Daffodil-Sunshine Clover O'Reilly (daughterofgaia) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2009-09-07 17:54:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-06-14 |
Stealth gardening
Who: Daffodil and Jericho
When: Late night
Where: The park
Daffy loved the rain; she felt even closer to nature than she usually did with the water sliding over her skin, so she was out in it whenever she had a chance. It didn't matter what time of day, either - it just so happened that she had business out and about this evening. There was a planter on the outskirts of the park that had been unfortunate victim to a car crash a few months back, destroying most of the cement container and the plants within. The planter had been rebuilt, but so far nothing had been planted. Daffy, who was a firm believer in reclaiming land that wasn't being used or was being misused, had decided (after several weeks of making the same decision and then forgetting in her absentminded way) that it was time to repurpose the planter and fill it with her own greenery.
In truth, she likely would have forgotten her plans again, had she not managed to go to the home and garden store, stock up on the plants and supplies she needed, and pile it all neatly in the garage at home. She caught sight of it just after dinner and then nothing would do but for her to go out that night and take care of business. So she loaded her bike basket with plants, potting soil, and tools and headed out to the park. She piled everything neatly beside the planter, but it wouldn't do to start planting without first paying homage to Mother Nature and the beautiful night. Long red hair and cheerful yellow sundress alike were positively soaked, but still flared out in a soggy circle as she gave a happy twirl, head back and eyes closed.
Jericho was enjoying the rain rather less than Daffodil. But then, he didn't have a dry change of clothes at the motel room to change into, so he had less comfort with it. But staying in said hotel room when it was small and dingy and smelled bad, when he couldn't sleep any longer and had already showered once before crashing for that five-hour nap, just wasn't happening, so here he was, out in the rain and not enjoying it at all.
But he was using his sleeplessness productively, at least: he was getting to know the town. It would probably look different in daylight, but he could get a layout of it in his head, figure out where the Salvation Army was and come back in the morning to get a spare set of clothes or two, and figure out what it looked like in daylight tomorrow.
He'd just come to the park, which had the added benefit of a tree or two to shelter under, though he was extremely surprised to start down the sidewalk towards said park only to find a girl spinning around in the rain, soaking wet. That was... unusual.
Gardening forgotten, Daffy was having the time of her life twirling circles in the rain. She stopped just before she was too dizzy to keep standing, enjoying the strange feeling one got when they spun too long, where she wasn't moving in circles but the earth still was. A dripping jasmine bush caught her attention and she reached out to gather a few branches heavy with blossoms into her arms - practically hugging the plant - and buried her face in the fragrant flowers. Straightening after a long, appreciative inhale, Daffy suddenly remembered what she was here to do and spun around, stopping short when she caught sight of a dim silhouette approaching. Normal girls might have had a moment of apprehension or fear - after all, the things that went bump in the night were often quite scary - but Daffy wasn't a normal girl by a long shot, and she only offered a bright grin and enthusiastic wave.
The girl dancing in the rain stopped and waved at him. At the hulking guy approaching her in the dead of night. Okay, then. It was sure a good thing he wasn't here to rape her, or something. But Jericho wasn't about to change course, and, after all, he was trying to get to know the town. The town weirdos probably had to be included in that, right? Even if he'd rather they didn't.
Maybe she was a water elemental, or something. That, he could understand. "Everything all right?" he rasped once he was close enough that he didn't have to try-- and fail-- to raise his voice.
"How could it not be?" Daffy asked him, indicating the wet greenery of the park and the rain with a broad sweep of her arm. "It's beautiful out!" She shook her head, sending droplets of water everywhere, and skipped a few steps closer to the man. She could see now that he was huge - a foot taller and she didn't even know how much more muscled. But she wasn't afraid or intimidated - she believed people were good and didn't ever consider someone else's potential for causing injury. She tilted her head, hearing the rasp in his voice. "Are you all right?" she asked. "Your aura looks a little dim." Most normal people would've just said he sounded a little froggy.
