05 . action + voice

[calmbeforethe]

[It's been some time since the TERRACE draft. While it was not her first and while Ororo was no stranger to violence and war and even death, it is always difficult to come face to face with them as she did a week ago. After all, she may treasure peace,but given the nature of her powers and the situation they were caught in, she was forced to see that she was also quite good at making war when she needed to. And although she loved her powers dearly, times like the draft reminded her how destructive they could be.

Now, a week and a bit later, she intends to remind herself that that was not all her mutation was good for.

So after her morning Danger Room session at the Battle Dome, Ororo spends some time at the Flower Shop and the Item Store, both located in the center of town. In the former, she hovers over packets of seeds thoughtfully, also selecting a few already potted plants that she figures she might transfer to her budding garden. In the latter, she looks around for any helpful tools she might find useful - trowels, shovels, a spritzing bottle for the more delicate plants, and even considers a wheelbarrow for several minutes - ultimately she decides it's too much effort to bring it all the way back to the house. She does end up making multiple trips - not that it was too much of a bother for someone who could fly.

In the afternoon, she can be found in the garden in front of House 16. No gardening gloves for her, Ororo likes the feeling of sinking her hands into the earth. And anyway, yesterday's rain made the soil loose enough to work with easily. She goes about things generally quietly, though there are snatches of quiet conversation as she speaks fondly to her plants and, on some occasions, even softly humming to them. It's a lot of work, but that was fine. She found it therapeutic. And though she likes working alone, more often than not she at least had a little black raincloud to keep her company.

During a brief break from her gardenwork, Ororo decides to address her journal.]

As much as I love snow and frost, I must admit that spring is a favorite season of mine. It is so full of life, and color, and growing things. Rebirth. [She smiles serenely.]

Do you have any plans for this spring, Luceti? I know I will be busy coaxing my garden to bloom again after a winter's worth of sleeping. 

Comments

[Action]

[savedtheworld]

[And there's Aang in the flower shop, browsing through some bright flowers and leaning in to smell at them.]

[Action]

[calmbeforethe]

[Ororo didn't mean to spend too much time at the flower shop. She only meant to pick up a few things and go. But there were just so many choices! And, of course, familiar faces.]

Hello there, Aang. What brings you here?

[Action]; spying outside house 16

[hero_of_smiles]

[Almost ten days since the draft had ended and while Cross hasn't recovered completely from the mental and emotional strain, he needs to get out.

Going on a leisurely walk around the village, Cross's attention is caught by a woman doing gardening...and there's a little rain cloud hovering nearby. Well, that's different. He's watching for a little, maybe focusing a bit too much on that rain cloud.]

[Action]

[calmbeforethe]

[Well, a few minutes of watching will let him see Ororo stand from where she'd been kneeling. She gestures with one hand and the cloud follows her motion, raining over some of the newly planted flowers. She does it with ease, familiarity and a gentle smile.]

[Video]

[windandrain]

[As if you had to ask...Saori pops up, all pigtails and smiles today.]

I'll be doing the same thing. What sort of plants are you going to grow?

[Video]

[calmbeforethe]

[Well, if her humor wasn't already improved by now, the sight of Saori certainly helps!]

I planted some tulip bulbs last fall. I am waiting for them, and my azaleas to bloom, actually.

But for the summer, I believe some pansies might be nice. Perhaps some marigolds as well.

[action]

[frost_jewel]

[Neither versed in nor experienced with gardening, Mia chooses to sit on the front steps and watch instead, a big mug of tea in her hands and a blanket over her shoulders. It has been a long week.]

What things will you grow?

[action]

[calmbeforethe]

[Ororo glances up. She'd been pretty absorbed in her work; she hadn't noticed her come out to join her in the garden.]

Flowering things, mostly. Not all of my spring flowers will last into the summer, but it would be nice to still have color of some sort in the garden then, don't you think?

[ Action ]

[lastsmoke]

[ Asuma is over by the packets of seeds as well, frowning at the back of a pack of poppy seeds. He looks thoroughly baffled, yet determined, as he moves from there, picking through a few small pots as if trying to decide what would work best. ]

I wonder if this is too small...

