|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friendly Conversationalist
|
 Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2011 4:28 pm
Tsetsiliya had been careful since the day of Pavel's death (not that she was mourning too badly, as the poor thing made great fertilizer for some of the others around her room). The window had remained firmly closed, and her newest plants had remained confined to the stiff air of her dormitory. To be honest, she felt a little bad about it, but it was all in their best interest.
What was also in their best interest was to move on, so she was spending the blustery afternoon in search of something new for the windowsill planter. It had remained empty since her plant's cremation (for lack of a better word), so it was best to fill the vacancy while the soil was still rich.
Not that she tried to dwell on it too much, but the sudden fixation (or larger fixation, really) on her plants was also to get away from the events of the spin the bottle game she had happened upon a few nights prior, but that was not the real point of the adventure. Or so she was telling herself.
The search had brought her out towards the edge of the school grounds, and she walked along the perimeters hoping that something would catch her eye. She'd already scoured around the edge of the demon dorms and many of the plants there had now found a home in her room, but since that task had finished, she was looking for something.. well, something.
It was to her surprise that she stumbled into a square of tilled ground, and sprouting from that earth were an array of different plants. Tsetsiliya's eyebrows shot up. Somebody gardens here! But the question was who?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 3:02 pm
It had been a long morning. Ren had stayed up late (as usual), but this time he had not been kicking LW's butt at Scario Kart. Instead, he had spent it out with Alessa, on a walk through the park, and then he had spent part of the rest of the night in his own room, curled up on his pillows with his ghoulfriend, LW, and Gabrian. He had been woken up earlier that morning by Gabrian returning to his own room, taking LW with him, Alessa sleeping a little bit longer before she too left. After that, Ren had received a rather angry phone call from his mother, trying to get him to come home for the weekend again. Ren had spent the past hour arguing with her, and had, in frustration, finally just hung up with her.
Grabbing a teeshirt to sling over his head, along with the pajama bottoms he was still wearing, Ren slid his feet into a pair of sneakers, picking up Meiling and making his way from his room, heading out towards the grounds. Gardening, despite it being a somewhat feminine hobby, according to his parents, was relaxing to him; soothing in a way, and he was looking forward to planting a few more plants.
Except...there was someone else there when he arrived; someone who wasn't supposed to be there, but who was still familiar, eyes wide as she took in the little patch of dirt, tiny green leaves just barely sprouting up. Ren's eyebrows lifted.
"Tset?" he said, stepping towards her. "Is that you?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friendly Conversationalist
|
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:05 pm
Tsetsiliya gasped sharply and nearly fell over when the voice spoke. She had been so entranced by picking out the different kinds of plants in the small, well-tended garden that she hadn't noticed anybody approaching. With a hand clutched to her chest, she took in the person who had come up - oh yes, she remembered him! He was Gabrian's friend (mentioning the nix's name in her head brought a blush to her cheeks), who was with the rabbit nagual.. what was his name again?
"H-Hello Ren!" she replied, her face still brightly colored. "I-I am not meaning to be intruding.. but this is your garden, yes?" The gyphon had seemed amiable enough during the spin the bottle game, but if this were his garden.. well, that gave her more reason to warm to him! "There are very many lovely plants here.." Her eye took to wandering again.. oh, curse her eye for plants!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 5:55 am
Ren did not know Tsetsiliya very well; after all, he had only met her a few times, the first time being at that Spin the Bottle party (that bottle had definitely been rigged somehow...), but he had also spotted her at that Scarentine Auction thing. Other than that, however, Ren knew little to nothing about the ghoul, but what he did know he rather liked. She was sweet and kind, at least from what he had seen, and he smiled warmly at her as he made his way towards his garden.
"Good morning, Tset," he said, giving her a friendly incline of his head in greeting. "A pleasure to see you again. Are you doing well?"
