Kiku's Flowershop, Haru no Hana [OPEN]

(The description of the layout of his shop can be found in his profile. And this ought to look familiar to some people...since I was lazy and didn't change much from the last time >.>)

***

Kiku smiled, running the cloth over the polished surface of the counter one last time. "There, it is perfect." He glanced at the clock, eyes widening as he caught sight of the time. "I need to hurry...I am to open in ten minutes!" Hastily, he rushed to his kitchen, his simple flats (Westerners were so strange, wearing shoes in the house!) making little noise against the tiled floor as he practically threw the rag into the sink. He could take care of that later. Now, he needed to focus his attention on his flowers.

Returning to the shop, he was greeted with a chorus of happy, panicking little flowers. The roses were trying to touch the peonies, causing the pansies to cower behind the irises. Shaking his head, Kiku touched the nearest plant, trying to calm it. He continued to do this down the line of plants, either reassuring them or chiding them, depending on what the situation called for. A warning from his window plants told him that it was time to unlock the shop. His concentration broken, Kiku felt the plant beneath him quiver and then, with a surprised little squeak, the flowers popped and showered petals on the floor like confetti.

"Ah! This is no good!" Kiku ran for the broom and dust pan, apologizing profusely to the plant and promising to restore it. Retrieving them from his kitchen (he really needed to clean in there!), he caught sight of the clock and sighed. He was going to be late...again. Returning and cleaning up the mess, he then concentrated on repairing the poor petunias.

He glanced up as the door opened, mentally thanking the nearby sunflowers for unlocking it for him. "Eh? A customer? It is exciting, to have someone so early." He quickly finished restoring the plant (smiling as the little flowers nuzzled his hand), then moved to take his place behind his counter. Using his powers, he searched the shop, trying to find the person who had entered. It wasn't uncommon for people to become lost among his arrangements, though he usually recovered them quickly enough. He could only hope that his recent 'altering' of his store's layout would not confuse this customer like it did so many of his others. He wasn't about to explain that his plants enjoyed rearranging themselves.

Art stepped gingerly into the shop, adjusting his glasses over his nose as he stared in awe at the many species of plants adorning the space. He'd come here to sketch them for a journal he was putting together (a little side-project that Punks always mocked him for, but that was his nature after all); he hoped dearly the owner wouldn't mind him exploring them. Mum'd told him (and was telling him now) that she was sure he wouldn't mind at all and might even be honoured, but still he was a little wary. Although, he'd much rather come here and study real plants than go to the library and look at photos of them.

He neared one, a deep purple bloom, admiring the deep red veins in its petals' centres, and smiled, scrawling some notes in his journal: "Iris Sanguinae. Common name: Blood Iris (eng.); Ayame (jap.)" He had just begun to sketch it when he heard footsteps approaching and nearly dropped his book as he looked up, his cheeks brightly red in embarrassment. "Ah! E-erm, excuse me, I was just, er, admiring your Iris Sanguinae-- Er, I mean irises, I, er...." In his head, Punksy snickered, and Art made a mental note to sock him one when he got back to the apartment. "D-d'you mind too terribly if I sketched a few of your plants? I'm er, doing a project for university, you see, and... Er...."

Kiku's irises were the first to alert him, chattering both excitedly and nervously about the 'big-browed man staring intently at them'. He smiled, safely hidden among the plants as he made his way to the man. He made sure to wander a bit, so as not to arouse suspicion. It would do him no good if the man suspected he knew his location and then he had to explain just how he found him. Still, the plants chattered away in his head, some giggling, some shrieking in girlish delight as the man leaned ever closer. Kiku resisted the urge to quiet them, comforted by their antics.

He rounded the corner, finally coming upon his guest. His eyes widened in surprise as the man nearly dropped what looked like a notebook of drawings and hastily scrawled notes. from the quick glimpse (and the information from some nearby flowers) he could tell the man was both intelligent and talented. Worry fluttered in his chest, as his mind produced an image of the rather studious-looking man being a spy of some sort. He could not afford to relocate, not after all he had done for this shop. However, the surprised look on the other man's face made him reconsider.

He blinked at the man's nervousness, wondering if he had truly startled him that badly. "Ah, welcome to my shop. I am pleased that you are enjoying the flowers." He leaned to gently caress one of the petals, mentally reminding the plants to stay still around the man he did not know. The gesture comforted him, making it easier to understand the man's words. "I see. I am honored that you would choose my humble shop to study. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know." He felt a small, sheepish smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, attempting to replace the polite one he currently wore.


