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 Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 8:09 pm
After getting permission from Ghost, it had taken a little time finding spots with good sunlight and then testing the soil in those spots to learn which one had enough nutrients to be suitable for potential plant growth. After quite a few tests the spot had been chosen and corded off to mark how big it would be. It wasn't extremely large, of course, since this was kind of a test run to see if they could grow plants in a farm-like manner....but it was a start.
Amaryllis had gotten seeds from things outside of the dome thanks to Argent and gathered some seeds and plants to transplant from within the dome herself, which as also largely thanks to Argent's notes he'd taken from his own discoveries. It helped a great deal in finding things she thought might work for the test garden and she even found some tools on the ship that could be used for getting things established and planted.
She referred to some text about gardening and plant cultivation on a tablet; some things called for being planted in rows and others were meant to be planted in spacious mounds. She supposed she could at least start with marking the rows. After looking through the text again, she picked up a training spear she'd brought out from the ship (which she would clean later) and used the tip to start making lines to mark where the rows would be by dragging it in the ground with enough force to make it visible.
This was going to be quite a bit of work but she was weirdly looking forward to it, smiling the whole time.
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:22 pm
Mother had been less than subtle with the notices that Empyrean needed to help out the other children and socialise more. She'd informed him in very stern tones that ferreting away alone in a lab and not helping was going to cultivate poor social skills. One of the few things that Genome didn't bloom knowing.
Empyrean, therefore, had been unceremoniously shunted toward helping out another child with planting and gardening. He understood the need for planting edible plants- you needed to eat to live- but this project sounded suspiciously like it had things that just looked pretty as well. If plants couldn't be eaten and didn't spit acid in the face of your enemies, were they even worth it?
Slightly reticent, and clearly not entirely grasping the concept of the exercise, Empyrean came out of his hidey-hole on the ship and spent a few minutes looking for a child who needed help planting a garden. Hopefully it wouldn't take long, he initially planned to waste an hour doing weeding and then scurry back to the lab.
Thus, it was, a pouting and sulky Empyrean found Amaryllis' spot. This... this wasn't even halfway ready yet. Empyrean gazed at the area and despair clawed at him. Instead of a polite greeting of the white-haired child, Empyrean's wail and petulant accusation bellowed out, as though Amaryllis had personally plotted to murder his father. "This area is going to take ages to plant!"
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Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 5:39 pm
 Bellaluna, wandered out of the ship and looked around at the surroudings before glancing upwards to the sky at the sunlight and then down at the supposed garden. The young genome girl definitely had chosen the right place to build a test garden. The location had ample sunlight which was good because based on books she had read in the ship's library most if not all plants required a adequate amount of sunlight to flourish. She looked around once again but it seemed like it would be a lot of work just for one being, so she had decided to help as well. She made her way over to where the young genome girl was before speaking up "do you need a hand with anything?" she asked, she had only met the young genome girl briefly at the lake but had never actually had a conversation with her. She felt like the two of them would get along just fine and eventually become the bestest of friends.
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Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 6:14 pm
Amaryllis had taken to humming to herself as she marked the measured rows, knowing there was a lot of work involved; tilling the soil, spacing out the seeds and transferring plants and the watering....it would be a lot but it would be worth it. Plants for cooking, maybe medicine....food....it was such a great thing to look forward to and a major step in the right direction, provided it all worked.
She was so lost in what she was doing that she didn't notice anyone else had come around...until an unfamiliar voice bellowed out like that, which caused her to jump with a startled gasp, dropping the spear she was using to mark with. Her widened eyes looked up for the source and spotted....a kid? A boy in red she hadn't met yet and he looked rather grumpy. Amaryllis took a breath to calm her heart down and reached down to pick the spear up again. "W-well, I only just started....so it will take a while but not forever. I'm Amaryllis but you can call me Amy, for short."
She paused and looked up when she heard another voice, smiling brightly at a familiar face. "Hey! Luna, right? I'd love some help, thank you. I've marked where rows would go so we can start tilling the soil. I found a couple of shovels on the ship-" She pointed over to a corner of the garden that was near a tree where she had the shovels propped up against it, as well as other tools lying on the ground near them.
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Posted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 7:10 pm
Bellaluna, blinked and looked over at the unfamiliar genome boy. He seemed a little...grumpy to be out of the ship, she shook her head lightly before turning to Amy. She nodded her head lightly "Yup, Luna...and its...Amy...right?" she asked, before nodding her head and looking over at where the shovels were propped up and walked over picking one up and walking back over to where Amy was. "I will start tilling the parts you marked that way, we can start planting some seeds" She said. She tapped her chin lightly as she looked back into her memory on how to properly till the markings Amy made without ruining her set up. Her books had told her to be gentle but maintain the system. She walked over to one of the markings she put out and started to till.
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Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 12:25 am
Empyrean's glower became worse when he saw the girl who was marking the ground stutter. He hadn't meant to scare her, but that wasn't his fault, was it? Clearly she was just a freshly sprouted Genome who was still green behind the ears, unlike him, practically an adult. Puffing his chest out, Empyrean emphasised the length of his own name "You are pretty short so it makes sense to call you a shorter name. I'm Empyrean, and I'll till some soil or whatever."
