It surprised Kenzi that people from both teams had stayed behind when the Clayton Mission was meant to be the one on some sort of mission. It didn’t bother her though. Just seemed a bit odd. Arms full of a few of her notebooks from the lab as well as a few other tools she was making her way back to her own tent when she tripped and sent a few things falling. With a sigh she crouched down and started to gather it all before the light flashed in her eyes and she groaned. “Ow. Okay my eyes are precious please point that elsewhere,” Kenzi called as she used her hand to block out the light. “Yes I’m here. I dropped some stuff is all and was trying to gather it and it’s dark so I was having a little trouble,” she explained not sure why she felt the need to do so since she wasn’t doing anything wrong.
Odette couldn’t help but smirk at the woman’s misfortune. She had seen her around, usually at the opposite campsite with books and various tools in hand. Probably in some science field, maybe geology? Biology? “Oops, sorry!” Odette apologized with little sincerity as she emerged from her tent and made her way towards the woman. She felt a sting of guilt for almost blinding the woman and finding entertainment in her fall. People often confused Odette for being heartless, but that was far from the truth. Kneeling beside the woman, Odette gathered some fallen papers, taking quick glances as she shuffled them in a single pile. “I’m sorry, I just didn’t really know what was out there. I’m Odette, you are?”
“If you hate to sound like a bitch, why are you talking like a bitch?” they muttered dryly, kind of under their breath, frowning a bit. “I’m hardly a toothpick, and it’s not like you’re sporting bulging biceps last time I checked, so this sort of feels like the pot calling the kettle black.”
Regardless, they gratefully accepted the light, shining it around for a second. Their tent wasn’t too far, and there didn’t seem to be anything worth worrying about around here. Might as well talk a while. “Checking on the livestock.” they reported, frowning a bit as they crossed their arms. “They still need to be looked after, even when its dark… and I can’t exactly do that from my tent. Nothing bad has happened yet, I figure, and the gains outweight the risks.”
“Also, have you ever interacted with a bear? Or a jaguar? Or a moose? Hitting them on the head with this thing would give them, like, a bruise at the very most. And probably piss them off. Just for future reference.”
The pot calling the kettle black? Odette furrowed her brows, unsure of what Caleb meant by the phrase, she had never heard it before. She gave herself a solid two seconds to make sense of the phrase before shoving it out of her train of thought. “No need to get defensive, I mean, you did create a scenario where you attacked me, and truth be told I have no idea what the phrase even means, so I’m pretty much just going to look past it.”
As Caleb accepted the torch, Odette took a quick glance back to her tent. Her tent glowed a lilac colour from the aroma diffuser, she was pretty positive she was the only one in camp with one. She enjoyed admiring her make-shift green house during the night, it stood out from all the other dull camp sites. “Of course you need to check on the livestock, I mean... That is your job.” Odette shrugged. “I just wasn’t sure who you were, or what you were and I’d feel guilty if I didn’t at least inspect the sounds you were making. You’re checking your livestock to be careful and in a way, I’m also doing the same. I’m sensing a bit of... Distrust?” Caleb crossing their arms made her believe they were getting a little defensive, and truth be told, Odette couldn’t blame them. She always thought she’d make an exceptional journalist if it wasn’t for botany. She loved interrogating people, asking them questions about where they’ve been and what they’ve done. She’s heard of the phrase, curiosity killed the cat, but in saying that it felt better talking about someone else than talking about herself. “Well no... I’ve never interacted with either of those animals and to be honest I really don’t think we’d find a moose in this climate anyway. Regardless, I would never hit an animal. Would you? Speaking from experience?”
Caleb winced when light flashed briefly across their eyes, holding up both their hands in defense. “Hey, hey, hey, watch it,” they warned briefly, sighing a bit. The farmers took the brunt of caring for the livestock, yes, but it was their job too. Quite a bit there job, and considering the recent trauma and loss the animals under their care had taken, Caleb was trying very hard to be proactive. They made a point of going to check on them frequently, making sure there was no remaining stress or trauma, that all the animals left were healthy and eating and nothing was going wrong. They couldn’t afford to lose anymore. And… Caleb was maybe a bit attached to them. They loathed to lose any of the remaining sheep or chickens.
To ensure this, and to ensure their own peace of mind, required Caleb go and check on them pretty frequently. It was their job, after all, and that job extended even during the night when the sun went down. Even if it meant startling others. Caleb didn’t mean to!
