The Mintpocalypse

[doubled_speed]

WHO: Tommy Shepherd, OTA
WHERE: Greenhouse
WHAT: Exploring the Mintpocalypse, hiding from a conversation he knows he needs to have with his family
WHEN: Immediately after being released from the ships
WARNINGS: This is Tommy, so maybe insults and snarky comments? Definitely TOO MUCH Mint.


He watched the countdown like a hawk or a Hawkeye for the last few hours. If this place wasn't so sealed, he would likely have vibrated right out of the place, going through the floor. As it was he just about danced over the sensation of it all. And once the number hits zero, once they're free, Tommy's gone. Heads for the one place where he knows it will take people to find him. After all, the greenhouse is pretty massive. And even in that place there's a whole area that people don't go.

He found it a day before they got nabbed to their little tin cans. An area that had been chained off, and warnings put up in all sorts of ways, not that Tommy can read them. So he bolts, and it's to that chained up part of the greenhouse. His hands settle on the chains and he vibrates them until they break and shatter. And then he opens the doors and walks into...

Oh man, what a collection of scents. Tommy steps into a heaven of mints. Spearmint and peppermint and applemint and water mint. A hundred different varieties, hundreds of shades of greens and dusty purples and faint yellows. A paradise of mint and only mint. The exact sorts of plants that will overwhelm any garden if they aren't carefully managed. And Tommy? He's here to prune and harvest and if he can find twine, dry this shit.

At least here people aren't likely to come and find him. Right?

Wrong. Come and find him.

Comments

[bossofspace]

Carol's not specifically looking for anyone or anything, but she does notice the chains have been broken on a level of the greenhouse that she's purposely been avoiding, lest it contain some kind of toxic bullshit. (She'd be fine, for the record, but she doesn't want a catastrophe on her hands.)

But since she'd be fine, it falls to her to investigate the what and why of exactly how these chains got broken, and maybe even figure out what's inside, anyway. That way, if it is toxic bullshit, she can deal with it. Gather it up and toss it into the sun, or something.

When the door slides open, it's like a fresh, minty assault on her sense of smell, and her eyes widen at the veritable jungle of sprawling leaves. In the middle of it all is Tommy, who seems perfectly content among all the plants, nary a care for his own health.

"What the f- what happened in here?"

[doubled_speed]

Tommy's sitting by a patch of spearmint, carefully trimming the plants back. Of course, he's doing it at Tommy speeds, now that there are ships he can get richer food at. Even if he is getting bored of it. But he takes the plants between his fingers, uses his nails to clip the stems and sprigs, and sets them aside in careful piles. Going to need to find a way to bundle them for drying he thinks.

And when Carol enters he looks up. Not alone. Oh well. He does smirk, though.

"What the fuck is going on is that I'm tending the plants. Been meaning to come in here. Mint spreads like a mother-fucker. Gotta get it under control. But it's good to have."

[bossofspace]

She rolls her eyes; it's fine for the kid to curse if he wants but she's trying to maintain the image of a good role model, or something, considering all the ways she's otherwise failing to do that.

"Mint," she says flatly, as if not believing that's all this is. But when she inhales a little more deeply - yeah, sure enough, it's definitely mint. And a hell of a lot of it. "And here I thought the doors were closed off because of toxic waste," she adds with a laugh. "You, uh - taking care of it all by yourself?"

[doubled_speed]

“I don’t know. What I learned from the data point definitely considers this stuff a serious pest. And it’s good for tea apparently.”

What? He did pick up a few odds and ends of foods from this time.

“Just broke this thing open today so no clue. Maybe other people will want to help. But I’m getting good at this so no one has to. Maybe people have a mint allergy and will wanna stay away.”

Don’t mind him. Just let him chatter, it’s helping.

[bossofspace]

"Well, I don't have a mint allergy," Carol says, and approaches, inspecting the plants a little more closely. "Tea, huh? You got a kettle?"

She already suspects the answer is no - no one has much of anything, around here, that they didn't already come with or have as a result of the godawful Soup Lies box.

"What're you gonna do with those?" She nods towards the already pruned bundles.

[doubled_speed]

“Why would I need a kettle? I can accelerate molecular structures. Normally that means explosions. Here I means I can, if nothing else, heat water.”

What is heat but molecules going faster? Exactly.

Ah, the bundles. Tommy lets his attention be turned to them. He has plans.

“Dry some for tea and strewing herbs and the like. Refine some into oil to help keep bugs way. Lots of things.”