all thy heart opens unto me

Evie

i'll plant a row of daisy seeds
in the space beneath each eye

Torchline is still mostly unfamiliar to her, aside from the L'ma and its call that had brought her to these sandy shores. However with the new weight upon her shoulders to assist Loren in his role as Grand Healer, she is more determined than ever to prove herself to the suspicious and hardy people of Halo. Though the cold does not bite into her anymore, the sun is still a welcome reprieve as she goes hunting along the shoreline for new specimens and seeds to collect and spirit back to her budding greenhouse stock.

There are many that she has never encountered, and already Evie is determined to barter her way into the good graces of one of the merchants to acquire any kind of herbal literature based on Torchline. While more than confident in exploring the uses and effects of what she finds, a starting place has never really hurt anyone.

The lighthouse is a landmark she can't help but gravitate towards, as it is intended to do, as she traverses the space where land and sea meet. It becomes rockier as she goes along, sprouting grasses and vegetation that is of more use to her than sand, sand, and more sand. Spotting a particularly interesting little spindle of growth, Evie kneels gracefully and coaxes it up just a tad with her magic, exercising her control over it instead of relying upon her spade. She can't slack on her lessons just because Zariah isn't breathing down her neck after all.

so they'll remind you of your beauty
when they bloom each time you cry

Seren

I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
Destined to seek, destined to know

Lately, Seren had been hungry. A ravenous, ceaseless kind of hungry, that made her uncharacteristically cranky. She was tired too. Slept long into the morning, and collapsed early in the evening, and took unusually long naps during the day. Her body was aching strangely, and she had no idea what was going on.

Sent out to play, with her pockets tucked full with crackers and dried fruit to tide her over until dinner, she made her way to her usual spot by the lighthouse. She missed Mother more than usual too, and seeing the glowing light at the top of the tower somehow helped.

Her place was occupied however, by a woman. She was pretty, but her hair was red and not black like Mother's, so the initial skipped heartbeat soon calmed into a dull throbbing of lonely resignation. Nibbling on one of the crackers, the little girl made no attempts to hide as she approached, calmly like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her young voice sweet and melodical. The raven hair was a cascade of dark curls tumbling down her shoulders, already tousled and in need of a comb, and the eyes were blue as the Torchline sky. Her feet were bare, and the simple, knee-length sun dress had seen better days. A garment to tumble about in, climb rocks and dig for treasure with.

I am a princess on the way to my throne
Destined to reign, destined to roam

Evie

i'll plant a row of daisy seeds
in the space beneath each eye

The light feet of the newcomer don't alert Evie to her presence until the youth is nearly already upon her, but she pauses in her collection nonetheless and flips her hair over her shoulder for lack of clean hands, turning to peer at the child who has come wandering to her side. The curiosity is understandable, though Evie's cornflower eyes sweep up the barren path behind the girl, a crinkle of concern forming between her brows at the clear lack of parental oversight. It smooths when she looks at the young girl however, for she's certainly not the one to blame.

Shifting to show her half-gathered sample, Evie gives a warm and inviting smile, and beckons the girl closer with dirt-stained fingers if she would care to do so. "I'm harvesting these little plants, so that I can take them home and grow them in a place where they wouldn't normally be found." With a last little pull of her magic she grasps the plant, roots whole and unharmed due to her magic, and carefully tucks it away into a little clay pot meant for her starters. Then it goes into her bag with the others, and she dusts her hands upon her pants and - still squatting to account for their height difference - regards the lass. "What are you doing little miss? Aside from making a mess of that cracker," she teases lightly. Charmed as ever by any young soul, so rare and well-protected as they usually are.

so they'll remind you of your beauty
when they bloom each time you cry

Seren

I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
Destined to seek, destined to know

Seren was used to the searching glances around her, and didn't think anything of it. Perhaps the silhouette of a small white dragon might appear in the sky above them from time to time, sent to check that the girl wasn't in trouble, but that too was of no concern to Seren.

Her interest was caught by the explanation, expression brightening with understanding. "Are you making a garden?" she asked, rather enthusiastically. "I want a garden too, daddy said we could have lots of flowers." That was before the volcano erupted, of course.  Maybe he had forgotten.

Looking hastily down to the cracker, Seren found that it was indeed turning rather crumbly. "Just playing," she replied with a little shrug. "My house is over there." A little finger pointed back to the trail she had come from, over the gently rolling hill. Not too far off, a plume of white chimney smoke could be seen rising, snatched and torn by the wind.

