#ophelia;threads

[curseaddendum]

-open starter the greenhouse in the Refuge; morning

Snip.

The squash was going rampant. It made sense, as it was in season, but its long stems and meaty leaves were taking up too much space, interfering in the growth of nearby tubers.

Snip.

Ophelia cut them selectively, calmly selecting all the ramifications that took resources from the produce. Carefully, she placed every severed piece in a compostable bag behind her, resting against the parterre’s edge. She’d been allowed a pair of scissors only inside the greenhouse, sharp objects were restricted elsewhere.

Snip.

A guard kept watch right outside the greenhouse, glancing at her every now and then just to make sure she hadn’t wandered around again, unnoticed. Her lack of facial expression still unsettled them, even after after many shifts of monitoring her, but somehow, it wasn’t as bad while she worked on the garden. Ophelia could spend hours in there, just making sure their food supply was optimized, and sometimes, simply staring at the bees and the flowers.

They didn’t trust her—not yet, at least—and she thought it was the most sensible reaction anyone could have to her current state. She didn’t mind being watched, followed, examined, probed, feared, scowled at, and isolated. It made as much sense as the squash growing out of control this time of the year.

[curseaddendum]

-open starter, limited [ 0 / 3 ] Viridity Crossing, Onyx Peak; dawn

During the night shift there was only one guard at Ophelia’s door, too easy to slip past with a simple distraction and her newfound stealth. They were getting used to her lack of presence, but there were still times when she remained invisible.

She had considered her options for a total of ten minutes, and despite the commotion that her unauthorized field trip would cause, the possible benefits outweighed any repercussions. A lot had happened recently and not doing anything—not being allowed to—could drive even the soulless crazy. In her own particular way.

Breaking out wasn’t easy or fast, but she had more patience than ever before. After all, she was doing it for humanity’s sake. No one was harmed; she simply waited for the right moment to evade security. And by dawn, she was all the way in Onyx Peak, about to cross the bridge that brought her closer to her objective. The morning fog matched her veiled eyes, covering the stone like a cool blanket. It was hard to see anything, but as she silently walked forward, a the back of a figure became more discernible.

“Excuse me,” she asked behind them, as if her voice came out of nowhere, “which way to the Dominion?”