Despite the light conversation in the car being there to distract her, Daisy could feel a knot in her stomach tighten and tighten the closer they got the Marie's farm. It had been a while since Daisy had been among a large group of people, having tended to avoid those sort of scenarios and situations that would call upon her to be within a crowd. It was the reason why she had two other workers at her store, in case she had a wedding order or something of that scale. So they could be sent to deliver the flowers instead of herself. After her past at the Orphanage, how they would tease her and gang up on her for being different, it was enough for her to make the fight fair if necessary.

Daisy even had to wipe her slightly damp hands off onto the skirt of her dress, swallowing thickly as she attempted to control her nerves. Perhaps this was a bad idea. If she couldn't control herself then who knew what was going to happen. People at the bonfire may know she owned Mother Earth Florist with how successful it was, know how beautiful and well-lasting her flowers are. If they were to suspect that any sudden changes in growth with Marie's surrounding foliage had to do with her, even with the cure and powers being almost a thing of the past... she could be done for. And James...

James. He'd think of her as a freak. They all would.

Her breathing became irregular as she stepped out of the car, her eyes on the floor as she tried to control her breathing and willed the watering of her eyes to stop. She was a step or two behind James, so at least he wouldn't be able to see her change in behaviour, especially with being occupied by Marie and helping her.

By the time Marie had noticed them, Daisy had composed herself and gone back to her neutral behaviour from before. Her cheeks went pink at Marie's comment, and she sharply looked to James for explanation. But when he went running...

"Seems like you're teasing the both of us." She murmured softly, sweeping her hair back onto one shoulder again and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The girl from the flower shop? The one that he talks about all the time? Surely not, Marie had to be joking.

"James tells me that you liked your flowers..." Daisy started awkwardly after a moment, smiling faintly to Marie, "You always ask for the most beautiful wildflowers...it's a pleasure to put them together for you. I'm always excited when I have an order in from you, I must admit."
 
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Marie smiled at Daisy's mutterings, but she didn't press the girl further. Sure, maybe it hadn't been right to immediately tease her even if Marie didn't know her, but that was just how the woman operated. James knew that well enough, which is why he'd known to dash off instead of endure more of it. Marie would ease up on Daisy for the time being, just so the girl could get her bearings.

"Well, you're the only flower shop in town that has what I like and without breaking my bank. Good flowers are hard to come by, but whenever I buy from you, they always stay alive. The first bunch I bought from from you has hardly started wilting. It's really quite amazing. I don't know how you do it, but whatever you do, keep doing it," she said with a smile. She was more than happy to talk about something that might help settle Daisy into an easy conversation.

"Would you mind holding this?" She reached out, placing the large jug of water in Daisy's hands. With that freed up, she grabbed some other drink bottles from the fridge and closed the door with a foot. "So, how long have you had your shop open? I know I can be a regular customer for you, but I hadn't heard of your place until a few months ago."
 
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Daisy was quick to take the jug from Marie, wanting to help the young woman in anyway that she was able to. Her gaze momentarily darted around for James, but she was unable to see the Bonfire from any of the windows or the garage entrance. She knew that Marie was a lovely, caring woman...but that didn't make Daisy feel at ease around her straight away. James took long enough, as she was sure he knew. She was still warming up to him alone at that point, Marie wasn't going to be special and no spontaneous connection was going to emerge.

She smiled faintly at the woman's praise for her flowers, and lowered her eyes bashfully with a small shrug. "It's been open three years now. It's grown well by word of mouth and whatnot, with people having just popped in for a quick bouquet but then coming back and then recommending to friends..." She trailed off, realizing she had gone on a bit of a tangent since Marie's question. She cleared her throat, finger gently tapping against the side of the jug. "I just always wanted a flower shop, I've always loved gardening and plants and nature," Daisy peered around as they walked out of the garage.

Marie's home was gorgeous, and Daisy couldn't help but just imagine what she would do to the expansive space. All the flowers she would colour it with and the extra trees that she would have just for if she ever felt like, on a sunny day, sitting underneath it to read. An apple tree, maybe, then she could have it blossom an apple whenever she felt like a snack. Her lips pulled upward at the image she had painted in her mind, but was sharpish to shake it off, not wanting to give off a strange impression already.
 
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"Well, when you love something, you're bound to be good at it. Your flower shop is one of the best I've seen in years, and I've been to a lot of flower shops in my day. I'd always had an interest in gardening, but when you live on a farm, every day is like gardening... just a bigger garden filled with all kinds of animals," Marie said, walking as carefully as she could with her son clinging to her pant leg. She and Daisy walked out and around the garage to an open space behind the house. James had clearly lit the bonfire, for smoke poured into the sky and a blazing fire sat out twenty feet away from them.

"You were awful quick on that fire," Marie said as she set the snacks on a picnic table. "Do I need to teach you about fire safety?"

"I think I can handle myself, but thanks for your concern... I think," James answered, catching Daisy's eye. He gave her a small smile before he huffed and wiped his forehead. "I think you're gonna need more wood."

"Well, when you have a child attached to you, let me know how easy it is for you to grab wood," Marie teased, watching James roll his eyes and shake his head. "If you don't mind helping out again, Daisy, I don't think James can carry all that wood by himself. He's not as strong as he looks." She gave Daisy a wide smile, glancing at James as he waved her off and walked around the other side of the house.
 
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Daisy smiled politely to Marie's comments, imagining just how hard it must be to run an estate at the size of the one she was living on. "Well I don't think I would ever be able to manage something as large as this place you have. It's just magnificent here, absolutely beautiful." She responded genuinely, "I think this is the sort of place I'd like to retire to, if I had the right money for it in the future. It would just be trying to organize everything like the animal feed, making sure everything was well maintained..."

