middaeg | [open] What's another night on Mars?

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[open] What's another night on Mars?

Who: Shinjiro and whoever feels like dropping by. Likely the remainder of SEES and also ~~his gang~~ Fie and Louis. Strangers are welcome also!
When: The beginning of Septeril
Where: SEES House- an awkwardly huge house in the haven.
What: Just everything. Tending to the garden, hanging out inside and outside. Hit me up at

soozaphone if you want to plan/plot something!
Warnings: Shenanigans, to be sure.

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Hangin' in the Garden.
He liked to tell himself he was just doing this to help out Fuuka. She'd gotten a job at a floral shop, so maybe she'd want to use the badly overgrown patch of land fenced in beside the house- something that clearly used to be some sort of garden for potion ingredients or flowers or vegetables or whatever else by the original inhabitants, before the building was abandoned and the whole area was turned into the Haven. He tells himself it's just because he's got nothing else to do, and definitely not because it grates on him to see the dying, tangled, mass of plants vying for light and soil space, strangling one another, weeds popping up in every space possible.

He's going to deny those burgeoning faun instincts even as he gives in to them.

And so it's not a rare sight for him to be crouched down in the giant mess that could maybe become a garden in due time, completely confused as to what should be kept and what should be gotten rid of, and occasionally just grabbing entire stalks and ripping them out when the plant looks like it's beyond saving. Really, it's tempting to tear it all out and start from scratch-- but for all he knows, some of these are useful or rare or valuable or something?

Maybe he should take pictures and get the network to identify them. Or at least tell him which ones are poisonous.

Lunch time
Keeping a mental inventory of what everyone eats has made things kind of hard. He's sure Fie will eat anything. Fuuka, if she's picky, is too polite to actually say a lot of the time, so he just has to guess or try and watch for reactions. Louis is an herbivore. Makoto is basically a carnivore. And so even though he's grouchily resigned himself to the expectation that he makes food for everyone, it essentially means that he has to make multiple dishes, all depending on who's in the area and who's hungry.

At least Makoto is easy enough- lightly season and sear some meat, try his best to add in some other kind of nutrition, even if it's just rice cooked in broth or stock, and hope for the best. Akihiko would be the same, if he wasn't-- who knows where, right now. (Maybe snapped back home to their own reality? He has no fucking idea, and thinking on it just makes him angry and worried, so he just distracts himself with aggressively cooking.) Fuuka won't complain even if it's completely wrong, so whatever-- and anyone else isn't really around that often, even if he's taken to stocking a few more vegetarian options in case his bondmate drops by.

So come on by and whine for food or be disappointed in the choices today if you want to catch an earful. Or even learn how to cook your damn self, because sheesh he won't always be here to feed you guys.

Literally anything else
Break in to steal shit, start a fight, raid the fridge, knock on the door to try and spread the Good News, do whatever, it's all good!! As stated about, just let me know if you want to plot anything with Shinjiro and I'll start a thread for us! IT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO BE IN THE HOUSE it can be elsewhere also, lmao. I'm not your boss, literally do whatever you want. Use this post for your own threads, tag each other, start your own open stuff. I'M NOT YOUR BOSS, GO WILD.

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Louis immediately makes the mental note to bring gloves next time. A couple of sets. He didn't think to bring anything himself, and he hopes that he doesn't actually end up with any sort of reaction to things in here. He hadn't really applied himself in Alchemy quite yet, so he doesn't know. He shakes his head.

"I probably wouldn't eat something if I don't know what it is." It sounds smart enough, at least. He didn't want to die or get sick from getting poisoned by eating something he shouldn't have. "I'll know more once I go to Alchemy classes more frequently." Did he sound like he was slacking? A little, though he wasn't. It was a lot to take in and he was trying to pace himself so he'd be good at things he was doing.

"I'd probably get rid of anything you won't eat, too." He says this, pulling out a few things that looked like weeds. "Just in case they're poisonous." He eyes the plant in his hand, shrugs, and goes for another one.

"Which, for the record, we're trying to avoid."

Really, if Shinjiro had thought further ahead or cared more about his own well-being, he could have work longer sleeves or, as Louis noted, wear gloves this time. But he didn't and he doesn't and therefore here we are, getting up close and personal with mystery plants and trying to decide which ones should stay.

"Yeah, good point. I didn't know if like... people could use it. But I guess we can't do anything with it anyway--" and so, even as he speaks, he's grabbing at the base of the stalk and tugging, ripping the bulk of it up and breaking off the roots. And maybe (again, if he thought about it more,) he would have thought to remove ALL the roots, but whatever, maybe the worms can keep eating off them or something.

