Of flowers and bees. [Open]

[Genevieve Duval]

Genevieve was laying down on the grass, smiling with her eyes closed. She usually hated the cold and now was no exception, but she just loved feeling the grass under her and the air on her face. She hummed a random song under her breath and smiled as something tickled her face.

"Now, my little friend," She said in french in her soft voice, "Not on the face. You know it hurts in the face." She felt movement and smiled as the tiny feet of her friend moved around her cheek and down her chin. "That's right, Vivian. Move along." And then Vivianne flew from her face to her hand and Genevieve's smile widened. 

"Good girl." 

Sure, if anyone saw the girl on the grass would probably freak out, considering Vivian wasn't the only visitor Genevieve had. She actually had several visitors on her clothing, the big, fat bumblebees moving over her arms and chest, some on her naked legs as the skirt she wore allowed them to do so. At least Genevieve was happy, feeling their fussy little legs on her skin. Just another day under the sun. A perfect day. 

[Colton Bryan]

Colton, who had grown up in the southern states and was used to the temperature never falling below sixty-five degrees was wishing that he'd brought more clothes to Hammel. He was at the moment walking towards his favorite reading spot near the pond, this spot also blocked the wind, and was breathing into his hands attempting to get some extra warmth into them. While he was doing this he looked around himself for a moment, noticing a few people walking either to the main campus or towards the gate of the school. As he looked around he saw a girl lying on the ground a few feet from him, not really paying much attention while he was looking he kept moving his eyes before he noticed something was wrong with what he had seen, and looked back at her seeing a moving mass crawling over her. Curious, Colton came closer to her and noticed that the crawling mass was made of bees, surprised he came a little closer, stopping a foot way from and asked quietly in a inquisitive voice, "How are you getting all those bees not to sting you?"

[Genevieve Duval]

Genevieve opened her eyes at the voice and blinked in surprise. "Ah." She said when she found a boy looking at her. She smiled gently, sitting up and making her friends move. Some left her, but a few stayed, including her Vivian. "They sting sometimes." She explained, looking down at Vivian on her hand as it moved. "But they do not mean to do harm. Why would they? They'd die in the process."

She looked up at the boy and moved her hand toward him, "This is Vivian." She introduced the little bee, "She never stings." Of course, Vivian could be different bees every time and she just hadn't noticed. "And I'm Genevieve." She patted the spot next to her. Company was always good after all.

"Would you like to hold her?" What best way to get people lose their fear of her friends than to get to know them?

[Colton Bryan]

As he watched some of the bees fly away from her Colton listened to what the girl said before saying, "From what I know bees usually sting to protect their nest as they deem it more important than themselves."

When the girl brought the bee close to him Colton looked at it closely, examining the bee's body and wings for a moment before responding to the girl whose name was Genevieve, "It's nice to meet you Genevieve, my name is Colton. Also do you mind me asking where you're from, you don't sound like someone who was born in the U.S., Vivian sounds like she lives in a very safe hive if she must never have to sting anyone."

When Genevieve asked if he wanted to hold Colton excitedly said, "Yes I'd very much like to hold Vivian for a moment." He held his hand out for her to let him hold Vivian.

[Genevieve Duval]

"Do they, now?" Genevieve wondered, looking around. "I wonder if there is a- nest you said? A nest around." She looked at a nearby tree. Maybe there? Oh, that was a pretty tree. Maybe it would give them enough shade and they'd be safe from- Oh right! The boy was there.

"Colton." She repeated in her thick accent. "Colton. I am saying it right, yes? Colton." Yes, that wasn't that difficult. Some of these names though... Some people didn't like the way she pronounced her 'r's, and that certainly mortified her. Not much she could do about her accent though. And he picked up on that too. She smiled gently again and nodded. "Yes. I am from the France." She explained, "I am a- how you say? Exchange student."

He agreed to hold Vivian and she smiled widely. "That is a nice surprise!" She said with a grin, "Most people do not like the abeilles, they find them- scawy? No." That wasn't it. "Scary." The r's were hard. "But Vivian is the best of them. She will not sting you." And then, as an after thought, she added "I believe."