Her gaze was caught by the fire as they rounded the corner of the garage to get out onto the open space. It was so bright and warm, so eager to eat up every last inch of wood that the bonfire had to offer. Was it possible for a fire to look unnatural? Daisy knew her flowers did at times, but that was just because of the influence of her...

She glanced to James as he approached.

The influence of her powers.

But there she was again. Getting all suspicious and riled up. Daisy didn't think she'd ever get over the fact that there hadn't been any news about others like her in a while. Obviously some part of her was hoping against fact that there would still be some left like her...in this town at least. She had to stop being so ridiculous. It was fire for god's sake.

Daisy offered James a warm but timid smile in response to the one he provided for her, and listened to the two converse for a brief moment. At the sound of her name, Daisy immediately looked back to them both after her gaze had wandered. "Of course, I'd be happy to help wherever I can." She assured Marie before she followed after James to collect some more wood.

As they walked, Daisy wasn't particularly keen for any silence to last long between them, so piped up a few moments in to their walk. "So how...how long have you been working for Marie?" She inquired, inwardly congratulating herself on creating a good starting question to go off.
 
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Well, at least the girl wasn’t opposed to doing any dirty work. She worked in gardening, so she knew what it was like to not be perfectly clean all the time. Marie smiled after the two of them, wondering just how it was that both could be so awkward around one another. She was sure that Daisy got all kinds of attention from single men, given that she was an independent businesswoman who was remarkably good at her job. She seemed determined to make her dream work, and already having run a shop for three years at her age was impressive. If only James could have such ambitions, but if he dreamed of something bigger, he’d never told Marie about it. The woman shook her head, picking her son up as she heard more cars approaching. “C’mon, let’s go greet some of those cousins of yours,” she said, watching her toddler nod with a fierce determination. They walked away then, leaving the mysteriously large fire to crackle and burn in the pit.

James didn’t say anything as Daisy walked over, but luckily, she picked up the conversation. It was one of the few times that she had, and there was a smile in his words as he spoke. “Oh, uh… let’s see… six or seven months? Not too long, I think.” He stopped as they came to the side of the house, where he had originally piled up the logs a few weeks ago. Marie hadn’t really been planning on doing anything with them until a few of her family members mentioned visiting from the northern part of the state. She had managed to plan all of this in a short time and had invited James in less time than that. Truth be told, he didn’t know why she wanted him around, since this was a family gathering. Still, he hadn’t argued with her, because she would have been insistently nagging him if he denied her.

James picked up the top log, tapping the bottom on the grass to chase away any stray bugs. When he was sure that he wasn’t going to shower Daisy in insects, he passed the log her way. “I needed a job that didn’t require a ton of commitment if necessary. Marie lets me work whenever I need to, but she just prefers I work during the day. I don’t mind that so much, as long as it’s not raining as it has been. Wet and cold don’t mix well for me,” he explained, handing her a second log. He grabbed three for himself, but if Marie wanted more, she’d always send him back.

Around the other side of the house, he heard faint chattering. “Looks like they’re here a little early.” Glancing over to Daisy, he continued, “I don’t really know any of her family, so this is probably going to get a little weird, but… uh, thanks for coming with me. Makes it a little easier.” He gave her another smile, one that was more charmingly sincere than anything else, before they made their way back around to the fire, the flames glowing just as bright as before.
 
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"From the way you two interact...I would have thought you would have been working for her for longer." Daisy commented, mildly surprised by how short a time James had been working for Marie. They both seemed to get along rather well, like two siblings or cousins...something of that nature. They seemed to have a good dynamic and a good bond between each other. A pang rang through Daisy as she thought that, realizing for the first time just how lonely she actually was as she wondered what it would be like to have that sort of relationship with someone. She never had that at the Orphanage like others there did. She was always spited because she was the freak. Picked last, left out, the target of insults and mean names. It was better just to shut down and shut people out since she knew she could never change what she was.

Daisy pulled herself out of her thoughts, seeing out of the corner of her eyes some leaves from a nearby tree curl and darken into amber and brown shades before falling, when moments ago they were still healthy and green. She was quick to keep James' attention on her, lest he noticed the sudden changes. "So it's quite a freelance job then?" She questioned, while trying to distract him but also interested in how things worked in his life. "I wouldn't want to work in a barn at night time anyway, I can imagine it could be quite creepy." Daisy then said lightly, attempting a joke before they began to leave the pile of logs with what they had in hand.

She returned his smile, and nodded once to him, "Well all I can do is just thank you for inviting me. I wouldn't be here if you hadn't extended the invitation." She murmured softly.

As they rounded the corner to get to the fire, Daisy could feel her palms dampen again even against the logs for the fire that she held. While the group wasn't particularly big, there were still more people around than she had had to deal with for a while. Even if she didn't talk to them, or they didn't talk to her, just the idea of being in the relatively medium sized group made her feel uneasy. Even now she felt as if they were all watching as she approached, judging her and making opinions of her before she even got a chance to introduce herself.

Daisy lowered the logs down into the space that James wanted, not wanting to get in the way of when he fed them into the fire next. She wasn't particularly tolerable to fire, and usually did her best to avoid it whenever she had to.
 
