19 Jan 2024, 17:26
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───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── greenhouse two, 1615hrs, 15 january
Sage was crouched on the ground, her skirt tucked between her knees. Before her was a square plot of Dittany plants, each bush in varying stages of bloom. The leaves were dark green and they had a roundness to them. A waft of almost-imperceptible vapour would trail out of the plant every now and then.
The second-year student turned the soil with a trowel, working fresh compost into it without disturbing the roots. Once satisfied with the pile, she held out her wand and made circling motions. A tin watering can floated towards the plot and enthusiastically sprinkled the soil bed.
"Oops, bit too much." Sage murmured and waved the tin can away. Once watered, Sage could see the leaves were a little more buoyant now than when she'd first arrived.
*Volunteering for gardening duty was a task the girl took seriously; it was more of a habit now than an obligation. Professor Toussaint had recently given Sage permission to do so after the girl had expressed an interest in Herbology during the course of her First Year. Sage could only take care of the non-sentient plants, though. Nevertheless, she found the activity quite therapeutic.
Sitting back on her heels, Sage's nose was quite literally buried in her herbology textbook, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, a sprig of dittany tucked along the valley of pages.
The bob-haired girl tried smelling the leaf but couldn't quite describe the scent. It was most definitely green, earthy but there was something acrid about it. She chomped on a leaf and chewed thoughtfully. Ack, bitter! Wasn't dittany a restorative? Says in the book that one could eat it raw to get the effect. But the girl didn't feel any difference upon ingesting the plant. Maybe because she wasn't wounded? Her tummy gurgled a little, feeling a tiny burp creeping up her throat.
Just then, a shadow loomed over Sage's kneeling figure. Gazing up, malachite eyes landed on a familiar face, widening with recognition as if they'd seen them before, and quite recently, too. But where?
A scenic view of the woodlands popped in mind; a blur of faces and limbs punctuated with snippets of laughter and the crisp sounds of a lush undergrowth. Right, hadn't she gone on a field trip just a couple of weeks ago? She'd recently joined a club for aspiring animagi - as for why, Sage supposed she couldn't get beyond her natural curiosity of the ridiculously long-winded process.
A pale hand extended towards the newcomer, the sprig of dittany clutched in her hand like a peace offering. Sage drew a wide, gummy smile. She remembered the person's face now but their name... somehow escaped her.
"Oh, it's you! Want a bite?"
@Mahlioz Evethisawe
*Permission granted by Sarai Toussaint to aid greenhouse #2
i want a storm i can dance in. i want an excuse to change my life.
⸙ | replies will be slow-going #698B69
STA 6 | EVA 5 | STR 6 | WIS 8 | ARC 9 | ACC 6
24 Jan 2024, 13:27
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By now, Mahlioz had gotten good at pushing her worries to the back of her mind, pretending that everything was great and distracting herself so that she didn't stay stuck in her thoughts for too long. Over a week had passed since the winter holidays had ended, and they were sick of being gloomy and thinking about the move and their family. And it was easy not to think about it all in class, but now that those were over for the day... she wasn't sure what to do. They couldn't concentrate enough to read, which was a first - she felt too jumpy and hyper, too hot and too cold at the same time. She probably needed some fresh air. That was also a first.
Time: 16:15
Mentions: X
Thoughts
That was how, for the first time in Mahlioz's year and a half at Hogwarts, they found themselves walking to the greenhouses outside of class time. Plants were not something she had ever found herself interested in - herbology was actually one of her worse off subjects - but at the moment, she wasn't really sure where else to go. Aimlessly wandering the grounds was the opposite of what they needed, what with all the silence and how easy it would be to get lost in their thoughts. Perhaps she could get herself to actually learn things about these weird plants. It would get her mind off of everything else, at the very least.
They entered the second greenhouse hesitantly, unsure about whether they were actually allowed in here. Thankfully, there seemed to be someone else, small enough that they were definitely not a professor. Mahlioz, seeing nothing else to do, walked up to them, peering at what they were doing.
They were a girl, crouched down next to some plants Mahlioz didn't know the name of, with a clutter of gardening objects around her and a leaf in her hand, which she seemed to be munching on. When she noticed Mahlioz, she tipped her head back to look at them.
Wait a second. She knew this person. She'd thought she recognized that bob from the back, but now she was sure - this was that girl from the animagi trip over the holidays. The one part of them that hadn't gone awfully wrong. It seemed the girl had recognized Mahlioz too, because she grinned, extending a plant-full hand and asking whether the Slytherin wanted a bite.
