Chapter - 3
Mr. Papeli slowly lowered himself onto his rocking chair, a protracted grunt of effort resonating dully across the large glass structure of the botanical garden before transitioning to a sigh of pleasure as the old man plopped himself down, his bushy white moustache stretched upward and outward by a satisfied smile. On a small table next to him sat a small porcelain tea pot, steam gently floating from the spout, spreading the aroma of jasmine, camomile, and apple in thin dancing strands as they caressed flowers and leaves on their way up and out of the greenhouse.
The gardener was the oldest member of the teaching staff at Silverleaf academy, having instructed many of the current professors in the arts of herbalism and botany; both subjects he had great passion and respect for, the academies lush gardens and greenhouse a testament to both his skill and dedication.
Every morning began with a tour of the academy's flora for Mr. Papeli and his pupils; teaching by example being Mr. Papeli's preferred method of education and conveyance of the beauty and complexity of nature, but today was different, today was the last day of study for the academy before summer break. Mr. Papeli knew well that few were the students that attended his classes at the end of the year, let alone the last day of it, which he didn't mind as it granted him a relaxed and peaceful morning, a gift he greatly enjoyed.
Mr. Papeli's brows furrowed, his smile morphing into a grimace of confusion as his head slowly turned to the side, his attention focused on the rapidly approaching sound of laboured breathing and footsteps.
"Sorry I'm late Mr. Papeli!"
Shouted a voice from behind a massive lilac bush, one that stood by the entrance to the carnivorous plants section of the greenhouse which prompted Mr. Papeli to head towards the voice instead of simply awaiting its owner's arrival.
Mr. Papeli arrived to find Beatrice in the midst of a struggle with one the plants, its sticky vines having wrapped themselves around her boot and wore slowly tightening, much to Beatrice's chagrin.
"No, bad esuriena bad! Do not eat my shoe!"
She grumbled as she wielded a pair of butter knives in an attempt to pry the slimy vines off her leg. For several moments Mr. Papeli stood in place, his student's inability to remember his teachings brining a mischievous smile to the old man's face.
"Mr. Papeli help! It's a new shoe please."
Beatrice pleaded; her knives now completely stuck in the vines sticky brown ooze along with one of her hands, her body forced into a pose reminiscent of a partially deflated letter 'R'. A splash of cold water hit the distressed shoe, the vines constricting it beginning to straighten, the sticky goo turning transparent and slippery, sending Beatrice stumbling butt first into the lilac bush.
"Thank you for the help, and sorry for being late Mr. Papeli."
"Oh, don't be sorry, I didn't expect anyone today anyway."
Answered the old gardener as he helped his student up, her expression changing rapidly as she processed his words. The first expression was one of confusion; her brows furrowing as she wondered why Mr. Papeli wasn't expecting anyone to attend his class. The second expression was one of realisation; her brows travelling up while her eyes grew wide as she remembered what day it was as well as the student's unofficial attendance policy for said day. The third and final expression saw her brows travel back down and her forehead creating a patch of crumpled skin between them, her lips pressed tightly together into a thin pink line as her friend's prank became apparent to her.
"Come, I shall spare you the lecturing if you share a cup of tea with me."
Said Mr. Papeli as he turned to head back towards his chair, arms clasped behind his back.
"Sounds lovely."
Beatrice responded before dusting herself off and falling into step behind the old professor.
Quite creaks and moans wore emitted from the old wooden chairs as they slowly rocked back and forth, their occupants enjoying the many scents of the greenhouse, an almost lazy conversation taking place between the two, every statement punctuated by a long sip of tea.
"I gotta say Papi, the decades you poured into this greenhouse wore defenetly worth it, I could stay here and relax forever."
Said Beatrice, her lips slightly upturned by a smile, eyes slowly hovering from flower to flower, teacup held gently between her palms, its dark amber contents nearly depleted.
"Nature always returns what you give it, the key is to never relent and remember that the gardens beauty is not a destination, but a process."
Responded Mr. Papeli while slowly waving a hand to encompass the vast collection of plants around them before bringing it to rest on the tea pot's handle and offering Beatrice a refill, a gesture she politely refused with a shake of the head.
