[SE] botany plants today

where I save you and you save me

Deimos had long since removed his coat; stepping into the greenhouse was like wandering into a different world – warm, humid, and bright. Rolling his hair back into a messy bun, he proceeded to inspect the wares within; always pleased to see the way things had grown and maintained themselves within the threshold. His earthen magic might have lent to many a power, but he’d always leave the botany life to the professionals.

Which was why he’d invited Amhran to assist in ensuring Halo continued to flourish in the potentials of growth – especially in the self-sustaining wakes of agriculture. Locating an area not already inundated and swarming with plant life, he started digging out satchets and packs of seeds he’d snagged from his various trips around Caido, handing them over to the Raeling as they kept appearing out of his bag of holding. “I got these,” which included aloe, melons, an assortment of berries, peppers, and some uncommon flower blooms, before granting the youth a smaller grin, head tilting, waiting for the inspection and perusal. “Thought I would leave it to you to decide what is best.”

Deimos

and we save each other over and over, a hundred times, endlessly

the harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun

More at home in the greenhouse than anywhere else, naturally, Amhran steps into the space as if he was born to be there, already unravelling his scarf from around his nose and mouth and hanging his coat on one of the many hooks available. Similarly pulling his hair into a messy knot atop his head, he joins Deimos on their search for an unoccupied bed, pleased to find a space relatively easily. While the other man withdraws his plethora of seeds, Amhran is already kneeling with the tools he's brought (of course he has his own) to till the fresh soil and ensure it's good and ready for the planting. 

"Oh, wow - you got so many," he trills, accepting the seeds and inspecting their labels with a visibly pleased smile on his face. "We can probably fix an area up for the aloe - it's a useful plant and will perservere, so we should make sure we choose a space where it can live permanently," he says. "It will produce child plants frequently, too, so we'll need to check often to make sure it doesn't try to take over the bed."

Setting the aloe to one side, he looks through the others. "We can plant the berries along one border - they're seasonal so they'll come back every year - and we'll plant melons and peppers in the centre to give them space to fruit. I'll divide a smaller space for the flowers so they don't get overwhelmed by the rest. Does that sound good?"

where I save you and you save me

Deimos, by wake of a vast amount of experiences, was always a little over-prepared. Sometimes it made for zealous movements and motions, swift calculations of enemies and adversaries, and sometimes it meant he’d brought far too many seeds for one area. But Amhran didn’t seem to mind, and so he tilted his head, listening as the youth began explaining, and not unlike Evie doing much similar notions, he strived to understand and comprehend the elemental factors. For a man who simply liked to drop pips and roots into the soil, maintain and let it flourish with some earth magic, and walk away, much of it seemed over-complicated. Perhaps most would say the same for battle strategies and weapons.

So he didn’t make a single complaint, nodding his head at the lecture. Content they were useful, his brow arched a degree, trying to find his own way to be impactful. “Fine by me. I will trust your expertise.” Gods knew he would’ve just chucked the seeds anywhere. “I can dig up areas for them. Just point out where is best.”

Deimos

and we save each other over and over, a hundred times, endlessly

the harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun

Amhran doesn't consider himself having expertise in very many things, but to hear Deimos phrase it as such has a warm little smile spreading across his face, and he nods and shifts to grab a few wooden border markers and a roll of twine. "If you can take care of the aloe - we'll put it here, I think," he begins, using marker and twine to cordon off a square for the aloe to spread its roots and inevitable chaos, "and the flowers here," and again he marks off part of the bed - a third of it, roughly, "then I will do the others?"

