2019-07-16 - Lantern Survivors Incorporated

It's late evening on a miraculously un-rainy day. That's not to say the place isn't hellishly humid... but at least one can wander the streets without the risk of washing away. Lex seems to be taking advantage of the weather, or perhaps escaping whatever else she should be doing, to wander the once-familiar streets. The tattooed youth has stopped in front of the... well, whatever it is. Greenery? Nursery? Tree trimming?

It sure as hell isn't the consignment shop that was there half a decade ago, and her brow is furrowed in mild confusion as she looks the place over. A glance at the place's hours has her trudging along that pathway, and shouldering her way past the door. She pauses just inside, looking around with that same expression of bemused confusion. "Okay, you got me. What the fuck is this?" Spoken to no one in particular. Surely someone is close enough to hear...

August has already sent Thoma and Ully on their way, which means he's the one who answers. "It's a plant store," he says, deadpan. He's stocking and reorganizing a turnstyle of seeds. "Need something for your house that you can't possibly kill? I just got some new air cactus in." He glances sidelong at Lex, double-takes, and turns to face her. He doesn't say anything immediately, but it's clear he recognizes her.

"Plant... store," Lex echoes the man's answer without even looking to see who spoke. Not yet, anyway. She may be sans her trench coat, but the silver hair and piercings are... recognizable. Even if the near-solid ink across her arms and chest wasn't visible at the museum. A pair of black cargo pants and black boots are worn with a black wifebeater with 'NOPE.' written in block letters across the chest.

"Why would you put a cactus in your house? Got enough pointy shit already..." Judging by the variety of piercings, and the undoubted options of 'pointy shit' that could be traded out for the currently benign choices... she's not lying. "What about... not pointy things that don't die?" She's finally turning to look toward the source of that voice, jade-green eyes widening just a bit as she recognizes the man.

"You were at the museum, weren't you?" Subtle as ever.

August is dressed in preparation for a walk on the beach: knee-length rust red cargo shorts, a pair of Tevas, and a Linnaeus flower clock t-shirt. The edges of a tattoo are just visible at the hem of his shorts, something black. (Is he going to go down to the beach and keep an eye out for that thing? Yes. It Itzhak going to be annoyed at him for going alone? Probably. Does he care? ...a little, but whatever.) He takes some time to look Lex over. Oh yes, it's her, the other one who was being killed by...a lantern.

"Not all cactus have spines," he says, eventually. "And yeah, I was. With that fucking lamp that was trying to kill us."

"Lantern. And I killed the fucker before it could kill us." Taking credit? Hell yes. With as much shit as the Physicalist manages to... well, break in the wrong way, she's sure as hell going to take credit for the few times things go well. Ish.

"Are you going swimming or something?" She makes her assessment of his outfit, gaze lingering for just a moment on that not-quite-visible tattoo. "Any of them got flowers? I mean... the cactuses without spines. Any got flowers?" Picky!

"So that was you," August says, a tacit admission that it definitely wasn't him. He sets the rest of the seed packets aside on a table. "I couldn't get her to fucking drop the thing. Tried, but," he shakes his head. "Thank you for that."

He moves towards a small display of--why yes. Air plants. Some of which look like classically spiny cactus, while others are odd tangles of long, succulent tendrils in mixes of ruddy peach and jade green. "Walking," he says. Presumably on the beach, because who wears Tevas literally anywhere else? (Well, he might, in all truth, but he's ornary that way.) He picks up a small plant mounted on a short chunk of tree branch and Spanish moss. It has long, thin leaves and a fan-like, bright pink flower. "Pink quill. Likes to be mounted on a substrate, so we sell them like this. You could put it in a pot with some moss, though, if you wanted."

"Jesus Christ, it looks like somethin' from Star Trek," she makes her assessment of the plant, extending a tattooed finger to touch lightly at one of the narrow leaves. "You said they don't die easy?" There's a sidelong look at the man, her gaze lingering perhaps a moment longer than necessary, before she looks back to her potential 'pet'.

