the essence of a cheetah. Further down the road she transformed into a dragon, aided by the gliding lizard. Then she was a fairy with the wings and essence of the butterfly.

As she dreamily flew alongside the car, she noticed white balls of fluff began to appear and float all around her. Snow?Dani wondered, but it was much too warm for snow. No... dandelion seeds! Lots and lots of dandelion seeds! she exclaimed as she fluttered and twirled around the street with her arms out, giggling with her eyes closed in glee.

As the balls of fluff came closer, she began to hear overlapping, disembodied whispers. ^Listen..._Listen... Listen...^Listen... Danielle looked around confused. The voices were getting more insistent, now. One seed drifted toward her, and Danielle reached out, cupping it in her hands. Wake up! the seed seemed to shout in a loud whisper.

"Wake up, Danielle! Wake up!" a sweet, young voice whined. Somebody was pulling at Dani's clothes. It was Destiny, Danielle's younger sister. Her brother was pointing at the girl with a smug, mischievous face. "He's touching me!" she complained with pouty lips and a wrinkled forehead as she pointed at him. "Am not!" William protested. Their mother's scolding face appeared in the rearview mirror."William, leave your sister alone! Both of you, listen to me. I'm trying to drive."

"Huh... whah...?" Dani answered groggily. She rubbed her eyes and blinked twice. All seemed normal. The two half-siblings were slapping each other and screaming. Abagail, the eldest sibling, was in the front passenger seat leaning back with her eyes closed and big headphones on and muffled music coming out. Her mother turned around while driving and gave William and Destiny the glare, and they immediately fell silent and still. She turned back around, lifted a cigarette to the open window and flicked.

The car was quiet now, but for radio static and muffled music. Danielle fidgeted, adjusting her legs and looking out the window. What was she listening for, and why did she feel so inclined? She started combing her tangled hair with her fingers anxiously, when she noticed something white and fluffy stuck amid her golden locks.

A dandelion seed? Dani thought, bewildered as she picked it delicately out of her hair. Please listen, the voice echoed again. Her eyes went wide with surprise. "Are... are you talking to me?" the girl asked in a hushed whisper as she stared at the seed caught in her fingers. A few seconds passed, and there was nothing but her mother's sigh, grumbles in the backseat, and something oddly intriguing on the radio.

"Mom, cou-could you please turn the radio up?" Danielle asked quietly and politely. "Of course, honey," her mother answered with a smile in her eyes, looking back in the mirror. She reached for the volume dial and turned it up, mostly getting static. --One of our head researchers possesses an essence...plant essence..." it began before cutting out.

Danielle's heart skipped a beat. "Oh please, Mom, get it back! I want to hear the rest," Dani pleaded. Her mother chuckled. "You and your silly fascination with essences." She adjusted the channel knob, eventually getting it back, somewhat. "--Our upcoming Summit on Human and Animal Relations with Plants...You need not be a scientist or doctor...some conferences...lighthearted activities...Everyone is welcome."

"Can we go, Mom? I'll use my allowance money to pay for us!" Dani volunteered enthusiastically. "Please, please!" she begged uncharacteristically. The girl was never one to ask for anything, but this felt important. There was silence as she listened to the radio, considering.

"This is boring!" William complained. "Yeah, boring!" Destiny joined in. They started bouncing in their seats. "Boring, boring, boring!" Mom sighed and turned the radio off. "I'll think about it, honey. That's a big commitment." Danielle smiled. That wasn't a 'no'.

Alonzo hated driving. The roads too loud and too fast, too many people in too much of a hurry to pay attention to anything but the stretches of road in front of them. But he’d forced himself to learn and buy a car out of necessity. It had proved itself handy, much to his despair.

The drive only took a few hours and gave him the time he needed to get his thoughts in order; many of those surrounding what it was going to be like being around those like himself. He’d thought he’d been alone in the powers that manifested themselves but it reassured him to know that he wasn’t the only one. At least they were all in the same boat.