“Just me. What are you even doing up so late? Let alone poking your head out of your tent so late… If I had been a predator or something, what would your plan of action have been?”
It was Caleb, the local veterinarian, their slender build slinking past her torch. Odette furrowed her brows and rolled her eyes, relaxing her posture and exhaling deeply. She was relieved to find out it wasn’t the wild animal she was suspecting, but instead an acquaintance. “Look toothpick, I hate to sound like a bitch but I highly doubt you’d be able to do much harm.” She smiled sarcastically and stepped out of her tent, walking towards them. “But honestly I’m not sure, whack you over the head with this thing probably.”
Odette extended her torch, aka ‘the potential weapon’, and stood before Caleb. It looked like they needed it more than her. She crossed one arm over her torso in an attempt to shield herself from the slight winds of Providencia. “I was finishing up some progress notes, heard something outside. What about you? At least I was in my tent.”
“You know what, mate ? Today is a good day !” As good as it could get on the Planet and when Eleanor was still recovering from her injuries. “Guess why ? Most of those Clayton’s crooks are gone ! Good riddance.” Eleanor let out a happy scream as she threw her fist in the air as a sign of victory.
Odette noticed the young woman in the opposite camp throw her fists in the air and scream out with joy. “What...?” Odette exhaled in concern, unsure who the woman was calling out to and why she was calling Odette a ‘crook’. “Crook...? I’m no... No crook.” Odette gritted her teeth and tied her hair in a messy bun as she stormed out of her tent and marched towards the woman. “Excuse me,” Odette called out as she approached the woman. “I have dedicated my life to my research, and I refuse to be called a... A... a ‘crook’. I’d appreciate it if you respected my work, as I respect yours.” Odette spat out and crossed her arms.
A project? Odette pondered as she responded to Amelia with a smile. Despite contrary belief, she didn’t care about her neighbors. Odette didn’t have an ‘us vs them’ mentality, although their different expeditions had different intentions, Odette was her own woman, with her own ambitions. “Yeah I’m fine, honestly, it’s not a big deal.” She averted her attention back to her palms and to the graze on her knee. “Just a scratch, all I need is some band-aids.” She faced Amelia, soaking in her ghastly appearance. The blonde was a mess, her hair, her skin, her nail beds, everything looked so banged up and dirty. Sure they were basically trapped on some treacherous, unknown land, but that doesn’t mean Odette neglected her skin care regimen. “A project? You look pretty banged up, not going to lie. How’s the wilderness treating you?”
In the middle of the night, Adom had awoken from a particularly bothersome dream with a dry throat and craving for a glass of water. Without even fully dressing, he stumbled out of his tent groggily, apologizing in a hushed tone just in case he had woken his tentmate in the process. It was pitch black, making it nearly impossible to navigate through the camp without a light source (Adom had, of course, neglected to bring one with him). En route to the water supply, Adom managed to get his foot caught in some sort of fabric material. He couldn’t quite figure out what it was, but he sat on the ground and made his best attempts at freeing himself. “It’s just me.” Adom called out in return, though he did so in more of a whisper than anything else. He assumed he had already disturbed her sleep and hoped to avoid waking everyone else. “Adom.” He filled in, in case his quiet tone wasn’t enough to distinguish who he was. He was at least able to see Odette by her tent because, unlike him, she had the common knowledge to bring a torch. “Could I borrow your light?”
What stopped Odette from embracing the social butterfly within her was her stubborn pretentiousness and the comfort in being centered within. She was utterly obsessed with herself, and not always in the vain kind of way. She was obsessed with herself in the sense that her inner world meant most to her, it shaped her reality and the external world she lived in. She hadn’t really spoken to much of her team members. Sure they exchanged a couple words on the ship, and sure some were closer than others, but considering how much was at stake it was difficult to form friendships when so much was on the line. “Oh, Adom?” Odette asked, unsure what he was doing out this late. Switching on her torch, the beam exposed the man before her, still in his pajamas. She couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, he looked like a deer caught in the headlights, groggy and sluggish. The two hadn’t spoken much and were nothing more than first name basis. Of course, Odette was still unsure as to why a photographer was on the mission, but then again, she respected the beauty in art and appreciated his creative influence on the team. “Um sure, just give me a minute,” Odette whispered back and wrapped her body in a puffy jacket. The grass felt soft against her bare feet as she jogged over towards him. “Oh my God, how did you even get caught in here? What are you even doing?” Odette knelt beside him, shining her torch on his ankle. She followed the piece of mystery fabric with her torch to reveal it attached to the medical tent. “Let’s hope you didn’t wake them up…” Odette returned her attention back to Adom and the shackles around his ankle. “Do you want to hold the torch? You look a little uncoordinated at the moment.”
