April showers brought May flowers;

[hopticulture]

▶ WHO: Haru & Open
▶ WHAT: Community Garden catch-all
▶ WHEN: Catch-all for May!
▶ WHERE: Level 2, Lunatia.
▶ WARNINGS: None

COMMUNITY GARDEN
[Following her video post to the Network, the gates and shed that lead into the very-much Work in Progress community garden are open to the public. Anyone interested in renting a plot can find a sign-up sheet posted on the door of the shed HERE, and those who wish to spare their time helping a small rabbit move heavy objects are free to stick around and lend as much time as they care to spend.

A large cooler of water is set up on a folding table, and there's a cooler full of (vegetarian) sandwiches and other snacks. On the cooler it's scribbled in messy handwriting "FOR VOLUNTEERS ONLY THANK YOU!"

Haru can be found throughout the first few days wearing loose clothing and a wide-brimmed sun hat since there isn't much shade, moving items around that are clearly too heavy for her small rabbit body. She doesn't seem to be struggling though. Sometimes she'll take a break. Other times she'll appear behind random people, tucking any possible tails away to keep from knocking things over, asking for help with moving heavy items that are in fact impossible for her to budge, etc. She may be a rabbit, but she flits around the garden with the busyness of a bee.

During Iris she appears much different and even smaller, more vampire bat than rabbit. By then, much of the basic infrastructure has been established, so she can be found hunched over her plot of land readying seeds and starters for the summer.]



ooc: please feel free to toplevel and tag around with other characters. characters who are interested in simply helping with setting up the garden don't need to sign up. if there's something specific you want to hash out with Haru in particular, I'm available via PM or my plurk trashcats

Comments

[greenbriar]

[ He's watched the post and... not responded. Instead, Cardan just kind of shows up, very early in the morning.

He has a tail and, thanks to Sanguis, also a smattering of black scales over his body, covering his body in patches. He is not particularly dressed for gardening, with fancy silver-tipped boots, jewelry, and a heavy black coat over his white button-down. Based on his generally rumpled appearance, and the fact that he smells like alcohol, it's possible to surmise that he hasn't actually slept yet.

At least it's early enough that the worst of the heat hasn't set in yet, right?

Either way, he looks vaguely lost, and like he's looking for something, based on the way he's scanning the garden. ]

[hopticulture]

[well well well whose lost child is this.

ok clearly this is an adult and Haru, being as short as she is, isn't one to talk, but it's hard not to notice a tall male in all black, scales included, standing around looking all lost.

she probably should know better, but Haru is one who tends to throw caution in the wind especially when she's in her element, so she approaches him from behind. at least she minds the tail, but if he isn't careful with it she's definitely going to have to do something about it to keep it from knocking over any pots or planters.

leaning to the side to look up at him, her white fur is dusted with mud and clay from the bricks she's been laying down.]

Hello! You here to sign up?

[greenbriar]

[ He jumps, ever-so-slightly, having missed her approach. The tail, for what it's worth, does not appear to be in danger of hitting anything just now; it twitches against the back of his thigh before curling around his leg.

Cardan surmises her, his eyes slow to focus in the too-bright light. She looks busy, and... taller than he expected, actually, especially taking into account those ears. ]

You are the one who made the announcement.

[ And just who he was looking for. He smiles. ]

I'm Cardan.

I would like to help.

sorry for spamming around your posts, I hope this is ok!

[spah]

[It's only been a day since Dell signed up for a plot, but he had a feeling it'd take him longer to figure out what exactly he was going to plant. He had plenty of ideas in mind, but for now - hey. He offered to help, so he might as well do something while he's indecisive.

Dell steps up to Haru in the garden in a faded jeans and a pale blue button-up that almost matched his pants. His eyes are hidden behind dark safety goggles, but the older man smiles wide all the same.]

Howdy.

[He waves with the Gunslinger - a metal, artificial hand with skeletal fingers. True to his word, he's in full Sanguis form. His arms are doubly hairy under rolled-up sleeves, and he also had a large pair of Texas longhorn-esque cattle horns - something he should have accounted for when he volunteered to help.

Sure as shit hopes he doesn't knock anything over. At least Haru isn't in danger of that. Dell was already fairly short and stocky, but... damn. She really is rabbit-sized.]

Y'all, uh... said you need help?

never apologize!! it's always ok

[hopticulture]

[Even if he's of a short and stocky height, Dell was likely always going to stand an impressive height with Haru involved. She's busy putting together a compost bin, or...what she hopes will be a compost bin, when a shadow comes over her. Which, whenever a large animal was involved on a nice sunny spring day, was of the norm.

