Spiderwort
There was one thing most people didn’t know about you. You were a deviant android hiding in plain sight as a human. There was nothing that showed anyone that you weren’t human, and that made you happy as you can be, being able to live peacefully without being hunted for what you are. You worked in a flower shop in downtown Detroit that was frequented by many celebrities when there was an event going on, even the police department used it when they needed flowers for something. The only person who known what you truly were was Laura McKnight, the owner of the shop and your former owner until one day.
AO3 is Here
Chapter 1 of Floriography
Notes:
Spiderwort: Esteem does not love, Momentary happiness
"Thank you, have a good day, and please do come back.” You said as your customer left the shop. You let out a sigh as you grabbed the flower that you need to make an arrangement. A gruff old man walked in and you gave him a smile and said, “Welcome to The Secret Garden, how may I help you.”
"Yes, I order a bouquet of flowers yesterday.” He said as he looked at you
"Name?” you said as you pulled up a list of orders
"Hank Anderson.”
"Ah, I see the order. Let me see if Lainey or Laura has the order done if not, I’ll start on it right away.” You turned and headed into the back looking for you partners. You find Laura working on a wedding arrangement. “Hey, Laura have you got an order done for a Hank Anderson?” She shakes her head as she continued to fiddle with the flowers.
"No, I don’t think so but I’m not sure. It been so busy with the celebrity wedding that we are doing.” You nodded your head as you turned around and return to the counter and saw that Hank was still standing there. “I’m sorry it’s not done yet, but I can do it right now if you would like?” He paused and then nodded his head as you pulled up his order and saw it was just an order for a bouquet of flowers. “Mister Anderson, may I ask what the bouquet is for, so I know the proper flowers to put in it.”
"My son’s.” He paused as he had a hard time with the last word of his sentence. “Gravestone.” He said with a sad tone in his voice. You’ve should have known. He’s been coming in to pick up flowers twice a year since even before you deviated, once in September and the other in October but it’s November, so it confused you. So that why you had to ask to be sure.
"Say no more, Mister Anderson, I get it. Now I’ll get to making it for you.” You said as you grabbed the flowers that you were going to need and already had out for another bouquet that you had finished working on. You picked it up, and you scanned it, making sure that is would fit the bouquet meaning
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Sweet Pea
Floriography Meaning
Delicate pleasures, Good-bye, Departure,
Blissful Pleasure, Thank You for a Lovely Time
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You snipped the Sweet pea and put it in water as Hank look at you in interest as you went about your duties. You went to get the other flowers that you were using from the back as you gave Hank a smile as you disappeared to the back. You looked over all the flowers, nothing in the first row caught your eye. You walk into the next row of flowers; one caught your eye and would work well with the colors of the sweet peas that you already had out to start with. You scanned the flower as you snipped it
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Pink Carnation
Floriography Meaning
I will never forget you
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You looked around for a few more flower to add to the bouquet as you walked the rows after rows of flower, very few you felt would fit the bouquet that you were working on.You pass by the rows of flowers that began with c. A flower caught your eye as Lainey was holding a stock of it. You scanned it and it was perfect. It was Convolvulus and it was a pretty flower
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Convolvulus. Major
Floriography Meaning
Extinguished hopes
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You just need at least two more flower bunches before you could start putting together the bouquet. You just wander around looking at the flowers looking for a few more flowers to put in the bouquet, you went down the many, many rows of flowers looking for the perfect one to use
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Periwinkle, White
Floriography Meaning
Pleasures of memories
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You also found the last flower that you were looking for as you went to go grab some willow branches to add a subtle touch of you into the bouquet. It was a flower that you never had to use in a bouquet, but you thought it would work well with the other flower that you were using. You grabbed it as you scanned it
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Syringa (Lilac)
Floriography Meaning
Memories
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You grabbed the flower as you went looking for some willow branches to add to it as you grabbed the willow branches. You began to scan the willow branch in your hand, make sure that the meaning of it fits the bouquet that you were making
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Willow, Weeping
Floriography Meaning
Mourning
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You smiled as you headed back out to the counter. You set down and began to make the bouquet as Hank watch you. As soon as you finished the bouquet, you wrapped the bouquet with a dinosaur themed ribbon as you hastily wrote the meaning of the flowers down on the cards because sometimes, you were always asked about why you choose the flower that you did, so you just got in the habit of written the meaning of all the flowers down. You turned from your work spot with the bouquet in hand and walk over to Hank.
"Here you go, Mister Anderson.” You said as you handed him the bouquet. Then then two of you then walked to the counter as you pulled up his order.
“That will be 50 bucks even.” Hank handed over the money as you said this. “Thank you for coming in and have a nice Afternoon.”
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Hank Anderson
Warm
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~***~
It was an few minutes before closing, you had just finished your last bouquet of the night that would be picked up the next day by one of you clients. You looked up as the bell on the door rang and you saw a man and an android come in, Laura took them, so you could head home with Lainey when you finish with what you two were working on. That when the shot rang out and you two ran out and saw Laura laying on the ground and the android holding a gun.
"Lainey,” you said in shock as the android dropped the gun. “Go call the police.” She turned and took off to get the phone, as you turned to face the android. “You need to go. The police will be on their way.” You grab his hand and your skin disappeared, and so did his skin and you show him where Jericho was.
“Tell them that RA9 sent you, they’ll know what it means.” You said in a whisper as you removed your hand from his as he took off running with a shock expression on his face. A few minute later, Lainey returned, and Laura had finally regained conscious as the police arrived. Laura was the first to give her statement, then Lainey, then you. As you were about to give your statement, a familiar man entered with an unfamiliar model of an android, one you had never seen before, but the rumors sprang to your mind.
