bow down your strong heads to taste the water [OPEN]

[democratically]

Who: Padmé + various
What: Catch-all event + various prompts
When: May
Where: Various locations

Content Warnings: Body transformation, bugs, possible violence, blood, vine infestation

PROMPT 1: SELF EVALUATION

PROMPT 2: HUMMING IN THE SKIN

PROMPT 3: IMPOSTERS

[ooc: will match any format. can wildcard a scenario too if you prefer something different]

Comments

[democratically]

Padmé wasn't even certain what to do in that moment. Try to stomp the flower? Clean her hands? Try to grab it and put it back? She had never seen anything like this so far here. Sure, there had been those blood blisters, but it wasn't like it had popped on her or anything.

With her hands still poised slightly elevated, Padmé glance towards the voice, surprised. And oh- oh. "I'm so sorry!"

She gave a flick of her fingers, trying to remove some of the blood, although it didn't do too much. Pausing, she glanced about, before rubbing it on the grass and she rose, with a shake of her head. "No. It- no. It just... Well, surprised me more than anything. I, hmm, was not expecting that. None of the blood is actually mine."

[psychopepsquad]

"Oh," that was a relief. That much blood had to hurt, but it was another of the strange occurrences in this place. Glancing back down at the flower, Tara knelt, careful to keep her distance, but carefully turning it with a stick to get a better look. "Strange, it looks like the rest of the flowers."

She had seen them, but never suspected there might be something sinister. It was unnerving, an indication that things might be becoming dangerous again. As though that ever stopped in Trench.

"Don't worry about it. It's not the first time that I've gotten blood on my clothes. I think I'm pretty good now at getting it out." She smirked, looking over to Padme. "You haven't seen others like this?"

[democratically]

"It did... At least until-" She made a little motion towards the area that now looked like there had been a massacre around. Bother... Well, at least there was water in the area although it did put a damper on her mood to continue to try to garden.

There was a quizzical glance given her way, although Padmé didn't automatically go to somewhere nefarious with that statement. For a Senator, she had seen her fair share as well, as least when put into that context. She offered a shake of her head.

"No. That was the first. I'd hope the last, but..." This place did not seem to do things in a singular manner.

[psychopepsquad]

It's not exactly comforting to see the blood-splattered around, but, again, she's sort of used to that now. It's not as if she hasn't been around blood and guts; she should just be grateful that the guts didn't factor in now. Probably next month.

Her eyes scanned over the ground, uncertain if there even was a way to tell the plants apart. And was the blood from the flower or a person? Would the plants suck blood? It didn't seem like a good risk to take.

"You might want to wait before trying to collect more. It seems like we're being messed with again. I'd hate for you to end up getting drained by some flower or something. You don't need them for anything do you?"

[democratically]

"I think I will just pass on it all together." She gave a shake of her head though. "No. I was just collecting a few and pruning- or attempting too. Flora and fauna aren't really my areas of expertise."

She could admire plants and animals, but she was wise enough to know better than to try to keep anything too complicated. "Have they done that before? Drained people? I know there was that underground place, and they were growing from my skin, but-" They hadn't seemed to be draining her then.

[psychopepsquad]

"Not in the time that I've been here, but who knows before that?" She at least hadn't experienced the growing from the skin thing and she was pretty glad she missed those. "I guess I'm not shocked anymore when these things happen. I just assume that blood will show up every month in form or another."

Which, weird, but that seems to be a theme here.

"If you're prepared for the unexpected, you're not so much caught off guard." Which is a good philosophy in theory, but how often had she been surprised regardless? There were too many strange things, even for a Sunnydale girl.

[democratically]

"The blisters at least were a little more obvious." Although they had surprised Padmé when they had appeared, and when creatures had also fed on them. One could tell where they were, anyway, and avoid stepping on them. Padmé hoped that it was only the flowers, but perhaps she would be cautious with all things.

Padmé gave a laugh though. "Save you cannot prepare for every situation and so are caught off guard regardless. But... It is becoming a bit less so, the longer I am here. I'm still surprised, but at least I understand a little better."

[psychopepsquad]

"That's true or are forced into situations that are much, much worse than you pictured." The abyss and all the secrets that came out, that hadn't exactly been something she could prepare for. As much as she wanted to be in control, she had to admit and accept that this place would always try to shock her or hurt her.

"At least when something strange happens, we know right away that it's something to do with the Trench?" She shrugged her shoulders. "It feels a bit freeing to not have to think of logical explanations."

[democratically]

"Hopefully... Otherwise, we think it is the Trench, but it's actually something else completely." An outside force. Which would be a good way to do something, after all. They'd all be looking elsewhere while the slight of hand went right under their noses. Yet, being paranoid all the time wouldn't really let one carry on in life.

[psychopepsquad]

"That's true. I guess I'm used to it being something weird because of the place. It was like that where I came from. There was always a supernatural issue, like all of us breaking into song." Padme was very practical, something Tara wished she could be again.

[democratically]

"And where do you come from?" Curious, but not pushy, in case it wasn't something that she actually wanted to talk about. Most had no qualms, Padmé included, but she wouldn't assume that all were the same.

[psychopepsquad]

"Sunnydale." That was the only place she ever really called home, despite all the monsters and weirdness. "There's some others from Sunnydale. I'm not sure if you've heard about it or not. It's a bit like here."

[democratically]

"Is that the planet's name, or?" Which did more or less answer her question without actually answering it. Padmé wasn't familiar with the name anyway, but the galaxy was a large place and Padmé knew but a handful.

[psychopepsquad]

"Oh, right." How could she forget not everyone would know automatically that she came from Earth? "Sorry, it's a city on Earth." She really needed to remember that not everyone was from her universe.