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Like Daisy, James felt himself slow as they turned the corner. There were more people than he’d been expecting, but Marie had mentioned she had a big family. She was already mingling with a few people, which allowed James and Daisy to avoid speaking to anyone right away. He set the logs in a pile and pushed one into the fire. The flames flared up, but he didn’t shy away from them at all. Fire had always been his friend, and though he could be burned, his skin was far more resilient than anyone else’s. Perhaps it was a look into his power, but James tended to let his mind wander whenever he was near fire. The voices died away for a second and he felt warm for the first time in days. He had piled blankets onto his bed and stayed heated against the rainy cold, but being so close to fire comforted him in a way few things did anymore. It reminded him of a time that didn’t involve trauma and the need to hide away from the rest of the world.

He was careful not to linger so it didn’t look strange, and he stood back up and wiped a few stray pieces of bark from his hand. As he straightened, he saw a few of the people shift toward the fire. Now that it was putting out more heat, anyone who felt a chill was attracted to the warmth. James took a step back, but he wasn’t about to escape the crowd. “James, I want you to meet my uncle, Victor.” James reached out, shaking his hand with a smile. The man nodded to him before he glanced around.

“I see your cousins already ran off. Bringing their friends was a bad idea. They’re your age,” he waved a hand at James, “but they seem to get into trouble far too often.”

Marie laughed and shook her head. “Things haven’t changed much then.” Glancing at James, she gave him a grin. “C’mon and help me get some drinks started.”

James sighed, but the motion was more dramatic than he felt. “You aren’t even paying me for this. Did you only invite me so I would do all your dirty work?” he asked as they walked away, leaving Daisy and Victor to stand around the fire as more people made their way back to the circle.
 
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Daisy offered Victor a number of different awkward smiles as they were left alone by the burning bonfire. Since they didn't have any conversation to fill the lengthening silence, the popping and crackling of wood made up for it instead. She attempted to think of something, anything, that could pass as small talk so that they weren't still stood there in silence by the time Marie and James came back. But it was no use.

The weather? Too obvious.
Personal life? No way. Daisy would definitely like to stay away from that landslide of a topic.
Their jobs? Oh please, he could probably have some kind of job that would end up with him looking down his nose at her.

"So your children...aren't so much as children as they are fully grown adults now?" Daisy finally attempted, deciding to just pick up from what he mentioned of his kids. That was a safe subject, right?

Victor glanced to her, having just been gazing about previously, and the corners of his mouth turned upward briefly, "Yes, two sons. Definitely handfuls, even now at this age. Especially when around their friends. They all work together on some vineyard, and since it's harvest time around now, it's quite nice to be able to have a chance to just spend a family evening with us altogether like this."

Daisy smiled faintly, nodding as if understanding just how it felt. "Family is important to you, then?" She questioned, trying to push back the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. Victor smiled in response, digging a hand into one of his jean pockets as he gestured with the other, "Of course, family is - at the end of the day - all we have, isn't it?"

Clearing her throat and averting her gaze briefly, her smile turned momentarily tight as she peered back to the older man, "To be honest, the only family I've ever experienced was multiple foster families until I ended up with a very loving foster mother who...sadly passed..." She trailed off, not wanting to get into it too much. Victor's appearance immediately became sympathetic, something Daisy inwardly bristled at. "I...I'm very sorry to hear that." He began before motioning over his shoulders, "But you should know that Kyle, the one who is the same age as the young man you were with, he has a friend who was in a...similar position to you. Think his friend, Lewis, was at an Orphanage called...ah, what was it again...?"

By this point Daisy was feeling sick, her face having paled but not that the older man noticed it beneath the flickering of the flames. Her palms were immediately clammy, and she fiddled with the sides of the skirt of her dress. She knew a Lewis during her own times at the Orphanage but surely it couldn't have been... "Was it Stepping Stones Orphanage, by any chance?"

Victor snapped his fingers with a grin, nodding, "That's the one!" Before he could be stopped, he was searching for his son and family friend, calling them over as soon as they were spotted.

Daisy could barely see or hear the introductions from the sudden blur and buzz to her vision and hearing. The face of Lewis was definitely familiar, and not one she had planned on seeing ever again. He had grown, that was obvious, with a light stubble covering his jaw and there were crows feet wrinkles beginning to make their mark at his eyes. A shocked expression was marring those new features she had noticed on him as he looked her up and down, but Daisy was unable to do or say anything.

"Karma?"

She hadn't heard that name in years. The name her birth mother had cruelly provided her with. Karma. Iris. Olivers. Three words, one name, one past that she wanted to forget.

She forced a smile onto her lips as Victor and Kyle looked between them both, "It's uh...it's Daisy now." She informed him, just for Lewis to grin and laugh warmly, "Wow, what a blast from the past! I haven't seen you in years! When was the last time? Before you went off with that Hood woman?"

Daisy swallowed thickly, nodding stiffly, "That's right. Judy Hood, about ten years ago." Her gaze darted in the direction that James and Marie went off, desperate for the familiar comfort that James was starting to provide her. Lewis chuckled again, head shaking in disbelief before his expression turned sincere, "I just want to say, on the record, just how sorry I am about how I acted toward you and treated you."

Victor frowned slightly and Kyle turned to his friend, arms folding, "What are you on about?"

Lewis looked from the two other men and then back to Daisy, "I was a real ass, all those years ago, Kar- Daisy. I'm not going to ask for your forgiveness, but just give you my apology anyway in the hope you'll accept it. We were kids, and kids are always scared of new or weird things, right?"

Daisy remained frozen in place, chest rising and falling in a shallow motion as the edges of her vision blackened and pulsed every so often. "What're you talking about, Lew?" The other young lad, Kyle, asked as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. Lewis glanced to him with a faint smile, "Remember the...girl I mentioned from my childhood, the one that seemed to make things grow when they shouldn't?" Kyle blinked and looked to Daisy, "Well shit!" He exclaimed with a small laugh, patting Lewis' shoulder and releasing him to turn to his father and lead him away. Leaving Lewis and Daisy by themselves.

