EVENT: A Certain Confession

[joybound]

Who: everybody!
When: Day 16, evening
Where: wherever you are

[As the sun sets and the new stars come out, there's a message on the ChainChat app. The username is new -- it's not The Construct, but it also doesn't have a profile attached, and doesn't accept private messages. It appears to be some different admin account.]

★: Hi everyone. Good news and bad news here. Good first: you should find your new train car attached as of this message! You guys wanted a garden, so hopefully you'll like this one.
★: As for the bad news: we're having a bit of a problem generating positive energy, so from now on we're adjusting the whole "sparks of light" thing. Starting tomorrow, you'll only get a payout when you consciously make a decision to increase your bonds. We're talking about increasing prices, too, but... one thing at a time.
★: Sorry for the bad timing.

[There's a pause, and then a follow-up.]

★: There are some things I ought to explain now, but I'm not sure where to start. Just be aware that things might get rougher in the future. And that Trials... I might've lied a little about those.
★: I'm sorry. This wasn't supposed to happen. Please try to hang in there.

[It's not a cheerful message, but on the upside, there is in fact a new train car at the end! On the outside it looks like one of the communal cars, with a stylized flower symbol on the door. Inside, however, it's a huge greenhouse. There are several different "rooms", each about 50 feet square, aligned to different climates. It also comes with various basic gardening tools - trowels, gloves, etc -- and enough seedlings to get started growing flowers and veggies. There's always (artificial) sunshine coming down through the glass roof, and the soil in the beds never loses fertility. There are even benches here and there -- it's not only a practical facility, but a nice place to relax!

More seeds and seedlings, equipment, and decor, can be bought via the sparks shop. You may in the meantime assume any simple plants you want are provided -- but they won't be re-issued for free if you kill them!]

[OOC: You can use this toplevel to reply to the prince's chat message. He'll respond for a limited time, but you can use this opportunity to uncover some major plot info! You're also more than welcome to talk to eachother -- it's a chat room and the conversations are public. The changes to the sparks system are outlined in this OOC comm announcement. Thank you!]

Comments

[desirestruth]

[Sorry, she only halfway read the messages before immediately heading for the new car. As it is, she's writing down inventory of the rooms before starting work on planting flowers. She seems to be currently working on a bed for roses, but she's picked out some other seeds for further beds.

She is hilariously overdressed for this and getting dirt all over herself and her fancy clothes but she is happy as a clam. Or a jackal, more accurately.]

[nihilmancy]

[Wandering the garden, idly observing which sort of plants are available.]

Two points: Those are not clothes for gardening, and when are you returning my wine?

[desirestruth]

They're perfectly fine for this, and you can get it at any time. It's simply on the top shelf.

[nihilmancy]

Good, I've been thinking of trying it with hallucinogenic mushrooms next.

...Do you think that we could grow those?

[desirestruth]

I'm not going to.

[Blunt.] I don't want to put potentially poisonous thing in a communal garden. Besides, this place gets far too much sun for mushrooms.

[nihilmancy]

It was a joke. I'm not going to mix things like that, I was simply remarking on what appears to be my new reputation.

[desirestruth]

Is it a reputation if it's just one person, Hlasoh?

[She's continuing on her planting while she talks, only now and then picking up her chain to respond to the Prince. She doesn't look outwardly angry...but then, she wasn't around to hear any of the Prince's initial words, anyway.]

[nihilmancy]

Don't look down on me.

...And fuck that guy. Seriously.

[desirestruth]

You know, for all you assume I do, I've never once looked down on you?

[She sighs, and shrugs a little, methodically planting the roses around the bed. She is setting it up so taller growing bushes cluster at the center of the bed, to short, squatter bushes around the outside. She thinks it'll be a pretty effect.]

...He seems like a child.

[nihilmancy]

I suppose it's just that monarchical nature coming out.

[She examines the arrangement, nodding. She likes flowers and pretty things.]

That will look nice. I suppose I'll have to involve myself in this.

I've met him. He didn't seem to be taking this business seriously enough, he was all smiles and jokes.

[desirestruth]

I mean, he seems literally like a child. A teenager, maybe. Unprepared for the responsibilities of a crown.

[She pauses in her gardening, and then hands Hlasoh some seed packets. Flowers, mostly, with some flowering herbs.]

You'll have to till beds first, but pick some you like. They are labeled. I'm not sure what colors of roses we'll get, yet.

[nihilmancy]

[She looks at the packets, musing.]

Chrysanthemums. And Irises. Those were- no, never mind. I just want them here. And basil too.

[She has a Look on her face, a soulful, sorrowful, determined look that brooks no disagreements.]

[desirestruth]

Basil and other herbs should be kept in a different room, so we can harvest them easily for cooking. But there shouldn't be any problem with that.

[She is considering these choices as she gets up from the rose beds, dusts herself off.]

...Chrysanthemums and snapdragons in one bed, irises and narcissus in another. They'll pair well, help each other grow. And we can add more colors later.

[bowtiedbones]

Need any beds tilled? I can get you some helpers.

[are her helpers her dragonwolves, of course]

[desirestruth]

If you can till the next two beds over--

[She gestures to the ones next to the ones she's claimed for roses.]

That'll help. I'm thinking nasturtium and hibiscus?

[bowtiedbones]

Okay! I know hibiscus since that's in some teas, but what's nasturtium?

[desirestruth]

An herb with bright red and orange flowers. Both the leaves and the flowers are edible...I have some seeds here.

[pointing to some of her packets.]

I feel like I should let the teams themselves decide whether or not to plant their namesakes, but we have seeds for those, too.

[bowtiedbones]

Thyme is a kitchen herb, right? I wouldn't know how to grow it, but if anyone cooks they might want that growing.

[desirestruth]

Thyme, ginger, hazel, and licorice are common in cooking. Clovers, jasmine and senna are herbs...Jasmine wouldn't be planted in beds like this anyway, as it's a vine.

But I felt it might be a little awkward to plant them on my own.

[bowtiedbones]

I probably shouldn't speak for Thyme, but I don't thiiink anybody would mind if you planted it? Honestly some of these I only know are plants because otherwise they wouldn't match the other teams.

[desirestruth]

If you're certain.

[A pause.]

...Hm. We should pick a different room to grow herbs in. Perhaps start tilling the next one over? We'll have to build trellises for anything that grows on a vine.

[bowtiedbones]

What about growing them in the kitchen? If they're going to be used in food!

[goes to sit next to the indicated plot, clapping her hands for her dragons' attention]

[desirestruth]

They'd get into everything. And there'd be no way to guarantee they'd have enough sunlight and soil nutrients in the kitchen.

[Well, she's finishing the roses and heading for the next plot to plant, so progress!

She is hot and sweaty and really wishes she had enough magic back to just manipulate plant growth right now.]

There are enough rooms here, it'll be fine. We just want to keep certain uses together. Vegetables, berries and tubers, herbs, flowers. [A long pause.] Poisons should definitely be roomed separately.

[bowtiedbones]

[drumming on the ground to hype up the dragons, who are MORE than happy to start tearing into the soil. digging is the BEST THING.]

Um. Do we need poisons?

[desirestruth]

Many poisonous plants often have medicinal properties.

[She lets that float there a little while, before she speaks again.]

But it'd probably be a little irresponsible.