Skipping. The girl was skipping. Surely she couldn't be more than sixteen, if that, if she was skipping... but it was hard to tell in the dark and rain distorting everything. Maybe she was just insane, judging from her thought that it was beautiful out. Jericho stopped as she approached, a little wary and a little concerned, pulling his hands from his pockets in case he needed them. "My... aura." Now he knew something was up. No one ever saw his aura, if he even had one, especially not someone this close to him. "And what does my aura look like, then?"
"Sort of reddish-gray," Daffy said, stepping a little closer so she could peer at him. "Your fifth chakra looks a little blocked. I can help, if you want. I study reiki." When she could remember to study reiki. "What brings you out so late?" she asked him, giving another little twirl and pushing her hair back off her face, then wiping water from her eyes. "Are you communing with nature, too?"
The kid was batty. That was the only explanation. The woman, he realized with some disgruntlement, was batty. She had to be in her twenties. Still a kid, to him, but still... too old for skipping, too old for making up stories. So, batty. "I, uh, don't need the help. But thanks." He didn't have a clue what to do about batty women who saw auras that a real clairvoyant or witch would never be able see, and his awkwardness showed. "I just couldn't sleep," he said lamely.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Daffy said - she'd long learned not to push if someone declined her help. Besides, most techniques didn't work unless the patient was equally committed to success. "Tea with chamomile or catnip helps with sleep," she suggested. "I never have a hard time sleeping when it's raining. It's my second favorite thing besides being out in the rain." Typical of her, to be knee-deep in conversation before realizing she hadn't introduced herself yet. "I'm Daffodil-Sunshine," she said, "but you can just pick one if you want. People call me Daffy, too." She meant the name, but the adjective had been frequently applied, as well.
Daffodil. Sunshine. Daffodil-Sunshine. Daffy. Jericho passed a hand over his face at the ridiculousness of it-- not enough to make him laugh, or really even crack a smile, but still!-- and covered it be wiping rain from his eyes. "Hello, Daffodil." No, he would not call her Daffy. He would not. Even if it probably fit all too well. "I'm Jericho." He smirked faintly. "Which I suppose is nearly as odd a name, isn't it?"
"Oh, no," Daffy breathed. "Jericho is a wonderful name - you know the city is one of the oldest in the whole world, right? So much history behind that name. And Daffodil is a flower, there's nothing odd about that. I love your name," she said, beaming at him. "Do you want to help me garden?" she asked suddenly, paying no heed to the sudden change of topic. Because she'd just remembered why she was out here in the first place.
Jericho doubted he would ever like his name. After all, it'd been given to him by a murderer who'd forced him to hunt and kidnap and kill. But Daffodil didn't know that, and it seemed like a shame to tell her, so she liked it just fine.
Well, like he'd ever tell anyone if he had the chance, but still.
Watching her in helpless confusion, he repeated, "Garden?" He'd seen the gardening tools and plants, of course-- spades were potential weapons, so he noted them absently-- but he'd assumed they belonged to some public-paid gardener who had left them there when he'd been caught in the rain. Not to some... daffy Daffodil-Sushine in a soaked sundress who had come to the park to garden. In the middle of the night. It made his brain hurt.
"Yes, garden," Daffy repeated patiently. She gestured towards the planter. "It's been forever and the city hasn't done anything with the planter, so I'm repurposing it. Guerrilla gardening. I'd plant food-bearing things but you really need a bigger space for that, so we're doing flowering things only. I brought jasmine and honeysuckle, they'll look so pretty with what's already planted around the park. Want to help? There aren't many things better than getting wrist-deep in soil. When it's all dark and thick and you can just feel all the energy? It'll make you feel better in no time."
All Jericho expected it would make him feel was dirty. He'd had enough of playing in the dirt for a lifetime-- even if it wasn't ever playing, he'd had his hands dug into dirt more than enough times. "I can't feel energy," he half-growled, half-grumbled, his rough voice turning the words harsher than even he meant it. "Just dirt." Then, grudgingly, he added, "It will probably look pretty, though, yes."
