[OPEN MINGLE] Happy Trees

[redwinekindofgirl]

Who: Rosie, Julie, everyone who is volunteering~
What: Happy tree planting!
Where: The orchard, and all over the islands
When: Mid-Octoberish, after the monsters event
Warnings: Please be responsible and warn for anything in your threads O:

--

The storms that had battered the islands had called for a change of plans right when things were ready to begin. Ideal planting spots had to be re-evaluated, uprooted undergrowth and general detritus cleared, and by the time they were ready once again some of the population are already feeling the effects of the latest manipulations being thrown on them by both the gods and the Door.

A call goes out on the network before the work begins in earnest, with the aim of alerting those who already volunteered and perhaps netting a few more hands to pitch in. Replanting trees on four entire islands is no mean feat, and will need all the volunteers it can get.

Each individual or small group working outside of the orchard is given a something to dig with and a carefully sketched map of the islands with the ideal planting spots plainly marked out, along with a number of the seeds which have been kept safe until now. Several of them are already trying to sprout, reaching out small green tendrils towards any light they can find. It may not be an easy task for those few who offered their services in aiding the growth of the new trees, but those that will grow here are hardy and determined, and will put roots down quickly into the areas of good soil.

The orchard itself sees some more concentrated care and is overseen far more strictly. There is a place for everything, with ideal conditions and what will grow best beside one another all thoroughly thought through long before this began. The sorry remains of the trees that were dragged away after being cut down act as worthy markers for the cause, showing where each one was growing before. No one could complain, however, if the new orchard strays slightly beyond the boundaries of the old.

--

((ooc: this is an open log, feel free to make top levels and mingle etc~!))

Comments

[hasitsthorns]

I do. Kind of. We never met, but- Your dad was here for a while. [ How long ago was that, actually? Events tend to blend the longer she stays here.

Including Haven, it has been over four years now. That's sometimes wild to think about. ] He thought the world of you. Think he'd believe you, if you told him about this? [ Anyone in Haven that knew her probably wouldn't have expected the orchard to be her second home, of all places, but here she is. ]

My name's Rose. Nice to meet you officially, dude.

[nascere]

[ He thought the world of you. She says, and Noctis feels his chest tighten painfully despite himself, his gaze flickering before he fights to regain his own composure. It feels like the ghost of his father is here, like shadows, fingerprints -- and he swallows hard. ]

I dunno.

[ He says softly, looking away and shifting to get to work, his words caught in his throat. ]

He's dead, in my timeline.

[ He continues, and it's a bittersweet thing to think about. Maybe one day, he'll come back here. ] 's nice to meet you too, Rose.

[hasitsthorns]

[ Some people never truly go away. She knows that, honestly, from her Haven days. Hiruma is the reason she runs, Newt is the cause behind her presence in the lab despite not knowing half a thing about Science, and... The others are with her in no small ways. ]

That so? I'm sorry to hear it. [ She remembers that Regis had said things to the effect she figured that he to be true. ] But I mean, if he was here once- Maybe again, y'know?

But I'll, uh. I'll stop talking about dead relatives now and making this super fucking awkward and gloomy. Supposed to be a happy occasion and all.

[nascere]

It's all right.

[ Noctis says after a moment -- because what can he say to that, really? Grief is a private, profound thing, and as much as Noctis likes to think that he's made his peace with it somewhat, the ache is still there.

Still, she's kind, and in an odd way it feels nice for someone to know, too. To miss him as well, perhaps. Helping to steer this conversation towards better outcomes, he offers: ]

So, what's the plan for this thing?

[hasitsthorns]

[ It's not, she knows, but he's right. Grief is such a personal thing. Even she deals with it in her own ways, despite all this time- ]

There's a lot planned for this thing! We wanna try to restore the orchard but also hopefully expand a little bit. Get things growing in the park again and so on.

[nascere]

[ Getting things growing sounds hopeful -- it doesn't sound like anything Noctis is used to doing, but maybe that's the point. It doesn't sound like him, so all the more he should probably do it. ]

That's cool. We talking about vegetables or flowers?

[hasitsthorns]

[ Hey, why not cultivate some new skills while he's here! Right? With the ridiculous amounts of free time they now have, it's really on beneficial to pick up a new skill or two... ]

Why not both! I have some Rosa rugosas growing I want to make sure stay nice and healthy. Plus, some weed! Fun. But the vegetables are probably more important.

Barely.

[nascere]

Sounds like a plan.

[ He smiles faintly, moving to dig out the trenches. He's stronger than he looks, no stranger to scut work and the trench is sorted out quickly enough. ]

Roses, huh? [ Fitting flowers, he supposes, and he's stepping out of the trench. ] I can help take care of them, as well. If you can show me how.

[ Gives him something to do, at least. ]

[hasitsthorns]

Yeah, they're uh. They're actually from my homeland. I requested them from Sorrow because, well- I don't know. Thought it'd be cathartic or something to have 'em around.

[ Exposure therapy, she had told him. They made her sad but the longer she was around them the longer she wouldn't be as sad. Something like that. It seemed to be working despite originally maybe not being the best-laid plan. ]

So while they don't do a whole lot for the community besides looking nice, they're important to me. I'd appreciate all the help I can get in keeping them alive.

[nascere]

I don't have much of a green thumb, but I'm pretty sure I can keep them alive.

[ How could he do otherwise, really? It's not everyday that something comes from your world, and he understands why she would want to hang on to them as much as she can. Hell, he would, too, if they were sylleblossoms. Noctis, finishing up with the trench, steps out of it and glances around, brows raised briefly at her. ]

What's next, boss?

[hasitsthorns]

I appreciate it.

[ Really, she does. The roses were important to her for no shortage of reasons. She was glad that when the guys had come in to get their lumber that they hadn't disturbed them too much. And this climate was actually almost perfect for them. ]

Oo, boss. Don't give me that kind of power. But next is actually planting the stuff now that the soil is ready.