video; un: flowergirl

[bloomly]

( the video opens with aerith herself, tucked into an old arm chair; it looks like it could be in any of the apartments, but that's unlikely, given the bookshelves behind her, which appear to be more like the ones in the media store. still--she could be in any of the city's various cafes, it's hard to say.

case in point - there's a large book open, spread across her lap, though the words are hard to decipher from the video's resolution, and there's no hint of the title. )

Okay! ( bright and warm, as she leans forward, hands spread over the pages of the book. ) Today's story is a choose-your-own adventure, are you ready?

Ahem, ahem. ( her voice rises and falls in pitch, all full of dramatics. ) To start: you find yourself in a large clearing, full of green grass and well-tilled land. You can't remember how you arrived in this place, but even so...! You feel as though your hands must seek the dirt beneath your feet, as though you must start digging holes, holes for seeds, seeds which... Well.

( her fingers turn the page--and she lifts up a little packet from within the book, not unlike the ones from the cursed tea party, but this one clearly labeled with both pictures and text. some sort of root vegetable. bright orange. )

You find right there, at your fingertips. Now, the question is - out of all these seeds you find, what would you want to grow, and what would you never want to see in a garden, or worse, on your dinner plate?

--Okay, maybe this is less a choose-your-own-adventure and more a terrible marketing tactic. ( dropping the packet of seeds into the book, she pushes both sides of it closed with a snap--and a laugh. ) But I'm wondering what kind of fruits and vegetables are worth growing in my garden. I don't know that I trust the food here, so I want to start growing more things just in case, and...

Everyone has different tastes! So tell me a little bit about the food you like, or even flowers, and maybe I can make a special delivery in...you know, a few months once everything's growing. That's all from Gainsborough Greenery! ( she leans forward with a little wave, before her hand takes over the screen of her phone to cut the video. )

Comments

audio; un: loveless

[limbical]

Honestly, I commend you for growing your own garden. I certainly have learned to not trust the food they give us, but without having accessibility to something else there isn't much choice.

Personally, I'm not that picky. Onions, though. Definitely would like to see onions on the menu, as it were.

audio;

[bloomly]

I'll admit that I've been eating what they've had here, but I still don't feel quite right about it... In any case, it's not too hard for me. I should contribute what I can!

Onions are perfect. Have you ever had one of those... What do they call them... Where they cut the onion open and fry it, and it's like a flower~?

[limbical]

No doubt most if not all of us have been, but I would be more than happy to have something from a fresh garden. I have no doubt I'm not the only one, miss.

What is it... a blooming onion, or something like that? I commend chefs for being able to do that kind of thing.

voice, un: displayname

[strongroots]

Fun post. [ The voice is a young man, amused. ] But um, I got a question--I was thinking about food and gardening lately... can I ask you some stuff about it sometime? In person?

voice;

[bloomly]

Things about gardening? Of course! It's okay if you want to ask this way, too, but I'm okay with meeting up as well.

What's your name? Is that okay to ask?

[strongroots]

Yeah, sure--Robby Keene. I can show my face, not trying to hide. [ In case asking permission is related to that--he feels the need to say it, regardless. ]

But, um, I don't know a lot about it. I'm trying to learn new things? So I don't know what to ask... knowing how to set things up sounds it'd be good to know. I started reading some books, but--I got a lot of books from the shop.

[ So he got entirely distracted.... ]

video; un: yesod

[wordchain]

[ Ah, it's (Pink Diamond?) Aerith. This time as well, the young woman's manner is reminiscent of someone else's speeches long ago. Seeds... These are quite literally future plants, however, and Aerith's efforts to draw attention to this particular subject are appreciated. ]

I would recommend eggplants. That said, they may not be to everyone's liking. Perhaps potatoes and tomatoes, as well as various leaf vegetables?

video;

[bloomly]

Eggplants?

( there's a little scrunch of her nose, somewhat in displeasure. )

Is that your favorite? If it's your favorite, I'll make it, but only because thieves in training have to stick together. ( her mouth twists into a grin, clapping her hands together. )

Potatoes and tomatoes are perfect, though! So many things you can make with those. Like french fries. Even fried tomatoes...!

[wordchain]

[ Aerith's reaction is subtle, but it conveys her views on eggplants rather clearly nonetheless. It shouldn't surprise him, considering his own concession. ]

...Indeed. I appreciate your making an exception in the name of our collaboration, then.