"I hear tell that Djunon is going to replace the current fencing teacher, are you planning anything for her? I know you are good friends."
Asked Mr. Papeli after refilling his own cup, in turn stopping himself from launching into a lecture about the intricate harmony of the miniature jungle he had created.
"Yeah, we're plannin a celebration tonight, I'm gonna stop by Karin's to pick up the cake later today."
"Oh, well please make sure to pass my regards to Karin."
Hooted the old gardener as he leaned back, his chair sounding a groan of protest as he did so.
"Bout time I say, I have seen the last couple of duels between her and Shaka, poor guy didn't stand a chance."
He added with a chuckle before continuing.
"That is why it is important to keep a healthy rotation of staff in the academy, the old ones tend to become set in their ways and in turn stagnate and become worse educators."
"So, you're saying they should replace you?"
Asked Beatrice with a teasing smile, her hands rummaging through her waist bag before emerging with a small notebook and pencil.
"They tried, I simply refused to leave and kept correcting the new instructors, so they quit, and I was re-hired."
Said Mr. Papeli with a laugh, his generous belly wobbling as he did so.
"I don't think anyone knows botany better than you Papi."
Agreed the woman joining the gardener in laughter.
"Your sketching has improved greatly, well done."
Mr. Papeli noted having spied the now open notebook in his student's hands, the image of the esuriena she had struggled with earlier slowly taking shape as a pencil danced in its wielders palm.
"Thanks! The sketches help me concentrate."
Beatrice responded, her cheeks turning a bright red from the complement, hand subconsciously drifting to cover the parts of the sketch she felt less proud of.
"My little toolbox I call it."
She added before closing the notebook, her finger gliding down it's worn spine as a warm smile spread across her lips, pencil flicked back between her index and middle finger in a practiced motion.
"A clever method."
Noted Mr. Papeli with a groan as he stood up from his chair, his now empty cup replaced with the black patty hat he set on the table earlier, affixing it atop head so it covered his eyes ever so slightly.
"Well, time for me to start the morning rout."
He said, slowly beginning to wander away towards a bush patch.
"Then I guess I better get moving as well."
Stated Beatrice, her notebook tucked back into her satchel, hands giving her dress a couple of pats, the leaves that fell onto it during her tea break sent flying in twirls of green, yellow, and brown.
"Bye! Thanks for the tea Papi!"
"Always welcome! And thank you for the company."
Responded the old gardener, his rotund silhouette hidden behind a dense veil of vines and flowers.
Beatrice squinted as she looked up, the sun's golden disc hanging high, its rays wondering across the town at the foot of the academy like luminous columns as clouds slowly made their way across the bright blue sky.
It was a day like any other in the town of Bellsana, its dirt road streets filled with the hustle and bustle of mid-day as farmers returned from the mornings work, eateries rapidly filling up with hungry workers spreading the aroma of roasted meats and hearty soups alongside lively chatter and laughter. Shops were closing down for their daily break sending flocks of couriers in all directions, their bags and carts filled with all manner of goods for the residents.
Beatrice approached one such courier, an old and scrawny looking man, his long white beard swaying in the gentle breeze in stark contrast to his perfectly bald head. He wore an old looking shirt, its brown threads having lost their lustre after too many years of use, his black dungarees seeming stiffer than leather as they maintained their crinkles even when fully straightened.
"Bernard! why are you here?"
Said Beatrice with a smile as she approached the old man and bent down to give him a tight hug, the old man responding with a raspy laugh as he returned the embrace, forcing a quite squeak out of the young woman, the strength of his bony arms always exceeding her expectations.
"Oh, I'm doing a small supply run for Curly."
Stated the aging farmer as he pointed a thumb at the cart filled with various bags and baskets behind his back before asking.
"How are you my dear?"
"Better than ever. I thought we agreed you'd take it easy."
"I am taking it easy! I come to the fields an hour later than usual and doing only a couple deliveries a day."
Retorted Bernard, mock displeasure dancing across his features.
"You know that's not what we meant."
Laughed Beatrice at the old man's expression and overexaggerated tone.
"Come, it won't do to keep Curly waiting for long."
