Timeline: Current.
Jolen: Brushing some hair out of his face Jolen strolled along the garden with the watering hose, drenched himself and proceeding to do the same with the flowers that were asking for it, while giving all of them a bit of a growth spurt.
Cecilia: It'd be summer again soon, Cecilia told herself as she flipped through 'The Enormity of the Tragedy' by Quim Monzo. Then it would actually be warm enough to read outside, but until then she'd just have to make do with the greenhouse.
Melati: Having repurposed one of the powerful plant lights to be found inside the greenhouse, Melati lounged in the tall grass, hands interlocked behind her head, and basked in the warmth of the lamp hanging above her. Her eyes closed, she was idly playing with a single blade grass between her lips.
Jolen: With the plants outside the manor done he got the hose and trekked over to the greenhouse spotting Melati and whistling for her.
Cecilia: Cecilia startled at the whistle but once she realized it wasn't for her she settled back down again, sighing heavily.
Melati: Lifting her head out of the grass, she halfway opened one eye, but had to shield her face with her hand to block out the bright light. "Yo, Jolen," she called. "Taking good care of your friends there?"
<@Jolen> "Yeah plenty of sun and water, you got sun so do you need watering?" Giving her a wide grin and gesturing to the hose he was carrying to the greenhouse
Sue: "Haaa, do it, I dare you!" Sue wandered outside with a cup of tea and a chair.
Melati: Melati gave him a long look, until a small smirk played across her lips. "Actually, I could do with a little cooling off," she said. "I think I've been lying too long under this thing."
Jolen: Squeezing the trigger then he took aim and Melati got a blast of the freezing water as he laughed before threatening to spray it near Sue. "Hey Sue how you doing?"
Melati: "Gaaah!" The icy temperature caught of her off guard, causing Melati to curl up into ball. "You could have said something that you got this hose plugged right into a melting glacier, dude." She shook herself.
Sue: Sue shielded herself, just in case, "I'm mostly okay... as well as can be expected...." she gave a small shrug.
Jolen: "What do you think I water plants with hot water or something?" Laughing at her before giving himself another good dosing so his jeans were clinging to him from all the water.
Jolen: "Well it's better then bad at least, I'd offer hugs but I'm abit wet."
Sue: "Yeah... please don't..." she sat down on her chair and wrapped her hands around her mug, taking a sip of her tea.
Melati: "I guess the same can be said for all of us," Melati commented as she sat up, wringing some of the water out of her shirt, which did little to alleviate the problem of clinging cloth. "At least one of us seems cheerful enough, eh?" She smiled up at Jolen.
Cecilia: Cecilia eyed the group, shielding herself up before approaching. "Yeah, it's nice to see a smiling face for a change."
Melati: "Hey, Cee." She turned her head to greet her, sitting with her legs pulled close to her chest and hands on her knees. "How's things today?"
Jolen: "As always, I don't really do unhappy after all as bad as things are what with the murders and all life is still alot better for me then it was." Smiling at the group before his body seemed to just dry itself, even his clothes losing some of the dampness. "Hey Cecilia."
Cecilia: Cecilia shrugged. "Today - not so bad." This week however had its moments - especially concerning Mayday. "Getting better."
Jolen: A vine went out from his arm to go and turn off the tap so it could pull the hose off and bring it to his waiting hand. "Well how about all you nice girls follow me in the greenhouse and I'll cheer you all up yeah? Just because bad things are happening doesn't mean I can't make some nice things happen."
Melati: Melati frowned. "That sounds like an invitation to either a hippie happening, or an orgy," she remarked. "Probably both."
Jolen: And just watch Jolen turn bright red with embarassment.
Cecilia: "I'll pass on the orgy," Cecilia snorted. "But I'd go for greenhouse stuff."
Melati: "Aw damn, that was the thing I was most interesting in." Melati laughed and rose to her feet. "Sure, though... I've been lying on my lazy hide long enough already."
Cecilia: Cecilia looked around. "...but there's more chicks than...y'know here."
Jolen: leading them into the greenhouse he plugged the hose back in and started giving everything a good spray down. "Mind the hose but find youself a place away from each other, ok?"
