вlood & peтalѕ [ ĸoтlc - тιana ]

ch. v

I know Keefe seems very hateable in this book and I can't believe I made him seem that way.

"It occurs only when the victim faces a love they know will never be reciprocated."

"But how do we get rid of it?" Linh pressed. Her grip on Tam's hand was painfully tight, nails definitely leaving behind small crescent-shaped cuts in the skin. "Or does that have something to do with crushes as well?"

"Not crushes, Miss Song," Magnate Leto corrected. "Love. Only when Mr. Tam's live for Miss Vacker- did I guess it right?- is reciprocated, will the petals stop."
Tam slouched backwards in his cushy seat, ignoring Linh's questioning gaze. "Great. Even my principal knew."

"It was rather obvious, you see. Also, another thing..." Magnate Leto picked up the packet of petals on the table gingerly between finger and thumb, as if they would infect him. "The type of plant you cough up can also be an indicator of how deep your feelings are."

His brows puckered unconsciously at that. "Meaning?"

"Meaning the type of flower you cough up reflects your feelings for Biana," Tiergan explained.

"But then why did you say it was worse than you thought when you saw the rosebud?" Linh wondered.

Magnate Leto sighed yet again. "From what I heard of the disease, the more of the flower that appears, the further into the disease the victim has progressed. So, by coughing up a whole bud, Mr Tam is in it rather deep already. Are you sure the flowers appeared only today? Usually it takes about a week to progress to this stage."

Tam splayed his fingers against his knee, staring at where his fingers met the dark cloth. "Okay, let's get this straight first. I may have this... disease, but I'm no victim." He lifted his head, liking the principal squarely in the eye. "So don't call me one."

Cue the music. *strikes up a slow mournful beat*