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 Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 9:32 pm
Zin’s knees were beginning to hurt where they were pressed into the hard earth. She shifted her position slightly, seeking relief, but otherwise she paid her body no heed. She continued to stab her trowel into the earth, pulling up piles of dark nutrient-rich soil. She dropped these into a small flower pot that sat on the ground next to her. She steadily filled the pot almost to the brim before packing it down with her bare hands. A satisfied smile erased her determined expression, and she picked up the pot in one hand and the trowel in the other. She stopped by a spigot on her way back to her dorm and watered the dark soil until dirt-polluted water began leaking out the bottom. Humming to herself, she thoughtlessly brought the dripping pot along with her inside.
Back in her room, Zin set the small, damp pot on top of a plate on her dresser. Sun shined in through the window, fully lighting the pot. The young trainee nodded to herself, satisfied. She then pulled the true prize out of the pocket of her coat: the hardened shell of a poppy seed case. She rattled the natural maraca, listening to the seeds bounce around inside. She poked a hole into the pot of wet dirt to make an impression, cracked the seed case, and dropped the tiny black seeds inside. She covered them gently, tossed the empty poppy head into a trash can, and placed her dirty hands on her hips, satisfied by a job well done.
258/700
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 9:42 pm
She’d had a garden, back at home. Her mother had disapproved, since it was an excuse for Zinnia to get dirty, but the girl had loved it all the same. She’d learned a lot on how various plants thrived in different conditions, but she had never tried to grow poppy flowers before. There were different plants at the training compound—ones that she had never tried to grow before—but it was finally time for her to test her green thumb once more. The poppy flowers were very beautiful when in bloom, and they seemed hardy enough, so Zin was happy to try to grow them first. They would certainly bring a homey touch to her and her roommates’ room.
With the plant project out of the way, Zin decided that it was time to find someone with whom she could socialize. She wanted to check out the compound’s gardens near the kitchen, so she decided not to ask Lenore; she didn’t think that the introverted trainee would enjoy it much. That left Walter and Colin as her best options, since she knew that they were both off-duty. She decided to ask Colin; she guessed that he was more likely out of the two to agree to visit the garden with her. Walter didn’t find much interest in plants and would rather challenge Zin to a race or a sparring match. While she enjoyed those, she was really in a nature-y mood. Thus, she sought out her friend Colin.
507/700
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Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 9:57 pm
Colin was reading when he heard a knock at his door. He set his book aside on his bed before getting up and opening it, only to see Zinnia standing outside with a familiar grin on her face that meant trouble. “What are you up to today?” he asked, a little apprehensively.
“Gardening!” Zin said maniacally.
“R-really…” Colin said, a little taken aback. That didn’t sound like her usual adventure that she and Walter tended to get into. “That sounds… nice.”
“Yeah! So you’ll come with me?” she asked eagerly. “I wanted to check out the new garden near the kitchen, you know, the one Tuggle had us plant recently? I figure we could see how it’s coming along, maybe pull some weeds, and hopefully find some bugs!”
Colin gave his book a fleeting thought, then gave up on it with an internal sigh. “Yeah, sure, that sounds fun,” he said. “Want to ask Walter to come along?”
Zinnia’s only response was to raise her eyebrows at Colin.
The boy laughed. “Yeah, you’re right, I guess he wouldn’t be super thrilled by the idea of spending the day gardening. Let me just grab my gloves and I’ll be right out.”
And so the pair headed out to the new garden, Zinnia with her trowel and Colin with his gloves. The sky was cloudy and there was a light breeze, which made for perfect gardening conditions. The garden was empty when they arrived. Green plants were sprouting all in rows; it was still too early to harvest anything, but one day they would be eating the fruits of their labors. Zin and Colin set to work differentiating the desired plants from the weeds, and pulling the latter. Zinnia chatted away about her pet poppy project while Colin listened in companionable silence.
A few minutes in, Zinnia shouted, “Caterpillar!” She gently pinched the soft grub between two fingers and showed it to Colin. It was pale green in color, its stubby pseudo-legs flailing futilely in Zinnia’s careful grip. “It’s cute!” she said. “Don’t tell Tuggle though, he won’t want them eating our crops!” She replaced the insect back where she’d found it, and it returned to its meal happily. “I know it’s bad,” she said to Colin. “But I figure, it’s gonna be a butterfly one day and pollinate our plants, so it makes up for it! Besides, it’s not like I could kill it… It isn’t its fault for being hungry!”
“I wasn’t complaining,” Colin replied lightly. He grinned at Zinnia’s pouty expression. He always enjoyed how passionate she got about any activity she set her mind to.
The friends continued working in the garden for another hour. They were sweating and their backs were sore before they finally called it quits. They’d made good progress, and the garden would thank them for their efforts by growing healthy and strong.
986/700
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