"She... wouldn't let it go. I didn't know it was you who tried, but I... saw it. If I hadn't, I wouldn't've known to just turn the damn thing off." In other words? "It was as much you as me. Just... the order things went, you know?"

"Well in that case, I was happy to assist," August says, wry. Somewhat more seriously, he continues, "You were nicer about it than I was. I flailed, I was just trying to knock it out of her hand. Knowing my luck I could've set the whole building on fire."

He inspects the plant, meeting that sidelong look with one of his own for a second. "Yeah, air plants are fairly hardy by nature. Really, you'd need to overwater it to put it in any real danger. Just keep it clear of drafts and windows in the winter." He offers it over. "There's a few other kinds, if you want more than one. Some people make big displays." He nods, indicating a series of pots that have been hung with hemp rope to make a long line of air plant vestibules.

Lex takes the plant when it's offered, though she continues to regard the thing as if it might morph into something with teeth. In Gray Harbor, who knows? "I'm... really good at breaking things..." Her eyes narrow on the plant, almost suspiciously. "But alive stuff... I dunno. Things haven't been goin' so great with people, and God knows what would happen if I tried gettin' a dog or somethin'..." Plant in the next step. Right? That's in a program. Somewhere. Keep a plant alive... get a hamster?

"I don't think there is luck in Gray Harbor," she notes. "Or if there is, it's default switch is bad. It a gamble, turning it off. Felt like it was what I should do... but for all I know, it'd have sucked the air out've the room. This place is... fun like that." She tilts the plant a bit, as if testing to see if it will slide off its' gnarly little home, and then her eyes are back on August. Studying the man, much as she did the plant. A bit too openly to be considered polite, but considering what he's already seen of her 'social skills'...

August snorts a laugh. "Sure seems like most of it's bad. But not all of it, since you're in luck, I've already got one person I'm helping with the whole 'breaking stuff' thing." He gives Lex a rueful smile. "She started on some harder plants, though." He jerks his head at the table of specimens. "But there's plenty of replacements, if disaster should strike, and I can also just," he flicks one of the leaves of the pink quill Lex is holding, "make you the same one again, if something happens." He bobs his eyebrows, meets her overlong gaze for a moment before dropping it and shifting to the other side of the table.

"There's also this little guy," he holds up a pebble plant, "if you want something a little more funky looking. A real conversation starter. They bloom, right here on the centerline. Like a flower coming up out of a rock."

For a moment, it doesn't look like Lex is paying much attention to his talk of plants. But then he's dropping her gaze, and when he distances himself, she's letting her attention drift back to the plants. Her 'brows furrow outright at the sight of the pebble plant, and a narrow hand is extended to touch a fingertip to one of the unbloomed 'petals'. "Would this guy survive in a shop, do you think? Normal AC, no windows or anything. Don't know if I should be adopting anything that needs... like, a house."

August glances at Lex again once she's looking at the plants, but only for a second. Then he's answering her question. "Mmmm, these two need some natural light. Not a lot in this guy's case," he indicates the pebble plant. "House isn't needed, just a window. If you've got no windows, your best bet is everyone's friend," he reaches behind himself to gesture at a rack of variegated plants with long, thing leaves and tendrils dragging plantlets clear to the floor, "the unkillable spider plant. They'll even make dozens of copies of themselves, no need for me to do it. They flower, nice little blooms, white to green."

Lex's eyes turn toward the distressingly-named spider plant, and she's narrowing her eyes outright as she studies the thing. Maybe it's the name. Maybe she's spent too much time in Gray Harbor. Or would that be not enough time away from Gray Harbor? "I like the pebble one," she murmurs after a moment, dropping her gaze away from the hanging plants to regard the odd little... thing in the pot. "It looks all hard and shit on the outside, then there's a flower inside. It's the kind of shit they write songs about." A one-sided smirk at that, eyes still lingering on the potted plant.

