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 Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2022 8:41 pm
Andreiya’s plants did not take particularly long to grow–something he was grateful for, given the importance of how quickly he needed to see if he could replicate the unique plant they were working with. It had been a few weeks since he passed along some seeds for Vyn to grow, and after a stream of good reports he wanted to drop in and talk to him in person to see how things were going.
He credited the health and speed of the plant’s growth cycle to Vyn’s great skill with all things flowery, and he was convinced that Vyn’s plan must want to grow bigger and healthier just to make him proud.
They’d seen each other often since they started this project–except for a bit of time where Vyn had gone missing, but he was safe now and in good health. Hopefully. Probably. He had Aliez to fuss over him and he hadn’t gotten any panicked messages that would have indicated Vyn was not at his best health, so he could only assume good things for him.
He arrived at Vyn’s door with a basket of vegetables he had grown, and a perfectly round miniature watermelon. While he'd been focused on these strange flowers and sharing all related data with Vyn and Aliez, he still had other plants he couldn't abandon, and food he could not let go to waste. Especially when it was so fresh and healthy. And, not that he would say it, it meant that he got to show off how hard his plants were working, and he was very visibly proud of them all.
“Vyn,” he said, just before knocking. “It’s Andreiya. I have come with gifts. And reports. May I come in?”
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2022 9:33 am
Vyn couldn’t say that he was particularly skilled, even if he had a fondness for all things related to nature. He was much more inclined to credit Andreiya for any success either of them might have; after all, it had been his discovery. The plant was hearty, the seeds healthy, and the process of caring for them was straightforward enough.
Regardless, Vyn enjoyed helping. If he excelled at anything, he thought it must be that.
He opened the door seconds after Andreiya announced his presence.
“Of course,” he said, and ushered Andreiya inside.
The room Vyn shared with Aliez was in its usual state of uncluttered simplicity. On a desk Vyn often used to complete the university coursework he undertook as a means of better understanding Earth and its various cultures, he’d set up his plant beneath grow lights, in a pot with a cute, smiling face painted upon it.
“Are these some of yours?” he asked, noting the vegetables and the watermelon. “You’ve had so much success with Earthen horticulture. Surely everything you’ve learned here will benefit us all upon our return home.”
The thought of home often caused a deep, lingering ache in Vyn’s chest, but he smiled through it. There was still hope, he told himself. Every success they had here, however small, would help them improve their circumstances.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2022 1:56 pm
Andreyia instinctively smiled when he saw the pot–how could he not, when it was already smiling at him?–and the plant. “These are all mine. Well, they are yours now. I thought you could put them to good use. I have made great advances in my understanding of the subject. I am trying to manipulate size and yield. I want to see how much one plant can produce and if it is better to have a greater yield and smaller sizes, or larger sizes and a smaller yield. There is plenty of research on earth. I just want to make sure our world is sustainable. I have been going through Velencian records and there is much to be desired on their studies, but I think it is only because we are much more limited on what was grown. Earth has so many more options.”
Too many, arguably, but he was hungry for information in the same way that Fae-Fae was hungry for tomatoes. He passed the woven basket over with a smile but he was visibly struggling to pull his eyes from the plant.
“I think it must like you, it is growing so well. Thank you for helping me. These plants are very durable! They look like they want to grow. But I think they must, if they are always healing. I have not noticed so much as a single spot or discoloration on mine. I almost thought about infecting it deliberately, but I am also afraid of destroying it. I think I will wait until I know the others can grow. I will have to cultivate more seeds and go from there. Have you noticed the same properties in yours or is it too early to tell?”
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Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2022 8:26 am
Vyn took the basket with a cheerful “thank you,” his smile widening as he cradled the gift in his arms.
Andreiya was so kind and thoughtful, dedicated to his work, with a brilliant mind that would surely lead them to even greater successes in the future. Earth afforded them all opportunities to better not just themselves, but the lives of their people. Andreiya was making the most of everything he undertook.
Vyn could have been envious. He dearly wished he had even half the qualities that made Andreiya such a valued member of the Vanguard. Fortunately, he had no need to covet anything, for he had been allowed to assist. Nothing could have made Vyn happier than that (except, perhaps, a perfect solution for the problem that was Velencya, or a kind word from the Commodore).
As conversation turned to the healing plant, Vyn approached the desk and carefully set his gift aside. His plant had not yet grown to the extent that Andreiya’s had, but it was making significant progress.
“The properties are the same,” Vyn answered with pride. “Look.”
In one of the desk drawers, he kept a small knife. He took it in hand, and, bringing both closer to the plant, made a small cut in both a leaf and the thumb he held just beneath it. Both healed as if they’d never been damaged in the first place.
“It wasn’t a fluke,” Vyn assured him. “You’ve cultivated something extraordinary. I think deliberately infecting one would be a logical next step in your experimentation, to test the extent of its self healing properties. Or, perhaps, infecting a different plant to see what benefit might be offered in that regard.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2022 2:49 pm
Andreiya’s eyes widened, and for all of the effort he put into trying to be a calm, respectable Velencian, his facade failed as he listened to Vyn. The pride was contagious and he was practically beaming while he chewed on his lower lip and shifted his weight from foot to foot.
