[OPEN] gardening & sewing log for your domestic cottagecore needs

[eidxiety]

Who: Ain & You
What: Gardening + new tailor shop log
When: A day or two after everyone gets back from the Grove... people might be dying in the log under this we'll deal with it
Where: The Grove
Warnings: None, this is a peaceful and happy log-


I. - The Tailor Shop Prompt

[The Grove has a new shop when everyone returns from the beach. It's little, the outside sign woven with wooden motifs of leaves and carved text reading "NEEDLE & THREAD", and the windows having displays of mannequins in them, one of which has only fabric draped around its neck and the other which Ain is using to sew a dress. He's also wearing his own as he does this, ten different bobby pins in his hair to keep his bangs out of the way while he works.

Although he looks busy, shuffling about to get the display set up, he'll cheerfully greet people who come in and ask if they want anything done. He doesn't have anything premade yet because this place just opened, but he's happy to take requests — or sew something up, if you need it.]

II. - The Gardening Prompt

[After the tailor shop is fully set up, Ain can be seen walking around in short overalls with a ton of gardening supplies. Flower pots, seed packets, a toolbelt filled with gardening tools he got from Heimr... he has thirty-six packages of seeds, three each of any one type of plant, and he looks overjoyed digging in soil. He has become a Dirt Boy. Which is to say he has somehow gotten swipes of dirt on his face. If you want to help, or just stare at him, you can find Ain either:

a) futzing with flower pots and hanging planters that he's trying to get hung up on the awning of the tailor shop and on the other buildings, once things get planted; and he specifically tells you that the cacti need to be planted in large pots because they grow out too, not just up, and can you help him reach this and that or move this big heavy cactus flower pot over there?

b) digging holes into the actual ground, but not near the sunflowers so he doesn't harm them by accident, around the various buildings. Here is where he's planting lilies and frangipani and a bunch of other flowers, watering the spots the seeds are buried where they immediately spring to life thanks to him asking Moder to make them grow faster earlier. The Guardian herself is lingering in the distance supervising like a mom at the park.

c) Of course, if you didn't want to help with the process of planting things, you can find Ain a few hours later making flower crowns from the lantanas and lilies.]

[[ooc: if it's helpful to anyone wanting to garden, this is the full list of plants bought: cactus, aloe vera, lilies, frangipani, wisterias, fuchsias, begonias, hydrangeas, poppies, lantanas, calendulas, & gardenias. have fun planting plants :) ]]

Comments

[eidxiety]

[Why is everyone so sad :( it couldn't be because of the divorce arc and the INCOMING DEATH PLOT could it be :(

He does look different, and Ain cheekily comments on it as he tries to reach up and steal Livio's hat playfully, sorry—]

Mr. Giant, you cut your hair!

[And then he puts the hat on. Livio can easily take it back if he wants, though.]

Haha, if you could move it right here to this sunny spot just to the left of the tailor shop window, that would be great. In winter, I'll bring it back inside so that it doesn't die.

[livlaughlove]

... Sure did.

[which, like. it made sense to at the time, but he still kinda wishes he hadn't.

anyway, he isn't complaining about ain yoinking the hat. maybe if he didn't know him, but he's comfortable enough with ain to know it's probably affectionate. he's already hauling the pot over to his specifications.]

I'll be able t'handle that for ya, y'know.

[eidxiety]

[It's definitely affectionate, Ain simply steals things other people wear. This is now his hat. :) (He will give it back later.) Rather comically, his cowlick is poking out of the end of it, sweeping up toward the brim.]

Oh? Well then, I'll come find you in winter. Mr. Priest was telling me that where you're from, you have only sand and hot. Have you seen snow before?

[Ain doesn't realise Livio was here, y'know, last winter. As they talk, he's shuffling about to put more soil in more pots.]

[livlaughlove]

[the cowlick... cute. maybe livio will notice as he walks back over, even smile a little bit.]

Yeah. That beach, minus the water, o' course, was closest to No Man's Land as we got around here. 'n yeah, it was the dead o' winter when I arrived. Just about froze my tits off.

[eidxiety]

Oh, well, I'm glad they're still attached!

[oh my god Ain this man is Depressed now's not the time to comment on his tits—]

You must not have been used to it. Did you do anything fun, though? Like build a snowman?

[...nearly falls over with this bigass bag of soil in the meantime. Whoops. It's okay he's fine he's got his planters filled.]

[livlaughlove]

Yeah? Me too. [because his body is already freakish enough, thanks.]

Not at all. Desert gets cold at night, but not that cold.

[he sees ain struggling and shrimply trudges over to lift it clear out of his hands. stronk.]

