Playing in the Dirt

[mutedsuspicions]

WHO: Lerith & anyone
WHERE: Agricultural Center
WHAT: Lerith is planting his gift(s) from the Agrii!
WHEN: March 2rd
WARNINGS: None



It didn't feel as cold out today. Or maybe that was because he was coming straight from the hotel and down the street to the agriculture center. Or greenhouse, as Tommy had called it. It was warm inside, much like his own little hotel room. Maybe while he was here, Lerith could find some plants that would make paints for Bruno!

Once inside, the elf pushed the scarf back and wandered around looking for a free area. A place with some decent sized pots where he could grow the herbs he had acquired as a gift. Finding an empty garden box filled with dirt, this...this would be perfect! It took a few minutes to locate some decent... well, at first glance he thought they were weapons.

Lerith supposed one could use a gardening spade as a weapon...

No matter.

The elf moved back front of the box and began to work, getting lost in the work of digging. He started with two holes, both three inches in diameter and two deep, before dropping the seeds in. Covering them. And he worked like that, continuing through the packet he had been gifted. It didn't take long for his thin hands to be cover with dirt spots, and even some on his face, marring the pale skin and teal tattooing.

Comments

[orangewayfinder]

Terra had heard other people talking about how this time of year was planting time and he thought to go check with Tommy on that. But of course he went by the greenhouse on his way and he thought he saw someone in there.

So he went in to see who the person was and he was surprised to see Lerith there. He didn't try to interrupt or anything, but smiled at seeing the other working with the holes in the ground.

He stood back to give him plenty of room but when the other would happen to glance his way, he would nod in greeting with that same smile on his face.

[mutedsuspicions]

Lerith was easy to spot, with his white hair a stark contrast against the other colors around him. Yellow eyes were bright, eager to do the task to start the process of growing something he was familiar with from his world.

He’s so focused on the task that the elf almost misses someone coming in. He hears the footsteps but doesn’t pause until they stop closely. Hands still and he looks over at Terra.

[Hello!] comes the hand wave greeting. The spade is in the dirt where he had been digging a new spot. [Come to plant?]

Wait, wait. Dirty hands work the device out of his pocket. 'come to plant here?'

[orangewayfinder]

Terra smiled as he was noticed and waved in return. But then he shook his head as Lerith asked about the plant. He then heard the beep on his device and replied.

I was originally just walking by. But if you need some help, I can help you out in your planting.

Thankfully Tommy had taught him how to do that much.

[mutedsuspicions]

Lerith looked a little confused at the message that popped up on his screen, then realized that he had accidentally sent it? Whoops. Maybe that's what some people meant by 'fat finger the keys'? Strange phrase when he had first heard it but now it made sense.

He typed again and this time only held the device up for Terra to read it. 'just need some holes dug like this one' and he used one hand to point at the hole he had dug before showing the seeds. 'was going to fill this dirt box with the seeds to grow plants from my world. seeds were a gift from the aggrrii'

[orangewayfinder]

He waited patiently for Lerith and was kind of surprised to see the device held up for him to see. But he read the message and nodded with a smile on his face. After he read the message, he knelt down and typed so the other could see what he was typing as he went along.

I can help, Tommy showed me how to plant, so I can help you out. What kind of seeds are they? Do you know?

[mutedsuspicions]

The elf makes some room for the other, thinking he was going to join him in making some more holes for the rest of the seeds. Instead his device beeps with another message. He reads it, and huffs out a noise that seems like laughter.

'you don't have to message me back. i can hear, i jsut acn't talk. felwinter showed me how to type with this because i was tryign to write EVERYTHING I wanted to say down. this is so much easier.

as for the seeds, they are elfroot and embrium. those are healing herbs. used for potions in my world. might be helpful here.'

[orangewayfinder]

Terra nodded with an apologetic expression on his face and knelt down. He looked over the seeds that his companion had pointed out the names for and he nodded. "I have potions in my world too, but I never gave much thought as to how they're made or where they come from. I wonder if they're somehow similar."

Of course he had some healing magic as well, but sometimes potions were quicker to restore his health, especially if he needed his offensive magic to deal with one of the Heartless. Still, he nodded to the elf.

"But ya, let me get a spade and I can help you with planting."