Under normal circumstances, Ren would have been slightly panicky that someone other than the people who knew about his secret little garden had found it, maybe even a little upset, but try as he might he was not quite sure he could be upset at someone like Tset. She just seemed far too...nice. As it was, his face still tinged a pale red when she asked, and he reached a hand up, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.
"Er," he said, somewhat sheepishly as he gestured weakly to the garden. "Yes. Yes, this is mine. Oh, but please - " Ren added hastily, holding up a hand. "Please don't tell anyone about it. It's supposed to be my little secret."
"And thank you, by the way," Kneeling down by the garden, Ren pulled on a pair of thick gardening gloves, looking up at the ghoul. "For saying it's lovely, I mean."
He hesitated for a moment, then asked "Do you...like gardening, Tset?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friendly Conversationalist
|
Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 12:33 pm
Tsetsiliya was a little taken aback when he asked her not to tell. Why would he hide such a lovely garden? However she had enough respect for the wishes of others that she would not breathe a word of it (not that she had anybody to tell, anyway). She could somewhat tell she had hit a sensitive issue, judging by the color of his face; that is, if he wasn't the type who blushed easily (like herself, who blushed over most things). "I will not be telling, not to be worrying." She held up her hand in a pseudo-oath and nodded.
As the gryphon kneeled down and pulled on gloves, the poludnica was starting to feel as though it might be time to go. She was likely intruding on his quality time with his garden. That was the notion she entertained, anyway, until he asked her if she liked to garden. Her face brightened considerably at the question, cheeks still slightly pink as she gave him a bright smile.
"O-oh yes! I very much love gardening!" Tucking her skirt around her knees and kneeling down herself, she scanned the small patch eagerly to take in all of the plants. "I am keeping a nursery in my dormitory myself.. although I am thinking this is very much a better idea." She thought of poor Pawel's (accidental) death at Jericho's hands, and definitely found herself warming to this idea even more. "You are having a nice variety.. wherever are you finding some of these?" She pointed at a small section rather close to her, showing of shoots with dark, curling leaves.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 6:47 am
Ren offered Tset a warm smile. "Thank you," he said gratefully. "It's not...not that I'm ashamed of it, or anything," he added, somewhat as an awkward explanation for hiding the garden. "I just..." He gave up trying to think of something that wouldn't have to be explained even further, settling for saying lightly "It's a personal thing" before settling down by his garden. There were only a few people that knew about it; his three closest friends, of course (though only LW had actually seen it), Belladonna, and (unintentionally) Calder. So despite Ren's best efforts to keep his little hobby a secret, there were actually a lot more people that knew about it than he had expected.
Tset's face had lifted when he asked her about gardening, and Ren could tell even before she answered that she did. He let out a small laugh. "I'm glad to hear it," he replied, genuinely pleased. Ren was rather starting to like the ghoul quite a bit; she was not only kind and pleasant, but she was adorably sweet as well. A welcome breath of fresh air from the rest of the school population that Ren had started to meet lately.
"Are you really?" he asked, spreading dirt over a specific patch. "What do you keep in your nursery then, might I ask?" Tidying up the area around the carrots, Ren leaned over to see where Tset was pointing and smiled.
"Oh," he responded cheerfully. "I get those from the gardening magazines I have sent. They're not very expensive, and they grow very well; a very nice vegetable that makes for excellent flavoring in soup. Or, at least, so Alessa tells me," Ren added with a laugh, shaking his head. "I can't cook very well, so I tend to just give everything to Alessa to cook for me."
Reaching into his pocket, Ren extracted a few small bags of seeds. He looked at them for a moment, then turned to look at Tset, tilting his head. "Would you...care to help me?" he asked her with a small smile. "I could use an extra hand, if you wouldn't mind...?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friendly Conversationalist
|
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 5:46 pm
Gardening magazines? Tsetsiliya's mother never allowed magazines in the house; she had said they were not suiting to a young ghoul of standing, and that any reliable news would come from a newspaper. What her mother would have given to know that her grandmother read them any, hiding them under the mattress like the contraband they were! "I am not knowing you can order seeds from magazines.. I was not being allowed to read them." She gazed skyward as she paused in thought. "Although.. perhaps it is time this changes, yes?" If magazines could provide such wonderful things as seeds, why, she was most definitely intrigued!
