Tuesday: Plant Parenthood

[mylandmyrules]

Nell and the kittens were cheerfully working around the store. Well, Nell was working, the kittens were cheerfully getting underfoot and generally being cute as anything.

It was a pretty quiet day and Nell was glad once again that the werebeasts seemed to have passed her store by.

In the afternoon she took a break to have some tea and a scone and think about what new things she might plant in her greenhouse this spring.

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[mylandmyrules]

And by now the plant looked completely healthy and had even sprouted a few new leaves.

"African violets are the same way - but more persnickety," Nell said with a smile. "But a new pot with some stones at the bottom and he'll be good as new."

She shook her head. "No, I ended up stuck here shortly after I got married and couldn't get home. Finally got a portal after I graduated and when I got home it was like no time had passed for anyone there. Nine years later after... everything... I finally decided to come back here and found only a week had passed. Took some getting used to."

To say the least.


[And no worries! These things happen!]

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Ohhhh, I know about people getting stuck here," Annie told her, sympathetic. "But like -- okay, you know Gladio, right? At the gym? Have you guys talked about the whole time thing? Because man, that has got to be...so disorienting. Every time I end up in my husband's world, we're gone for a different amount of time than has passed here -- but usually I'm talking like, a couple weeks' difference or something."

[mylandmyrules]

Did Nell maybe blush the tiniest bit when Annie mentioned Gladio? Did she?

She did nod at Annie and smile, though. "Oh yes, we've met. Prompto and I talked when we both got back and he told me that he and Gladio and Iggy and I should all form a sort of club for the time displaced since we'd all been gone so long against our will and we all understood what it was like. I didn't realize you had something like that happen every time you visited your husband's world."

And there was another smile then and maybe another tiny blush. "Gladio's helping me with some physical training as well. You should have seen him and Iggy training with all their kids that weekend. It was pretty amazing. I don't think I'll ever get that good, but I can certainly get better than I am."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Let me know if you'd ever like to train with another woman," Annie offered, with a self-conscious little wave towards her midsection. "Granted, I'm not exactly in my usual fighting shape, but I've been doing martial arts since I was about three. But you're in great hands with Gladio -- he comes in to see me at the bar every week, on Thursdays, and from what I hear he and Ignis really put the hurt on a bunch of those things last week."

[mylandmyrules]

"Oh, I'd like that," Nell said, "If you feel up to it. I did some sparring on Lana's world with some of the women warriors and that was amazing." She hadn't always been comfortable with being touched, especially by men, so when she'd first begun learning it had been entirely a hands-off situatiom.

She nodded again. "He was telling me about it. I figured I might be okay at handling myself in a pinch, but I was prob'ly better not putting myself in danger where someone might have to rescue me."