In the middle of the night, Adom had awoken from a particularly bothersome dream with a dry throat and craving for a glass of water. Without even fully dressing, he stumbled out of his tent groggily, apologizing in a hushed tone just in case he had woken his tentmate in the process. It was pitch black, making it nearly impossible to navigate through the camp without a light source (Adom had, of course, neglected to bring one with him). En route to the water supply, Adom managed to get his foot caught in some sort of fabric material. He couldn’t quite figure out what it was, but he sat on the ground and made his best attempts at freeing himself. “It’s just me.” Adom called out in return, though he did so in more of a whisper than anything else. He assumed he had already disturbed her sleep and hoped to avoid waking everyone else. “Adom.” He filled in, in case his quiet tone wasn’t enough to distinguish who he was. He was at least able to see Odette by her tent because, unlike him, she had the common knowledge to bring a torch. “Could I borrow your light?”
What stopped Odette from embracing the social butterfly within her was her stubborn pretentiousness and the comfort in being centered within. She was utterly obsessed with herself, and not always in the vain kind of way. She was obsessed with herself in the sense that her inner world meant most to her, it shaped her reality and the external world she lived in. She hadn’t really spoken to much of her team members. Sure they exchanged a couple words on the ship, and sure some were closer than others, but considering how much was at stake it was difficult to form friendships when so much was on the line. “Oh, Adom?” Odette asked, unsure what he was doing out this late. Switching on her torch, the beam exposed the man before her, still in his pajamas. She couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, he looked like a deer caught in the headlights, groggy and sluggish. The two hadn’t spoken much and were nothing more than first name basis. Of course, Odette was still unsure as to why a photographer was on the mission, but then again, she respected beauty in all forms of art and appreciated the creative touch. “Um sure, just give me a minute,” Odette whispered back and wrapped her body in a puffy jacket. The grass felt soft against her bare feet as she jogged over towards him. “Oh my God, how did you even get caught in here? What are you even doing?” Odette knelt beside him, shining her torch on his ankle. She followed the piece of mystery fabric with her torch to reveal it attached to the medical tent. “Let’s hope you didn’t wake them up...” Odette returned her attention back to Adom and the shackles around his ankle. “Do you want to hold the torch? You look a little uncoordinated at the moment.”
The mist danced in swirls as it was pushed out of the aroma diffuser, dispersing in the air of her tent creating an atmosphere of mystery and romance. If Odette was going to remain inspired to work, her surroundings were vital for survival. Her tent was no ordinary tent; it was something of a greenhouse. Plants from Earth and plants from Providencia littered the floors, stacked the shelves and hung from the ceiling. ‘Despite the humidity and tropical climate, it seems most of my mosteria’s have been unable to survive, my adansonii being the last of its kind....’ Odette trailed off in thought as she wrote in her diary. ‘Tomorrow I shall set up an area on the outskirts of the forest and find some fertile land to plant my seedlings, studying how they cope with different treatment, focusing on-’. Her trail of thought had been broken. She jerked her head, her eyes squinting to comprehend what the noise was outside. It definitely was a rustling of some sort, but Odette was unsure where it was coming from..., and whether it was friend or foe. Throwing on a pair of denim shorts, Odette buttoned up her shirt and quickly ran fingers through her brown curls. Grabbing her torch on the way out, Odette slipped her head out of her tent. “Hello?” She hissed warily and cautiously allowed her torso and left leg to emerge from the safety of her tent. “Is anybody there?” Odette pointed her torch out in the open field, about to shine the light.
The long walk back to the camp was the longest journey Amelia could remember since arriving on the strange planet. The blonde had been set to work on a project away from camp for several months. The assignment hadn’t been an easy one. She was leaving behind those she created about and venturing onto something new. Though, no matter how difficult Amelia did her best. Now was time to go back to the camp and join her fellow crew members. She wasn’t sure who she’d see first. When she walked into the pathway that leads into camp she noticed a crew member slip and fall onto the unforgiving ground. “Are you okay?” She said as her voice shook.
