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 Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 12:01 pm
"Ugh. I don't even want to think about Ruku and girls. I know... when the time comes I'll send him to talk to you. " She broke into laughter, then teased. "It could be a male bonding time."
"Your madame is a smart lady it seems. Most men do not take the time to learn such things. Sunflowers and daisies.. simplicity, cheer.." she repeated then nodded. "I suppose that does suit me. I figure if I can't have fun in life, then what is the point? There is no reason to complicate things by holding grudges or being afraid of something. Or work that is a drudge. Life is too short and I have things to do no matter where it takes me." Her lips twitched. "I suppose I did get that from my dad. He's one who follows where the whims take him."
"Speaking of which reminds me. I got an invitation from them. In about four weeks, they are taking a trip to the beach house. As far as I know, it will be them, six of their friends, including my ex's parents. Also two of their children- twins. Thomas and March. I'm sure they will be trying to saddle me with the twins while they all go do as they please. Not that I don't like the boys. They are just very spoiled and tiring sometimes. I'll probably be calling your madame in the next day or so to make arrangements for you to go with me. It's two weeks on the beach. We'd have to fly, but dad's paying for it. I'll talk him into to first class. Think you can handle that?" She was sure they would have fun and it would keep her parents off her back. And the twins. But she also suspected that her ex would be there at her parents' request. They had tried it one other time.
Moving over to the shovels, she held one out to him. "The first thing we need to do is straighten those posts. They need to be firmly in the ground so we will pull them out. dig a bit deeper and then reset them. Then I'll show you how to rope them so that they vine properly."
< That sounds really interesting, Neph. Jasa has been teaching me about plants. I am getting pretty good at potting them now, but there is lots I don't know yet. She gave me some books and I've been reading them, but they get kind of ... dry with just information. Oh! >
His face lit up slightly. < She got me a microscope! Now I can see what things look like! And I got a book on plant propagation and one on cultivation from the bookstore the other day. You might look and see if you can find some on medicines and fragrances too. > It was obvious he loved the bookstore as much as the flower shop and greenhouse. His hands kept working as he glanced over at Nephrite a time or two. She seemed to be having fun too. Maybe he would show her how to do cuttings- when he got better at it of course.
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Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2011 12:58 am
“Too bad he doesn’t have a mouth, or else I’d be sharing a six-pack with him.” Amon grinned. Well, technically Ruku was still underage, but he wasn’t human either, so, who cared? “But, seriously, sure, just send him over when he’s about to hit that age – but only if I can do the same to you with Neph.” He was pretty damn sure she was already close to it, and … Well, he had no damn idea just how to properly break the bees and flowers stuff to her, not to a girl.
“She is a very smart lady,” Amon confirmed respectfully. “So smart it’s scary at times. I do owe her a great deal, though. If she hadn’t taken me under her wings back then, there’s no way of telling where I’d be now.” Amon gave a wry grin and shrugged again. He preferred to not think about this too much. He’d only end up giving himself nightmares.
He was just about to brush back a strand of his black hair which had slipped from the ponytail, but Jasa’s proposal caused him to halt mid-movement and blink at her in surprise. “So soon?”
Not that he did mind, he totally didn’t, and he was free at the time – he simply hadn’t seen this coming. Neither that she’d actually want him around for a full two weeks. It had been … quite a while since he’d last accepted a long-term job like that. Not since he had started taking care of Neph, in fact, for obvious reasons. Though this one, at least, was likely going to be “kid-safe”. And it helped that Jasa was a guardian as well. Because, seriously, he couldn’t possibly leave Nephrite with Athan for weeks.
“Sure, sounds like fun. Would it, erh, be alright for Neph to tag along? I usually leave her with Athan when I’m on a job, but two weeks would be asking too much, I think.” Amon had caught the occasional glimpse at the immense burden the man was carrying, raising his respect of the ancient magic-user by several degrees and also causing him to grow increasingly reluctant to simply dump Neph on him. And … well, maybe it was about time to explain to the young fiend just what he did for a living. This job seemed like a good chance for it.
