Private Can Plants Get Drunk?

Kalvin relented, letting Carmin down slowly and carefully. Still, he remained ready to catch him in case he still felt weak. "Don't you remember? You were acting drunk and frankly a little cuckoo," Kalvin replied, confused by Carmin's confusion.

The nurse was quietly watching them from the side. Kalvin looked at her and then at Carmin. "I found you on the ground just outside the school. You were rambling nonsense," he said, trying to explain to both the now-clueless Carmin and the nurse what had just happened.

Kalvin's mood was beginning to sour. He didn't like being put in these kinds of positions. A part of him was already regretting having helped Carmin at all. Still, he tried to push down that ugly feeling of not-liking-this and shook his head.

"Well, I don't know what happened before your last memory but I did find you lying on the ground, unconscious, and acting like a damn drunk," Kalvin said. The nurse was giving him a scowl for his language but Kal really wasn't in the business of giving a damn at that moment. "I thought it was strange for a kid to be acting that way so I thought to bring you to the clinic. And then that pansy flower grew right back on your head, you went all limp and wide-eyed like you were on the verge of going Scarlet Witch or Nate Grey or something."

Kalvin pinched the bridge of his nose. They'd kind of already had this conversation before but he had been assuming Carmin had only been exaggerating his age then due to... well, being drunk but also apparently not. Also, his being "not drunk" was still not the kind of explanation you give for acting drunk or the sudden amnesia. Definitely not the weird blackout either.

"Okay, okay. Never mind Nate Grey or Scarlet Witch," Kalvin said, feeling a little embarrassed now that the references even came out of his mouth. "Anyway, yes, that flower on your head was missing when I found you. While I was talking to you before you, I don't know, regained your memories;" Kal resisted the temptation to say sober; "There was a bud that was growing over time. It was just before we got in here that it popped and became a full-on purple pansy. Do you really not remember? I even pointed it out to you that it was ready to bloom and all."

Kalvin was beginning to relax when Carmin began accepting what was being said. That relief took a U-turn however when Carmin began eying him suspiciously. Kalvin frowned and brought his hands up, showing his palms. "I wouldn't know where your flower is," he said. "Like I said before already, I found you lying on the ground, flowerless, while I was making my way back to the dorms. I wouldn't have any reason to de-flower you anyway."

The moment he said the last bit, he choked a little. He hadn't meant it that way. No, of course, he didn't. The words went straight out of his mouth without his mind filtering it. Instead of stumbling, Kalvin held his frown and his defensive gaze instead. He knew his cheeks were the slightest tinge of red though.

The nurse nodded at Carmin before she turned to go back to her desk by the door of the infirmary. Kalvin only stared at Carmin. He was partly a little relieved that he either didn't care about the slipup or had no idea about it. He was also partly a little exasperated that Carmin didn't seem to care enough to give a word of thanks. He wasn't even going to give any attention to that part of him that kind of wanted to smash this little punk into the ground for thinking Kal had intended to take that stupid flower from his head.

Kalvin figured getting some thanks was necessary. He did his due diligence as a member of this lovely society. Yet, he didn't want to ask for gratitude when Carmin clearly didn't want to give it. "Wow, okay. I guess you're welcome, kid," he said bitterly, not being able to help it anyway. Kalvin pocketed his hands--fists, rather, and turned away. It was time to leave this little bump in the road behind and maybe hit the books. "I liked you better when you were flowerless," he muttered under his breath.