2020-03-02 - A Discussion of Gnomes and Trees

It's a blustery, late winter day, the weather stubbornly clinging to snow conditions. August is unimpressed by this, since it makes for a lot of reschedule tree work, but it does mean he's having no trouble moving his winter-tolerant stock, which is at least something.

It's close to closing time per the winter hours, and the patrons are all gone. August has sent everyone else home, so he and Ciprian and Minerva can converse freely. He's in a black, merino wool sweater, snug fit over some sort of light gray Henley, denim jeans, and his heavy hiking boots. He's working on cycling in another shipment of bulbs to the big bulb display.

It is, indeed, unpleasant to be doing anything that involves being outside, and so getting inside as quickly as one can is the order of the day. That is what Ciprian and Minerva do when they get to August's, the former opening the door and letting the latter inside so that he can shut it again in short order. "If we ever move away, it's going to be to a tropical island," he comments to his sister as they step inside, "or a desert."

That announcement made, he turns to look around, and it doesn't take him long to spot August. "Hi," he says, lifting a hand to the other man.

Minerva's got new scars on her face, but, that's probably from the stupidity with the explosion that happened. The one eyed woman is dressed in what she normally wears, a black knee length dress, and boots. The stockings she wears are green with little bats on them. Her jacket is on over it and her hat is on her head. "Desert sounds nice. I could give you the spiders to take with you." she muses.

Then she's heading up with him to the shop, "August." she offers with a red lipped smile. "It's good to see you." she tells him.

August raises his chin at Ciprian and Minerva in a greeting. "Hey you two. Thanks for coming by." He sets the box of Golden Goddess amaryllis aside, pauses when he sees the new scars on Minerva's face. A small wince for those, and he glances aside. He looks like he desparately wants to say something like 'you know I can heal stuff so it won't scar, right?' and just barely manages not to. (Which is all Alexander's fault.)

Instead he forces himself back to levity. "Deserts aren't all they're cracked up to be. Ever gotten in a car with black pleather upholstery on a 106 degree day? No thank you." He nods at the office. "Chairs are in here. Can I get either of you anything to drink? I've got tea and coffee in the office, or pear cider if something cold's of interest." He doesn't look like he thinks it will be, but who knows.

"I have to admit that I haven't," Ciprian replies with a little chuckle. "It does seem like a bit of an unreasonable choice of interior for the desert." He looks around briefly at the surroundings with interest, before turning back to August. "Nice to meet you in person. Coffee would be great, thank you." He looks back toward his sister, letting her precede him through the door. "I should bring my daughter here sometime to get a plant for the house. She's been saying that our living room is boring."

Minerva looks to the amaryllis curiously and there's a smile that blooms brightly on the woman's pale face, "Those are beautiful." she tells him. "And it's no problem. Ciprian said you wanted to ask him something." she admits. "I don't think I'd do well on a tropical island or the desert. I'm pretty sure my honeymoon is going to be either in Rome or Spain though." she muses. "Coffee is fine with me, August. Just point me the way." shes smiles to that. "And how have you been?" she asks him.

"Ashira probably wants to build a jungle in the house." she muses to Ciprian.

August holds the office door open with one hand, offers the other to Ciprian. "Good to meet you too. We've got plenty of indoor plants, everything from low light to full sun, easy care to high maintenance. Bring her on by and we'll get you set up."

The room is utilitarian in the extreme, with a couple of tall filing cabinets, a 50s chrome kitchen table with a motley collection of chairs, all second-hand but entirely serviceable and comfy, and a big, scarred, oak desk and matching office chair sits closer to the back of the office, with a tablet set up on it. There are potted plants all over: a spider plant which is getting a bit rangey; a string-of-pearls that's dangling clear from the ceiling almost to the floor; a Peperomia on the chrome table; and a collection of air plants scattered around various surfaces. Against the back wall is a minifridge, with a coffee and tea station on top, which is where he begins pouring out mugs for Ciprian and Minerva.

August shrugs at Minerva's question. "Surviving. Things have been rough. Kind of hoping ppring eases up, this has been a brutal winter." He smiles at the notion of turning Ciprian's house into a jungle, and no wonder, given all the plants here in the office. "Yeah, I was going to ask if he wanted to help us out on a problem in the forest, on the Other Side. And I was also going to ask, if you had time, for you to look into anything about the forest Over There, in general."

Ciprian shakes the offered hand, replying, "Thanks, I will. I know she'll be excited." There's another little laugh that escapes him at Minerva's assertion about his house, and he nods. "She would if she could. Of course, next week she'd want it to be something else, so I think we'll stick with one or two for now."

