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 Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 8:07 pm
Today the Small/Chaudary household was abuzz with excitement! For the first time since a sleepover gone wrong a few months ago, the second youngest son, Isha, was finally having another friend over. Of course, at first the boy's parents were a little iffy about having an older gentleman over, especially with all of the chaos and violence filling the city as of recent, but they knew their son had a pretty decent intuition about such things. And the fact that there were cameras hidden all over the mansion and the ground near their home was a big plus too. In such a far off community, it was rare that any sort of mishaps besides divorce was common.
While the staff was waiting outside to meet the young gentleman that was due to arrive, Isha was already in the back yard, making sure his pack had everything they needed for a hike into the woods, if the other wanted to do so. The gardens started from the side of his house, leading down a side pathway on the lower slope of a hill, straight into the forested area on the untouched side of the mountain. It would seem that even the weather agreed that today was to be a wonderful day, with a blue sky that would rival Isha's own eyes, and fluffy cumulus clouds all around and the temperature a perfect 72 degrees Celsius. All of the flowers planted in the garden were in bloom, absolutely perfect for the last few days of summer.. And he just knew if they could find the small lake hidden further into the mountain, it would be even more brilliant than his home. That was of course if Emry wanted to.
For now, while he waited for the other to arrive, he left his pack in the back yard, going on ahead to the front to sit on the porch, looking down the driveway for the other to arrive. He honestly hoped that the other would be alright getting here.. The buses stopped at the foot of housing complex, but the hike was mostly uphill from there.. Maybe he should have sent a car to get him.. Either way, he could always offer him a ride home too, if it became too late.
Verithe I wrote it as if he had already called! I hope that's okay!
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 2:59 pm
Stepping off the bus, the visitor looked around and checked his travel notes to make sure he had the right place. Emry didn't mind walking. It was good exercise and more environmentally friendly. Besides, he was used to it. He had his own messenger bag with him this time, packed with the usual sketchbook and pencils as well as a bottle of water for the trip. As he approached, he saw Isha waiting on the front porch and waved in greeting.
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 3:19 pm
"Ah! Emry! Hey!!" As soon as he saw the white haired man come up his driveway, he hopped off his seat on the porch rushing towards him. He was simply beaming, but he bit his lip, trying to hold it back just a bit, but failing quite miserably.
"Hi! I'm so glad you could make it! Did you want to go straight to the gardens?" He pointed to the side of the house, where the garden's began. "Or did you want to stop inside first to rest? I'm sure it was quite a bit of a hike up here. Or did you take the bus? I'm sorry about that.. I should have gotten someone to pick you up.." Though his roll slowed down just a wee bit at the mention of his friend's efforts, he perked right back up again.
"I hope you can find good specimens for you work today. It really is beautiful here, and we can go through the woods too. I've marked where I've gone through in the woods so we won't get lost."
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 7:49 pm
"I did take the bus and I'm used to walks, so I'm not tired. But if we're going to be hiking, I should probably take a short break anyway. Don't worry about giving me rides, though. Taking the bus helps me learn the layout of the city and I haven't had a reason to come out this way before." Emry was hardly as outwardly exuberant as Isha, but it was obvious that he wanted to be here. He looked up to the sky, "It's a nice day. I hear there's rain to the south, but you wouldn't be able to tell with the sky the way it is here." Cooro Cooro *points to the blue flowers on the left side of the garden photo* Hydrangeas!
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Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 8:25 pm
"Short break it is then." He turned to go back up the stairs into the house, pretty certain that the other would simply follow behind him. The foyer of this house was enormous, with chandeliers coming down from the ceiling every so many feet. Perhaps it was a bit overly decorative, with it's polished wooden floors, and endless doorways, all in hues of blues and whites that seemed better suited for a house that was on the shoreline rather than stuck up on a mountain.
"You know, before we came to Destiny City we lived on the Eastern Shoreline. We went sailing nearly every day, but the.. The air quality there was just terrible, and my little cousin was having trouble breathing there, so we moved here, where the mountain air was fresher. Not that he's too happy about it, since he was the one who wanted to sail around the world." Though he didn't need to, he felt compelled to explain the house's decor, going onwards to the kitchen, who's entrance was at the far end of the hall. There was no real point in having the maids or butlers around during the day. He was stubborn in that sense; having people wait on him hand and foot just seemed wrong. Not that his siblings cared too much about that anyway.