[ A hint of amusement does cross Yesod's features for Aerith's remark alluding to her "hiring" him in the mall. ]

To tell the truth, I agree with your concerns regarding the food. I imagine that no small number of others also share them. Is there a way for us to contribute to your plans further?

Video, un: Hat Guy

[featheradrift]

And here I thought no one was concerned about a potential food shortage.

[ So someone was tackling the issue. He had wanted to start a garden himself, but he had absolutely no knowledge of gardening and didn't know where to start. ]

What are you growing already?

video;

[bloomly]

( a small, patient sort of smile: she shakes her head a little, the curls framing her face moving slightly. )

It's less about a shortage, it's more...I think I worry what kinds of things might be in the premade food that we don't realize, you know what I mean? We can't see the restaurants making any of the food, and we can't see anyone packaging what's in the stores...

( her lips press together, brows knitting for a moment before she offers a faint, embarrassed sort of laugh. )

I haven't started yet. I've been gathering supplies, mostly, in preparation, but the ground is pretty hard right now, so I've just been tending to some flowers here and there around the city. Do you like gardening, um... ( a brief glance somewhere, and then a smile: ) ...Hat Guy?

[featheradrift]

It's astounding anyone here trusts the premade food. I wouldn't even trust the produce from the markets—but clearly, that's not an option if you want to survive.

[ Humans required sustenance, after all.

He frowns at Aerith's response. He'd hoped that something was already in the works, but he supposes now isn't the best time to start the garden. It was nearing winter. ]

No. I've never done it before.

[ But his tone suggests he's interested in learning. ]

Audio; un: emet-selch

[recreator]

Pomegranates.

Though it is my understanding that trees grown from seeds are unlikely to bear fruit for at least several years - not without a little nudge, at least.

audio;

[bloomly]

Pomegranates...! That's a good one. Luckily, I know how to give a little nudge, so... ( a soft laugh. ) I hope it won't take several years...or maybe more that we won't be stuck here for several years...!

audio; un: archon

[onlythans]

Terrible marketing tactic though it may be, I have to admit I was rather looking forward to the adventure. Now I'm a bit disappointed you snatched it away so easily.

[He chuckles, clearly amused.]

If you're worried about food shortages, I imagine it'd be more a question of practicality than taste, though, wouldn't it? You'd want hardy, filling things that keep well. Beans, gourds. Corn for meal. Popotoes, things like that.

[...Wait, what was that last one...?]

audio;

[bloomly]

Oh, you wanted the adventure...! ( she sounds warm and amused. ) We can go back to the book, if you want. Pick a page.

--Ah, but first, the practical stuff. Corn, beans, gourds, all good things...! Do you mean...Do you mean potatoes, with that...popotoes...? ( a laugh. ) Popotoes. It's cute.

[limbical]

Popotoes, Thancred?

video, un: minfilia

[firstwaters]

Spinach, I think spinach! It grows nice and quickly, right? And I'd want to grow something quick. In case I needed it for the- um. I know there's no adventure, really. But if there was, and it wasn't going to happen until I finished growing a vegetable, I'd want it to be a quick vegetable.

[ Yes, she said that all in one very long breath. ]

And spinach is good anyway, right? And broad beans- they grow nice and quickly too, I think.

Are you a gardener?

video;

[bloomly]

Ah! ( she claps her hands together with a smile. ) Spinach is a great idea, I didn't think of that one.

We never know when we'll be called on our next adventure, right? So it's good to stock up.

( another warm smile. ) I used to garden back home, but it was more... a constant hobby, rather than an occupation. Do you enjoy it?

audio; justalucard

[reposing]

Garlic.

audio;

[bloomly]

Oh, someone not afraid of bad breath. I like it.

video | un: paphiopedilum

[playing_human]

I have always been most partial to orchids.

video;

[bloomly]

They're beautiful, aren't they? A little delicate to grow.

What's your favorite color?

un: rosseland

[hatinacat]

[as an appreciator of all things dramatic--]

I'd say this is quite the clever marketing ploy. Who doesn't love an entertaining choose-your-own-adventure story?

[BUT MORE TO THE POINT]

When it comes to food, bulle fruits are rather delicious. They're slightly sweet and highly refreshing, especially on a warm day.

[bloomly]

Bulle... Bulle fruits! ( a laugh, sounding it out. ) I haven't heard of those before, what color are they? What do they look like?

Maybe we could go on an adventure to find some, here.