I Lived, Grinch! [open post]

[summerdude]

The first thing Magnus does -- with Alex's help -- after fully healing is board up the hole in the side of the greenhouse where the cheetah ran through. The second thing, once he learns the full scope of Dark (it's different at camp; he'd already taken out a ton of camp-appropriate food for when Galahad and Laertes couldn't make it out there, and so he and Alex have been fine on the eating front) is go to the greenhouse again to figure out what plants in there yield edible produce. (Also, he tries to scrub his blood off the table. It... partially works?)

Partly it's that he's still feeling weird after the whole affair. The season doesn't help, but he does feel closer to his own mortality than pretty much any point since he died for real the first time. Being around growing plants helps that. Mostly, though, it's because he doesn't want anyone to get, like, scurvy living on bushels of rice alone.

He doesn't want to overtax any of the plants, but some can be cajoled into fruiting. Right now, he's got his hand on a kumquat tree, and he's trying to convince it that it can speed up the growth process by a few weeks. Drosera is with him, 'helping:' she's found a dead leaf, and she's chasing it down the pathway between some plants. If anyone shows up -- either because they've heard of his near-death experience and want to check in on him, or just to hang out, or even because they're drawn by the way it looks like sunlight is coming from the greenhouse itself -- he'll be glad for the company.

Comments

[summerdude]

"Maybe?" Magnus tries to soak the summer back up into himself -- it looks like Aleksander might be disturbed. "Definitely at least since I died. I didn't know enough to try before that."

[temnota]

Aleksander raised an eyebrow. "Since you died? That was not an answer I expected to hear, I won't lie."

[summerdude]

"What, you don't have a lot of dead guys walking around with swords and growing tomatoes where you're from?"

[temnota]

"The Corporalki are considered the Order of the Living and the Dead and I know of one Bone Durast whose life work was reanimating skeletons but generally no, not so much," Aleksander answered, amused. "We do tend to leave the swords to the First Army. They get so upset without them."

[summerdude]

"I don't know what most of that means," says Magnus, cheerfully. "But I've been dead for like nine years."

[temnota]

"In my world, there are people who have abilities. We are called Grisha. There are different orders and the Corporalki deal with the body. They can heal or hurt - even change appearances if that's where their affinity lies. Durasts deal with materials," Aleksander explained.

He glanced at Magnus, hating that he had to squint but there was nothing to be done for it. "Nine years? How did that happen if you don't mind my asking?"

[summerdude]

Magnus flaps his hand. "There was a thing with a fire giant. We both wanted the same sword."

[temnota]

"I see." There was surely much more to the story then that but Aleksander had the impression that Magnus didn't want to talk about it. "So you died and then... got back up again?"

[summerdude]

"Well, no, my valkyrie took me to Valhalla first."

[temnota]

"Valkyrie? Valhalla?" Aleksander repeated the strange words curiously. "What are those?"

[summerdude]

"The women who reap the souls of the glorious dead and one of the places where they take 'em."

[temnota]

"I understand now," Aleksander said thoughtfully. "In Ravka, the dead are said to go to the Bright Lands where they are met by the Saints. Whether that's true or not, I don't know. I doubt it but I have a different perspective then most when it comes to Saints."

[summerdude]

"Sure. That, uh, maybe lines up a little," Magnus says.

[temnota]

"So you were fighting the fire giant, you died and your valkyrie took you to Valhalla," Aleksander said, trying to understand the sequence of events. "And then what happened?"

[summerdude]

"And then I was dead. And could grow things." Sorry, Aleksander. Magnus has put together two and two and figured out that you're the person Nina mentioned in vaguest terms a few months ago, and since he hasn't gotten any updates one way or another, he's proceeding with wariness.

[temnota]

Something clicked into place for Aleksander. "Was that what you were doing when I came in? Growing tomatoes?"

[summerdude]

"Um, yeah?"

[temnota]

"I did not realize at first," Aleksander said. "I had thought you were... calling the sun."

[summerdude]

"No, summer," Magnus corrects.

[temnota]

There were more questions Aleksander wanted to ask Magnus - what exactly did summer entail, what Valhalla was for asides from a place for the dead, the sword that he and the fire giant had been fighting over - but he thought if he stayed any longer, his head would split from all of the light.

"Now I understand," he said, trying not to sound as pained as he felt. "And I will leave you to it. I wish you luck."

[summerdude]

"Sure thing," Magnus shrugs. "Hey, want a tomato to take with you?"

[temnota]

Aleksander blinked. "Why not? In these times, I would not say no to a fresh tomato. It will be a pleasant change from the beans."

[summerdude]

"Here." Magnus picks one and tosses it to him.

[temnota]

"Thank you," Aleksander said as he caught the tomato gracefully. He bowed his head then turned to leave.