With the same gentle smile, she moved closer to the boy, stretching her hand out and closer to his. "Go on now, my friend. Tis' our friend Colton." She turned to him again, "You said Colton, yes?" She nodded, "Colton." Names were also hard. "He will not hurt you." Not that she needed to talk to the little bee, because just like she wished, the little bee jumped from her hand and to his, walking slowly, as if tasting him. "Feels good, yes?" She asked him with a smile. "I like the feeling of legs on skin."

[Colton Bryan]

"Yes bees usually live in hives, and they don't like to go to far from them.", Colton said as he noticed Genevieve's attention change, looking in the same direction as her, seeing nothing but a tree and the last of the students walking inside Hammel.

Smiling at Genevieve, Colton said, "Yes that's how you say it," after Genevieve said where she was from Colton then said in French, "If this is your first time in this country please allow me to be the first to welcome you to the United States."

Continuing to smile and speak in French Colton said, "I'm not scared of these bees because if they wouldn't sting you, and they were basically swarming you, then one bee shouldn't bee a problem. Especially one that you seem to know rather well."

Smiling again he said, "Oui, my name is Colton," then looking at Vivian he said, "Don't worry, I wouldn't hurt anything as pretty as you." done talking he thought to himself , This girl seems to be a bit of a airhead, but she still seems like a nice person. As he thought this Colton felt Vivian walk along his hand. As the bee continued to walk he brought his hand closer to his face trying to get a better look at Vivian.

[Genevieve Duval]

Genevieve smiled at him widely. She was saying it right! At least it wasn't a difficult name. But then he spoke in French and her eyes widened in surprise. Then she let out a squeal and moved closer to him. "Your French is perfect!" She exclaimed in that language, "I've found it so hard to communicate with others because I thought all Americans were-" She almost said something mean there, didn't she? She smiled as she figured a way to say what she'd wanted to, "Not bilingual. I understand that you get taught a different language in school, just like we do, but most people do not go very far with it do they. It is magnificent that you did. And so young too! Well, you look young at least." She was being chatty, wasn't she? She smiled sheepishly at him, "Sorry. It is just nice to hear my tongue in someone else's lips. It is very strange to be surrounded by people who do not speak like you do." Not to mention there were times when she didn't understand them. Except this kid, for some reason, had an excellent pronunciation of every word, French or English, and it made it easy to understand him.

"Thank you for the welcoming by the way." She said with a gentle smile, suddenly feeling shy at her outburst. "That is really nice of you."

He kept speaking French, most likely for her sake she figured, and she felt giddy at the thought that someone would be that nice to her. Maybe not everyone was that bad. "You are right. These are my friends. Sometimes they get confused but that does not mean they want to harm others." She smiled at the little bees still remaining on her legs and turned to him as he carried Vivian. She felt slightly nervous as she wanted to keep her feelings in tact. She didn't want to hurt her newfound friend. "She is beautiful, do you not agree?" She said when he called her pretty. "Vivian has been with me for a long time. She was my only friend in Kocher. And she is my friend here. I am amazed she found me even after landing in the United States." Or maybe it wasn't the same bee. Not that Genevieve will ever think that.

"They seem to like me." She said, turning to smile at the random tree again, "The bees. Well, bumblebees." She turned to smile at him again, "They like to stand on me. It makes me feel like a flower." That had been a silly thing to say, hadn't it? She looked down at the tree again, feeling silly for having said that out loud. Now he probably thought she was ditzy, not that it was that far from reality.

"Ah, but what were you doing, Colton?" She wondered after that contemplation, immediately forgetting how sheepish she'd been feeling, "I am sure you did not come to the courtyard just to talk to me." Maybe she was holding him back? "Am I keeping you from something?"

