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 Posted: Sun May 22, 2011 10:34 am
‘Howwwwwww much longer until they’re finally here?’ Nephrite inquired eagerly once again. She’d been on the look-out ever since Amon had received Jasa’s phone call telling them she and Ruku were on their way now, the one window in her room wide open and herself elegantly perched on the sill. It was one of multiple reasons – unbeknownst to her guardian – she had picked this room to be hers. Not only was it on the Northern side of the house, which would almost constantly be in the shadows, but it also was close to the entrance area so that she could observe the comings and goings. Not that there were any, much to her chagrin. Ever since they’d moved, Amon had mostly been keeping to himself.
“Can’t be too long now,” Amon replied, trying to remain patient even though the fiend’s constant repetition of her question was starting to grate on his nerves. It was no small wonder she’d be excited, as the only visitor they’d ever received since they’d moved places, had been the Madame. He still was, and always would be, extremely wary about giving out his private address to anyone. So far, Jasamine was the only exception he’d made since their move. If that woman hadn’t even met Athan or Reyna yet, chances were low she’d been to Twilight Designs at all and would not be connected to him in any way. “Five more minutes I’d say,” he added, after a quick glance at his watch. “Barely any traffic, this time of the day.”
He reached for the cell phone in his pocket, setting the timer to five minutes and then handed it to the impatient fiend from his spot on the front porch through the open window. He hoped it was safe to be doing so. “Careful with that, princess. No passing through walls with it, no dropping or tossing it. See there? That’s called a countdown. When it reaches zero five minutes will be over and you will be permitted to ask me ‘how much longer’ again. Until then, I want silence. Understood?”
Nephrite merely nodded, mesmerized looking at the numbers changing on the small touchscreen. ‘We could call Jasa?’ She asked, hopeful. ‘To ask where she is now?’
“Nah, bad idea, that.” Amon shook his head, returning to his previous on the porch, where a small ashtray was perching on top of the banister. Nephrite hadn’t been the only one on the look-out. “It’ll only distract her while driving. She’ll likely have muted anyway,” he said, deciding he’d probably have the time for another cigarette before their guests arrived.
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Posted: Mon May 23, 2011 12:35 pm
Jasa glanced over at Ruku. He was holding the plant carefully. She smiled. He must like Nephrite or maybe it was because she was like him. Either way she thought it very sweet of him to take her a plant. And Jasa could tell he was trying to keep his excitement down. But it was obvious to her that he was looking forward to seeing the fiend and her guardian again. So was she.
Ruku tried not to think about where they were going. His skin would sizzle and he would destroy the gift he had for Neph. The seedling was one of the special ones that Jasa had created by accident. It was sleeping now, its feet firmly in the dirt in the clay pot he held. Jasa did not understand what it was. Neither would Amon or Nephrite. He had saved it when Jasa and Algie had taken care of the others she created by accident that day in the shop. It had been funny to watch.
When he found it hiding beneath one of the other larger plants, he debated telling her, but then instead, he coaxed it to him. Placing it in a pot, he had reminded it to remain still so that he could get it home with him. It had grown quite a bit in the days since.
He was so certain that after she got over the shock that she would insist that Amon let her keep it. It was a good joke to play. His eyes twinkled merrily in anticipation at how surprised Neph would be when it moved. Of course he would be somewhere else when that happened. It would wake tomorrow from what he could tell.
"So looking forward to seeing Neph again?" Jasa asked.
< No. > he lied. < Amon. > Truth. It would be fun to watch but he definitely wanted to be out of range when everything happened. But the fun was in the plotting.
< Are we there yet? >
"You can see we are not." she replied amused.
< How much longer? >
"A few minutes."
A moment of silence that dragged forever. Jasa hummed and he nearly sighed. < Are we there yet? >
She sighed. "Almost. I think this is it. Right address at least." she replied, pulling the car into the driveway. Nephrite and Amon were both on the porch waiting for them. "Sorry it took so long. I wanted to make sure we had everything."
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Posted: Mon May 23, 2011 2:12 pm
‘They’re here!’ Nephrite exclaimed, as soon as she heard the car pull up the driveway. And of course she dropped the cell in her excitement, before she zipped through the air to be the first welcome their guests. Amon groaned, grateful for the fact the floor of her room was entirely carpeted.
“I can see that,” he muttered, putting out the half-finished cigarette before he went down the few wooden steps. He would collect his phone later.