Tsetsiliya had not expected the conversation to flow so easily, but when the topic was gardening, she latched on to what she could. Continuing with a small smile, her eyes scanned his garden as she replied. "M-my nursery is not being much right now.. samples I am collecting from around campus mostly. I was bringing a nightshade from home, but he was not flourishing." She almost brought up the incident with Jericho unintentionally putting her poor Pavel out of its misery, but thinking of that incident still made her head hurt for some reason. "Mostly flowering plants.. but I am always looking for new things." The prospect of growing actual crops appealed to her, but she was unsure if her room would be able to provide enough of the needed sun (or needed room, for that matter). She also had an interest in learning to properly cook, so perhaps crops were a good starting point.
She had half expected the conversation to dwindle after that, as most conversations with people she didn't know very well tended to go. But to her surprise, the gryphon pulled out some seeds, and invited her to help him. Quite honestly, the ghoul was surprised by the offer. They had barely known each other, and he was asking her help! Her heart was glowing at the very prospect of it.
"I-I am being very much happy to!" She could not fight the smile that lit her face, and hurriedly rolled her sleeves. Standing up, she did not stop to bother dusting the dirt off her skirt, seeing as she was about to relocate and sit in the soil again anyway. Carefully edging Ren's garden, she moved closer to join him and to be ready to follow instructions. "What are we planting and where are we starting?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 7:16 am
Ren gave a small laugh. "To be honest, I had no idea you could order them either," he said, shaking his head. "But my friend sent the magazines to me as a joke when I was younger and ever since then I've been using them."
Using them and hiding them, Ren thought ruefully, pushing his fingers into the soft dirt. His parents had never approved of his gardening habits; on the contrary, they had been aghast at his lack of desire to eat me, horrified at the fact that their son - a member of the proud, strong, confident, and powerful gryphon race - would rather eat a salad than a steak. For the longest time they had attempted to force him to eat meat - hence his now even stronger aversion and nausea at even seeing it - but after a while they had given up when they realized that it was hopeless.
"A nightshade?" Ren asked Tset curiously, brows drawing together in mild confusion. "I am...not sure what that is. Do explain?"
"And flowering plants can be pleasant," he added with a smile. "I've only ever planted a few, but they never turn out well, which is why I've stuck to edible plants. That, and it's nice to have fresh fruits and vegetables to eat."
The smile that lit up the ghoul's face when he asked for help was surprising; it made her whole face glow and Ren was quite pleased. Tset was the quiet sort, the shy sort, so seeing her excited about something was rather nice, and it made Ren feel good inside.
"Here," he said, taking her had and pouring a generous helping of seeds into her palm. "These are for lettuce. You can start over there on the left and just make a row. Make sure to space them apart, though, at least half a foot so they have room to grow. I'll be on the other side planting another row."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friendly Conversationalist
|
Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 5:06 pm
Planting crops was so practical; the idea of growing something that could be enjoyed for more than just aesthetics pleased Tsetsiliya, deep down. Starting at the seeds in her hands, she nodded firmly at Ren's instructions and relocated once again, setting to work. It was as though she were back in her room, introducing a new plant or re-potting one of her older ones. However, if pressed to decide, she was rather enjoying this more (even if she still felt a little self-conscious). The company was nice, and as her anxiety began to dissipate with the presence of said company, her stutter slowly went with it.
"Nightshade is.. it is being a medicinal herb, somewhat? Although it is not a very nice one." She felt prickles of embarrassment upon recalling the memory of finding out that nightshade was not allowed on campus except by the Botany professor. "I am only bringing it because it is growing near my home.. but it is not lasting a week before.. you know." She flashed Ren a small smile as she shrugged. "Although it is being for the best. It is not allowed on campus." And it would have been even more embarrassing to have gotten in trouble over a plant. But she had idled long enough, and finally she turned her attention to the ground before her, happily making conversation as she went.