Lewis briefly watched his friend and Victor walk away before turning back to Daisy who was still statuesque. "Yeah, I just wanted to...say sorry. We all thought you were one of those with powers, you know how that was still a thing when we were kids. Now I know it's just a cause of too much sugar and imagination and just...straight up bullying." He took a deep breath and offered a sheepish smile, "We never should have treated you the way we did. You just had such a way with plants and it freaked us out, as easily as little kids would be freaked out. I mean, super powers? Seriously? What were we thinking?"

Daisy could feel herself losing control, and she didn't want to stick around to see just what would happen when all control was lost. She didn't need any previous fears being brought back and found out to be true.

"Excuse me." Daisy choked out, slipping past Lewis to walk calmly back to the house. Her hands were clasped tightly together so she didn't have to see or feel them shake, but her thundering heart was something she couldn't ignore. Nor could she escape the slight dampness she felt at the hollow of her throat, or at her temples. Once she was around the corner of the house, away from prying eyes, a hand slammed against the wall as she doubled over to choke on her own breath. Daisy tried to calm her breathing, but with the panic of trying to control herself (and her powers), Daisy just felt herself getting worse.
 
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The second they moved toward the table (James still hadn't figured out why it was so far from the fire pit), he released a sigh that was more nervousness than anything. He had no reason to be nervous around Marie, and she seemed to sense as much. As he grabbed a cup to fill it with soda, she touched his wrist. His first instinct was to jerk back, but it was only Marie. She wasn't going to hurt him... no one here was. He wasn't used to being around strangers, but that was his own fault. He'd spent too much time holed up in his own house, barely going outside unless it was for work. No one else could take care of his mother because they trusted no one.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" she asked, taking the bottle of soda from him and pouring it into his cup.

"I'm not sure I should have brought Daisy here." He glanced over at her, but she didn't say anything. She simply set the bottle down, crossed her arms, and leaned against the table as she looked up at him. She was half a foot shorter than him, which sometimes made it hard to give him directions. "I just... I'm not used to people, I guess. You and Timothy, I can handle, but I don't really socialize much. Daisy doesn't either, and maybe if we'd been able to get to know each other a little better before this, maybe I wouldn't be so nervous." He wasn't sure why he was telling her all of this, but she had a look in her eye that almost demanded he speak his mind. Perhaps it would have been the same look his mother might have given him if she wasn't locked up inside her own head.

"I think it's fine. Once you go back over there and give her a drink, she'll be content to see a friendly face. Besides, none of us bite. You know that," she said, picking the bottle back up even as she gave him a sidelong glance.

"I know, but maybe this was a bad first date idea, y'know?" God, he really just needed to bite his tongue.

"It'll be fine. Now, help me carry these over there. If it makes you feel better, I'll give you half a day's pay for your trouble."

James was quick to pick up the cups, but as they walked, he shook his head. "No, you don't have to do that. I came here because I wanted to, so I'm going to try and enjoy myself, alright?"

They set the cups down on a chair just as Lewis exclaimed something about Daisy. James didn't catch his words, but as he straightened with two cups in hand, he saw Daisy's slightly hunched form. Her arms were clasped in front of her, and she looked a little too tense. It was noticeable to anyone who was paying even the tiniest amount of attention to her, but Lewis wasn't picking up on any of the cues. Victor and his son had already left, leaving Lewis and Daisy alone by the fire. James and Marie said nothing as he kept going on, but James kept his eyes on Daisy. Something was wrong, but he couldn't ask her, not with Lewis standing around.

And then the mention of special powers came up... about how Daisy had been good with plants and so many people had bullied her about it. Even from such a young age, she had been tending to plants. James had only suspected Daisy of being like him once, but he'd been wrong every other time he'd thought it about someone else. Eventually, he'd learned to just stop assuming. Now, standing there, listening to Lewis fail at apologizing for behavior long past, James understood why Daisy had not opened up to him, or to anyone.

Before anyone could stop her, Daisy left, walking back toward the direction of the house. He didn't realize the cup in his hand had warmed and made the soda lose its fizzy components. He set it back down on the chair along with the second cup and wiped his hands on his jeans. While Marie started toward Lewis, James turned and walked after Daisy. He could have stepped up and help her stand up for herself, but he'd just watched. He'd been too passive again, and now someone was hurting for it.

His fingers burned, and he shoved his hands into his pockets to dampen the heat. He couldn't get emotional now, not when his date was wandering off to recover.

James found her leaning against the side of Marie's house, sharp inhales belaying what she'd managed to keep hidden away while Lewis spoke. Instantly, his pace picked up until he was only a few feet away from her. "Hey, Daisy, are you okay?" he asked, but he didn't reach out and touch her. He knew better than to startle someone while they were trying to keep it all inside.
 
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Daisy turned her head sharply to look over her shoulder, her free arm raising as if to protect herself from something until she was able to recognize James' face. It just made her feel even worse, knowing now that she had to contend with assuring someone that she was okay as well as trying to control herself. The latter that she was miserably failing at.

Seeing Lewis again, hearing him say all those things during his abysmal attempt of an apology just brought everything back again. Covering whatever grew in her room with towels or bed sheets to keep the others from finding out. The abuse. The laughter. The taunting. The names.

Oh god.

Even hearing her birth name was worse enough. Karma Iris Olivers. Who the hell called their daughter Karma? Daisy's birth mother obviously had a sick sense of humor.