He pulled into the parking area, glancing around for a free... bit of dirt rather than an actual space. Alonzo half wished he’d brought his actual painting stuff with him, rather than just a travel watercolour set and sketch pad - the area was lovely. But he doubted he’d be able to make the most of it with the conference and the ‘fun’ activities they had planned.

Whatever that meant.

He stepped out and stretched the cramp from his back and legs, groaning softly as his neck cracked. He dragged out his duffle bag. He’d packed on the lighter side, hoping that he had enough changes of clothes to last him - just in case anything happened. He caught sight of a brief flash of fire from the corner of his eyes and turned, eyebrows furrowing at the faint scent of lemon wafting away from the girl and the charred patch of grass at her feet.

He did not have enough clothes if these were the types of abilities the others had.

He started to feel a little inferior. All of a sudden, his healing powers seemed pretty underwhelming compared to apparent pyrokinisis and the boy that could control water who had appeared in the few minutes he’d been stood by his car. Alonzo shook himself slightly, rolling his shoulders and hoisting up his duffle bag before nudging the car door shut with his hip and locking it up. As he passed he managed to hear the tail-end of conversation.

”... any BioTech staff around?”

“I’d assume they’d all be in the conference hall. Doubt they’d be out here mingling with the commoners, as it were.” He piped in softly, barely a snort escaping his nose. The staff were probably keeping well away for their own self-preservation. “I’m gonna guess we need to check in before they’ll let us anywhere near the important people.”

He gestured to the pavilion in the centre of the clearing with his free hand, standing with one hip cocked to wait for the other two; if they’d follow.

@LuckyBlackCat
@Crimson Flame

@Enkryption

“-- a while,” a voice says. “Just staring into the mirror.”

Then, the reeking woman seemed to snap out of it and notice the small crowd a short (relatively safe) distance away.

"’Ello, ladies," Kerri chuckled, "This is awkward..."

The women looked at Kerri for a second. Then they continued to converse in hushed tones as if she weren't there.

"I guess it would make sense to have homeless squatters out here, but you'd think they'd do a better job of clearing them out before a big event."

"Do we call the event coordinators? Or the police?"

"I can talk to her," a sweet-looking blonde chimed in. "We should at least find out what she's doing here, maybe avoid jumping to conclusions."

The other two ladies looked at her like she was crazy. They grumbled a bit and walked away while the blonde took a deep breath in preparation to enter the Biohazard Zone.

"Are you okay?" Libby asked Kerri in a wispy voice, just barely loud enough to hear. "Are you lost?"

Notably, the blonde didn't inhale again after she spoke.

An audible combination of frustration and disappointment released from Kerri in the from of a sigh - bitter and biting in its nature. "I supposed I should be flattered, eh," she asks, her tone despondent, yet vitriolic, as she glared at the woman that pegged her as homeless, "Homeless might be the nicest terrible thing I've been called. Thanks for that vote of confidence, you self-righteous, winging sack of pig shite." Turning, Kerri rubbed her hair, and frowned. "It as a mistake coming here," she frowned, "I should leave. Clearly, this is a place for those with family-friendly superpowers."

Temper flaring, Kerri grit her teeth, as her right forearm suddenly turned a rash shade of red, and the once paid flesh bubbled up, as if blistered by an unseen flame. What appeared to be a rash of second-degree burns ruptured into a quintet of fist-sized flowers that reeked of death and decay; cloying the air with the scent, as they broke skin, and turned the surrounding tissue necrotic with their parasitic existence. Frustrated, Kerri scratched and scraped, and tore the flowers off, as well as the dermal layer of skin they leeched a living from; the necrotized skin replaced with a clean, fresh layer in mere moments.

The smell only grew stronger, but, at least, the question was answered: she wasn't lost.

