Cold Reunion [Lyrica]

[EmmaliaChan]

Pleased with his acceptance, she grinned at him and shuffled towards the back patio door on happy feet. The large deck was surrounded by a handful of pots; these particular plants, the herbs, were her favorites - she'd save them for last. Her first stop was the garden in the house's side yard, holding caged tomato plants, carrots hidden beneath the ground (although marked by little signs with friendly illustrations, as were all the plants), lettuce, and a butternut squash plant meant to be harvested that Thanksgiving. They were all plenty wet, so she soon returned to the patio after plucking a few stray weeds threatening to encroach on the plants.

Next were her little herb friends, which she said 'hello' to, each in turn. Chives, parsley, rosemary, basil, and Paige's favorite plant in the world - her father's prized bushy peppermint plant. Paige filled a watering can from a nearby spigot and carefully sprinkled water on the dirt beneath the herbs. After finishing, she took a spare moment to examine the peppermint plant, her deft fingers plucking away yellowed leaves to promote growth and sweeping away the cobwebs from its stems. Every movement was careful and concise, as if the plant would wither away at the slightest bit of roughness.

"So, what do you think?" The dark-haired teen inquired, gesturing to the garden with a nod of her head. Though it was mainly her father's project, Paige put in plenty enough effort to take pride in their combined hard work. The resulting meals they got out of it only added to how pleased she was with it.

[Lyrica]

A tad reluctantly but it not showing in his steady stride as he did go out after the pippy steps of his sister. Making a slight shield with his hand against the heated rays a quiet sigh came out, blasted sun. Came the complained thought. Lucas than took to leaning along the railing of the deck watching his sister dodge to the carrot ot lettuce plant picking weeds only not a bunch it looked like her keen brown eyes went for the worst invaders. A few involuntary yawns escaped before his gaze just roamed aimlessly around the yard. Little unfinished flashbacks of sports out in this backyard bounced and vanished in his memory, a lot involving his father and Paige as well even as small as she was back than, she would give determind throws or kicks and encourging cheers in that child like way. Barbecues, with neighbor's also came around his father a social person loving to tell stories although most of them not his war stories.

Brow furrowing up a bit in memory as they seemed to go back a bit further to where this very deck was built though looking still sturdy and not all that weather worn, two males him and his father wore constriction hats much to Lucas's eager insitance, he helped build this very deck, he must have been nine or ten he knew that the woman who brought them apples and juice was not quite pregnant with Paige yet.

Lost in flicked memnories of watching stars or fireworks from lawn chairs those memories changing from a mother than to a mom with a little sister than to just a little sister, the twenty five year old hardly noticed when Paige came on to the deck. He turned already had noticed what looked like more plants or something in pots, a soft smile edged his lips as he heard a greeting for each one, it was pretty quirky if not amusing to him,

"It's well cared for and eefficient." There was a level of admirance for the garden most people started on than gave up plus it gave them the advantage of fresh produce not store bought or even farmer market it was even better than that,

"Who is going to look after it in the meantime?" His eyes still skimmed the little labels on each pot.

[EmmaliaChan]

Still fussing over the peppermint plant, she bit her lip at his question. "Well... That's what I was going to ask you about next," Taking a brief moment to give his leaves a long sniff, enjoying the menthol-like smell that stuck inside her nose, she explained, "I wanted to ask if you'd be alright with bringing me here on Saturdays to weed and water them." As well as maybe petting their leaves and generally giving them some love and attention as she always did; studies said that talking to and loving plants definitely made them respond, and she took it serious.

It was also sort of a habit she'd had ever since she was little, but she could pretend it was for science if she wanted!

"Dad really loves this plant in particular... So do I," Paige rambled, pushing a few strands of her long hair out of her face after the wind picked up slightly. "He liked to add the leaves and a little mint extract to vanilla ice cream and blend it up to make a mint shake." She, too, found herself reminiscing. Late nights sitting at the table with her father, the two going over some of her tougher homework with shakes in hand. Once, as a celebration, he'd made her a huge chocolate mint shake after a softball game where she'd carried the team to victory on her own shoulders with multiple home runs. But now, he'd gone off to war, to fight battles dreamed up by old men.

There was a long pause before she spoke again, and when she did, her voice was barely a whisper. "Lucas..." Another tiny pause. "Do you... Do you think he'll come back?" She looked up at her older brother with water eyes, an expression begging for honesty but also for good news and reassurance. "He was retired. If they called him out of retirement, this must be something big... Very big..." Despite giving her eyes a rub, the tears flowed over a bit anyway, much to her frustration. "I'm scared, Luke..."