"I am happy that there is being someone else who only eats vegetables and fruits." Using her free hand to mill out the row, Tsetsiliya dropped a seed into the dirt and covered it. She took her time (having to replant the second and third seeds because she decided they had needed more room between them), as though saying goodbye to each one as they were covered for their hibernation of sorts. "I was being the only ghoul at my previous school who is not eating meat." The words tumbled easily out of her mouth as she happily worked, and once she registered what she had admitted, her lips pressed together and her eyes found the dirt twenty times more interesting than it was prior. What a fool thing to admit! It would prompt questions about Madam Morrigan's, perhaps (she still was not sure enough of Ren's character to gauge whether he would do that or not), and she was not quite ready to tell much of that horrid place. Instead, she turned her gaze towards the rest of his patch with interest, as she planted another seed. There were quite an array of vegetables here, but there were a few that she noticed were not among them.
"Are you having any corn.. or wheat?" It was such a guilty question for her to ask, and Tsetsiliya's cheeks colored slightly at even doing so. A poludnica was always drawn to bounds of those crops.. not to mention they were a favorite food of hers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:09 pm
It was rather nice, having someone to garden with. Ren was so used to doing everything on his own, hiding away like a leper in order to keep his precious garden intact. Though his parents had eventually found out about his secret garden - and were unsurprisingly disgusted, calling it a "girlish habit that can cause a lot of misunderstandings" - Ren had stubbornly denied any orders to get rid of it. It was only one of the things he had long since spent arguing with his parents over, and not the first time he had so openly defied them, and the only reason he had stopped gardening was when his mother had taken a lawn mower to his garden in an attempt to stop her son from "ruining their reputation." However, despite their efforts, it only succeeded in Ren sneaking around behind their backs planting more. It was only on the surface that he had stopped; underneath he was still as rebellious as ever.
"A medicinal herb, is that right?" Ren said, curious, but then his smile turned into a sympathetic frown. "Ahhh, I see. Not allowed, is it? I'm not able to say I've had the pleasure of meeting the Botany teacher yet - Professor Cadmus, is it? - but that's still a rather unfortunate thing. It's okay, though," Ren added cheerfully, reaching out to pat her shoulder reassuringly. "A lot of things aren't allowed on campus; heck, I'm surprised I haven't gotten busted for anything yet, though I can't think of what it is that I'd be busted for."
He gave a good-natured laugh and went back to the plants, sifting through the dirt with his fingers. Scooping out a little hole, he tipped a lettuce seed in, and then spread dirt across the top, patting it down securely.
"I've never been a fan of meat," Ren said as he worked, moving to make another hole. "My parents never approved, of course, but then again, they never approved of anything, so it's not like that made a difference. I just find it completely unappetizing. Now, cucumbers and a salad on the other hand? That's what I find delicious. Belladonna - ah, do you know Bells?" he asked her, digging his hand into the ground and scooping out the next little hole. "She's a vegetarian too; in fact, she's supposed to be helping me plant a few vegetables next week."
The little witch had been the second to discover his garden; Calder had (unintentionally) been the first, having trampled all over it in his attempt at finding carrots to eat. Ren did not mind people knowing about his garden after the fact, but it was not something he cared to share publicly; this was his own thing, something that relaxed him and made him feel better about himself.
