The sound of birds chirping in the distance mixed with the soft splashing of water from a small fountain made the surroundings quite relaxing. The opaque curtains were closed, blocking the intensity of the sunlight, while still allowing a faint yellow luminosity to come inside the room – if you looked closely, you could see tiny dust particles floating in the light. A pile of old books was resting in the corner of a massive wooden table, side by side with a closed laptop and several potted plants. They seemed to be aligned by size, the tallest one not higher than a pen.
Neo wiped out some dirt from her forehead with latex gloves that enveloped practically her entire arm, stopping on her elbow. The act only served to cover her skin with even more dirt, but she was so focused on her task that such a trivial thing passed by unnoticed. With a smile of satisfaction at how her working was going, she allowed herself a coffee break. She took the gloves off and placed them carefully next to the plant she was currently trimming. Sitting down on a chair too big for one person, Neo grabbed her cup and sipped the steaming hot liquid without flinching.
The room's door opened slowly, the person on the other side making sure she wasn't disturbing anything. When she saw Neo enjoying a beverage, Cinder smiled. "May I come in?"
Neo smiled back and nodded, allowing Cinder to close the door carefully. The birds were still chirping and apparently noticed the new visitor, since some of them descended to branches closer to the floor. The taller woman approached Neo slowly, her hands ever so carefully folded behind her backs to make sure she wouldn't touch anything. "They are magnificent as always."
Neo poured some coffee in another mug and offered it to Cinder, who gently took it. "Thank you." The little gardener scooted a bit to the side to allow some room for her visitor, who soon sat down, arms brushing slightly now and then. They stood in silence for a long time, just enjoying each other's company; the occasional sounds of birds, water, and the sipping of cups completed the atmosphere perfectly. Neo sighed contently.
"I can't help but to feel like there's something missing today." Cinder spoke after a while, putting down her cup. Neo tilted her head, curious about that statement. "Not in here, I mean. This room always seems perfect no matter how many times I come by."
Neo blinked and stood where she was for a couple of minutes before putting her own cup aside and getting up. She offered a hand and Cinder took it in a beat, getting up. Neo guided her to the table with the newly trimmed plant and let go of Cinder's hand to give her a pair of latex gloves. She stared at them confused before carefully grabbing them. "Me?"
Neo nodded fiercely with a neutral face. She then crouched under the table and in an instant reappeared with new gardening tools for Cinder: a shovel, some scissors, a sack of soil, a vase. She put it all on top of her working space, urging her visitor to plant something of her own. With a smile, she pointed to her own plant and then to the other various potted plants in the wooden table.
"Oh." Cinder got the message, but hesitated. "I've never… planted anything. I'm not sure it will turn out well."
With a hand sign that symbolized 'don't worry', Neo went back to work on her pot. Cinder observed her movements for a while, trying to assimilate everything the small girl did with her hands. She was impressed by the nimbleness of such simple actions, and even thought it was a bit unfair of Neo to give her a brand new plant to work with when she was already on the finishing touches of hers. But Cinder Fall wasn't one to refuse new challenges, and opened the soil sack.
It took two hours for her to finish. The plant wasn't nearly as beautifully trimmed as Neo's, neither was it the right size. It looked bigger than all others, asymmetrical and rough on the edges. She stepped back to take a look at her work, and couldn't help but to feel frustrated at the result. Neo was sitting back on the chair, having finished hers an hour ago, and got up to take a look as well. She inspected the plant from up close, analyzing apparently every single detail on the piece.
Cinder sighed. "I told you it would—"
Neo raised a hand, asking for silence. She straightened her backs and grabbed Cinder's plant, lifting it carefully and placing it to an adjacent glass table, one that had been empty up until now. Then she crouched again and grabbed two other pots that Cinder hadn't seen before. They also looked amateurishly cut and planted, clearly not Neo's handiwork. Placing them together, Neo at last grabbed the plant she'd been working on and put it besides the three pots. All four plants were very different from each other, but had a touch of familiarity at the same time.
Neo reached out for some sticky notes and a marker, and wrote some names. Then she glued them on their respective pots, finally stepping back to admire her work. Cinder's eyes widened a bit once she managed to read it.
"Cinder"
"Mercury"
"Emerald"
"Neo"
A foreign expression made its way to Cinder's face and she felt her chest tighten a little bit for some reason. She believed it was genuine emotion, and over something as silly as that, too. "So that's what you made them do last week."
Neo nodded.
"And I fell right into your trap as well."
Neo shrugged. They stood there admiring the four pots in silence. The sunlight had shifted positions, marking the beginning of the evening and some birds had stopped singing already. The water in the fountain was still running as usual and a single breeze made the curtains move slightly forward.
"Was there a purpose for this?" Cinder asked. Neo simply looked up and made a sign with her hands: her index fingers touched her thumbs and she made a circular movement outwards.
Family.
Cinder snickered, turning on her heels and leaving the room. Neo looked at her with soft eyes and then stared back at the plants. Asymmetrical, different, full of their makers' personality embedded in the leaves. She was glad she got Cinder to be part of that.
Neo wondered if the others realized that those plants were the only things they ever grew instead of destroying. She smiled.
I wrote this actually to train a different writing style. Hope you enjoy it either way! Feedbacks always appreciated.
- niigoki