The kitchen, in itself, was pretty lavish as well, marble counter tops, and stainless steal utensils all around. It hardly looked like it had been used, quite a shame, really.. The only thing that came to mind for the boy was whether or not Emry would find this place tacky. Or terrible for the environment. His family WAS pretty conscious about it, but that didn't stop them from burning electricity like it was firewood.
"Would you like anything to drink? Maybe a snack before we head on out?"
Verithe I know!! biggrin He should totally bring that up!
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Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 5:33 pm
Even with the large family, Emry found the house unnecessarily opulent. He considered coming back some time, through stealth and through mirror, simply to turn off some unnecessary appliances on occasion. Outwardly, however, he held his tongue on the matter. "Even the air here isn't as clean as it should be, but I'm glad that it is clean enough to not aggravate health problems." Opulence or no, Emry was impressed by the prettiness of the home. His artistic eye was having a minor scuffle with his environmentalist heart. "I would like water, please." Emry knew that roughly half the time he requested water, a beverage-offering host would misconstrue the choice as being thrifty for their advantage. That was never true. Emry just liked water. A lot.
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Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2013 5:51 pm
"Yup. I figured that if they wanted better air, they should relocate to Canada. Hidden up in the middle of nowhere, safe and cozy.." It was a dream he had thought of for his family for a long time, but of course, they simply laughed at him. After all, there was no highspeed internet in such a secluded area.
Water wasn't a problem. It was the best thirst quencher, and perfect for a day like today. A few moments passed, and he got their glasses, both filled with cold, filtered water that came from the fridge itself. He handed over the glass to Emry, sitting down at the counter himself.
"So.. This will be my first real time exploring the gardens too, so I'm sure we'll have a good time! I have my camera on me as well, so I want to take alot of pictures, and make alot of memories here with you."
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Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 9:46 am
Sipping his water slowly, Emry took the chance to rest his legs in preparation for the exercise ahead. "Would you mind sharing some of the photos with me when you get them printed? I can pay for prints." The idea was less one to remember good times with a friend and more of one to help remember the shapes and colors of the nature they encountered, just in case his sketches weren't enough. That's not to say Emry wouldn't reflect on the photos and the time he spent with Isha fondly, but it is not something he would readily recognize either.
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Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 10:01 am
"Of course I wouldn't! There's no need to pay for them though. It's something from a day we both shared together, so in my mind, they are just as much mine as yours." And then there was the question if they would even come out nicely. Isha was more of the 'quickly snap lots of pictures' kinda person, than taking the time to carefully focus everything. Out of fifty pictures, maybe only ten or so would actually be useful to him.
"Once I do get them printed, I'll stop by your shop again and drop them off. Or we can meet up for lunch or something." His glass of water was emptied rather quickly, and now he waited for Emry to finish up.
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Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 10:47 am
Emry nodded, "We'll figure that out later. I was wondering: is the garden all ornamental or are there fruits, vegetables and herbs and such as well?" He finished the rest of his drink more quickly. No need to keep Isha waiting too long. "I'm ready to go if you are."
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Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 10:59 am
"It's mainly ornamental, but there is a peculiar plum tree in the back, along with a few blueberry bushes.." He grabbed their glasses, and stuck them in the sink, before signaling Emry to follow him.
"The Gardner we have here was very nice, and he took quick pictures of the plants he knows that are back there, with their names, so if we find something, that we are particularly interested about, we can check it off in the little list. When I go back through the pictures, I can add a label to them for you as well." He led Emry though the house, out of the back door, to a stone staircase went down to the actual garden path.
"You can lead. This is new to me as much as it is to you!"
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Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 12:42 pm
Somewhere in the back of Emry's mind he expected that he would someday have to live off the land. Maybe not on Earth. Heck, if things went as the Dark Mirror Court wished, definitely not on Earth. But it gave him a broadened (if incomplete) awareness of what he would need growing near him...and one peculiar fruit tree and some blueberry bushes probably wouldn't cut it. It wasn't something he was judging Isha's family over, but he wouldn't be coming to them for food-gardening advice either. "Labels will be helpful on the photos. I'm afraid I don't know my garden plants very well." Emry followed Isha to the garden's path, taking in the elegance of the plants as they approached. Off to the side, he noticed something familiar and blue. "That's a hydrangea, right?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 1:08 pm
"Same here! I've been doing alot of research recently, after meeting you, and after a... Rather troubling experience before. I'd like to learn more, to take better care of this world for as long as I can. " As long as he was still around to take care of it. Once he decided to leave permanently.. Then it would be up to the other humans to do so.