Sue: "Why is that a problem?" Sue asked Cee, getting up and picking up her chair with her field to float along behind her.
Melati: "Hey, I don't care what kind of bits anyone's got dangling between their legs - or doesn't." She showed Cecilia a smirk as they walked into the isolated room, the humid heat hitting like a solid wall. "Ah, feels just like home."
Cecilia: "It's not," Cecilia said. "For you anyways - though I didn't know Mel's door swung both ways. It's more me it wouldn't benefit."
Jolen: "Am I missing some thing here?" Head tilting at the girls while he got all the plants nicely wet whispering under his breath at them.
Melati: "As long as I end up having fun, I don't give much of a fuck who I'm fucking with." Melati shot everyone a broad grin.
Sue: "And that's why we all love you." Sue grinned back.
Cecilia: Cecilia snorted and wandered behind some of the trees that had hibiscus flowers on them, peeking out. "I like her 'cause she gives me tequila."
Cecilia: "And doesn't take bull."
Jolen: Giving the girls a confused look before shaking his head, another girl thing it seems. But while they were distracted he extended his powers and all of the plants in the greenhouse started growing, getting bigger and bigger with encouragement and burst even more into bloom.
Sue: Sue sat down on her chair again and crossed her legs, drinking her tea.
Melati: Melati held out her arms. "What can I say, I'm a simple soul who shares freely what she's got." She laughed. "Friends and fun is all I ever need."
Cecilia: Cecilia's eyes widened at the flowers in bloom. "Jesus, you could be your own Garden of Eden..." she said, smiling.
Melati: "I guess calling it a green thumb doesn't do it enough credit," Melati remarked, sauntering through the colourful garden. "You'll rarely hear me praise beautiful things, but I gotta admit, this is mightily impressive." She stepped over to the colourful arrangements of many different flowers. "Hey, are these jasmine?"
Jolen: Keeping his breathing steady he kept up the growth, encouraging the plants to put out as many colourful flowers as they could for the girls. "I guess so, can't say I bother with human names for plants I tell the difference by needs."
Melati: "Oh yeah, these totally are." Melati crouched down to stroke her claws over the delicate blossoms. "Bet you guys didn't know these are my namesake."
Cecilia: "Really?" Cecilia asked, coming over and crouching down beside Mel. "Melati means jasmine? That's...unfitting," she admitted. "I mean, when I think of you, boss, I don't really think of a delicate flower."
Cecilia: Cecilia was quiet for a moment. "My name means 'blind.'"
Jolen: Well they all looked alittle happier now so he got back to watering the plants as they were all going to need it, then he could get onto plant food and eventually- "Huh?" One plant seemed to have ignored his efforts, still dying in it's pot with no flowers or anything.
Melati: "I guess that's the peril of naming kids when they're born and you have no idea what kind of person they'll grow up into." She smiled at the other girl. "My mother probably had a different image of her future little girl than a badass lizard rocking the scales and claws." She chuckled. "Probably didn't help that she was pretty much a flower girl herself back then."
Jolen: Picking the weirdly leafed plant in it's tiny pot over to the girls he sniffed it. "Any idea what this is because it isn't happy at all."
Melati: Melati frowned. "Well, can't say that's something I'd consider fitting either," she added. "You've always struck me as the kind of person who sees what's what."
Melati: "Hm?" She turned to look at the plant Jolen was showing them, and promptly had to grin. "Now look at that. How did you end up in here?"
Jolen: "Cecilia and Melati sound nicer then Jasmine and Blind anyway." Jolen just shrugged and poked the plant trying to get an answer out of him. "He isn't very happy at all."
Cecilia: "I don't think my parents thought I'd be as fierce as I was," Cecilia admitted. "My mother's very fragile and my father was very quiet...I think my middle name is more accurate. It means 'hard sun.'" She got up and looked at Jolen's plant. "Maybe it's a desert flower?"
Melati: "I think it got too little light and too much water." She gave the little plant a closer look. "My uncle used to grow these in his back garden, so I know the one or other trick you have to keep in mind."
