#oops new character

[righteous-r0de0]

Confident Botanist Helps Your New House Feel Like Home | Audio Rp

Confident Botanist Helps Your New House Feel Like Home | Audio Rp | M4A

you know about the pH levels in your soil, right? (script and link to ao3 under the cut :))

Read it Here on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57992941

Hey, how can I help you? Woah, woah, sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, man! [chuckle] You just kinda had this look on your face like you wanted some help, but didn’t want to ask or maybe didn’t know who to ask?

Well you’ve been stuck in the doorway a while now, and looking around aimlessly. So to me , that looks like maybe you wanted some help. I mean, hey, feel free to tell me to kick rocks, man, but if you want some help, I’m Raleigh and I’ll be in the hydroponics station over that way. [footsteps begin to fade away, then pause, and grow louder again]

Oh , so you do need help? Chill, I’m just messin’ with you. [quiet] No offense, but I could kinda tell you weren’t from here. Well, for one, you don’t sound like you’re from Cali at all. I’m feeling maybe somewhere out east? Maybe one of the Carolinas or Tennessee, but I wouldn’t bet any further north than that. And you don’t have that California tan yet. Unless the sun doesn’t particularly agree with you? Hey, rain’s a vamp’s favorite weather. Relax, relax, I know you’re magic. Don’t need to look around like that either. You’re the only customer I’ve had all day. Yeah, no. I’m a freelancer, I’m just pretty heavy handed with my earth magic. It was always my favorite growing up. And you are? Oh, I meant what kind of magic user are you, but sure, nice to meet you! Freelancer too? Uh, you sure? You feel a little, I dunno…different? And your eyes… Okay, dude, I’ll drop it [small sound of uncertainty, beat of silence] .

Uh, anyways, I’m sure you didn’t come here to have me questioning your magical abilities [chuckle] . So, right, uh, new in town, I’m guessing you’re looking for some house plants to deck out the new place? Well, you should know that DAMN doesn’t allow real plants in the dorms. I know almost no one follows that rule, but it’s there. How’d I know you were going to DAMN? You’ve got the patch on your bag, dude. And there’s not much draw here for magical folks beyond the Academy. [Shuffling noise] Not living on campus? Are you a transfer student, then? I know they make the freshmen live in dorms. Something about immersing them in an educational environment? I dunno. When I was a freshie, I was right out of high school and I figured freshman year at college, albeit magical college, was the perfect time to start getting blackout drunk nightly and completely ignoring my studies. I think I spent maybe a night a week in my own dorm? Other than that I was passing out in bushes outside the R.M. Estevez Building on the complete opposite side of campus, or getting, uh, busy , in other people’s dorms. [Laughter] Hey, I might not be able to look at Pink Whitney without gagging anymore, but I met my boyfriend that way. You from McKinley? Ah, Borden!

Wow, sorry for that tangent. So [clap] new place, looking for plants. Do you have any experience with keeping plants, or gardening, or anything like that? No? No worries, man, I know exactly where to get you started. [Footsteps] So, some pretty easy plants to start with are succulents. Not a lot of maintenance is needed, just sunlight and some water every so often will get you a long way. This section right here is probably where you’re gonna wanna start. What’s your lighting situation looking like at home? You’re gonna be hard-pressed finding an apartment in the city that gets a significant amount of natural light, but do you have any big windows? Or areas that get more sun than others?

Oh, not an apartment? I mean, you can’t be any older than me and you’ve already got a mortgage? [Light punching noise] I’m impressed, dude! So, not a mortgage? Oh, you inherited it! Still impressed honestly. It’s hard getting property in this day and age, no matter how it comes to you. Especially if it’s already completely paid off. Though, I’m sure your gramps probably bought it for like dollar fifty back in his day, am I right?

You’ve got an entire sun room? That is so sick, man. I’m sure my apartment would look less like a jungle and more like a place where people live if I had one of those. Looking to put it to good use? Succulents are definitely a good choice for full sun. Aloe is pretty low maintenance and good to keep around. Obviously aloe gel is good for sunburns and skin care in general, but I’ve seen people use it for other stuff too. The lady who does my mom’s eyebrows uses it to soothe the skin after waxing. Uh, [footsteps] string of pearls is a really unique looking plant. I think they’re just adorable [chuckle] .

