Green Thumb [2430-1-2 Thur 1:00 pm]

[Persephone Ruspoli]

This seemed to have touched off a memory. Persephone could only hope there was more good to it than bad. She could remember the taste of cod liver oil. Her father had made her take a spoonful every few days to make up for the lack of sunlight she got visiting him in the Below. Of course the oil had been more effective than the little grey pills, but so much more expensive since there were so few fish in the wild, and the fish farms that did exist had such high operating costs that they charged a fortune for the little green bottles. Money had never been an issue with Persephone, something she was aware was not the norm for other people.

"You can get too much sunlight as well. You'll be fine at this time of the year, but as it gets close to summer, we'll find you some sunscreen so you don't burn." Persephone knew she was just confusing Skye more, but that was inevitable. She smiled anyway, "Everything in moderation."

[Skye Thompson]

“The sun can burn you?” That was certainly something she hadn’t known. Perhaps there had been some sense in living in the Below after all. But sense or not, Skye wasn’t planning on going back there anytime soon, or ever. Besides, Adrian had never mentioned anything about being burned by the sun, and he knew everything. Yet even as that though occurred to her, doubt surfaced in the back of Skye’s mind. There was so much her brother had never told her, so much he’d kept secret, despite his promise that he was preparing her to leave the Below. Then of course, there was only so much a person could tell another person in the limited time they had together. Adrian had just run out of time, that was all.

Skye returned her attention to the plant in front of her, gently fingering the tip of a leaf. She took the leaf in one hand, leaned forward, and exhaled onto it. There. She had fed a plant. Looking over her shoulder at Persephone, Skye wondered aloud, “So, what are we going to do for the plants today?”

[Persephone Ruspoli]

"We're going to plant some seeds." Persephone turned to look at Titus and he was there in a moment, offering them both a hand up. She took one, pulling herself up and dusting off her pants. "I've got everything set up in the greenhouse."

She waited for Titus to help Skye up and headed to the greenhouse, unlocking the door and heading inside. It was warm and most, plants surrounding her. There wasn't much room to move and you had to walk single-file down the isles, while plants grew up and hung down from the ceilings.

There was a workbench in the back. She'd cleared it out last night so there would be more room for everyone. There was a fresh unopened bag of potting soil, and some pots, and some seeds of course. She stepped to the right to let Skye and Titus in. She expected Titus to hang back, and probably go outside when the temperature and the wetness in the air got to him. Perse opened up the bag of potting soil, the smell of fresh dirt wafting out of it. "You're going to get a little messy, but it'll be fun. Trust me."

[Skye Thompson]

At Persephone’s words, Skye’s curiosity was revived once more. What did seeds look like? How exactly did you plant them? She knew they were buried in dirt, and then they needed water, but was there more? Were there things she didn’t know? There must be. She watched as Persephone took Titus’ hand and pulled herself to her feet. Was Persephone ill, that she needed assistance to stand? She hadn’t seemed so the day before. But then Skye noticed that Titus was offering her his other hand. Perhaps this was just a custom in the Top. Strange. No one in the Below offered help unless it was absolutely needed. She placed her hand on Titus’ palm as a gesture of acknowledgment and thanks, but stood on her own strength. Skye hoped he would understand.

She followed Persephone inside the greenhouse. The air was strangely warm and damp, and had an unfamiliar smell to it. Persephone ripped open a bag and the smell of soil filled the air. It was somewhat familiar to Skye, but had a different side to it. Skye knew the smell of old, hard packed, worn out dirt. This was fresh, new soil, crisp and clean. As Skye rolled up her sleeves, she grinned at Persephone’s words. “That’s okay. I’m used to being dirty.”

[Persephone Ruspoli]

Persephone laughed a little. Of course Skye was. She would probably handle this better than most of Persephone's friends, who were always horrified at the idea of putting their hands into dirt.

She picked up the bag and poured a little dirt into each pot. They'd add more once the seeds were in, but this was good for starters. Then she grabbed the little bag of marigold heads. She handed one seed-pod to Skye, "All the seeds are inside. You just crack it open, and there they are." She squeezed the bulb between her fingers, cracking open the head. The thin wispy seed spilled out into her hand.

Persephone kept her palm flat so Skye could poke at them if she wanted. "Not all seeds look like these guys. Flowers are small, so their seeds tend to be small too, and made so the wind will carry them. That's how they used to get around, before the cities came up. They'd just float on the wind and find any patch of dirt they could and settle right in."