"You think you'll have some around for a while? It may be hard to kill, but I doubt it'd like bein' dragged place to place."

August arches an eyebrow at Lex's reaction to the spider plant, amused. He nods, looks down at the collection of them. "Yeah. A lot of the cacti are like that--stubborn little bastards, keeping it all inside, but they're gorgeous when they decide to be. Just need a little patience."

He leans a hip against the table, nods. "Yeah. I keep the air plants in stock on the regular, they're popular with the college kids and in people's workplaces, so they sell decent. But," he nods at the table and its array of stubborn succulents, "you'd be surprised at how much these guys can tolerate." He gets a thoughtful look. "Tell you what. Since we didn't die in that museum, thanks to you," he picks up one, offers it over, "it's on the house."

Lex is setting down the Star Trek plant as August lifts Pebbles -- for surely that will be its name -- and Lex is reaching with both hands to take the pot. Carefully. Perhaps she is afraid of killing it? Some people are all talk. Others actually blow things up. Who's to say that a pot is going to be safe? "I..." she hesitates, pale eyes flickering from the plant and then back to August. Plant. August. "Would you keep it for me for a while? I mean... not out here, with the other ones, 'cause its gotta be used to being on its own. I could come check on it, 'til I got a good place to keep it."

"Sure," August says, without hesitation. He's no stranger to not having the most reliable or permanent of living situations. "I'll keep it in the office, put a label on it. That way if you drop by for it and I'm not here, you can still pick it up." He moves towards the register, sets the pot down and pulls out a classic white plant tag label from a basket stuffed with them. He takes a black sharpie out from behind the iPad checkstand and begins writing on the label. (The genus and species, the date.) "What name you want me to put on it?"

"Pebbles," she offers without hesitation, before realizing that he probably wasn't asking about the plant. She has the decency to clear her throat slightly, and she's doing another of the August-plant-August-plant look-betweens before she corrects, "Lex. L-E-X. That one's me." A half-smirk. 'Lex' is about as traditional as 'Pebbles', after all. "You gotta name? I'd call you plant guy, but the wood jokes are too much for even me." All offered in complete dead-pan.

And yet, August writes 'Pebbles - property of Lex' in neat, draftsman-like print. He has to stop when he's almost done so he can laugh without smearing the label. "Is this where I tell you I used to be in the Forestry Service, so I've heard absolutely every wood joke there is to make?" he says over his shoulder. He finishes writing out the label, sticks it into the sandy substrate with 'Pebbles'. "August. Roen." He turns to offer the plant back to her. "Lex isn't short for Alex or anything like that?"

His response to her mention of wood jokes earns an actual laugh from the tattooist -- a sound that seems to startle the girl herself more than anything. There's a lingering grin, the cheek piercings making it impossible to tell if those dimples are real or not, that seems as easy to chase off as it was unlikely to draw forth. "August. Roen." She echoes his name, and there's amusement flickering in light-jade eyes as she glances over the plant's label. She reaches to take the pot when he holds it toward her, and she's tucking it carefully against the side of her body -- lest it fall -- before offering him a tattooed hand. "Alexandria Falco. I swear, nobody'd even heard me called anything but Lex five years, then I'm back here a month..." there's a slight shake of her head, eyes rolling at some unspoken thought. "You go by August?"

August accepts the offered hand with a smile of his own. His handshake's firm and companionable; his hands are calloused from years of working with them in one way or another. "Eh, they can call you what you want to be called. I was just curious if it was a nickname or if your parents decided to cut to the chase." A wry smile at the question about his name. "Yes. Why wouldn't I, kids get taught how to spell and say it right in grade school, I've got myself an entire month, and any time the Roman Empire segment of a history class comes up they're saying it every other sentence." He spreads his hands. "Pretty good deal, all in all." He gestures at Pebbles. "I only gave it back in case you wanted to," a nod to the rest of the store, "look around a bit before you hand it back over."

