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[demonicbeauty]

[Ariadne's gotten good enough with her Omni that the feed only wobbles a little bit when she turns it on.  That's progress!  No one's getting sea sick.  Hopefully.

She's standing on the threshold, between her building and her garden, moonlight lighting up her silhouette.  She's wearing her gold gown, clearly eager to make a good impression.  Her long hair is unbound, falling nearly to her calves in rolling waves.  It gives her the look of some kind of forest spirit (but she's not one, Maul, shut up).

Arrayed behind her is Serenity Garden.  Which would look a bit more impressive in sunlight, but Ariadne's done her best to arrange lanterns to illuminate everything.  She does, however, continually cast a concerned glance over her shoulder.  You can't trust fire, you can't turn your back on it.]

Well, it's April.  So I was planning to announce the opening of Serenity Garden to the public.  It's just meant to be a nice place where you can sit, meditate, talk with a friend, court your lover.  Just be in nature.  All are welcome, but no violence against the other guests or the trees.

...hopefully the sun will be back soon so you can enjoy seeing it in the daylight.

[But it's Trench, so that may not be a sure thing.  She can only hope.

Although, on the subject of hope:]

Also, the anniversary of my birth is at the end of the month.  Does that mean I should expect some kind of mysterious gift?  Any thoughts on what that might be?  Just so I can...prepare myself.

Comments

[demonicbeauty]

[Ariadne is just so pleased with all of the compliments for her garden. She loves her trees. And loves the fact that other people are appreciating them.

The idea that the compliment could be for her...doesn't even cross her mind.]

Thank you.

Many of the fruit trees are actually from Deerington. They're...unbreakable, I think!

[spiritwalks]

Unbreakable? Really?

[Vyng is genuinely impressed.]

Were they gifts from Sodder?

[demonicbeauty]

I suppose they must have been. I never really understood much of...all that.

[Ariadne knows her strengths. Scholarship has never been one of them. She sort of trusted those who were wiser and more educated.]

They do have a scent like...ozone. Magic.

[spiritwalks]

[Honestly, Vyng barely understood it himself. It's one reason why the egg test sent him scrambling around like a college student who put their final paper off until the night before.]

You can smell magic?

[demonicbeauty]

Well...sorta.

I mean, magic usually has a pretty distinctive smell. But it's not the magic itself. More like...a side effect of magic.

Does that make sense?

[spiritwalks]

Like the ozone from lightning?

[demonicbeauty]

Exactly! And nearly identical, in some ways!

[She grins.]

[spiritwalks]

Hm! Never thought about it that way.

[Of course, "magic" is an incredibly broad term that means different things to different people. To the point where it's a near-useless distinction. But Vyng rolls with it anyway.]

[demonicbeauty]

Me neither, I suppose. I never thought about it. It just...is.

[spiritwalks]

Wonder if I can talk to them. Normally if a tree is a magical construct, I can't.

[demonicbeauty]

But if it's a regular tree, you can?

[Massive headtilt.]

[spiritwalks]

Exactly. Like the difference between, uh...a vanilla bean and the goo from a beaver's butt. One's the real deal, and the other is used to make a substitute that just tastes like vanilla.

[demonicbeauty]

...

[Give her a second, she's never heard that before.]

...

...oh.

[spiritwalks]

Gives the term "secret ingredient" a whole new meaning, doesn't it.

[demonicbeauty]

Yes?

[She has no idea what a "secret ingredient" is.]

But, um. My friend Fern, he's talked to my trees before. Says they're mostly concerned. Think that I'm lonely or something.

1/2

[spiritwalks]

Oh! Sounds like they're regular trees that are just enchanted. Like vanilla beans slathered in beaver goop.

[Vyng, stop.]

[spiritwalks]

How come they think you're lonely?

[demonicbeauty]

[She shrugs.]

Maybe I talk to them too much.

[Still trying not to think about that beaver part too much...]

[spiritwalks]

Trees are good listeners. Their advice can be a little wooden, though, it's true.

[Har har.]

There comes a point where you might wanna consider seeing a therapist or something.

[demonicbeauty]

What's that?

A therapist, I mean.

[spiritwalks]

Oh, uhh. They're trained to listen to people's problems. And, like...help them figure out why they're feeling the way they do.

[demonicbeauty]

So...like friends?

[spiritwalks]

A professional friend, you could say. You compensate them for their time...and they, uhhh. Try to stay objective without bringing their own shit into your conversations, basically.

[demonicbeauty]

[She just looks deeply confused.

Therapy isn't so much a thing in her world.]

[spiritwalks]

They're kind of like a doctor? But for feelings.