‘Hello~!’ Nephrite chirped happily. ‘Hello-hello~!’ Unlike the last time they had met, she was not wearing her fancy silk robes, but one of the simple cotton yukatas she preferred for gardening, and a rather cute apron. Because, if Jasa came to visit them, that meant they were going to do gardening. Right? Right?
“Hey,” Amon offered a casual greeting. “Would you like to park your car in the garage, out of the sun?” Nephrite had been extremely amused by his efforts to park his car as much to the left as possible, earlier this day, so that there’d be enough room for Jasa’s. His driving skills were rather subpar, so, usually he was lazy and had it parked smack-dab in the middle.
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Posted: Mon May 23, 2011 7:56 pm
Jasa glanced over at her car. "In the shade would be better. We can get the things we need from the trunk afterwards." Her hair was loosely braided and tied back to keep it out of the way. Her old jeans had seen better days and so had her shirt. It would not matter if these became muddy or got ripped in some fashion. And although worn, they were her favorites to work in plants with.
It only took her a moment to move the car inside the garage, popping the trunk. "I brought things I was sure we would use and probably a few we will not need. But at least we should have everything."
Ruku had gotten out of the car, still wearing his bomber jacket. He had fussed with what to wear for an entire hour before they were to leave. It had amused Jasa to his annoyance. He glanced over at Nephrite. She probably had lots of clothing since she was wearing something different this time. But then she did not burn her clothing up either like he did.
< Neph, I brought you a plant. It's a special one. > he said, holding it out to her. < I think it's sleeping right now. Since it has not really grown or changed in a week or so. But I thought you might like it. > Amusement slipped over him as he held it out to the other fiend. He was sure he would be in trouble later, but right now there was some amusement in it. His tail twitched causing a bit of smoke to rise. It dissipated fast as she clamped down on his feelings. It would not do to give the prank away before the fun.
"He has been looking forwards to giving her that, Amon. He's been tending it all week carefully." Jasa whispered to Amon as she watched Ruku. "He wouldn't even let me touch it.
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 12:22 am
“Right.” Even Amon, who was otherwise almost always very neatly dressed, was sporting a pair of worn denims, and a simple, chocolate brown t-shirt with some sort of vintage print. He’d ruined quite a few fine clothes before he’d learned his lesson that there simply was no “I’ll just try to be careful” when it came to gardening. It was inevitable that things would get dirty, and things would get torn, so he’d grudgingly made concessions. Some concessions. Those clothes still were a perfect fit, and he still pulled off looking ridiculously good in them.
Curious, he peeked over Jasa’s shoulder to see just what was in the trunk. “Do we really need all this?” She might be overdoing it a little … Then again, this would get him a nice overview of what he might still need to get. “You’re not planning to set up shop here, are you?” he joked, tying his hair back as well. In a way, he figured, they probably just both thoroughly enjoyed what they did for a living. Which seemed to be rare enough. He was about to add a remark concerning that, but was distracted by Ruku offering Nephrite a … small potted plant? Not quite on par with a flower bouquet, but still. He smirked.
Nephrite didn’t blush, but she did cast down her glance demurely, offering one of her strange little curtsies. ‘Thank you,’ she said, accepting the flower pot and holding it with exceptional care. She wouldn’t break this one! Not if she could help it.
Curiously she examined the plant – it was nothing she was familiar with, from the looks of it, but she picked up a very light fragrance she’d come across before. She just couldn’t place it yet. ‘What kind of plant is it, do you know? Does it need to be planted in the garden, or can it go into my room?’ She inquired. ‘Does it need much light? Or is it fine in the shadows?’
“Boys will be boys,” Amon remarked and shrugged. “And Neph seems to have some special talent twisting them around her little finger. She’s pretty good at pulling off the helpless damsel in distress. But …” He glanced at the potted plant once more. “That is adorable.”
“Do you need help with that?” he offered after having taken another peek at the trunk. Some of the stuff in there looked rather heavy.
‘I’ll help too!’ Nephrite offered eagerly, fabric-y tail swishing. Curiously enough, it featured the same pattern her yukata did.
“Nah, just let us boys take care of it,” Amon said, waggling an eyebrow at Ruku instead of a wink. Being one-eyed, winks never got quite across the way they were supposed to, if at all, he’d learned that lesson a long time ago. “How about you put that plant in your room for now – where it will be safe – and you can pick up my cell phone while you’re at it. Remember? The one I told you not to drop? If it’s okay, that’s okay – if not, however … it’ll go off your allowance.”