"Er... what is it?" they asked, glancing at the plants again. "I want to be sure you're not trying to poison me, here." They smiled somewhat clumsily. Had the girl's hand been empty, she would have shaken it, but as it turned out it was full of plant, so she wasn't really sure what to do. Ah, good old social interactions. Well, at least she wasn't thinking too much.
27 Jan 2024, 14:30
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Poison? The girl scratched her nape sheepishly, looking at the sprig in her hand. Sage could see why they said that; people don't usually go around offering herbs, do they?
"Good ol' Dittany?" A shrug followed the even measure of her voice. She did wonder though if Dittany could be lethal at all. The brunette shook her head; dittany was usually incorporated in healing concoctions but who knows for sure? "Course not. I'm fine, right?"
Was she, though? She did feel a bit gassy, now.
Sage's expression turned solemn as she rubbed a leaf between her fingers, noting how velvety it was to the touch. She scribbled today's observations onto a floating parchment that had disappeared just as soon as it'd done its job.
After dusting off the pleats of her skirt, Sage began to put her tools away in a drawer and the gardening supplies in a nearby shed. Leaving the greenhouse in a mess wouldn't likely get her in Prof. Toussaint's good books - and if she wanted to continue helping out after classes, Sage would be wise to do her due diligence.
"I don't think we've been introduced. Sage, fellow Aspirant." She cocked her head at the newcomer, propping herself by a worktable. The piece of dittany now lay on the table's surface, forgotten. Feeling sociable, Sage had a polite smile on her face, but a glint of curiosity was unmissable in her grey-green eyes.
Suffice to say, her club acquaintance had a striking appearance; Sage didn't think she'd seen that shade of emerald before, more so when it contrasted pleasantly against their dusky complexion. And their name… how could she forget! Hadn't it started with M? Malia-something? It was pretty-sounding, surely.
"I'd shake your hand but I don't think you'll want to smell like dragon dung."
Even with the dragonhide gloves on, the smell of compost still sometimes lingered beneath the crescents of her nails. Gardening was jolly good fun, but it was dirty, hard work.
@Mahlioz Evethisawe
"Good ol' Dittany?" A shrug followed the even measure of her voice. She did wonder though if Dittany could be lethal at all. The brunette shook her head; dittany was usually incorporated in healing concoctions but who knows for sure? "Course not. I'm fine, right?"
Was she, though? She did feel a bit gassy, now.
Sage's expression turned solemn as she rubbed a leaf between her fingers, noting how velvety it was to the touch. She scribbled today's observations onto a floating parchment that had disappeared just as soon as it'd done its job.
After dusting off the pleats of her skirt, Sage began to put her tools away in a drawer and the gardening supplies in a nearby shed. Leaving the greenhouse in a mess wouldn't likely get her in Prof. Toussaint's good books - and if she wanted to continue helping out after classes, Sage would be wise to do her due diligence.
"I don't think we've been introduced. Sage, fellow Aspirant." She cocked her head at the newcomer, propping herself by a worktable. The piece of dittany now lay on the table's surface, forgotten. Feeling sociable, Sage had a polite smile on her face, but a glint of curiosity was unmissable in her grey-green eyes.
Suffice to say, her club acquaintance had a striking appearance; Sage didn't think she'd seen that shade of emerald before, more so when it contrasted pleasantly against their dusky complexion. And their name… how could she forget! Hadn't it started with M? Malia-something? It was pretty-sounding, surely.
"I'd shake your hand but I don't think you'll want to smell like dragon dung."
Even with the dragonhide gloves on, the smell of compost still sometimes lingered beneath the crescents of her nails. Gardening was jolly good fun, but it was dirty, hard work.
@Mahlioz Evethisawe
i want a storm i can dance in. i want an excuse to change my life.
⸙ | replies will be slow-going #698B69
STA 6 | EVA 5 | STR 6 | WIS 8 | ARC 9 | ACC 6
15 Feb 2024, 13:33
soil-friendly
Mahlioz was not a plant person. At all. They were probably the furthest you could possibly go from a plant person. The bob-haired girl called the leaf in her hand dittany, but that meant absolutely nothing to the Slytherin. She could just as well have lied and said it was harmless when really it was lethal, and Mahlioz would have gone along with it. "You know what, sure," they said finally, taking the dittany and hesitantly biting a piece out of it. Live your life on the edge, right? Not that she believed the girl was actually trying to poison her.