I am a princess on the way to my throne
Destined to reign, destined to roam

Evie

i'll plant a row of daisy seeds
in the space beneath each eye

Evie laughs brightly at the girl's enthusiasm. "Yes, of sorts. An indoor garden, where the flowers bloom no matter the cold outside." Of course she has to actually build the greenhouse still, but acquiring the seedlings had been more important with Deepfrost looming on the horizon. Evie turns and gives the little girl her full attention, eyes warm at the clear love of flowers. It reminds her quite a lot of herself at that age. "What color flowers would you want?" Inviting her to say more, to engage in conversation instead of being talked down to.

Cornflower blue eyes lift to the pointed finger, seeing the smoke on the horizon and the lighthouse not far. While she still doesn't feel positively towards the girls' parents for not keeping an eye on her (and the irony of just who she has for parents is beyond her comprehension) she is certainly safe at Evie's side. "What were you playing? Can I join?" The plants can wait for a little while longer.

so they'll remind you of your beauty
when they bloom each time you cry

Seren

I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
Destined to seek, destined to know

Oh, that was a new concept. The girl's eyes widened, ocean blue and excited. "You have a garden in your room?" she asked, because it was the closest picture she got. "That is amazing, can I do that too?"

Ever the imitator, if someone did something fun, Seren of course wanted to do it, have it, know it too. Her own game was promptly forgotten, and the question was met with a shrug. "Finding treasure stones. Can I help you find flowers instead?" It seemed a far better game, as she hadn't played it before. "My name is Seren, what is your name?"

I am a princess on the way to my throne
Destined to reign, destined to roam

Evie

i'll plant a row of daisy seeds
in the space beneath each eye

Evie laughs at the girl's excitement. "Yes, I do. I always have, since I was a little older than you." It had begun with potted plants in her bedroom, or in the study. Ones she'd tended to as she was taught to conceal her magic appropriately. It had grown out of control since then, and now even her apothecary is practically a greenhouse in its own right. "You have to start small, but I'm sure I can find something for you to take home with you to grow." Something that would be a little hardier, less likely to wither and die beneath an enthusiastic but easily-distracted young girl's thumb.

"Of course we can go flower hunting. My name is Evie, it's nice to meet you." Straightening, she readjusts her bag and automatically drops her hand for Seren to grab if she'd like, a maternal instinct she has always held but rarely used coming to the fore. "Now we won't go too far so that your parents won't worry, okay?" She still feels a little uncomfortable at the idea of making them think she has abducted the poor girl, but hopefully they'll stay within line of sight of the house with how flat the earth is here. "We can go hunting for asters, they're a flower that bloom best when the heat of the sun doesn't burn them, so I'm sure we'll find plenty now that it's Leafchange." And in a fun variety of colors, since the girl hadn't mentioned which one she preferred.

so they'll remind you of your beauty
when they bloom each time you cry

Seren

I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
Destined to seek, destined to know

"Okay!" Seren had no such concerns when it came to befriending strangers, which perhaps would give her father gray hairs one of these days. She happily took the offered hand and pointed towards a place a bit further inland, and closer to the houses. This ragged, rocky part of the coast was her little kingdom, and she knew it like the back of her hand.

"Lots of flowers grow over there," she informed Evie cheerfully, excited about the idea of taking home a flower that wouldn't wither after a day or two. "I have a friend who knows lots of flowers too," she revealed, as she dragged Evie off towards the spot. "He said he would teach me when I am bigger."

If only the biggering would hurry up... There was so much to do, and she couldn't wait to get started.

I am a princess on the way to my throne
Destined to reign, destined to roam

Evie

i'll plant a row of daisy seeds
in the space beneath each eye

The young girl clearly knows this area better, raised upon the windtorn cliffs and coastal grasses, the glow of the lighthouse to direct her at night. Evie is content to let her lead, to encourage the girl to do her own adventuring and to control this little endeavor. It makes her feel quite maternal, but in a sad, longing sort of way.

"Oh? Is your friend a gardener?" Or perhaps some sort of healer, as she is? Though Evie gives a bubbling laugh at the idea of needing to be bigger. "Well that's silly. I was learning when I was your age! You can learn the easy things now when you're young." It had given Evie a leg up on her current expertise, and if the girl wants to learn why stunt her?

so they'll remind you of your beauty
when they bloom each time you cry

Seren

I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
Destined to seek, destined to know

Seren nodded cheerfully. "A farmer!" Which, probably was the same thing. "And healer. He made my knee not bleed. I want to be friends but he is not friends with daddy, so I do not know if we can."

