Verdant

[Code Name] Verdant [Gender] Male [Combat Experience] 1 year [Place of Birth] Victoria [Date of Birth] Apr 12 [Race] Phidia [Height] 163cm [Infection Status] Confirmed Infected by medical examination.

[Physical Strength] Normal [Mobility] Excellent [Physical Resilience] Normal [Tactical Acumen] Standard [Combat Skill] Normal [Originium Arts Assimilation] Standard

Born in a Victorian farming town, Verdant studied botany in university and was considered one of the best students in recent years, until he developed Oripathy and was forced to withdraw and leave the nomadic city, becoming a 'plant hunter.' He loves plants and has a particular eye for them. He has also received education in bioengineering and pharmacology. He came to Rhodes Island to seek treatment and later joined as a field operator, while also participating in the Medical department's pharmaceutical development program.

Imaging tests show the indistinct outlines of internal organs, obscured by abnormal shadows. Originium granules detected in the circulatory system. The subject is confirmed to be infected with Oripathy. [Cell-Originium Assimilation] 4% Operator Verdant's infection remains under control. No Originium crystals have been observed on the surface of his body. [Blood Originium-Crystal Density] 0.21u/L The subject's condition is stable. As the subject's duties often require him to journey into dangerous environments, a full health examination is recommended at regular intervals. 'He didn't look happy back there. I mean, I thought I was doing my job properly...' 'Don't worry, he always looks like that. He's actually quite mild-mannered once you get to know him. —Conversation between two Medical operators

Verdant seemed aloof and unapproachable when he first reported to HR. He paid no heed to the young operator who brought him the forms and water, and only gave the most basic responses to the HR manager's kind words. The one thing that caught his attention was the potted plant on a corner of the office table. The HR operator who welcomed him described the scene as such: Verdant's eyes visibly softened when he saw the plant, and he started muttering about the shapes of the leaves, surface evaporation rate, scent, and toxicity... most of it incomprehensible. Then, he bent forward, gently touched a leaf with his finger, quickly pulled back like he got an electric shock, and finally impassively asked the others where the plant came from. He was obviously suppressing his excitement as he spoke. He rushed through the onboarding paperwork, then headed straight for Lena's greenhouse. If not for him, we wouldn't have known that the tiny little plant we got from her, which we often neglect, was such a special breed. I hope that he'll pass on our sincere gratitude to the evergreen Convalescent Garden. 'Hey, come back! Get him back here! Look at how he filled out the form...' 'Other than the code name, he just scribbled through all the other sections: occupation, place of birth, Infection status, reason for joining...' We asked Verdant to redo his forms properly this time, and had him sign off that everything is accurate and truthful. —HR Supplemental Note 1 That snake signed his name as 'Strawman'! Good thing Lena was there to point it out. This time we took extra special measures to make sure that the signature is his own. —HR Supplemental Note 2

Lena and her team grow many different types of plants in Rhodes Island's Convalescent Garden. Lately, an unremarkable herbaceous plant has become the center of attention amongst the botanists and gardeners on the ship. While appearing no different from your average roadside weed, it is apparently a new species unknown to any of the experts on the ship, and it was Verdant, the mysterious plant hunter, who brought it here. Verdant took out a small sample box from his backpack. I smelled fresh earth as he opened it, the lights inside the box still providing warmth for the plant inside. The unremarkable plant would have been removed from the fields just like any weed, fed to burdenbeasts, and eventually returned to the soil, had Verdant not discovered it, identified it as distinct from any known plant species, and saved it from its fate. 'It may not have any special fragrance, or nutritional value, but it's new to me. And that's why it's precious.' Verdant showed unparalleled determination when talking about the plant, and his normally cold complexion visibly softened. [Audio Log] 'You've been here at Rhodes Island for a while now. Maybe you could try letting your guard down, make a few friends... Say, I think Lena was looking for you. I wonder what it's about?' 'Lena? The perfumer? Probably wants me to collect more thin-tailed grass.' 'Oh yes, thin-tailed grass, that new species... interesting name. I wonder who named it.' 'Yeah... who?'

While still a patient at Rhodes Island, Verdant often visited the library late at night, huddling up with books and periodicals about botany in a corner behind the shelves, and jotting down notes in his notebook. When there was anyone else in the library, he would put up a stoic face, pretend to have gotten the wrong door, and turn around to leave, only for his sigh to be plainly audible from the stairway. It was later revealed that he had thought the library was only open to operators. But unable to suppress his curiosity, he snuck in at night to read anyway. 'Going at night is the best way to get things done, whether it be retrieving half-eaten fruit from a beast den, taking flowers from a noble's garden, or browsing through the Royal Library's archives.' Upon learning the reason for Verdant's actions, he was issued a library card and invited to help organize the archives. It was during this process that he, who is usually reticent about his past, revealed a few fragments of his days studying botany in university. Through his talent and love for plants, he had quickly become the professors' favorite student, but he never finished his education. We can only hypothesize that Oripathy was the reason he dropped out of school. 'It was the worst of times, but looking back on it, it was the best of times. 'I made this strawman's clothes myself, after my school uniform. I wonder how my professor's project is going, and how the investigation on the growth cycle and distribution of those crops is progressing.' 'It's good enough for me that I get to continue to study plants... but I wonder when I'll be able to go back to school.'

'I had to withdraw after getting Infected, leaving the nomadic city and returning to my hometown.' 'The back-country fields may look endless, but any rumor about the Infected is like the wind in the fields, sweeping from house to house.' He was repairing his strawman while speaking about this part of his past. He tried to teach us how to make these strawmen, but no one managed to pick it up. He told us that his father was a craftsman of some repute, from which he picked up these skills, while his knowledge of plants came from his farmer mother. Harboring an Infected made life difficult for the family, as farmers and procurers alike began to distance themselves. Even if his parents did not consider it a burden, they lacked the means to make any long-term plans for him. As such, Verdant decided to leave behind the warmth and comfort of home. In his travels, he met someone who needed a botanist, and began working as a 'plant hunter,' operating in the gray zone between government, the nobles, and corporations, sometimes resorting to less than scrupulous means and getting into trouble for it. Because of his Infection, he is reserved and cautious when dealing with others, acting cold and aloof in front of strangers in order to keep them at arm's length. We believe that these experiences are the reason he avoids personal interaction. Having spent a considerable amount of time in treatment at Rhodes Island, we have observed his interactions with other operators and realized that there is a lot of warmth in his heart. He regularly helps Lena clean up fallen leaves in the Convalescent Garden, writes letters of appreciation to Flamebringer for helping care for the plants he is studying, and brings back flower samples for Podenco and Lisa after 'hunting' trips. We are happy that he is beginning to open up to us, and that he feels at home at Rhodes Island.

Verdant's 'strawman' is almost indistinguishable from himself, especially to those unfamiliar with him. They both look at you with in that straight-on manner, like they're observing you. According to Verdant, his strawmen are made using a variety of rare plants, which he controls through Arts to distract the enemy while he escapes using his understanding of the environment and his own agility. If necessary, he can also use his spray-equipped saw to get rid of any 'pests' or 'weeds.' I was trapped by the spiky leaves protruding from the strawman while listening to him describe these gadgets. Fortunately, he was right there to cut the leaves away and free me... fresh air has never tasted better. While the strawman may give off a sweet smell of fruit, it is a lethal fragrance that you should stay away from... especially if Verdant isn't around.