[Lyrica]

You know those times you can just guess what someone was about to ask? Lucas was having that already anticipating his little sister's question about the plants and when he heard he barely suppressed a groan. Saturday? That was the weekend....his weekend.... his body gurgled with the diswant of the activity of driving here so his sister could take care of plants, mind you he did understand it needed to stay alive and was an admirable project of living but...sat-ur-dayyyyyy. Why could they not hire someone to do it? The answer was right in front of him to obvious for him not to overlook, the manner his sister reacted to the plants, petting the leaves as if they were dog ears or something, she was attached, dedicated to this garden and left a sense of responsibility to it.

Which admittedly was rather admirable, and even more so for a teenager. With a long inward sigh of something of a agreeable defeat in a sense to himself, how could he say no? And what kind of excuse could he make up? His weekends were rather free and if they came in the evening, daylight was longer so mother nature allowed it. But what excuse could out way this passion? Lucas tired very hard to come up with something but failed.

It was childish to voice his uneasiness of this place and gas would be no problem honestly there was nothing.

As he came to this conclusion while half listen to something about a milkshake, Lucas focused his attention back to Paige as she spoke after a stretch of time, her voice softer and when she looked at him, eyes held welled water, she asked her question in hopeful vulnerability. It struck him again with a zap of overwhelming realization that his sister had grown considerably over the years. No longer could he picker her up and smooth the worries away with ease or a couple of tickle and a bounce. Lucas was used to dealing with emotional scenes it could happen in his line of work, more so temper than sadness but anxiety was always there.

"Paige..." The call of her name was rather gentle and quiet holding sympathy more than empathy for as he was not heartless he did care for his father very much, but he did not depend on his as Paige did. Moving closer with a mixture of what would hopefully be brief anxiety and unsureness in his movements, he closed the space between them, he knelt to lightly but embrace his sibling an action they had not done yet. Lucas was a bit quiet getting used to the hug he was giving before addressing the fears,

" I honestly think he is going to be alright. I don't know much myself about it, but he will come back, I believe that, I think that is the best we can do." A short pause, "Who knows maybe they called him out to get his opinion or details on tactics, or to train new recruits because he is the best fit, whatever the reason, he will come back." The realism in his voice showed he believe what he said, he had faith in it. I mean you would not put a man a retired old man on the front lines....no matter how amazing he was his opinion and status was probably valued over anything else,

"And we will come in the evenings on Saturday to take care of all the plants, its fine with me, who knows what will happen if PP over there does not gets its leaves stroked it might wilt and kill over." An edge of humor coated his words at calling the Peppermint plant 'pp' and the slight tease of his sisters quirkiness in the way she cared for the plants.

[EmmaliaChan]

Looking to her brother for some sort of insight, any sort of insight, she was a bit surprised - but grateful - when he wrapped her in an embrace. It had been a long time since they'd been so physically close, yet to her, it didn't seem strange. Her older brother had for so long seemed like a distant silhouette of a figure she might never catch up to, but here he was in front of her, very different than she remembered, but still Lucas.

Eyes still wet, she burrowed her face in his shoulder, trying to keep her breathing steady to prevent any sharp sobs from holding in her tears. She never thought she'd desire any sort of warmth in the heat of summertime, but something was so different, a sort of emotional warmth she hadn't felt from her brother since he'd returned but that she definitely remembered from when she was little. Paige hadn't realized just how much she'd missed him.

She ate up every word he spoke, hungry for the sort of reassurance he was offering. Maybe he really couldn't be sure of those things, and Paige knew that, but she wasn't quite at the age yet where something that someone older and wiser said was no longer considered to be the be-all-end-all answer to a question. Paige had never gotten the 'because I said so' treatment, which gave her a deep respect for the answers she got from people beyond her own age. Her father had answered every question she'd ever asked, even the most mundane ones, and the answers he didn't know? He'd make it an adventure for the two of them to find them and turn it into a learning experience for both of them. The dark-haired teen had faith in her brother; he sounded so sure. Briefly squeezing him tighter, she took a deep breath and calmed her breathing, then removed her face from where she'd buried it and nodded sideways against his shoulder.