Time: 16:15
Mentions: X
Thoughts
Well, maybe she had been wrong about that. Gods, this plant was bitter. Mahlioz had a hard time keeping herself from coughing. How the girl had chomped the dittany without even flinching was a mystery to them. "Wow," the second year said once she'd recovered from the bitterness, handing the rest of the leaf back. "That was... something."
The other girl was cleaning up the part of the greenhouse she'd been working in, and Mahlioz felt slightly awkward, standing there doing nothing. It thankfully didn't last long; the brunette soon stood up, propping herself by a table, and said something about introducing themselves and sage.
Huh? What about sage? Wasn't that a kind of plant? But the girl wasn't pointing at anyth- ohh. It took Mahlioz too long to realize the other was introducing herself. "Oh- right, I- I'm Mahlioz. Right." Fellow Aspirant, she'd said. Mahlioz had been right about the trip.
Mahlioz laughed when Sage suggested not shaking hands. "Appreciated." She indeed did not want to smell like dragon dung. Although she wondered why dragon dung. Did it have special growing properties? They'd have to ask at some point - they didn't feel like now was the right time, exactly. "Er... what are you up to? In the greenhouse on your own, I mean."
9 Mar 2024, 12:21
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Mahlioz. Sage was ashamed of herself. How could she forget a name like that? She did get the first letter right, so... there's that.
There were a total of three second-years in LoAA, herself included. From that horse-riding session, Sage remembered a senior student getting tangled up with their horse. She thought she'd seen Mahlioz being involved in helping the fellow out.
Despite their initial hesitation, Mahlioz eventually chewed up some dittany only to start coughing not long after. From the look on their face, Sage surmised that the herb tasted foul, confirming the bitter taste. The bob-haired girl stifled a sympathetic chuckle.
"Dittany is a restorative, it's said that eating it raw can cure shallow wounds. How do you feel?"
She was eager to write down the effects of the plant in question, making mental notes to add to her journal later. Sometimes, it baffled Sage how a plant nerd like her ended up housed in Gryffindor.
"I'm on greenhouse duty today," Sage glanced at the plot of dittany that she'd been tending to earlier then at Mahlioz. They definitely weren't dressed for gardening, so they couldn't be here to shovel compost with her. Sage took off her gloves, and washed her hands thoroughly, taking care to scrub under her nails. She didn't want to smell like a walking outhouse, obviously. Wouldn't make for a good first impression, no? Thankfully, there were scented bar soaps at the wash basin. She supposed the fragrance masked the odour well enough.
"Speaking of which, what brings you here?"
@Mahlioz Evethisawe
i want a storm i can dance in. i want an excuse to change my life.
⸙ | replies will be slow-going #698B69
STA 6 | EVA 5 | STR 6 | WIS 8 | ARC 9 | ACC 6
15 Mar 2024, 16:01
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Sage really lived up to her plant name. Not only was she spending her free time in the greenhouse, but she recited dittany's healing properties as soon as Mahlioz had taken an awful-tasting bite. "Er... pretty much the same? Except for the terrible taste in my mouth now." She laughed. Then it occurred to her that the other day she'd bumped into a table hard in the great hall during lunch. She'd gotten quite the bruise. Could a tiny leaf from a tiny plant heal that?
Time: 16:15
Mentions: X
Thoughts
She lifted up her pant leg to see where the bruise was on her calf - or rather, where it had been, because it was no longer there. Completely gone. Evaporated. Disappeared. She pressed her finger along her skin, just checking, completely flabbergasted. It didn't hurt at all anymore.
Sage looked very eager to know what the dittany had done, so Mahlioz tentatively explained, "I uh - I had a bruise here before? And now it's gone. Like, completely gone. Just because of some leaf? That's crazy."
Greenhouse duty. Mahlioz had absolutely no idea what that entailed, but Sage seemed rather well-versed in it and it was probably something she'd chosen to do herself. There was a pause in the conversation, as the girl went to wash her hands, and then she asked Mahlioz what she was doing here.
Oh shoot. Sage was on greenhouse duty, which meant she'd probably gotten permission. Did that mean Mahlioz wasn't allowed to be here? Weren't there super strict rules about being in the greenhouses? Maybe Mahlioz was breaking a rule by walking in! They'd only wanted to take a walk and clear their mind, not get into trouble!