[mutedsuspicions]

Oh? He had potions too? Maybe he was from Thedas somewhere that... wasn't Haven or Tevinter. 'are you from thedas as well?' comes that question.

'i was starting to learn potions and herbs before being brought here. i know herbs pretty well, and have an idea of making healing potion. watched soem of the potion makers working while in haven.

Lerith pulls up some of the seeds and carefully sets the pack against the raised bed for Terra. 'these little green ones get two or three in a hole. the red ones just two. should work. hopefully will work.'

[orangewayfinder]

Terra heard his device beep and checked his device and shook his head. "No, I don't know where Thedas is." he replied, saying the unfamiliar name slowly. But he kept the device out and continued reading as Lerith typed away.

His blue eyes widened as he read and he looked over at the elf. "Would it be alright if I learned to make those healing potions too?" Because if he could learn to make them and carry some around for other people the time he'd put in would be worth it.

So he watched the other as he demonstrated the planting and looked around at them, keeping his device close. "Alright, I'll get started on these right away."

[mutedsuspicions]

Lerith frowned - he wasn't meaning to send the messages. Only type and show them to Terra like he would with his journal. This technology had a learning curve apparently. This time when he typed, the mute made sure not to send it, and held it up for Terra to read.

'i am lerith by the way. and i don't see why you shouldn't learn potions. i think it'd be good for anyoen to learn. and no rush to plant. seeds will grow at their own speed no matter how fast you platn them.' Which was one reason why he liked herbs. There was no rush with nature. It took its time whether you liked it or not.

The mute demonstrates how deep the holes need to be and gently coaches Terra through what needs to be done.

[orangewayfinder]

Terra leaned in to read the message and nodded. "That's true, healing is a part of this whole place." Especially considering he was more than well aware that not everyone here was a fighter and even as that was true, they could still get hurt.

He unfortunately learned all about a loss of power recently and that really sucked. Terra couldn't even remember the last time he felt helpless..except when he saw his friends getting hoisted into the air while unconscious all chained up. That fall would've been fatal to them had he not intervened when he did.

But he watched and nodded. "I can do that." And he picked up a spade, starting to dig in as he had been shown.

[mutedsuspicions]

Lerith was the furthest thing from a fighter as he could get. He could hit a training dummy and probably break his arm in the process. Too thin and no knowledge.

The elf watches Terra work at the gardening and grins. 'what sort of place are you from? since your're not from thedas that is. Once Terra had the hole deep enough, the elf dropped the seeds in and motioned to cover it. There wasn't a lot left, just two more spots to dig and they could cover it with a decent amount of water. Somehow.

[orangewayfinder]

He kept working until he heard his device go off again and checked it promptly. Then after reading the text, he saw the smile on the other's face. So he answered it with a smile of his own. "I'm from a place called the Land of Departure. It's a place where my friends and I trained how to wield weapons and be ready to help others."

He moved out of the elf's way and then covered the spots as indicated. And of course he was more than happy to help because this would help others too.

[small_compromise]

Omega was coming up from the lower levels of the greenhouse where plants more sensitive to sunlight were kept. She carried a medium-sized box filled with some kind of roots.

At first she almost missed the elf, hunched over as he was, intent on his work. She heard the subtle sound of metal against dirt, backtracking to look down one of the rows to see where it was coming from. A smile touched her face as she started over, curious. She had a vague idea of how planting worked, but she'd never seen it done before.

"What are you planting?" she asked once Lerith had finished covering another patch of seeds.

[mutedsuspicions]

Lerith scoops a little more dirt over a seed of what he thinks is an elfroot seed, and misses someone else coming up. Another few seeds in the next spot were covered - embrium, he hoped.

It's when a new voice behind him pipes up does the elf finally notice. And startle with the spade clattering to the ground. To which he startles a little more because of the noise of metal clanging.

[Sorry, you startle--]

The device. Maybe he should make classes for people to attend. 'sorry, you startled me.

seeds. seeds form my homeworld. elfroot embrium maybe arbor blessing'

[small_compromise]

The response makes the girl jump in turn, cringing at the dropped spade.

