Tweak says, "Yeah, I'm listening."
Autumn Challenge 2017 - Thursday | 9-28
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If the weather forecast could be believed, the year's first frost would be upon New Salem in a few days. Her inner-skeptic had reason to doubt, given the unseasonable heatwave they were having. It wasn't only just hot, though, it was humid too. A sticky combination and one that made the sporadic gardener's hair turn into a wild kinky mess of curls reminiscent of Merida. The only remedy was (no, not more cowbell) wrestling her unruly tresses into a braid. (Thank you, Qiana.)...regardless of the doubts she had and the ickiness of the heat, frost was no joke and the notion of it alone was enough to inspire Rhiannon out of the comforts of central air and into her fairy garden. It was time for that beloved annual tradition: winterizing the garden! It wasn't a fun task so much as a necessary one if a person didn't want their plants wither and die. Rhia had a nurturing soul, so that option was never on the table.Toiling, though? Yes, toiling would be apt. This was laborious work but satisfying in a weird way. She'd already pulled enough weeds to fill a large bag and repotted enough plants to earn herself a break. She did need to make a trip back inside to grab a few doodads to replace some of the summer decorations to go with the autumnal aesthetic she was going for."Hi," a distinctly male (and Irish) voice called. Rhia reached up with a gloved finger to knock one of her earbuds loose and turned to glance over her shoulder at the second eldest Murphy brother. "Sorry for, I don't know, me." That was... unexpected. She raised her eyebrows, although he probably wouldn't be able to see given the fact she was wearing wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off her face. Yes, she looked ridiculous but she didn't seem to mind."Hey," the redhead said, cautious. She hated that, by the way. While they had never 'had it out' before, it was obvious that Ronan wasn't her biggest fan - for whatever reason. That, in turn, made her feel rather cagey about letting her guard down around him. "It's fine, I guess. Would you like to talk...?" She gestured to a small bench near her, in case he wanted to sit a spell.
"I didn't mean to bother ya... with whatever it is ye're doin'.""You're no bother. I'm just winterizing the garden -- it's not nearly as exciting as it sounds," Rhiannon explained whilst taking a moment to 'dust off' her gloves. If Ronan desired a chat, she wanted to give him her utmost attention. This literally never happened, she wasn't about the squander the opportunity of the second eldest Murphy opening up to her.Not a green thumb? Got it. "I wasn't either," the ginger admitted, "not until Russ encouraged me to find a hobby that required me to work with my hands. He said it would be therapeutic, a good way to keep my anxiety in check. He was right." Something about repetitive motions and the sunlight. The excuse to buy cute stuff didn't hurt either. "Your mom gardened? That must've been nice." She could definitely envision a smaller version of Kiernan being a little helper to his mother and she could definitely see Ronan nicking things from it. "Who can resist fresh snap peas?""Anyway... I don't hate ye. I'm sorry if I gave that impression. I just don't get ya?"That was a relief, a load off of her shoulders, really. She couldn't help smiling in relief and amusement both. "Yeah? Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't always 'get' me either." It might've been said like it was a joke but it really wasn't. She was strange but it was something she'd learned the embrace about herself over the years."I like him too." Kiernan. "I have no intention to ever hurt him but I can understand your wariness." Inviting someone into your life, coming to trust them, it was a huge gamble. She assumed Ronan knew about their arrangement, so she didn't bother to bring it up."But anyway, I'm having a fuck of a month, so I thought I'd just clear the air."This was when the librarian-turned-gardener frowned. She'd heard about what happened between him and Zap, and she couldn't help but feel a great swell of pity for Ronan. "Yeah, I heard about that. How are you holding up?"