Looking up and behind her, she tips the brim of her sunhat a bit to get a better view. His artificial hand is certainly noticed though doesn't get more than a passing glance, and she smiles up at him. With a bit of a grunt she sets the plank of wood down and stands, brushing some of the soil from the knees of her baggy pants.]

Dell, right? [She puts her hands on her hips.] Yeah, I definitely need some help.

[She turns back away from him for a moment, nudging the wooden base of the bin she had been trying to hammer together with the toe of her shoe.]

I'm starting to think I should have bought one of those plastic compost bins instead of trying to make one from scrap.

ok cool <3

[spah]

[Dell is short, but he's definitely not dwarf rabbit-sized. Still, it's different to be looking down at someone who isn't, like, a child. He nods, tipping his own brimmed Stetson hat in greeting.]

Yes, ma'am. And you're... Haru?

[Not that it matters. She seems eager enough to put him to work. The mercenary tilts his head and circles around her to see what exactly it is she's working on.]

Mmh... nah. [He moves to kneel down, momentarily scratching at his beard.] Building somethin' yourself's always worth somethin'. You ain't got a hammer around? Fine if not. I brought some tools with. Boots work all the same, though.

[He reaches with his "real" hand - large and weathered from years of work - and pats his sturdy boots with a lopsided smile.]

[gynvael]

[ Volunteer is not something Geralt does often. That said, he figures the faster this thing gets set up, the quicker he can get started gardening. Which is also not something he thought he'd be doing, but given the utter lack of common and not-so-common plants and herbs he can forage in the woods, this is the next best option.

Besides, he's met Haru once before. It means he can go about this without having to go through any irritating introductions. Thanks to the video, which Geralt has learned to access (sometimes, not always successfully), he's come to the startling realization that Haru is a) not a rabbit with sharp teeth; and b) actually just a rabbit person. All the time, regardless of which moon is shining. Is he going to question that? Mm. No. Not quite. But it's good he found this out before seeing her in person.

He shows up at the garden with little ceremony, watching her for a second before speaking up. ] Need a hand?

[hopticulture]

[Geralts thoughts are exactly Haru's thoughts, which is why she made her announcement in the first place. The fact that she actually got responses had admittedly been a surprise, having been used to the gardening club in Cherryton being a club of one.

But it's good to know she's not the only one stuck here looking for more to do and looking to get her hands dirty by gardening, and as Geralt arrives, he's going to catch Haru in the middle of pushing a wheelbarrow full of soil over to a plot she had been working on.

The bricks are already set up in neat 10 x 10 square...one only hopes she had help with lugging the bricks over for set up (spoilers: she didn't!). The wheels of the wheelbarrow grind to a halt when she sees the silver-haired man, long ears poking through her sunhat perking up at the sight and sound of someone familiar.]

Oh! Hey Geralt. [And she's back to pushing the wheelbarrow. Or...she's trying to.] I was just about to fill a plot up with soil! You can --uh [struggling...to push the wheelbarrow...] hm. Maybe help me push this.

[gynvael]

[ Garden looks quaint, even with stuff not all in place. He makes his way over to Haru and takes the wheelbarrow. It feels a bit strange to be taking part in something he's always associated with those who have too much time on their hands: hobby gardens, meant for wiling away the hours and not for eeking out a living.

Guess he falls under that category now. He hasn't really needed to look for work since he's come here. ]

You've been here on your own?

[ He doesn't see anyone else, so she must be moving all of this by herself. For someone of her size, she's apparently hefting things far bigger than her. (He still doesn't know what she is, but he's thinking the answer isn't going to really answer much at all. So he doesn't ask.) ]

open to anyone that wants to poke her

[ragingnature]

[ Sanguis is over and done with so Persephone feels comfortable enough to be around other people again. She gathers up her supplies, the rose cuttings (initially intended for Hera’s garden) that are now growing into small bushes, and any other seeds and small starter plants she can fit in her bag and heads off to take a look at this community garden.

She looks around for Haru so she can say hello and get signed up.

Once she’s all settled in with a little plot she gets to work on sorting out the main garden, the planters can come later.