Interestingly enough, the boy was running around barefoot right now, though shoes were strapped to the side of his pack. It was a simple, little quirk, but it allowed him to step around the gardens and between the plants. When the hydrangea was pointed out he nodded, hopping up into the flower bed, and delicately maneuvering through the various plants without stepping on anything, to get a better look.
"Oh! It looks like you're right.. It's such a huge bush too.. But it seems to be very healthy!" That's what mattered, right? And the other plants that seemed to be around it were just as healthy. His gardener definitely seemed to love his job and it showed.
As they continued to move through the garden, he took the time to stop every now and then to snap a few pictures of the scenery, of the sky, and of Emry. Every time he did manage to snap one of when the boy wasn't looking, he quickly turned away, grinning, feeling oh so sneaky!
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Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 7:08 pm
Emry gave a sideways glance to his younger companion when he mentioned a troubling experience. The college student hadn't quite accepted that Isha considered him a friend, but if there was trouble going on, he wasn't going to ignore it. "What sort of troubling experience?" As he watched Isha prance shoelessly through the garden, Emry had difficulty imagining what it could be. The boy always seemed to be in good spirits and never spoke poorly of his family....actually, of anyone. He squinted at the hydrangea bush. "Those blossoms look bluer than the one I saw a few weeks back. I didn't know they got that blue." Emry pulled out his sketchbook as they moved on. Occasionally he would stop to sketch out a leaf or a flower or even a full plant. Rarely anything fully detailed, but just enough that he could get a good feeling of the shapes and textures of his subjects. He also did a few quick gesture drawings of any birds and butterflies he saw. "Do you have a favorite plant, Isha?" The question came as Emry was curiously inspecting a crepe myrtle.
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Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2013 7:40 pm
"It's.. Not quite something I can talk about. It's very.. For me anyway, it's very heartbreaking and terrifying, but I just can't talk about it, if that makes sense." He continued to balance along the fence, now maybe about two feet off the ground. He was honestly surprised at how well he was doing this, until he realized it probably came from his dancing. After all, when you're on your toes all the time, it probably helps really well with your balance. He still continued to take pictures as he moved, smiling when he caught a picture of a bumblebee on a little tiny phlox.
"And I think the flowers are bluer because of a different fertelizer, maybe? It's amazing how such little things can influence the world around us. That's why people should be more aware of what they are doing." He paused, pushing up his glasses further up on his face, thinking of a way to say what was on his mind without giving it away. Another vague thought crossed his mind, regarding whether or not Emry would even be aware of him going missing soon.. But he didn't want to bring too much attention to himself wondering such things outloud.
"I have a big decision to make coming up soon, and.. Hrm.. And I'm thinking that soon enough, I'll be ready to go on with that decision. For now, It's a secret." Isha stopped in his movements, looking towards the left at a row of sunflowers that he came face to face with. It wasn't often he could see sunflowers like this without touching them or cutting them first.
"A favorite plant... Huh... Well, when I was a little boy, I lived in India. And all around my little village, there were these ponds. They were really deep, and all over the place. They weren't quite lakes, but they were nice and cool to swim in during the summer. And right out of them grew these very pretty flowers called Kokaa, or Hairy Water Lilies. I used to go into the water, and swim around until I could find the brightest, fullest one I could, and pick it for my mother, who was washing clothes nearby. I think that flower is my favorite, because when I think of it, I think of her, smiling, washing our clothes by hand in the little village.. I haven't seen one of those flowers in years, outside of text books or online, because they are an invasive species, and I wouldn't want to risk such a thing happening because of me.. Funnily enough, when I got older, I looked up the meaning behind those flowers, and in Tamril poetry, they mean the grief of separation. Maybe I should have stayed away from those flowers. When I was six years old, an earthquake, larger than anything anyone had ever seen in my village came through, and made the buildings crumble down.. The walls which I trusted so deeply to keep my family safe fell down on top of us, and my mother and father died keeping me safe. " The words that came from him grew softer and softer, until he realized that he was probably going way deeper than the simple question that Emry had asked of him.
"Oh, but it's okay now! It was years and years ago, and now, I only see those Kokaa as a symbol of the memories I have of my birth parents, of how they died so that I could live. I'd like to see them again soon, see that village again someday, and visit their graves, to leave the lilies there, but, you know. Being 16 is a big problem sometimes, maybe in a year, I'll finally be able to buy myself a plane ticket to see that home that I once knew." It wasn't that he couldn't afford it.. It was more of his adoptive family wouldn't let him leave, afraid he'd never return.
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