Welcome to Gaia! ::

Arbutus nodded as the third member of the Ternary arrived. "It is quite the marvel, to keep living plants alive in this realm requires much in focus and deication." He truned to Adan, "If you get the chance, aquire some fertalizer or composting on your next visit. The humans use dead plant matter as a fertalizer for their gardens. Well done Adan, you have accomlplished something remarkable no matter how frail. Your dedication to your garden speaks much about you." He also acknoledged Zyne's study of Astronomy. "The same goes for your studies as well, Zyne."

Salte had finished fixing up Zyne's arm, and approached Marta Nicole, alittle fidgety. "I fixed up the boys, do you need some healing too?" she asked. It felt weird to her, unlike the boys, she was half scared, half respectful of her superior. Why the boys didnt bother her she couldn't guess. But she hedged on caution. It was not something she would dare ask outside this building of course. After the rather rowdy presentation at the meeting hall, she was not about to tell an espada she was weak.

Arbutus said nothing about this, watching how it would unfold. The battle with his grandchildren had chipped off some of the human feelings he had, it would be most wise for naive Salte to learn how to survive here. Simply killing anything that moved worked in the stones but not here. The ranks held power and such a hierarchy was not one to forget. He did not mind a friendship between the ternary three and his fraccion as she would need to be recognized.

Salte wasted no time healing up Marta Nicole, leaving with Adan to the Observatory. Arbutus watched them leave, chatting to each other with a frown. Turning his attention to Marta Nicole he nodded in agreement. "You shall hove no more fear of that from me. Our battle has successfully hammered that flaw into shape. As for Salte Pichi..." he sighed. So thats what he was noticing in the two.

"Yes I see it, attachments are snares that can be exploited. But be careful to assume that Salte's nature is a weakness. You were there when the naturals swarmed us, she slew many on her own without a scratch. She is cheerful now, but when I found her she was extremely feral and vicious."

Arbutus was distracted by the memory of the violent girl he had found in his garden so long ago. "Cheshire, as she called herself then, was attracted to my grotto, and I shared my space with her for a time. Wild and savage she tore up anything that got closer to her, myself included, but she held a fascination for the plants. Even now she still has that killer instinct tucked away, like a sugar coated nightshade. Her awakening into an Arrancar did not take that, and life in the stones only honed it further."

The old man sighed, "we will need to watch this relationship carefully. And if need be, sever it. If something develops we must deal with it one way or another." Arbutus felt the hardness in his voice, the kindly old man was a side only the Ternary and Salte would ever see. It had been literal ages since he had danced amid the cloak and dagger scene.

"Aye" Arbutus agreed. "trust, a harsh word here. Even between us, and Salte too, the only thing we can trust is that we will act like ourselves. For good or for ill. You may see Salte as a naieve child living with her grandparent. BUt she is more like an adopted alley cat. Disappearing for stretches of time but always returning. She's Wild." He smiled, "Anyone out to get her is in for a nasty suprise. Even if Adan and Salte develop something he will need to work hard to tame that mare." He laughed at the thought.

---

In the observatory Salte was lost in wonder as the lampshades cast stars across the dome shaped room. The pin pricks of light traced across her form as she moved around the room. It was a beautiful picture, but it bothered her somehow. If her usual vibe was likened to a sunny day, it was rapidly beggining to rain.

A wave of sadness crept over her, she felt like she was shrinking under the starscape. This feeling had been buging her all day, but it hit hard now. A foe she could fight, her emotions were far harder to contain. Staggering she clutched her head, tears leaked out of her wide eyes, black as ink.

In a flash of emotion and panic she was gone, her emotional turmoil easily felt by all in the building. The only indication of where she went was the soft closing of the Quinta's front door.

---

Arbutus felt the change in Salte's presence immediately and was the one that opened the door for the panicked animal. He stood looking at where she had gone off to, She had not fled far, but she needed some space. Looking back down the hall he locked eyes with Zyne and raised an eyebrow.

Salte looked up, her eyes filled with the black tears, like how they looked in her released form. Streaks dripped down her face, around the curved bits of bone that sdorned her eyes. "Been a long time since anyone called me that." she said quietly. "Don't know if you care or not, but I remember my first death. Alone, small and weak under the night sky. that memory was so deeply buried, I had all but forgotten till Zyne showed me his sky lamp." She rested her chin on her knees. "I was a freak in life, now a freak in death. can't even be a proper hollow. But you are right, I only needed to get away from that memory, I hope I have not offended Zyne too badly. His lights were pretty."