She quietly lowered her hand, her widened eyes slowly relaxing but the glimmer of horror and mortification in her eyes still burning on. Her chest was still constricting, threatening to continue to take her breath away as her eyes darted from James to behind him, as if afraid that others would follow behind him. It was bad enough that he alone was seeing her like this. She was so close, so close to keeping it hidden for the rest of her life. Of dying with her secret.

Her lips parted, going to answer him, but her response died on her tongue. She couldn't tell him that she was fine. She obviously wasn't fine and he wasn't going to believe her while he was seeing what he saw in front of him. And...and she was tired. Daisy was tired of lying and hiding and pretending to be okay when she wasn't. She wasn't.

"Lewis...he..." She struggled to formulate a sentence as she straightened, pulling at the skirt of her dress. Her eyes were avoiding his, staring at the ground between them which looked more brown nearer to where she was stood. Daisy was surprised that a tree hadn't fallen...she had done that once in her youth when the bullying got too much, when her emotions got too much. It was a tree she was sat at, hidden behind, to get away and cry her eyes out after all the teasing was done. Then there was a groaning, a deep and creaking groaning and the tree fell behind her. The Orphanage carers were just so relieved that it hadn't fallen the other way. The other children...they just saw it as another thing to tease her about.

Daisy pulled the edges of her jacket closer around herself, despite it not reaching that far. "Lewis used to bully me. I was left at the door of Stepping Stones Orphanage when I was two. The teasing started when I was six. Lewis was there the same time as me and, with a group of the others, tormented me when I was back at the Orphanage from any temporary foster homes. That continued until I went with..." It was painful to mention Judy, the sweet and caring woman who helped her through so much, "Until I left for good at the age of fourteen."

It was the most she had told anyone since Judy. Lies and half-truths were what usually made up Daisy background when talking to strangers who pried too much or 'wanted to get to know her'. James was the first. And Daisy was terrified. Terrified of what he'll say, terrified of what he'd do.

Terrified that he had finally worked out the truth. Especially when she didn't even know for sure if he was the same as her.

"I can't..." She swallowed thickly, still not able to meet his gaze as her emotions started to bubble into a controllable level, "I can't go back out there...not yet, anyway. I can't face him. He'll want to talk and I...I can't talk to him right now."
 
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James shifted back slightly as she whipped to face him, her arm turning into a shield before she realized it was him. She was even more skittish than he’d thought. Despite all the progress they’d made in actually talking and learning to be friendly, she was still scared of something, and perhaps it wasn’t just Lewis that was causing her discomfort.

But now was not the time to speculate. There was a real problem in front of him, and the only thing he could try to do was fix it. He didn’t try to interrupt or prompt her to speak until she was ready, only watching the way she curled into herself, as if she was trying to hide from him. He hated that defeated look, for he’d seen it all over his mother’s face ever since they’d moved here. She was reeling over her loss, and so was he, but he was trying to leave it all behind him. He wanted to forget what had happened and move on with his life. It was clear that Daisy was carrying similar baggage, but as she spoke, he realized why it was much harder for her to let go. Years of teasing and verbal abuse, particularly that which had no immediate end, could devastate a person. It didn’t sound like any of the orphanage caretakers had done anything to remedy her situation, so she was left alone to suffer and wallow in her grief.

“Hey, it’s alright,” he said, taking one small step toward her. “I won’t ask you to go back over there if you don’t want to.” His tone was soft, suggesting that he was indeed being genuine. She wasn’t looking at him, but if she had been, he might have offered her a little smile. Because it was dark, he didn’t see the shift in color beneath the dirt where she was standing. Perhaps it could have been then that he discovered her secret, but for now, it was kept quiet by the darkness falling over them.

“Do you want me to take you back to the shop? We don’t have to stay here. Marie will understand if we leave,” he supplied, running a hand through his hair. Of course, Marie would want to know all the reasons why Daisy didn’t want to stick around, but the evidence had been laid out before them, and James knew Marie wouldn’t judge.
 
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Daisy could feel her body trembling all over, and it made her feel pathetic. It had been so long since she had last lost control or lost grip on her emotions. She was a successful, independent business woman. She should be holding her head high and putting Lewis in his place about how he treated her with the others, telling him exactly where he could stick his apology. Instead...she was right back in the dining hall of the Orphanage with soil on her tray and in her food, tipped in there by her peers.

Karma, Karma, make something grow,
Karma, Karma, give us a show!
Karma, Karma, give us a peek,

Karma, Karma, you're such a freak!

Her gaze finally flickered onto his figure as he took a step toward her, but still was unable to meet his eyes. He must have a few questions. But then again, she told him the reason behind her sudden meltdown, and he wasn't pressing for more.

...Yet.

"You've been invited and you've invited me...we can't just leave, it would be rude to..." Daisy argued, but it was a weak case when she didn't really want to go out there again and put herself through a second phase with Lewis. Or even Kyle or Victor for that matter.

Marie might ask her if she was okay, ask her about what happened. Daisy couldn't get into that with her. It was hard enough talking to James about it. Well, not really talking to him as she just told him. Not questions for details, just all laid out to him. It was just her luck that Lewis happened to be friends with one of Marie's invited cousins. What were the odds on that happening? For her childhood bully to be at the same gathering as her and to give a shitty apology for it.

Her breath was still uneven and dipped every so often as she finally regained some of her previous composure. So Daisy slowly settled to sit on the ground, taking in the feeling of the dew-glistened grass as she set cross-legged. Her hands pressed, palms down, against the earth and her fingers dug in slightly. She couldn't care how strange she may have looked to James in that moment, or how there would be dirt under her nails after, or if it would stain her white dress. She drew in a few more deep breaths, closing her eyes, as she took on comfort and strength from part of the element she was gifted in.