“Oh, and since I mentioned beer,” he said, reaching for the shovel, “the fridge is well stocked, beverages, some snacks and everything. Actually …” he paused for a moment before getting to work for real. “Actually I’d like to invite you to stick around for dinner once we’re done here.” If he was to pose as her boyfriend, not just for an evening but for weeks, he'd definitely have to interview her a little to get to know her enough to pull off the act. He wondered if she was aware of this.
‘I like books with pictures best,’ Nephrite nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. ‘I have some which teach you all about how to recognize plants, what they look like blooming, what their seeds look like …’ She frowned a little. ‘But they don’t usually teach how to grow them.’ She wondered if there was a reason to it. There seemed to be much, MUCH more to growing plants than just putting a seed or bulb into the ground and waiting for things to happen. Like, how she’d just learned from Ruku and Jasa’s little interaction, that certain plants didn’t get along? And those little stones were important too? And there were different types of soil? Argh, there was soooo much she didn’t know yet, and she was beginning to wonder if it was worth bothering. Buying her herbs from the bazaar, or looking for them in the forest might be less of a hassle and actually the more convenient way to go about it …
‘What … is a “microscope”?’ Nephrite inquired curiously. She’d never heard the word, but judging from Ruku’s enthusiasm it had to be something amazing. And, books about medicines she actually had a few, though Amon seemed somewhat reluctant about giving them to her for some reason. Books on fragrances she’d never even looked for, as it seemed impossible to her to describe those in writing. What she knew about them so far, she’d been taught hands on from Mang.
She paused for a moment when Amon pinged her about something – not consciously, she was able to tell the difference – he was simply intensely focusing on something that was on his mind and just plain sucked at guarding his thoughts from her. Something about … a vacation? At the beach? And something she didn’t quite get, which had to do with his job, and with Jasa. Hrm. Weird.
Her delicate, brush-stroke-like brows knitted into a thoughtful frown as she went on about potting the plants, occasionally glancing over to Ruku to see how he was doing it, trying to imitate his work the best she could.
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Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:25 am
"Of course you can bring Neph. I'm sure she and Ruku would enjoy it. You know she's going to want to go shopping for plants." Jasa laughed at the thought as they continued working on the grapes. She pulled the dirt up as it was meant to be around the roots. How she loved the feel of the dirt in her fingers. "I don't imagine either of us is going to enjoy telling them about that. I think... yes... my mother handed me a book, turned red and pretty much ran from the room. It was the funniest thing."
"I'd like to stay for dinner. I'm sure Ruku will too. He seems to get along well with Neph and there aren't too many others I know yet. Just Algie and Bloo." Jasa said looking around them. That had not taken as long as she thought. "I think we are done here except for the rope. You should actually get a good crop this year. These plants are really healthy."
Ruku listened to Neph as she spoke about her books. She was like Jasa when it came to plants he surmised. < Don't worry, Neph. Even if they don't teach you, Jasa can. She's the one who taught me about the dirt and gravel and which plants like each other. I still don't know all she does. >
< A microscope... well, it's about this big, > he began holding his hands apart. < It has an eyepiece at the top. You take tiny pieces of plants or something and you put it between two little glass slides and you can see things you can't see by just looking. Sometimes it's tiny cells that make up the plant. It could be anything. You will have to talk Amon into bringing you over so that you can see mine. > He was certain she would like it as much as he did.
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 10:31 pm
“Fun. It’ll be a bit like vacation then. Except for the bit where I work.” He smirked.
“A book, really?” He quirked a brow. People did that? His own education in that regard had been of … considerably more ‘practical’ nature. Then again, the way he’d grown up had hardly been normal, so he didn’t mention it.