Nephrite hung her head. ‘S-sorry …,’ she muttered, hoping the phone was alright. She’d just been so very excited about Jasa and Ruku’s arrival! Holding the pot close to her chest she was off, almost colliding with the door before remembering to phase through it, because she was looking back at Ruku. ‘Thank you,’ her thoughts brushed against his once more.
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2011 2:07 pm
Jasa glanced at the items in her trunk. Then lips curving up, she admitted, "I guess it is sort of overkill, Amon. But I wanted to make sure we had everything we needed. Besides... " she handed him the case with the drill in it. "I was not sure what tools you had here or how we would need to adjust the shelves and tables.
"I could have brought more," she teased. "Ruku, start carrying the things to the greenhouse for us. I brought Neph some plants that just came in also. Herbs and flowers that I thought she would like. They need to be potted properly but I brought a few extra flower boxes with me so that she would have them."
Ruku nodded, moving towards the tools on the right side. < That bag there has packets of seeds in it. Jasa always over does it. > He smirked slightly, not entirely because of Jasa. But also because of the plant. Nephrite would like it but the fun was in surprising both she and Amon with something alive. He was surprised Jasa had not recognized the creature. But as he thought about it, he had known there was a chance she might not. It was buried in the soil and she had seen them running around.
This had been such a good idea. He knew that Nephrite would forgive him the prank once she understood it was more a pet than a plant, but really both. That was the fun of it.
"I'm guessing she has been waiting impatiently for us to arrive?" Jasa asked as she filled her own arms with a few things to carry. The bags of soil were rather heavy and it would take she and Amon to carry them. Ruku and Neph could carry the lighter things like flower pots and plants. "Ruku was excited from the moment I told him we were coming her to visit and help Nephrite."
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Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 8:58 am
Amon laughed, just a little embarrassed. “You got me there,” he admitted. There weren’t too many tools about in their household as he’d never gotten into that whole DYO thing – Amon preferred to hire professionals instead who actually knew what they were doing.
“There’s no such thing as overdoing it when it comes to Nephrite,” he pointed out with a wry smile. “She’ll probably adore Jasa for bringing so much stuff.” He peered into the trunk again before he showed Jasamine and Ruku to the garden, shaking his head with an amused grin. At least half of the stuff she’d brought, he had no idea what it was for.
To refer to the area at the back of house as a ‘garden’ was a bit of an exaggeration – it certainly had been one, at some time, but it was fairly obvious it had been left to its own devices for quite some time. Some of the most basic work had been taken care of (and Amon had hired some helping hands for this, as he’d had no idea where to even start), but it still looked … a bit of a mess.
With the exception of the greenhouse.
Nephrite hovered in the hallway for a while, deadlocked trying to make up her mind into which of her rooms to bring her little gift. She finally decided on the Southern one (which she didn’t live in, but instead used as a walk-in wardrobe), where there was more sunlight, but put the plant down in the shadows. Just to make sure. She moved the pot left a little, right a little, trying to find just the perfect spot. She looked at it thoughtfully for a moment, index finger placed against where a normal human’s lips would have been. Wasn’t she forgetting something …? Oh! Right!
She zipped off for a moment, only to return with a cute little watering can, to moisten the earth just a little. There! That should take care of it!
The can still in her hand, she joined others in the garden, passing right through the wall to get there, like a ghost.
“Cell phone?” Amon asked, as soon as he spotted Nephrite, quirking a brow. He’d bet any money that she’d- Yep, that surprised expression was telltale.
‘Forgot!’ Nephrite exclaimed, promptly dropping her little watering can and zipping back into the house.
Amon sighed and rolled his eye. “And this is why you should not let her handle any fragile stuff.”
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Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 12:35 pm
< It must be a girl thing then. > Ruku stated. < Jasa is always overdoing it. > A smirk was definitely seen in his eyes as he stated his opinion. And he was laughing on the inside because the plantling- as he had come to think of it- was in the house. Not the greenhouse. He almost could not wait to hear about what happened.
"I have just learned that it's better to take everything than to make constant trips back and forth to get what is needed. I'd rather spend my time working on the things that need done than traipsing back and forth and getting nothing done, Mr. Smarty." Jasa retorted, her eyes narrowing at Ruku.
< Riiight... Keep telling yourself that. > The fiend picked up a couple of pots walking away. He was definitely having fun.