Eventually she opened her eyes again and offered a weak smile to him, finally able to meet his gaze. "Sorry...got a bit...lightheaded, I just needed to sit." She lied easily, knowing full well she just needed some reassurance. She swallowed thickly, knowing fully well that she just wanted to go home but not wanting to drag him away from his employer's gathering.

"You don't need to take me anywhere...I'm sure-I'm sure I can call a taxi or something to take me home. I can get the bus into work or another taxi." She rambled on quietly, not expecting him to take her home. She couldn't force him to leave...he barely had a time to enjoy himself. "I can call a taxi to come get me. I'll be okay. I'll be fine. More than fine actually. Just chipper." Now she really was talking shit and Daisy opted to fall silent for a moment before quietly, arguably almost vulnerably adding, "You don't need to take me home...I couldn't ask that of you."
 
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James watched her start to look back up at him before her gaze fell back down to the ground. Just seeing Lewis had sent her into a panic, and it was going to take all the patience in the world for her to realize that she was in no danger of reliving her past. She was failing at convincing him to return the party, so he didn’t move an inch. He didn’t want her to feel lonely or afraid, and when she sat down, he sat down beside her. He didn’t speak, didn’t do anything outside of watch her. He noticed how her fingers twisted into the dirt, as if the earth was a comforting thing beneath her. His hazel gaze followed up and down the length of her arm, but when she looked back at him, he focused on her face. She was lying, and he only shook his head slightly and gave her a smile. He looked up toward the darkening sky, watching the stars start to glimmer.

“No, I won’t do that,” he said, though his argument seemed sounder than hers. “Not to sound like I know more than you, but I can tell when someone’s hurting. Even if you hadn’t told me what happened, I could have figured it out. Marie and I… we heard the whole thing. I’m sure you didn’t mean for that to happen, just as I didn’t mean to bring you to some place where this could happen. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have asked you to come.” There was no possible way he could have known beforehand, but he didn’t say that.

Instead, he continued, “I’m sorry. Obviously not how I wanted our first outing to go.” He reached up, rubbing the back of his head as he ran fingers through his hair. “I get why you don’t talk about that stuff though. My mom… kinda went through something like that. Not so much bullying but… you get what I mean.” God he was saying too much. He really just needed to shut up, but Daisy was somewhat like him. He could assume parts of her past were similar to his in that someone had died, but he wasn’t sure who. All he knew was that she was hurt, and he wanted to help her.

“I don’t care about leaving, if you’re worried about me. Marie won’t mind… I’ll have to see her next week anyway for work, so I’m sure she’ll try to grill me.”
 
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Her muscles tightened and tensed once more as she felt movement to her side, and Daisy moved her gaze just slightly to figure out just what he was doing. When she saw that he had actually sat beside her...well, she didn't actually know how she felt. It was strange. To have him just willingly accept what she was doing and take it in his stride. His gaze wandered to her arms and fingers, but he didn't question the peculiarity of her actions. And he obviously hadn't noticed the browned grass that she had made an effort to sit on. She was safe...for now at least. But for how much longer?

Then he smiled. And that smile gave her something to focus on. Daisy thought of how nice he looked when he smiled. How his face seemed to light up, even a little with the saddest or smallest of smiles. It didn't reach his eyes, and she wondered what he would look like with a smile that did, that brightened up every inch of his ruggedly handsom-

Woah, okay...too far. That was a bit too much focusing.

But it had worked. He had worked. Her breathing had slowed down to a more human-like pace. Her heartbeat wasn't like that of a hummingbird anymore. She was starting to come back to some normalcy, but when a massive pop! came from the other side of the house thanks to the bonfire, Daisy still flinched. Both arms were raised this time and her heartbeat peaked again for a moment until she realized what the noise was.

So she focused back on James, who seemed to becoming more and more like a rock for her in that moment.

"I know you wouldn't have. You weren't to know. I wasn't to know. Who would have known this would have happened?" Daisy spoke so softly, so quietly, it was was a boarder line whisper. "Heard...heard everything huh?" She swallowed thickly, averting her gaze to her hand as she brushed it over the tips of the grass. "Heard about my weird hobby for plants even at that age, how they all thought I was some sort of...crazy superpowered kid?" She tried to laugh off the accusation, but it sounded fake even to her. So she let it die on the slight breeze that was coming in. "That's embarrassing...if you heard the whole thing, then others did too. Then you also know...my real name too, huh?"

A finger and thumb held onto a strand of grass, but she didn't pull or pluck it from the ground. It would probably sound stupid, but it was like she could feel the pain of any plant she destroyed or killed early. It was why she wouldn't be able to kill weeds when gardening, she would simply move them to their own allotment area, or cut her own flowers fresh. It was why she had at least one worker in her store. Or had them delivered in the same day so she could work on keeping them alive the minute they had their time cut short.

Daisy allowed her gaze to lift back up to him again as he spoke about their first outing, a small smile pulling weakly at the corners of her lips. "Always next time...can't have bad luck twice, can we?" She commented lightly, rubbing her upper arm through the sleeve of her denim jacket. "I'm...sorry to hear about your mum," Daisy reached out then and tentatively touched his knee before quickly retracting her hand, eyes lowered once more as she cleared her throat, "I wouldn't want anyone to go through anything similar to what I have. Or worse."

