Shin nodded serenely, eyes tuned to the plant Martin was working with. He seemed to have a knack for gardening work. Shin supposed it was natural, in some cosmic sense. Martin seemed like the kind of person who was good at focusing on one thing, and looking out for the life around him. Living with the kind of power Shin had witnessed firsthand...

"Yeah, we have a garden." He replied with a knowing smile. "Not as nice as this, but we do. In fact," He sat on his knees, resting his legs and looked at Martin's work. "You seem pretty talented when it comes to flowers. You're a gardener?" More of a statement than a question, but it ended on a risen '?'

So the kid was not totally untalented when it came to observation. Much of it was experience really, but some had a certain knack for it. And his questions presented a chance at payback he would get some more answers for today. Maybe even a little story.

The hand laid the flower on the ground cautiously, and went on to casually stroll among the leaves, weeding out those that were brown or damaged.

“As a matter of fact I am a gardener. Now at least I am. Before my power started acting up I was a steering a river barge in my home country, Germany. Certain disadvantages that came with it made that almost impossible so I took my hobby of plants as my second choice and got quite good at it over the last years.”

Ouch. Maybe he should not have given away that much. He suddenly fell silent as his mouth snapped shut. Oh my, that was quite stupid too, now hes really going to investigate.
His hand clenched around the stalk of the nearest plant and it took him some effort to take it back calmly. His expression shifting to an unmoving mask.

Well the kids fallen into the river, so I better learn to swim right? But the whole truth? No he wasn't getting the hole truth after all. He would someday possibly. He was comforting his conscience with that thought if he were honest with himself, he knew it, but well so far it worked. And conscience was a nuisance really. Focus Martin.

“I was barely considered an adult then. If I may ask, how long has it been for you?”

“Only a few years, actually.” Shin scratched his neck with a tinge of embarrassment. “Before it manifested, I was living a wild life. Boxing for prizes, fighting for money… training all day in the hopes I wouldn’t get knocked out tomorrow. Guess it’s kind of like that every day, huh?” He recited the story like it was any other tale, voice impassive, face illuminated with a childlike enthusiasm that evaporated on his next line.

“But when it manifested, I nearly died. Didn’t know what happened… thought…” His voice dropped and watched Martin work for a moment in silence. When his voice picked up, it was laced with a bit of hope… not at all like a infomercial testimonial, nope. “Xavier’s school helped me get a hold on my life, learn to better control my powers, and… I found friends.”

Or possibly more. A slack smile slipped across his lips.

“I’m not sure what I’d have done if I hadn’t found purpose and a place to learn. I kind of owe them a lot… heheh, don’t tell them that… they might hold me to it.” Nervous laughter and a grin.

How intriguing this person was. From first glance he would not have guessed the violent history. Not by far. But he was not good with these things anyways as he himself despised violence. Not having a relation with a whole concept, that seemed to be so fundamental for Shin made things much more of a challenge.

“It looks like that lifestyle may call upon you again at some point.”

He was merely stating, what he could read, read from what he got. At the same time part of him, a part, that was still clinging tightly to the morals he had been taught, or remembered them for a lack of better words, was stirring more and more. Stretching, flexing the bounds he had made.

Putting on a mix of concerned look and relaxed stance, he searched for the others eyes, gray searching for its equal.

“But why has it always to be the stress of near death that brings out the power?”

It was a rhetorical question. Being near death seemed to bring out both best and worst characteristics of a person in unity and harmony, they could not hope acquiring any other way. It was what made these moments so powerful.

The eyes Shin was looking at were hard, the color of steel was being faithful to its associated attributes.

“And if you really want to know the answer to your last question I will give it to you.”


The pale face was unreadable now. Someone had hit bullseye.

>>“It looks like that lifestyle may call upon you again at some point.” Martin noted. Shin bowed his head, clenching his bent knees.

“Perhaps.” But if it did, he’d be fighting for a just cause, not ‘just ‘cuz’. Exercise and practicing self-defense were one thing; looking for trouble, a whole other. Thinking back to the fight at the Thunder Dome, the edges of his lips turned, unreadable. That search for fighting had been a mistake. Still…
He did love a challenge. Looking up, he took in Martin’s next words.

“But why has it always to be the stress of near death that brings out the power?”

Why, indeed. It seemed like it was always violence that beget more violence. Peace rarely brought on overwhelming change… although, when it did… he looked at Martin, nodding. Here stood an example of when change came during peace time, and shook the world. Martin’s eyes were steeled with what Shin assumed was resolve.

>>“And if you really want to know the answer to your last question I will give it to you.”

“Tell me.” He met Martin’s eyes with an iron resolve of his own.

>> Tell me.<< Did that kid know what he was asking for? Did he truly understand the meaning behind his words? He had put up the sign “Step with caution” with his last words. But then again such things were to be expected. He just hoped that the boy would not be too badly damaged by his answer.
>> Tell me.<< Hes he would. That tone demanded an answer. It was demanding for an answer, though not through imperative that many others would have used here. Bossing people around was not his way. But why was he still analyzing?

As his eyes were hard and cold, so was his voice. Then he announced his sentence. Guilty or not guilty? That was not the question here. But more so the question whether he was right or wrong. He hoped for the former and feared the latter.

“One day you would have gotten knocked out. One day, your fears were going to come true. And then your life would turn to one of two paths: The path of self destruction or the path of destruction.”

He blinked toward the boy -no not really boy. A man Shin truly was for not choosing either of those options- And when the split second of darkness was over, the cold had vanished from his eyes. Plain and gray they lay, like a still lake.

Turning around, away from Shin he walked into the next flowerbed, the slight moment of hesitation and the wave of his hand being Shins only invitation. Roses these were, and beautiful white ones. Standing tall seemingly without support. Oh he knew some tricks this gardener might have used, but he would come back here to find out, how they had done it actually. His curiosity was not to be underestimated. And since Roses don't like standing straight up -at least not, when they are as tall as a man- he really had set himself some challenge for another day. The white and green swallowed him without any apparent resistance. Not one thorn caught hold on his clothes, even though the density of flowers was very high. Only the rustling of leaves, the nodding of touched buds and twigs, the movements becoming weaker by the second until they were indiscernible from movement in the leaves created by the wind.

Then he was gone. His nostrils filled with the heavy scent of roses, fingers only slightly touching branches to move them out of his way. Would Mr Shinbao follow?

Silence followed Martin’s words. Perhaps, they’d have been true back then. Perhaps not. The road of life has many forks. Maybe Shin would have navigated the branching path to nowhere, or maybe he’d have found some alternative. Maybe he’d have just pulled off the highway, who knew? Shin shook his head without smile or frown. Either way, it didn’t matter anymore. It was an interesting hypothesis, but Martin would have needed a whole lot more to build on his theory before it held weight.

“Perhaps,” he assented. “But life has a funny way of working itself out.”

Martin soon lost himself in his work. Roses rustled, the wind blew. Shin got up, walking after him through the thorny mess.

Whether it was the heavy scent, or the thorns on the roses, but the world seemed distant here. It was as if someone had replaced it with a sea of white and green in which only little things protected you from being stuck or stung.

Little movements they were, just small twists and turns he took, but he successfully evaded most of the damage the thorns would have caused him. The rustling of leaves and s stifled curse told him, that Shin, who had apparently followed him, did not have the same type of luck or skill. He was pleased.

With a laugh he spoke towards the roses:

“Life may have funny ways of working itself out, but only you yourself may work yourself out of this.”
--End--