His eyebrows lifted. "Corn or wheat?" he repeated, tapping a dirt stained finger thoughtfully against his cheek. "You know, I haven't thought to try those, but now that you mention it...it seems like a good idea." Ren grinned at Tset. "You wouldn't happen to have any of those seeds, would you?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friendly Conversationalist
|
Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 5:50 pm
Tsetsiliya's uneasiness about mentioning her old school (and her wariness of the boil across from her) was slowly dissolving with how easily he laughed. It was amazing what the sound of an honest laugh did - it was not one at another's expense but merely just what it was. She still did not let her defenses down entirely but the tenseness in her arms and shoulders relaxed and she gave him another cautious smile as he chatted. He seemed a very easy-going person and she found herself rather enjoying that. The added fact that Belladonna was also a vegetarian brought the witch ghoul closer to her in her heart - she was already quite fond of her but this just added another common ground. Perhaps a meal together would be fun.. was there a vegetarian's club? Ren's question back at her snapped her out of her silly daydreams, and she slowly shook her head.
"U-unfortunately I am not h-having any seeds.." Her thoughtless suggestion suddenly stung her. How greedy of her to have suggested that! But the thought of grain or corn.. well, if Ren was drawn to a salad with cucumbers, Tsetsiliya's thoughts turned to breads, corn, rolls. Her fingers dug out a niche for the last seed in her hand. "B-but I am being sure I am finding some somehow! And i-if so, I am happily sharing with you! A-are you ever trying grain or corn before now? It is very much delicious!" As she spoke (too quickly, in fact), she covered the last seed with a flair and patted the dirt firmly, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. In realizing as much, she promptly blushed and glanced back down the row. All in all, she did a rather nice job.. not bad for someone who didn't often plant crops.
"I-I apologize," she added awkwardly, feeling she should say as much for being so overly enthusiastic. "It is just.. corn and grain are very much my 'salad and cucumbers' to you! A grainfield is being where poludnica feel at home the most, as well." A small, silly laugh issued from her lips and once again she blushed. Was she really relaxing that quickly? As though seeking a momentary distraction from her embarrassment, her eyes rested on the next row, where the soil awaited new seeds to nurture. Her glance turned towards her empty, dirty palms. "Are you having any more to plant.. ?" She asked with a hopeful smile.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 2:14 pm
It was interesting to see how relaxed Ren felt around Tsetsiliya. She was a very quite ghoul, easily startled and shy, her pale cheeks usually tinged with some sort of light pink, but she was both sweet and kind; a big heart and obviously very intelligent. It was a nice change from the others - not that he disliked the others; on the contrary, Ren felt more safe around them and more comfortable around them than any other people at school. But Tset was a pleasant contrast, and he was enjoying her company quite a bit.
He waved a hand noncommittally. "Ah, that's okay!" he replied with a warm smile. "I'll just have to make a note of that for later. I'm always open for growing new things; I'll just have to make do with what I have now, but later on you can help me grow some corn and grain, all right?"
Ren would have to look through his catalogs to find those particular types, but he was never averse to growing something different. That was part of the reason why he preferred gardening over other activities; it left a lot of room open for freedom, not to mention it was both relaxing and somewhat therapeutic.
Tset's apology, however, caught him slightly off guard, and Ren's brows furrowed in slight confusion. He wasn't sure what she was apologizing for, exactly, but after a moment it began to make sense and he smiled at her from across the garden.
"Don't worry," he said mildly, and pushed a pile of dirt into its place, patting it down firmly. "No need for apologies, darling; I don't mind hearing your suggestions. In fact, I welcome them, because heaven knows I can't do much myself."
Tset's laugh was both unexpected and pleasant. It made him lift his eyes to meet hers, and Ren grinned before twisting around, digging through the packets he had beside his feet before he held a few up to her.
"Squash?" he said, tilting his head. "I could use an extra hand planting these...I think they need another row to the left."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friendly Conversationalist
|
Posted: Fri May 20, 2011 3:36 pm
Tsetsiliya was glad that Ren seemed to be such an easy-going boil. Most people, from her experience, found her shyness and penchant for apology annoying rather quickly, so this was.. quite a change from normal. Although, to be fair, with the exception of Icky most people she had met while at Amityville had been very nice to her generally. It was something that warmed her heart, feeling wanted. Her cheeks flushed a little further when Ren called her "darling," a nickname that usually found its way to her from her father (or mother, when she was trying to coax her into doing something that the poludnica would find embarrassing and unnecessary). Simply, it felt nice.
