It was summer and with that, it meant Chris didn't have anything to do. Classes were out for both college and where he worked, meaning that he was basically being forced into a vacation (and for once, it didn't involve his adviser having to beg him) and with a lot of free time to spend. At first it was nice, being able to sleep in and not having to wake up until noon. The amount of time he spent in his garden was quite nice too and the walks on the beach weren't anything he opposed. But soon enough, Chris felt antsy and idle and very, very bored. He wanted something to do that wasn't so relaxed, something that would tire him out and let him sleep for once as insomnia began to creep back into his life.

The school wouldn't tell him who he was teaching until at least late July, so he couldn't prep for the school year until then. Thorne, he didn't want to bother, and while he appreciated company from Jamie and Shiloh, he wanted to let them appreciate their summers. Jer and Alg would only worry and Autumn, he was sure was busy with work. Which left him quite alone and staring up at the ceiling of his apartment as he laid on his couch, considering his options and trying to figure out something to do. It was about noon, light filtering through the windows and Bergamot was curled up near Chris, purring lightly as Chris dragged his fingers idly through his fur.

He could find something to read or mess around on his computer with photoshop, but both of those ideas were dismissed quickly. They felt too idle and knowing how he had been the past few days, it was likely he'd be doing one of the two at 3 am when the insomnia hit him again. No, he wanted to go out and start moving. Maybe he could practice magic in Other Ashdown? The lessons from Jer had been helping and practice made perfect. It was always a good energy drainer too and he thought about where to practice, wondering if he was okay to just practice on the streets now.

But wait, there was that garden in there too. He had been in there once, almost trapped really, when he had been trying to look for the kids. He hadn't stayed long enough to really look at anything and the whole nearly getting trapped in there had been enough to dissuade him for awhile. But he had been training lately, enough to keep him out of trouble and certainly enough that he wouldn't get trapped again. He wanted to go back too, he wanted to see the plants again and try to categorize them. To know what made them different from normal, how they grew, if he could maybe bring one back and try to plant it here. He had already texted Jer about it and while he had been advised against it, it was still tempting to try. There was so much to learn, there had to be something different about that garden that could help them. Give them an edge that they didn't have before.

Besides, he wouldn't learn anything by avoiding the garden. It would be a good way to practice magic too, a real application that wasn't so risky. Especially since he could talk to plants now, he would get so much information that he couldn't have before. It was really calling to him, now that he had the time and ability.

Sitting up abruptly (and giving Bergamot a scare, who gave him a rather upset look at being jostled), it was decided. He would try to go back to the garden and glean some information from the plants, to find something that he could use to help give them an extra boost, or if he could even just take care of the plants in Ashdown. If nothing else, he just wanted to know why the garden was there. It had been built with a purpose and was so beautifully maintained, that it had some reason. Things like that didn't just spring up, not in Other Ashdown, and he wanted to know what exactly was going on with it. Maybe he'd even learn about its caretaker although, he didn't know if he actually wanted to meet them or not. There was always something strange about everything in Other Ashdown, something to do with deals, and Jer had taught him to stay out of that mess and mind his own business.

Moving from the couch, he went to get dressed and prepped for his adventure in the garden. Maybe if he was lucky tonight, he'd even get to sleep.