2020-09-12 - Seeds of Trouble

It's a warm, comfortable day, and Branch & Bole is about as busy as it gets short of Valentine's Day. Thoma is teaching a class to allotment owners, all three bucket trucks are out at appointments, and Ully and company have their hands full in the shop proper. August is in the office, his arms finally out of their slings, but the right bicep fully bandaged in a wrap. Someone had some fun*.

The office also has a new addition: two mackeral tabby kittens in a small playpen stocked with food, water, a modest, enclosed liter box, and toys. They're both dozing on a large, piled blanket at the moment. Dressed in a simple black t-shirt, denim jeans, a green, blue, and black camp shirt, and heavy hikers, August is seated at his oak desk, working on orders.

(* it wasn't actually fun, in fact it totally sucked)

Devlin walks into the building taking a moment to look around and then he begins to walk towards August's desk. Good thing, he's not dressed in his work uniform.. clearly not that sort of business for him. He pauses as he notices the kittens and smiles. Then he resumes his way to the desk. "Hello August."

August glances up, smiles to see Devlin. "Hey. How's it going?" He eases back from his desk in a signal that he's not paying attention to the tablet anymore. His eyes flick up and down, noting that Devlin's not dressed for work. "Need some help with some plants?"

Devlin says, "I have some questions concerning a plant related topic from a.. different place. The kind that would best be discussed behind closed doors."

"Ah." August bobs his eyebrows, gets up from his desk. "Let's go into the greenhouse. No one's going to bug us in there." This does involve heading out into the shop proper, through the outdoor collection (where August gets stopped for a few questions), and down the path through the allotments. They pass the barrel pond and its fancy guppies, as well as Thoma's class. More than a few people give the wedding ring on August's left hand pointed looks and exchange whispers. August just as pointedly ignores them.

This is his personal greenhouse, so it's smaller than the larger ones up front, and not as full. Various specimens are arranged in groups, some looking like they're being nursed to health, others experiments of varying kinds. He shuts the greenhouse door, which affords them considerably more privacy. "So." He folds his arms. "What can I help you with."

Devlin says, "Well, the Doc mentioned that if I ran into something strange.. your one to consult, especially where plants are involved. I had a few adventures in another land. And was rewarded for my efforts. I am hoping you can help." He reaches into his pocket to pull out the seed packet. "I have two issues. One, truly understanding what it is I have.. and two, apartment life does not lend itself to good gardening opportunities."

August makes a low sound of intense interest when he sees that packet. "Well well." He glances around, manages to find a box of nitrile gloves to snag a pair from and pull on. Next comes a sheet of waxed paper that he sets on the work table; they're Veil things, who knows how they'll react to anything, much less random soil and plant matter from his greenhouse. Better safe than sorry.

As he does this, he says, "You'd be surprised. Thomas teaches an indoor and balcony gardening class in fall here, since it's all most people can do, especially in winter." He gestures for Devlin to open the packet. "Go ahead and set them on the waxed paper."

As Devlin does tend to carry a few things with him in his jacket, seeing your precautions, he pulls out gloves to do the same. "Never realized there could be a risk. Four seeds with in the packet. Possible medicinal properties." He carefully removes the seeds, "That one is what I was told is from what they called a shrouded maple. The bark can be used for a tea that can negate many poisons." He points at another, "No name, but it grows into a crawling vine. The fruits can be used for a paste that keeps a wound from being infected." The third, "This grows to either a succulent or shrub. The leaves may be useful for fevers. Not sure how." The final one, a bulbil, "No clues at all for it. There is hand writing on the packet.. but it is difficult to read. Looks like someone took lessons from the chickens that teach doctors how to write for a guess." He chuckles, "But there it is in a large nut shell."

"Mmmm, shrouded maple," August repeats, touching the winged seed carefully. He glances up. "Well, hard to say if there's risk. Just," his mouth flattens, "I fucked up kind of spectacularly, last time I looked into botany over there, so." He looks at the bulbil next. "Assuming there's a relationship from here to there, and there might be," he touches the winged seed again, "this is what I'd expect to come from an Acer. A maple. These," now the bulbil, "can come from a lot of things, from lilies to onions to agave. They form on the axilary bud."

Now the other two seeds. He bites his lip, picks up the wrinkled one. "A vine...so, maybe something like our pea vines. Lathyrus." He sets it down, looks at the final 'maybe a succulent, maybe a shrub' seed. He stares at it a bit, blinks and snaps his fingers. "Could be something like a palm. I've seen palms with seeds like this."