She then bit at her lower lip, brow furrowing as she looked down at a space of grass in front of her, debating on what to do. She didn't want to stay at the gathering any longer. Not when she was touching solid earth and there was the possibility of having to deal with Lewis again. Not to mention with all the strangers about, not only would they all be wondering what happened...if anything were to happen with her abilities...

"Would you...are you sure...are you sure you wouldn't mind taking me home? I don't think it's a good idea if I...stay any longer." She asked hesitantly, obviously still at war about requesting this of him. Daisy then on to quickly add: "Perhaps...we could just have a drink or two at mine, or-or not...I was just thinking since this little "outing", as you put it, was brought to such a premature ending..." Daisy attempted another faint smile, picking at the dirt that was now under her nails.
 
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It was nice to talk to someone who responded to what he was saying and doing. While Marie was a perfectly normal human being, he couldn’t tell her about his mother, his past… anything, really. Not that he had mentioned most of that to Daisy, but she knew his mother was troubled. Despite that, she’d gone to great lengths to help him (for free) and ask about her whenever he saw the young woman. She cared, even if she had come off as a little standoffish. She seemed better now, seeing as she had agreed to come out with him. It hadn’t really worked out, given that Lewis had shattered any chance of actually having a party. But he didn’t mind leaving. Social gatherings weren’t really his thing anyway.

“Yeah, I did,” he answered, but he didn’t interrupt her further. Daisy wasn’t very forthcoming about herself, and though this information had come about poorly, it was out there. She couldn’t take it back or lie about it. Both of them knew this wasn’t how she’d intended for him to find out, if she had ever intended for him to find out. Perhaps he would have eventually asked where her parents were or why she lived alone or ran a flower shop completely by herself. But James could be patient. Lord knew he’d spent his most recent years being patient with his own mother.

He liked Daisy, and he didn’t want to see her so frightened of what had come before, the memories that had been painfully dredged up by Lewis’s presence. His thoughts were broken as he felt her fingers brush his knee, and he glanced down just as her hand pulled away. It was the first time either one of them had initiated any sort of contact. Her hand was cool from brushing the grass beneath them, but James couldn’t remember fresh grass growing near the edge of the house. It was strange, but Daisy kept talking, and he put priority on her words. As she suggested going back to her place, he fought not to immediately agree. He wanted to get to know her, away from other people, but he couldn’t pressure her into anything.

He left her suggesting hanging for a careful second before he said, “Yeah, I’d like that.” With his words came a smile before he stood up, brushing his pants free of dirt. He held out his hand to help her up as he added, “By the way… as far as I’m concerned, your real name is Daisy, not Karma.”
 
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Her shoulders gently sagged forward as he admitted he heard her real name. Daisy knew differently to think he didn't, but that didn't mean that a small part of her hoped that he still in the dark about that. After Judy's death, Karma Olivers turned into Daisy Hood. The terrified, introverted, basically mute girl from the Orphanage morphed into a outwardly-successful, cool, and aloof business woman. Daisy had, until this point, been successful with putting nails into the coffin of Karma Olivers. Now they were yanked back out and scattered all over the floor, the lid ripped off and her old life slowly raising up out of said coffin. Just like the vampires or zombies in those old, cheesy horror movies.

The comparison she had thought of made her lips tremble with the beginnings of a smile...but it probably looked like the beginnings of more tears to poor James.

Poor James indeed. He had witness her breaking down and hyperventilating. What a great date she had been for him that night. Daisy wouldn't be surprised if he regretted asking her to come in the first place, or if he never came back to the store after this little episode. Especially with all the...the shit that had been dragged up from the grave about her.

Exhaling heavily, Daisy gently rubbed the back of her neck as she considered what she was going to have to do now. At Judy's death, she had actually considered moving out of town. That way she knew that she wasn't going to bump into any childhood memories, but also just for a fresh start. There would be no one outside the town that would think of her as the weird little girl who loved flowers and trees and just plants in general, like the handful that did so in this town. No chance of bumping into anyone. But she had decided against it, thinking that she would have to be extremely unlucky to meet anyone from her past. And she had done well...until now. This situation wasn't as dire as wanting to move out of town, but if James didn't want anything to do with her after dropping her home...then she was back to having no one.

She considered that James was slowly going to become someone rather than the no one she originally painted him to be to her.

Even within that second of silence after her offer for him to come back to hers, Daisy was already trying to come up with a shrug off. Brush off the suggestion as if the decline was nothing. He had his mother to go back to, after all. And then perhaps work in the morning. He'd want an early night, with all the work he probably had to help Marie w-

"Yeah, I'd like that."

His words halted her rapid thought process and her eyes flickered up to him as he stood, not bothering to disguise the surprise that shimmered within them. Just as he hadn't expected her to agree to this social outing, she hadn't expected him to agree to the more private one. A faint smile finally showed and she hesitantly took his hand, using it to pull herself up carefully. She held onto his hand a few seconds longer at his next words, giving it a soft squeeze as her smile turned a little more sincere. "Thank you." She murmured, pausing before adding: "And thank you for not...pushing for more information."

Daisy then released his hand, having realized that it was a few moments longer than she had intended. "So uh...shall we then? We might have to pick something up along the way, I'm afraid...I'm not much of a drinker so I don't tend to keep much of the stuff at my...place."
 