Already there's a semblance of organisation to the space that wasn't there previously, Amhran grabbing up a trowel and dividing the seeds between them. "The flowers I think can be planted however you like. I didn't see any that needed specific conditions or would risk crowding out the other species." In short, Deimos can indeed chuck those seeds anywhere, if that's what he desires.

this is the reckoning

He watched as Amhran sectioned portions off – nodding along and studying the cordoned areas with a scrutinizing eye. “Sounds good,” he nodded, before giving a boyish grin, and shifting into his favored hellhound. It might be overzealous and a little unnecessary for the smaller task, but if Deimos could find ways to amuse himself, he’d do it – bounding and leaping over to the designated aloe area in several massive strides.

Tilting his head, scrutinizing and analyzing, he then sunk his paws into the fresh soil, before digging into the loam. It was a little too tempting to send some of it flying haphazardly behind him, but after several fragments, wedges, and lumps went soaring, he tampered down on more careful expertise, leaving holes for the seeds, then moving on to the other spaces.

DEIMOS

wolf image credit

the harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun

With his trowel in hand and familiar work ahead, Amhran is already settling into a quiet sort of serenity, preparing to turn over the earth when he senses a wash of heat from beside him. Eyebrows raising, he glances sidelong to Deimos just in time to spot the fyrhund dig and kick a few sprays of earth free, the Raeling having to stifle his laughter behind his hand lest he disturb anyone else in the greenhouse. "I don't think I've ever seen that method before," he admits, shifting out of range of the dirt bath (even after Deimos controls himself) and starting his own work.

He goes more slowly and methodically, of course, but in no time at all the plots are fully prepared for the seeds, and Amhran begins to divide out his melons, peppers and berries, planting each carefully into their assigned spots before covering them with fresh soil and patting them down, like he's tucking them in for bed. "If they grow right, we should have quite a lot of yield at Longheat and even beyond that," he says with a satisfied smile.

where I save you and you save me

While it might not have been a preferred method, what it lacked in precision it made up for in amusement. He gave a low bark of approval at the compliment, sort of, before declaring the holes sufficient in his brief and potent excavation. Shifting back, he shrugged at the amount of dirt that had gone flying in his excitement and enthusiasm, grinning regardless, and began to use his earth magic to parse it all back in place.

“Good. That is the goal,” he murmured in return, beginning to snag at the seeds and placing them where Amhran had deemed them appropriate and ideal. Thereafter, he tucked them back in the nest of fresh loam and soil, no matter how tilled, then went to do the same with the next patch. “Is there anything else you think we should be growing in here?” He’d always welcome the insight of fellow citizens, especially when they had the available provisions to get the job done.

Deimos

and we save each other over and over, a hundred times, endlessly

the harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun

Watching with unhidden interest as Deimos easily clears up the mess he's made with his earth magic, Amhran smiles and finishes up with his seed planting, gazing over the fresh beds with satisfaction. "It must be very useful, to have access to all the elements you need," he says. "Do you remember a time without it?" As he speaks he rises to his feet to fetch a watering can - empty - and offers it out towards Deimos to ask if he would be so kind as to fill it with water.

As for what else they might grow, Amhran gazes around the greenhouse to consider. "I have been cultivating a small corner for herbs," he explains, pointing it out, "and I have also started to grow some strains of tea. But as for what we should be growing...?" His brows pinch together. "Perhaps some trees? Like bamboo or hazel? They're fast growing and can be used for consistent kindling, and the hazel will also give us hazelnuts."

where I save you and you save me

He didn’t expect the question – brow arching as he looked up from his much more careful implementation of planting. “Yes. When I first arrived in Caido.” Stripped of who he’d been before, and consequently without the thresholds of strength, built back up again over long periods of time. “I only had Life Drain at that point, and it was quite weak.” No air, earth, fire, or water until far later, when he’d implemented, wielded, strived, and tried, boundlessly determined despite the many anchors and pillars desperately trying to hold him back. "Your magic will grow too."

Filling the can with water with those same enchantments, he rose from his crouch, patting down the portions of loam and soil, head tilting as his own inquiry was answered. Herbs and tea did sound good, and he could recall more filling up the cabinets at home – now either due to Amhran or Evie’s behest – and his gaze flickered around at the notion of trees. They had some for fruit, like apples and oranges, but he hadn’t considered bamboo or hazel. “I can probably get the former from King’s End, and shop around for the other.”