He settles his hip against the table. "So, two options. One, you try to grow them here." His eyebrows go up. "That could be dangerous. We don't really know what that could cause to happen. Alternatively, you grow them on the other side. But," he gestures, "we've got reason to believe that runs a risk of changing the other side. It's not like here, where you can 'act locally'. Over there, if you do something, you're doing it to all of there."

Devlin hmms, "Oh.. " He blinks a bit, "The person that gave this to me.. I talked to her about leadership and a little thinking out of the box. Even mentioned a book from here.." He takes a breath, "Well, hopefully that wasn't to shattering for them. As to these.." He ponders, "I have no good place for growing. And something the size of a palm or a maple, that could be difficult in an apartment. I guess.. how fast they grow is one of those.. guess things?"

August considers Devlin. "Was this in one of those...things of theirs? Where they pull you in and mess with you? Because...I don't know if those play by the same rules." His brows gather. That's something he hasn't considered. "I'm not sure if those are connected to the rest of Over There. I think they are, but, I don't know how." He sighs. "Less a problem, though, than if you just cross the border right here." He gestures out back towards the greenbelt behind the shop's property.

"If these were normal I could tell you it'd be years before the ones which might be trees," he indicates the winged seed and the larger, pear-shaped seed, "became an issue. These two," now the bulbil and the little wrinkled, golden seed, "would grow a lot faster but not so fast you couldn't move them." He winces. "But, these aren't normal. For all I know an inch-deep hole and a little water and they could get sixty feet tall with a one hundred foot root depth." In other words, not for an apartment.

He thinks a bit. "We could plant one over there, see what happens," he says, finally. "And if that's not a catastrophe, try again."

It is a moment before Devlin speaks, "Yes, they summoned a few of us for lack of a better way to put it. Kind of surprised it did not happen again yet. But there is a risk.. I guess we play the.. your knowledge and land with my seeds to work on this together then?" He chuckles some, "Who'd a thought.. I would be living D n D. So.. before we do this, anything else we should consider?"

August nods. "Sounds like a...Dream, some people call them." He doesn't sound convinced with is a reasonable description in the least, but here they are. "And near as I've been able to tell, what we do in those doesn't effect the Other Side like what we do when we just," he gestures with a hand, "walk across under our own power. Maybe it's another...country, after a fashion. Another plane." He scratches his beard, shrugs that aside.

"Well, a few things. Number one, as much as I just said anything we do Over There mucks with Over There--better Over There, than here. Which is why I suggest we see what planting one in the Veil gets us." He sighs, almost sounding wistful. "Much as the idea of planting one here is almost too good to pass up, I know in my bones I'll fucking regret it."

Devlin nods, "Sounds like an old ruined cabin to restore would be a great place to do this. But man.. if it is an environmental disaster.. could make pythons in Florida look like an inconvenience. So Veil, here.. and we roll dice. Maples common over there?"

"I haven't seen any," August says after a few seconds thought. "But, the trees over there aren't always like ours. They're more...tree ideas? Platonic trees? Not sure what to call it." He waves this aside. "Not a specific species, is what I mean."

He snappoints at Devlin, though the gloves somewhat dull the effect. "Exactly. A magical situation like Guam with the brown snake isn't something I want on my list of accomplishments." He gestures at the big sheet of waxed paper. "Feel free to wrap them in that, if you want--keep the package they came in safer."

Devlin nods, "I guess worth a shot. Coira said that I'll need to experiment. Seemed to think that people like us do it all the time. Let's avoid pulling a Guam or becoming like Dr. Mengele either." He then tears small pieces of wax paper for individual wrapping of the seeds before placing them in the pouch. "So.. we try the maple first and see what happens then for a guess. Take me to your portal?"

August checks his watch. "Not sure I have enough time today, but--"

There's a knock on the greenhouse door, and August moves on instinct, blocking the view of Devlin's seeds. He starts pulling off his gloves, too. "Yeah?"

Ully pokes his curly blond head in. He gives Devlin a bright-toothed smile and wave, then says to August, "Tomorrow's order of bulbs."

"Yeah."

"It's here."

August frowns, tossing the used gloves into a small waste bin. "What, now?"

Ully shrugs. August sighs. "Is the storage shed cleaned out yet?"

"Liiiiiiike," Ully waggles a hand, "forty percent?"

"Christ." August glances at Devlin. "Sorry. Need to go have a conversation with a delivery guy. And get space made for storage. Listen, look me up later this week, and we'll take that hike." Ully has no Glimmer to him, which would explain August's plain, coded language.

Devlin nods as he slips the packet into his pocket, "Thanks for the advice on what to do for my ferns at the apartment. Catch you later."