She brooded about that for a while, but soon perked up again, as she spotted a tuft of small white flowers that grew quite solitary in a crevice between rocks. "Is that one good? Or that one?" The girl pointed at a pale lavender plant not far from it. The colors drew her in, even if the flowers were half wilted and almost gone.

I am a princess on the way to my throne
Destined to reign, destined to roam

Evie

i'll plant a row of daisy seeds
in the space beneath each eye

Oh, well that's certainly a curious (if concerning) piece of information. "Why does your daddy not like him? He sounds quite nice. But don't worry, I can fix your skinned knees too, and maybe your daddy will let us be friends at least." Poor girl probably needs more friends her own age instead of someone like Evie, but if her options are already restricted Evie is happy to be a placeholder.

Evie allows her the time to mull over her thoughts, fondly considering the fact that she can't imagine what a young child's mind must be like these days. As the high voice pipes up, she considers the plants pointed out, experienced gaze flickering over them. "The purple one is prettier, don't you think?" Climbing over the crevice carefully, keeping her hands available in case Seren needed help, she kneels down to the sad-looking plant and holds her hands just above the soil. With a careful bit of magic, she uproots it wholly, and once it is in her hand she uses the available seeds still clinging to the flower's heart to grow them anew into fresh young flowers. "What do you think?" Moving her hands to let Seren peer at the new blooms in her hands.

so they'll remind you of your beauty
when they bloom each time you cry

Seren

I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
Destined to seek, destined to know

Seren had not quite grasped the idea of secrets or private issues yet, and she had no qualms with telling the story to Evie. "Loren said that he did something to hurt to daddy and Remi, and that is why they will not like me being friends with him." She sighed. "He is nice, and showed me how to juggle, and I like him. I wish they could be friends."

Seren's mind was perhaps not the most standard for a child. It was just as well that Evie did not have any preconceived notions. With the dexterity of a young goat, the girl climbed easily up on the rocks after her new friend, and watched with awe as the woman unearthed the purple flowers and made them sprout anew from seeds. The little face brightened in delight, and she nodded vigorously.

"Yes! It's really pretty! Can I keep it?" The idea of having that flower on her window-sill was wonderful. It would go well with her star painted walls and the collection of rocks and driftwood that littered the shelves.

I am a princess on the way to my throne
Destined to reign, destined to roam

Evie

i'll plant a row of daisy seeds
in the space beneath each eye

Ah, Loren. That makes far more sense to Evie than the girl could ever know, and her grin twists at the edges, wry and expectant. "We can't make people be friends, I'm afraid. All we can do is be good to one another, and hope that goodness spreads from us to them, so that maybe they can be friends again in the future." Wisdom falls like sweet summer rain from her lips, hoping to water this thirsty little flower beneath her tending hands. Again it inspires a longing in her breast that fades only as she turns her attention to the task at hand instead of the bright-eyed girl who follows along behind her, sure-footed and ardent in her search.

The genuine appreciation for her talents makes a warmth rise like a cresting wave inside her, tickling her cheeks pink with a flush of delight. It is still so new to her, but a child - though free with information and therefore a slight danger to her secret - does not have the ingrained prejudice of a Natural adult. And both her parents are quite the magically inclined souls.

With her own she grasps the girls hands, letting the roots and soil fall into her small palms with a benevolent expression. "Of course you may! Water it every other day, not too much okay? And give it lots of sunlight. It will wilt eventually and die, but the seeds in the flower -" here she folds back a vibrant leaf to reveal the inside, "- will fall and sprout once again." Best to give her a seedling that will not bloom and die in a single cycle if she is intent on fostering an appreciation for plants in the young child.

so they'll remind you of your beauty
when they bloom each time you cry

Seren

I am magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
Destined to seek, destined to know

It really was an unfortunate thing, and the answer had the girl sighing and nodding gravely. "I can be good," she assured, "and maybe they can be happier." It wasn't much, but better than nothing.

When she was given the pretty flower to hold, Seren held it so gently as if it was a breathing thing. For a while she just stood there, beaming and admiring the flower, already infatuated with it and her new responsibility. Then, as an idea sparked in her, she handed the plant back to Evie and rushed off to another cluster of rocks nearby. Reching into a hollow beneath one of them, the girl withdrew a whole set of little items, hoarded away like a dragon or perhaps a magpie. Shiny rocks, curiously twisted pieces of driftwood... and an enormous half of a clam shell she had found on the cliffs after a storm. It was a little chipped at the edges, but otherwise undamaged, and she brought it back with the little face shining with excitement.

"The flower can live here now," she said, holding the shell up with both hands so Evie could transplant the flower into the makeshift pot.

I am a princess on the way to my throne
Destined to reign, destined to roam