Nah. Some snowmen tried to kill us, though. 'n Vash 'n I had a snowball fight -- not the deadly sort.

[eidxiety]

[!!! Livio is so stronk!!! Ain also wants to be picked up—

He relinquishes the bag freely on account of having no say in the matter. He will politely indicate where he wants it put, though, since Livio is helping.]

...do you... normally have deadly snowball fights? Or...

[Please explain,]

[livlaughlove]

[a loud THUNK as he plops it down in the right spot! then livio rubs the back of his neck, not considering -- or caring about, really -- the dirt that he smudges there. they can be covered in muck together!]

Oh, no, I just mean I felt like I shoulda specified, what with the evil snowmen 'n all. An' the fightin'. Vash ain't like that. [and now he's rambling. just gonna shut up now.]

[eidxiety]

Mr. Plant is very nice, it's true. A lobster pinched his nose when we were on the beach and I'm pretty sure he was just gonna live like that if I didn't rescue him.

[Ain giggles, and then crouches down to start planting seeds that go in the various pots. There's a certain spacing he does between each, a tiny hole made with his fingers as the seeds are dropped down.

...]

Come here, Mr. Giant. Plant these with me!

[livlaughlove]

... Yeah, that sounds like Vash.

[he watches ain, but doesn't think to actually, y'know, include himself in the delicate work until he's invited. at which point, he readily kneels beside ain and mimics his actions in the next pot. press a hole in the soil, plant a couple seeds, repeat.]

What'll these be?

[eidxiety]

These will be aloe vera. It's a succulent, like the cacti. They can get pretty big, and you can break them open to get a compound that soothes sunburns from them. It's kind of sticky and gelatinous. Oh, and you can eat them!

[Just maybe don't eat them totally raw unless you like things that taste like unflavoured gelatin. Or do. I'm not your dad.]

[livlaughlove]

Oh! I've used aloe vera, but never actually seen the plant itself. [explaining how they produced goods back on no man's land is... a whole thing, and he doesn't want to distract ain from his careful work.]

Y'think they'll be full grown soon?

[eidxiety]

[It's okay, Ain got the rundown from Wolfwood.]

I do! I asked Ms. Moose Monster to make them grow quickly. It's not the same as spending time growing them yourself over a number of years, but I think, considering the beach... we might want it.

[You know, since they can just go to it whenever they want. Someone is going to get messed up eventually.

Ain reaches for Livio's hands, though, and then gently holds the backs of them to manoeuvre them over the soil and cover the holes where the seeds are. Once they're covered, he lets go, only to put a small watering can in Livio's hands next.]

When you water them, they'll spring up from the soil fully-grown.

[livlaughlove]

[forget livio trying not to distract ain -- ain very effectively distracts livio. yeah, he knows how to move a pinch of dirt, but does he know how to avoid gay panic when a cute boy holds his hand? the answer may surprise you!

thankfully, though, he doesn't actually have time to embarrass himself. he's red as hell, sure, but at least he didn't say or do anything ridiculous.

except for just about instantly watering them when handed the can. no, he did not learn from the sunflowers. no, he does not know that aloe vera is pointy. he is just doing exactly what the cute boy asked him --]

[eidxiety]

[Hehe... Mr. Giant is cute... and that aloe vera plant is about to totally ruin the moment by springing up rapidly and trying to stab both of them. Turns out aloe will hurt a little if it pokes you very fast in the cheeks/arms/neck/chest area. Ain barely manages to duck back with a laugh; aloe plants can get pretty massive, and he has to brush some of the thick leaves aside so that he can make sure Livio didn't die from a succulent.]

Haha, I'm sorry, I should've told you to back up a bit first. You okay?

[livlaughlove]

[he maaay have gotten poked with a prickle or two, but he is trying to remove the offending... uh... leaves? very delicately so he doesn't damage them.]

Shit -- I mean -- shoot -- that's my fault. I shoulda known better.

[actually. he blinks up at ain and stumbles to his feet to get a good look at the smaller man.]

Aw, hell, did it get ya? I'm sorry, Mr. Ain, don't know what in the world I was thinkin' --

[eidxiety]

A little bit, but that's okay. [There's a tiny scratch on his cheek, more from velocity than anything. Turns out plants can hurt you if they suddenly move at lightspeed.] Trust me, I've had a lot worse than just getting poked by a succulent before.

[See: His like 6 death scenes, it's fine.

Since Livio is standing up and being tall, Ain does the opposite and flattens himself out in the grass, staring up at him and grinning. The hat he stole has to be taken off as he does this, so he offers it back to Livio from where he's sprawled out.]

Ahhh, it's my fault, since I didn't warn you how fast it happens. Don't worry about a thing.