(Thank you, Arthur! *hugs tight* RPing on the side always helps <3)

Matthew was taking a new, longer route to come back to his modest, student's flat when he spotted the sign 'flowershop', surprisingly placed on a tall, impressive building, not a small, cozy one he usually saw; he was still fairly new to the city and, as a typical village boy, the space, the buildings, the variety and the people were still amazing him every single day. He took walks, just exploring, discovering things he only read about up till now, basking in the atmosphere of a big, big city, relishing all its perks and all the flaws, researching and studying all that he saw. There were the tall buildings, not as tall as mountains he was used to but much, much taller than anything he saw built by a man before; there were streets, a real maze, more confusing than the forests he used to venture out to, people, some more dangerous then even the ferocious animals protecting their young.

And then, there were the plants.

Matthew was born in the snow, surrounded by white in all different shades; of course he knew there were places on Earth where the white was replaced by green and all the colours of the wind but actually seeing the variety of plants, touching (gently so that he wont hurt the fragile beings) the soft petals, alive and blooming, it took his breath away for the first time. He was used to the murky green of pine trees. He wasnt used to being surrounded by luscious, rich green of the warmer countries, by big flowers with all their enchanting patterns and aromas.

He knew they existed, in theory, but knowing something and experiencing it, were so completely different.

Thats why flowershops, parks, anything green, really, always lured him in without fail. He hoped hed get over it once some time passes.

Wandeing around had other perks, though; he hoped to know more about possible student jobs here and perhaps even, by some miracle, find an offer for someone to hire him. He had some money from his uncle, just enough to last him for a while, but money, generally, wasnt that big of use in his village and so it was a bit more scarce than anywhere else. So he knew he couldnt mooch off his family for too long.

But... for now, he should look at the plants. He should probably get one for his flat, to make it seem less lonely and gloomy. He should scrutnize ever flower, inquire about how long they would last, make sure they were healthy and -Ah, forget it, he just wanted to be surrounded by pretty flowers and smell them, one after another.

Since the building was so tall, he suspected that the sign 'flowershop' referred only to some small, cozy shop on the ground level and there were more shops in the rest of the building but... they didnt put out their logos for some reason... maybe it was some entrance that isnt exactly the front one?

He opened the door and entered, a bit surprised to enter the flowershop part and not a hallway. He looked around for any signs of humans before proceeding and, after a bit of looking around, he spotted two figures inside (mostly thanks to his height). "Hello!" he smiled politely with a slight nod and, social expectations fulfilled, he took a look around curiously, taking in all the different kinds of flora around It was so hard to believe, in a place like this, that somewhere on the north there existed a village, surrounded by white, white snow, where the only green were the ever-lasting murky green of the pine trees, stretching for miles...

Lovino strolled down the unfamiliar street, taking his time to get to school, not that he wanted to go in the first place. He knew that he had to go anyway, since his teacher (and eventually his grandfather) would have his head if he skipped school one more time.

No one said anything about being late.

Suddenly, the young man stopped his douchey cool striding when he came upon a quaint flower shop. Lovino was not really one to stop to look at flowers (He was no pansy, no pun intended) and he would have walked by on his merry way to school. But still...there was that cute girl that he'd seen in the halls, and all girls liked flowers. He might as well get one here and give it to her while he flirted.

As Lovi entered the shop, he saw that there were already a few people looking at the vibrant colorful flowers. Checking to make sure that his ever-present black gloves were intact Lovino looked around the shop to see who was going to join him in looking at flowers this morning. There was the tall blond guy who seemed to be about the same age as him who looked like a dumbass. Then there was a shorter one who looked almost similar to the first man except he had longer hair. Then....oh mio dio...a pretty short blonde man (what is it with all these blondes prancing around in a flower shop?) with...could you call those eyebrows? They looked like two very furry caterpillars decided to eat the bastard's eyebrows and decided to squat down right above his eyes in the desperate hope that he wouldn't notice.........Oh wait, he rested his case. It was't a flower shop full of blonde guys after all.

Because he was the shortest of the four, Lovino almost missed the small Asian (Japanese? Chinese? He couldn't really tell between the two races these days) man who was talking to Caterpillar Eyebrows who looked quite flustered after dropping a bunch of papers (A sketchbook, Lovino told himself, like the ones Feli has.) Bored with whatever the hell everyone else was doing, Lovino started looking around for what flower he was going to use as his weapon in the art of flirting.

When his center of gravity decided to do a random tap dance and make him trip on nothing. The next thing he knew, the Italian was rapidly approaching the ground and running in the way he didn't like at all. And he was heading straight for the Asian man.

"LOOK OUT!" He yelled as he unintentionally charged for the poor man.