"He can be such a brat sometimes." she growled, but was distracted from further comments when Amon's attention turned to Nephrite. A laugh slipped free at the interaction between the two. "I see. She can carry those bags then. They aren't heavy and won't break if she drops them. It's just some fertilizer that is mixed with water and the packets of seeds I thought she might like. Oh, and a small set of hand tools so that she has what she needs to tend them."
Another laugh slipped free. "I guess Ruku is right. I do overdo things. By the way, I was hoping you had put old clothes on. It's likely to get very muddy by the time we are finished."
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Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 2:05 pm
“Must be,” Amon agreed with a smirk. He really rather liked Ruku. “My boss is just like that too.” Because, goddammit, it had been pretty much HELL when she decided his education needed some serious … everything.
Though, he had to admit, he did somewhat take Jasamine’s stance (and his bosses’), if only from the experiences he’d made, given his occupation. It was generally better to be prepared for everything.
‘There.’ Nephrite returned in record time (mostly because she was terribly afraid she’d miss something important), and shoved Amon’s cell at him. He gave it a quick once-over, relieved to find it seemed to still work just fine.
“Thank you,” he said, the tone of his voice rather acidly. ‘If you drop it again, I’ll dump all your gowns on that compost heap over there,’ he added mentally.
Nephrite’s eyes widened. Whaaaaaaaat?! She’d dropped it, sure, but it had been on soft-soft carpet, and nothing had been damaged!
“Carry that there,” Amon said, indicating the bags Jasa had pointed out, and otherwise ignoring Nephrite’s outrage.
“These are old clothes,” he replied to Jasa’s comment with some indignation. What, was there some rule forbidding them looking good on him. Though, given that he did replenish the contents of his wardrobe quite often, tossing out old stuff as new trends arose, ‘old’ was a pretty relative term, really.
…
Likely going under what Jasa would refer to as ‘brand new’ as it had been purchased only half a year ago. The shirt at least, the denims were older, as they fit Amon’s definition of ‘timeless’.
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Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 11:53 am
Jasa's lips twitched upwards and she circled Amon playfully. "Are you sure those are old clothes? If that is the case, then I wish mine looked so good on me." She teased him mercilessly for a moment as she circled him again. She teased Algie, and alot of other people. Ruku's pranking was not entirely himself alone. She was sure her influence had something to do with it. She handed Nephrite another small bag from the front. "That one is a gift for you from me. From one treehugger to another."
Ruku laughed inwardly as Jasa teased Amon. Maybe he himself would get lucky and she would keep her attention on someone else instead. He doubted it, but he could hope anyhow. < I hope nothing jumps out of that bag, Neph. You never know what Jasa will do. It could be alive. >
Laughing she picked up one of the larger bags, moving towards the greenhouse. Dropping it into the corner, she poked her head inside the building. It looked pretty good actually. It was probably a good thing she brought the can of WD 40 with her. Some of the windows could probably use it to loosen the latches.
"Neph, this is a nice greenhouse. You should be able to do alot with it." Jasa stated, moving around the outside. "So where did you want to begin, Amon?" She turned to watch him for a moment before moving back towards her toolbox.
Ruku had slipped inside to look around. He loved the atmosphere of a greenhouse and almost could not wait to get his fingers into the soil. He knew how to mix the gravel for drainage, the soil, and even to firmly press the soil around the plant. A bit of water and it was done, and his impatience showed through as he waited for things to grow.
Carefully he placed the pots all on one table where he was certain that it would be easiest to reach them. Then he began unpacking the bags and placing various things around. Glancing over at Nephrite, he nodded to her. < This is going to be a nice greenhouse, Nephrite. >
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Posted: Sun May 29, 2011 12:54 am
“Just wait until you see me fully dressed up for a job,” Amon laughed good-naturedly. “You’ll be able to spot the difference then.”
Nephrite nodded gravely, confirming what her guardian said. It was a good thing they had two separate bathrooms now (three even, if you counted the unused one on the second floor), because, Amon took almost as long getting ready as she did!
‘Ohhhh, another gift~?’ Her tail swished with excitement as she peered to see what was inside the bag. Truly, this was a happy day, getting not one, but several gifts! There definitely needed to be more visitors, she decided.
