It took a bright, sunny day like this one for Adara to realize just how much land the institute covered. There were many spaces where you could go to be alone, completely hidden from view, and just as many open spots for the kids to play in. Right now there was a soccer game going on the other side of the grounds; she could hear the occasional yell when the wind shifted.
This time, she wasn't really interested in joining a game. It was enough for her to walk and think. She strode along a simple gravel path through a well-tended rose garden. They weren't just the red ones, though those were pretty. There were also the fiery yellow and orange Climbing Westerlands, trained up and over the archway. She took one blossom in her hand. A few of these could stand to be "dead-headed", and it would be nice to have some for her room.
Adara was thinking about where she might find some rose clippers, or maybe just a sharp knife, when she smelled something. Rain? She looked up at the cloudless sky. Yes, it was definitely the smell of rain. Where was it coming from? As she stood there, she heard the patter of water from a distance away. She looked over to her right and was startled to see a small raincloud just ten feet off the ground. Behind the roses was a vegetable garden, and Ororo was watering half of it with a gentle, localized rain.
Adara just stood there with her mouth open, temporarily forgetting the roses. So, the Mistress of Mother Nature had a soft side. She had to admit she was impressed. Adara stood quietly watching, not daring to interrupt and wondering if she should even BE there. Her eyes wandered to the vegetable garden and took in the rich colors of the blossoming foilage, her nose twitching with delight at the mineral smells of the soil. She wondered if any of the stuff was ripe and felt suddenly hungry. Then she got an idea. She could ask Storm if she knew where any clippers were.
Storm turned around as Adara approached. "Oh, Hello, Adara. I didn't hear you back there."
The raincloud kept up with its gentle, continuous shower as she spoke. Maybe all she had to do was "set and forget" instead of constantly maintaining control.
"Nice garden you've got here," Adara complimented as she walked up, hands in her pockets. "I never came around this way before. What all do you have growing?"
"Squash of all kinds, peas, potatoes, rhubarb, tomatoes, peppers. A little of everything. The students tend this garden as well. It's part of their schooling."
" Any of it ripe yet?"
"Oh, yes. Kurt's behind the hedge of peas over there collecting zucchini."
She pointed to a long, thick row of snap peas, the vines of which had climbed up at least five or six feet, trained on a pole-and-string trellis. If Kurt was behind there, Adara couldn't see him through the green.
As if on cue, she heard his voice. " *Ow* Verdammnt things...."
Adara snickered at Kurt's cursing, then asked Ororo, "Can you tell me where I can find some clippers? I'd like to cut a few roses for a vase in my room." She made a mental note to also get a basket for some vegtables...she had the urge to cook a stew and make a salad. It had been so long since she'd had natural, earth grown food.
Storm pointed behind the pea row again. "Kurt brought out the gardening tools with him. He should know where they are."
Adara walked over to where Kurt was working and felt suddenly shy. It still wasn't easy for her to initiate conversation with him, even a simple question. But when she saw him tangled up in the vegetation, his butt sticking up in the air, she almost laughed. Thus emboldened, she said, "Did you bring any clippers I could borrow real quick, Kurt?"
He straightened up and looked at her, confused. " 'Clippers'?"
"Uh, something to cut roses with." she offered, blushing.
"Rose cutters," he said. "Clippers means cutters. Yes, wait a moment."
He teleported away. She could hear him reappear somewhere far behind her, apparently wherever he'd left the tools, but she could not see him. A few seconds later he arrived, rose clippers in his hand.
"Which ones did you need cut?" he asked.
Adara was flattered, but felt he was being TOO helpful. "Naw, it's ok. I can do it myself. If anything, I wanted to know if I could help you guys out here. I love to garden, too. I have a built in weed killer." she wiggled her fingers, the tiniest of sparks flying from them.
"Weeds are not so bad with the mulch we put in, but I could use some help picking things. I don't know if you want to pick these." He pointed to the zucchini. "The plant is sticky."
Adara smiled, whipping out a pair of gloves that had been stashed away in her pocket. "That's what these are for." she waved them. "I can always cut the roses later." She sat down and started picking zuchinnis. It was so pleasant just being outside, like she used to do years ago in Idaho before the military had taken over her life. The warm sun, the smell of the growing things, the pleasant company, just these simple things were intoxicating. It was very healing to be here. For a moment, she could pretend that she was back home. But then she looked over the foliage and saw the spade of Kurt's tail two rows over, sticking straight up like that of a ringtail lemur. She tittered loudly. Kurt's tail twitched, as if it had ears of its own.