He follows Minerva inside, looking around at the surroundings with the sort of idle curiosity one has when entering a new space -- and there's plenty interesting to look at, too. He does take a seat after a few moments, leaning forward and resting his hands on his knees. He gets more serious as the talk turns to the actual thing they came for, his expression turning thoughtful, though for now he says nothing.

Minerva give a look around the office, stepping into it and there's a smile to August, "This is my older brother, but I'm guessing people know that." she muses. "And I think a nice member of the nightshade family would do her some good." she teases her brother. Then she's quieting to get coffee. "I should get Elazar a plant for his office." she muses.

"And sure, what's going on...over there?" she asks with a bit of a frown. "Everything seems to be going on out there as of late." she admits.

August brings over the coffee mugs, as well as the container of cream from the fridge and a shaker of sugar. Glancing around the office, he murmurs, "Oh, that's how it starts..." A small smile, then he turns and gets himself some tea steeping. (Mint, from the smell of it.) Then he settles on the edge of his desk, folds his arms.

"So. Yeah. I don't know how much of this is related to that...change, from a couple weeks ago." He glances between the two of them. "You felt that, right? How everything sort of...shifted?"

Ciprian's eyes narrow at his sister at her suggestion of a good plant for Ashira, though there's clear fondness there, as well as amusement. "That would certainly be a choice," he remarks a little dryly, but not without humor.

He takes the coffee then with a nod of thanks, taking a sip from it as he regards the other two from above the rim of the cup. The mention of the change gets a slow nod, and after a moment he replies, "Yeah, I felt it. I don't know that I could articulate what changed. I haven't done a lot of testing." There's another pause before he admits, "I try not to do what I can do a whole lot." Which is probably understandable.

Minerva nods to August, "Yeah, I felt it." she murmurs to him. "No idea if it's related to Billy's grave disappearing either. I had been going every two weeks to take care of his grave and another." she frowns to that. "Then it's just...gone." she sighs.

Then she looks to Ciprian and there's an understanding look to him, "I understand why you don't do a lot of it." she admits. Then there's a look back to August, waiting to see what else he wants to say.

"Yeah," August says in agreement with Minerva, his mouth twisting in a wry smile. "It sure did just up and fucking disappear." Is he bitter, that he cut down an aspen a good hundred and eighty years old for that bastard, only to have to up and vanish? Just a tad.

He nods at Ciprian. "Like she says, don't blame anyone for not making much use of the Art. It's dangerous, in and of itself and because of Them." He flexes his fingers. "I know I can...make electricity now. Couldn't do that before. And I can tell animals to do things. Not sure what else might have changed." A soft sigh, then, "So, the forest. I was trying some experiments, in seeing if things from over here could live Over There, what effects it might have, with plants. One of them was a grafting experiment--I took a piece of Sitka spruce and grafted it to a tree on the Other Side. Took Enzo Addington and Niall, a park ranger from Olympic, across to check out the result. And," he rubs the back of his neck, "instead of finding that tree, we found...gnomes."

Ciprian looks over to his sister, and there's a little half-smile at her words, though it doesn't quite reach his eyes. He turns back to August then, and he's quiet during the other man's explanation, though there's a very slight frown during parts of it. He stays silent, however, until the end, where his eyebrows raise in some surprise.

"Gnomes?" he repeats after a moment, as though he hasn't heard August right. "Like...little creatures?" Yes, that is what gnomes are, but it's surprising.

"It's why I don't let people heal me. When Yule and Isabella were doing that experiment with me...we could feel all of our old wounds that had happened with healing." Minerva frowns. "So no more. Unless it's dire." she nods. Then she's listening to August and there's a bit of curious look as he explains.

"Gnomes? Are we talking like...the Gnomes from Goosebumps, The roaming Gnome...the underpants gnomes?" she asks him. "I could hope for something small and sweet, but I'm sensing they might not be." she admits.

"Yeah, she ah...told me about that." August shifts uncomfortably. He's had some serious injuries healed; life threatening. Quite a few, in fact. So that would not have been any fun, and he can only imagine how it was for the three of them.

He moves to fetch his tea, adds honey and some cream. On his way back to his desk he pauses to hold a hand about three or so feet from the ground. "Small, yes. Sweet...no. Not even sweet looking." He grimaces. "They're arbivorous, can't eat anything but a specific kind of tree in the forest over there. Something changed those trees, they said, and the trees began attacking them." He sighs, sips from his tea to check the temp. Judging by how his nose wrinkles, still too hot. "Whether that was my graft, whatever changed, or something else, we won't know until we get there." He settles back on the edge of the desk. "I told them I'd deal with it, partly because we didn't acquit ourselves too well in the way of introductions, and I wanted to get the hell out of there."