“I feel as though I got lucky. I have yet to consider what it could do to other plants or living creatures. Truthfully, the thought was absent in my mind so I am very lucky to be working with you, I might not have thought of that otherwise. We should test what effect it has on other plants before infecting it, I think. I am already protective of it, I am afraid to lose whatever makes it unique before it is properly understood or studied. Some of the research I was working on was based on potential compatibility for future generations. I might try to cross breed soon, but it depends on what Aliez can find.”
He turned to Vyn just slightly, a bit more animated now. “I would be foolish if I did not look to him for his medical expertise, I think his studies will be helpful to compare it to existing medicines or cohesiveness. I want to breed this with some of the cross and see if I can pass the self healing gene along. I want to know if vegetables will rejuvenate, or if there are any adverse effects if one were to ingest it. They are plans for down the road, but,” he pulled out a small, portable drive and passed it over. “I put all of my current data on here for you, in case you were interested in that or had any ideas. I thought you could share it with Vyn. I was going to send it to you in a message but I needed to process and format it, and then I was afraid it could fall into the wrong hands.”
He knew he was just nervous about all of it; he didn’t think the humans could tap into their communications. But the Mauvians...
Better safe than sorry, he thought.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2022 11:46 am
Excitement was infectious. Vyn noticed that the more they had reason to be excited, to find joy in things. He’d thought, soon after their stay on Earth had been extended, that there wouldn’t be many occasions for them to find joy here, not when their world and their people depended on them so much, not when there was no guarantee that any of them would succeed. It wasn’t easy to put that knowledge aside long enough to enjoy small victories.
But with friends, things could be… simpler… for a while. Even the things that weren’t simple at all.
Vyn’s smile grew so wide his cheeks could’ve ached from it.
“I’m happy to help,” Vyn said. “I know Aliez has been very intent on his research. He is just as excited for the potential possibilities.”
Which, at the moment, seemed endless. Vyn would not allow himself to think so far ahead, lest he end up disappointed, but it was difficult not to allow himself to muse on all the ways in which a plant like this might benefit them in the future.
Vyn took the portable drive with careful fingers, clutching it in his hand like something precious.
“I’ll look it over,” he promised, “and pass along any additional data that seems pertinent. If you require any assistance with your experiments… I trust your lead on this better than my own, but I would be happy to aid you however you might need, even if you only require company.”
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Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2022 12:58 am
“I think I will require much assistance. If I am being completely honest, I feel like most of this is a guessing game and that I have only gotten lucky. I think I could repeat the experiment but I do not know if I would have the conviction if I did not have you two.”
Andreiya wanted to be involved in something, anything that could help Velencya, or Velenia, or the Vanguard. He couldn’t hunt Caedus. He wasn’t sure how to, first of all, and if he were being honest with himself he didn’t know what he’d do if he found them. He could call the Commodore, sure, but it made his stomach swim with uncertainty and guilt.
He believed in the Commodore. He just needed to find a way to still be useful, even if he couldn’t deliver Caedus to him.
“I am so glad to have the two of you. I appreciate your feedback. When you have a chance to look it over, we should meet up again. Even if we are not discussing research and possibilities, I enjoy your company. You make Earth less lonely.”
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 9:37 am
Vyn’s heart felt full. Or twice as big as normal. Or both sensations at once.
He was used to feeling isolated — by his own behaviors more than by the actions or reactions of others. No one purposefully excluded him, he was sure. He excluded himself from others, saw their passions and successes and thought himself unable to share in them, because he didn’t think himself as clever as they were. He loved his family, and his friends, and his people; he would do whatever it took to see that they prospered, but it was easy to feel lost in a society so focused on community and self improvement. On Velencya, he often felt anonymous — overshadowed, in some ways, by the whole.
On Earth, where there were so few of them, it was easier to find a place among them, to feel as if he had something to contribute.
Vyn had no desire to remain here forever, but the experience had already taught him so much about himself.
“Then, I would be happy to keep you company whenever you feel the desire for it,” he said. “I should be able to look over the data after my shift at the shop this afternoon, so… perhaps tomorrow, if you have the time available, we can discuss it over a meal. Aliez has become a very good cook, though it took him many attempts to adapt to Earthen culinary methods.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 2:29 pm
Once more, Andreiya brightened. He knew he wasn’t the most clever of the Vanguardians, and far from the most likable, but he felt comfortable with Aliez and Vyn. He liked being around them. He liked working with them.
He very desperately wanted their approval, so this worked out well because Vyn said he would be happy to keep him company–and Aliez might cook for them.
Andreiya was hopeful. He really wanted to make this work.
For all the homesickness that he felt, he didn’t feel alone when he was with them, and he felt like they actually had a chance to do something worthwhile.
He smiled and nodded eagerly. “Thank you, that sounds wonderful. I will have time tomorrow, I look forward to it. I am only going to be in the greenhouse tomorrow. I will let you get ready for your shift, I need to go pick up a few things and get back to my research. I want to run a few more tests.” Especially now that his motivation was high.
“I will see you soon, Vyn. I really appreciate all of this.”
He hoped the Commodore would, too.
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