((I think I need to explain what happened. So, Lovino tripped on nothing, but he tripped in a way that allowed him to put a foot forward to catch himself from face-planting the floor, BUT the force of him falling propelled him forward, and eventually into Kiku if Kiku doesn't react fast enough XD))

Art smiled as the Asian man (probably Japanese specifically, judging by the slight accent and the unique curve of his lovely almond eyes) spoke to him, a tiny something fluttering in his chest before he realised it might be his heart. There was no doubt he was attractive, very exotic in his mannerism and the way his jaw curved, the cute nose and honey-coloured skin... and those eyes! Art was already composing poetry about them in his head when he snapped himself out of his reverie, realising he was staring at the man.

"E-erm, yes, thank you very mu-- hm?" He looked up as a voice to his right said hello, although the owner of the voice must've disappeared behind one of the plants as he didn't see anyone there. "...Curious.... Sorry, but did you hear someone just now?" He addressed the shop owner, his head tilted to one side in confusion. He shook his head, dismissing it when another (much louder and more obnoxious) voice broke whatever peace had been in the shop. His head snapped up, annoyance clear on his features as he spoke (it was all he could do to not let Punksy split off and kick the blond's arse for insulting him like that) to the tall young man who'd rather suddenly appeared. "Excuse me, but I was having a conversation. What was that you said about me? I keep no cryptozoological specimens on my person, so I'm not quite certain what exactly it is you're on about." He raised an eyebrow at the boy, not sure how he felt about the fact that he was physically much taller than Art himself. The staredown lasted only for a moment, however, before it was interrupted (where were all these people coming from, this early in the morning? Shouldn't most of them be in school?) by another young man, this one a brunette, shouting a warning as he careened towards them at an alarming rate... And headed straight for the delightfully attractive shop keeper.

Art let out a gasp and moved to stop the young man, hoping he could keep him from toppling into the pretty male.

The bell over the door jingled merrily, signaling the entry of another customer to his shop. Kiku manged to hide his smile as the plants closest to the door chattered away, calling the newest guest 'cute', 'quiet' and 'cold'. He mentally reached out in curiosity to his flowers, feeling the smaller blooms of several peonies shift to cower behind the fuller blooms. He prayed the movement had been subtle enough to be missed by the customer, or at least timed so that he could play it off as the breeze from the door. It did not take him long to spot the new guest, and he agreed immediately with his plants (though he still did not understand why they thought him cold). The way his golden locks feel to frame his handsome face made the flowers nearest to him giggle like girls sharing secrets in Kiku's mind.

He nodded in the blond's direction, doing his best to ignore the usual chatter from his plants. He turned his gaze back to the first blond, smiling apologetically for momentarily ceasing his attention. He missed the bell ringing again, alerted to a new guest instead by the sunflowers describing him as 'blond' and 'loud'. He wondered briefly how one could describe anyone as loud when they had not even heard them speak when suddenly, the newest guest walked up behind the first blond. Kiku could swear his plants even shrank back a little as the blond spoke loudly, his voice echoing around the shop. He nodded politely in his direction, mentally asking his plants to be quiet and to 'kindly stop chanting about the two of us in trees, please'.

'Besides, I don't even know his name...or anyone else in this shop now, for that matter. But they are my guests, and I will do what I can to make them happy. It is strange and wonderful to see so many people out so early, but are they all really here to buy flowers? ' He mused quietly, watching his guests roam about the shop (or insult each other, as it seemed the two blonds in front of him were doing right now), lost in their own worlds and conversations. He realized his thoughts had wandered, and mentally chastised himself as a nearby pot of pansies snickered.

Kiku turned his attention back to his guests then, sensing the pansies nearest to him stop their laughter and become tense as a brunette came into view. He was about to ask them mentally what was bothering them when suddenly, the brunette tripped and fell forward. Kiku gasped, eyes widening as the man's fall and half catch kept him stumble-running forward. He blinked in intrigue as the blond nearest to him moved in an odd attempt to catch the new arrival. But an odd step still brought the brunette forward, and if it weren't for a sudden half step back for balance he might have been knocked off his feet. Instead, he half caught the brunette, his hands landing square on his upper arms as the other man's head awkwardly hit his chest. A blush sprang to his cheeks as he realized just how close they were...and how awkward this entire thing would look to his guests.

"I-I am sorry!" Without thinking, he brushed his hand over the man's own hand, as if trying to find some injury. He did not recall the floor being wet from watering the plants, but it was the only reason he could think of for him to have tripped over practically nothing but air. "Are you all right? I apologize if you have suffered any injuries..." The unspoken 'I will pay for anything you've suffered' hung in the air between them.

"I-I.....fine.....sorry...d-dammit..." Lovino stuttered, blushing like a tomato when he realized that he had been caught like one of those school girls in those Japanese cartoons he watched when he was bored. He suddenly felt something brushing his hand and looked down to see that the Asian man's hand had brushed his.

