We could grow veggies and give everything we grow to local food shelters!
Who: Laura and Aurora What: Aurora being relentlessly cheerful When: Early may Where: the beach Rating: PG, though some talk of homelessness
The beach had been great. She hadn’t really gone into the water so much as splashed a little by the edge, jumping over the waves (if you could call them that by the time they reached where she was standing) as they came in. She made a effort to seem very surprised that she’d managed it the first few times as a gag. She was pretty sure it was funny, but she wasn’t all that concerned about it. If anyone thought she was weird, it wasn’t something she had to worry about.
Today’s bathing suit had been a bright teal colored bikini that was worn under a pale yellow dress for part of the time. With the idea that there might be shopping later, she didn’t want to get it too wet, so she’d run around the edge of the water without it. But now she was sitting on her towel and carefully covering her own feet with sand. “So how’s being your own age going for you? Are you enjoying it?”
Like most of what Laura owned, her bikini was black. This one had some designs in silver that flashed in the right kind of light. Unlike Aurora, she’d been willing to disappear into the waves. On her second trip she’d stayed under for perhaps longer than necessary, but she’d found a rainbow colored seashell for Aurora, so it was probably worth it. Laura could hold her breath a very long time.
She glanced at Aurora, a smile finding its way to her face along with just the faintest trace of a blush. “I’m having fun. What about you? The water was nice.”
The beach was good memories, even if they were little bitter sweet right now. But she hadn’t parted with Rapunzel on bad terms, so it was all a little confusing.
The seashell had been lovely. Aurora had plans to put it in her greenhouse. She wasn't sure how to incorporate it, but if there was a way to, she'd find it.
“It's great. I'm considering a career burying people's feet in the sand.” There was a hint of laughter at that. “I'm glad you're having fun, though. I don't go to the beach as often as I could. I think I get stuck in the greenhouse too much.” She shrugged at that. “Or wandering the woods. I tend to do that a lot, too.”
Nature in general was beautiful to her. Everything worked together and some of the plants you'd find were amazing. She wanted to go to all different places one day, see plants and flowers from all over. She just had to be able to travel first. It involved having money for it and be out of school. But one day, she'd get there.
"If you think there's a market for it." Laura glanced out towards the ocean, leaning back on her hands and stretching her legs. "I like the woods. The trees and the smell of the forest. It's one of the places I belong. My family has an affinity with wolves." It was their feral nature. Maybe nothing like werewolves, but Logan wasn't the only one to have run wild with a wolf pack once or twice.
Calling Logan ‘family’ made her chest ache, but in a good way. "Do you garden without a greenhouse?"
“There's probably not, but I like lofty and somewhat unrealistic goals every so often.” She thought it was even more so since her dreams started. But she'd such curious things. She had a crow for a friend. As far as she knew, there was nothing usual about her dreams or her life in them. “Do they? I haven't met any wolves, but I live in the forest in my dreams in a little cottage far from everyone else. It's very peaceful and not as lonely as it might have been without my aunties, the crow, and the horned woman.” She sighed. Her aunties had lied, but she'd moved past it. They were just trying to protect her. She wasn't sure what from, but she was sure that had to be why.
She turned to look at Laura, leaning against her knees while her hands continued patting the sand. “Sometimes. It's just easier to keep things around in the greenhouse. Do you like gardening?”
That made Laura smile, a somewhat unusual thing some days. While she wasn’t grumpy, she tended to me the more solemn type. “That sounds like a lovely dream. Living in the forest would be nice sometimes. But I wouldn’t always run with the wolves. Doing that all the time would make it harder to be a person. And I’m a person, not a wolf.”
Being a person had taken Laura years to accept, and she wasn’t about to backslide if she could help it. No matter how confusing emotions could be. “I’m better with animals than plants. But I think I’d like to try.”
“It is nice. But then I haven't known anything else in the dreams. I like being able to get tea and things. The clothes are a lot different in my dreams, too. Always very long.” But she'd liked her dreams so far. She knew things weren't perfect for most people or even good most of the time, but she figured that just meant she could bring happiness to others when they needed it. That was her part in having good dreams. “You are a person. I think you're pretty great as a person.”