"What?" his voice asked.
See in his tail twitch like that made her titter again, though she tried to stop it.
"Ahh, I see." She could hear him smile behind his words. "It's this, isn't it?" His tail seemed to search around and home in on Adara, then stretch towards her voice. "Stop that, you! I need your help here!"
The spade turned and gave a flippant gesture, then went back to trying to get to Adara. Kurt's hand went up, grabbed the tail, and yanked it down, struggling all the way.
"You have an obnoxious friend there." she said, her eyes sparkling with mirth. She sat on her knees and kept her butt out of the naughty tail's way. She was so distracted by it that she found herself picking more weeds than vegetables, throwing them unconciously in the basket.
"Yes, and it has no manners at all," he said with mock severity. "It is always getting me in trouble." He stood up with a large bowl of tomatoes and looked over to Adara, his head cocked with amusement. "That will be an interesting salad."
She looked down, gasped "oh!" and immediately dumped out the weeds. "Kurt, it isn't just your tail that's a troublemaker." she joked, smirking. She continued picking up the zucchinis and dumping them in the bowl instead, feeling stupid.
Kurt turned to his tail and sternly admonished it, waving his finger. "See? You have gotten me in trouble again! Bad tail! Bad, BAD tail!"
His tail smacked him in the face.
Adara laughed so hard she fell face first in the dirt, burying her hands until she had to come up for air. "And all I wanted to do is innocently come out here and pick some roses. I should have brought some 'Tail Off' too."
Good God, was he FLIRTING with her? Amused as she was, Adara also felt a strange sense of exitement...and doubt. She NEVER let her guard down with any man like this, letting herself laugh like an airhead schoolgirl. Or show any positive emotion.
Is your tail causing trouble again, Herr Wagner?" Ororo's voice drifted over the "pea hedge".
"No," he called back, in a fine imitation of a child caught red-handed.
"Maybe we should give it a time out."
"But I'm very attached to it!"
::Obviously:: Adara thought, picking up her bowl and stepping around them. She sensed Ororo wanted to be alone with him, so she left, somewhat reluctantly. And there was another emotion panging through her...was it...slight jealousy? Adara shook her head. ::Adara get a hold of yourself. You're just getting used to what this guy IS, remember? What's wrong with you?:: She trotted off to the house.
The clippers still lay on the grass far behind her.
This time, she wasn't really interested in joining a game. It was enough for her to walk and think. She strode along a simple gravel path through a well-tended rose garden. They weren't just the red ones, though those were pretty. There were also the fiery yellow and orange Climbing Westerlands, trained up and over the archway. She took one blossom in her hand. A few of these could stand to be "dead-headed", and it would be nice to have some for her room.
Adara was thinking about where she might find some rose clippers, or maybe just a sharp knife, when she smelled something. Rain? She looked up at the cloudless sky. Yes, it was definitely the smell of rain. Where was it coming from? As she stood there, she heard the patter of water from a distance away. She looked over to her right and was startled to see a small raincloud just ten feet off the ground. Behind the roses was a vegetable garden, and Ororo was watering half of it with a gentle, localized rain.
Adara just stood there with her mouth open, temporarily forgetting the roses. So, the Mistress of Mother Nature had a soft side. She had to admit she was impressed. Adara stood quietly watching, not daring to interrupt and wondering if she should even BE there. Her eyes wandered to the vegetable garden and took in the rich colors of the blossoming foilage, her nose twitching with delight at the mineral smells of the soil. She wondered if any of the stuff was ripe and felt suddenly hungry. Then she got an idea. She could ask Storm if she knew where any clippers were.
Storm turned around as Adara approached. "Oh, Hello, Adara. I didn't hear you back there."
The raincloud kept up with its gentle, continuous shower as she spoke. Maybe all she had to do was "set and forget" instead of constantly maintaining control.
"Nice garden you've got here," Adara complimented as she walked up, hands in her pockets. "I never came around this way before. What all do you have growing?"
"Squash of all kinds, peas, potatoes, rhubarb, tomatoes, peppers. A little of everything. The students tend this garden as well. It's part of their schooling."
" Any of it ripe yet?"
"Oh, yes. Kurt's behind the hedge of peas over there collecting zucchini."
She pointed to a long, thick row of snap peas, the vines of which had climbed up at least five or six feet, trained on a pole-and-string trellis. If Kurt was behind there, Adara couldn't see him through the green.