Wait, what?!

It should be fine, he had his gloves on...wait where did they- OH FUCK.

Calm down, dipshit, He's probably a normal, you can just find a flower to give that girl, and make a quick and graceful escape... Lovino thought, giving himself a sort of an internal pep-talk.

But that was when he heard....whispering. Feminine whispering.

Lovino turned around to find...no one. Must be that fall getting to me. Goddammit.

But then...

"I told Kiku that this guy was weird and he should be careful, but nooooo....."
"Relax, he'll probably pick one of us and be on his merry way....I hope."

That time it was right next to him, on his right. Lovino looked in that general direction. All he saw were some daisies lined up on the shelf. That was when our favorite Italian started to get creeped out. He could figure out by now that the Asian man was a mutant as well (otherwise he wouldn't be hearing these damn voices everywhere) but what the hell was his ability?

((Sorry for taking so long to reply! D: Hopefully I'm doing the flower's dialogue right, making them talk in complete sentences...because I don't know if they do that, or Kiku just generally feels what they are thinking/talking))

((Aww, no worries Lovi. I took time to reply to you D: And I love the way you did the flowers~ I'd guess that everyone would 'hear' or understand them differently, since each person is different, so no true interpretation is wrong or less correct than another ^_^))

Kiku turned his attention momentarily to the blue-eyed blond, embarrassment flooding to his cheeks in the form of a blush. In his haste to help the other male he had almost forgotten the others in the room. But now that the immediate crisis was averted, he could not help but feel embarrassed to be caught in such a compromising position with the other male. However, the blond's words made him feel slightly more at ease. If the brunette male did not appear injured (just equally embarrassed), then perhaps the others would simply return to their shopping as if nothing had happened.

The plants around him whispered, but he ignored them as he helped the brunette to stand up straight again. "I am relieved to hear that you are uninjured." He composed himself then, tugging on his clothes to straighten them. As he gathered his thoughts, the plants around him began to talk louder, as if trying to gain his attention. He turned, pointing his gaze somewhere between the brunette and the other two blonds (who seemed to be arguing over something). He feigned looking at everyone in their small gathering, though his attention was truly on his plants.

'Please...calm down...what is wrong?' He queried, receiving all manner of mixed chatter as his response. The panicking seemed to only get worse, the flowers becoming indistinguishable from each other as they all tried to tell him something at once. He mentally reached out to them again, feeling a small headache building in the front of his brain. He would need to excuse himself soon to sit down and recover if this kept up. 'Please...one at a time...start over...I cannot understand you.'

And then it hit him...he couldn't understand them! Normally, he could separate out their desires, or their 'voices'. But now it took the flowers and plants practically shouting in his mind for him to hear that they were distressed by something. Unfortunately, adding to his momentary confusion, the plants shouting at him weren't the plants closest to him, and now suddenly the distance between himself and the plants mattered. He took a steadying breath, hoping his guests would mistake it for him still being shaken by the incident a moment ago. Now excusing himself from the small gathering had become a priority. He needed to think, to figure out what happened, and most importantly, figure out what to do.

'I haven't experienced this since...I was much younger, and less in control of my power. Does he have some sort of power, or am I truly so shaken by our brief physical contact that my powers are not working as they should?'

"Ah, I apologize, but I must leave you for a moment. I have forgotten something..." He turned his attention to his guests now, grasping the first excuse he thought of and throwing it into the conversation. "Please feel free to look around. I will return in just a moment, so if you find something you like in the meantime I will be happy to help you just as soon as I return." He smiled, doing his best to keep it from looking strained. His headache had worsened, the plants nearest to him sensing something amiss and now also shouting at him. Unlike the plants across the aisle, he could hear those, and he attempted to ask them to quiet, only for them to shout louder because they thought he could not hear them.

He needed to leave and recover soon, or else the plants would start trying to communicate with him the only way that would get his attention. He bowed quickly, retreating down the aisle and heading for the safety of his kitchen. He could make himself a cup of tea there, take a moment to compose himself, and then return once his powers had settled. Hopefully then his connection with his plants would be restored, and then they wouldn't try to move in front of his guests in order to talk to him. He thanked them silently for not having done so already, but he did not want to risk having it happen. He reasoned that removing himself from the situation was by far the best way to prevent anything revealing from happening.

As Lovino watched the poor man start stumbling toward the back of the store, he realized that Lovino himself was like this when he first "stole" a mutant's ability when he was 14, a slightly older boy who could read the mind of others. Suddenly an influx of voices had decided to squat down in his mind and start talking at once, and sobbing, crying, confused, Lovino had run to his grandfather. For once, Nonno took time out for his older grandson and explained that he could "borrow" other's power and how Lovino would have to hide his ability (Not that it was hard to hide it.)