Beyond succulents and cacti, if they aren’t really your thing, pretty much any palm will do well in the sun. Obviously not full trees since you’re looking to fill a room [laughter] , but there are some smaller palms and similar plants that will do well in your sunroom. Areca palm will definitely take up some room, if that’s what you’re looking for. They grow to be about six feet tall, or more, and they’ll spread pretty far. [Footsteps] Ponytail palm is another weird lookin’ one, but it’s pretty chill. Sago palm is pretty slow going, if you’re looking to ease into being a plant parent [chuckle] . It’s a cute little guy, though, won’t get much bigger than this.

If you’re looking for a functional indoor garden, you could always go for [footsteps] herbs! Those’ll be a little more picky as they tend to shrivel from time to time, but if you keep a close eye on them and take care of them, it shouldn’t be too much work. You could easily keep some basics like basil, oregano, thyme, cilantro, etcetera, etcetera. The window above my kitchen sink has been turned into my herb garden [chuckle] . Which is really helpful when my boyfriend is cooking and I forgot a couple things at the store. Which, uh [clearing throat] totally never happens.

Oh, you’re uh, handing me your card! [Pause] Go nuts? [Chuckle] I don’t know if you really know what you’re asking for here, pal. ‘Go nuts’ is a pretty arbitrary phrase and I can really, uh, go nuts , when it comes to plants and spending money on plants. [Lengthy pause] Okay, so no limits on price, do what I think is best? Ooh ho ho [laughter] you’re really putting your life in my hands! Let me go grab a pallet cart. [Quick footsteps, Raleigh’s voice sounds further away] Do you have a picture of the room you’re trying to fill, man? I gotta at least somewhat know what I’m working with! [Voice is closer again] Okay, okay, I see what you’re working with, here.

[Sound of small wheels on pavement, rustling of foliage] Let’s start you with a couple of these [sound of effort] areca palms to fill those corners and work further into the room. [Footsteps] Then, we’ll go for these [sound of effort] snake plants and fiddle leaf fig for some variation. And we’ll do some of these hibiscus plants! [sound of effort] They do great in sunlight and they’ll add some color and flowers, obviously. You got a preference on color? No? Cool. And I’ll grab you some of these moon cacti, again for color, but they’re prickly, like you!

[Footsteps, Raleigh’s voice gets further away again, he continues rambling about plants] [Sound of terracotta being lifted from a shelf] What’s up, bud? [Voice comes closer] Oh that? That’s hens and chicks. Cute name right? You’ll start with just one central plant, the hen, then it grows like crazy and you get the little ones, the chicks, surrounding it and spreading out. This one’s got some growing to do before it gets any chicks. It’s still just a sprout. Aw, oh my god, just like you! You’re just a chick now, but once you get started at school, you’ll have tons of little friends surrounding you and you’ll all grow together! [Cooing] Aw, don’t look so grumpy, Sprout. If your new hoard feels your bad attitude, they won’t grow well! Then you’ll have to come see me again [clicks teeth] .

Tell you what, this little lady is on the house, but you have to take good care of her if you want any chicks. Let’s get you checked out and get your new hobby loaded in the car. Uh, yeah. While you were staring down this hen I rounded out your order. Most of these should be pretty easy for a beginner, such as yourself [footsteps] but, uh, if you have any issues, of course call me. I’m literally a plant doctor [chuckle] . Oh right, my number! Well, here’s my card, but gimme a second. [Pen clicking, scribbling] That’s gonna be my personal cell on the back there. You’re more likely to get a hold of me that way. Especially outside of business hours.

Yeah, no, feel free to call me whenever! I gotta know how my newest client’s sunroom turns out! Besides, I have a feeling I’ll miss that grumpy face of yours, Sprout. Speaking of which, like I said, let’s get you checked out and then we’ll get this garden crammed into your car! Ooh a truck! Nice! You came prepared! Still I bet you weren’t expecting to leave with this many plants… [Voice fades out].

[just-horrible-things]

‘Verse: Box Boy Universe Story: A Girl Called Spider Timeline: A little way through Rayce’s training

Aftermath [Prev | Next]

Harsh punishment hits every Pet differently. You never know exactly how they'll take it until you try. And even the same Pet doesn't always respond the same way twice. 