Jolen: "Maybe I just need to change it to make it survive better out in the greenhouse?" Nosing the plant as his hair tendrils lengthened to drain some of the water out of the pot.
Cecilia: "There are flowers that grow better in shade," Cecilia noted. "Like bleeding hearts."
Sue: "Maybe it's overwatered...."
Melati: "I wonder if Rubin planted it here," Melati muttered, before looking up at the others. "If you like, I... uhm, could take care of it?"
Jolen: "Nah we can leave it here with the others, won't be to much effort to get it to grow differently but how about we get the poor thing a bigger pot and some plant food?" Soil abit dryer his hair retracted from it, all of his physical manifestations looking very vibrant today.
Cecilia: Cecilia blinked at the withered plant before realization hit her. "OH!" She said, a bit embarassed she didn't recognize it considering where she grew up. "Uh...yeah, we might wanna get rid of that...in case Officer Knight comes around again."
Melati: "What do you mean, 'get rid of it'?" She gave Cecilia a look. "Can't we find it a new home? Maybe Lorna and Bobby have a spot to spare..."
Jolen: "I could keep it in my room with my other plants till it's feeling better?"
Melati: "That's very generous of you, but you're a really nice kid and I like you, and I wouldn't want you to get into trouble."
Cecilia: "By get rid of it I mean 'get rid of the evidence' and when I say 'get rid of the evidence' I mean 'bake it' or something," Cecilia said. "No sense in wasting it."
Melati: "Oh." She blinked. "Well, I definitely could do with some baking..."
Jolen: "You know you can't actually use this one until it's better and until it's better who's the best person to look after it? The people that can't talk to and augument plants or the one that can?" Smiling a little shrewdly at Melati then.
Melati: "You know, I think he has a point," Melati remarked, giving the others a sideways look. "The poor little thing could definitely do with a little more growing. Perhaps we can even get some pretty, sweet buds."
Jolen: "Plus I can make it grow in easier conditions to, so long as I get cookies afterwards for all my hard work?"
Sue: Sue finished her tea quietly. She was not going to have any input into this conversation then no one could blame her if they got in trouble.
Cecilia: "I think Sean can help you more there," she said. "I can...talk to him for you if you like..." she said, shifty eyed. "I see him a lot by proxy."
Melati: "And don't forget the cuttings," she tossed in. "Once its a little bigger, we can take some to grow it some friends."
Jolen: "I don't need cuttings to make it grow friends Melati, I speak to plants and can control their growth. Johnathon never pays any attention to my plants anyway so it'll be safe there."
Sue: "If you can talk to plants can't you just tell it to get better?"
Melati: Melati exchanged a quick look with Cecilia. "Sounds like it couldn't be in any better hands then." She offered Jolen a small smile.
Jolen: "I can talk to it to ask it whats wrong, but I have to use my powers to make it better as it's to close to dying right now to answer me."
Cecilia: "If I'm a doctor can I tell someone to get better when they're actually physically ill?" Cecilia said to Sue. "If it's that badly damaged it probably can't get better."
Jolen: "I can still hear it so it can get better no worries girls you'll get you weed."
Sue: "Well then make it better... do some doctoring, I don't know how that mutation works. That teacher can tell you to get better and you get better..."
Cecilia: Cecilia raised an eyebrow at Mel. "Y'know, I didn't like you really when I first met you...I realize that was a mistake now..."
Melati: "Hey, no worries." Melati laughed. "I know I have a talent to get off on the wrong foot with people. Though, to hell with first impressions, anyway. Right?"
Jolen: "No worries Sue, I just need to figure out what it wants to start with and I can work from there, I've reduced the water like Melati said now I just have to firgure out what it's calling for."
Cecilia: "Same here," Cecilia said, smiling. "I can get on-board with that, boss."
Sue: "My mum always says you should sing to your plants... we always thought she was batty."
Jolen: "No plants like singing, most of mine like listening to jazz on the radio to." Smiling over at the girls. "Glad we're all getting along then."
Cecilia: Cecilia knelt down by the plant "~Could yooou be loooved?~" She sang, letting her Caribbean accent seep into her voice.
Sue: Sue giggled at Cecilia, "Yeeeeah, still look mental."
