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 Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 6:39 am
Straight after leaving the library, Lisi Larkin pedaled herself down to the only bike shop in town and bought a sidecar attachment for her bicycle. It was an unusual expense, but one that Lisi felt was warranted. She'd never had the need to transport anyone but herself from place to place - but if she was going to be taking care of this leaf that would turn into a child, she needed a way to get around town with her. (Lisi had decided early on that Caprice was female - she just felt it. There was no other explanation she could think of; it was just intuition.)
Lisi came home directly from the bike shop, retrieved Caprice from spot by the window, and strapped her into the sidecar. The mild-mannered librarian made sure the soil was well-watered for the journey - Caprice seemed to be very sensitive to drying out. Just in case, Lisi packed a water bottle full of saltwater.
Making sure Caprice was safe and secure in the seat beside her, Lisi strapped on her own helmet and took off in the direction of Barton Town. She was going to find this Eden Project and talk to someone in charge...figure out what this is about and how to best care for Caprice. Lisi had become quite attached to her already.
Oh, no, this doesn't look strange at all, Lisi thought bemusedly.
Perhaps riding around town with a potted leaf in a bicycle sidecar seemed silly. But what can you do?
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Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 2:50 pm
Eshaa, potted leaf in the crook of her arm, looked at the directions she had printed off the computer and wrinkled her already-ridged nose. She'd never been to this part of Barton before, and was feeling thoroughly lost. The bus had left her off at the corner, and now she was totally disoriented.
At that moment, a woman on a bicycle sped past her and through a large puddle, soaking Eshaa up to the knees.
"Hey, would you watch where you're going?" she called, and muttered one of her grandfather's choicest swear words under her breath. Lovely. Just lovely. Now she was lost, carrying a heavy flowerpot, and wet.
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Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 3:38 pm
Lisi didn't mean to splash the woman; it was a complete accident. Riding a bike with a big sidecar thing threw off the weight balance and she was having trouble adjusting. Maybe this method wasn't really going to work out..
She winced as she heard the woman swear, and stopped her bike. Turning around, she expressed a profuse apology. "Oh, I'm so very sorry! I didn't mean to. I'm terribly sorry. Oh, no..." she mumbled her voice losing strength as she lost confidence. Lisi tried to live her life as unobtrusively as possible, and now look what she had gone and done...she felt so terrible. And what could be done to remedy the situation? Oh, dear.
It was then that Lisi noticed the woman was carrying a suspiciously similar terra cotta pot...with a leaf planted inside. Hmm...
"Um...excuse me. You and I seem to have the same sort of...well." She got up from her bike, kicked the kickstand down, and retrieved her own potted leaf from the seat. Lisi couldn't think of what to say, and so showed the other woman her own planted leaf as a way of explaining.
"Do you happen to know a place called The Eden Project?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 3:32 am
"What about them?" Eshaa asked suspiciously. So what if she did? They'd sent her a pot and a letter. Why'd this woman care?
And then she noticed the flowerpot in the horrid sidecar that had started this mess.
"Oh." she said, and looked down at Nahuel who wriggled encouragingly. "Actually," she said, "I do know of them." She held out the flowerpot. "They sent me this."
She eyed the sidecar like it was about to bite her. "You too, huh?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 11:00 am
"Yes, actually, we seem to be in the same boat. This is quite strange..." Lisi shrugged, bemused. "I've been looking for this building...they sent me a note but no directions." As curious as Lisi was about this entire situation, and as much as she wanted to know all about the other woman's experience with her own leaf, she was too shy to speak.
Unsure of what else to say, she let her eyes wander in an attempt to think of something. Slowly, she began to realize that there was a building beside them that she hadn't noticed before. As though it had just sprung out of nowhere. Surely she would have seen it...but it was such a quiet, unassuming shop. She felt drawn to it...this didn't make any sense, but she wanted to go in.
"Um...is this where we're supposed to go?" Lisi asked quietly, nodding towards the entrance.
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Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 7:04 pm
The leaf wriggled happily. The building DID look promising. An ivy-covered shop front with big picture windows. Inside Eshaa could glimpse a waiting room of some sort.
A sign on the door stated the office hours and the name The Eden Project. Blinking dumbly, the anthropologist nodded. "Seems like a safe bet."
She shouldered the door open and stepped into the air conditioning. The leaf radiated calm. It liked it here.
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Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 7:17 pm
Lisi followed the other woman meekly into the shop, and immediately she could feel Caprice radiating contentment. True, the leaf often gave off feelings of happiness, but this was a different sort of thing. It felt right.
And just as suddenly she realized she hadn't even gotten the other leaf-owner's name. "Um, my name is Lisi Larkin," she offered. "It's nice to meet you." She wanted to be friendly, because who knows? Perhaps their connection to this Eden Project was only just beginning.
Lisi was frightened and excited at the same time. Finally she may be getting some answers to what was going on with these leaves and their strange characteristics. She was glad she was not the only newcomer to this place, despite the other lady's seeming abrasiveness. Whenever she was in unfamiliar territory, it was reassuring to not be the only one without a clue. She didn't understand why the other lady seemed so unfriendly, but Lisi tried not to take it personal. She was here for herself, and Caprice.
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Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 8:01 pm
"Eshaa Cooper," she replied offhandedly, looking around the room they had stepped in to. Whoever had decorated had picked a very vogue color scheme - blues and greens and bare wood covered every surface.
"And, this is Nahuel," she stated awkwardly, holding out the pot. "I wonder if there's anyone here?" she asked, craning her head to try to see into the next room. She thought she maybe sensed someone slightly just out of sight.
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Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2007 5:05 am
Hearing voices in the other room, Shouko daintily set down her book and daintily pulled herself up off the couch. With the exception of finding Madeline a new guardian and stocking the rec. room fridge, she had not left headquarters much. It had been a lonely few weeks, dusting, cleaning, and giving out a pair of flowerpots.
Oh, maybe these were the new parents!
She poked her head around the door, pink hair draping over her shoulder.
"Hello?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 5:40 am
Lisi had just caught Eshaa's name and the name of her leaf, and was about to tell Eshaa her own leaf's name, when a pink-haired girl's head appeared around a corner.
A bit surprised - she had not thought anyone to be here - Lisi was too shy to do anything but return the hello and smile. Oh, Lisi hated talking to people she didn't know. She always got flustered and could never think of anything to say.
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