She’ll spend much of the day working, stopping only to chat with someone if they bother her or to grab a bite to eat. It’s nice to focus on gardening, she’s able to forget about everything that’s happened lately and just kind of let herself meditate. ]

[reachingfangs]

[ Renji volunteers his help at the community garden for no other reason than he's very strong and likes to flex. He's already moved aside a few hundred pounds of clay, large rocks, and hauled community tools back and forth. Productive and efficient, for all that he looks more like a punk who's here to kick down planters. He has two bags of fertilized soil on each shoulder, taking them to another section, when he twinges... something.

That weird tingling sensation again, a spike of some energy that had started completely unfamiliar and was now annoyingly recognizable. His eyes dart around the community garden, looking from plot to plot, until he spots... a small pink woman tending to her little slice of land. ]

Ah!! It's you!!

[ Not the best first impression, admittedly. ]

[ragingnature]

[ Persephone is completely focused on her work so when Renji comes over and shouts at her she jumps and lets out a loud squeak before landing on her rear. With a frown she pushes herself up, rubbing her backside as she frowns up at the redhead. ]

E-excuse me?

[hopticulture]

[They've said their hellos following Persephone's sign up, with Haru mentally marveling at just how pink this human (sorry, you look human, Goddess or not...) was. Following that though, it was back to work for her, sorting out her rudimentary blueprints for how she wanted the rest of the garden set up, with enough space for people to walk through and enjoy themselves just as much as it offered enough space for getting on your hands and knees and really digging in there.

By the time she feels content enough to wander and poke her nose into her new members' business, it's the first day of Iris, and the white rabbit stands a few inches shorter, sporting sharp teeth, a pushed up, squashed in nose of a vampire bat, and arms that look more like wings.

She casually meanders over, clawed hands clasped behind her back, and she leans over to watch Persephone garden in silence.]

Are those the roses you mentioned? They're really pretty.

[ragingnature]

[ Haru is absolutely adorable, even with the bat features, but Persephone has to remind herself that she's a person and not someone's pet. Luckily her hands are busy so she can't absentmindedly reach over and upset her. ]

Yeah, they've grown quite a bit in the past few months. This couldn't have come at a better time.

[ She turns her attention to Haru and smiles. ] Again, thank you for setting all this up.

[ Sure, she would have figured something out on her own but this was just so convenient. ]

open to anyone, just a long lost himbo that found food..

[boarishness]

<sub>[ Inosuke didn't know anything about a garden since he doesn't pay too much attention to the network, but he came across it by happenstance. He's curious, naturally, and wanders close because he smells food and senses the peaceful atmosphere of the garden with his weird.. you know.. Inosuke powers.

He can't read the sign that says for VOLUNTEERS ONLY, so he stands there in front of the refreshments table and tips his boar's mask up enough so he can simply eat. He eats fast and doesn't show any signs of stopping.

Without looking, though, he can sense someone approaching him and without ceasing to look at them, he speaks with his mouth full: ]</sub>

It's mine, I saw it first..!

[hopticulture]

[Said someone is a rabbit and said rabbit's name is Haru. So even as he refuses to look at her, gobbling down the supply of food she bought with her own hard-earned Chroma, despite not volunteering, she walks around the cooler he's digging into and closes it down just as he's likely reaching in for another sandwich or what have you.]

No it's not!

[boarishness]

H'OHHH??

_{[ Inosuke makes this godawful, nearly inhuman sound as Haru closes the cooler. He then proceeds to hiss (yes, hiss) at her. ]}

YEAH IT IS, BOKO-CHAN. I PUT MY HANDS ON IT FIRST.

_{[ what the fuck.. Boko-chan is the furthest thing from her name. ]}

arrives late for haru | during sanguis.

[disasdeer]

[ It's not long after he sees her post on the network that he arrives. He said he would come to help her move stuff, after all. He's the same height as normal, so this Sanguis didn't give him any additional height. However, it did give him those lovely curled horns replacing his antlers, and the weird combo of fur and wool in the same color he typically was. It was soft, though. Instead of his typical tail, it was that of a sheep.

Even though he wasn't bigger, he was still much stronger. So, that's why he was here. He sees Haru, and approaches. He's dressed in his typical relaxed fitting turtleneck and slacks. He's managed to keep himself form looking too ragged.

So, he glances towards her. ]

What needs to be moved first?

[ There's a lot he wants to talk to her about, but he'll start this casually. He's not sure what she knows or remembers. ]

fashionably late!