---

---

Ryker sighed as he drove his old restored 70’s CJ7 Jeep up the winding road to the campsite. The wind whipping all around him, causing his brown jacket to puff in and out crazily. As he drove with the top and doors off. music blaring as he shifted through the gears on the manual transmission. He would look to his right and down and quickly rub Sascha’s head roughly. Who was sitting on the ground between the two front seats. Being a good girl and not moving from that spot.

He looked back to the road as he held one gloved hand on the shifter and the other gloved hand on the wheel. He hoped this summit wouldn’t be a waste of his time. He hoped that they could at least help him figure out how to control his new abilities. Because wearing gloves all the time didn’t work too well for him one bit. He just wanted to get back to normal as soon as he could… Everly deserved a somewhat normal home. Not one where a piece of furniture suddenly could turn into a solid piece of ice. Though...admittedly, the one upside of this, he didn’t sweat nearly as much in this humidity.... If at all really.... He thought as he tilted his head to the side.

He rounded the corner and slowed his Jeep slightly with the clutch smoothly. Looking for a spot to park, putting it into neutral and coasting into a free spot easily. He turned off his vehicle and the now super loud music cut off suddenly. He ran a hand through his hair lazily as he slid out of his Jeep. Double checking his concealed was secure on his front right hip without lifting his shirt. Before taking his shades off and slipping them on the sun visor.

He looked around and then found a good spot. Pointing while looking at Sascha, who was still in her spot but clearly ready to move in a second. ”Sascha Nocnik! A blur of fur hurled herself out of the vehicle and ran to a spot out of the way while Ryker started walking towards the cabins without watching her. Leaving his small duffle bag in the back seat. He blinked at the site of the cabins. Shaking his head. ‘Camping’...this wasn’t camping… It was a motel with multiple small buildings and a large lawn. Well...in comparison to some of the places he slept before...this was a five star hotel.

He looked around, noticing a few different people...most of them young, or his age. While he noticed an older couple here and there. As well as some strange ones, one of them including a hippy...or hipster? He couldn’t keep up with their styles… was sitting on the picnic table cross legged….Probably a hippy. She was speaking to a smaller guy with glasses. While another girl in all black was walking and scratching at herself...did someone already find the poison ivy?

He noticed three people between him and the Conference hall. A pretty blonde haired shorter woman, between two taller guys. One tall and lanky, looked like a kid really. The other one, was the definition of a surfer. The former boy was pointing to the conference hall, but he didn’t hear what he was saying.

As he came up to the three, with a girl facing away from him, while the two guys were facing towards him, He nodded to both of them before he turned around and with an incredibly sharp high pitch whistle, he called Sascha back to him. She should have had enough time to relieve herself by now.

@Crimson Flame @GreysonEA @Heartfillia

Another, much more level-headed guy piped up, pointing out that the conference hall was their best bet. Mara snorted. "That figures." With another glance around, she lowered her tone. "Let's hope we're not dealing with a bunch of snobs with more money than sense." She wasn't doing a whole lot for the mood, but they couldn't hope for too much. That said, any support was better than none, even if said support figures would probably look down their noses at them.

"I'll be over in a moment," she said as the softspoken guy shifted his position. "Just gotta take some electrical safety measures." Pulling at her gloves again, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, but the lingering smell of smoke and citrus didn't help matters. Instead, it brought back memories of that day, and a pang of guilt along with them. The property damage her parents were dealing with wouldn't be quick, cheap or easy to fix. And if the fire had been worse, if everyone hadn't gotten out in time... It didn't bear thinking about.

Ok, she couldn't exactly blame the BioTech staff for keeping their distance.

Shuddering, she edged away from the charred grass. Just as she did, a sudden sharp whistle sounded right behind her. She jumped and whirled round. Sparks crackled, all the more erratic from the water, as another arc shot from her forearm and struck the guy who'd whistled. "Fuck!" Her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes widening at the burn mark on his arm. "Oh god I'm sorry, are you ok?"

So much for electrical safety measures.