Melati: Melati arched an eyebrow, before she let out a laugh. "Right, tell me when I should drag my amp and guitar down here. I'll give these flowers a proper root-kicking."
Jolen: Chuckling he put the plant on the side so Cecilia could keep making it giggle while he went and fetched a bigger pot for it, last thing it needed was to be cramped while it grew. "I think rock music might be a little much for them."
Cecilia: Cecilia rolled her eyes at Sue. "You haven't heard anything yet." She switched to a Sean Paul song with a heavy Jamaican patois. "~Well I don't really care what people say. I don't really watch what dem waan do. Still I got to stick to my girls like glue. And I man nah play number two!~"
Sue: Sue laughed again, "Anyone'd think you were already high if they looked in here right now."
Cecilia: Cecilia shrugged. "Songs by a Jamaican guy - it's patois from their island there. I know other songs in Spanish though." She hummed. "~Volare - oh oh! Cantare - oh oh oh oh! Nel blu dipinto di blu. Felice di stare lassu!~"
Jolen: "Well I know who to call when my voice isn't doing the trick eh?" Coming back with a big pot and a bag of compost hanging from his hair vines. "So shall we give our new friend room to grow?"
Sue: "Can I do it?" She got up from her chair, "Haven't done any gardening in ages... kind of miss the feel of soil on my hands."
Melati: "Sure, let's give that a shot." Melati nodded and pulled up the sleeves of her shirt. "If all else fail, I can always yell at it." She turned to Sue. "I'll grab you a bag of soil."
Jolen: "Sure." Smiling the compost went down on the side along with the big new pot. "Least the plant can do is make some friends today even if I can't get it to grow for afew days."
Sue: "Only if you're not going to dump it over my head," Sue gave her a grin. She moved over to the plant and got to work extracting it from it's old pot.
Cecilia: "I never gardened before," Cecilia commented wincing at the smell of fertilizer a little. "Most of my life we were in a high-rise with no yard and no balcony. Closest I ever came to gardening was tossing a watermelon out of the window."
Melati: "Hey, for what kind of person do you take me?" Melati chuckled as she shouldered the bag and carried it over. "If I'd dump it over you, everyone knows I aim for cleavage first."
Sue: Sue laughed, "Neither would work, I shield on instinct." She loosened up the roots a little while scooping some fresh compost up with her field and lining the new pot with it. "Never had a window box or anything? I did. I grew herbs."
Jolen: "I had a forest to play with and as cool as that sounds it's not half as interesting as this green house is." Finding out the nice plant food to go with the compost as every little helps.
Sue: "I live out in the sticks. Lots of fun places to explore near my house - best part is the river... unless you ask Johnny."
Cecilia: "Not on the twelfth floor," Cecilia said, raising an eyebrow. "The windows only open a little on the bottom and there's screens there usually. Well, on one of ours we had an air conditioning unit." Cecilia just shook her head. Someone had never lived in a shitty high-rise.
Sue: "That's sad... growing things is fun and rewarding." She set the plant gently in the new pot and filled in around the edges with some compost and fertiliser.
Melati: Melati tore open the top of the bag with her claws, then carefully poured some into the pot in front of Sue. "Lots of my relatives back home are really big on growing their own herbs and vegetables. One of my aunts raises some mean chilis."
Jolen: "I found it was the best way to make sure I had food during winter, encouraging plants to grow for me often kept me fed and alive."
Cecilia: Cecilia watched the group, leaning on one of the plant shelves and crossing one leg over the other. "Don't call it the concrete jungle for nothing," she shrugged. She wasn't so big on the outdoors, really. It was nice to visit, but to stay? Ugh, no.
Sue: "Doesn't smell as nice as the regular jungle."
Cecilia: Cecilia smirked over to Mel. "Don't you have those plants in Malaysia that smell like rotting meat, boss?"
Sue: "That doesn't count - bet you get that smell all the time in the city with dead rats everywhere."
Melati: "Oh yeah, you mean the carrion flower." Melati looked up to return the smirk. "It's huge and pretty awesome looking. The smell knocks you on your back, though. Fortunately, it's pretty rare, and doesn't do that often."
