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 Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 3:41 am
Mordekai went to the back of the shed to locate the clippers. He found them right near a box at one of the end tables, just as Duncan had promised-- he was close to reaching for them until he remembered the gloves. Fortunately enough, the pair that Duncan had used just a couple of weeks ago were laying in the box. He unrolled his sleeves, grabbed his tools, then walked back to Anita-- he laughed at her little gesture, then looked at the wall of hats to find his own.
"Gotta find another big'un like that, then, yeah?" He was mostly focused on the worn, already stitched time-and-time-again hats. He picked up another sunhat and inspected it-- it had one of the biggest rims, but it was moth-bitten and frayed. He put it on anyway; a few patches of his hair showed through the holes, and sunlight shone through where parts of the rim were missing. He tipped his hat down, like Anita did hers, but smiled wryly when he could see through toward her. "Think this one's a cheatin' hat."
Unbeknownst to them, Rebecca, Jerri, and Duncan were already finishing up their plates, or were anticipating on eating their share later. Rebecca and her son stepped out onto the patio quietly while Duncan readied a pitcher of water to place at the backyard table. While Rebecca settled into a chair, Jerri upturned his brows at noticing Anita and Mordekai at the shed.
"Guys...? What are you doing?"
...
Jill tiptoed around the paraphernalia laid scattered across the room quite easily. She was more keen on exploring the place until Cruz brought her back into focus. She smiled at him, sheepish, then shook her head, looking more mischievous than she did guilty. "Noo... but I can find it! I'm really good at I Spy."
At the Frei's direction, Jill nodded assuredly and turned back to look at the contents of the desk. A small cardboard box was next to a desktop, which was big and clunky and seemed rarely-used. Jill glanced curiously back at the Frei to see what he found in the dresser-- it was barely filled with its share of miscellaneous clothes, all smelling clean but bunched together in indiscernible piles.
Jill sat at the desk chair and reached for the box. She pushed it toward her with the aim of keeping the box on her lap, but when the weight proved too cumbersome to deal with, she knelt at the chair and rifled through it as it stood precariously at the edge of the desk. It was filled with a random assortment of knick-knacks and smelled of crayon and paper and flora. And then she spotted it-- a ratty old friendship bracelet, a worn, dull red in color, with beads that spelled 'MORDECAI.'
"I found it!" she announced triumphantly. And, as Jill turned around, the box teetered at the edge and fell to the floor. Thud.
"...Oops..."
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 3:46 am
”Yeh,” Anita tried to mimic Mordekai's minor drawl. She didn't lift her hat to look, instead craning her head back to look down her nose in the small area of visibility it afforded. The more holes she spotted in the hat the more she smirked. ”You know what they say about cheaters,” with a grin, Anita lowered her head and flicked the brim to try and flip the hat back like a cowboy – the motion backfired and the hat fell even further over her eyes, ”they're pumpkin eaters.”
Jerri's question nearly gave her a start. Anita grabbed the top of her hat to push it back while turning and caught herself with the other arm on the door frame. ”Procrastinating,” she admitted with a smile after a few seconds of thought, ”Is there another pair of work gloves?” Anita flexed her bare hands in front of her face, turning to Mordekai curiously.
...
Cruz grinned at Jill's response, not put off at all by the impishness of her response. Still, they had a goal, so it was best to be in and out as fast as possible. They now had two rooms to look through, after all. ”Should play it with you sometime,” the frei mentioned while pulling a drawer open.
How messily the clothes inside were displayed puzzled him but they were certainly clean. He rifled through loosely, just enough for something small like a bracelet to get dislodged if it were in there at all. Jill was working faster than Cruz by far and, by the time he was finishing his exploration of the second drawer, she called out in victory. Before he could fully turn, their fanfare was interrupted with a loud crash; all sorts of trinkets scattered across the already messy floor, hiding themselves among other debris.
”Uh oh...” Cruz grimaced at the floor, met eyes with Jill, then stared at the mess. He hovered over the center of the spill and set to work on holding the box under his arm as he attempted to scoop up everything that looked like it hadn't already been on the floor when they arrived. ”Did anything break...?”
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 3:51 am
Mordekai was laughing even before Jerri startled Anita, but when he did, he was laughing twofold. He intended on keeping the sun hat on, and continued chuckling as Jerri carefully walked to the shed. "Procrastinatin'," he repeated; he slipped his gloves on and smirked, "Eatin' pumpkins..."