Ciprian sits back now, settling his coffee on the table as he crosses one leg over the other. His frown deepens, and there's another look at Minerva, though he doesn't pry further into what she's said at first, even though it looks like he might want to. Instead, he looks back to August, and he takes in a breath, letting it out slowly. Not quite a sigh, but maybe a bit more audible than an exhalation.

"So," he finally says when August is done, "you were wanting someone to open a portal into the Veil, right? And then out again? I'm not sure what other help I could be when we get there. Riya's the knowledgable one in the family." There's a little smile there, laced with a little humor, though he does not seem to be joking.

"Oh that's terrifying." Minerva states with a bit of a wide eyed look when August explains the gnomes. "But they are puntable from their size." she nods to this. "So the trees are attacking and I suddenly think of the Wizard of Oz. Don't touch the apples." she frowns.

"So we need to assess the situation really before we can make a plan. Or have you guys been over already?" she asks. "And yes, what Cip said. I'm not sure if I can open a door or not, but could try." she admits.

"We need someone to open a door in, and back out. In's covered, but out, I've only seen a few folks who can do that. And, honestly," August arches an eyebrow at Ciprian, "don't sell yourself too short. I'm not expecting this to necessarily be a fight. I'm hoping we can solve it some other way."

Sipping from his tea--ah, yes, now it's drinkable--he says, "Very puntable. Very fragile. A good kick can easily kill one." He grimaces at this gruesomely earned knowledge. "And they like to pee on people, which seems to have a variety of effects." Like he didn't just say that, he continues, "We're planning on going in a few days here. Really, if you can just look into anything you have on the history of the forest, or if you've got any histories on the, well, weirder 'stories' of the area? That might help. Couldn't hurt."

The clarification of the portal going out gets a slow nod, and Ciprian glances at Minerva again, before he reaches up to run a hand back through his hair. "I can do it," he admits after a second, though there's certainly no sense of pride in what he says. In fact, there's a reluctance there, but still, he's here, isn't he? So he continues, "I've done it before. Not a ton of times, but enough. I can do it."

He lets out a little snort at the 'peeing on,' though, and says, "Well, I've been peed on more times than I care to remember, so at least I'm used to it by now. I did think that stage was past, but whatever."

Minerva listens to August and there's a soft 'huh' when he confirms they are puntable, "Don't wear good shoes. Old sneakers or boots should be fine." she tells her brother. Then she nods, "I'll go through the books and over any lore I can find on things. I'll give you guys something before anyone goes." she states.

Then there's a look to Ciprian and she has to cover a chuckle, "I mean, she doesn't pee on anyone anymore thankfully." she smiles to him. Thankfully she was older now. "Did the gnomes hurt anyone?" she asks.

August studies Ciprian a time, glances down into his tea. Carefully, he says, "It's okay, if you'd rather not. I won't lie and say I think it's going to be easy, or safe. I definitely don't judge anyone who steers clear of this business."

He coughs a laugh about the being peed on, sobers when Minerva asks that. "Unfortunately, they have. Enzo Addington. He, ah," August pulls a face, "didn't make friends, the first time we ran into them, so they came after him on this side of the border, making demands." He gestures absently. "Not sure how he's going to solve that situation, but again, anything you can find out? Who knows." A helpless shrug. "Might be useful. And, thank you, for looking. Even if there's nothing to find."

"True. Now it's just the occasional vomit." Ciprian still says it with a touch of humor, but he does sober himself a moment later, reaching for his cup as well. "I still need to think about it," he admits, "but I don't want you to be stuck there with no way back."

He takes another sip from his coffee as his gaze shifts between the two, and his eyes widen a bit when August goes on. "Goodness," he murmurs, but that's all he says for the moment, apparently taking his words about thinking about it to heart.

"Ah, Enzo. He didn't make a lot of friends in school either from what I can remember." Minerva muses. "But, I'm sure he's gotten better." she adds. Then there's a moment she's listening to August and Ciprian speak and there's a bit of a nod, "I'll see what I can dig up asap." she tells them.

"And I'm not sure if I can open doors out. I haven't done a lot of experimenting since things changed...and after the whole mishap." she frowns. "But I'll go if I can be any help on the other side." she admits.

August nods at Ciprian, indicating both an understanding of his reluctance, and his desire to not leave people in a lurch. Oh, how he can relate.

His eyes narrow at the mention of the mishap, and he tilts his head. "So, speaking of that. I've been looking at some of the things we received at the Christmas parade. And that soup we all got. For your experiment, did you do anything particularly different than you normally would? To put the nullifying effect...into an object, instead of," he raises a hand to gesture around them, "on the room itself."