As if on cue, she heard his voice. " *Ow* Verdammnt things...."
Adara snickered at Kurt's cursing, then asked Ororo, "Can you tell me where I can find some clippers? I'd like to cut a few roses for a vase in my room." She made a mental note to also get a basket for some vegtables...she had the urge to cook a stew and make a salad. It had been so long since she'd had natural, earth grown food.
Storm pointed behind the pea row again. "Kurt brought out the gardening tools with him. He should know where they are."
Adara walked over to where Kurt was working and felt suddenly shy. It still wasn't easy for her to initiate conversation with him, even a simple question. But when she saw him tangled up in the vegetation, his butt sticking up in the air, she almost laughed. Thus emboldened, she said, "Did you bring any clippers I could borrow real quick, Kurt?"
He straightened up and looked at her, confused. " 'Clippers'?"
"Uh, something to cut roses with." she offered, blushing.
"Rose cutters," he said. "Clippers means cutters. Yes, wait a moment."
He teleported away. She could hear him reappear somewhere far behind her, apparently wherever he'd left the tools, but she could not see him. A few seconds later he arrived, rose clippers in his hand.
"Which ones did you need cut?" he asked.
Adara was flattered, but felt he was being TOO helpful. "Naw, it's ok. I can do it myself. If anything, I wanted to know if I could help you guys out here. I love to garden, too. I have a built in weed killer." she wiggled her fingers, the tiniest of sparks flying from them.
"Weeds are not so bad with the mulch we put in, but I could use some help picking things. I don't know if you want to pick these." He pointed to the zucchini. "The plant is sticky."
Adara smiled, whipping out a pair of gloves that had been stashed away in her pocket. "That's what these are for." she waved them. "I can always cut the roses later." She sat down and started picking zuchinnis. It was so pleasant just being outside, like she used to do years ago in Idaho before the military had taken over her life. The warm sun, the smell of the growing things, the pleasant company, just these simple things were intoxicating. It was very healing to be here. For a moment, she could pretend that she was back home. But then she looked over the foliage and saw the spade of Kurt's tail two rows over, sticking straight up like that of a ringtail lemur. She tittered loudly. Kurt's tail twitched, as if it had ears of its own.
"What?" his voice asked.
See in his tail twitch like that made her titter again, though she tried to stop it.
"Ahh, I see." She could hear him smile behind his words. "It's this, isn't it?" His tail seemed to search around and home in on Adara, then stretch towards her voice. "Stop that, you! I need your help here!"
The spade turned and gave a flippant gesture, then went back to trying to get to Adara. Kurt's hand went up, grabbed the tail, and yanked it down, struggling all the way.
"You have an obnoxious friend there." she said, her eyes sparkling with mirth. She sat on her knees and kept her butt out of the naughty tail's way. She was so distracted by it that she found herself picking more weeds than vegetables, throwing them unconciously in the basket.
"Yes, and it has no manners at all," he said with mock severity. "It is always getting me in trouble." He stood up with a large bowl of tomatoes and looked over to Adara, his head cocked with amusement. "That will be an interesting salad."
She looked down, gasped "oh!" and immediately dumped out the weeds. "Kurt, it isn't just your tail that's a troublemaker." she joked, smirking. She continued picking up the zucchinis and dumping them in the bowl instead, feeling stupid.
Kurt turned to his tail and sternly admonished it, waving his finger. "See? You have gotten me in trouble again! Bad tail! Bad, BAD tail!"
His tail smacked him in the face.
Adara laughed so hard she fell face first in the dirt, burying her hands until she had to come up for air. "And all I wanted to do is innocently come out here and pick some roses. I should have brought some 'Tail Off' too."
Good God, was he FLIRTING with her? Amused as she was, Adara also felt a strange sense of exitement...and doubt. She NEVER let her guard down with any man like this, letting herself laugh like an airhead schoolgirl. Or show any positive emotion.
Is your tail causing trouble again, Herr Wagner?" Ororo's voice drifted over the "pea hedge".
"No," he called back, in a fine imitation of a child caught red-handed.
"Maybe we should give it a time out."
"But I'm very attached to it!"
::Obviously:: Adara thought, picking up her bowl and stepping around them. She sensed Ororo wanted to be alone with him, so she left, somewhat reluctantly. And there was another emotion panging through her...was it...slight jealousy? Adara shook her head. ::Adara get a hold of yourself. You're just getting used to what this guy IS, remember? What's wrong with you?:: She trotted off to the house.
The clippers still lay on the grass far behind her.