But they were here now. Maybe they just had to try and act like they were supposed to be here. Not that they were any good at lying, but was it really lying if they didn't know? "I'm, um... I'm just trying to clear my mind, distract myself really. And I'm terrible at Herbology so I thought doing some learning about plants outside of class could probably help." She paused. "You seem like you know your way around them really well." Just a statement. Didn't do too much to add to the conversation, but since when had Mahlioz been good at adding to the conversation?
Quick note: I actually ooc have no idea if what I described the dittany doing would actually work. If it goes against the lore or the rules or anything, owl me and I will be happy to edit (:
5 May 2024, 09:37
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"Really? Let me see!" Sage lit up like a bulb, peering at where Mahl had said their bruise should've been. The stretch of skin along their calf appeared unbroken, no discoloration or scars could be seen. Amazing!
Reading about a plant's properties was one thing, but seeing the effects firsthand was another! She took special delight in seeing facts come into fruition - how very satisfying it was to apply one's knowledge in real-life!
"Brilliant." A wide beam broke across Sage's face, looking quite excited at how things were unfolding. Now she wasn't sure if Mahlioz was just indulging her weird fascination with plants, but they didn't strike Sage as someone who'd needlessly do that. However, she would understand if they weren't as thrilled with the results like she was; Sage was just glad Mahl's bruise had gone away.
"Ah… sorry for nerding out on you, Mahl - can I call you that? Um, well... I s'pose I know a thing or two about plants." A flush crept over the Gryff's cheeks, flustered by the statement despite the deprecation in her voice, followed by a shrug that appeared anything but nonchalant. She got carried away again, how uncool that must've seem!
"I'm about to finish up here, actually - if you still want the room to yourself." Sage grinned as she dried her hands, flicking excess water against the sink. "Don't worry, you won't be in any trouble. The plants in this greenhouse are relatively harmless, anyway."
@Mahlioz Evethisawe
Reading about a plant's properties was one thing, but seeing the effects firsthand was another! She took special delight in seeing facts come into fruition - how very satisfying it was to apply one's knowledge in real-life!
"Brilliant." A wide beam broke across Sage's face, looking quite excited at how things were unfolding. Now she wasn't sure if Mahlioz was just indulging her weird fascination with plants, but they didn't strike Sage as someone who'd needlessly do that. However, she would understand if they weren't as thrilled with the results like she was; Sage was just glad Mahl's bruise had gone away.
"Ah… sorry for nerding out on you, Mahl - can I call you that? Um, well... I s'pose I know a thing or two about plants." A flush crept over the Gryff's cheeks, flustered by the statement despite the deprecation in her voice, followed by a shrug that appeared anything but nonchalant. She got carried away again, how uncool that must've seem!
"I'm about to finish up here, actually - if you still want the room to yourself." Sage grinned as she dried her hands, flicking excess water against the sink. "Don't worry, you won't be in any trouble. The plants in this greenhouse are relatively harmless, anyway."
@Mahlioz Evethisawe
i want a storm i can dance in. i want an excuse to change my life.
⸙ | replies will be slow-going #698B69
STA 6 | EVA 5 | STR 6 | WIS 8 | ARC 9 | ACC 6
20 Jun 2024, 00:08
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The plant nerd in front of Mahlioz seemed absolutely thrilled to find out what the dittany had done, and to be honest, Mahlioz couldn't blame her. They'd grown up with magic, yes, but somehow finding things that worked with magic on their own was always so interesting. Despite expecting the supernatural, it always ended up surprising her.
Time: 16:15
Mentions: X
Thoughts
"No need to apologize," Mahlioz said, returning the grin and nodding at the nickname. "I like nerding out over things too. They're just..." she looked around. "...Uh, not plants, I guess. But plants are cool too! Just not my strong suit." They paused. "Is there a... er, a reason you like them so much?" Often times passions didn't need reasons - Mahlioz's middle ages obsession stemmed from the fact that they just found swords cool - but if there was one, they were rather curious to know what it was.
When Sage mentioned she was finishing up and going to leave, Mahlioz felt the need to ask her to stay. That was weird. She'd come out here for a distraction; to just be around nature, get away from all the humans, who were complicated. But talking to Sage wasn't complicated at all. "Oh, I'm not worried about the plants. There's a good chance it's the other way around. You probably shouldn't leave me alone in here, for their sake." They grinned lopsidedly. "Mind if I follow you out? It's the least I could do for the plants here, considering they healed my bruise."