Tuesday: Plant Parenthood

[mylandmyrules]

Plant Parenthood wasn't exactly open today. Nell was there, the lights were on, but the front door was locked to keep out the TV headed people.

Anyone who wanted to come in could knock on the door or come around to the back and she'd let you in. In the meantime she had plenty of work to keep her busy.

Comments

[sword_chocobro]

Well, when Gladio didn't see Nell come into the gym that morning, he started to get a little worried. Granted, there'd been a lot going on with just trying to come to terms with all the changes that were apparently going on around the island, so he may have just missed her in the chaos of it all, but he was a little worried. Which was why he was definitely taking some time out of his afternoon to try and give her a call to check in.

[deathsmajesty]

An lo, there came a frustrated banging on the door to the shop. Liliana was not having a good day.

[mylandmyrules]

Nell hurried over to let Liliana in, closing and locking the door firmly behind her. "Comein, come in, quickly before those TV head people try to come in."

[mylandmyrules]

Nell was distracted and answered her phone as if it were the store phone without even checking. "Good afternoon, Plant Parenthood, this is Nell speaking. How can I help you."

[sword_chocobro]

Okay, even with everything weird going on, that was actually kind of adorable.

"Hey," he answered back, "it's Gladio. Gladio Amicitia?"

How was that for a throwback?

"Everything okay over there? Wasn't sure if I just missed you earlier at the gym or not..."

[deathsmajesty]

"TV head?" Liliana asked, because she didn't know what TVs were, and certainly wouldn't have recognized the CRT models even if she had. Her question didn't stop her from slipping inside immediately, however. It seemed the best way to avoid violence.

Specifically, the best way to avoid becoming violent.

[mylandmyrules]

"Gladio," she said with a happy sigh. And now she was sorry she didn't answer as Nell, Nell Ingram, even if that would have been a silly way to answer the phone.

Then a less happy sigh. "I was there. Or at least I started in, but those TV head people came at me to try to get me to do I don't even know what so I backed out pretty quickly. There was so much purple and yellow stuff that I couldn't even see if you were there or if you got pushed out too."

A pause. "Are you okay over there?"

[mylandmyrules]

Nell pointed at the people gathering on the sidewalk to harrass people. "Them," she said. "Come in, sit, have a cup of tea. It's crazy out today."

[deathsmajesty]

"When I was complaining about the lack of non-human races, I hadn't realized that this was the alternative," Liliana declared, easily ushered over for tea. Hopefully it would help to get the taste of fake butter out of her mouth. "I do not like how they keep encircling me when I'm on the street."

None of the 'TV head people' had made a single aggressive move against her yet, but her skin kept prickling anyway, like an ambush was imminent. They way they moved reminded her of swarm tactics, like fighting sewer goblins.

Which made her think back to--

Never mind.

"You may have the right idea," she said. "Staying inside and locking the doors. If only to keep them out."

[sword_chocobro]

"Probably to try ans sign you up for a limited time special offer membership," Gladio grumbled, with an eyeroll strong enough to probably be heard through the phone. "They kept trying to get me on one, even though I explained a million times that I owned the whole damn place."

He sighed, rubbing his face a moment and shaking his head. "Just when I didn't think anything could be as unsettling as Nifs or stormtroopers, these guys show up. Anyway, I've been on and off the phone all day trying to figure things out, but I guess we're a Planet Fitness now, where apparently four weights is the limit and they keep trying to kick me out of my own gym for being too much of a Lunk."

Which, fair, but still!

[mylandmyrules]

"They are rather aggressive," Nell said. "It's very unsettling. They all kind of came at me when I went to the gym, trying to get me to do... something, so I just backed out and came back here. Soulwood soil lets me know who's at the door and as long as it's not one of them I'll let them in."

She was preparing one of her more soothing tea mixes, figuring both she and Liliana could use that. "You're welcome to stay here as long as you'd like," she offered.

[deathsmajesty]

It was appreciated, tiny woods witch. The tea and the invitation both.

Liliana sat down with a soft, dissatisfied huff. "The first one that touches me will be drawing back a festering, gangrenous limb, I can promise you that," she growled. "Assuming it continues to have a limb at all."

[mylandmyrules]

Nell listened sympathetically, and did indeed 'hear' the eyeroll. "That's terrible," she said. "To kick you out of your own business? Not right at all."

She wished she were there to be able to give him a hug. "I'm sort of holed up here in my shop. It's the oddest thing. I almost feel, sort of in my bones or my soul or something, a kind of pressure on the store, but it's like Soulwood is holding it off. It's safe here.

"If you get kicked out again you can come over here," she said gently. "You know you're always welcome."

She should probably give him a key at some point.

[mylandmyrules]

"If they even have bodies to fester," Nell said skeptically. "There's something very unreal about them. Or maybe surreal is the right word."

She brought the pot of tea over along with some fresh baked scones and an assortment of her homemade jams. "Please, help yourself."

[deathsmajesty]

"Once again, I regret the lack of black artifact removal," Liliana groused, while reaching for the teapot and a scone. Ignis would be pleased to know that she had eaten something besides Papa John's so-called 'pizza.'

"I suppose it is some small consolation to know that everyone else seems as confused and off-put as I am," she said. "And this isn't just some normal and expected thing I'd missed before."

[mylandmyrules]

"Oh no," Nell said. "I've never seen anything like this happen before. It's rather disturbing. But I do think the Soulwood soil I have around is keeping them at bay a bit."

At least for now.

She poured herself a cup and took a scone with some raspberry jam. "Hopefully this place will stay a safe space and as long as it does people can shelter here if they want."

[deathsmajesty]

"I shall be most cross if this interferes with my Halloween party," Liliana declared, though the thunderclouds in her expression cleared as she took a sip of her tea with a pleased 'Mmmm.' "I didn't suffer through a month of early morning construction for everything to be ruined by creatures demanding I sign up for rewards programs."

[mylandmyrules]

"Oh yes, I think I saw something about that," Nell said. "I'm sure it will be beautiful. Usually these things only last a week, so you should be okay."

[deathsmajesty]

"You will come, won't you, darling?" Liliana asked immediately. "Regardless of the disposition of these TV things?"

[sword_chocobro]

"Yeah, no way I'm letting them kick me out," Gladio said with another snort almost big enough to set off the Lunk Alarm again. "It's a matter of principle at this point. But I'll definitely still be over later tonight. Want me to bring anything with?"

[mylandmyrules]

"Just yourself," Nell said. "I'm not sure if anyone else will come by with all the ruckus. I'm not planning a lot, but I have the usual stuff and some freshly baked breads and such."

She hesitated. "And if you wanted ... you could maybe stay here? After? I liked waking up with you on vacation. So if you wanted to bring things for the morning..."

[mylandmyrules]

"I, oh... I hadn't thought..." Nell started, rather flustered. "But it will be awful fancy, won't it? And I'm not very fancy."

[deathsmajesty]

"It's a costume party, darling, how fancy can it be?" Liliana asked.

...Ignore how she and Ignis had gone to a different plane in order to get bespoke costumes. They were fancy bitch outliers and should not have been counted.

[mylandmyrules]

"I ain't - haven't - ever been to a costume party before," Nell said. "Not exactly something my church would get behind."

[deathsmajesty]

"All the more reason to do it," Liliana declared. "If what you're doing is going to infuriate awful people, not only do it, but do it with a smile."

And, honestly, understanding that was basically a key to understanding a good third of who Liliana Vess was as a person.