[Titus Vere]

Titus followed the pair into the greenhouse, looking around at all the planets. His fingers skimmed over a few of the particularly flush looking plants, feeling the strange organic texture under his fingertips. He wasn't comfortable here, in the heat and the wetness, but he stayed all the same.

Perse and Skye stood right up against the bench, but he hung back with the plants. He could watch just fine from here without intruding into their space. And this way he could keep his eyes on the exit, of which there was only one. The glass windows were another way out, but one that would more difficult to take, particularly without his jacket.

It wasn't just paranoia. Titus had risen high in the Assassin Guild ranks, partly because of Digeo, but more importantly because he was an excellent assassin. Part of being an excellent assassin was eliminating those who were your compilation. Titus had done away with a few troublesome men who had blocked his path, or had deliberately tried to sabotage him. And there were others behind Titus, attempting to do the same. It was accepted that if you couldn't survive your own assassination attempt, then you had no right to be in the business.

Still, he listened to what the girls were saying. He just kept one eye on the exit as he did.

[Skye Thompson]

Taking the seed pod from Persephone, Skye cradled it gently in her hand. It seemed fragile, old and dried out, like something withered and dead. She learned forward and watched as Persephone crushed the small thing in her hand, revealing dozens of tiny seeds. The seed pod was dead, but the seeds themselves were alive, or would be so. Skye smiled at that thought. Out of death came life.

Carefully, slowly, she crushed her own pod. The seeds were so small, smaller than a grain of rice, yet they would grow to be so large. To Skye, she held in her palm a score of tiny little creatures, ready to go out and start their lives. As before, she thought she could almost feel the energy of life buzzing within them.

Skye gave a deep sigh. Suddenly, her seeds were flying everywhere. She reached forward, raking her finger through the air, trying to catch them, but she only succeeded in dropping the remaining seeds on the greenhouse floor. Skye got down on her hands and knees and picked up the seeds before facing Persephone again, blushing. The seeds in the air were no longer visible. “Some of them got away.” She mumbled, “Sorry.”

[Persephone Ruspoli]

And tying into what Persephone had said about the wind... "Skye, it's okay! Don't worry about them! Marigolds produce so many seeds that we won't miss a single pod." And that was true. Maybe if they were working with something more rare, panicking would be worthwhile, but Persephone had deliberately picked something she had a surplus of.

"Each pot only needs four seeds, you've still got plenty in your hand." Persephone slid one of the pots over to Skye. "You can just put the extras into the bag I got the seedpods out of."

To demonstrate, Persephone counted out five seeds and slipped them into her own pot. The others were brushed out of her palm and into the bag. Then she picked up the dirt and scooped up handfuls, covering the seeds, but not covering them too deeply. "Put about ten millimetres of dirt over them - that's about half your thumb - to start with. We want them to reach the surface without any real trouble."

[Skye Thompson]

It was hard for Skye to understand that a few seeds weren’t important in the grand scheme of things. But then, she had never been good at viewing the world as a whole. All she saw was her own life. What was the point in looking at the rest of the world if it didn’t effect you anyway? Yet to Skye, those seeds weren’t just seeds, they were tiny little lives, lives that she’d let slip through her fingers. She closed her hand on the remaining seeds. It wouldn’t happen again. However, something told her she couldn’t very well explain that to Persephone, so she kept quiet.

As her friend showed her how to plant the seeds, Skye sat down on the bench next to her and tried to relax. A now familiar feeling was beginning to creep up on her again. This was all to good to be true. But it was true, so she might as well enjoy it while she could. Skye put on a smile and picked up one of the pots. She opened her palm and carefully counted four seeds out into the dirt, grouping them together so that they wouldn’t be lonely. Of course, seeds couldn’t really be lonely, but Skye still couldn’t help personifying them somehow. She held out her pot to Persephone for inspection. “Is this right?”

[Persephone Ruspoli]

Persephone glanced in the pot. They were grouped a little too close together, but she had a feeling that's not what Skye needed to hear. She could always replant later that night, after Skye had left, or swap pots if Skye's marigolds didn't come up. It would be just like when she was a little girl her her parents had switched her dead goldfish for lives ones while she slept. A little white lie that made everything better "Looks good!"

She pushed the bag of dirt toward Skye, "Go on and take a few handfuls of dirt, and just gently sprinkle it over the seeds. Once that's done, we'll water them and put them under the heat lamp to help them along." Seeds didn't need light, but they loved the heat. And once they sprouted, that wonderful light would help them thrive.

