07-31-2018, 06:51 AM
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☼ - Ruffled feathers slowly smoothed back down to her side as Iota spoke, chest warming at the cherry blossom feline's confirmation. Without prompting Iota tucked herself beneath Delphinium's chin, a blush spreading across her features but concealed by her fur. Cautious to not damage the flowers on her companion's head, Delphi leaned into the contact and closed her eyes. Old fears met a silent death in their embrace. Long awaited, long needed, aged worries soothed into a soft grave as Delphinium questioned why she had ever doubted Iota's love in the first place. Sanitized floors, blinding white walls, countless needle pricks, none of it could have stepped between the connection the two unlikely friends had forged at such a young age. Impressionable and naive as a child, equally as hopeful now nearing adulthood, Delphinium leaned into Iota's touch with a content smile. The duo separated after an extended pause, and Delphinium considered re-attaching herself to Iota and refusing to move from there. To truly never let go of what they lost once.
Instead Delphinium was quickly occupied by the task given to her, navy tinted ears inclining back slightly as she ducked beneath overgrowing flora to re-approach Iota. The usage of "darling" caused her feathers to ruffle out once more, although this time Delphinium did not respond - not because she was uncomfortable, but rather her mind was occupied elsewhere that even the honeyed callname could not break her away from. Iota had quickly picked up on the weight in the eight-tailed mythical's question, the kitsune responding by letting her gaze drift off of Iota once more to instead float down the line of specially tailored flowers. Chlorophytum was one of the most popular houseplants, but this was not a house. This was Iota's home and she had fixed it up with flowers that would provide her a challenge to provide for. Delphinium's breath hitched in her throat as Iota entertained the idea of having a spider plant, quickly following behind the peach feline on shaking ocean-tone paws. Hanging from a rusted nail on an aged thread was the exact plant she had been looking for, spindly and flowerless but beautiful in it's own right. Just like the girl named after it. "Yes," the kitsune answered softly as Iota commented on Delphinium's affinity for the plant. Unlike the other plants, Delphi could not simply reach up and touch it. Not until she could fly, at least. Instead she had to settle for simply watching the thin plant shift in the breeze.
"... When you named me -" the kitsune kept her gaze fixed solely on the spider plant as she spoke, words catching in her throat before she forced herself to continue. "You named me Delphinium instead of 015. Instead of that number. That was really important to me." An understatement of almost horrific proportions, but Iota did not need further words to know that. If Delphi were to continue with that explanation she would be choking on tears rather than letting them slide silently down her cheeks. "I named the others in the Sanctuary as you had done to me." Though she now knew that it was a laboratory rather than a haven, and it deserved no sort of kind name, calling her old "home" the Sanctuary was a habit that would never die. "It was personal, it was meaningful, and it was beautiful, y- you know?" Delphinium's stuttering began as her emotions began to get the best of her, vision clouded with tears. "My sisters, my family, they deserved something more than just numbers. They were- are- so much more than that." The fact Delphi had instinctually called Iota by her old number made her stomach churn. The fact she had almost willingly referred to her family as truly gone by using a past tense chilled her blood. "So I named them from that old botany book we could hardly understand back then. Genista, Argentea, and - and Chlorophytum." A pause. "They fit their names so well, they grew into them so well."
Delphinium sniffled, pressing her eyes closed as the stinging grew too intense to fight keeping her eyes open. Her head lowered to stare down at her paws, body trembling as she sobbed silently. But she did not want Iota to feel guilt. Did not want Iota to feel bad for making Delphinium feel so intensely. "It means so much to me that you have them here, even if it's only by chance," she concluded, finally picking her head up to meet Iota's gaze once more with a pained smile.
Instead Delphinium was quickly occupied by the task given to her, navy tinted ears inclining back slightly as she ducked beneath overgrowing flora to re-approach Iota. The usage of "darling" caused her feathers to ruffle out once more, although this time Delphinium did not respond - not because she was uncomfortable, but rather her mind was occupied elsewhere that even the honeyed callname could not break her away from. Iota had quickly picked up on the weight in the eight-tailed mythical's question, the kitsune responding by letting her gaze drift off of Iota once more to instead float down the line of specially tailored flowers. Chlorophytum was one of the most popular houseplants, but this was not a house. This was Iota's home and she had fixed it up with flowers that would provide her a challenge to provide for. Delphinium's breath hitched in her throat as Iota entertained the idea of having a spider plant, quickly following behind the peach feline on shaking ocean-tone paws. Hanging from a rusted nail on an aged thread was the exact plant she had been looking for, spindly and flowerless but beautiful in it's own right. Just like the girl named after it. "Yes," the kitsune answered softly as Iota commented on Delphinium's affinity for the plant. Unlike the other plants, Delphi could not simply reach up and touch it. Not until she could fly, at least. Instead she had to settle for simply watching the thin plant shift in the breeze.
"... When you named me -" the kitsune kept her gaze fixed solely on the spider plant as she spoke, words catching in her throat before she forced herself to continue. "You named me Delphinium instead of 015. Instead of that number. That was really important to me." An understatement of almost horrific proportions, but Iota did not need further words to know that. If Delphi were to continue with that explanation she would be choking on tears rather than letting them slide silently down her cheeks. "I named the others in the Sanctuary as you had done to me." Though she now knew that it was a laboratory rather than a haven, and it deserved no sort of kind name, calling her old "home" the Sanctuary was a habit that would never die. "It was personal, it was meaningful, and it was beautiful, y- you know?" Delphinium's stuttering began as her emotions began to get the best of her, vision clouded with tears. "My sisters, my family, they deserved something more than just numbers. They were- are- so much more than that." The fact Delphi had instinctually called Iota by her old number made her stomach churn. The fact she had almost willingly referred to her family as truly gone by using a past tense chilled her blood. "So I named them from that old botany book we could hardly understand back then. Genista, Argentea, and - and Chlorophytum." A pause. "They fit their names so well, they grew into them so well."
Delphinium sniffled, pressing her eyes closed as the stinging grew too intense to fight keeping her eyes open. Her head lowered to stare down at her paws, body trembling as she sobbed silently. But she did not want Iota to feel guilt. Did not want Iota to feel bad for making Delphinium feel so intensely. "It means so much to me that you have them here, even if it's only by chance," she concluded, finally picking her head up to meet Iota's gaze once more with a pained smile.
pick out her heart with a kitchen fork
where, oh where will we go next, haunted pillow beneath my head?:
![[Image: 227F8cQ.png]](https://i.imgur.com/227F8cQ.png)