Conner couldn’t help but think this woman was a grouch. Sure, he did get her wet, but that was an accident! No one was hurt or anything. They had gotten superpowers, and were basically on vacation, and they had gotten cool superpowers, and all she could do was complain. He figured anyone willing to fork over the cash to come here would have been excited about this development.

She asked about the Bio-Tech people, and Conner blinked. “The who now?” It took a second for Conner to put it together. “Oh, right. The science peeps. Uh... nope haven’t seen em.”

Then a tall boy came out, and pointed in the direction of where the science people could be found. Conner was particularly concerned about that though. He approached the other guy, and put an arm around his shoulders. “Hello, I was hoping I’d meet a cute guy today. Guess I got lucky. Names Conner.”

Then Conner heard a whistle, and saw a dog run past him. The woman freaked out, and she accidentally shocked the guy who whistled. Another handsome dude, even if he did seem older than Conner. This day was getting better already! “I mean he looks fine to me... Well, besides that gnarly scar on his arm... They must have doctors here. They wouldn’t gather a bunch of peeps with superpowers and not be ready.”

@LuckyBlackCat@Heartfillia@GreysonEA

Saturday, June 19, 2021
This time Danielle sat in the front passenger seat with the window rolled down as she and her mother weaved back and forth down a long gravel road. Hee younger siblings napped, snowing softly, while her sister listened to her music. They were surrounded on either side by what felt like jungle. There were towering trees with twisting vines and giant leaves so dense you could hardly see a foot in. There were colorful birds, hanging snakes, and skittering lizards. The air was thick with heat and humidity, causing beads of sweat to form on her forehead. The girl closed her eyes and leaned her head out the window, welcoming the breeze.

Her heart was anxious, racing. She breathed in a heavy breath. Almost a month had passed since Danielle and her family moved to Florida, but it all felt so strange. She felt like an alien on a distant planet, lightyears away from the forest and meadows she had called home, and its inhabitants were not taking kindly to her.

Danielle was not alone, however; the dandelions had come with her and she came to see them as her friends. They were like little fairies or sprites that whispered hopes, dreams, and words of encouragement in her ears (and some gossip from time to time). Somestimes, when she was alone, Dani would whisper back.

Dani had almost given up hope of attending the conference when just last night, Dani's mother purchased last minute tickets after a big fight with the boyfriend. She had taken a few punches and needed to 'get away'. It was bittersweet. Dani couldn't help feeling like it was her fault, but she just knew she had to be there. The dandelions had told her so. Danielle breathed out, letting her troubles get taken away on the breeze.

Soon they came upon a clearing, where probably one hundred cars parked haphazardly on unmarked ground. Danielle's mom pulled crookedly into a spot, easily taking up two cars worth of space. "We're here! Everybody get out and get your bags," Mom said cheerily as she shut of the engine. She turned around and smiled with a tiredly with puffy eyes, gently shaking the two younger ones awake. A few grumbles and protests later, and the family was making their way toward their campsite, as they had opted for less expensive or inclusive tickets.

There were people of all different kinds gathered around, chatting up or heading to the motel or cabins. Some looked like academics, some looked extraordinary with mutations or exhibited powers, and others seemed to just be average Joes looking for a good time. Dani closed her eyes as she walked, listening for whispers...


Danielle was startled by a high-pitched whistle and crackling followed by shouting and shrieking of nearby onlookers, causing herself to let out a little 'eep!' and hide behind her backpack. "Awesome!" William exclaimed while making a fist. "Yeah, cool!" Destiny echoed. Even Abagail seemed somewhat interested in the commotion.

"Come along kids, it's not polite to stare. Mind your business," their mother admonished, pulling the younger ones along by their hands while they protested. Abagail shrugged and followed after them. Dani, on the other hand, lingered, captivated by the arcs of electricity and scent of lemon zest in the air...

