Re: Eddie's House: May / Eddie
If he'd tried to put on a show, it's possible she would have left. She would have let him keep the flower, but he would have had to plant it himself. But she noticed him watching, knew that he was slower than he could have been (she knew all about the tick-tock machines of the carnival and knew (in an abstract sort of way) that the glasses he'd donned had to do with automatic, digital things. She could tell it wasn't his default state to slow down, and so she was willing (for the moment) to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Of course, things could change. In a heartbeat.
The campy hyperbole of his basket carrying gave her an air of faint amusement as she shook her head. "You need to get off the sofa more, if that's heavy for you." But when he went more serious, so did she. She turned to him, stared at him with a flat expression. One that didn't change after a few moments when she finally took a breath to say something. And when she did, the lightness of her tone didn't quite match her unchanging expression. "Now why would anyone assume I had anything to do with anything?" With that, her expression shifted just enough to quirk an eyebrow to accompany her question. It was a combination that said that no one had any reason to suspect her of anything - if they even thought of her in the first place. "And no. I haven't."
The plot of land looked... surprisingly good. Ready. Certainly not as good as the soil surrounding her own home, but it could be coaxed to provide support to a new resident. She knelt down next to it, uncaring of the clothes she was wearing, and sunk her hands right into it. The possibility for life was there, deep down, and she smiled. A wider smile. One for the earth itself, and it made her look... younger. When she replied to him, it was distant - an automatic sort of response while she was otherwise focused. "You didn't take care of them. And pots don't hold enough earth to really support life." Scooping her hands, she drew up the layer of soil beneath the top, mixing it with her fingers, closing her eyes and breathing in. With her exhale, she sent out a thought of loving request - please accept new roots here. That done, she reached back for Eddie without looking, soil-covered fingers wrapping around his wrist and tugging downward. "Come on... right here..." She tugged until he moved, until she could guide his hand downward, dig it into the soil with hers. "Close your eyes. And breathe. You can feel it..." She didn't explain any more than that, her voice quiet and even.