The native girl that had approached was just as soft and nice as the Genome and the two looked like they wouldn't last five minutes in a labratory fire. Despite the fact that both definitely looked healthier and easier to get along with than a certain grumpy boy. He pursed his lips, twirling a strand of slowly lengthening hair between his fingers- it hadn't been cut in a long while and as a result was not hard to twirl.
Empyrean watched Amy point out the tools and spots she'd marked to Luna and stepped in-front of the native (Luna), "Since I was here first, I should take a tool and help first." He snapped, imperiously.
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Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 12:59 am
 The sun was warm, and the grass oh so soft, Bard hadn't even realized he'd fallen asleep outside. Everything was bright and new and so very exciting. He had explored the ship, and then ventured outside. Everything was so vibrant, so alive! His excitement had completely exhausted him, and he must have dozed off... But his nap was interrupted by a rather loud, despairing wail. Bard blinked his eyes open and stretched, slowly becoming aware that he could hear voices. There was the one who wailed, possibly some sort of villain, and a much softer voice... no, two voices. They were talking about gardening? That sounded interesting. Rising to his feet, Bard walked around the outcropping he'd been napping in, rubbing his eyes as he looked at the three strangers in the garden. "What's going on?" He half yawned, looking to the genome in red who seemed to be confronting the strange non-genome. He looked at the female genome for answers. This was a strange scene, and a lot to take in.
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Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2021 7:11 am
 Dash was nearby, too. He had finished his morning training and was nibbling on some food from the cafeteria when he walked outside and noticed a commotion. He recognized all but Bard, whom he did not notice at first, and trotted up to the group to satisfy his curiosity. "Ohh... this is the new garden," he said softly to himself. "Amy, this is exciting. Can I help, or is it getting a bit too crowded?" he grinned. Surely there was plenty of work to do at this stage of development.
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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2021 6:19 pm
Bellaluna frowned a bit as the genome red got all snappy. "Just because you were here first does not mean you get to do it first, there are a bunch of other shovels you can use without taking mine or being snappy about it" she told him and with a twirl of her pigtails she stomped off passing by Bard and Dash. She looked at the two and pointed to the genome in Red "he is being a big meanie pants" she said at the two of them. She blinked and looked at Dash, she was familiar with him because they had met at the lake but Bard was new to her but she did like his hair it was so pretty and he was cute but she nodded her politely at Bard and Dash before continuing on her way to start tilling a planting bed.
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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2021 9:18 pm
Amy couldn't believe her ears and eyes. What was with this kid? Looking down on her with such a sour expression, insulting her by calling her short (not like he was much taller than her just because he was older) and then, when Luna came over to help, he acted like an imperious jerk! For a good minute, the poor girl was just flabbergasted at the sequence of things that took place while her brain struggled to process all of it; Empyrean, apparently, acted offended right from the get-go....as though her newly started project was an affront to him or in his way. That didn't make any sense!
The arrival of a genome boy that she'd never met before asking what was going on had snapped her out of her stupor and those eyes of hers, that usually looked at everything with sweetness and wonder, had now narrowed into a glare at the red-cad boy. How dare he talk down to her and her friend like that! Her hand that gripped the spear lifted it and lightly whacked Empyrean on the head with the blunt end. "Hey! Be nice to my friends! Just because you got here first doesn't make you the king of the garden!" It felt weird to hear herself sound so...mad...but she didn't stop there. "And don't complain because it's not almost done by the time you got here! I started this for everyone by myself and did all of the work testing the soil to find the best place to try and grow things, measuring and marking and getting the tools! And you think you can come here and start things off by insulting me?? Either act like a decent person and be nice or leave; it's not like I pestered you to help."
Whoa....where did THAT come from? Amy had never heard herself talk to anyone like that before...but, then again, she never had come across someone so entitled before. Realizing that everyone had seen and heard her like that, now including Dash, her cheeks flushed rather red. With a huff, she turned away from Empyrean and looked to the other two boys with a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry about that. Don't worry, Dash, there's always room for people who want to help." Those words definitely felt a bit pointed as she subtly glanced in Empyrean's direction, now turning her attention to the boy she'd never met.
"I don't think we've met yet; I'm Amaryllis but you can call me Amy for short, if you'd like. I'm starting a garden to test how easy it is to grow some of the plants that have been discovered both inside and outside of the dorm. If it's successful, then it could be a big step towards self-sufficiency." Amy smiled warmly to the blonde-haired boy, who seemed a little sleepy now that she got a look at him. "That and it seemed pretty fun. You're welcome to join, too, if you want."
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Posted: Wed Jun 30, 2021 10:06 pm
The native girl's glare made Empyrean realize that he had, in fact, failed to ingratiate himself to the host. He thought he was showing eagerness, but both girls looked offended and annoyed.
Maybe Mother was right about his lack of interpersonal skills?
A whack on the head from Amy stopped him from reaching out to snatch the shovel that Luna had beaten him to.