Since the man's ability was similar to those of a mind reader's, Lovino was somewhat used to having infinite whispers in his head (being the most common mutant, Lovino had stolen the powers of a mind reader countless times) but it seemed that the man...Kiku, judging by all the voices calling the man that, was suffering the worst of the two from having the unwelcome power stealing. His grandfather would have told him to ignore the guy and run away so that he and his ability wouldn't be noticed while the others were distracted.

Well fuck that geezer, he was going to do the right thing for once.

Lovino followed the man to the back of the store, where he found a door. He knocked on it and entered what looked like a kitchen, closing the door in the process. Obviously, even with the knocking, he knew this showed a complete lack of courtesy, but the Italian knew that it was probably for the best to tell the poor man what happened to his ability. He held out his hand.

"Lovino Vargas. Nice to meet you, and I just stole a part of your abilities."

((Dun-Dun DUUN!! *shot* Oh man, this took a long time too D: Anyway, I talked this over with Kiku and we decided that anyone can walk in while we're having our little chit-chat....actually, you're encouraged to walk in and interrupt us. That way people wouldn't be/feel left out.))

Matthew watched the events unfold right before his very eyes with keen interest, torn between politely (and probably wisely) stepping away and out of that shop and continue to watch, too curious to see what will happen next for his own good. He was mostly ignored by the first people he tried to introduce himself to, and no surprise there, his voice was a bit too timid especially compared to the loud, boisterous blonde that came in right after him and announced his outrageous remark (The brows were big, hairy and terribly prominent but who even said such a thing so bluntly to a complete stranger?!).

And then someone went whoosh right by him and almost fell on someone else and then the loud blonde, Alfred as he now learned, was holding out his hand to him and he really had a gift for making worst faux pas without even knowing or trying, did he? "Er... Matthew Williams. I moved here not long ago. I mean, the city, not this shop." He was rambling slightly, stalling for time because the hand was still there and seconds were ticking by and he didn't even consider such a situation before and ways to avoid it without seeming rude. "I-Im sorry, but that's not the best idea, my hands are really cold right now..." Despite the shop being so warm and he was an idiot, wasn't he? "Circulation problems. It wouldnt be very pleasant for anyone to touch it, I imagine so... just take my word its a pleasure to meet you, Alfred." He resisted the urge to sag with relief, inwardly proud of that excuse. Hed have to remember it. And start wearing gloves, no matter how weird they looked with a tshirt. Maybe he could get a bike. Gloves didnt look weird when someone was riding a bike.

Part of his attention was still focused on the other people who were standing not very far and he saw them leave so he quickly excused himself from Alfred (he looked like the kind of guy who would give you a friendly hug or not care about gross cold hands and while it was a really nice feature and Matthew appreciated the sentiment, it was the last thing he needed). He neared the door they disappeared behind and he paused, hand raised to knock, as he heard a voice. He wasnt trying to be rude, honest, but it was a shop and he was a customer so you couldnt blame him... he really just wanted to talk to the shopkeeper (he assumed the black-haired man was a shop=keeper, anyway) about plants that could last low temperature and were good for small apartments. But now, he focused on something else. Abilities? What abilities? How can you steal abilities? Was he some... flower shop competitor from another store? What abilities could he possibly steal, how to water flowers, make bouquets... maybe how to walk properly. Now thats one ability that man could use.

He felt bad for listening in like that and hesitated, wanting to listen and also wanting to walk away. Ah, what should he do now, last thing he wanted was to act rudely but, but what if the shop-keeper was in trouble? What if it was some flower shop mafia thing going on? The man had a weird accent and oh my God, that was it, wasnt it? It was the Italian flower shop mafia versus the Japanese flower shop yakuza! He read all about them mafias and the way they settle things, he even watched movies like Godfather, he wasnt stupid!

Alright. He was doing it for the right cause. He looked around, saw no one was paying him any attention and pressed his ear against the door, listening in keenly, ready to charge in the moment things get dangerous.


(( I apologize for the wait and uh, for those who think Canada is a bit OOC here.... remember in this verse he grew up in a remote, mountain village with his awesome lumberjack of an uncle. Its his first time in a big world so he might seem a bit naive at times XD"

Art found himself standing awkwardly alone as the three men around him moved away. What'd just happened? Did that brunette do something to the Japanese man to make him walk off like that (and then follow him to wherever he went...?) Something was fishy here. Before he could wonder about the fate of the pretty shopkeeper and the Italian who'd followed him, however, it came to his attention that he was now alone in the shop with the obnoxious tall blond. Wonderful. He ducked behind a large potted plant, allowing Britt to split off and deal with the blond whilst Art went to see what the ruckus was about towards the back of the shop.