He's gonna have to learn more about plants.

"Hey, I ain't about to start stickin' everything here in my mouth, don't worry so much." Having uprooted most of the first part, he tosses it to the side, before grabbing at the next part.

"So d'you do a lot with plants in alchemy?" He has to admit, hearing about the coven's magic and lessons is interesting enough. He's sure he'd change that opinion if he was actually a witch and attended the classes, but as a passive bystander, he doesn't mind it. "I think the school nurse back home liked to pretend he was some kinda alchemist or something. apparently he'd give students some real weird bullshit to drink. Dunno if any of it actually worked, though."

He watched Shinjiro pull at another weed, plant, something? He wasn't sure what it was. Still, if he didn't know what it was, he wasn't about to eat it. It seemed like a fast way to ensure that you'd make yourself sick. He noted the plant in his hands, and realized that they were probably going to find bits and pieces in the dirt here left over, but they'd just have to be sure to rid it of anything before planting new.

"They'd probably have us put stuff in a separate garden, so don't worry about keeping anything you won't eat." He hadn't quite figured out what he was meant to do with the plants, but he had seen them in some applications.

"Sometimes, for things. I'm pretty sure for making some potions. It's kind of like...if you break down some things, the parts separately sound dangerous, but together it's good for you."

He glances over, pausing mid-pulling a weed (or plant, he supposed) out of a ground. "I hate to ask this but did it taste awful?" He'd have to assume that it did. It sounded awful.

[And them from above, a few sets of durable cloth gloves, the kind that go up to one's mid forearm, are basically thrown at their persons. Followed by a couple small trowels, rakes, and shovels that imbed themselves directly in front of each of the boys. Once they look up, they'll see a familiar girl just chilling on the roof.]

You guys are doing that all wrong. Shinji, you should probably go wash your hands now if you don't wanna get poisoned. Maybe. Not sure how it'd affect whatever you are, but it's probably not going to be good. [Fie pauses for consideration.] Actually, both of you should.

[And that's her cue to casually slide to the edge of the roof and off, landing in a comfortable crouch position.]

So how long have you been at this? [She spares a glance to the piles of plant detritus.] Really, wash your hands before continuing.

"That's... a lot to keep in mind--" He's cut off with a short grunt as a pair of gloves flops onto his head, before lightly plopping to the ground. And he has just enough time to stare at them in confusion before the trowels pierce into the earth like well-aimed knives.

And as Fie slides down, he simply scowls at her. Not that he doesn't appreciate the advice, but rather... he was doing fine, right? Sure he has a huge rash on his arm, but that's just because he's an idiot.

"I ain't gonna poison myself. I haven't eaten anything." But the tools are a nice plus, so he won't argue too much, simply shoving himself up and scratching at the bright red patch on one arm. "And just since midday."

So like.... maybe an hour or two? Today, at least.

He was going to answer, but stopped when he saw items being thrown in his direction. Instinct, regretfully, seemed to kick in and instead of dodging one of the gloves nicely lands over one of his antlers. She gets a look for that, even though it only landed here because he moved. But he does it because she can. And he flinches when the tools land, too. He reaches up, pulls the gloves off his antler.

He glances towards Shinjiro. "As long as you think you'll be fine." He shrugs. He figures Shinjiro would know if something was actually wrong, and had no reason to not trust him for it. He looks at her. He was tempted to pull out another plant with an ungloved hand but resisted the temptation.

"So are you here to help or something else?" he wondered.

[Fie raises an eyebrow at them both. What cranky guys they're being. She simply shrugs and points to the white flowered plant Shinji was handling just before.]

That is hemlock. It doesn't have to be eaten to be poisonous. With the scratching going on, there might already be some open cuts for it to work its way into. Or if you rub your eyes, that's fine, too. Sky's the limit.

[Despite her cavalier attitude, her tone is very serious, not leaving much question to her sincerity of the matter.]

I've dealt with poisons plenty of times before, and I was in the gardening club at school. I actually want to help, but not if you're going to be this negligent about doing it correctly.

[She glances to Louis, pegging him as the more reasonable one right now.]

If he doesn't feel fine later, you'll definitely know whether he tells you or not. Do you wanna risk that? [Fie pauses, the adds an admittance.] I'd be sad if you did.

[Look, she threw things at them out of the sky! It was startling! And then she acts like they're gonna be idiots and eat poison leaves and--

But at her explanation, his expression falls slightly, and he glances down to where he's been itching at the poison ivy blisters on his arm. She... kind of has a point. Rubbing it in an open wound is probably just as bad- if not worse- than eating it. And so, like a scolded kid, he drops the gloves as he stands, grumbling some sort of incoherent gripe or protest that he's sure Fie would kick him for.]

