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

[onthewillowsthere]

It's been one of the few mornings where Galahad got up before Claudius and was able to make him tea first; those are always rare, and in Dark even rarer. It felt good to be able to do that.

He knows Magnus is in the greenhouse, because Magnus told him about it a few mornings ago, when he came into their room and sat on Galahad's feet like a large cat and talked at him until he was able to get up. Magnus is making his very own one-man farmer's market. He's Produce Guy now.

Galahad lets himself into the greenhouse quietly and just stands in the radius of Magnus' warmth for a few minutes. He's always so cold (recently Claudius brought a little table into their room that has some kind of warming machine in it, and when he feels incapable of doing anything else Galahad settles under the blanket of it and reads, or stares into space). Then he makes himself move, until he's at Magnus' side.

"What kind is that?"

[summerdude]

Magnus is back on the kumquats, since they seem to be pretty good about producing, actually. "It's a fruit," he says, reaching automatically to give Galahad a side hug. "Citrus, but you eat the whole thing. Wanna try one?"

[onthewillowsthere]

He leans back against Magnus. "Yes. Should I peel it?"

[summerdude]

"Nah, no point. The peel is edible. A little sour, but edible."

[onthewillowsthere]

So he takes it and puts the whole thing in his mouth. It is a little sour, but bright, and sweet, and summery. He closes his eyes.

[summerdude]

"Hell yeah," Magnus says. "Vitamin C."

[onthewillowsthere]

"I like it."

[summerdude]

"They're fun, right? And they're so much easier to grow than the lemons."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Do you know why?"

[summerdude]

"Claudius probably would. I just know that I can get this guy to produce stuff every few days. The lemon tree only gave me two sad little lemons."

[onthewillowsthere]

"What else have you grown?" He steals another kumquat.

[summerdude]

"Okra. Greens, like lettuce and kale. Tomatoes. So many kumquats. The strawberries are really hit or miss. A bunch of beans."

[onthewillowsthere]

"I've never had okra. What is it?" Tomatoes were new at one point, but he's cooked with them by now.

[summerdude]

"It's a vegetable. They're kind of fuzzy raw?" Magnus hasn't had okra since he was a kid. "From what I remember, sometimes it can be really good but sometimes it can be kinda slimy. But it's easy to grow."

[onthewillowsthere]

Slimy is not a promising word. He's still willing to try okra, but his expectations are low. "How do you feel?"

[summerdude]

"Good." Magnus pauses -- he's trying really hard right now to be honest with Galahad and Alex when they ask, instead of just being reassuring -- and amends to "Better." Then he smiles up at him. "I like being, like. Helpful."

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad tilts his head down and nuzzles against Magnus' neck for a moment. "You always help."

[summerdude]

To his own surprise, Magnus's face heats. "Thanks," he says.

[onthewillowsthere]

"Claudius said Crowley is planning to have a party for him. A bachelor party?" This is an effort to cheer Magnus up, but Galahad is also curious.

[summerdude]

"Oh yeah? Like the bachelorette party thing I mentioned when I called dibs on best man?" Magnus doesn't mind if Galahad doesn't remember; they've had an extremely suboptimal few weeks.

[onthewillowsthere]

"Yes." He flushes: he had forgotten.

[summerdude]

"That's cool. Do you know what he's doing for his?"

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad shakes his head. "Crowley is surprising him."

[summerdude]

"Do you wanna be surprised, too?" Magnus wonders. "Cuz dude, I have got ideas."

[onthewillowsthere]

"No. I don't like being surprised. What are your ideas?"