Jerri cautiously looked over the hat assortment and picked out the same one he'd chosen years ago, and also picked out the one Jillette had on. When he tested his hat to his head, though, puberty was not his friend; it took some twisting and prodding for the hat to rest just on top of his head, and even then, it didn't stay on for long. When the hat flopped onto the table before him, Mordekai chuckled and handed him another hat-- it was a newsboy cap, similar to the one Duncan was wearing now.
"Should fit ya better. You're growin'!" Mordekai smiled at Jerri, and he uneasily smiled back and gave a shrug.
"A little." He put his old preferred hat back on its hook and adjusted the cap on; it fit snugly and worked well enough. He looked between Anita and Mordekai and shrugged again. "Is this okay?"
"More than!" Mordekai turned back to Anita and nodded, "Yeah, we gotta pair, lemme find 'em." He went back to the end of the shed to fetch a pair of gloves. These ones were clean, unlike the ones Anita were wearing-- with that and another pair of clippers, he walked back to Anita and handed the tools to her. "Here."
...
Jill continued staring at the mess below their feet. "No," she replied; she shook her head, too, though she wasn't so sure if she was right. She was more astonished at how many things were in the box, and her main concern was with them getting caught. Quickly, she hopped off of the chair and tugged at Cruz's arms-- she whispered with urgency, but failed to contain her giggling. "Quick! Run!"
With that, Jill fled. She'd forgotten about the movie entirely and was instead vaulting down the stairs, as quickly as her little feet could take her. When she finally reached the bottom of the stairs, she tripped on the hardwood floor and landed with a thud. Even with the loud sound of her falling, Jill stood up and continued running toward the dining area without issue.
"Hurry! They're in the backyard!" She was yelling at this point, from the adrenaline. She'd forgotten Mordekai's bracelet where she tripped and fell.
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 10:06 am
Once Jerri began looking at the hats, Anita pushed her own back into a normal position. She could feel herself already having hat hair. ”Yeah, that looks nice,” Anita took an unconscious step or two after Mordekai before stopping, turning her attention out the shed door to check on Rebecca and Duncan.
”Thanks,” she smiled, setting the shears on the table to pull the gloves on and test out her hands with the different dexterity. Satisfied, Anita picked up the clippers and gave them an experimental snap. ”Alright, let's go be Batman.” As she stepped over the threshold of the shed, she turned over her shoulder to look at Jerri and Mordekai. ”...It is poison ivy, right?” Her lips pursed. Bad joke.
...
”What?” Cruz looked up, his fingers flipping a book of pressed flowers shut against the floor before returning it to the box. Before he had time to arrange it neatly, Jill was off the chair and grabbing at him. The frei gasped, losing his grip on the box. It landed on its side, spilling what meager contents he had managed to return.
He allowed himself to be tugged from the room, though Jill hurried along ahead of him. Cruz hesitated, glancing back at the door left wide open with everything astray. The frei winced, his hand reached for the door knob – a loud smack against the floor sent him hurdling down the hall to lean over the bannister. Cruz watched Jill pick herself from the floor and run with even more enthusiasm. Heart a flutter, the croc followed far more leisurely than his young companion.
Floating low, Cruz plucked up the bracelet she dropped: one of two objectives she had now all but abandoned. With furrowed brows, he moved through the kitchen and towards the back patio. Everyone was gathered outside already as she said and he crossed into the garden just as Mordekai and Jerri made their exit from the shed.
”Jill,” Cruz whispered urgently. The bracelet was clasped like a treasure between his palms.
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 2:05 pm
It took a moment for both Jerri and Mordekai to understand the joke, but when they did, Jerri laughed quietly and ducked his head out of the shed while Mordekai laughed and nodded. "Uhuh, it is... an' you're one helluva Joker!" It was an equally as bad joke. He offered a cheeky smile.
Jerri looked back at Mordekai a touch incredulously before making the rest of his way back to Rebecca, Duncan, and the chair. The two adults were having a quiet enough conversation on their own when Jillette burst into the backyard. She was full of energy enough to sprint past Rebecca (who was completely startled) completely and make his way toward Anita and Mordekai. She barely scraped past Jerri's shoulder to get to them, and by the time she did, she caught her breath and slumped against Anita's legs.
Mordekai looked down, brows upturned. "Ah... y'find Alice yet, Jill? Y'need help?"
