Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was warm in Andreiya's greenhouse, much warmer than outside. Wetter, too. Cadet Fae-Fae's uniform had turned damp in the sudden humidity, and clung unpleasantly to her skin -- a sensation that got her nose wrinkling and almost made her want to take the whole thing off. That would be inappropriate, though, and ultimately her curiosity won out over her discomfort.

She was met with a robust array of plants that seemed to be growing strong and healthy under her comrade's care. It was impressive. At least one was even bearing fruit: fist-sized, red, squat and round, that kept luring her gaze back to them as she explored the rest of the space.

It didn't help matters that she was hungry.

Eventually she scanned one, and hummed with surprise as the results spun tales of a plant abundant with nutritional benefits. She looked up, and back and forth, to verify that she was alone. Certainly it would be no issue if she tried just one bite... they were all Velencians here, after all. Taking supplies as they were needed was perfectly normal no matter how far away from home they were. And she was hungry. Surely Andreiya wouldn't mind.

Gingerly, she plucked one tomato from the vine, and, slowly, took a first bite. Her cranberry eyes immediately widened with amazement. Not only was it nutritious, it was one of the most delicious things she had ever tasted. It was savory, and firm and pulpy, and so, so satisfying. It vanished into her stomach in a matter of seconds, and she had barely swallowed the last bite of it before she was reaching for another.

Fae-Fae froze right as she was about to take another bite. Slowly -- slowly -- she turned around to greet Andreiya, with a pulp-stained face and a few seeds covering a few of her freckles. There was a warm, magenta blush blooming all across her cheeks, and her lips were forcefully pursed into a polite, professional smile. The collapsed crescent moon-shaped remains of her second tomato made it thoroughly obvious what she was doing.

"Corporal," she greeted, in a pay-it-no-mind lilt chiming from her wristband. "Hello."

One of the seeds on her face peeled away and fell to the ground.

The Cadet had gotten herself in trouble, and she knew it, and she was giggling. The laughter fluttered out of her mouth in little bursts she couldn't contain as she witnessed Corporal Andreiya's display of anxiety. He did have a point, though. She had gotten a little carried away, treating a specialized research area like a storehouse.

"I did not take the biggest," she reassured, "and I scanned them thoroughly first. I will transfer the data to you." Now she was pulling a cloth out of her subspace to wipe her face, carrying a prim demeanor that suggested she would never shove a piece of food in her face so rudely.

"The nutritional profile is impressive," she genuinely remarked, her gaze shamelessly transfixed on the remains of her second victim. "Did you really produce this with manual labor?"

"I was curious," said Fae-Fae, simply. She had wanted to see the Corporal's research and, so far, was not regretting her curiosity. The rest of the second tomato had been tucked away for later, along with Andreiya's tales of plants becoming more nutritious when exposed to music -- something to investigate more another time, perhaps.

For now, she took in the sight of Andreiya cradling the tomato in his hands and stroking its vibrantly red skin, as if he had decided it had a spirit of its own. He almost looked like a parent fussing over a child. Was that some consequence of all the work he had put into creating the conditions that brought it into being?

"It seems you have formed a bond," she observed, giggling again. "Did the labor make you attached?"

It was endearing to Fae-Fae that the pink-hued Corporal could get even pinker. She didn't hide this, either. The smile on her face only grew brighter as she listened to Andreiya's exposition of his research, swaying animatedly from one foot to the next as if caught up in a strong breeze created by his words.

Her whole body bobbled excitedly with a nod upon being offered a tour. "I want to pursue changes to Velencya's design," she said, quick and wide-eyed. "To increase its longevity." Now she was bouncing between the balls of her feet and her heels. "I think your work is relevant."

Drat. She had hoped Andreiya wouldn't notice the vanishing tomato. Fae-Fae's face began to crinkle back into that strained smile from a moment ago, the magenta blush returning -- but it faded quickly when he decided to carry on with the tour instead of pressing her about it.

Potatoes, Fae-Fae was familiar with. Caelyna and at least a few other Vanguardians here had developed a fondness for French fries, and potato-derived foods seemed common in Destiny City. She preferred 'tater tots' cooked in the oven at their house, because it wasn't so oily. It was amazing to learn that someone in the Vanguard was growing them. The patch of ground where they were planted was regarded with deep interest, with the Cadet momentarily bending down to peer at the dirt as if she might be able to spot something moving underneath if she stared hard enough.

After seeing how much of a fuss it had caused for Andreiya, she kept her hands away from his other plants while he described them. That didn't stop her from being tempted, however. She kept staring at the herbs like a cat watching a bird through the window, wanting to know how each one tasted.

It was impossible for her to resist the flowers, which she sniffed at with delicate restraint. A tiny fleck of pollen stuck to the tip of her nose when she pulled away.