Some of them turn wild, even self-destructive with fury. They fight until their bodies give out, and after it's over they're more resistant than before. 

Depending on the training parameters, that can be a failure state, or an important step towards breaking them of that resistance.

Some of them get numb. Some of them acquire undesirable habits.

And some of them are easy. They take it like the newbies expect every Pet to take it – with terror and renewed fervor to obey.

Honestly Divya expects her latest Special-designation to fall into that category. The snitch doesn't have a number because he's thoroughly off the books, so she thinks of him as exactly that – her snitch.

His first response to correction is usually to try and appease her, so she expects the punishment to leave him even more desperate to please. 

Instead, when she rouses him from the sleep that he slips into every time he has even a minute to rest, she finds him blank-eyed and limply passive. Maybe the aftereffects of the drug cocktail haven't quite cleared his system yet, or maybe he's just tipped over the threshold of what his brain can handle.

She'll have to wait to find out what he took from the lesson, but at least it makes it nice and easy to get him back into his cell. 

She'll let him sleep, she decides. It's good for consolidating learning. His body could use a chance to repair some of the damage, too.

To that end, she also feeds him while he's out. The high-protein shake they give the Guard Dogs, with extra sugar. A quarter portion –  enough to make a difference, but not so much he's likely to bring it back up. He almost certainly won't remember, since she has to hold his mouth closed and rub his throat to even get him to swallow.

The gag goes back in when she's done. 

The snitch is on a very accelerated program, so he’s her only primary right now. She doesn’t have the slightest idea why they want him half-trained for mid-April, and she knows better than to ask. Her job is to deliver results, not to question the specifications.

Regardless, it’s nice to have a quiet morning. She catches up on some paperwork, takes a long break, then picks up some small requests – mostly Domestics needing feeding or supervision in the showers.

When she gets back to her snitch, he’s still out of course. He whimpers when she rouses him, and looks up at her with the terror that has become his normal.

It’s nice, in some ways, to work with that raw honesty instead of working to erase it. Nowhere on his training plan is demeanour specified, so his reactions remain untrained and unfiltered.

He can't get up on command. Divya isn’t surprised, after the night he's had. She punishes it anyway, just a few quick strokes of the switch.

He tries, and that's all she really needs to know. He's not about to have a fit of defiance over this. 

She's not even angry, really. His teeth broke the skin and the doctor made an enormous fuss about antibiotics, but her hand is fine. She knew he was close to the edge of his tolerance, she should have known better than to have her hand on his face. 

If anything she's annoyed at herself. 

"You must be thirsty," she observes. He nods. The silence is gratifying. He knows his lines because he was a handler, the recitation doesn't prove anything. "Show me you can be good."

Frozen uncertainty is the response she expected. He wants a clearer instruction, but she wants to know what he'll come up with on his own. 

The silence stretches to almost a minute. There's not a lot going on behind those eyes. She could almost believe he'd had his skull emptied out like the others. (Another thing she doesn't question.)

"I'm waiting," she prompts.

Laboriously he draws his knees up to his stomach, and rolls over onto them. Respect, more or less. 

She watches as he adjusts each part of his posture in sequence. It looks like he can't hold more than one thought in his head at a time. Heels up, toes together. Knees under shoulders. Head centred. Hands in front, palms up. 

He forgets to tuck his elbows in until she nudges them with the tip of the switch.

It's a solid, basic answer to the problem posed, and it doesn't demonstrate much beyond the fact that he knows his protocol.

"Sit up," she instructs levelly. He still can't. Instead of punishing him this time, she lifts him by the shoulders until his back is straight. He puts his hands in his lap without prompting.

She takes his face to inspect the fit of the gag. To her surprise he leans forwards into the touch.  When she lets him, he nuzzles at her palm.

His department was Romantic, she'd put money on it. 

Not that there’s any trained sweetness or eagerness in his eyes. No manufactured comfort at the skin contact. Just terror. Just desperation to prove willing.

That's what Divya is looking for. She pets his hair – eugh, he badly needs a wash – and watches the fear ease fractionally.

Good. He's on track for… whatever awaits him in April.

"The punishment is over," she tells him softly. "I forgive you. Now we go back to training. Doesn’t that sound better?”

He nods tearfully against her hands.

[Next]

[amateur-ghostie]

isn't red just lovely...?