Jillette shook her head and stood back while panting-- seeing the sight of her so exhausted caused Rebecca to glance over, then stand, despite the amused assurances from Duncan. "No," Jill looked between her hands-- she'd forgotten about the bracelet! "No, I dunno where--"
Jillette turned back to glance at the Frei, then down at his palms. Her confused frown turned into a smile immediately, and she tiptoed to give the Frei a smooch on the forehead before taking the bracelet. "Thank you, Cruz! Here it is," she held the bracelet up for Mordekai to take. The blond looked obviously confused, but he managed to smile anyway. He hesitantly reached for the bracelet.
"Ah... thank you, mamzelle," he nearly took it until he realized he had gloves on-- he knelt down and took them back off for the girl to immediately wrap around his wrist. "You find this okay up there?"
"Mhm!" Once she was done, she stepped back and grinned. Rebecca, meanwhile, was catching up to the four of them as soon as Jerri sat down at the table.
"What's going on?" Rebecca pressed-- Jill, in an attempt to hide her scraped knees, hid further behind Anita. "Sweetheart..."
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 2:23 pm
Anita offered them both an appreciative smile for humoring her when they got the joke. She gave Mordekai an exaggerated laugh just as Jill came barreling into her. ”Oof-- careful. You okay?” Anita held the clippers closer to herself, away from Jillette as she bent over to rest a hand on her shoulder just long enough to make sure the little girl wasn't about to keel over.
Just a few feet behind, Cruz presented Jill with the bracelet. He beamed gratefully at the kiss, though the intensity of his smile weakened considerably as he was quickly reminded that they had not found it okay up there. Cruz tensed for a brief moment but resumed his smile as Rebecca appeared.
”Oh, look at that,” Anita leaned in to get a better look at the bracelet. One corner of her mouth curled at the misspelling.
Quietly, the frei departed from the group. He floated closer to Duncan and Jerri, wringing his hands loosely. ”Duncan,” he asked softly, offering a short smile to Jerri, ”are we still picking flowers today?”
Jill's retreat from her mother caused Anita to hold the clippers higher and peek around herself. ”You okay, munchkin?”
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 2:27 pm
Neither Mordekai nor Jillete had noticed any doubt in Cruz. Jillette was focused on regathering her composure while Mordekai was busy inspecting his bracelet, and when Anita commented on it, he looked up at her and smiled wide. "S'all kinna pink now, huh? Used t'be all red before. Anyway--" he quickly pulled his gloves back on and snipped his shears at the air, then stood back up, "Ready t'trim some ivy?" Alas, despite his preparedness to go, Jill was busy with Anita and Rebecca was standing before him, looking expectantly down at her daughter. "You okay?"
Jillette nodded at Anita and hugged her legs. "Mhm! I'm fine." She stepped away from Anita to prove it. After she did, she glanced down at her knees, just to be sure; fortunately, they weren't scraped as she'd expected, but were a bit red from slipping on hardwood.
"Jillette, what did you do?" Rebecca held out her palm to Jillette to request her hand; as soon as Jill took it, she clucked her tongue disapprovingly. She spared neither Anita nor Mordekai another glance before heading back to the table, which gave Anita and Mordekai room enough to move onto their errand. Jerri poured a glass of water for himself when Cruz returned to the table, followed by his mother and sister.
Duncan watched as the Frei floated toward him. "Cruz," he began, welcoming; with a smile, he nodded once. "Yes, we are." He watched as Rebecca and Jillette sat down quietly at the table; he managed to keep his smile, though he was displeased at the sight, then turned back to Cruz. "We could even start with the flower picking now. Would you like that?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 2:28 pm
Between Mordekai speaking, Rebecca's fretting, and Jill's clinging, Anita's head spun a little. She gave a short relieved laugh when the little one detached from her, smiling at both of the Petits once everything seemed fine. Anita wanted to look at the bracelet better but it was already hidden by gloves by the time she could. ”Uh-- yeah,” she grinned, starting to walk toward the ivy, ”and rarin' to go.” With another smile to Jill and her mother, despite Rebecca not looking their way, the two set off toward the gate to get rid of the ivy that had lingered since the last time they were here.
Cruz smiled a little easier once he was addressed. The older man's warmth was always welcomed and he seemed to have an easy time keeping upbeat among awkwardness – something the frei sorely needed at that moment. He glanced at Mordekai and Anita and nodded, turning back to all present at the table with a smile.
”Want to pick some for 'Nerva and Tango,” he explained, hands idly running over each other. Truth be told, he wanted to distance everyone's minds from the debacle upstairs, including his own – the sooner the better. ”Are there good types of flowers for family?”
