the harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun
Having been touring the rest of the greenhouse in the time it takes for Evie to step inside, by the time she speaks, the man is crouched near a species of what he knows instinctively is an orchid, despite never having been told. He migrates towards the sound of the Evergreen's voice immediately, in the same gentle way that flowers turn to face the sun, and a smile curls up the corners of his lips.
"Hello, Mother," he says in a voice as rich as the soil he's sprung from, easy as you like. Straightening up, he steps across to meet her, all bare feet and dirty cheeks. "I think so, yes. It is quite strange, being apart from the vines." It doesn't seem to have done him any harm, at least, and he tilts his head at her in sudden curiosity. "You have completed your pregnancy," he observes. "I hope all went as you intended it."
"Hello, Mother," he says in a voice as rich as the soil he's sprung from, easy as you like. Straightening up, he steps across to meet her, all bare feet and dirty cheeks. "I think so, yes. It is quite strange, being apart from the vines." It doesn't seem to have done him any harm, at least, and he tilts his head at her in sudden curiosity. "You have completed your pregnancy," he observes. "I hope all went as you intended it."