[Colton Bryan]

Colton pulled his head back slightly when Genevieve came closer to him with a sharp noise, thinking ,She certainly is easy to excite it seems. As Genevieve continued to talk he said in French, "You're right about most Americans not caring about learning another language. Most of them seem to think that they'll never have to use it, but I think those types of people are stupid. I mean everyday there are more multilingual speakers in the world everyday," looking at Vivian in his hand Colton said, "I can see how meeting a lot of people who talk differently could be a little akward, and possibly a little scary, but usually those experiences come out being some of those in your life that you never forget."

Smiling lightly and waving off her thanks Colton said, "I'm sure someone else would have done the same thing."

Feeling Vivian crawl along his hand for a couple moments, Colton thought to himself, There's no way that this is the same bee as the one from Kocher, but he kept this thought to himself like he did with most people and said to Genevieve, "Well tell your friends that it's nice to meet them, and I hope they never have to sting anyone." When Genevieve called "Vivian" beautiful Colton had to voice his agreement, "Yes she is a very beautiful creature, and she is a very devoted friend too." He added the last part to let the girl continue her belief that the bee that was currently standing on the tip of his thumb was the same bee she'd met at Kocher.

Looking down at the bees around her legs Colton thought to himself, You are rather pretty yourself, however Colton hadn't realized he had said this out loud, luckily his brain was scrambled enough that he said this in Swahili instead of French or English.

Snapping out of his thoughts of how pretty the foreign girl was Colton realized he was going to the pond and explained, "I actually was on my way to a pond that is on the school's grounds." Looking at her again for a moment Colton shyly said, "I could show you where it is if you want. It is a very beautiful place."

[Genevieve Duval]

"Yes!" Said Genevieve excitedly, "There are! I often find people in Paris who speak French but are from other countries. Or they go to France to learn the language. Although I think sometimes that is just the excuse they use to go visit." She scratched her cheek as she pouted, thinking of the last part. Well, Paris and tourists went hand in hand after all. She'd seen a lot of different people there and her parents often seemed to scoff at them. She'd been very little back then and actually didn't know why they would do that, and then she'd been sent to Kocher. "It is difficult." She said with a gentle smile, stretching her arms out over her legs. The bees flew from then and then back down, but Genevieve was already used to moving with them on her. "But I am liking it here too." She smiled widely again, "I have met kind people like yourself." She added, "Like you said. Experiences you do not forget."

How refreshing it was to use her own language after so long. And he was so kind too. She shook her head, making a noise, "Mnn-nn. No one has come to talk like you have." She then thought for a second and shook her head, "Well, these guys have, but I don't think they count." She nodded towards her legs and there were her little bees. She smiled fondly at them though, glad that they hadn't left her alone.

"She is!" This boy was so nice it was hard not to smile as much as Genevieve was smiling. It was particularly welcomed after how ignored she'd been in Kocher. Hammel seemed to be getting better every second, even if it took it months to improve. Even Julien, her brother, hadn't been around much, no matter how much she'd tried. He was saying something else and perhaps it was because she'd been lost in her thoughts that she hadn't heard him right. Was he speaking in English again? "What was that?" She wondered with a curious smile, leaning closer.

But he was already talking again and she nodded in understanding. "Yes!" She moved to stand, her little bee friend taking flight as she did. At last she was left alone again, as if they knew where she was going. "They do not like the water." She explained with a sheepish smile. "I do not either, but as long as I stay away from it, I will be okay." She couldn't swim after all. She stood, stretching her hand out for him to take, "Let us go."

[Colton Bryan]

"That's what I tell them that eventually most people on the planet will be speaking more than just English, but they just refuse to listen." Colton said as Genevieve finished talking about her experiences. As she stretched Colton thought again about how pretty she was thinking, She is so very pretty. Huh never thought about things like this before, strange.

When Genevieve said that no one had come to talk to her Colton frowned and said, "Well, I'm sure you'll meet more friendly people as you spend time here," waving broadly at the bees floating near the girl he continued, "hopefully they'll be as friendly as these ones here too."