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 2:30 pm
Jill extended her arms out toward the water pitcher to pour herself something to drink, but Rebecca was quick on the uptake and took the pitcher instead. Rebecca was quietly chiding about Jill's red knees, something Duncan registered as a thing to handle after talking to Cruz. As such, he kept full attention on the Frei. He leaned back into his chair slightly with a sturdy smile.
"Flowers for family... well, I'm sure Minerva and Tango would enjoy any kind of flower you pick them. But they all do have certain meanings. Have you heard of the language of flowers?"
"Red roses for love," Jerri noted, though he grew sheepish as soon as he said it. Duncan nodded approvingly nonetheless, though the boy seemed more interested in finishing his water.
"Yes, like that. But I can't think of the meanings of them all without looking at them." Duncan stood from his seat and walked a few paces to where Rebecca and Jill was-- he leaned forward slightly to meet Rebecca face level, then gently pat her shoulder, "How's about we walk around?"
Though frowning, Rebecca relented with a short nod. "Right. You go ahead with Jerri and Cruz. We'll be with you guys in a second, okay?"
"Alright." With that, Duncan looked back toward the Frei and smiled in a gesture to follow him. Jerri stood up without having to be directly addressed, and they made their way toward the shed again.
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 2:34 pm
Of course, Duncan was right. Minerva, and especially Tango, would enjoy whatever they were given – they were good like that – but it didn't change the fact Cruz wanted to get something special. The garden was so full. More and more, the idea of a full garden of potted plants on the balcony became more appealing to the three of them.
Cruz's brows lifted curiously. ”Flowers can talk?” Jerri was swift in offering an example and immediate understanding washed over the frei; flowers were like words in a language.
He nodded, smiling at the lot of them. Jill was given a sympathetic glance, first at her face and then at her knees, but even with her mother looming overhead she seemed alright. Cruz dipped his head and gave a small gesture with his fingers as he followed Duncan and Jerri toward the shed. The sounds of clippers behind them drifted in and out, occasionally accented with laughter.
”Are there better flowers to give on different holidays? Birthdays? For thank yous?” he floated closer to the threshold, peering in before entering himself. The frei didn't grab the hat he had worn last time, but one with a nice pine colored ribbon. Cruz held onto the wide and floppy rim, gently bending it towards his cheeks like a bonnet while looking at Duncan and Jerri with a straight face. These were very important questions.
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 3:28 pm
Duncan and Jerri were already equipped with hats, and thus, the older man prepared other things as Cruz chose his hat. He retrieved four baskets in all: one for the Petits, one for Anita, one for Cruz, and one for him and Mordekai, just in case. Duncan nodded at the Frei's question. "Oh, certainly. Especially for holidays like Christmas, Valentines Day is another big one; there are also flowers more suitable for weddings, baby showers, Easter..." He gestured toward the boys to make their way out of the shed. Jerri did promptly, and by that time, Rebecca and Jill were making their way towards the group.
Jill let go of her mother's hand to go skip toward the Frei-- she quietly held out her hand for him and smiled in offering. Duncan handed an empty basket to Rebecca, then Cruz, then looked down to give Jill an assuring smile-- she returned it a wave. "Hi, Uncle Clarke!"
"Hi, Jill. Cruz was just asking about flowers for holidays. Could you help us name some?"
She nodded firmly. "Mhm!"
"And could you help us look for some flowers for Anita and Cruz's mom, and Tango? Do you remember him?"
Jill nodded again, this time even more enthusiastically. "Uhuh! That's easy. We should start over here!" She walked in the direction the furthest to their right from the shed. It was covered in shrubs and pots and abloom with flowers, with trees so high it was impossible to see the fence.
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 3:32 pm
Mention of Christmas and Valentine's Day set the frei's eyes alight. He grinned at Duncan and let his arms drop so the rim of his hat flopped back into place. Even as more holidays were listed, Cruz was already floating back out of the shed. Jill and Rebecca were both met with a smile and he eagerly took Jill's hand in his, as well as the basket. How many times had he said 'thank you' today? It didn't feel like quite enough.
Calling Minerva both of their mom's sounded both strange and right. As Cruz told Tatiana not long ago, Anita was Anita – and by extension, Minerva was Minerva – but, between the two, Minerva was mom. He chose not to derail flower talk with debate of titles.
As Jill lead Cruz to a particular patch of garden, he glanced back to the ivy gate. It was getting cleared off much easier with double the clippers. The fact it wasn't being trimmed at night by only Duncan probably helped, as well.
