Thread Roulette: Landscaping

[Event !]

What part of stay off the grass don’t you understand?

[Odion Martins]

Last time Odion was at the pond, things went a little out of bounds. First, he found a dead cat and it’s babies. He managed to save three out of four, with a little help from Lani. Secondly, Lani, a so called friend, let his powers go out of control and emotionally damaged Odion to the point where he was wondering who to trust and who to stay away from. He wasn’t sure why he had gone back to the pond after all this drama had occurred, but he didn’t mind looking at the fishes and hoped this time he would find solace instead of trouble.

It was a nice day. Nice enough for a pair of jean shorts and a purple t-shirt. Odion brushed his fingers through his hair and made his way to the pond. But today wouldn’t be what he wanted it to be. Some things were blocked off. Seemed like the school was doing some renovations now that the weather was getting better. He sighed. Why couldn’t things just be how he wanted them to be? The lawn leading to the pond was blocked off with equipment and signs, but Odion easily walked over them and to the benches surrounding the pond. No one would notice him, right?

[Patricia Reed]

It was a nice day. So nice in fact that Addie was wearing a pair of jeans and a tank top. Most of Hammel’s employees couldn’t get away with wearing the relaxed clothes she wore daily, clothes like tank tops and ripped jeans, but she was maintenance, which made things a little different. The best part of today wasn’t the warm weather though. It was the fact that it had been a few weeks since she first planted her calla lilies. And now it was time to bring them to full bloom and make them more beautiful.

She was one of the few permitted to cross the equipment and signs. After all, she had to tend to the flowers and other plants. Once passed the signs, she went directly to her lilies, kneeling down into the dirt. In passing, she’d noticed a figure sitting on one of the benches. She only looked over to him when she was at the flowers. “If you didn’t see, the signs said people weren’t allowed over here.” But other than simply stating the fact, she made no attempt to shoo the boy away.

Instead though, she took hold of one of the flowers in her palm and concentrated on it. Watching it carefully, she smiled as its petals expanded and the white of the flower became whiter.

[Odion Martins]

Odion watched the fishes dance around in the water. It brought a smile to his face that he couldn't explain. Perhaps it was due to the fact that last time he was here, he and Lani had managed to save a couple of kittens. It was one of the sweetest memories he had and liked to relive.

His eyes snapped over to the woman working on the flowers. "I saw," he said simply, because she didn't seem to have the nerve to tell him to leave directly. A smart reply for an equally smart reply. He knew if he kept this up he was going to land in some trouble, but it wouldn't be the first time and it certainly wasn't going to be the last.

Odion watched the flowers bloom before him, and he smiled. So this was the person keeping Hammel beautiful was it? He didn't want to come off as a brown noser, so he didn't compliment her when he felt the urge to do so. Instead, he went back to watching the fishes.

[Patricia Reed]

Addie liked the pond. It was soothing. The fish, the flowers. It was almost as if they weren’t actually on school grounds, but an area that was just naturally beautiful. Never mind the amount of time and work she put into the grounds, putting even more work into the area around the pond.

The older woman looked up at the boy, her eyebrow raised in a perfect arc. His answer, while not flat out rude, was still curt. It reminded her that kids today were different than they had been when she’d attended school here. But she was older now. She could let things go. Sometimes. Not always. But she could try. And even turn them into a joke. Or least try to do that too. “So you can read. That’s good to know.” She smiled a little, looking back at the flowers.

“So were you looking for a quiet moment alone and I ruined it?” She asked, legitimately curious as to why he was at the pond when it was obvious he shouldn’t be. And if he had been looking for peace and quiet, she would stop talking. She knew if somebody wanted to be felt alone, there was probably a reason. She’d also try to do her work to quickly as possible to let him have his space. Taking another flower into her hand, Black Eyed Beauty, a pale yellow Calla Lily, and watched as it opened up.

[Odion Martins]

It wasn't that Odion was trying to be rude, he just was. Nothing in life had taught him to respect elders. He was raised by kids his age, maybe a few years older, but he had no adults to answer to and he never thought them as superior in any way. Yes he had manners, but those were reserve for people he thought would be valuable later on. A teacher, or a caretaker in this case, could serve him in no way. So what was the point in trying to be nice really?

She jested with him and Odi hid his surprise. "I am in high school love," he said, a shrug followed after his statement. Reading wasn't anything spectacular. It was relatively easy actually. He had taught himself a few different languages. It was something he had a knack for but didn't bother showing off with.

What she said next made the boy part his lips slightly. He could no longer hold in his surprise. Here he was, being a twat and she was trying to be nice to him. That was so unusual, coming from a staff member. "Just trying to remember another moment," he said honestly, because sometimes telling half truths were easier than coming up with full lies. "But like you said, I can read and I knew you were working. Nothing's ruined." He managed a small smile and looked at her working with the plants.

"Can you make anything grow? Or just plants?" He asked, genuinely curious. That and a bit of small talk never hurt anyone.