[ He's no gardener, and very obviously needs a bit of help. ]

[ Action ]

[calmbeforethe]

[Ororo wanted to look at the pots herself. A houseplant or two would look nice and her housemates probably wouldn't mind...

She notices the other man and his confusion before long.]

Pardon me, but are you alright? [She wasn't in charge of the shop, but she figured it would be fine to offer help.]

[action]

[halfnhalf]

[It's a couple hours before Teddy and Billy's own Danger Room session. Teddy himself was heading to the Rec Center for the day just to waste time and play around when he spots Ororo in front of her house, gardening and tending to her plants.

He stops for a few seconds, then smiles as he pulls his earphones away and lets them rest over his shoulders, music from his iPhone being gently heard from the tiny speakers while he heads over to her. He hasn't spoken to her in a while, simply because he hasn't seen her in a while, and so it's good to do so. It's especially good to see her doing well, after that draft.]

Working hard, Ororo?

[action]

[calmbeforethe]

[He's caught her at a time where she's busily weeding out her garden. Not the most glamorous of tasks, but she doesn't particularly mind.]

[She does glance up at Teddy, though. There's a faint streak of dirt smeared on her cheek but she's smiling, clearly enjoying her work.]

Hello, Teddy. And yes, yes I am. It wouldn't do to fall behind on my garden in the spring, after all.

action - told myself I'd pace out Spence tags but... OH WELL. XD

[bionically]

[In the draft's wake, Spencer has allowed himself to take a brief vacation from the virtual challenges that keep him preoccupied at the Battledome, taking the time instead to tend to himself and to his arm, cleaning it off and applying a thin sheen of oil between and around metal plating and tightened screws to ensure its proper function.

Never one to willingly coop himself up indoors if he could help it, he has stretched his sore, aching muscles after a restful nap and decided to take advantage of the pleasant day outside. Having a coffee out on a bench in the plaza, and feeling the sun's warmth on his skin while contemplating the quiet and peaceful uneventfulness -- these are all simple pleasures all too easily taken for granted. He knows he's guilty of it.

It's not long before Ororo enters his line of sight and he blinks, suffused with a sudden rush of emotions and urges. A vague discomfort. Uncertainty. The urge to find someplace else to sit. The urge to say something and defuse tensions. And memories, always, of--

He had seen her name on the list of draftees and is glad she made it out alive and well from the looks of things. But appearances could be deceiving.]

action - there it's fixed!

[calmbeforethe]

[Ororo was just on her way out of the flower shop. In her arms are a couple of hyacinth bulbs that she means to transfer to her garden. She doesn't have a lot, but they're still enough that she's a little preoccupied with arranging them in a way that they won't spill out of her arms before she gets back to the house.]

[voice]

[folklorist]

[ Speaking of gardens... ]

Ah. That reminds me, the Memory Garden will definitely need some tending to. As for myself...perhaps having a few nights out on the MAV might be nice. Spring is a lovely season, quite peaceful when you think about it.

[voice]

[calmbeforethe]

The Memory Garden... If you need any help, I would be happy to volunteer some of my time in tending to it myself. [A smile.]

But, pardon my asking, but what is an MAV?

[Action: Item Shop]

[widows_kiss]

[She spots the familiar figure as she comes out from behind one of the shelves, having been browsing through some of the contents of the Items Shop absently. The sight of Ororo has her smiling slightly as she approaches, spotting the small shovel she was inspecting.]

Looks like you're taking advantage of the warm weather.

[Action: Item Shop]

[calmbeforethe]

[Ororo smiles as she spots Natasha, putting the shovel down in favor of speaking to her friend.]

I am, yes. It is better than sitting idle, I think.

[voice]

[curiositykills]

Wow, I wish spring was like that where I'm from. What's there to do in spring that you can't do any other time of year?

[voice]

[calmbeforethe]

Well, after the cold of winter, spring is a time of blooming flowers, and green grass. It's a lovely time to start the garden again, spend more time outdoors now that it is warmer.

But is spring not like that for you, Robin? [How strange!]

[snikting]

Careful, darlin'. You keep talking to them, they're bound to start answering.