Britt shook his head as his counterpart explained this, sighing as he stepped out from behind the plant. He could understand why Booksy had asked him to come out; they looked alike enough and he was certainly a better choice than Punksy, but still. Surely the blond would notice the difference in age? He decided to wait and find out. It seemed imminent that the young man would try and interact with him once more considering he now had no one with whom to talk. Pretending to inspect the plant from behind which he'd just emerged, he kept watch on the other male in the shop out of the corner of his eye.

Art snuck towards the door in which he was sure he'd seen the Japanese man escape (shortly followed by the brunette), and was surprised to see a different blond male listening at the door. He looked a little similar to the one who'd insulted him, but something about him seemed quieter, more demure. That was good. He didn't think he could deal with more stupid insults about his eyebrows. "O-oh, erm. Hello there. Sorry," he spoke in a quiet whisper, wary of the men on the other side of the door hearing them. "...Can you hear what they're saying...?" His curiosity had won out.

Kiku made it to the back room, closing the door quietly behind him and sighing with relief. The wooden barrier shut out the yelling of the plants, causing his headache to dissipate. However, he still felt on edge, his eyes scanning the room before he began to walk slowly towards the counter. The only plants inhabiting his back room were a pot of flowers on the table, and those couldn't shout nearly loud enough to give him the massive headache his other shop plants could. He made his way over to the sink, hands shaking as he moved to fill the kettle with water. The tea would surely calm his nerves, and give him plenty of time to recover before he returned to his guests. 'I can only hope that they can forgive my rudeness to them.' He mechanically put together his cup of tea, somehow managing not to burn himself as his hands continued their violent trembling.

He took his teacup, briefly contemplating whether sitting down at his table was a good idea, then made for it. He sank down into one of his chairs, blowing on the tea before taking a slow sip. The warmth of the liquid calmed his nerves, though he could sense the plants on the table unsuccessfully trying to communicate with him. 'Please forgive me...I cannot hear you right now...there is something very wrong, and I cannot figure out what it is.' He reached out to one of the flowers, gently stroking its petals but quickly withdrawing his hand when the plant tried to latch on. Without the proper control, the plant could end up taking too much of his power from him, or worse, growing out of control and alerting his guests to more abnormal behavior...if they weren't already privy to it.

He practically spilled the tea all over himself at the knock on the door, standing quickly just as the door opened and shut to reveal the brunette from earlier. Hiding his nervousness with a slight bow, he pushed in the chair hastily and stepped forward. He stared at the offered hand, hesitating. He did not like physical contact to begin with, and his last experience with the brunette had been to have his powers stolen. Instead, he bowed again, careful to keep eye contact with the other to show him he was simply returning the greeting in his own way, not that he was afraid of touching his hand (even though he was, very much so).

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Vargas-san." His voice managed not to reveal how shaken he still was over the situation, a testament to his many years controlling his emotions for the sake of controlling his powers. "My name is Kiku." He refrained from giving his last name, afraid Lovino would use the information against him. Giving out his first name was risky, since there weren't many people with that name living in the area. However, at least it left a slim possibility that he could not be traced, especially if any of the men in the shop were part of the various organizations for mutants. The last thing he wanted was for one of them to come knocking at his door in an attempt to drag him off to some school or rally, disguising intentions with sweet words or promises of 'better days'. He had spent enough time on the streets to know that he did not belong in those places.

He mentally debated with himself whether to deny or affirm Lovino's claim to stealing his powers. If Lovino was indeed working with one of the organizations, he would simply be giving himself away. Lovino could be a spy, sent to tell people they suspected with powers that he could steal their powers in order to force the mutant to reveal him or herself. Kiku did not want to walk into that trap, but he also had no proof that Lovino was attempting to trap him at all. Still, denying his powers seemed the safest route, at least until he could figure out exactly what was going ON with his powers.

He gave the brunette a weak smile, the gesture making him seem more confused than upset at the sudden intrusion into his back room. "I apologize, Vargas-san, but I am not quite sure what you mean."