[Patricia Reed]

Addie’s head snapped up when she heard the boy had called her love. Dear lord. She knew kids today were more spoken about their affections, often calling each other pet names even if they weren’t truly close. But it had caught her so off guard. Because… Well… Nobody had ever called her that. And only on very rare occasion had anybody used any kind of term of endearment towards her. Except Joanne, but that was different. And he was essentially a baby in her eyes. It shocked the hell out of her to say the least.

After clearly being thrown off, she looked back down to her flowers. “Yes well, one expects when another can read signs of warning that they would follow those warnings. Are you the token bad boy of Hammel?” It honestly occurred to her that he might be, but she mostly teasing him though. Because she doubted walking past ‘no crossing’ signs to sit by the fishpond hardly qualified one as a ‘bad boy’. Unless times had really changed that much. Which was just kind of sad if that were the case.

Nodding, she looked carefully at her flowers. “Well, if it’s easier for you to remember, I could come back later to tend to these flowers.” One by one, she was tending to the flowers. It would be a long process. Not that she minded. It was mindless work. But not the least bit tedious. Plus, she liked going home with dirt under her nails and, usually, a splotch or two on her face. “Oh, I wasn’t worried if anything were to be ruined.” She told him reassuringly. “It’s quite easy to replant, wait for them to sprout, and bring them to bloom.”

“Any kind of plant. Trees though… Are difficult. Very difficult.” It’d been a number of years since the last time she’d tried to. But it’d been incredibly draining. She’d poured every bit of strength and focus into the tree and had passed out from exhaustion and dehydration. That was the only thing on Hammel grounds she allowed to on it’s own. Well, trees and grass. “You know what it is I do. Care to share your secret?”

[Gabriel & Uriel Raines]

The boys were out exploring. That was all, exploring. And then they saw - well, they saw warning signs about staying off the grass and no trespassing, and they tried, really they did. They turned around and walked away.

But they wanted to go for a swim. So. Badly. They can't even tell you, and the pond was perfect for that, as opposed to weird chlorine-y nonsense, and so... well, in unison, they turned and casually slipped past the stay off the grass signs (or whatever it was they'd said, the boys couldn't remember precisely, as the only thing on their mind was swimming in that pond.)

To their surprise, people had already broken the rule! Well, person. One of them looked as if she was supposed to be there, and the other was just.. sitting on a bench.

They cleared their throats as they approached, hoping not to scare either of them (and quietly hoping they wouldn't get in trouble, but if that guy (they thought his name was Odion but couldn't be entirely sure, there were quite a few students) was here and not in trouble, then they could be too (they hoped).) away, thought they managed to hear the tail end of the conversation.

"Ooh, pardon us for interrupting, but why are trees hard? Bigger?" Gabriel started, Uriel continuing on without pause, "Are they just more complicated? Takes more to have them grow?" They truly were curious - because there were trees that were tiny, and she could give them a boost couldn't she? Well, if it were only size she could, but the boys weren't sure what it was, hence why they were asking.\

But then they glanced from Patricia to Odion, not sure who would speak first, since she had asked Odion a question but then they'd followed with asking her a question.

Either way, they wanted to know both answers.

[Odion Martins]

Odion smiled pleasantly as shock made its appearance onto the woman’s face. He was only trying to be polite. He called almost every female ‘love’, and every male ‘mate’. It was just part of his vocabulary, and he often forgot it didn’t always work in every context. He was a social chameleon though, and was enjoying her reaction. It was hard to get staff members to come out of their shell. He really didn’t like their company to begin with, but perhaps this would be different.

The bad boy of Hammel? Odion let out a laugh at that remark, and shrugged. “I can’t really tell you if I am,” he said, a half smile on his face. He would rather say he was the one sneaking in the shadows at Hammel. He didn’t really think betraying Do Not Step on the Grass signs were all that bad. Really, there were far worse things to do here. Like blow things up, or set them on fire. He supposed stealing things from innocent people was pretty bad, but that wasn’t what she was asking about. Odion smiled politely as she blabbered on. He wasn’t planning on ruining her work, he merely thought she thought she was ruining his reverie. No matter, he wasn’t going to try and explain all that to her.

Odion nodded. Yes, after how long it took to rearrange the flowers, he could see why trees would be hard to grow. So she was a plant manipulator. What a truly lovely power. She even seemed to enjoy her work. “It’s nice to know who keeps Hammel beautiful,” he complimented. At least he was being genuine and not snarky. Well, that was until the Gesalt Pair arrived. It was such a pity that that power couldn’t stay hidden. Someone would know what they were dealing with right away.

The ginger sneered. Of course trees were harder to grow because they were bigger. They had more things to manipulate. Idiots... Odi had always found twins annoying. “Bonsai trees might be a different story...” he mumbled through his accent. It was no wonder that Odion liked being by himself. Most teens his age were horribly stupid. A few moments passed, and Odi glanced back to the caretaker. Well, she had asked him a harmless question, and he would answer. But only for her, not for the dynamic dunces. “Time control,” he said, looking at the pond with intensity.

Now if only he could slip back into the shadows.