”What's your favorite?” Cruz asked Jill when they reached their destination. The question was quickly addressed to the others, as well, ”Do you have favorites?”
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 3:33 pm
Duncan, Rebecca, and Jerri followed closely behind Cruz and Jill, their conversation idle and quiet, especially in lieu of the scattered laughter from Anita and Mordekai at the gate. The flowers in this area created a sort of border with its planter boxes, with a narrow patch of grass dividing them. Jill knew exactly where to go, and didn't stop until she got there-- at the very corner were Duncan's patches of roses. There were bushels available of many different colors, but she had two specific varieties in mind.
She tiptoed to get a better look at the rose bushes, but gravitated toward the orange and pink ones. Carefully, she inspected the petals and checked beneath the for any thorns, then plucked them to give the Frei. "These ones are mom's favorites, so I think your mom would like them too,” she explained.
Jill's expression was a curious one at the question, then contemplative, and she hummed. She was still staring at the rose bushels to see if there were any more good ones to pick. "My favorites... are... irises!" she turned back to the rest of the group when Cruz looked to them, too, and elected to answer for them before anyone could interject. "And mom's favorites are roses, and Jerri's favorites are daffodils, and..."
"...Umm..." She frowned slightly and tilted her head when facing Duncan. "What's your favorite flower, Uncle Clarke?"
"My favorite? Oh, it's hard to say... magnolias and snapdragons are ones I've always been keen on, I suppose." Rebecca glanced up at Duncan and smiled wider at his response. Duncan noticed, but only briefly, and walked closer to the rose bushels to inspect them. "Do you have a favorite flower, Cruz?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 3:34 pm
Jill's explanation was more than enough to convince Cruz. The frei quickly tucked the given roses into his basket and looked around curiously at the others. Both of the roses had nice colors and all of the assorted petals in all of the bushels were bright and vibrant, just the sort of thing Minerva would enjoy.
Cruz's brows knit at all of the different flower names. He knew the words but he couldn't quite put the flowers to his mind from their names alone. Perhaps he would get to know them that well by the end of the day.
From the sound of clippers fading out, it seemed like the ivy was about done being trimmed. Cruz glanced toward the gate, adjusting to see past the large group, and spotted Anita making her way back toward the shed. Her head was tipped, watching her feet while she walked. She was smiling but there was something about her eyes that didn't quite make the expression feel normal. Cruz's own smile softened as he scrutinized her, and subsequently Mordekai as he moved into view.
By the time they disappeared into the shed, Duncan addressed him and the frei looked taken aback. ”Hmm,” Cruz pinched his lips together tightly, ”not sure. Like cactuses... 'Nerva has a tiny one in the kitchen window. Do they have flowers? ”
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 3:37 pm
Mordekai followed closely behind Anita, his eyes also glued to the ground and his feet. He was smiling, too, his cheeks flush, though shaded beneath the large patchy sun hat he was wearing. Other than the Frei, none of the others seemed to be noticing that they'd completed their work. Flowers were already gathering in the Petits' basket, while a few stray and worn ones were resting in Duncan's.
"Oh, yes, all cactuses bloom. If the ones Minerva has hasn't yet, I'm sure they're due to soon." Duncan took a glance at Cruz's basket and smiled before tending to the young geraniums right near it. "An orange rose is for enthusiasm, a pink rose is for friendship. Those are very good choices."
After a moment of near-unnoticed absence, Jillette returned with a couple of lilies and placed them carefully in the Frei's basket. She tugged lightly at Duncan's sleeve to regather his attention toward the basket. "What do those mean?"
"Ah, the white lilies?" he laughed, "Those are for sweetness."
"They're my new favorites," Jill assured with a nod. "I think your mom will like them! They're really pretty."
"I'm sure she will, and they'll be with us until early winter. Feel free to pick as many as you'd like." With that, Jill disappeared from sight again, and with her absence came Anita and Mordekai. Duncan looked over at the ivy gate-- there were patches of dirt from where Mordekai had pulled the roots, but the iron was clear enough that it was safe to walk through. A job well done.
Mordekai looked back as Jill walked past him with purpose, then looked back, his smile refusing to leave his features. "She goin' somewhere?" he asked-- he took off his sunhat and mindlessly glanced at Anita, then kept his sights glued to the flower patches.
"To the lilies." Duncan smiled and bowed his head slightly to Anita and Mordekai both, then extended an empty basket to Anita, "Thank you two for clearing the gate for us. And a basket for you, Anita."
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