Michael
Another lovely day here at the not-prison, another jarring raindrop somehow falling directly onto the spot Owen's head that least expected it. He instinctively blurted a flat "Ow" To no one but himself. 

It wasn't raining too hard today, but it was enough to make all the tree branches slick and a little dangerous even for the guy who probably wouldn't get hurt if he landed on his rear. And he had. Many times now. There were leaves sticking out of his hair that he had missed in his most recent shake-down, probably a few twigs stuck to his pants, and a rather impressive branch approximately the size and weight of a broadsword in his hand. 

Shaking his head a little, he tightened his unzipped hoodie a little closer around his shoulders and started wandering toward the nearest entrance. Some juice or something sounded nice right about now.
Cristal
"Excuse me!" Calls a voice from behind Owen. "Could you help us?"
Joshua stands a couple dozen yards off, holding a small potted tree. He's also covered in twigs and leaves, though it's not from falling out of a tree. 
He had decided to take Jeffrey to try to meet some of the local flora, and in the process had somehow managed to get entirely lost.
Michael
"Heh?" 
Owen turned, losing his balance for a second on a rock. Righting himself and processing the thing said to him, he grinned and twirled the stick. *We? As in the plant?* Eh. Best not to question strange people alone in the woods.
"What's the matter?"
Another jarring raindrop splattered on the bridge of his nose, which wrinkled reflexively.
Cristal
"Well it's kind of a funny story." The other boy says. His gloved hands fidget slightly as he holds the small tree's pot.
"I heard there was a greenhouse on the premises and we wanted to go check it out. But I couldn't find it so I gave up. But I can't even find the entrance to the building anymore." He speaks rather quickly, as if he's worried someone's going to stop him from finishing.
Michael
Owen blinked sleepily as the strange plant enthusiast said his piece. He couldn't help but look back at the pot. Wasn't it heavy? No, no, don't mention the plant. Right! Can't just beam thoughts into people's heads, have to say them out loud.
"Oh, yeah, I think I passed a greenhouse a week ago.. It's around here somewhere." Flexing his free hand and using it to move a strand of hair out of his face, he remembered that there was a second half to that thought.
"Oh! Ah, I'm headed back too, I, um, need some juice and also to get this magnificent stick to ..Somewhere." Was it weird to collect giant sticks? Another couple of raindrops, this time on his cheek. 

Another strange beat of silence as he again convinced himself *Not to ask about the plant* And he beckoned the lost gardener to follow him. "This way, mate," He invited.

"Oh, um. Owen, by the way. Me, that is." He chuckled to mask the thought that came out of his mouth sideways. Another winning introduction, bravo.
Cristal
Joshua blinks a couple times, trying to figure out if they were going inside or back in search of the greenhouse. "Thank you." Either way, Joshua would just be happy to get out of this rain.
After just long enough for it to be awkward, he realises he should introduce himself.
"Oh! Right. My name is Joshua and this," He hoists the tree a little bit, "Is Jeffrey. Thank you for the help" He repositions Jeffrey a little bit in his hands, preparing to follow Owen.
Michael
Owen gulped. He and the plant have been introduced, so he decided to take that as a sign that it would not be the end of it all if he asked about the plant (*Jeffrey?!*) 

"Evening, Jeffrshh-uh Joshua and Jeffrey," He blurted, turning back to face them. He took a breath and kept going. "Might I, uhm, ask about the pla-Jeffrey?" His eyes were firmly fixed now on the plant being shown to him. 
"Can he.. Hear me?"
Those last couple of sentences came out a little faster. This place was *Weird*. He needed juice.
Cristal
Without any hesitation Joshua answers the second question first "Just as well as any other plant can."
He then pauses as he decides how to describe his... Difficult past with Jeffrey.
"I guess the easiest way to put it is that I can... Talk?" He trails off for a moment, searching for the right word."I guess that's the best word for it. I can talk with plants. Jeffrey and I have been living together for most of my life, through a lot of... Trouble."
Michael
"Duuuude." Owen's eyes widened a little. Even after seeing a decent handful of cool things people could do here, he was nevertheless impressed. "That's *Sweet*," He spluttered, lest his initial reaction be misinterpreted. 