Melati: "You know, sometime I gotta pack up all you guys for a trip back home," she added. "We can take a trip into some real jungle, and when we get back, my folks will cook you some of the most delicious food you've ever eaten."
Cecilia: Everywhere? "In the dumpsters maybe," she snorted to Sue. "Depends on where you are. The place I worked at in high school smelled like olives and calamari. There was garbage as well. Cigarette smoke. The street smelled like gasoline sometimes," she smiled slightly at that. "I actually like that. I like cars..."
Cecilia: Cecilia smiled at Mel. "I think I'd like Kuala Lumpur. Sounds pretty exciting...can we ride an elephant?"
Jolen: "How about seeing tigers do you have them there?"
Melati: "I'm sure that can be arranged, and of course we do." She sat back on her haunches while Sue kneaded the soil. "Only deep in the wild, though. You know, before ending up here, I played with the thought of becoming a wildlife ranger. Protecting endangered species and such."
Sue: Sue wrinkled her nose. None of those smells sounded good to her. "You'd be awesome at that, Mel."
Cecilia: "It's a shame I left Puerto Rico so soon," Cecilia said. "If I'd stayed longer maybe I would've seen the jungles there sometime...see a sloth or two." Then again she'd have stayed in the slum if she'd not left, so maybe not.
Melati: "I'm pretty sure the sloths are still there for you to see when you get back there," Melati said with a chuckle. "They probably made it one tree further by now."
Sue: Sue laughed, "Sloths are the cutest things ever!"
Jolen: "I've never seen a sloth before so I'll take you guys words for it, though baby bears are very cute to watch play when your up a safe tree." He almost missed his forest then.
Cecilia: "...Wait...no, that's Costa Rica," Cecilia frowned. "Shit man, I forgot they were extinct there! I'm gonna have to settle for agouti."
Melati: "I promise we'll take you to the zoo once this whole trouble is dealt with," Melati told Jolen. "It may be not the same thing as the real jungle, but it's in downtown New York, so it should at least count partially."
Jolen: "I would like that very much." Smiling and patting the last of the soil down in the big plant pot. "Right now how do we get this up to my room as if I remember rightly the teachers don't like this stuff."
Sue: "They need sloths on WoW.... and you should be able to get a pet one and carry it around on a stick like a bindle..." She stared off into the distance, imagining the awesomeness of that for a moment.
Sue: Sue looked at Jolen. "I will do this one thing if you promise not to tell anyone I was involved. I can invisible the plant."
Jolen: "Right so..." Thinking for a moment he stood up and turned around letting his hair vines curl round the pot carefully and pick it up. "Now it won't look like I'm carrying anything and I won't tell anyone you were involved."
Melati: "Cee and I can tag along and look really non-suspicious, if you like," Melati offered.
Cecilia: "Rachel's dropped acid with students before," Cecilia noted. "Paige's done pot brownies (albeit not knowingly) and I'm pretty sure Cess has a secret stash, they're all people and they've all been to college, I'm sure they'll look the other way."
Sue: "Mel you wouldn't know non-suspicious if it came up and bit you on the arse." Sue shook her head, turning the plant invisible.
Cecilia: Cecilia clicked her tongue. "She is the boss, I'd say she's done an infiltration or two just fine."
Jolen: Now it looked like Jolens hair was just curling about weirdly behind him, the heavy weight odd but not anything to make him put effort in. "Well if you all walk around me it'll hide my hair abit more."
Melati: "Which is why I'm so useful at this kind of thing." Melati cracked a grin. "Everyone will be too busy thinking I'm up to no good to suspect anyone else."
Cecilia: Cecilia snorted and took the lead. "C'mon, I'll show you nice kids how to fool the po-lice," she joked, sticking her hands in her pockets.
Sue: Sue laughed again, picking up her mug and sitting down on her chair again. She figured she may as well practice while she was at it... Creating a platform under her chair, she lifted herself off the floor and floated along behind them. Huh. She could get used to this.
Jolen: Starting to walk he got used to the rolling weight until his vines got better grips, afew more sprouting from his back to stop it swinging as they walked back towards the school treasure in hand.