On all fours, Odette dipped the tiny spatula in the moss and scraped it against the edge of the tube, watching it clump and drop to the bottom. “Beautiful,” Odette grinned, popping the lid on the tube. As she rose to her feet, Odette wiped her hands against her shorts and slid the test tube back in its case. It had rained that morning, evident by the glossy sheen on the foliage and the darkness of the bark. Although she was on the outskirts of the forest, the lush greenery was dense and dangerous. Who knew what monsters found refuge and protection within the beauty of Mother Nature. Averting her attention back to the camp, Odette was careful with her footing as she made her way back to study the sample of the moss; but not too careful. Hearing a rustling in the green distracted her, Odette slipped and broke the fall with the palm of her hands, her casing with the test tube falling in the foliage. “Fuck!” Odette hissed and brought her palm to her vision, ignoring the unfamiliar voice behind her. Blood emerged from the cracks of her palms. Back on all fours, Odette turned around to face the concerned blonde before her and then averted her attention back to the shrubs. “No I’m not okay, I dropped my fucking test tube.” Of course, she could easily get a new sample, but then that would mean a wasted tube, and their supplies were rather limited considering the amount of greenery requiring testing. Turning back to the blonde, Odette rose to find blood trickling down her knee. “Where did you even come from? ”
“I wouldn’t touch that if I was you.” Rae hummed from inside of a technical panel. “Any type of mishandling to this equipment in here can cause a serious unbalance of all sorts of things and ultimately kill everyone in this camp from either radiation or an explosion. So yes, Don’t touch anything.”
Odette stood before the technician with a Queen of Marble in her hand. The pot was simple, made out of clay, the plant’s tendrils draping over the sides. Although the ivy was from home it thrived in the humidity, one of the few of Odette’s plants still alive. “You don’t have to stress, I wasn’t going to touch it.” Odette tucked the plant underneath her arm. “I don’t really understand machines anyway.”
“Should something that dangerous even be on this expedition?”
Heyhey everyone! My names Edon, I’m twenty years old from Melbourne, Australia and so excited to plot with everybody! I’m so bad at these but I’ll give it a go haha, student nurse who wants to specialize in cosmetics, theatre and plastics, would basically love to work in a small clinic with a plastic surgeon, absolutely adore plants and nature (hence why I made Odette a botanist lmao), and also obsessed with Grimm, I know I’m a lil late but I just started now that it’s on Netflix lmao. I’m a vegan, tarot card enthusiast, work at a florist and love healing crystals <3
Anyway a bit about Odette Purcell
Odette was raised in New York City by philanthropist, Bruce Barratt, whose divorced from a former supermodel with no kids (I’m sure you get the gist).
Adopted by Bruce at two years old, Odette has no link to her biological parents. She lived a rather isolated childhood, her adoptive father was obsessed with the occult and would spend hours a day locked in his grand library reading book after book on ancient civilizations and the mystic arts. Potentially a little schizoaffective, but has never been diagnosed.
His unusual obsession led him to disappear for weeks, whether he was in some ‘sacred jungle’ searching for the fountain of youth, or attending a conference on enchanted weapons, Odette would spend her days alone in the sky high penthouse being cared for by a nanny. Due to her adoptive father’s unusual passion, she hated having school friends over, fearful she would be labeled as a ‘freak’, excluding herself from the social scene.
While the normal teenager in the upper east side was out getting wasted on a Friday night, Odette spent her nights watching videos on the way plants chemically communicate with one another. She found out that the scent of a rose was actually a signal, warning other flora around it that it was reaching the end of its days. That the smell of freshly mowed grass, although pleasant in a nostalgic sort of way, was actually a cry for help. That some plants sleep, memorize and even learn behaviors.
Odette began her plant collection, spending Sunday mornings at markets buying plant after plant, stocking them all over the apartment. Her adoptive father noticed the new hobby, and although it meant there was less and less room for his books, he enjoyed it. He found the plants therapeutic, found that it helped him focus and better his research.
Odette graduated high school with impeccable grades and was accepted into Yale majoring in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. She studied the evolution of beauty, exploring the fundamental mechanism of sexual attraction, mate choice, sexual violence and the role of aesthetic evolution. She studied virus discovery and evolution, sampling bacteria from natural environments, studying their growth, their death, the way they spread and the way they thrived. Her studies covered species interaction, human osteology, primate evolution, plant ecology, infectious diseases, evolutionary biology and the interaction between plants and people.
Not surprising enough, Odette graduated from Yale in the top of her class and began working with her professor in his lab aimed at ecology evolution and communication between humans and plants. Around this time Odette also began sexual relations with her professor/boss.
Odette was introduced to Henry Clayton through her former professor and after being impressed by her passion for plant life and dedication to research, she was offered a position on the expedition.
