Working With Red

Swollen Hands and Miscommunication

Updated: 2021.08.18 

Please read "Good Evening and Sweet Nightmares" before this chapter. Somehow the chapters were switched, so if this chapter comes first, read the aforementioned chapter before this one. 

It was about seven in the morning, and Dinah and Oliver were sitting downstairs in Oliver's office, staring tiredly at his computer. They'd left you alone in your room after Oliver offered to give you some sleeping meds, which you willingly took. You were out within five minutes, leaving Oliver and Dinah on a mission to identify the mysterious plants on the balcony. They were sure to throw both plants over the balcony and lock the doors before leaving.   

"Okay, so we've narrowed it down to a few things," Oliver murmured sluggishly as he nudged Dinah, who had fallen asleep on his shoulder. She grunted, slowly opening her eyes and looking at the monitor.

"Okay," she replied, yawning, "what are our options?"

"First, we have erythroxylum novogranatense, erythroxylum coca, etcetera," Oliver said, clicking on the picture of the plant. "The flowers kind of look similar--"

"Are you kidding me?" Dinah muttered. "The flowers on the balcony are way too big to be this 'erythro-xerox-whatever'. Next." Oliver groaned, clicking on the next photo.

"This is hyoscyamus niger," he said.

"No," Dinah hummed, shaking her head, "the plant was specifically a tree. This plant just looks like a pretty white weed. Next."

"This one is an Angel's Trumpet--" Dinah practically launched herself at the monitor, shoving her finger against the photo.

"That's it!" She exclaimed, frantically tapping Oliver. "This is the flower." Oliver nodded, clicking on another photo of the plant.

"It says here the Angel's Trumpet--also known as datura inoxia, datura metel, or Brugmansia--is a flower native to countries like Venezuela and Chile, and have a strong, pleasing fragrance most noticeable in the evening," Oliver murmured, reading the article below the photo. "However, it says this plant is among one of the most dangerous and toxic houseplants on record. The plant was previously used in herbal teas, but causes horrible hallucinations and can be very deadly when consumed. It can even cause brain damage to the point where the 'victim' can't decipher between reality or fantasy. Though it is an extremely poisonous plant, the datura inoxia and metal have a lower toxicity than the Brugmansia."

"Oh my God," Dinah muttered, shaking her head as she studied the plant in the picture. "Do  you think it's possible--"

"I don't know," Oliver interrupted, running a hand down his face. "Dinah, she was screaming at me; she was in a lot of pain." Dinah moved in front of Oliver, cupping his cheek as she forced him to look at her.

"I know," Dinah whispered, leaning forward to place a light kiss on Oliver's lips. "I know it hurt you to see her like that, but right now we need to focus, okay?" Oliver nodded, placing his hand over Dinah's as he turned back to the computer.

"Do you think it's possible to manipulate the plants' fragrances to mess with (Y/N)'s head?" He asked, eyeing the photo of the plant. "This says when they're consumed, they can cause horrible hallucinations, but if there were a way to fix the plants to make their fragrance toxic--"

"All (Y/N) would have to do is take one whiff of the plant and she'd be lost in her own mind," Dinah finished, shaking her head in disgust. "But that doesn't explain how the plants got here in the first place." Dinah hesitated for a moment, her lips parting. "You don't think she--"