Empyrean winced, although Amy hadn't hit him too hard, he hadn't been expecting it and a stunned expression cast over his pale face. He immediate inflated his cheeks with air and crossed his arms. "I'm not mean, you're just thin-skinned weak and short chickens! I came here to help and make friends too, so you can't tell me to leave, I'm going to help and be friendly, see! I'm the most friendly!"
To prove how friendly he was, he grabbed a spade and started, rather poorly, to try and dig little holes in the nearest square. It was clear he had no idea what he was doing. But the proud set of his shoulders said he thought this was how gardening worked and would argue until blue in the face about how nice and wonderful he was.
Why would the girls think he was mean? Empyrean wondered, he had only yelled at them and tried to push in line... was that bad? Empyrean, who spent a lot of time alone with only Mother, scratched his chin, wondering if he was, in fact, lacking sociable skills.
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 4:27 am
Aren knew the kids were up to something outside, trying their hand in farming or some such. He had not expected it so soon, they were still young kids after all, but it was sooner better than later, probably. They had noted the shift in the atmosphere, slow as it was, but summer wouldn't last forever on this planet, unlike their own homeworld. And if the cold period was as long as this one, it would be better to be prepared and replenish their food storages. Rations wouldn't last long with the growing population.
He hadn't planned on checking out what they were doing, maybe he even purposefully avoided his walk taking him too close to where they were, but when he heard shouting he frowned. Maybe it would be a good idea to take a look after all.
It wasn't like he disliked being around the children, on the contrary. But they still didn't know him, as he had successfully avoided introducing himself during that lake meetup a while prior. For whatever reason he wasn't even sure himself.
The source of the commotion was apparently the boy in red. One of the older kids if he remembered correctly.
He really did need to interact with them more, he sighed to himself. It was too easy to hide behind his work, to forget. So the only kids who ever sought him out were either Casshern or Kanja, if he wanted help with something.
"What has you all so worked up then? I could hear you shouting from miles away."
He asked as he stepped closer, arms crossed leisurely.
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 8:52 am
"Hi, Luna," Dash said softly as she passed and looked at him. He followed her indication over to Empyrean and watched with more of his curiosity. Surely he was just being awkward around so many others. He did look sour, and worse, Amy looked furious. He approached them while Amy berated Empyrean.
Then she did the unthinkable. She struck Empryean with the blunt end of her spear. It did not look like a hard blow. Empyrean did not look injured. But he put himself and his arms between them anyway. "No! No fighting! No violence."
Then he watched Empyrean try to help, but while calling Amy names. Dash sighed in relief and exasperation, relaxing.
He turned back to Amy in time to see Aren approach. He had been at the lake with a boy that looked suspiciously like himself. He was alone now. But he had come to break up the argument, surely. He stepped back from Amy to give her more room, but did not leave her side.
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 1:17 pm
Things were getting very exciting, and Bard was trying to piece together what happened. Though seeing the girl bop the boy in red on the head made him smile, holding back a giggle. Then the boy in green tried to step in. But oh! An adult! Thank goodness! "I don't think name calling will solve anything." He observed. "I also don't think insulting people and yelling is very friendly. You'll make people mad, and maybe lose the chance to be friends." Was that right? He hadn't made friends himself, but a soft, gentle approach worked with animals, so how different could they be? "After all, squabbling won't help this... um..." he looked around at the dirt as Empyrean began trying to dig. "What are we doing here anyways? And do you want more help? I wouldn't want yo be a bother."
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Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2021 1:45 pm
This.....this....BOY....did not know when to stop acting like he was better than everyone else! He just kept on insulting her and then acted like it was somehow a competition to make friends and be nice. Amy's face somehow got even more red as her hands gripped the spear tightly, ready to give him another disciplinary bop to the head when a voice interrupted her anger-fueled thought process. She turned around and looked up at a familiar, slightly intimidating face. She recognized the adult man, having seen him on the ship in passing and at the lake gathering with the boy named Casshern. They looked similar and Casshern seemed close to him...so did that mean this man was his parent? With this man's appearance and Dash's interference, begging for no more fighting, a stopper had been put in front of her train of fury. She huffed a bit in frustration before she actually answered Aren.
"I'm sorry if it bothered you, sir. I guess when someone is unnecessarily rude to me or my friends it really bothers me." She said with a pointed glare at Empyrean, then looked to the blonde boy when he asked what they were doing. "Oh, we're making a garden. It's sort of a test to see if we can grow some of the plants near the ship. If it works, then it could be the start of a farm...maybe? We have to till the soil first so that it's loose and allows the early sprouts and roots to grow without too much struggle. So, we have to basically dig up the dirt in the areas I marked about a foot or two down and kind of chop it up to make it loose and get rid of big rocks and junk, then spread it out evenly so we can make rows and mounds for the different kinds of seeds and stuff."
Wow, saying it out loud made it sound more complicated and like more work than most might have thought. She knew it would be a lot of work but she'd been excited about it. Hopefully this didn't make the others discouraged.
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