((Sorry for the delay! I was away...and then waiting for a few more people to post before I posted. I don't want anyone to get written out just because it takes them awhile to post...and you guys know how long my posts are anyway TT_TT Matthew, your post amused me to no end, just saying. And Lovi, I love your posts...sorry I take so long x.x And Arthur...Arthur...*pats on the head before being shot* <3 Kiku is also using last names only if he knows them. He'll switch to first names if either that's all he knows, or the person says something like 'just ... will be fine' or something ^^ Also, again...he doesn't interact with Matthew *beaten repeatedly for it* PLEASE FORGIVE MEEEE))

Matthew didnt notice when he was approached by someone else; he was much too absorbed in trying to hear the conversation going on in the other room and feeling guilty, like some sort of weirdo stalker... when he was discovered, he could swear his heart stopped. The man with the.. rather prominent eyebrows was staring right at him, looking about as awkward as Matthew felt, and a thousand of excuses came into his mind at once, each one worse than the other ('My grandmother's dying wish was to have me eavesdrop at conversations in flowershops', 'Its a mental disorder, I need to listen in on people from different ethnic group', 'Im a door expert and this door is really fabulous, I cant help but rub my body all over it'). "I, uh, door." He managed, his voice quiet and rather strangled (and unnoticed); at the next words, he almost sagged with relief. A fellow eavesdropping stalker...! (Not that Matthew was. Just, well, he behaved like one. Only at this moment. And only because he was acting for the greater good, aka to prevent bloodshed.)

"Just.... just bits and pieces." He more mouthed than said towards the man. The conversation was just starting, they were only exchanging polite greeting so, for now, he couldnt really add much. Then, another voice joined in and Matthew flailed his hands wildly (but silently) praying that the blonde (about his height, maybe a hint shorter) wouldnt give them away. It didnt seem so and Matthew obediently scooted over to give him some space to listen in too, feeling slightly better he wasnt the only one behaving in such a way. Always better to get caught in the group; the shame would be divided.

Unless they use him as a scapegoat.

He scooted obediently when someone nudged his hips (it was the loud blonde, his almost-doppelganger); well, scooted was a big word for his movement, actually he sort of wobbled and flailed, momentarily losing his balance and it was only a grab at Alfred's arm that stopped him from toppling over.

A grab of his bare hand right onto Alfred's bare arm. Cold hands and all.

His eyes widened and he pulled it away, looking away and pretending his hands totally werent as cold as corpse's. Nope. Just, just cold right now, anyone could get cold hands, his just happened to be a tad colder. Thats all. Nothing to see here, move along.

He just hoped Alfred wont notice anything/wont mention anything/will forget all about it. He was already starting his adventure in the big city by eavesdropping on two people he didnt know, he didnt need to freak someone out as well.

Lovino looked down condescendingly at the seated man before him.
"I mean what I said: I stole your power. That's my ability, to temporarily steal another mutant's powers. It's fucking annoying to say the least, but that's what happened." He said, starting to pace in the small room. Usually he wouldn't be so blunt about his powers, but he felt like this guy really needed to know what the hell happened to him and his ability.

Usually when Lovino (accidentally) stole a mutant's ability, they would be a bit dizzy for some time, but then be fine after that, though they feel like something is missing. For this guy (Kiku, was it?) it was evident that the effects had taken a large toll on him, and Lovino felt a bit sorry for him; not only was his ability out of control, he didn't know what the hell was going on.

Judging on how he interacted with Lovino, the Italian guessed that he wasn't some guy who was sent to find him and drag him off to who knows where. But he wasn't very sure of that either. This Kiku was very good at hiding his emotions, who knew what he was hiding behind that black face.

Lovino instantly regretted telling the man his last name, and he tensed under his outward cold demeanor. At least he could properly focus on running away whenever he had to, with all of those voices which were whispering in his head a few minutes ago nearly gone.

((HOW. MANY. TIMES. ARE MY POSTS GOING TO BE SO SHORT?! D: I swear, RP-ing on Coloholics is making my posts shorter and shorter. I seriously need to stop RP-ing there and RP here instead :I ))

Kiku felt the room shifting a little beneath his feet, a side effect most likely from the brunette's (Lovino's) ability. Taking a shaky breath, he pulled out the chair from beneath the table and sank into it, still giving Lovino the same smile. The expression now held more apology than confusion, though he highly doubted that Lovino was going to care whether he sat or stood to speak to him. The chair beneath him gave him some semblance of stability, the room becoming a little less tilted as he continued to regard his guest. He dared not reach for his tea, partially to not appear rude (he had already showed his guests enough rudeness for one day) and partially out of fear that he would not be able to hold the cup steady.

He continued to follow Lovino as the brunette began to pace the room, the motions bringing order to his own chaotic thoughts. He could not deny what had happened, and it did not appear as though Lovino was associated with any of the organizations that existed in the city. If he had been, he would not have revealed himself so easily. Still, he would need to be cautious with how much or how little he told Lovino, lest he eventually decide to join. The brunette already knew far more about him than he was comfortable sharing, but he had also made it clear that his intentions were only to inform Kiku of what had transpired between them.