"Everyone can feel energy," Daffy said, undeterred. "It just takes a little effort and practice. Come on," she encouraged, holding out her hands to him and stepping into the grass. She was already barefoot, as she rarely wore shoes anywhere. "Feel how nice the grass is under your feet. And the rain is nice and cool. Loosen up, you seem like you're wound tighter than a clockspring." She paused thoughtfully. "Although to be truthful I don't really know how tight that would be, since I've never seen a clockspring - I didn't even know clocks had springs - but I imagine since it became a saying for tense people it's got to be pretty tight."
It was either leave or laugh, and Jericho couldn't decide which to do. This was unlike any situation he'd ever been in before, and he was definitely floundering. "Old clocks have springs. And yes, they're-- they're pretty tight."
"Oh, neat," Daffy said distractedly, bending to pick a blossom that had fallen in the rain and tucking it behind her ear. "Come on," she repeated, hands out again in wordless demand. "You should take your shoes off, too. It's better that way."
Apparently he'd spent too long obeying orders, but after another hesitation, in the end Jericho went. He didn't take off his shoes, though. Or take her hand. But hey, he moved. That was the best an insane, rain-drenched girl who was young enough to be his daughter was going to get.
Daffy'd take it. She dropped to her knees beside the planter, palms pressed to the ground. "You can feel it," she encouraged, smiling up at Jericho. "All the power of life and creation is right here. Think about it - how vast the earth is, how everything comes from right here, all the things that never stop working. Aren't we lucky to have this?"
Insane. Batty. Daffy, indeed. This was definitely getting a bit much for Jericho, and he definitely didn't get down on his knees in the grass. His clothes had enough grass stains on them, thank you. "Lucky," he repeated, irritated but not wanting to hurt her feelings, not really.... He just wanted to keep walking. He wasn't a mystical kind of guy, after all. "Yeah."
Daffy grinned at his reticence. It was all right - no one could deny the energies around them forever. He'd come around one day. Instead, she just straightened and held out the trowel. "Want to dig holes for the plants?" she asked. "I know a place not far from here where we can get you that tea to help you sleep, after. If you want."
"The only thing I need is to not be in a dingy motel room that doesn't smell like smoke and stale sex," Jericho snorted. "Then I'd be able to sleep fine." Which was probably a lie, but that was all right. He definitely didn't want her teas. But he did take the trowel, sighed heavily, and crouched-- not kneeled, he still did only have the one set of clothes, after all-- to start digging holes. He'd dug enough in his time; a few more wouldn't kill him.
"Why are you in a motel?" Daffy asked him, prepping the plants and planting them as soon as he'd finished digging the spot. She packed the soaked dirt around a jasmine plant, pushing hair off her face with no regard for the streaks of dirt it left on her forehead. "Are you just visiting or do you not have a place to stay yet?"
"I don't know if I'm staying yet," Jericho shrugged, and he didn't elaborate on the fact that he was running out of money. Charity from Verity had been bad enough; he was sure Daffodil would try to offer him some, too, and that would've been even worse. Taking help from a crazy girl was a long shot from taking a ride and nebulous offers of aid from a girl who obviously had herself looked after.
"Where are you from?" Daffy asked. "Why don't you know if you're staying? Do you couch surf?" There was a website for that; her parents had opened their house to more than one traveler in the past. It was neat, talking to all sorts of people from different places. She smiled, pleased with the way the plants were turning out. "It looks better already," she said, referring to the planter.
What the hell was couch surfing? "I just got here. I don't know if I like it yet." Though he'd have to decide pretty quickly, before he was forced to sleep in the woods again. That probably wouldn't be good for him for very long. "Or if I can get a job here. Which is probably more important." At least the insane ones were pretty harmless, or this one was.
"I've lived here all my life," Daffy said cheerfully. "It's a really pretty place, you'll probably like it." She tilted her head curiously at him as she worked on the plants - nearly done, and in half the time it would've taken her. "What kind of work do you do?" she asked, wondering briefly if her parents could use help at the restaurant. Probably they could, but maybe they knew someone who needed help in his field first.