Alright, alright.... God you act like we're trying to get ourselves killed over here. And stop guilting Louis about my shitty decisions.

[Probably.. a bad joke. But hey, if he can't joke about his own death, what can he joke about. Regardless, he shoves his sleeves up and starts making for the old metal hand-pump towards the back of the yard. (They're gonna have to get some kinda witch here to figure out something more convenient than the ancient well-pump. The inside of the house has plumbing, so getting a faucet on the side of it shouldn't be too hard? Maybe?)

Thankfully it doesn't take too long to scrub at his hands and arms, making sure he gets all the sap and pollen off for now. And inwardly, you know he's cursing himself at how easily he's given in, as well as for apparently screwing up this hard in the first place.

But hey, it means he won't get ridiculously sick, so-- whatever.]

Glad we got someone who knows what plant is what, at least. [He calls back as he returns a few minutes later, taking this as a good opportunity to take a break and sit down on one of the large rocks scattered about.] So what else're we fucking up?

[ Louis' eyes lock onto her and he makes a face like he's just been scolded, ears falling just a little. He does feel the slightest bit guilty, though he shakes it off quickly. He hadn't actually done anything wrong, nor did Shinjiro, really. They really didn't know. He diverts his attention away and shifts to stand up from where he had been kneeling and finds his balance again. ]

Obviously I'm not looking to get anyone sick or hurt.

[ Huff. He follows a little after Shinjiro to wash off his hands, careful to ensure anything that could possibly be lingering is gone. He wipes his fingers onto the front of his shirt to get them as dry as possible before putting any gloves on it. ]

Yeah. I didn't do gardening at home. And I've not made much progress in any classes here yet.

[There's a twitch of a smile on the corner of her mouth; she's glad to have gotten through to them. Scolding people is kinda fun. There's a mental note made. Fie simply nods when they've both clearly gotten her message. No point in continuing to shame them. ~~This time.~~

Fie heads over and indicates the pair of gloves she's procured for them as she puts on her own. It looks like she was planning on helping them the entire time.]

If you're not completely sure of what you're working with, wear gloves. It's a good idea to always wear them, but sometimes it's easier not to, if you're working with something delicate. But we're not today. You're just clearing everything out, right? Come over here.

[She all but plops on to her bottom in one of the areas the've mostly cleared, handheld garden rake in one hand.] This helps break up and loosen the soil if there are harder to get at patches. Some plants have bulbs, so make sure you get those out or they'll sprout again. Remove as much of the plant roots as you can, too.

[As she speaks, Fie's already removing some offending stragglers, working with the rake and trowel and her own hands. It's fair to say she's got this part down pretty well.]

Yeah, but why would I think whoever used to live here would have a garden of straight up poison? [It's a half (maybe even quarter-) hearted complaint as he rubs his hands dry on his pant legs. But she has every point, so he'll comply, quieting down as she keeps explaining.

Because if he's gonna keep doing this, he may as well do it right-- and fighting against the urge to be out here and tending to the plant life will just put him at risk of losing it all together, bond or no.

Gloves on, he takes up his own instruments, giving Louis an short 'well, whatever she says' shrug, before kneeling back down into the earth on one side of her.]

Alright, so if you're better at ID'ing these... anything even worth keeping, or should I just rip it all out and start from scratch?

[ He glances towards Shinjiro, shrugs, but he listens to Fie. She knows what she's talking about, at least. He had never much done any gardening at home, despite some of the people he had spent time with who liked it. Fie knows more than he does, for sure. No contest.

So, he's not about to try and contest her. He puts on his gloves, and then moves to kneel nearby with a handheld rake and trowel. He's ready to just dig in when Shinjiro asks, and he hesitates.

He's fine with just tearing up the entire thing and starting fresh. So, instead of just digging in, he goes for the bulbs of a couple of things that they had pulled, but not totally uprooted earlier. ]

Alright, always wear gloves, don't get poisoned. Dig up bulbs...

[ He's parroting it back to help ensure that she knows that he understands what she's giving them. ]

And there's no reason to think it'd be all poisonous. I mean, who needs that much?

Could've been a bunch of witches who specialized in that stuff. And for all I know, maybe the infused the current stuff with their magic. [Fie shrugs, showing they're all just guesses.] No idea for sure. but it's probably better to rip it out then start over.

Safer, too. [Given their current track record. Now that she's shown them how to manage this, she stands up and makes room for them to continue. Her tools are laid to the side out of their way.]