"Well... only people who called me Alexandria growin' up were the asshole school teachers. A few people do now." There's a one-shouldered shrug, and her gaze drifts for a moment before flickering back to his. Smirking a bit as he notes the benefits of his name, then nodding, "August, then. I... yeah, I go by Lex." It's an odd topic for a flickered bit of confusion, but no one ever accused the girl of being normal. Finally, what looks like a steadying breath, and then her gaze is raised in an effort to catch his own. "You got a garage or somethin' where he could stay? The office is okay, if not... but it's real near the other plants. And I'm pretty sure I can manage to come see him when you're around."

"Mmmm. So instead of asshole teachers it's asshole former-school-enemies?" A brow goes up when he asks that, though August also nods, accepting her statement of a preferred name at face value. "Lex it is. Good to put a name to a face. I do have a garage, but I live out off," August waves a hand northeast, "that way down an unpaved forest service road. It's a good thirty minute drive." He tilts his head, looking thoughtful. "I know the guy who runs Steelhead Service Center. Right there on Spruce. You in that area at all? Then it'd be right there. Reticulated python to keep him company."

Lex snorts audibly at the mention of old schoolmates, and her expression suggests that it would be unfortunate, were she to run into any. "I left town pretty young. Oh, and I had black hair. And fewer holes." There's a smirk at her own expense. "I doubt they'd even put it together... the me then with the me now." A one-shouldered shrug. A 'brow is raised in curiosity as he mentions the garage, and she tips a look down said service road. And then there's the mention of Spruce. She comes just shy of not wincing at the street's name, and she's shaking her head. "I don't think Pebbles like snakes much. If it's easier, he can just stay in the office. Sturdy an' all."

"Ah." August nods. "Yeah...life can do that sometimes. You head out one person, come back someone else." He notices her reaction to 'Spruce', of that Lex can be certain. He narrows his eyes a moment, but doesn't ask about it. He's more interested in Pebbles disliking snakes. "What's not to like about snakes? They're perfectly well behaved, easy to talk to, not particularly messy..." He sighs. "Unlike geese," he mutters, shakes his head. "Office is fine, though. I'll keep him separated, there's some spots near the window where we don't have other plants." And if there's not, well, he can make some. Benefits of being the boss.

"Jesus. Geese and ducks. Swear to God, this town's bird population is out to kill us all." She sounds entirely sincere. A glance is tipped down toward Pebbles, and then around the office. A moment is allowed to tick by in silence, and then she's drawing a slightly deeper breath. "People snakes give reptile snakes a bad rap," she admits, snorting softly. More of a huff than an actual sound. "But I've known too many people snakes. Maybe Pebbles should just go back with his friends. If he's still around when I got a place, maybe I'll stop by." She's not looking at August anything, dropping her glance instead to her potted... almost pet.

August makes a low sound. "Fair," he says, of the people-snakes issue. "It's really not a problem to keep him in the office, though. Like I said, swing by when you've got a good spot for him." He considers her a moment, explains, "Taking care of plants is a thing I'm particularly good at," and raises an eyebrow to see if she's following his unspoken meaning as it pertains to Glimmer. "He'll do fine in there, until you're ready for him. You can come by and visit."

"How much of the time is that office manned by some kid who's gonna think I'm gonna 'put a round in'm'?" The last three words are offered in emphasis of her actual drawl. Too much time in the city. The bad part of the city. "You already know what I do. Like I said... I'm not doin' so hot with people right now. Don't think I'll push my luck." A pause, her gaze having gone somewhere distant. "You know, for Pebbles' sake."

August gets a look like somewhere in his head a light has finally turned on. "Right," he says under his breath. "Well, it's true only some of my employees are, like us." A small nod to make clear what he means. "So in that case." He reaches behind the counter for a set of keys, heads for the door leading out to the patio and its outdoor collection. "This way." He doesn't wait to see if she follows him, just trusts that she is.