Not really knowing what to say beyond that, he resumed walking. This dude seemed to be about as socially inclined as he was, which was both awkward and a little comforting. The hand holding his sword-stick shifted its grip, his knuckles aching slightly with the cold. He risked a little wisp of light towards them, feeling them crackle back to life from the inside. He knew without looking that a faint light danced through his hand beneath his skin, flickering away as soon as it had awoken.
"My power's a shield, sort of thingy," He half mumbled, acting as natural as he could. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, I took off without asking- did you want to see the greenhouse or get back to the facility?" He chuckled at his zoned-out-ness. "You've probably been carrying Jeffrey for a while, but, you got pretty close actually."
Cristal
"I have been carrying it for some time. I think I'll have to find the greenhouse some other day." He answers. "Would you mind leading me back to the facility? And if you do, would you mind elaborating on what 'shield sort of thingy' means?" 
That sounded like it was pretty interesting. And definitely useful. What good is communicating with plants?
Michael
"Aye, sounds good. I'm hungry anyhow, so.." He trailed off, figuring that the point had gotten across. 
"Hm? Oh! Yeah, it's a shield- it sleeps in my bloodstream most of the time, but I can wake it up and it does this," He explained, speaking a little faster. 

He extended his hand back toward Joshua, making sure he was watching as he called it forth; the light trapped beneath his skin passed through all his layers and hardened on the surface, reddish-orange and faintly shimmering like a delicate soap bubble the colour of a hearth fire. His cheeks warmed, probably turning a similar colour.
"And, ah, I can make it really hot," He continued, focusing; his hand closed into a fist and swirled with a stream of gold. "And I can make it not stick to me," He spoke again, followed by a deep breath. He flicked his hand back open again, projecting the barrier outward from it, like someone swiped a paintbrush dipped in fire between them.

Owen caught the swathe of heat back in his hand, and scanned Joshua's face nervously as it melted and sank back into his arm. He got a better look at his features, though embarrassingly late. Striking, he was, and a lot taller than him, but mostly he reminded him of a nice, shady tree. 
"That's it mostly, it makes me really warm and hungry a lot," He concluded after a pulse. "Getting the hang of it." He hoped that he hadn't rambled too much about himself. A short breath, a final scan, and he resumed walking.

"..I'm curious- what have plants got to say?"
Cristal
Joshua watches in awe as Owen shows his powers, flinching slightly as the power flares out, but overall maintaining an impressed expression at the display.
"Honestly the only word I've actually gotten from a plant is 'Jeffrey.' Most plants it's just general ideas. Needs they have. Stuff like that. Sometimes if I ask nicely enough, they can tell me about the area around them. But that's hard."
He sets down Jeffrey and takes off his left glove, revealing a hand covered in a light brown bark material. "Most of my practise has gone into this." Then he places a hand against the trunk of the small tree, and one of the small buds growing from a branch begins to grow, forming a small bulbous shape that turns yellow and falls to the pot after a few moments.
Joshua picks up the newly grown lemon, much smaller than average but still fully formed. He starts to stand up but sways, nearly losing his balance.
"Woah." He says breathlessly.
Michael
Owen did a double take. *Did this dude just. Make a lemon?!* An undignified sound bubbles up from his throat. "That's.. That's incredible," He stammered, eyes locked incredulously on the brand-new lemon. "Hah! Not every day you meet a guy with a wooden hand who can casually make lemons," He blurted, awestruck, having totally given up processing any of this. 

He found himself in a constant state of thinking *"Well, this might as well happen"* Since he had arrived here, and the mindset seemed to be serving him better than panicking. 
"You all right?" He felt compelled to ask. Spontaneously growing lemons looked like taxing work. "We're almost back."
Cristal
Joshua sets the lemon in the dirt at the bottom of Jeffrey's pot. Making it was far more exhausting than he'd expected. He'd nearly passed out in fact, but he decides to lie, "I'm fine. Just a little lightheaded."
He picks Jeffrey back up and continues following. "Thank you for leading us back," He says, trying to downplay the lemon, "I'd never have found the door."