Try and continue there. Work together, and you'll make more progress on the area. I'm going to get rid of the stuff you've already torn out. I don't think we want it laying around like it is...

[With that, Fie walks out of the garden, only to return with a wheelbarrow from who knows where a couple minutes later. It's entirely possible she got that ready, too, before revealing herself. Now she begins loading their plant remnants into it, gloves still in place.]

You got a lot done... [... They actually can't see her behind the piles of stuff in her arms now.]

[He's quiet as Fie talks and instructs them... until she moves slightly farther away to start looking over their pile of uprooted plants to be disposed of. Still crouched on the earch, he inches slightly closer to Louis, voice down to low, conspiratorial tones.]

She's really gettin' into this. I think she likes giving us instructions too much.

[Not that she's wrong. And really, it reminds him of the instructions she'd given him while roof-hopping. Clear, easy to understand, and explained, so that he doesn't have a chance to scowl and question it too much.

....Though it does mean a hell of a lot of work, getting rid of what's left.]

You don't got any classes or somewhere else to be, right? [He does like hanging out with Louis, of course- and having the bond just makes it-- easier? Maybe? It's hard to describe an unseen connection in any definitive terms, but he can understand why people would choose more proximity to their bondmates. But of course, there's always that lingering sense of wondering why someone (Fie included) would feel similarly about him. Especially to the extent of coming over and helping with tedious, rough work.

(...He'll have to make something for lunch for them after all this.)

As Fie returns, he shrugs, unsure if that was a compliment or a statement of fact.]

I mean... yeah. Just kinda kept going with it, I guess. And once it's done, I can get started figuring out what's gonna go back in it.

[ Louis is pulling bulbs from the dirt, with the help of the trowel. Though he doesn't look like it, having shifted focus to the dirt and the garden, he is definitely listening to Fie. He thought maybe ripping them all out would be a good way to go, but he's glad to hear that confirmation. For all that time at home spent near the gardening club (could you even call it that) he really didn't learn much of anything.

Of course, the declaration that they did a lot is taken as a compliment. ]

Of course we did. We were going pretty fast.

[ But they weren't doing it exactly right...so they still had to fix some mistakes. Oh well. He leans in towards him, a slight whisper. ]

I bet she does it a lot.

[ It seemed to come natural - scolding them then giving orders. Though, if it were something he knew? He'd probably do the same. He grips one of the few plants, tugging it a little bit. ]

Not today. I'd have left by now if I had somewhere I had to be.

[ That much is true. But right now - he's actually finding this fun? Relaxing? Normal, maybe? None are things he really thought he'd get much of at home, let alone in a new place where people become monsters. ]

What were you thinking of putting in?

[ He's curious. There's a lot of options. ]

[It seems like Fie doesn't actually hear their whispers as she's too focused on clearing their previous work. A few moments later, and the wheelbarrow is full. That took about a third of the pile. Brushing her hands off, she looks at the pair and nods in approval.]

It's a good job, even if there are going to be some pieces left behind. I can help go over the areas you already did to make sure nothing hangs around.

[With that, she takes the wheelbarrow by the handles and maneuvers it around them so it doesn't interrupt their work. Time to get rid of this stuff. She'll be back next tag.]

...I dunno. Haven't planned that far out.

[Long-term planning isn't a skill he's used very much in recent years, after all. Really, he just knew that it drove him crazy staring out at the mess and wanting it to be taken care of and healthy, so he was getting started on that. What he'd replace it all with? That isn't even something he'd considered.]

Guess I'll just... see what everyone needs or whatever. Maybe herbs or vegetable plants or something? More useful than just flowers.

[He's mostly thinking out loud just to try and have any answer, even as he moves onto the next thick shrub and starts stabbing at the base with the trowel to loosen the dirt.]

Y'know, if I were smart maybe I just woulda cleared this all out with an axe first... [Grumbled to himself before he sits back up to look out towards Fie's return.] So what d'you guys think should go in?

[ He looks up to watch Fie cleaning up after them. That's nice of her. He doesn't say that he appreciates her effort, though he does. He shifts his attention back to the garden in front of them. He kind of regrets never paying much attention how to care for plants at home. Oh well, he didn't have a need for it there, but it was useful here. ]

Hm... I'd put in beets and carrots, personally. But you'll probably want a lot of greens.

[ He knows what he likes, but he doesn't know what Shinjiro will like. So, he can only really guess based on his experience. ]

And I think an axe might have done more damage than good.

Edited 2019-09-12 04:03 (UTC)

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[open] What's another night on Mars?

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