"I-I am being happy to help!" When he held up the seeds, she stood up and moved over to gently take the packet from his hands. She flipped the packet over to curiously peruse the description on the back.. oh, she had eaten this before! Pouring a few of the seeds into her own hand, she returned it to Ren and moved happily to the unused row. The feeling of comfort clung like a gentle fog around her, and she hummed as she began her first hole.
"Perhaps once these are all done growing, they are making for a nice dinner," she mused, plopping the seed into its new home and covering it securely. The planting of vegetables got Tsetsiliya's mind going.. what could she start in her windowsill planter? The thought of a dinner had not left her since it had idly stumbled into her brain. If Ren and Belladonna were also vegetarians, why, there must be others. "I am hearing of someone attempting a Skulinary Club, so maybe they are being interested as well?" Good Jack, what a mutual hobby could bring out in a ghoul!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 22, 2011 2:53 pm
Gardening was something that was rather cathartic to Ren. Since he had been young he had enjoyed it, despite the fact that he had been called "girly" by not only his parents, but the rest of his peers as well, on more than one occasion. However, Ren had merely shrugged and gone about his business - and that's just what it was; his business. No one else but him had to know or do anything about it. It was no one's concern but his own.
And then there were people like Tsetsiliya, who held no judgment towards him because of his choice of habits, no disdain for what he chose to do with his free time. She fit in rather nicely in Ren's mind as someone he could trust to be always calm and polite and purely decent. A kindhearted soul he could relate to and feel relaxed around.
"Dinner would be great," Ren said, then added, somewhat sheepishly "Though I have to admit, I am not...er...the best cook there ever was. Usually I have someone else to cook for me, or I just buy it."
The mention of the Skullinary Club made a wide smile break out on Ren's face, and he nodded emphatically. "Yes," he said, spreading more dirt over the seeds. He patted it down in place, carefully moving to the next one. "The Skullinary Club is led by my ghoulfriend, Alessa? Do you know Alessa? She's a sweetheart, and she's a vegetarian too. She's the one I usually harass to cook for me most of the time, and somehow she's roped me and Gabrian into being the treasurers for it." He gave a noncommittal shrug, rolling his eyes. "I'm not entirely certain how she managed to do that, but we're it nonetheless."
Finished with the row, Ren wiped his hands on his already dirt streaked pants and gave Tset a smile. "You should join!" he said cheerfully. "It's a fun club, and it's always nice to have new people. Plus," Ren said with a teasing wink. "I already know you're lovely, so that's an added bonus."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Friendly Conversationalist
|
Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 9:22 pm
That was quite a coincidence! Tsetsiliya brightened when Ren mentioned that the head of the Skulinary Club was his ghoulfriend. "I am only hearing about the club.. but I am very much needing cooking tips as well." By now she was moving along her row steadily, plopping each seed into its new bed happily. "I am only baking well.. a little bit, anyway. My grandmother is very much the family baker." Truthfully, she had been a little hesitant about joining a club (even though she knew she needed to get out of her dorm room and meet others), but Ren's glowing approval of the club president gave her a little bit of optimism.
Knowing that the gyphon himself and Gabrian (she ducked her head momentarily and acted as though she were digging another hole to mask her blush) were in the club as well was definitely a bonus to her. Some familiar faces to ease socializing awkwardness.. that sounded very nice to her. Very nice indeed.
"Then I am very much considering joining, if you are so recommending," she said with an enthusiastic nod. The last of the seeds was at last patted into the dirt, and she let her gaze linger down there a moment longer. "I am not joining any clubs yet so I am very much excited." She flashed him a small smile, and then patted her hands together to rid them of excess dirt. "Are they needing water today?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