He did his best to ignore the condescending way Lovino was looking at him, along with the brunette's language. Kiku, when not in the presence of others, would occasionally talk aloud to his plants. Some of the flowers were perceptive enough to have picked up the rather foul words, and though he didn't encourage them he also knew they could not be helped. They were located in a city, and it wasn't like the customers could hear their arrangements talking about 'the shit his wife says when he's not there' or the 'asshole that tried to take his money'. Only he (and temporarily Lovino, though it was unlikely the flowers would say such things to him) heard their words, or rather, felt their distress, though like them he was powerless to do more than arrange flowers and observe from afar. He tried to explain to the plants that they could not interfere, just as he could not entirely alter their natures when putting them into their colorful arrangements. The plants seemed to understand...to a point...at least enough never to do anything more than brighten themselves a little more, hoping to cheer up the women or men that bought them.

He pushed his thoughts aside, reaching for his tea. His hands had stopped trembling so much, and the dizziness had retreated enough to give him the confidence to sip the calming liquid. His motions were slow and deliberate, giving him time to calculate his answers to Lovino. Obviously, any further denial of his powers would result in suspicion cast on him, though of what kind he was not entirely certain. And if he pried too much, he might lose the brunette and have no chance of his questions being answered. He would need to attend to his other guests soon, though the risk of reentering the shop without his full powers loomed in the back of his mind. He was intelligent enough to help his guests pick out a beautiful arrangement, but it would not have the same touch as it would with his powers fully resting with him.

"I see." He finally said at length, setting the teacup down on the table. Lovino's explanation had been perfectly clear, and the entire event had occurred by accident. Other than being a little shaken, Kiku knew the effects of the power stealing were not permanent. Small snippets of the flowers' speech were coming through again, though he did his best to ignore them. Instead, he stood, taking his time in case any residual dizziness remained. He gave the brunette a small smile, trying to put him more at ease. It had been an accident, after all, and it wasn't as though he would reveal Lovino's secret to anyone. "Thank you for telling me, Lovino-san." He carefully used his first name alone, in the slim case that they were being listened to. The shop had been quiet, though his inability to communicate with his plants could have meant he had simply missed them alerting him to the customers' needs.

"The effects do not seem to be permanent ones, and so I am not worried. I do appreciate you telling me though, as it has put my own mind at ease. If there is nothing else that I should know for the immediate future, then perhaps it would be best if we returned to the others. I am unsure as to whether they are still present, but we would not want to keep them waiting." The unspoken tone, the 'we will arouse more suspicion by staying away' hovered in the air between them, along with Kiku's own nervousness. He had no idea what would happen once he stepped back into his shop, but to keep his guests waiting for him any longer made him shift guiltily where he stood. He kept the small smile in place, trying to silently communicate and to reassure Lovino that he had no intention of speaking about their exchange to anyone.

"I would be happy to assist you if there is something else, Lovino-san." He invited, the double meaning apparent to both of them in the room. 'Stay if you have more to say', he bowed, affirming the unspoken words, 'I will remain here for as long as it takes, but will say nothing once we leave this room.'


((No worries Lovino! I just love reading your posts...I love reading all of the posts here! *gushes and then goes back to writing like crazy to keep up with everyone*

Also, single quotes 'here' are not Kiku speaking, but rather what he is communicating silently to the other person. I clarified because in some places, using single quotes indicates 'speech'. Here, I used "double quotes" for any spoken aloud words.))

Art didn't hesitate to step forward next to the quiet man, assuming he was speaking so low only to avoid being heard by the men on the other side of the door, and pressed his ear to its wooden surface. His cheek had barely touched the door before he was jostled out of the way by the loudmouthed young man from before, a frown already turning down the corners of Art's mouth. He'd opened his mouth to retort against the comment on his eyebrows (they weren't really that bad, were they?) when the quiet one waved his hand for them both to be quiet. He again concentrated on the voices coming from the other side of the door, their muffled words widening his eyes. So they were both mutants as well? Fascinating.... As a rule, Arthur tended to stay away from other mutants, particularly those with troublesome powers like the Italian-accented brunette seemed to have. Stealing powers.... It was interesting, to say the least, and Art made a mental note to hit the library later to reread their slim selection of books on human mutation.

Britt really wasn't certain why Booksy'd had him split off; almost immediately after Art had gone to see what the ruckus was about, the tall, raucous blond Britt was meant to be distracting managed to slip away in the very same direction. So much for distraction, it seemed. Sighing, the man moved toward the exit, figuring he'd merge with Arthur later; it wouldn't do for him to be seen with Art now. Even if he said he was the boy's uncle or elder brother, as they often claimed, there was too much of a resemblance for them to avoid suspicion. The situation was strange enough as it was.