Colton's grin was not gone for long though as he saw Genevieve's smile, for some reason when he looked at her he couldn't help but feel a little warmth in his chest. That warmth almost went away completely as Colton realized he'd spoken his thoughts out loud, luckily he realized he hadn't spoken in a language that the foreign girl could understand. "Oh, I was just thinking out loud for a moment." He said quickly trying to downplay what he had said.

Colton's grin grew even wider as Genevieve stood up after she agreed to come with him. He did watch the bees from the corners of his eyes but his main focus remained on the very pretty girl in front of him, not evening noticing Vivian leave his hand to go off somewhere. "Oh the water isn't the only thing there. The trees and and brush around the pond, exemplify its beauty." Colton told Genevieve as he took hold of her hand gently trying not to let how excited he felt show as he began walking towards the path to the pond.

[Genevieve Duval]

He seemed smart too. Genevieve smiled and nodded in agreement, although she wasn't sure what else she could add. Not for the first time ,she wished she could be smarter so she could keep up with everyone else. Everyone seemed to like something, have something they were good at, like Julien was with his movies. All she had were bees.

"I hope so." She said with a sad smile, "But I cannot seem to find many that are willing. Maybe they are scared." She turned her sad smile down again, "Not everyone can walk around them. That is why they do not approach. That's what happened in Kocher." And she didn't blame them. She knew how much it could hurt when a bee got mad at you, she'd been the subject of many stings. Thankfully she wasn't allergic but she knew many were.

She nodded as he excused what he'd said, not wanting to be nosy, but still feeling curious. English was so difficult, sometimes it even sounded like something else!

They were walking towards the pond now and she turned to smile at him sheepishly. "I can imagine." She said nervously, squeezing his hand slightly, to reassure herself she wasn't alone, "I can still walk close to it, to water. I like wetting my feet and feel the cold, but I can not swim."

She heard buzzing and turned to see her friends behind her, following close. "Are you coming?" She asked, they stopped moving and she frowned, "Then stay here!" They buzzed and she sighed in exasperation, "I am going!" She turned to Colton and shook her head, like an impatient parent, "They are being difficult."

[Colton Bryan]

"I'm sure that anyone who is scared will come around eventually." Colton said, trying to ease any feelings of being unwelcome the girl might be feeling. Colton could see why a lot of people would avoid her though, most people usually ran away at the sight of a single bee, a whole swarm of them would send into a bit of a panic. "Well, most people dislike bees, because they usually do something to aggravate the bees, and that causes them to get stung a lot." He said trying to explain why some people might be avoiding the girl.

While Colton's smile was as large as it could get outside his body his internal happiness grew a little bit when Genevieve squeezed his hand. Colton was surprised when Genevieve told him that she couldn't swim, then he thought, That's why she tightened her grip I guess, he was slightly surprised that he felt a little disappointed. "You don't have to worry about the water. I'll make sure you won't get wet if you don't want to. And if you fall in I'll be there at a moment's notice to help you." He said, wanting to assure the girl that nothing would happen.

Colton halted still holding the girl's hand when Genevieve turned around to talk to the bees, trying to focus on the interactions that were happening, but his attention always went back to Genevieve. Colton thought to himself, Why do I keep focusing on her, I only just met her! Do I have a crush? Colton started when Genevieve suddenly turned around, snapping him out of his thoughts. "If they want to come along they can, but if their scared of a little water I guess they can stay here." He said after a moment's pause of gathering his thoughts.

[Genevieve Duval]

"Yes!" Said Genevieve, turning to him suddenly, "They must, right? After all they are beautiful." She frowned when Colton continued though, "But they are wrong." She said with a pout, looking down at her friends. "They do not sting... most of the time." Sure, Genevieve didn't bother to hide the scars on her arms and legs so it was hard to defend them but- "They are my friends. And even if they hurt, they do not mean it. They are just... misunderstood." Like everyone Genevieve met, right? Good or bad. It was so difficult to tell the difference between 'different' and 'mean' for her.