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God, his hands were too warm. He noticed it as her cool fingers slipped around his own and he pulled her to her feet. She lingered there, thumb almost caressing the back of his hand as they stood there. She squeezed his fingers, only causing warmth to seep from his skin to hers. He didn’t know why his power leaked and tried to warm her. Perhaps it was his need to comfort her coming forth, but he couldn’t overstep on any boundaries. One wrong move would send Daisy back into the fortress she’d built around herself, and James didn’t want that. He felt strongly about this girl, despite not knowing her for that long. She was like him in many ways, and perhaps she was even superpowered like he was. It was a stretch for his brain to try and make that connection, but he was secretly desperate to meet someone like him. He held in his power carefully, only blowing off steam when he knew he was alone, but it wasn’t enough. To have someone to talk about it with… it had the potential to calm his power, but he had yet to actually speak on it. His mother was well aware of his abilities, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak to him for fear of bringing up the past.

“You’re welcome,” he found himself saying, wishing that she was still holding his hand. It steadied him in a way few things did. When she stepped away, his foot nearly slid forward to follow her. Maybe he was just going crazy, but he wanted to be near this girl. There was some level of romantic attraction, but he felt a strangely deeper connection with her, a level of understanding he couldn’t describe. And he wanted more.

“Let me just tell Marie that we’re leaving,” he said, waiting for a quick nod before he walked off. He managed to pull Marie off to the side without drawing too much attention to himself, and his explanation was hurried, but calm. Marie understood perfectly, wishing Daisy well and telling James she’d see him on Monday. It was all a quick affair, and Marie promised to explain their absence without them. They both knew Daisy didn’t want to face Lewis again, and James was okay with not speaking to him face to face. James left then, coming back to where he left Daisy.

“There, clean slate. Marie says she hopes you feel better,” he said with a short smile before they began to walk the length of the ranch back to his car. “So, uh… I picked you up at the shop, right? Do you want me to drop you off and I’ll follow you back to your place?”
 
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Daisy herself longed to keep a hold of his hand for a little while longer, to feel some form of familiar and comforting contact. Before, if she came home from a bad day at school because of teasing, Judy would have Daisy come into her room and lay on the large double bed. Daisy's head would then rest in Judy's lap, and the old woman would softly run her fingers through the girl's hair as she sobbed. Judy was never afraid of what Daisy may do - without meaning to - with her powers. She would simply embrace her, hold her, comfort her, and whisper soft assurances to her.

Daisy hadn't realized just how much she missed that.

Leftover tears were still glistening in her eyes by the time James came back after informing Marie that they were leaving, but she was quick to mask anything else that remained with a small smile and a rub of her eyes. "Thanks...did she mind? Was she mad?" She knew he said it was a 'clean slate' but she couldn't help but be a little worried. It was supposed to be a lovely evening for Marie and her family, but she had just ruined it with drama from her past. She knew it couldn't have helped it, or known what was going to happen, or that Lewis was even going to turn up...but that was besides the point.

She quietly bit at the inside of her lower lip as they walked to his car, mulling over everything that had just transpired until he asked his question. Daisy peered up, blinking a few times as she focused onto him. "Oh uhm...yeah sure. Probably best if we got my car now, I know I'll thank myself for it in the morning." She forced another smile onto her lips.

It was definitely not how Daisy had seen the evening going. She had hoped against hope that she would actually be able to form a friendship with James that evening, or at least the beginnings of one. But then Lewis had to happen. A reminder had to come up about why she shouldn't ought to trust people. However, there was still a flicker of burning optimism that James would be different, and that things could progress between them into a companionship. Of course she would never dream of chasing a relationship down with him. Not because she didn't see him in that way, not at all. He was an attractive, and handsome...and seemed to be very caring, kind, and considerate. But because of all those features, Daisy was sure that he already had someone...or at least was close to having someone.

Besides...who would say he would even like her in that way? Or still would if she ever revealed to him just what kind of a freak she was?

"There's a liquor store open twenty-four/seven just a few streets from me, so I'll drive us there first so we can pick up a bottle of something...that sound good to you?" She then asked as they eventually reached the car and climbed in, clipping on her seatbelt soon after.
 
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“No, she wasn’t.” Sure, she’d demanded that James tell her why exactly Daisy wanted to leave, but he left that part out. He didn’t want to upset the girl any further, so he simply walked beside her until they reached his car. He let her speak as they got in, telling him about the open shop not far from her home.

“Yeah, sounds fine,” he answered with a small smile. In truth, he didn’t really need any sort of drink to want to spend time with her, but it would be nice to bring back home and indulge in a few cans. He didn’t drink as often as he might have liked, since the occasional nightmare still rankled his mind. He had to make sure he woke up in case his mother had a panic attack or other trauma-fueled motion. It left him with some sleepless nights, but he never complained. He never could complain. There had been many times where he thought about placing his mother in a home where professionals could see to her night and day, but he’d never brought himself to actually do it. She needed him, just as he needed her. He couldn’t bear to lose any more of his family at any rate.

The car ride was silent up until they reached the flower shop. It was late enough that all the shops in the area were closed, so the parking lot was only dimly lit with the fading, orange light of the street lamps. “Lead the way,” he said, giving her another little smile as he put the car in park and let her step out. Once she was gone, he leaned his head back against the seat and sighed. He had told his mother that he wouldn’t be home for several hours, but he wasn’t sure how she would handle it. He’d been careful to remind her several times, and he’d made dinner and tea before leaving. Whether or not she ate or drank would be up to her, but he hoped to come back to an empty plate.

For now, he had more important things to worry about. He followed Daisy’s car down a few streets and around some corners until they came to a small liquor store on a quiet street. James didn’t waste any time wandering in and buying a six-pack of cheap, off brand beer. It wasn’t really about it tasting good – James wasn’t much of a drinker anyway – but he liked to indulge once in a while.

Once his purchase was complete, he once again followed Daisy’s car until they came upon her street. He had never wandered down to her area, seeing as he hardly ventured out beyond work.
 
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