Stated the man with a chuckle as he turned to continue his journey, his thin hands grasping at the wooden lead of the cart, a quick shove bringing it back into motion, Beatrice walking by his side, quite admiration in her eyes as she observed the seeming effortlessness with which the old man pulled a cart which many would struggle to even budge.
"Tell me, how is Johnny doing?"
Enquired the old, his head tilted to the side to address his companion, his eyes expressing genuine curiosity, a slight curling of the lower lip betraying his attempts to mask a twinge of sadness.
"He's doing great, passed all of his exams for the year and managed to not lose any fingers in the process, but he has started to skip classes here and there."
"A boy needs his freedom."
"A boy needs to pay attention if he doesn't want to feel the wrath of my boot up his ass."
"Cut him some slack, you just said he passed all his exams, I'm sure he knows what he's doing."
"He's a third year, they just finished covering the basics, how is he supposed to keep succeeding if he can't remember the difference between an ionic bond and a covalent bond?! He can go chasing after girls in his free time, not instead of classes!"
Beatrice retorted with a shout, a subtle note of concern detectible in the declaration, her hands thrown high as if dispensing invisible confetti before shooting back down as she noticed the several slightly worried eyes her outburst had attracted.
"I just want him to succeed, ya know?"
She added more quietly, her hands now tucked under her armpits, her head slightly lowered.
"I do."
Said Bernard with a slow nod and seemed to have more to add but was cut off by a loud and commanding voice coming from around a nearby corner.
"She's Right ya know; nothing is more important than the basics."
The owner of the voice soon came into view as the pair turned the corner and stopped at the edge of the town's square, a large woman with a powerful build, the sleeves of her thick white jacket were rolled up to the elbow, her hands moving fiercely as they kneaded a sizable lump of doe which was easily the size of Beatrice's torso. On her head was a weathered, netted cap, its struggle to contain the woman's unruly curls evident by the several bushes of brown which protruded at random intervals with the rest of the hair gathered in a massive ball of fuzz behind her head.
Bernard rolled the cart to the side of the house and began unloading its contents into the back of the small bakery, after which he made his way to the front stall, rising to a tiptoe to plant a kiss on his wife's cheek, one she had to crouch slightly to accept.
"Got everything I ordered Berny?"
She asked, her attention still fixed on spongy mass before her.
"Yes Curly, got the cinnamon, raisins, sugar, salt, co-"
"Great! Bring 'em here."
Commanded the baker, her eyes darting up to examine the figure which stood by the stall before rising fully as recognition set in.
"Ah! Beatrice! Come here and let me give you a hug"
Exclaimed the woman with joy as she leaned over the counter, her giant arms threatening to snap the girl's spine with the force of the embrace.
"Good to see you too Karin."
Rasped Beatrice, her chest struggling to get air into her lungs while her feet dangled in the air as she was hoisted clean off the ground by the giant Karin.
"Good heavens do you forget to eat, you're nothing but bones!"
Asked Karin as she held the girl up by the shoulders, her eyes scanning her from head to toe, a frown of concern replacing her wide toothy smile.
"Thank you, Karin, I promise I eat well, could you please put me down now."
Pleaded Beatrice with a slightly forced smile as she breathed heavily, her face slowly returning to a normal colour after turning beat red from the effort of breathing in the baker's bear hug.
"Like shit you do!"
Retorted Karin, her grip loosening and permitting Beatrice to once again regain traction with the earth, her turquoise dress now decorated with a generous amount of flour.
"Here, take these, I baked them especially for you lot."
She added while pressing a sizable box of cookies and crackers into the girl's hands alongside a smaller box with a neatly tied bow ribbon around it, a small piece of paper glued to it reading For Anni's friends.
Beatrice found herself somewhat overwhelmed by the boxes suddenly forced into her hands but managed to set them down on the counter before sending a in search of her notebook, Karin already having returned to kneading the doe.
"Tell me, how are my babies doing?"
Asked the giant in a sing song voice, her gaze flickering between her work and Beatrice.
"Oh, Johnny and Anna are doing great. Anna is taking care of the new pupils, and Johnny got the valedictorian for his cohort…."
Began Beatrice, her hands leafing through the pages of her notebook before settling on the image of a backpack.