“Yeah, I too have only met a handful of the others. And most of them only once. Athan and Reyna are about the only ones related to the fiends I see on a regular base.” He handed Jasa the rope, and – after watching for a moment – helped to tie up the vines the way she did. He was a fast learner.
“Actually …” He paused, gaze wandering over the yard and lingering on the back porch for a little while. It wouldnt’ have been possible in his old place, downtown apartment and all that, but out here … “I’ve been mulling this over for a bit. I really would like to get an idea of who else is around. This place really would lend itself for a barbecue, don’t you think?”
Nephrite listened patiently to Ruku’s explanation while she worked. ‘So, its sort of like a magnifying glass?’ she hazarded. She had had one of those, a nice old one with a brass setting and handle which Amon had gotten her from one of the antiques stores. Though he had confiscated it at one point, when she’d figured out she actually could use it to start fires.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:11 pm
Jasa laughed. "Yes. She handed me a book. I glanced at it, shoved it into a drawer and figured I already knew more than she did from school. Health class."
Her eyes lit up. "A barbecue?! I think that's a great idea, Amon! Ruku and I will help you get everything set up. It would be fun. Ruku and Neph can set up tables and get things ready while we cook and make sure that we have everything needed. And like you said, it would give everyone a chance to get to know each other. I've been meaning to go see Athan and Reyna but I've just not had the time yet. The shop has been keeping me busy, but I'll take a day or two off to help you with this. Alice won't mind. I can schedule some overtime for someone else who wants the extra money."
A laugh slipped free. "It pays to be the boss sometimes.
Ruku nodded. *The lenses are small but you can see right down into a plant's cells and other things. It's just a light microscope but it works for what I want it to do. I was looking at a plant the other day. It had some sort of fungus growing on it, but I was not sure. I looked at a scraping I put on one of the glass slides and figured out what it was. It was sooooo cool!*
His eyes lit up, glowing slightly as he thought about the things he had learned since getting the microscope and the books with it. *After you see mine, you should get Amon to get one for you. I think you would like one.* The fiend was certain she would be interested in one for her plants. It would help her see things she couldn't see now. He was just so sure she would like one.
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 6:30 am
Amon laughed as well, but figured he’d rather not reply. He’d never been to school, and mentioning the fact only ever led to questions he didn’t really want to answer. It was better to avoid the topic altogether.
“If you could help out, it really would be much appreciated,” he said softly instead, touching lightly on Jasamine’s hand, for just a moment. It was barely more than brushing skin against skin, and the contact could easily be discarded as having been purely accidental.
“I keep being invited to events like that all the time, but it would be the first time I’m hosting one,” Amon admitted lightheartedly, seeming not in the least bothered by his lack of experience in that regard. Truth was, his Madame hosted some of the biggest and most famous parties and events in Dürem – he could always ask her for advice should the need arrise.
Nephrite nodded, clearly fascinated, but there was still a somewhat blank look in her eyes indicating she still didn’t quite “get” just what made microscopes so special as opposed to magnifying glasses. She’d probably have to see it to believe it.
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 12:02 pm
Jasa nodded, a smile on her face at the touch of his hand. "I will see what I can do to help with that, Amon. When we are finished here," she said, glancing around, "I can help you make up a list of what you want for the party. I'm sure that Neph will like having a party here so she can be hostess. It will probably take her forever to decide what to wear"
She suddenly laughed. "I bet she hits you up for a new dress."
*I know that you will like a microscope, Neph. Jasa says that we are going on vacation soon. Maybe you and Amon should go with us. We are going to Mahoe Bay. There will be warm water, and lots of colorful plants she said. Similar to those jungle plants I have in my room now.* He was excited with so much lately. Jasa had shown him pictures of Mahoe and he was looking forward to staying in a bungalow, although the sunlight might be too bright and bother him. He was only now considering that and a frown fixed itself on his face.
(( LOL I think it's time for that plant that Ruku gave Neph to run rampant when they go in for supper. There are strange muddy dirt tracks all through the house. ))
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