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Finishing the bite she was chewing, Jasa listened as she watched Ruku and Bloo. A faint smile curved her lips upwards as she watched the wisp finally slip into a shadow and then back out.

"I guess he has it figured out," she stated as the wisp moved from place to place.

For a long moment she thought silently. "I would say his has to do with heat. I mean there are times when I could swear he is radiating it. And he definitely does not like anything cold. As for my ice machine, it would figure.. I might have to simply revert to getting bags of ice rather than the machine if it goes out again."

Ruku seemed to be enjoying himself as he moved from shadow to shadow around Bloo. He popped into a shadow and then out, tagging Bloo before vanishing in amusement. This game had just gotten far more fun.

"A child..." she repeated. "How big will they get? I mean if there is a child stage, then there would be teen and adult just like people do. What should I be prepared for? Worse pranks as he gets older?"

"At least I know a bit more," she laughed. "It's hard to try to figure out what he's going to do next. I may just give up on an ice maker entirely and I'm sure he's not going to like the air conditioner next year when I drag it out again. But at least this way I'm a bit more prepared for what he does."

Ruku turned in circles warily checking the shadows as he moved around the center of the table searching for Bloo. When Bloo finally popped out, his tendrils danced actively as if he were surprised. He was and skidded backwards into the ketchup bottle causing it to totter a bit.

Jasa snickered at what she was feeling. He had definitely been surprised. "I think Bloo just got the best of him in their game of hide and seek." Turning her attention back to Algie, she added, "I'll definitely try to get into the shop. I just seem to have other things to do when I do think about it. Or like today.. they were out to lunch. I am glad I ran into you though. At least I know it's not all my imagination now."

She smiled at Algie, having decided she liked him. Briefly she wondered what his children were like. Normally she would not do this, but taking a pen and paper from her purse, she said, "I don't want to forget to give you this. Here's my address, home phone, the nursery address, and the phone there. If you ever need help with plants or just need company, give me call. Ruku and I will be glad to help or distract you."

She leaned back into her chair, sipping her tea. "Exactly what problems have you been having when you set your garden out? And do you have trouble with houseplants also?"

"Hmm.. I guess Ruku's could be considered minor for the most part. He likes to play hide and seek at the greenhouse when I'm ready to leave. He seems to love the plants and the warmth there." she replied, a smile on her lips as she mused thoughtfully on his actions.

"I will have to check out the shop at some point. Probably not today. I'll have to go do a few other things before the evening is over." She had some plants to repot and a few to water before the day was over.

Ruku floated just behind Bloo as if playing follow the leader. Then he tugged on the pen in Jasa's hand as if trying to take it. It was not the first time he had tried to take such from her.

Taking the card, Jasa read it briefly. "Does that mean you can use all types of magic? I don't think I have any. At least nothing strange has ever happened to me except for Ruku. Unless you count my green thumb. Plants grow well for me." She smiled at the bag. "A magic pouch I'm assuming. I've seen one of those before, but not quite like yours."

"And I will stop by and see what you have there. I like to read and I'm always looking for something new to learn. And yes," she nodded. "It is possible to overwater plants. They turn a sort of yellowish instead of staying a green. If you have a pond and stream you might need to grow a few other types instead. There is one that is considered a wild flower but quite useful. It's called Jewelweed though when crushed it takes the sting out of mosquito bites and if you happen to get into a patch of nettles or poison ivy."

She smiled taking her pen and sketching a small blossom on the napkin. "It looks sort of like this and is small reddish orange in color. It loves being near water and quite honestly the moister the ground is around it, the bigger the stems and more useful. We sell it, but I know where to dig some also should you decide you want some to plant there. Some watercress would be nice too. It's a fresh green but can also be used for salads if you like the taste of it. Although the watercress does like a spring fed stream and the colder the better."

Ruku's attention was caught with the continued movement of her pen. He tried to catch it and hold on as it moved back and forth with her hand. Finally he gave up and simply moved to latch onto her hand.

"I don't know much about magic," Jasa admitted. "I've seen a few tricks here and there, but only one or two people that actually use fire or water magic. The ice pixies were the first time I ran into any ice magic. And then I was dodging it more than trying to figure it out."

A laugh slipped free as she thought about the war with the pixies. "Rukurai was very angry at them. He was always turning the thermostat higher and higher to drive them out of the rooms we were in."

When Bloo tugged on the pen, Ruku went back to pulling on it. He was amused and it seemed even more fun now that someone had joined him in the action.

Jasa laughed, moving it back and forth every now and then to make them have to adjust the direction they were trying to pull the pen. At one point, a wisp was at each end causing her to have to hold it in the middle. She wondered what they would do if she started spinning it on them. "I wonder if they would get dizzy if I spun it in circles with them clinging to it?"

"There are some types of hardy lotuses that live in the water. It depends on how deep your pond is though. They bloom in whites usually though there are rarer reddish violet flowers. There are also catttails, but of course, when they go to seed you have these little fluffy seedlings flying through the air. They get into everything and make a horrible mess sometimes. I'll make a list and see what I can find out about some of them. I'll either mail it to you or drop it by. It would give you some ideas for spring at least."

Spring was the best time for the water plants. It would give them the entire summer to get a hold on the pond and adjust to it before winter forced them into dormancy. Jasa finished off her cup of tea as she continued to play tug with Bloo and Ruku. She was glad she had met Algie and Bloo and she noted the bashfulness without saying anything. The man was exactly as one would expect and she liked that about him.

She laughed shaking her head as she watched him. Algie was fun and so was Bloo. "No. It's alright, if you need to go. I'll try to stop by one day and see what I can find in your books. And I'll bring you a list of plants for water and otherwise. Then after I see what your garden and pond looks like, I'll be able to give you a list of things and how to grow them."

The wisp did not seem to want to be in her pocket and began to try to climb out. Each time she shoved him back in and he was not amused about it.

Jasa pushed her pen into her purse. Ruku she picked up and put into her pocket as she stood beside the table pulling her jacket back on. "It was very nice to meet you and Bloo," she included the wisp, "and thank you for lunch, Algie. Stop by the greenhouse sometime and see what we have."

"Enjoy the rest of the day."

(( I think this is a wrap. Drop me a line when you are ready to start the plants running amok.))