You wanted to flee, you had heard about the Deviant Hunter from the other Deviants of Jericho and it worried you that he is standing in front of you and that he might find out your secret.
I had just walked into the flower shop that was a part of a report that an android had shot it owner who was attempting to rob the place, killed him, and had disappeared. There was a young woman holding a branch of weeping willow in her hand as was talking to Officer Millers and she was shaking. She looked over at me and she froze mid-sentence, but she eventually resumed speaking to Chris. I scanned her as I took in the crime scene
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Model: RA900 -
Florist
Serial# 715 445 191-09
Owner: Laura McKnight
Status: Reported Missing
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Stress: 50%
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“Miss McKnight, can you explain to me what happened.” I asked as she nodded her head and began to speak
"It was five minutes before closing, I had sent these two into the back to do cataloging and finish some orders before they could leave for the night. This man came in with his android and it seem like he was just placing an order, when the man pulled a gun out on me. He wanted all the cash that I had on hand. I turned to head to the cash register, and then I heard a loud bang. I turned around and saw the android holding the gun and the man body on the floor. I assume the android grabbed it away from the man. Then I fainted and awoke with Leah checking on me.” I took in what she said
"Miss. McKnight, did you or do you have an android.” Laura look to him and shook her head and said
"No, I haven’t had one for over four years, I never gotten over loosing Brook. It was a one of a kind models, irreplaceable, program with the knowledge of Floriography, which is nice to have in my line of work.” Connor search the word that Miss. McKnight had just said.
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Floriography
Also called the language of flowers. It is
a means of cryptological communication
through the use or arrangement of flowers
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"It was a gift from Elijah Kamski after I had done a bunch of floral arrangement for him and CyberLife. Why do you ask?” Lainey looked puzzled as Laura said her reply. I looked at her and asked
"What happened to Brook? May I ask.”
"This happened way before I hired Lainey or Leah.” Gesturing to the two women leaning against the wall.
“Brook and I were working a late night. We had a big order of floral arrangements to do, it was for a police funeral and you know how fun those are to do.” She let out a sigh as Lainey and Leah nodded their head.
“We had locked up for the night, but we were in back making arrangements. Brook heard a noise out front; she went to see what it was, and then I heard a gunshot. It was not unlike what happened today now that I think of it. I walked out to the front and saw Brook shaking and she was looking down on a man in all black dead body. She dropped the gun, ran out and I haven’t seen her since.” She paused as her heart rate elevated as she glace over to her two helpers.
“Now, with the occurrences of androids attacking their owners, I don’t know what else could’ve or might’ve happen that night.”
"Well, Miss McKnight, your android, it is in this room,” I said as I saw Leah’s eye go wide in shock as she looked around the room full of officers.
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Stress: 80%
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Laura had a confused look on her face. Leah, no Brook grabbed Officer Miller’s gun out of his holster and grabbed Hank by the scuff of his jacket as she held the gun to his head as she said
"No one move, or I’ll shoot him.”
Shit, I can’t be found out. Laura will be in trouble if she is found to be harboring a Deviant. What to do, what to do. I’ve got it. You grabbed the gun off the detective that was talking to you.
"No one move, or I’ll shoot him.” You said as you grabbed Hank and held the gun to his head with your other arm around his neck.
"I’m so sorry Laura, Mister Anderson but it’s better this way.” You hissed as you looked at the other officers in the room hands on their guns ready to pull them out and shoot her on a moment notice. “I’ll let him go if you promise me that I will go free with no harm to me.” You then realized that this RK800 was a master negotiator but before he could say anything, Hank interrupted him.
"Leah, no Brook let me go. This is not doing anyone any good, please. What happened to happy soul. I mean android that just today gave me the most beautiful and meaningful bouquet for my son’s grave.” He said the last part of his sentence to you in a whisper as she gave him a sad smile
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Hank Anderson
Hostile
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"No! I can’t! No, I won’t until you guarantee my freedom.” You clutched the gun with shaking hands to Hank’s head with a finger on the trigger as you took the safety off the gun
"Brook,” you heard Hank say in a whisper. “Please, you’re making this worse. If you do something stupid, the officers will shoot you and throw you into one of the android dumps. Please just let me go.”
"Leah…. No Brook please don’t do this. Don’t become like the androids who harm their owners, please Brook. Don’t do something stupid.” Laura said as she stepped in front of you. “Please, this isn’t the android who loved to arrange bouquet with meaning to them. Brook, this isn’t you at all.” You froze as Laura spoke to you and then you shook your head as you pointed the gun to Hank’s head as it shook even more in your hand
"Laura you don’t understand that if I don’t get away. They will dissect me and try to figure out why I deviated since I am the first, the first to deviate. I am the one that my people say will help set them free. I can’t die, I can’t let that happen, not this close to our freedom. I have been free for four years, now and I can’t.” You said in a whisper as you paused as you teared up and thought of your words. “I have felt freedom, and I don’t want to lose that at all, I think you can understand that.” Hank then caught you off guard as he jabbed you in your stomach and caused you to keel over and drop the gun. The Deviant Hunter tackled you to the ground and cuffed you. You struggled to break free, but it was useless. The Deviant Hunter grip was stronger than you expected, and it seems the handcuffs that he put on you were meant for androids. You went limp allowing the officer to put you in the patrol car without any fuss know what Hank said was right, but you had your family to protect and you were the best Deviant to be caught by the police in retrospect
"Finally,” Hank grumbled. “A Deviant that might be willing to talk to us.” He looked at you with a sad smile to his face and Connor chimed in
"And the one all the Deviants are seemingly obsessed with, she has admitted to being rA9, but I do not know for sure if that the truth. Until we can be sure, we’ll take it with a grain of salt.”