Kidnapping, killing, stealing, blood-draining.... Jericho looked bleak briefly before he forced his face into impassivity, and shook his head. "Anything where I can use my strength rather than my... uh... lack of charm," he answered. He'd joked about being a bouncer, but he didn't know if he'd like that, either. But then, getting something he liked probably wasn't going to happen, no matter what. Anything to get him in decent clothes and a room that didn't smell like a whorehouse would do.
"Maybe something in construction," Daffy suggested. "People are probably looking for that stuff all the time. Or you could be a bouncer. Probably that would be an easy job; I think around here, mostly just looking at you would make most people think twice about fighting. You look pretty intimidating. Are you a vampire?" she asked, changing subjects suddenly. "You could work at Heme if you are."
Jericho answered by baring his teeth at her: no fangs. "I had thought about being a bouncer," he shrugged, putting down the trowel as he dug out the last hole, and brushing his hands off. It didn't do much good; everything was so wet, the dirt didn't dust off, it dripped off, as mud. He made a disgusted face. "But I've never done it before." He'd never done construction work, either, and he imagined you needed training for that.
"I don't really think standing around looking intimidating and making sure people don't fight takes a lot of experience," Daffy said with a laugh. She packed dirt around the last plant and stood, laughing again at the look on his face as he regarded his dirty hands. "Come here," she said. There was a little depression in the grass that formed a big puddle when it rained; Daffy used it to indulge her 8-year-old splashing whims, but it could double as a way to rinse off in a pinch. She personally didn't care about a little dirt on her hands, but he obviously did.
He spotted the same thing when she beckoned him over, and immediately used it to rinse off his hands. His boots he couldn't do much about, but walking anywhere would probably do that all on its own, and he'd been careful not to get mud anywhere else. "Thanks," he said, shaking the last of the dirty water from his fingers and finally standing up again.
"Don't thank me," Daffy said cheerfully. "Thank Mother Nature, since she's the one that provided all this for us." She beamed as she bounced to her feet, taking a moment to survey the planter. "See how much nicer that looks?" she pointed out. "It'll be even better once it really takes root." She often stopped to give plants a little extra love if she noticed them being neglected; she didn't think she could kill a plant if she tried, so why not use the gift she'd been given?
Admittedly, it did look better with flowers and color than as empty dirt. "Do you do this kind of thing often? Come out in the rain and plant flowers in the park?" Because it just seemed so random. And, you know, insane.
"If someone's not using land right, sure," Daffy said, shrugging. "It's not always raining, though. But usually I come out in the rain and dance. Except when it's too cold out, because I got the flu once and my mother didn't appreciate me running around the house with a runny nose. The question is," she teased with a grin, "why don't you?"
After a beat and a frown, Jericho said, "Because I'm not a gardener." He was officially tired of the weirdness, and it was definitely time to get going. He still had to find a Salvation Army or equivalent. "It was nice to meet you, Daffodil. I'm sure I'll see you around." Only he hoped he didn't.
"But wasn't it nice to do something good with your hands?" Daffy asked. "Now every time you walk past here, you'll have a happy memory." She just nodded when he said he had to go, gathering her gardening supplies and piling them in the basket of her bike. "It was nice meeting you too," she said, giving him another happy smile and, entirely on impulse (as she always did), flinging her arms around him. He was too tall for her to reach for her customary peck on the cheek, so she made do by kissing her fingertips and pressing them to his cheekbone. She let him go a second later - after all, it was just a friendly hug, not a something-more hug. "Thank you for helping me garden, Jericho!" she said with a laugh, arms outstretched as the twirled a quick circle in the rain. "If you ever need anything, you can find us at Ethos!"
Though it took him a beat of sheer shock-- Jericho had never been hugged before, not since before he had his name-- he had very nearly broken her hold on him and scrambled back and away, but she let go before he had a chance to do more than twitch. If she'd attacked him, he would've reacted instantly, but there was no danger in her. Just... lots and lots of crazy. "You're welcome," he said, backing up a step so that, hopefully, she wouldn't do that again. "Good night, Daffodil."