All the while salte had been speaking, she seemed like a different person. More normal and somber. Evenher voie had lost something. "My secret abiltiy, even more secret than you-know-what, is that I cannot be absorbed. I have been eaten several times over, always to consume my host from the inside out." Salte stopped and made a face, "Ew that came out wrong" She giggled a bit her former manner coming back a bit.

---

Arbutus left the door frame as Marta Nicole exited. Returning to the observatory he looked up at the star scape painted in light upon the ceiling. How could stars have aused Salte to lose control of herself? "Well,] now, this is a sight I have not seen in an age." Arbutus studied the stars, "You even managed to replicate the constelations in context to their neighbors. Well done indeed!" Arbutus did not possess the ability to rip garganta in the fabirc of the dimentions, thus he could not freely pass into the land of the living. Not that any living soul would have sated him. and large scale feedings would upset the quincy and or soul reapers. Unlike the shinigami, Arbutus had not been fooled. The Quincy were still around.

"So boys, I know you. If one feels strongly about something the other does too. If you can keep from bickering over it." Arbutus sighed and smiled, "Be mindful of your feelings in reguards to Salte. While she may not be as frail as she might appear, you would know better than I about how things work in Las Noches. " He let the matter at that.

Mopping the tears from her face with her hair, she sighed. So that was what her heart was feeling. An odd feeling as she had a large hole through where her heart should be. She had not known the triplets long, but she had noticed their connectivity. Groaning a bit she realized she might have really offended Zyne after all and unwittingly at that. Following Marta Nicole back inside, her curiosity perked back up and she asked, "Hey, Zyne got his star lamps from studying the human world stars. Can you guys go there? I cant do that, and Grandpa never had any reason to go there. Not like human souls can feed us anymore." Salte was of course referring to the fact that arrancars and the vasto lorde level hollows eat other hollows to grow rather than human souls. The concentration of reishi was much higher, but harder to procure in some cases.

---

Back inside Arbutus watched the clockwork movments of the boys. He should have guessed that what one boy felt the other would too. How would Zyne handel this? Simple acceptance was paradoxically not that simple. It was not like they were bound by human morals... Arbutus mentally shook that idea out of his head. Sharing was a complicated thing in relationships and the two were always at odds as it was.

Sensing the women returning he turned as Marta Nicole returned with Salte in tow. Salte approached Zyne, "Sorry Zyne, I did not mean to lose it on you. Your stars reminded me of something painful and it has served to point out a weakness I must overcome." She stepped back and addressed the both. "I now understand things cannot work the same way here in Las Noches. So let us just be friends for now, even that might be too much, allies? I don't know, I do like you guys."

Arbutus smiled a bit, Seemed whatever Marta Nicole had said ad some effect. Salte was being more responsible, something a budding romantic usually never did. Idly he wondered how his garden was coming along, it should have spread to most of the tunnels and caverns below. He would have to fine tune the evolving ecosystems that would no doubt develop. But something told him he things were happening that would take them elsewhere soon.

Salte grinned cheekily, "If anyone had tried to catch me they would have a face full of my claws, Meow!" She giggled making mock cat claws with her hands. She was a little sad though. The boys didn't like their leaders choice either. But Salte was never sad for long. This bout with the stars had sparked something she would not let happen again. Despite her silly nature, her mind was busy shoring up its mental barriers. One would think this an impossible task given her ADD like nature. But subtle changes were happening in her that only the two eldest would barely notice.

"Las Noches is a bit harder to survive in is it?" Arbutus asked, "Guess you can't just kill anything that moves like in the Stones. Never did like the cloak and dagger approach to things." In the Stones, Might was what won you respect. Respect in the fashion of fear, respect as in not provoking a dangerous beast.

"We shall indeed." the Old Man answered Marta Nicole's query. "The place should be quite well along. I used that foolish arrancar from the council meeting as the root of my garden. Not much will happen beneath the palace that I will not know about. And the plants will keep any unwanted visitors from sneaking through the tunnels." Arbutus' enthusiasm was peeking out from under his stern shell. Salte rolled her eyes and grinned, in a second Adan and the old man would be lost in botany talk she guessed. But she was excited to see her new playground.




{exit to Arbutus Gardens}