This isn't the palace gardens

[kingforboth]

Who: Kelson and Pell
What: First meeting
Where: Carlisle's garden
When: 4/6
Warnings: None yet!

The garden was the greenest thing he'd seen, and to be honest, Kelson missed the greenery. True it wasn't exactly the gardens at Rhemuth, he missed the beauty of the palace, and the smells. What he didn't miss were all the women that either found a reason to cross his path or the near constant badgering from his advisers and friends, friendly dinners that turned into 'oh look, I have several portraits of eligible young women, come look at them.' Here at least, he had privacy, without the possibility of it turning into something more. Although the allure of privacy was tempting,
surrounded in a bustling, busy castle, filled with responsibility, here he had nothing but. It was actually something that disturbed him more than he thought it would.

Still, he wandered around the gardens, enjoying the greenery, foliage and flowers he'd never seen before. He knew several people who would be jealous. However, he'd trade places with them in a moment's notice if asked. Kelson wasn't sure if being here was good for him or if it was making him a little sad, being reminded of a place he couldn't get too in a foreign land full of people who had never even heard of Gwynedd. Idly, he twisted the ring on his little finger, gold with a facet of a lion etched into it, tiny rubies for eyes.

Comments

[pellameno]

Although hiding in his house on his off hours has its appeal, Pell is sane enough to realize he's been doing far too much of that lately. His life is a haze of clinic shifts and tending his garden, and the rest of the time he just locks himself away feeling sorry for himself. It's not healthy and needs to change, but he'll have to wade back into proper socializing. So his first step is just going out somewhere he can still be alone. There isn't usually anyone in the garden, save for its keeper on occasion, and it's green and peaceful. Very different from his own, which is just for food and herbs -- Carlisle grows tall, beautiful plants, flowers and foliage. Pell has no idea how he keeps them so well watered, as far as he knows the irrigation projects didn't extend this way. Magic, perhaps.

He's passing by some fern-like plants looking for a place to sit for awhile when they seem to shift towards him. Strange, as the breeze is blowing the other way. It's enough to make him stop and tilt his head at them, watching them sway curiously. When he reaches out to touch a leaf, it curls around his finger. Not tight, but definitely reacting to his presence, seeking out the contact. Very strange.

"What are you, then?" he asks quietly, even though the plant can't answer. It at least knows he's here.

[kingforboth]

Kelson had met Deryni before who could charm animals, it certainly didn't seem very sporting using it on a hunt though, but he supposed it had it's uses. He'd seen his foster brother calm a horse so he could work on it. Plants however, that he'd never seen. He'd admit animals had some sort of intelligence, or instinct. Or something. Plants....were....well, plants. Unless you could make them grow faster, what was the point?

The king took a few steps closer, unsure if the person in front of him was really talking to the plant or if he was addressing him, or someone else he couldn't see.

"Pardon me, are you addressing the plant?"

[pellameno]

Honestly, Pell hadn't even noticed there was someone else in the garden, and startles slightly at the voice. His hand jerks back from the fern and when he glances up there's a fellow who looks about his age, and rather confused. Obviously because he's talking to a plant. People don't usually talk to plants, and he'd assure the stranger that he wasn't losing his mind but that's not entirely accurate. It's just that in this instance he's not crazy. He doesn't expect the plant to respond, at least.

"Actually, I was..." A faint, wry smile tugs at his mouth. "Look, it's reacting to me."

He reaches out again and sure enough, the plant reaches back, curling around his hand.

"I've never seen anything like it before."

[kingforboth]

Kelson peered down at the plant to see it react to Pell's touch. Plant's weren't exactly his thing, that was why he had gardeners and botanists and people whose lives were dedicated to things like this. But it was rather interesting. What was also interesting was this....were they male or female? Kelson had thought them male but....maybe he was wrong? God help him he couldn't tell the difference. Maybe his council was in fact on to something if he was this far gone! He'd notice something, a curve of a cheekbone, but no, he just couldn't tell. Even the voice was androgynous. At least Kelson knew better than to stare, and kept his eyes mostly on the plant.

"Neither have I. But there are plenty of things here that I'm not familiar with. Does it react the same way to something not alive? Like a pebble?"