[Skye Thompson]

Once she had Persephone’s blessing, Skye’s smile became real once more, the uneasy feeling leaving her for the moment. She reached into the bag Persephone offered her, relishing the feel of the soft soil pressing against her skin. She breathed deep, taking in the wonderful smell of the greenhouse. It smelled like life. It was warm. Skye liked that. And there were plants, so many plants, more than she’d ever seen together at once. Even the name, “greenhouse” reminded her of something she liked. “Someday,” she murmured, thinking out loud “I’m going to have a place like this. With lots and lots of plants everywhere.”

As Skye lifted her handful of dirt out of the bag, she remembered what Persephone had told her earlier. She placed her thumb nail in the dirt next to the seeds and sprinkled soil on the seeds and dirt. It felt like saying goodbye, watching those tiny little seeds disappear beneath the black loam. She felt strangely protective of them, as if they were little children she had to keep safe. The dirt had reached the level of her thumb knuckle, so she stopped sprinkling it and put the remainder back in the bag. If she took good care of these seeds and treated them well, soon they would be real, live, fully-fledged plants.

[Titus Vere]

Titus found himself watching them plant their seeds. The whole thing was tedious and dull and... somehow deeply revealing. Skye was like an open book, all her emotions just flowing across her face. Titus couldn't remember a time when he had been so free with how he felt. It wasn't safe to show your emotions, not when people could use it against you so easily.

So she wanted a garden? He could give her one easily enough. And yet... Titus had a feeling she wouldn't want him to give it to her. She had been out of the Below for less than two day, had independence for even less, and she was already longing for more. It was... remarkable.

[Persephone Ruspoli]

Persephone smiled. It was nice to see how quickly and easily Skye had fallen in love with plants. She was going to have to make a point of having Skye over for art and gardening. They'd be wonderful distractions for both of them.

"Perfect!" She told Skye, once again feeling a little like a teacher. Perse picked up the watering can where she'd left it on the floor and filled it half-full, so it wouldn't be too heavy for either of them. Persephone watered her own little pot, then handed the jug to Skye. "Give it just enough to turn the soil black."

[Skye Thompson]

As she took the watering can from Persephone, Skye sensed that Titus was watching her closely. She tilted the can forward, spilling water on to her seeds and tried not to react. Usually it would have been no trouble. Over the years of living in the Below, Skye had created a mask of indifference that she could put on whenever she was frightened, and fool almost anyone into thinking she was calm. Yet somehow, she could never seem to put it on for Titus or Persephone. Perhaps that was simply because she didn’t need to. She had created this mask out of necessity, to protect herself. How could you feel the need to protect yourself from those you trusted?

Somewhere in the back of her mind, a small voice told Skye that she shouldn’t trust Titus. It was a foolish thing to trust a murderer. But Skye did. Despite everything she knew about him, she trusted Titus, because he had saved her life, because he had made all her dreams come true. Yet most of all, Skye trusted Titus because if he was watching her, it was her face he was looking at, not her chest. Adrian was the only other person who had ever done that. And she trusted him beyond all else.

The water soaking the soil had a strange quality to it, clearer and cleaner than any Skye had ever seen. The sight of it made her thirsty. She waited until the soil was dark as Persephone had instructed her it should be, then cupped her hand and poured a small amount of water into it. She lifted her palm to her mouth and drained it, before uncurling her hand and setting it on the bench beside her. She turned for a brief moment to Titus, smiling to show him how happy and grateful she was for everything. Then Skye turned back to Persephone, awaiting he next instructions.

[Titus Vere]

Watching her drink out of her palm, Titus felt as if he should stop her and tell her there was better water inside, water that hadn't sat around inside the greenhouse, waiting to be used on plants. But, it wasn't as if this water was unhealthy for her, nor like she hadn't had worse in her life. Still. The best was available to her now, and he wanted her to take it, not settled.

And while he was puzzling over his feeling, her look of gratitude caught him completely off guard. He had thought he was used to them by now, but it was as raw and as full of emotion as the last time. Would every time be like this? How long before she began to jade and all the little miracles of life became as unmiraculous to her as they did to him?

Titus wanted it to hurry up and happen. And at the same time, he wanted it to never come at all. Conflicted feelings. He waited until Skye was paying attention to Persephone again and slowly made his way outside. He needed fresh air. He needed to check the outside and see if he could spot anything out of the ordinary.