Plants, on the other hand.She could tell you their genus and scientific name, what region of which planet they were found on, and their preferred growing conditions.
Setting the bag of bones and the orchid in a cart, Gus gathered the rest of what she needed.A pair of gardening gloves to protect her hands from the dangerous oils the Nakawa secreted.Those oils didn’t pose a danger to her, but if she were to touch anyone else with them still on her hands, they would die the same way the humans had earlier.Next, she added a pair of shears in case she had to do any pruning of dead roots.Lastly, she put some moss and bark in the cart just in case she needed them.
Her task finished, Gus stepped back to sweep one last glance over the assembled items.That looked like everything.
She grabbed the cart’s handles, tugging it behind her as she left the workshop behind.The container she’d set aside for plants that thrived in cooler temperatures wasn’t far.Right next to the one where she’d left Caius and the kid.
The door beeped as it unlocked.
Gus stepped inside, pulling the cart in after her.She was already shivering, the air chilly as she headed toward a trio of trees smack dab in the middle of the container.
Like many orchids, the Nakawa was an organism that preferred to take root upon other plants or structures.Their roots drew nutrients from the air and water that accumulated around it.Planting them in normal dirt was the quickest way to kill them off.
The Nakawa was special in that it usually chose skeletons for its perch rather than the more common tree branch.
Throwing the bones on the ground and setting the Nakawa on them wouldn’t work, however.The Nakawa did best in old, abandoned monasteries where bloody battles had once been fought.Or dank caves that contained a convenient skylight to allow in the exact amount of sun they needed.
Since she had neither of those things, Gus would have to approximate those conditions as best she could.
She chose a tree whose trunk had split to create a convenient nook around which to arrange the bones.She tied a couple to the tree to make sure they didn’t fall out before scattering smaller ones around it.Once finished, she grabbed the Nakawa’s pot, carefully working the plant loose without damaging any of its roots.
At last, it came free, still clutching the shard of bone that Gus had planted with it.
“Time to get acquainted with your new home,” Gus told it.
Letting the Nakawa keep the bone it was clinging to like a child’s favored toy, Gus placed it on the largest of the arapo bones.A nice, juicy femur.
Patiently, she waited as the Nakawa considered her offering.
It debated, its roots flexing and furling.
Gus held carefully still, not daring to move as the tip of one root unwound itself from the original bone.
She found herself unconsciously holding her breath as the root explored the femur.
Yes,she mentally hissed as it wrapped tightly around its new perch, more and more of its roots slackening their hold on the old in favor of the new femur.
“Good job, lovely.I’m so proud of you,” Gus praised, feeling like a mother whose child had just crawled for the first time.
She sniffed back tears, running a gentle finger along its stalk in happiness.
Unseen by normal sight, a trace of her soul’s breath slid from her to it.Herkiwould help smooth the transition for the Nakawa and give it an extraoomphas it grew.
To the forty-three, her affinity was considered trash.An interesting trick but nothing more.
It couldn’t kill.Or maim.Or brainwash.
She couldn’t travel star systems with a single step.Nor create barriers that no weapon could breach.She’d never create a wave of destruction with a burst of energy or infiltrate and take over a computer system better than any virus.
All she could do was grow things.
Gus stroked the Nakawa one last time.“Grow well, little friend.”
Before leaving, Gus spent a little time visiting the rest of the plants in this container, touching each one, sharing her energy when she sensed it was needed.
Though they couldn’t speak, Gus heard their greetings.The little stories they were eager to tell.Everything from their happiness over how dewdrops beaded on the tip of their leaves to the passage of worms burrowing through dirt.The beauty of the night sky that Gus had spent a fortune recreating.
Little by little, Gus felt the tension of the past few weeks drift away.
