The language of flowers.
[ Day 52, 4:39pm - Greenhouse ]
Cheri is surveying the gardens, en route to the greenhouse, when she spies something rather odd. Well, maybe not that odd, but to her well-trained eye it sticks out like a sore thumb -- someone has been into the flowerbed where she grows the pretty yellow flowers she made for Wolfram. In fact, upon closer inspection, Cheri realizes that they seem to have been pulled from the ground completely, then stuffed back into the earth in a hasty-looking manner. Peculiar.
They seem all right, but they do look rather unkempt -- quite distinct from the rest of the well-manicured flowerbeds. It's not unusual for flowers to disappear from the gardens, but very rarely do people actually put them back. Why would someone want to do that? Cheri shrugs, then turns and heads towards the greenhouse. She'll ask Gunter about it later when she has time.
It is kind of a chilly day, so Cheri is glad when she opens the greenhouse door to the cavernous glass-paned room's moist warmth. The room has a familiar, earthy smell that she loves, and it's directly adjacent to the conservatory, where a lot of her flowers are displayed. She pauses inside the door, listening hopefully for voices. Perhaps Gunter or that nice young Alford is in here. They seem to enjoy spending time here together (or so she hears!).
Seconds tick past and no sound permeates the thick, still air, so she slips inside. Rows of exotic, splashy plants greet her like old friends. She beams at the sight. It is a colorful world she can escape to during the wintertime, and she takes her time walking through. Even though she knows that each plant is meticulously cared for while she is away, it never hurts to look in on them to see how they're doing. They're sweet reminders of people and places she's been. Pink zinnias from Wolfrick's estate, hyacinths from her grandfather's old palace in Spitzberg, red-tipped begonias from...well, she forgets where she got those. They're pretty, at any rate.
Ah, and rare larkspurs from Dai Shimaron. Her lips quirk into a smile as she passes the flowers. A funny little human diplomat she once met at a party sent several packets of seeds to her as a gift. She had been thrilled by the gesture and wondered why everyone thought humans were so terrible. That had been a long time ago, when Gwendal was small, before she met Dan Hiri and discovered a different side to the country existed.
As for Dan Hiri, he has been rather quiet since he returned. She has asked him nothing about Dai Shimaron, nor has he volunteered any information. Frankly, she isn't quite sure she wants to know anything at all, so she tries not to think about it at all...not that doing so will do her or Conrad any good but...well.
It's nice waking up to someone warm and familiar next to her, though.
Ah, these yellow roses would be lovely in the conservatory. The room could use some color. And these small white lilies smell so wonderful that she immediately decides to put some in Julia's suite. Even if she can't see how beautiful they are, their light, sweet perfume might cheer the younger woman somewhat. Humming a soft little tune, Cheri collects a bucket of lukewarm water and her sharpest shears and contentedly begins cutting.
Cheri is surveying the gardens, en route to the greenhouse, when she spies something rather odd. Well, maybe not that odd, but to her well-trained eye it sticks out like a sore thumb -- someone has been into the flowerbed where she grows the pretty yellow flowers she made for Wolfram. In fact, upon closer inspection, Cheri realizes that they seem to have been pulled from the ground completely, then stuffed back into the earth in a hasty-looking manner. Peculiar.
They seem all right, but they do look rather unkempt -- quite distinct from the rest of the well-manicured flowerbeds. It's not unusual for flowers to disappear from the gardens, but very rarely do people actually put them back. Why would someone want to do that? Cheri shrugs, then turns and heads towards the greenhouse. She'll ask Gunter about it later when she has time.
It is kind of a chilly day, so Cheri is glad when she opens the greenhouse door to the cavernous glass-paned room's moist warmth. The room has a familiar, earthy smell that she loves, and it's directly adjacent to the conservatory, where a lot of her flowers are displayed. She pauses inside the door, listening hopefully for voices. Perhaps Gunter or that nice young Alford is in here. They seem to enjoy spending time here together (or so she hears!).
Seconds tick past and no sound permeates the thick, still air, so she slips inside. Rows of exotic, splashy plants greet her like old friends. She beams at the sight. It is a colorful world she can escape to during the wintertime, and she takes her time walking through. Even though she knows that each plant is meticulously cared for while she is away, it never hurts to look in on them to see how they're doing. They're sweet reminders of people and places she's been. Pink zinnias from Wolfrick's estate, hyacinths from her grandfather's old palace in Spitzberg, red-tipped begonias from...well, she forgets where she got those. They're pretty, at any rate.
Ah, and rare larkspurs from Dai Shimaron. Her lips quirk into a smile as she passes the flowers. A funny little human diplomat she once met at a party sent several packets of seeds to her as a gift. She had been thrilled by the gesture and wondered why everyone thought humans were so terrible. That had been a long time ago, when Gwendal was small, before she met Dan Hiri and discovered a different side to the country existed.
As for Dan Hiri, he has been rather quiet since he returned. She has asked him nothing about Dai Shimaron, nor has he volunteered any information. Frankly, she isn't quite sure she wants to know anything at all, so she tries not to think about it at all...not that doing so will do her or Conrad any good but...well.
It's nice waking up to someone warm and familiar next to her, though.
Ah, these yellow roses would be lovely in the conservatory. The room could use some color. And these small white lilies smell so wonderful that she immediately decides to put some in Julia's suite. Even if she can't see how beautiful they are, their light, sweet perfume might cheer the younger woman somewhat. Humming a soft little tune, Cheri collects a bucket of lukewarm water and her sharpest shears and contentedly begins cutting.