"Tʜɪs ɪs ᴀʟʟ sᴏ ɪᴍᴘʀᴇssɪᴠᴇ," she beamed. "Yᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴅᴏɴᴇ sᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴀʀᴇ ʜᴀɴᴅs." With very little technology, and no special powers, Andreiya had made life come into being. Life that could feed people, even. And better yet, he seemed quite proud to have done so.

After a pause to take it all in, Fae-Fae closed her eyes briefly and thought. "Aʟʟ ᴏғ Vᴇʟᴇɴᴄʏᴀ's ᴀɢʀɪᴄᴜʟᴛᴜʀᴇ ɪs ᴀᴜᴛᴏᴍᴀᴛᴇᴅ." Her gaze turned to Andreiya. "Tʜᴇ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ ᴄᴏsᴛ ɪs ʜɪɢʜ. I ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ɪᴛ ᴍᴀʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴄᴏsᴛs ᴀs ᴡᴇʟʟ."

She remained oblivious to the tiny snake inching along the shelf.

Fae-Fae nodded rapidly, eager to explain. "Yᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ғᴇᴇᴅ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴍᴀᴄʜɪɴᴇ, ᴏʀ ɢᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀᴛᴇʀɪᴀʟs ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴏɴᴇ, ᴛᴏ ɢʀᴏᴡ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴘʟᴀɴᴛs. Yᴏᴜ ᴜsᴇᴅ ᴏɴʟʏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ʙᴏᴅʏ." She pointed to Andreiya's chest for emphasis, stopping inches short of poking him. "Yᴏᴜʀ ʜᴀɴᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴠɪɴɢ sᴜғғɪᴄɪᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴇᴅ ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ, ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴇʀʀᴏʀs. Tʜᴀᴛ's ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟᴇ!"

The Cadet's Comtech was singing Andreiya's praises at a warbling pitch that kept on escalating as she explained. She was truly amazed by it. While some of it was likely due to the favorable conditions Earth provided, she didn't want either of them to walk away from the conversation underestimating the power of her superior's labor. It was so much more efficient than she would have expected such a primitive approach to be.

"Tʜᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴀʟʟ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ ᴄᴏsᴛ ᴍᴀʏ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇ ʟᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴀᴜᴛᴏᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ," she admitted, "ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀsᴘᴇᴄᴛ ᴛᴏ ɪᴛ. Yᴏᴜ ғᴏʀᴍᴇᴅ ᴀ sᴏᴄɪᴀʟ ʙᴏɴᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘʟᴀɴᴛs, ᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛ?" Her smile now was cheekily affectionate. "Hᴏᴡ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʙᴏɴᴅ ᴄᴀʀʀʏ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘʟᴀɴᴛs ғᴇᴇᴅ? Hᴏᴡ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴍᴘᴀᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ ᴅʏɴᴀᴍɪᴄs ᴏғ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ?" Now it was her turn to get animated about her interests, something she did with comparatively less shame. Her fists danced at her shoulders momentarily before she continued.

"I ᴏɴʟʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʜʏᴘᴏᴛʜᴇsᴇs... ʙᴜᴛ I ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴀɴsᴡᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴏ̨ᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴs ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴜs sᴀᴠᴇ Vᴇʟᴇɴᴄʏᴀ. I ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ᴇɴᴇʀɢʏ ғʟᴏᴡs ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ." Then Fae-Fae laughed a little, again, in acknowledgement of Andreiya's passion for his research. "Tʜɪs ᴍᴀɴᴜᴀʟ ᴀɢʀɪᴄᴜʟᴛᴜʀᴇ sᴇᴇᴍs ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʜᴇʟᴘɪɴɢ ɪᴛ ғʟᴏᴡ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ʏᴏᴜ."

The Cadet was inclined to agree -- on the taste of Andreiya's tomatoes, of course, but also on the impact of the direct and intimate care he was providing them. His ideas invited a fresh spark of enthusiasm into the greenhouse, and Fae-Fae was nodding enthusiastically while summoning her ComTech screen to note down what they had discussed.

"I'ᴍ sᴜʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʀᴇsᴇᴀʀᴄʜ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴀʟsᴏ ʙᴇɴᴇғɪᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ,", she said. "Tᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ Vᴇʟᴇɴɪᴀ's ʟᴀɴᴅ ɪs ᴀ ɴᴏʙʟᴇ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ. Pᴇʀʜᴀᴘs ɪғ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴏʟʟᴀʙᴏʀᴀᴛᴇ,"

She was going to say something about the potential to benefit both of their worlds, but her hand floated astray from her ComTech when a tiny flicker of motion caught her eye.

It was just the snake's tongue sampling at the air, but in that moment it was enough for her to finally notice it was there. Her head jerked to the side to face the shelf, and she took in the thin coil of creature sitting there. She gazed for a second into its unblinking eyes, before slowly turning back to Andreiya with a question written on her face: what is this animal doing here?