"Sorry..!" she apologizes, offering a sheepish smile. She pauses as his hands begin to move, blinking curiously before the elf brings out his tablet. Ah, so he can't speak... She has no idea what sort of plants those might be that he mentions, but then she's hardly a plant expert.

"I can't wait to see what they look like."

[mutedsuspicions]

She was... so tiny. Smaller than Varric at least, and Scout Harding. Maybe she was a child from her world? He hadn't seen many at Haven, and none at the villa in Tevinter. But this place didn't work on Thedas rules. Lerith relaxes as she apologizes, then states she can't wait to see what they look like.

'seeds are gifts to me from aggrii. herbs for healing where i am from. if i can grow some now might be able to grow even more from stems and seeds later. tommy said they would be usfeul to healers here, bily and omega i think he said their names were'

[small_compromise]

The girl couldn't be much older than pre to early teens at the most. She looked on as Lerith typed up his message, brows lifting. Herbs, how interesting!

"You'll have to tell me how they work. I'm Omega, by the way. And I'm not really a healer, I just took the medical datapoint. It's only so useful though." She lowered the box she'd been carrying, setting it on the floor for now.

[mutedsuspicions]

Oh this was Omega? But Tommy said they were a healer? She was so young! Lerith supposed anyone could start as an apprentice for healing. Just because the elf was starting to learn late didn't mean everyone did.

And she was talking about that datapoint thing again. Maybe Lerith should try to find it. Yellow eyes looked at her. 'healing and medicine are same where i am from. you are sick, you go to the healer and they help you. with herbs and potions or magic' he typed out for her to read. A glance at the box she was carrying.

'some seeds are elfroot, some are embrium. both used in healing potions. don't know if i'll be able to make them here though but i want to try.'

[small_compromise]

Omega nodded. "I used to help out in the medical wing back home. But that was still a lot different, and nothing too complicated."

She caught his look at the box, and she stooped down to pick out one of the roots from within. "These can make salves to help with muscle pain," she said. "I found that out from looking at old containers in the hospital. Tommy helped me find the plant for it." She looked towards the freshly planted bed of dirt. "Do they need something specific to make those potions?"

[mutedsuspicions]

What was a hospital? Lerith didn't ask, thinking that maybe it would be answered at some point for him. But the roots look interesting and the elf leans in to get a little bit of a better look.

'are you going tto try and plant to make more of that root? i'm hoping to be able to grow a lot of elfroot to help here.'

Another few seeds were plopped down and he covered them with the dirt. 'just two or three seeds in each hole for them. usually you mash the elfroot leaves in a mortar and then blend with water.stronger potion with embrium mixed in'

[small_compromise]

"There are already roots planted and growing. There's a darker space for them in the lower level- I guess they like it better there than up in the sun," Omega explained. "I try not to take too many to give them a chance to grow more."

She watched as Lerith planted a few more seeds, looking fascinated despite it being such a simple thing. But then she'd never seen anything planted before. Kaminoans were not farmers. She hadn't even seen dirt until she finally left Kamino with her brothers. Nature was always such an amazing thing to her to study.

"How do you know when they're ready?" she asked. "Once they're grown, do the leaves have to be a certain size?"

[mutedsuspicions]

A darker space - that would work well for mushrooms he had seen here and there in caverns. Lerith's pretty sure he doesn't have any seeds for those though. 'sounds it would grow well in caves. i think there were some plants in thedas that only grew in caves. dark and damp.'

He finished planting the seeds as she watched, and turned to her. 'i will have to keep an eye. i thik elfroot grows quick with thick leaves compared to the stem. embrium leaves flatten out like aflower and are red in the center when ready.'

[small_compromise]

Omega nodded. "I'll have a look at them whenever I have to come in here too," she said. Thick leaves and flower-like leaves with a red center, she nodded as she committed these details to memory. She didn't have to come here very often for roots, but she liked to look at the plants. There weren't any on Kamino, after all.

[mutedsuspicions]

He settles and looks at her fully, head tilting a little. 'where are you from? do you know a lot abuot plants? i am still learning but i think i can be hlefpul once i have these herbs grown.'

Maybe she worked with the robotic creatures like Echo did. That'd be interesting. Or maybe she worked inside a city where herbs didn't grow well enough. Maybe they didn't have herbs in a 'hospital'.