They pass through the outdoor collection, lit by the approaching twilight in soft midsummer golds. There's an awful lot of kinds of plants in such a small space, all doing quite well. Between the far right and center green houses, around to the back of the property. "I can't really live around other people much anymore," August explains. "Even a place this size, it's better for me to be off by myself." Around the other side of the garden shop Lex can see the three big bucket trucks, all parked for the night. Where they're going lies just ahead of them: a fourth green house. Unlike the three just outside the shop proper, this one's quite small, glass paned, and doesn't seem to have a lot in it. To one side is a barrell pond; Lex can see a couple of small fish (guppies?) swimming in it. The gravel path leading to the green house is lit by little copper-topped, solar-powered lights, just now beginning to come on.

"This is my personal stuff," August says. He unlocks the door, opens it. The lights along the roofline's peak come on when the door opens. "Not quite as accessible as a garage, but only I come out here."

There's maybe a dozen plants all told, including a bonzai citrus of some sort, a pair of local orchids, and a couple of young Japanese maple saplings.

Lex is taking it all in as they walk, her gaze flickering across the unfamiliar structures and plants with thankfully little commentary. If he heard much from her at the museum, the young artist is not above negative critique. But either he's earned none, or she's opted not to share any. It seems more the former, really, for there seems actual interest as she looks around the new array of plants. After all, these aren't just... plants in a plant store. These are the ones he's put Out Here. And apparently Out Here is something different.

"Why by yourself?" Again with the bullseye questioning. "I mean... I just blew up half of the house I was renting a room at, so I ain't a stranger to the whole... not safe around people thing..." Her arm tightens slightly around Pebbles' pot, as if he may choose now to take the plant away. "Why you?"

August blinks at Lex. Then he huffs a laugh, shakes his head. "Jesus. No, nothing like that." He pauses, looking like something's occurred to him. "Though, a similar issue. People being injured's a problem for me. The more I'm around who're hurting, the harder it can be. And I've got PTSD." He looks at the shop's property, shrugs. "Don't get me wrong, this is nice. But any time I'm in town, part of me's somewhere else, and that place isn't good. I can handle it for about half the day. Enough to do this." He gestures at the shop. "That's about it, though."

He sees her grip the plant, and his mouth flattens. "Don't worry. I've actually got some experience, now, without people who have, ah, outbursts, let's call them. No judgment. It wasn't my house you blew up." He gestures inside. "Feel free to pick a spot."

Even as he gestures her inward, Lex is lingering just inside the entryway. Listening to his response, and finally looking away from the surrounding plants to watch him as he offers the explanation. "Hurt like... physical hurt, or any kinda hurt?" Judging by her tone, 'physical hurt' is only a small part of things. A very potentially deadly part of things...

Her 'brows furrow slightly at 'outburst', though after opening her mouth to counter him, that logical part of her brain seems to remember that it was she herself who told him about said ... incident. "Hadn't happened in years," she offers instead, her gaze lingering for a moment before she begins to pick her way around the various plants. Trying, it would seem, to find the right spot for Pebbles. "And it would've been just a few light bulbs if..." She pauses, her back turned -- likely intentionally -- toward the man. "Let's just say... don't hold somebody down when they say they gotta leave. You never know what'll happen to your dining table."

August doesn't follow her in; he stays put in the doorway, leaving her to explore the interior. He stares at a point on the ground, kicks a rock. "Both, honestly," he says, voice low. "I'm better about not...listening for it all the time now. But it took a while, to sort out how to do that. And in the mean time I associated cities with being in hell." He shrugs.

Of her incident, he says, "Try not to beat yourself up over that. It's not like we have manuals for this. And anyways." His expression darkens a touch. "Anyone keeping you from leaving when you want to gets what's coming."