“I don’t even know where to start, actually,” Amon admitted, in response to Jasa’s question. “Consider me a complete newbie to this kind of stuff. You’re the expert. All I did so far was to clean it thoroughly, repaint the frame and have someone replace the broken glass sheets.” He paused. “I do think I’d like some suggestions for the yard as well … It’s quite a mess, I know that. But … I’d actually like to not cut down too much of the overgrowth, as a certain young lady appreciates there being a lot of shaded areas.”
‘But plants need sunlight to grow,’ Nephrite pointed out. She definitely was internally conflicted about the matter. She was a creature of shadow, but she loved plants, and those required the sun’s awfully bright light to thrive.
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 4:02 pm
Jasa laughed. "The first thing we need to do is make sure that the greenhouse is in working order. We can get the trays laid out, get them planted if the water and everything is working as it should be."
Once inside the building, Jasa nodded as she moved around. "The mister looks good and that is half the battle." She indicated the rod with holes in it that went over the tables. There were no leaks from what she could see which meant the rubber seals were good yet. If they were not, it would be obvious from leaking. "Rubber seals must be good," she said looking over the entire pipe. "And the handle seems to be in good shape. The tables seem to be sturdy also."
Glancing upwards, she studied the glass panels of the roof and down the sides. "You've got the basics in order. So... I think we can get Ruku and Nephrite started on planting the seeds and plants into the pots and trays."
Ruku watched her a moment. < It took you all that time to say everything was okay. At this rate, it will take the rest of the day to get started. > His amusement was easily seen as he folded his arms. < I know how to plant and I'm sure Nephrite does. Just let us do it. >
Jasa's eyes narrowed as she turned to her fiend. "Alright Mr. Knowitall. Tell me how you would plant those." She knew he would get it wrong. He was just learning this part of it. He understood about the gravel and the types of soil, but still had to understand why certain plants did not get along well.
< Like this. > He gently picked up a large pot, placed gravel in the bottom for the drainage, handfuls of rich soil, and then picked up three plants moving them to the side. Ruku did not even look up at her. He knew what he was doing.
"Wrong." she said softly. "Two of those plants will fight each other for the same nutrients. They don't like one another and if you put them in the same pot, two will end up dying. Try putting this one in the same pot instead." She pulled back one then pushed another forwards. "That way when you water and fertilize you replenish what they have taken out. There would be a lack otherwise."
< I forgot that. It has to be balanced. > he admitted, frown creasing his brow for a moment. Looking over at the other plants still remaining, he moved to the side. < So if we put this one with this one, and these two over here... Then that should have each one taking something different. >
Jasa laughed. "Right. While you and Neph start on those for now, Amon and I will take a look at the garden area. Think you can handle this part of it, Neph? It will give you a chance to use those new tools."
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Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 3:52 am
Amon laughed and ruffled Ruku’s hair. “Hey, I’m actually grateful she’s going into detail. I had no idea what that thing was for.” He pointed at the mister. Given, it was probably somewhere in those books she’d recommended to him, but he admittedly hadn’t done too much reading.
Nephrite’s expression shifted from merely interested to one of utmost veneration as Jasa pointed out the mistake the other fiend had made. She knew so much! Like, she seemed to know everything there was to know about plants and gardening! She and Ruku definitely had to come visit more often, she decided. Or … no, wait, didn’t they have plenty of room vacant on the attic still? They could move in!
‘I don’t think they will – they’ve got their own place, after all.’ Amon gently pointed out to her. She’d been thinking pretty ‘loud’ in her excitement, so he had caught up at least some of it.
‘Awwww …’ she made, a little disappointed. Well then. In that case they’d definitely have to come visit more often! ‘I’ll be fine,’ she declared to Jasa – and she was eager to get to try out her new tools indeed.
Amon watched the two young fiends getting started on their task for a moment, before he turned to hold the door for Jasamine. “It’s odd how she suddenly stops caring about getting dirty as soon as it is about plants and gardening,” he said, shaking his head at Neph burrowing her arms almost to the elbows into the soil with a rather happy face. Well, knowing her, she’d probably spend hours in the bathroom once they were done, scrubbing herself thoroughly. “She really seems to enjoy it, though overall she seems to be interested in what plants do rather than growing them.” He shrugged.
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Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:37 pm
"I was pretty much the same when I was a kid. In the beginning it was all fancy dresses and parties, having the same things everyone else did. Until I was about thirteen. My grandfather introduced me to a friend of his and I worked the entire summer with her. Her gardens were amazing and she even created new breeds of roses winning awards all the time. She tried to teach me that, but I fell in love with sunflowers, daisies, and all the common plants. No matter how she tried to coax me to others, it was those I adored."