Even with her teary eyes and sadness, she couldn't help but giggle at his nickname for the mint. "Are you teasing me, Luke?" She asked with a fake pout. "That's not a very nice thing to do to your sister when she's sad," Laughing again, she stopped clinging to him so she could rub at her eyes to dry the last few lingering droplets sticking to her eyelashes. She opted to do so by rubbing them on her shoulder, not wanting the little smudges of dirt on her hands or the grains of dirt sparsely placed along her arms to get in her eyes. "Thanks, bro," She began, smiling at him. With an embarrassed chuckle, she added, "I'm sorry, I probably look so dumb. It's just that being back here reminded me of how quickly he left," Sniffling, she whispered, "There wasn't even any warning..."

"Anyway!" She said, dismissing the subject hurriedly so as not to further embarrass herself, Paige went back over to the plants. "Thank you for agreeing to come on the weekends," Giving the peppermint's pot a pleasant pat, she declared, "PP could never survive without us!" Her smile changing to a sheepish one, she added, "Though I am sorry you'll have to give up part of your Saturday."

[Lyrica]

"Maybe...but made you laugh." Came the quiet humor of his voice. It had been a key phrase of his when younger "made you" than something would follow after that whether it be for humor or snark it was acompanied by a smile a part that fell short this time for him. He watched Paige clear her eyes and face of tears thinking helping with that would be to invasive so he let her handle it. As Paige pulled away, the male felt a sense of relief not that he felt completely uncomfortable holding his sister in an embrace that had slowly ticked off as the minutes ticked on but he was more relieved that the swoom of sadness had passed. Yet when she seemed embrassed for it, he felt the urge to kick in to assure her otherwise yet he hesitated things he told his paitents seemed to much here in this situation....he was thinking and running out of time to act a habit he did not always have....he'd yet to figure if it was a good or bad thing yet.

A shrug than, "Somethings are cry worthy." And left it at that. A head shake, amused was next to follow as she patted the plant again, she was strange but flexible and rather pleasent....how could one deny a few hours a week for her quirky responsibility hobby, "No problem, now if you are done, I wouldn't mind heading home." Getting back to his own feet the brunette stretched lightly, "Besides, if we don't go soon how am I supposed to eat that ice cream all melted?" There was more humor as the male headed for the back door to make sure things were off so he did not just go around the house and out the back gate.

[EmmaliaChan]

His words were slightly comforting; at the very least, at least he didn't tease her for it. Paige wasn't much of a crier, so shedding tears in front of someone else was a mostly foreign experience. She usually feared being made fun of, and was generally the type of person to bottle up her feelings anyway. Still, during moments of weakness - such as tender memories shared among the company of plants - her emotions sometimes decided to overflow.

At the mention of the melting sweet, Paige's eyes widened. "Oh! I forgot about it!" She rushed for the door, saying a quick, "Goodbye, plants!" over her shoulder, being sure to lock the storm door and the main door once the both of them were inside. She then dashed to the front door. "Hurry, hurry, it's starting to condensate," The frowning teen began to lift up most of the bags and sling them over her shoulders or arms, then rushed them out to the car.

She relaxed a bit once they were on their way back, hoping the goodies would last until they got there. With the stress of the plants off her mind, now that she knew she'd be able to take care of them, the dark-haired teen felt she could relax a little, and melted against the car seat with her forehead resting on the window as she watched the world go by.

[Lyrica]

Looking at his sister like she was slightly crazy yet amusing as she rushed out of the door to the car. "I wish nature would condensate some rain." Came the grumble as he hauled the rest of her things out and into the trunk. Once everything was in including them. He drove off after making sure everything was locked. The drive back was a bit heavy with traffic being that time of day. Lucas was like most cautious and alert if not a little annoyed yet in do time they arrived back to the apartment complex and inside with the groceries were Luke set out putting things away and directing Paige to were things went, Lucas had an order like most things in his life but not a highly strenuous one. Boxes of items had no order and the fridge had enough order but was not strictly so like if someone moved the butter from the top shelf to the bottom, the man was not going to get all out of wack.

After everything was put away, Luke gave a sigh of relief to be home and out of the heat, kicking of his shoes and helped his sister even move her things to her room setting them out of the way for her to unpack to her liking, "Ah, I'll start making dinner in a bit....I'm thinking fish, I am assuming you like fish." He remembered he earlier comment of not being picky. Giving another nod and seeming again aware of the new presences in his home.

Going to his room he set his brief case on his desk not opening it and flopping onto his bed body slightly exhausted from the adjustments as he took a moment to clsoe his eyes and mull over the day.