She smiled when he said he'll help her if she fell, "Do you promise?" She asked, taking a step closer, deciding she liked this boy and wanted to be his friend. Only good people offered their help after all. "I do not wish to impose, but I might if I fall." She knew herself after all, knew exactly how silly she could be and how distracted she could get, even surrounded by danger.

Genevieve shook her head after Colton spoke of her bees. "They do not want to come but they also do not want to leave me." the French girl grinned, "But Vivian will, right?" A bee flew to her cheek, like always, following her command rather than willingly, although Genevieve liked to ignore that. "We can go." If there was any danger, she'll probably call the others after all.

"What is your power?" She wondered as they walked, turning to smile at Colton, "You have seen mine," She said, pointing with her free hand to her cheek, where Vivian was still standing, "But have I seen yours?" They were in Hammel after all, and he was young enough to be a student.

[Colton Bryan]

"Yes, these little ones here are indeed very beautiful." Colton said, indicating the bees that had flown away from Genevieve. As he looked at the bees he continued, "You're right about them being misunderstood, all bees want to do is protect their queen and their young. They don't want to have to do any stinging, but if someone gets to close to a hive they will sting that person, and you have to blame Africanized bees too, they are just mean to everything. And people's opinions are based on these bees instead of the nice ones."

Colton tried to hide how flustered he was when Genevieve stepped up to him stumbling over his words slightly, "O-of course I promise. I don't like people being in trouble." This girl was the only person to have ever made act like this, and Colton was becoming increasingly more aggravated that he was acting like a love struck child. "Oh, trust me it's not a problem for me." He said quickly, not wanting her to feel like a bother to him.

Looking at the bee as it flew to Genevieve's cheek, Colton remarked, "Vivian really seems to love following you everywhere you go." ,Lucky little thing, Colton thought to himself as he nodded the in the affirmative to Genevieve, and began to pull the foreign girl softly with him towards the path to the pond.

Looking out of the corner of his eye at Genevieve, Colton couldn't help but to continue about how pretty he thought she was. He was immediately snapped out of his thoughts when Genevieve asked about his ability, confidently he said, "I can understand and speak in basically every form of written, spoken, or movement based language. It's how I've been able to talk to you in Français." He said the last part to explain how he could speak everything clearly.

[Genevieve Duval]

Genevieve smiled brightly as he understood, nodding along. He was so smart! She felt slightly sheepish when she learned that he knew more about bees than she did, and they were her friends. She looked down shyly for a second, embarrassed of not being as cultured, but then she dared ask, "How do you know so much about bees?" She wondered, "I have lived with them for a long time, but never learned much." She leaned closer, "Can you teach me?" Besides, he had a good voice and a good accent and she liked hearing her own language coming from someone else's mouth, someone who wasn't her brother that was.

She nodded as he promised, still smiling gently, "Thank you." And turned toward the road, smiling at the bright day. It was so wonderful, with the cool air and the grass under her feet. No wonder her bees liked it here. Besides, she was with good company. Not many had been nice to Genevieve in Kocher, and her stay in Hammel so far had been so lonely, but now it seemed things were picking up. She had a new friend at least, and one that was smart and caring to boot.

He spoke of Vivian and Genevieve nodded enthusiastically, making the bee almost fall, but managing to stay on her skin. "She does." She said with pride, "And I love her too." She used a finger to gently pat the bee on her cheek before smiling again.

Genevieve listened carefully as he explained his power and her eyes widened. "That is so cool!" She exclaimed, quickly jumping ahead of him and leaning close. "Much more useful than controlling bees!" She leaned back and smiled, "So you can talk to anyone, anywhere. It is the best power I have heard of!" To be able to understand others was, after all, Genevieve's dream. "Does that mean..." She looked down shyly. Maybe she was asking too much of him? "You can- ah, help with my English?" Her grades weren't doing so good after all, and that was usually because she confused her English, more than actually misunderstanding what she was learning. Plus, it was a a nice excuse to be close to someone she enjoyed talking to. "Sometime?"