"My mother always has flowers in the house but it's roses or some sort that is rare and expensive. She never had sunflowers or daisies and the color was so spectacular that I just knew when I saw them. After school, I'd sneak off somewhere and buy them and plant them in the garden. The gardener finally left them after seeing I was serious about them being there. " Moving thru the door after a quick glance at Ruku and Nephrite. "She has a purpose and it's probably going to be easier to see she has what she needs and then stay out of the way." Jasa laughed. "A headstrong girl can cause a lot of trouble especially when she is set on getting what she wants."
His eyes twinkled when Amon ruffled his hair. He liked the man a lot. Too bad he and Jasa were not more than friends. Maybe he would have to make excuses to get Amon and Nephrite to come over to Jasa's house. His eyes were calculating as he turned back to the plants at hand. < Then I'm glad it is you and not me, Amon. > he smirked.
Ruku glanced over at Nephrite suddenly amused at how she was digging in. < This is the fun part. I like potting the plants and messing with the dirt and gravel. Jasa says it takes a green thumb to make them grow. My thumb isn't green but it still works. >
< So what are you planning to do with these besides cooking? > He was curious about her plans. Ruku suddenly wondered if others like them loved plants. He'd only met Bloo, Nell, and Nephrite. And Neph seemed to be the only one besides him. Carefully putting aside the first pot, the fiend picked up another, deciding which plants to put together. As Jasa had said, this time he picked three that would compliment each other.
"And now I co-own a shop of flowers. How much more perfect could it be?" she laughed, glancing around her. Turning her attention to the area, she could see it was very overgrown. "You said she likes the shady parts. If you are going to redo some of this, I would suggest that you do it in stages. Break it down into sections. Work on one at a time. That way she still has the shade she wants until you get the rest done."
Moving towards a spot of growth that was filled with trumpet vines and honeysuckles, she said, "This area needs to be built up. Trellises put underneath to support the vines. But, if you cut them back this fall, then build the trellises as an alcove, the plants have the support, but you could put a swing or table and chairs beneath it to make use of the space. These vines should not be cut now. It would shock the plant and possibly kill them, and they are good healthy vines. Those look like grapevines." She pulled a pocket knife from her pants, then moved to the other side. There was no growth on the plants yet causing her to frown slightly.
"These are grapevines, Amon. There are at least a dozen here. If the trellises were redone here, you could probably make your own wine. If that is the type of grapes they are. I won't know until I see the fruit which would be this fall." Taking the blade, she cut a branch from one plant. Splitting it down the middle, she said, "It's green on the inside which means the plant is alive and going to start leafing soon. We could do these today. We need three posts straightened, and the plants retwined and trimmed. It would not take too long. What do you think? Want grapes this fall? And we need to pull the dirt up around the roots a bit more. We could add a couple bags of that soil I brought."
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Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 11:33 am
“You tell me,” Amon sighed. “That girl already excels at getting what she wants and you don’t want to get on her bad side, believe me.” That little minx, to drug his tea, really … “I feel really sorry for the boys once she grows up.”
“Lets see if I can remember,” he said with a thoughtful look, letting go of the door and following after Jasa at a leisurely pace. “Sunflower, that was ‘haughtiness, adoration’. Daisy, mh, ‘innocence, loyalty, purity, faith, cheer, simplicity’ – now there’s a flower that suits you.” He laughed. “I don’t know s**t about gardening – yet – but the language of flowers I’ve got down. The Madame had me learn it,” he offered as an explanation, “for the job.”
“She also happens to be my landlady,” he added, once Jasamine seemed done elaborating. “She might actually know about those grapevines.” He shrugged. “Lets get that done, then.”
‘I’ve got green thumbs,’ Nephrite declared, wiggling hers, obviously taking Ruku's remark literally. Though they were currently of a smudged brown rather than their usually lime-y green.
‘And I don’t cook, Amon does. He really likes cooking. But sometimes I help. I like how food smells, especially the spices.’ She beamed. ‘I want to make medicine. I’m learning all sorts of things from Granny Mang. Like, how to make incense sticks, or, how to make teas that are good for you. I’m her apprentice,’ the young fiend added very proudly, stretching a little to make herself seem bigger. ‘Do you think I could be Jasa’s apprentice too? She knows So Much.’
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