"For root-like scum, they certainly have some... Potent tools." I comment as I rub my sore, heated neck. However, much to my surprise, I had not woken back up in that cell. They had put me back in the dressing room. They didn't seem to see me as much of a threat either...
And as tempting as it was to prove them wrong, I needed to make them carry on with that mindset. Admittedly right now, however, I wouldn't have to act so much. That power reminded me a little of Einervaene back at Suhurlodst. It was nowhere near as powerful, of course, but it was painful.
Yet, I could not say I regretted receiving this pain. Because to see that woman break down like that just because I was beautiful was something else. The thorns picked up on it early on before I went out there as well. Where they forced clothes onto the others, they were enticed by me as I put on mine.
They even failed to attach me to the chains and when the curtains were pulled. I stepped out from my line of lesser aelenvari and took the spotlight. I let them all know that I was above that trash behind me. Above the pathetic creature that stormed out to meet me.
But to bite back at that woman for what she has done to me did not matter right now. I just needed to find Dandel'lhia and get her out of here. However, to my utter perplexion, she was not among those who were taken out. So now I needed to try and figure it out.
The roots I went out with were all newly captured, a category I, unfortunately, fell under. Yet, some of those had clearly been longer than we had even known of this settled-flower. So where was she? Had they intentionally hidden her?
Or had her scars scared them off the idea of putting her out there?
"Ha." I let out at first before my eyes widened and remorse filled me. I then clutched my hand and looked down in sadness. I needed to let these feelings go... Somehow, I didn't know how.
For the sapling I did this, not for Dandel'lhia, but, when the sapling said those words. Those hurtful, barb-covered words. I seemed to suddenly regret everything I did to her... I don't understand how this worked...
But it made me a little angry... Understanding how trend-following it made me look. I was an ivy-mother! I did not have my mind changed so easily...
But that never answered why a simple, adorable sapling made me feel this way... It never explained how such simple, raw emotions made me regret actions I never cared for before. What I once thought of as justified was now... Vile in my eyes...
Is that how everyone saw me? Like that woman I mocked just now? A hideous creature with not an ounce of redeemable good in her...? No, that couldn't be the case...
My Love worked tirelessly to save my life several times... From the sadroobell, from the rampaging ryphurgoks and high above in the freezing snow-belts! He saved me in each of those circumstances... So there clearly was something in me he liked...
But was that only such a minute part of me?
I guess then, doing this would make it clear, at the very least. That this desirable part of me my Love saw as worth saving is more apparent. Even if he was not here to see it... I could at least hold true to the idea that he trusts me.
He listened to me even after his blood boiled in a fight for my love. He trusted me even if he did not love me like I did him. So I could tell him about this once I returned to him. So I needed to focus on why I was here.
"Maybe I missed her?" I asked myself, my tone full of doubt as this felt like a pathetic attempt by me. I did not see her before so I was not going to see her again! And I was only proven further right as the roots were all dragged back in here. Fear in their eyes as they were harshly pulled back in here.
Dressed as if they were petals but the humiliation they bore proved that it was a lie. However, a few did seem to recognise that I was not a lie. Probably because they actually bothered to look at me. But, this was good regardless.
I had authority over them and they knew it.
"Have you happened to see anyone born under the dandelion?" I ask one of the roots as she glances down at me as she passes by. Stopping her with a quick raise of my point. My own glance made her more nervous than any of the thorns here.
"There's some ove-"
"Not roots." I clarify slowly, much to her shock.
"S-S-Sorry... N-No..." she says as she backs away, nearly falling over in the process.
"No one has seen a battered petal recently?" I asked with my true-voice this time as I could rely on the natural encryption this beauty had. It certainly caught a lot more eyes too, to see my bulbs glow the way they did.
"I!" someone began to say, but their light was weak, "I did see one recently... She shared my cage while I was..."
"Under the influence of that corrupted honey?" I finished for her as I felt the remnants of that stuff in me. It still felt too good to do a lot of things, but it had settled down a lot. Some of those here, however, don't seem to have recovered from their dosages.
So this was just one more benefit for a petal like me, I suppose. They had expectations I could leap over so easily. They would be blindsided by my beauty and grace and they'd be helpless. So I just needed to find the moment to use such advantages.
For now, I just needed to learn what I could from these roots.