[hopticulture]

[She's peeling her gloves off for a bit of a break, weeding a bit around an area she was preparing for another plot. Whatever this space had been previously, it wasn't exactly used for much. Much of the trash she had taken care of the first day, but there were still a lot of prickly weeds growing in bunches all around the property she's yet to get to.

Seeing Louis approach, it takes her a second to recognize him through all that woolly fur and the curve of his horns instead of antlers. But it's only a second, and she smiles, one hand on her hip as she wipes her brow with her back of her arm.]

Wow, you really are a sheep. [She looks thoughtful, bringing her hand to her mouth for a moment.] I can actually use you for some weeding...I want to set this up to be a ten-by-ten plot, but I need to clear the area first.

[She hates pulling up plants, admittedly, but...well, that's the natural order of things. She heads toward the shed, motioning for Louis to follow.] Come on, I'll get you some gloves first.

[zunge]

[It sure is Iris now. Noiz looks much the same as he did the first time they met, like a human with rabbit ears on top. She, on the other hand... looks a wee bit different.]

...It sure is predictable you wound up as an Iris.

[That's quite the greeting. Hello, hi, miss bunny rabbit.]

[hopticulture]

[A wee bit different plus a wee bit shorter.

She's in the midst of planting a few flowers in a planter, taking a much-needed break from hefting brick and soil all around the gardens. The general structure of the garden, by the time Iris rolls in, is at least coming together while not fully complete.

She gives him a bit of an exasperated look at that greet, though with her vampire-bat-like features it looks more like a grin.]

...hello to you too. [GOSH. Turning away from Noiz, she pats the soil down around the recently potted flower.] Just what's that supposed to mean?

slides in

[respired]

[He never got her name, but he sure as hell remembers her face. He'd seen the post on his device; debated what to do with it. Probably she would prefer never to see him again. Probably it was selfish of him to do this, to come to her, especially in her own personal space.

But he can't stop thinking about the (wilted, now, and dried out) flower in his pocket.

He dresses as innocuously as he can: plain black shirt, jeans and boots. He has the sword strapped to his back, still, but it's a necessity.

On entering the garden, he walks slowly. He prefers not to touch living things if he can avoid it, and that includes plants--lovely as he found them in life. Once he sees her (or--someone very like her), he pauses.

Looms a bit, unintentionally.

Clears his throat.]

--Miss.

/STICKS LEGGY OUT you came

[hopticulture]

[It's funny just how much can happen in just a month or two in this place. Haru's pretty much forgotten about the attack; not intentionally, but more because for someone like her, life goes on and it's just too short to sit on certain memories if they don't do you any good.

Luckily, the garden is still very much in its up-and-coming state, where there aren't many living things around to accidentally knock into or kill. Haru is planting a few pansies she had brought over from her home, mostly to brighten up and give this start-up some life and color. She hums, patting away at the soil, and just as she goes to grab another to repot, a shadow blots out the sun.

She looks behind, and then up, seeing a familiar face looming over her.]

Oh...Hello. [She sounds more surprised than scared, smiling a bit awkwardly. It's hard to tell if she recognizes him, but he does seem...familiar.] Can I help you with something?

me arriving later than the day is long

[hotproblems]

[It's some nebulous amount of time before Lorenz shows up to Help With Gardening, or at least, that's what he... intends to do? He has, frankly, no idea what to expect; there had been a greenhouse at the monastery, but other people took care of that, and his family's lands are mostly farmland but other people took care of those too— If anything, he expects maybe some more sticks.

Does she need help with sticks? He can do that again. He's idling, mostly, casting a raised eyebrow at a familiar name on her sign up list as he just kinda hangs out by the shed until it looks like Haru has a moment. Hello, he's here to interrupt as politely as he can!]

Good afternoon! I thought I would stop by to offer my assistance.

[He's overdressed for it, because of course he is.]

being late and fashionable seems fine for lorenz

[hopticulture]

[Haru certainly has noticed Lorenz out of the corner of her eye! He's a bit hard to miss, being the blue (or is it purple??) haired, overly-dressed person that he is. But based on the way he's dressed, she's assuming he's here to sign up and move along.

Instead, he's still around. And when she's headed to the cooler set up on folding table for something cold to drink, she waves him over at his hello.]

Oh, you did? I thought you were just here to sign up! [Cracking open the can of...some fruity but refreshing drink...let's say it's strawberry flavoured, she takes a sip, flicking up the wide-brim sunhat she's wearing as she looks up at him.] You're...uh, sure those are the clothes you want to wear?

[because guess who was planning on trying to dig up worms after her break.]