[Logan approaches the garden, giving it a cursory look over. Yup, it sure was a bunch of plants. Just as he expected to find. He'd himself just come back from the Dome and it was a good thing they were outside, because he reeked of sweat and exertion. His 'shower' from yesterday had cleaned him up as much as walking around in the rain could. His last shower before that had been in the showerhouse back on TERRACE.

You can take a man to the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of a man without a bar of soap and restraints.]

[calmbeforethe]

You know, I wouldn't be surprised if they did? [Ororo smiles down at her beloved plants fondly, as if they were real people. Children, even! Don't judge.]

[Before long, she raises her eyes up to Logan.] But they're good company as they are, you know. They agree with everything I say, and happen to always smell wonderful.

voice;

[ex_tessen852]

[It was funny. Suki was just talking to Yun about getting a new hobby, and gardening was what she brought up.]

Are you pretty good with gardening then?

voice;

[calmbeforethe]

Well, I suppose some might say I am. But what's important is that I enjoy it quite a bit.

[ voice ]

[herotypical]

Does anxiously awaiting the first chance to sunbathe count as having plans? I'm not sure it does...but that's what I'll be doing.

[ among other things. ]

[ voice ]

[calmbeforethe]

[Ororo's answering laughter is quiet, but fond.]

Not a fan of the cold, are we?

[Voice]

[fallenambitions]

[...What's with him and making acquaintance with people who love to plant things?]

Between the potential drafts and the experiments, harvesting the mikans is the only thing I have planned right now.

[Voice]

[calmbeforethe]

[Oh. Ororo's voice turns wistful and fond.]

Ah, yes. Nami's orchard. I would be happy to help you with that, Commandant.

Battledome

[complicatedliar]

[Just as Storm is arriving at the Battledome, Loki's emerging from his own simulation. While his clothing is neat as always, sweat has made the curl in his hair even tighter.

He catches sight of Storm from the corner of his eye, but it's too late to turn invisible. While he'd much rather avoid all of Rogue's friends right now in the interest of things not becoming uglier, he's not going to act as if he's ashamed or afraid, either.

He pauses, head tilted in an attitude of curiosity, and waits to see if he will be ignored (in his mind, that's certainly the ideal outcome) or acknowledged in some way.

Your move, Storm.]

Battledome

[calmbeforethe]

[With so few others around, it was hard to miss Loki. Ororo paused midstep, herself unsure as to how she should approach this. She hadn't even spoken to Logan or Tony about this whole thing, let alone a still-recovering Rogue.

In the end she decides to acknowledge him. No matter her feelings for this mess, she was still going to be civil and polite. She nods in greeting as their eyes meet.]

Loki.

[handing]

[Pepper's in the flower shop for a different reason; she's been looking for flowers to fill those vases that Rogue and Ororo both gave as gifts when Tony had been unconscious. She's definitely not thinking of doing the whole gardening aspect, and she's a little surprised to see all the supplies Ororo's gathered that indicate the other woman is.]

Hey, Ororo. I didn't know you had a green thumb.

[calmbeforethe]

[Ororo sees Pepper approaching and greets her with a smile.]

I just happen to get along well with my garden, that's all.

[action]

[wise_maiden]

[Raine is at the flower shop because she actually works here. That, and with school being out until the next week starts, gives her time to focus on organizing the shop and caring for the early blooms of the season. It's usually the time of year for it to be busy, after all.]

Is there anything you're looking for specifically, Ororo? You've been here for a little while.

[action]

[calmbeforethe]

[Ororo smiles up at Raine. She's already chosen a few things, but she keeps looking at others.]

Not in particular. I find that it's hard to make up my mind, actually. There are so many beautiful flowers I'd like to plant this spring.

[voice]

[chikaidestroyer]

Rebirth. [He muses over that particular term as he hears it uttered, a faint hum over the journal.] I have a feeling your task is shared by a good number of others; there has been a number of well-kept gardens in the village over the years.

[voice]

[calmbeforethe]

I've noticed that, yes. The memorial garden in particular is wonderfully well-kept, and has a nice sentiment behind it, besides.