"I... don't blame you," she offers after a moment, though the words are only offered after a resigned sort of sigh. "Stayin' away from people, I mean. It that were my 'thing', I'd probably move to fuckin' Alaska and never look back."

She crouches near one of the Japanese trees, setting her little labeled pot of pebble plants down on the ground. She doesn't stand immediately, lingering there for a moment with bare arms crossed atop her knees. "Yeah, well... it sounds like you've been around the block a few times. In this town, I mean..." She glances back at him, still crouching. "In other towns, stoppin' somebody from running out is the 'good'" -- air-quotes and everything -- "thing to do. They ain't figured out that that 'somebody' might turn into fuckin' Carrie without the pig blood..." There's another smirk, with more than a touch of self-deprecating humor.

"Do you get lonely?"

"Eh, tried that. Sort of--they never assigned me to Denali, but I'd have taken it." August leans against the door to the green house. "Went on the most distant posts still here in the northwest I could get my hands on. And it helped, but..." Another half-hearted shrug. "It wasn't all I needed to do, to sort myself out. Sometimes I think that's why I wound up here. It was time for the rest." He manages not to roll his eyes at himself for talking destiny and the like, just barely.

"Not sure it's the right thing to do then either." A quick lift of his eyebrows. He thinks over the question, shakes his head. "No, but I do think I got too used to being alone. It's taken me a while to not avoid the hell out of everyone. Just like anything else you do for too long, really. It becomes a behavior, then you have to unlearn it. That can be hard."

"... yeah. I spent the last seven years in the city. It... got easy, just bein' Lex, that tattoo girl. You... forget the worst parts about this place. I think we all do, when we go far enough. But then there's somethin'... we end back here." She stands again, Pebbles and his pot still in hand. Apparently, that wasn't the right spot. "Maybe we end up back here 'cause of each other." She's gone back to picking her way around his private greenhouse, probably seeing far more in his mind's eye than his little assortment of plants. "If we gotta be crazy, at least we can be crazy with company."

She's finally looking back at him, having found her way into the deepest part of the private greenhouse. Probably not all that distant, but still a... safe?... distance. "You'd probably want to avoid the hell out've me," she admits, tone wry. "But you don't have to."

August nods in agreement. "It got easy, hiding out in the middle of nowhere." He looks back out over the property. "Maybe. I hadn't thought of it like that. That it's not this place, but the people in it." He chews that over a time, staring absently. He makes a low sound, focuses on her again. "I'm not in the business of avoiding people anymore. Not unless they piss me off. And anyways--who says I can't take care of myself." He smirks, gestures at Pebbles. "Find him a good spot. I can stick around here if you want to call a ride."

Call a ride? Lex may opt against using social skills, but somewhere under all of that ink, they exist. And 'call a ride' is a pretty good indicator that Pebbles needs to find a home pretty soon here. And so she's crouching once more, near a bonzai plant, to set down her potted pet. "Thanks," she offers after a moment, straightening to her feet, and wiping needlessly at her thighs. It's not as if she actually touched dirt. It just... seems to be the thing to do. Green stuff everywhere. "For the plant, I mean. And..." A tip of her chin to gesture to the surrounding greenhouse. "Sorry if I kept you. Don't need to call anybody, was planning on walking anyway." She's starting toward the doorway that he's lingered in, pretending as if she hadn't already memorized the details of the plants that she's examining as she makes her way there. Eyes down. Check.

August shakes his head. "Not a problem." He thinks of his conversation with Eleanor from earlier in the day, makes a face. "We'd be dead or a lot worse if not for you. Giving you a chance to find a good spot for that's the least I can do." He makes no comment on her preference to walk; after all, if she blew up half of a house, not much is going to give her trouble in the few blocks back to town proper, or wherever she's off to.

He locks up behind them, leaving Pebbles to his new, and hopefully temporary, home next to a bonzai.