Deimos

and we save each other over and over, a hundred times, endlessly

the harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun

"Only life drain?" Never having been around the man Deimos had been when he'd first arrived in Caido, the only version Amhran has ever known is this one, and he can't say he ever sees the Sword resort to that dark sort of magic unless it's necessary. "I can't imagine having to start over again like that. It must have been hard. You were in the Hollowed Grounds to begin with, right?" He's sure Deimos has said as much from their previous trips to the region.

Murmuring his thanks for filling the watering can, Amhran lingers on his last remark as he goes about sprinkling water onto their soon-to-be seedlings. That his magic would grow is basic evolution at work, and he knows as much, but it still gives him a quiet thrill to consider what else he might become. "I can help, with the hazel," he offers with a smile. "I said I would go back towards Torchline for more swimming lessons. I will stop by the Greatwood on the way back - I'm sure they'll have something."

where I save you and you save me

He nodded, neither ashamed nor bothered. That dark magic had been a part of him through multiple lifetimes, a portion of cool, detached calculations and dire necessities. He didn’t wield it often now, not with so many other capabilities lurking in his pulse and ichor, but those semblances would always be the most familiar. A quick strike of unseen, intangible threads, and then the consuming nothingness.

Applying the water incantations to those seeds laid within now, his rumble was distinct and unadorned. “Yes. Behind the barrier. Circumstances certainly made it more difficult.” Being trapped. Being led and ruled by Zariah, however brief. Trying to find their way out and forward without everything else being so firmly left behind. Maybe it hadn’t mattered in the end though, because they’d all found their striding amidst the difficult and foreboding paths. “I like to think many of us made the most of our situations now.” Remi and Ronin had traversed some horrendous pitfalls on their way to where they were now, Sunjata much the same – any reflections on those who hadn’t carved into the present remained firmly lodged in his mind, pouring his attention and focus upon the ground and ensuring each seed was properly maintained.

But Amhran was onto better, brighter things, and Deimos gave him another light smile. “Thank you. That would be great.” Recalling earlier practicalities about swimming lessons, he nodded at that juncture too. “Whenever you want to go.”

Deimos

and we save each other over and over, a hundred times, endlessly

the harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun

"Mm, I bet. In some ways, though, was it easier having less of the world to contend with?" Amhran wonders. If Halo had been contained behind some magical snowglobe, he can certainly envisage a sense of tight-knit community beyond that which the Halovians already share. And with limited space, he can also imagine making the most of all that they have, leaving no patch of land uncared for.

He nods, more than happy to take Deimos's word for it regarding the future of all those others who had started off behind the barrier, smiling as he straightens up with his now-empty watering can in hand. "I will," he promises the Sword, before glancing at their work with satisfaction. "I think these will grow nicely," he confirms. "I think I'm going to stick around here for a bit longer, but if you have other things to do, I will see you back home?"

where I save you and you save me

Ensuring the seedlings were content with their new arrangement, the question made him pause, brows furrowing ever so slightly, mind churning over the pragmatics. “Maybe. Though there were many internal things to deal with.” The Grounds had its own fair share of political strife, anger with neighboring regions like the Greatwood, new discoveries, and onslaughts of monsters as more individuals tried to break away and maneuver out through barriers. “Perhaps it merely changed the level of drama,” and he winked, wrinkling his nose again in a juvenile manner, glossing over the horrors and traumas faced within.

Rising from his crouch, the work here mostly completed (save for Amhran’s impending tasks), he nodded. “Of course. Though you were helping me avoid the office.” On that though, he maneuvered outward, grabbing his coat by the door and alternating his path to the next assignment at hand.

[FIN]

Deimos

and we save each other over and over, a hundred times, endlessly