fandomhighdorms | The Garden, Monday Early Afternoon

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The Garden, Monday Early Afternoon

Karla had let her pick the place for where the healing was supposed to take place and, while her hotel room had the advantage of privacy, Zack wasn't the only one of them who wanted to be out amongst nature for as long as possible before heading back to Midgar.

So Ino had picked her old garden, the one that she'd planted ages ago, behind the stables.

She arrived early, making sure to get there before Karla did, and took her time wandering through the trees, eating a few chocolate cherries off the chocolate cherry tree and inspecting the pillow tree and the blanket tree (and thinking about that period of a few months, back then, that she and Zack had camped out here, since he couldn't bear to leave Angeal's sword in the locker) and all of the plants that she still considered hers in some way, despite the fact that it had been five years and counting since she'd seen them all.

They were still alive. Thriving, even.

Ino found that comforting.

[Expecting one, but totally open!]

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"Oh, it's been awhile since I was here," Karla said fondly, looking around. "I'd forgotten about the chocolate cherry tree. I wonder if I could splice a branch onto one of my trees at home."

She smiled at Ino, but for a moment her attention was wholly distracted by the garden and the feel of the land beneath her feet.

"Where did you get all these crazy trees from? Are they native to your world?" Karla knew about Fandom and about Midgar, but realized she knew next to nothing about the world Ino had called her own.

Ino always had been good about not talking about her home.

She grinned and popped another chocolate cherry into her mouth. After she'd swallowed, she said, "Catch!" and tossed one at Karla.

Deliciousness needed to be shared after all!

"And, nah, they're not from my world. My vision for this garden was completely different, but then this guy named Dor managed to spill seeds from his world everywhere and this is what happened."

Ino contemplated that.

"His world was way weirder than mine. These things pretty much grew up in minutes."

"Well, remind me to be sad that no one ever spilled crazy seeds in any of my gardens," Karla said, catching the cherry and devouring it quickly. "Mmm. Definitely taking a branch or two to try to splice. These and honeypears would make an amazing set of desserts back home."

Closing her eyes, Karla inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of living, green things. "I wish I knew if we'd be able to see one another after this," she said softly. "I'd happily take some seedlings home and keep them safe for you until you could have a garden of your own."

Yeah, she knew how long that would be.

A long, long time.

Ino tilted her head back to watch the blankets sway in the breeze before looking back at Karla.

"I have a box of seeds at home," she admitted, "that I've been keeping safe, so that when I plant a garden, I've got all the ones I want for it. Some of them ain't even flowers that are here. Some of them were too precious to stick here." Ino knelt down to pick a weed away. "Maybe I ought to send that box to you. You could plant them in my name or something."

Max was pretty much just wandering. Hands in his pockets, whistling tunelessly as he took one last turn around the island before he had to head home.

He'd forgotten how much he liked the place. He was going to miss it.

Ah. Well. That was life, wasn't it? He suppressed a sigh as he rounded the corner and spotted the garden ahead.

Ino had progressed to inspecting all the littler plants, so she was kneeling down when movement caught her attention out of the corner of her eyes.

She looked up, and then blinked.

"Centurion?"

His footsteps stilled, and Max let out a little snort of amusement. "Not for years now," he said, looking for the source of that voice.

His own eyes widened. "Well. Ino." He smiled slightly. "Been a while."

She brushed her hands off and stood, the wind tugging at her (ridiculously) long hair as she did so.

"Few years," Ino said, amused. "I hear that happens. And if you're not a Centurion, what am I supposed to call you?"

Yes, yes she could call him by his name, but that was no fun!

"Centurion is fine," Max told her with a chuckle. "Much better than what I let them promote me to." And hadn't that been careless of him?

He looked her slowly up and down, and not just with his eyes. "Tough few years, huh," he murmured thoughtfully.

"I'd give them all the care in the world," Karla promised. "Right now, the only garden I've given name to is actually a giant graveyard. I'd love to give give a name in a living tribute."

And Karla could make anything grow, if she set her mind--and Craft--to it.

"Maybe one day you could come and visit it," she offered. "And take new seeds home with you."

She made a face at him.

"That bad, huh?"

It was totally that bad, Ino, don't even try and lie now.

"I'd love to come visit," she admitted, smiling at the thought. Ino sat back on her ankles and looked at Karla. "I've heard a lot 'bout your world, but nothing that really makes it real to me, you know? Seeing your home would be nice. I'll see if I can get the box through to you. Portalocity hates Gaia though, so no promises."

It really, really hated Gaia.

Well, to be honest, she'd grown up well. And that hair was pretty incredible. In other circumstances, Max would be hitting on her by this point. But these weren't other circumstances.

"You tell me," he answered, eyebrows rising in challenge.

"Oh, geez," Ino said, rolling her eyes. Yeah, so it amused her. "I know it's that bad. Karla's going to fix it."

Well, Karla would do what she could, but then Ino was going right back into the same situation that had gotten her into this in the first place, so...

"What, all my stories of dragons and unicorns and witches made it seem less real?" Karla teased, reaching up to pick a few pillows and blankets that were properly ripe. They were going to be here for awhile, she figured they might as well be comfortable. "And if you'd like, I can call up Portalocity and rant for awhile. Supposedly being Doubleplusgood Platinum members has some benefit."

There was the noise of metal sliding out of leather from behind him.

Because someone was a troll, that was why.

Yeah. Max rather suspected that part. "And then?" he asked, sighing.

"Not that you need my advice. You're all grown up and stuff now." Not his student anymore.

"And then back into terrible messes," Ino said dryly. "Like you suspect, though you're trying hard not to lecture me."

It was kinda cute, in a weird way. She deserved the lectures.

Yes. Someone was. And had enough practice to be good at it.

Hearing that, Max drew on his aircrafting and spun far faster than a normal person, hands coming up ever so slightly into a defensive stance.

Then he relaxed, shaking his head, when he saw who was behind him.

"Maybe it's my old age," Max allowed, shaking his head. "Would you listen, anyway?" he asked, smiling slightly.

"I didn't even know they had Doubleplusgood Platinum memberships," she said, blinking as she wandered over to help Karla pull blankets down.

Then Ino laughed.

"You should totally rant at them. For me. And for Zack."

"I try to listen these days," she protested. "It just don't mean I'm going to change my mind 'bout anything, 'less there's a good point to the change."

Max nodded thoughtfully. "This thing you're going back to, it's worth killing yourself over?" Not risking her life. That was one thing.

This was something else.

Karla was there, holding the cinquedea Max had given her many years ago. She tended to use her bladed sticks in combat more than her old sword, but between Lucivar and Julian, she never had a chance to let her skills--or her sword--get rusty.

"Kiss kiss," she said, grinning at him. "I see you still have decent reflexes."

"It weren't supposed to be like this," she said matter-of-factly. "But I can't leave off it either, not at this point."

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The Garden, Monday Early Afternoon

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