Ciprian gives another slow nod when Minerva says she'll look into it. He doesn't add anything else, but he does appear to be still listening -- in fact, there's an intensity there as though he's afraid of missing anything that's said. The shift in topic has his head tipping to the side as well, another frown touching his face, but he doesn't interrupt with a question, letting his sister answer.

"I keep hearing about the soup, and I am dying to know what it does." Minerva admits with a bit of a smile. Though there's a bit of a head shake to August, "I don't think we did anything differently. I was wondering if the newness of the objects might have been what had effected things. So I was going to see if I could find an old toy or something to help with the next one." she admits.

August makes a low, contemplative sound, attention on his tea. Eventually he looks back up at Minerva. "Yule had an idea there. He said it might be that the item needs to...fit what you're trying to do. So, your dead zone, in a room? Maybe, an air freshener. Or a religious item you'd use in a room normally. Hell," he shrugs, "maybe a night light."

He finishes off his tea and sets it aside. "The soup heals people. And there was a pair of glasses I got a the Christmas parade, they disguise folks. So, those are all linked to what the item's used for without any power." A lift of his shoulder, less a dismissal than it is an invitation to keep these things in mind. He pauses, then says to Ciprian, "Sorry, just another thing we've been going over--after that nasty flu that went around, a few of us wound up with these...soup packets, that heal people. And then at the Christmas parade we got gifts that seem to have the Art," he gestures, "built into them, somehow."

The apology gets a shake of his head, and Ciprian waves a hand as though dismissing it. "Don't worry about it," he says, and a little smile touches his face as he says, "That's handy." He quiets then, but again it's obvious that he's listening, taking in what they're saying with an interest that is clearly more than just idle curiosity.

Minerva gives a bit of a thoughtful look, "Do you think the Archivist or someone in the...upside down version of City Hall had a hand in it or did they come from obvious people?" she asks August.

"I was actually going to see if one of her old baby monitors or something akin to that would work. So I think we're all on the same track." she admits. "But, I will gladly help in whatever regard. Other than research I'm getting used to have another person living with me." she muses.

"They're all marked as coming from a company called 'FCN'. No one's been able to find anything out about them, though." This time August's shrug is, in fact, helpless. "So Yule's been looking into the things we got, to see if it's something we can do. Because, honestly, that'd be helpful, to be able to...give someone something to heal them, you know?" So he wouldn't have to actually do it, he means.

"A baby monitor might be another good idea," he says. "But first, we have to think about how it's done. How do we put, say, a healing effect into something that someone can use? Store it, effectively? It's not quite the same thing as the room effect, since that's already something you put on a place. Yet, obviously, it can be done, because the soup works."

He rubs at his beard, shakes his head. "Anyways. I'm going over various things from that company--anyone who got the flu will have some of the soup. You might want to ask for a packet, if someone has one to spare, to look over. I'd love as many eyes on this as are interested." He includes Ciprian in that with a glance.

Ciprian smiles a little when August includes him in that, but he does say, "I'm interested, but like I said, Riya's the knowledgable one. I could try, but I've only really started looking into any of this." He trails off, thoughtful for a moment, before he continues, "That would be pretty amazing if you could do it, though." It's obvious he's thinking about the implications.

"I use a lot of Enochian based magic when it comes to wards and things. Glyphs and things. I generally will draw the perimeter out, but, with the knew ground I could try different things. Might need to slather something in blood to infuse it." Minerva states as she taps her finger against her cheek.

"I'll see about getting a soup packet from someone. And should I look into FCN as well? Just so we've got more people in on it." she asks. "And I do not miss that flu. I wanted to die." she shakes her head.

"That'd be enormously helpful," August says, nodding. "Maybe you won't find anything, but hell--maybe you will." He glances at the clock on the wall, eases off his desk. "Alright, I won't keep you two any later, I know it's been getting icy at night. Ciprian, it was good to meet you, and even if you don't come with us, please don't hesitate to ask any of us for help or just," he shrugs, "information."

Ciprian looks vaguely disturbed when Minerva talks about blood, but it's still coupled with the obvious fondness he has for his sister. He stands up then, though, and says, "Thanks a lot, August. It was great to meet you, too. I'll let you know for sure tonight." He looks down at his now empty cup, then back to him as he adds, "I might come back for more coffee, too."

Minerva is quiet as talks wind down, but she smiles to August, "Thank you for having us over and for getting us up to speed." she tells him. Then she looks to Ciprian, "I should have you and Ashira over this week so you both can meet Elazar and all that." she admits. "And I think I need to pull a bit of a study night." she adds as she heads for the door.