Aurora knew that Laura doubted that sort of thing, that she wasn't always sure that she was good, but she had Aurora for a friend now, so she'd tell her how amazing she was until she got sick of hearing it and just agreed ahead of time. “Well, we could find a community garden and pick things we want to grow there! It'll be fun and something distracting!” Which was always a good plan.
“Long dresses?” Laura asked. She liked shorter outfits. Easier to move in, with a certain look that she knew was just a little sexy. Also dark. Black. She’d have to touch up her make-up after her swim. Her Goth-lite had never really changed.
“Thanks. I think you’re a pretty great person, too.” She looked at Aurora with all the intensity of a predator, though her face softened. “Something like that would.. I’d like that.”
The community aspect appealed to her. “I like helping people.”
Aurora nodded. They were very pretty, though. Not that she'd want to wear them here. All of her dresses had seemed, thus far, had been rather yellow. Not that she minded. She liked yellow. But she liked colors. Blues and pinks were her favorites, however.
Aurora smiled brightly at Laura, giving her one of her sunshine smiles. They were good for inspiring cheerfulness. “Then we'll do that.” After a beat, a look passed over her face like she'd just realized something amazing. One hand shot out to grab Laura's forearm and she rocked forward a little. “We could grow veggies and give everything we grow to local food shelters! It'll be great!”
That sunshine smile was infectious and Laura found herself responding in kind. She didn't even flinch when Aurora grabbed her. “That's … great! But can we save some for…”
Laura trailed off then seemed to decide on something. “There are these girls. They don't always go to shelters, but I protect them.”
Yes! There was a smile. Aurora was swept up in a flurry of excitement over the idea that had popped into her head. But when Laura asked about saving some, her expression softened a little, still smiling. She nodded at her question, lightly squeezing her arm. “Of course we can save some for the girls that you protect. I wouldn’t dream of saying no. Not to something like that. Maybe we can get two plots so we can have plenty.” She’d even consider finding big pots to sit at her house and grow vegetables in. If Killian could do it, so could she.
“We’ll have plenty of stuff for them. I promise.”
While Laura didn’t want to go into why she protected the runaways and what she protected them from, she was still glad for Aurora’s help. It was just too personal a thing. “Two plots would be best. Food shelters need all the help they can get too. I’m studying to do that sort of thing. Social work.”
Aurora hadn’t even considered asking why, she just knew that she wanted to help. “Are you really? That sounds really great. I think you’ll be great at it.” Especially if she already wanted to do that sort of stuff. “I’m hoping horticulture is my entire life. Maybe I’ll end up somewhere with a small vegetable garden.” She also wanted something similar to the The Secret Garden. Just a huge garden surrounded by hedges. She had a very distinct idea of what she wanted, but there was no saying she’d get that.
She grabbed her dress, pulling it on. “So I thought about it. Obviously if there are two things that you have to do...or at least if those are your two favorite things...there’s no point in doing just one. Only I have no idea how to shop for dance clothes, so you’re going to have to help me. Also you’ll probably have to help me get into one because I’m not exactly old enough even for the majority of the under 21 clubs.”
“Yes. I was homeless for awhile here, and it was… worse in my dreams. I want to help people so they don’t go through what I went through.” Laura was still damp in places, but she towelled herself off before reaching for her pants, which had enough holes in them to either be on purpose or to desperately need replacing. She left her top in place, as it didn’t cover much less than the shirt she’d worn to begin with. She listened while she got into her pants and fixed her makeup. Laura wasn’t really that vain but she had a look and she liked to maintain it. Black lipstick, black eyeliner. She liked black.
Which was a contrast to her new friend. “I found a place nearby. I like black, but I think we can find something in red or blue for you. Don’t worry about the ID. I have a friend who’s really good with computers and she owes me some favors.”
Aurora wondered what that must have been like. She had her aunties. Perhaps they were not the best guardians, but they were there. They tried, which mattered to her. It wasn't like they were obligated to. Not exactly. But it was good to be able to put bad past experiences to good use and help others.
It was certainly a contrast to Aurora, who rarely wore make up and went for brighter colors if she did. Even sometimes just a shimmery eye shadow and mascara worked. “Blue is better than red,” she said after a moment. “Blues and pinks...and yellows. I like them.” She didn't mention that most of the time those things were pastel. “Okay. I think we should be fine, then.”