[Patricia Reed]

With a smile, Addie nodded. “Yes, well… I suppose you can’t really. If you say you are the bad boy, then you really aren’t because they wouldn’t really admit it. But if you say you aren’t, then you could very well be lying. It’s kind of a double edge sword in a way.” At this point she was just poking fun. There was no harm in that. He didn’t seem like the kind who’d become so horribly offended by a little teasing that he’d storm off for some reason or another.

Looking up at the boy, her smile only grew. As conceited as it might sound, Addie loved hearing that people liked her work. Of course, she thought it all looked wonderful herself. She put a lot of time and effort into the plants around the campus. And hearing that others were fond of them… Well it was one of the very few things she let inflate her ego. “Thank you. I’m glad you think so.” And she really was.

Addie looked to the newcomers. More kids willing to overlook signs, huh? No matter. She didn’t really believe any of the three had any intentions of destroying her work. So it didn’t truly bother her.

“It’s mostly their size. It takes a lot of energy out of me.” Looking back to the first boy, Addie had thought she heard him say something. But it’d been muttered. Which gave her the impression he wasn’t too happy by the additional company. “Small trees, like smaller Crabapples, I can manage. But anything bigger than, say about, eight feet or so is too large.”

Time control? She couldn’t help but chuckle. If he were Hammel’s bad boy, that would be an almost perfect power to use for his advantage. “You aren’t helping your case, you know? I imagine it would be all too tempting to use that if you are in fact the bad boy.”

Looking back at the twins, she smiled and winked so that they too would know that she was simply poking fun at the boy.

[Gabriel & Uriel Raines]

With their heightened sense of hearing, both twins heard what Odion had muttered, and glanced over to him in unison, though didn't allow their smile to falter. "That's precisely why we were asking. Trees are not only more complicated due to a woodier stem, but can sometimes be bigger. There are big plants though, and small trees. We wanted to verify it was size versus something about the woodier stem."

It wasn't rude, condescending, mean - nothing of the source. Just letting the kid know they weren't daft. Uriel, meanwhile, had stayed silent - Gabriel was better at the 'nerdier subjects,' as he called them, so he just settled back and listened for a moment.

They weren't mean - they weren't trying to intrude or anything of the sort. If either of the two had told them they were intruding, they would've left at a moment's notice. But as no one told them 'oh, we were kind of having a private conversation,' they'd assumed it was public. Odion's sullen reaction to their presence told them otherwise, but they let nothing but cheeriness and politeness show to either of the two.

"Crabapples are delicious. Have you ever had it made into jam? Our mom makes some - it's fantastic." Uriel chose to casually overlook the fact that - naturally - the two boys helped their mom make such jam. And could probably make it on their own - people didn't need to know that.

"Ooh, time control," "Sounds fun! Hows yours work exactly?" And again - they weren't stupid. They understood the basic concepts. But some people could only move forward, some only backwards, some only in intervals, some mode with the time - so when they slowed time, they slowed down as well. It was always something special with metas.

[Odion Martins]

Woodier stems? Odion stared at them blankly. If they already knew the answer, why did they bother asking at all? Obviously they weren’t being polite, trespassing and all, so it couldn’t be due to trying to strike up a conversation. They were daft indeed. Perhaps beyond so.

Odion smiled at the woman. He was almost positive that there were more than a few blokes fighting for the title of resident ‘bad boy’. He definitely wasn’t one of them. He knew she was only joking around with him, but he really wasn’t in the mood. Ah Odion’s mood, a separate entity which could switch at the drop of a hat.

“However I want it to,” he said sharply, looking at the pond stiffly. He had come out here for some peace and quiet and while a lovely gardener was welcome, these two mumbling idiots were not. Oh they could walk around a public place all day if they so pleased, but Odion wasn’t about to entertain them. Hopefully they weren’t too daft to get the message.

[Patricia Reed]

With a polite smile on her face, Addie nodded at the pair. Confirming what one thought to be true wasn’t a bad thing. But she was beginning to ease her way out of the conversation, at least by a little. The look on the other boy’s face, and the way his voice, indicated to her that he was less than pleased at the newcomers’ presence. And it was making the air between all four of them a little stiff.

It was her opinion, even if one didn’t like another, that you shouldn’t let on to it. Emotions weren’t exactly her strong suit. She preferred to not have them or let them sway her judgment or behavior. And it rarely did so.

Luckily for her though, she had work to busy herself with. So she did her best to concentrate on that what was, literally, at hand. But that wouldn’t make her ignore the twins. “No, I’ve never had a Crabapple. But I’ve heard the same about them many times. And I’m sure a ham would be wonderful.” She spoke without taking her eyes off the flowers.

She was taken off guard at the not baby boy’s curtness. So much that her head snapped to attention, looking at him with a questioning look on her face. For a moment, she looked at the twins from the corner of her eye, trying to appraise the situation at hand. The need to leave before things became more emotional was overwhelming. But the need to be responsible and stay incase matters became worse was larger. So her eyes went back to her work, saying not a word.