”Oh I wouldn’t hold your breath.” Alonzo chuckled softly, giving the girl a sharp grin at the snobs comment. Alonzo wasn’t one to entertain those with more money than they necessarily deserved for long. Him and his grandmother had struggled and scraped for all they had; those born into money or just expected things tended to grate on his nerves.

He made brief eye contact with the man who had appeared from behind, giving him a small nod in return before his attention was snatched away by an arm around his shoulders. He blinked for a moment; he really needed to keep a closer eye on people. The guy moved fast. His cheeks turned pink at the compliment and ducked out of the arm around his shoulders, giving Conner a sheepish smile. ”Alonzo. Alonzo Solandis.” He introduced himself, the sharp whistle making him wince and flinch slightly although that wasn’t the worst reaction from their little group.

He didn’t see much besides the arc of electricity and the resulting large burn on the newcomer’s arm. ”Christ, that’s some powerful stuff He muttered, shoving his bag in Conner’s direction before hurrying over to the other guy. ”I can help with that, give me your arm?” He offered out a hand, giving him what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

@Enkryption

At some point during Kerri's display of body horror, Libby got spooked and left the room. The rafflesia-essenced woman was left alone to rip off her blooms and stew for a couple minutes. Then the blonde tentatively peeked her head around the wall again.

"Are you okay?" Libby ventured. She blushed slightly at the dumb question. The girl's skin was bubbling like a pancake a minute ago, even in a context with superpowers that didn't look very okay. "Uh... need anything before the conference starts?"

She probably should've left the leave-me-alone-I'm-emo girl alone. She stayed on the balls of her feet, prepared to run if the angry woman attacked her with whatever nightmare power that was. But at least Libby had to check back to make sure the woman wasn't actively dying or anything.

Arthur chuckled softly at the reply of the strange woman sitting on the picnic table. Groovy. The only person he had heard that from none ironically was an older woman in his apartment building, one who had been a flower child back in the day. Yet this lady in front of Arthur was clearly way younger that, so he wondered why she was using such terms. He thought that it might be a hipster thing.

As she continued to speak, Arthur began to wonder if she knew where she was, “You know this is a scientific conference, right? I don’t think they’ll be sticking anyone with needles randomly, if you were worrying about that. As for harmonious thoughts, I’m not sure.”

Arthur paused, before laughing, “I mean do you think we should try and commune with the plant essences? I have no idea how that would work, but you seem like the kind of person who could get that started.”

Arthur was serious in what he said. This whole plant power thing had been nothing but a mystery since it started a few weeks back. Up until hearing about this conference, Arthur never had a notion that plant essences could be a thing. Yet he did change at night, same time as the flowers changed. So maybe a strange hippie lady leading some kind of meditation would allow him to gleam some information. It was worth a try.

“My name is Arthur,” he said as he extended his hand, “And would it be too forward if you yourself have a plant essence power?”

Arthur was under the assumption that most anyone here that didn’t look like a scientific type was probably someone with powers or knew someone with powers. Arthur himself at been keeping his power secret to those around him, but was warming up to the idea of being open with others with plant essences. Perhaps having some sort of community would make this life change easier for Arthur.

@Bai Suzhen

"Call me Mur'" she replies, keeping her cards close to her chest for now. "And you'd be right, but I'm going to wait and see exactly what the men in white coats are up to before I give too much away."

The crack of a miniature lightning bolt interrupts Muriel, and she turns her head, thinks for a moment, then slides off the table. "Then again, I may be able to help that girl a little. That's worth the G-Men learning some secrets."

She walks over to the crowd starting to form around Mara with a wave and a smile. "Heyo, what's happening, sorry to peep in. I just wanted to check something." She offers the sparking girl her hand. "Can you give me a zap? Just enough to make my hair stand on end. Fifty bucks says you can't do it."

She isn't actually sure if her rubber essence will make her immune to the electricity. She also isn't sure if she has fifty bucks. Well, if she's wrong, maybe Mara will accept a joint or two instead...

@Martian@LuckyBlackCat