SLEEPING BEAUTIES EPILOGUE: THE KISS

[yourkeepers]

[For all your kissing needs.]

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[vinetattoos]

"Ah, well in that case, thank you." He runs a hand through his hair, where the tiny flowers are slowly beginning to bloom again.

Her next statement is completely unexpected. "I - your...?" Her words stir a memory that had come to him while dreaming, of sisters-not-sisters, a circle of four who were one. Fire and lightning and new growth spun together like yarn to create something new, something never seen before and probably never to be seen again.

His left hand flies to his right palm, feeling for a circular gap in the vines, as he stares at the girl, his open mouth a mirror of hers. "I don't know your face, but... I remember sisters," he says, slowly, searching her face for clues.

[brassandblood]

"Sisters?" she says, and searches her mind, but she has no recollection of anyone but him. It's frustrating, to have it so clearly demonstrated how many holes there are in who she was. "I don't remember anyone else. Just you. You were a plant mage, and we were linked together, I don't remember how...but I know you were my brother. You- were in my head, it was like you were a part of me but still your own person-"

When he rubs at his palm, she looks at hers, the metal shielding her skin obligingly pulling back to let her see. There's a tiny lump, but she has no idea what it means.

"I'm sorry," she says at last. "I don't know what to call you. I don't even remember my name, let alone yours. Have you noticed how frustrating it is, to know so little about yourself?"

[vinetattoos]

"You're right about bein' linked. Four of us made one. A circle." He shakes his head as if to clear the fog over his memories, though of course it doesn't help. "Frustrating is one word for it. I suppose we should call each other something... most everyone else just calls me the garden, or 'Veggie Boy'." He winces in distaste at the name.

[brassandblood]

"I don't even have a nickname, just yet. Everyone knows me as the forge," she replies with a wry smile. "I have to admit, 'Veggie Boy' doesn't sound like a great name to be known by, though. Maybe we could come up with something a little more suitable than that."

[vinetattoos]

He grins, relieved that her mention of the forge links her with the feeling like hot coals in his memory of the circle - a tenuous link, but a trustworthy one. "More'n enough names to go around, I'd expect. You got anything in particular in mind? For me or yourself?"

[brassandblood]

"Well, probably we should name you after some kind of edible plant, right? If you're a vegetable garden." She grins back at him, feeling at ease, slipping into that affectionate tone for family, those she belongs with. "Hm, I don't have anything specific in mind. Let me think...herbs or vegetables...well, there's mint or thyme. Chard and kale are both vegetables. Hm...basil? Rosemary? Sage? I don't know, you pick something."

[vinetattoos]

He nods along with her suggestions, half-smiling. He tilts his head and considers. "I like kale. Not that I've got anything against herbs, but they're a bit... spindly. Nothing but the heartiest of vegetables from this garden." He winks at her before turning his thoughts to a name for the forge. "Hmmm. Forges, fire... Coal? Soot? Flame, cinder, ember, blaze, burn, spark. Iron, tin, steel, brass, bronze..." He scratches his head again, dislodging flowers and flecks of dirt. "Any of them catch your eye?"

[brassandblood]

"Kale it is, then." She nods and smiles; it sounds like a nice name, something she could call him, certainly. Then he's offering suggestions in turn, and she turns them over carefully in her mind, testing them out for herself, seeing if any of them fit quite right. "I think...Ember sounds nice. Probably I could do a lot worse, as names go."

[vinetattoos]

Ember fits the feeling of her in his mind, the glow of coals and the tang of hot metal, so he nods in agreement. "Nice to meet you again, then, Ember," he says, and gives her a small, joking bow. "And thanks again for waking me, even before we... remembered each other."

[brassandblood]

"Well, I couldn't leave people lying around sleeping until they rotted," she replies with a little grin, and bows slightly in return. "Pleased to make your acquaintance again, too, Kale. I'm going to see if I can find anyone else who's still asleep, but they're not going anywhere - why don't you show me where your other form is? Just so I don't lose track of you long enough to forget you all over again."

[vinetattoos]

"I should find some others too - I was with some folks in the dream who helped me out, so I should return the favor." He glances around to orient himself, then heads over to his garden, gesturing for her to follow. Over his shoulder, he tells her, "I'm over here. Best vegetables in the whole place." He bends down to pull the withered vines out from between the plants, tossing them unceremoniously aside in a heap. "Where're you?"

[brassandblood]

She follows him along the way. The inner gardens are huge, practically a forest - much more confusing to find her way in than the rest of the house - but this seems straightforward enough to find. She glances around, fixing the surroundings in her mind so she'll know the area again when she sees it.

"Oh, me?" She smiles over at him. "I'm in the hearth room, tucked into a corner. It's a little hard to miss, I'm big enough that I...well, this body, I mean, can fit in it to sleep. I wouldn't advise touching me, though, plants and me don't mix well. Most things that burn easily, I can't even touch. The last time I came here," and she gestures around at the surrounding greenery with a rueful expression, "I hadn't thought to keep myself covered in metal just yet, and I ended up burning a lot of the place. Well, it wasn't just me, but I didn't help matters."

She's talking a lot, but he's her brother - she feels comfortable with him. "Oh, and be careful, there's a couple other fire people living there that are a lot more temperamental than me," she warns. "I'd hate to lose my brother so soon after our touching reunion."

[vinetattoos]

"Yeah, I was around for that," he remarks wryly, remembering the days of healing it had taken for the gardens to recover. "Don't worry too much about me, though - dirt don't burn so easy." As if to prove his point, he offers a hand to shake. "Well met, Ember. I'll be seeing you again soon, I'm certain."