myownface | Baltimore, Rawlings Conservatory, Saturday Afternoon

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Baltimore, Rawlings Conservatory, Saturday Afternoon

Oh, Sparkle was in a good mood. He'd had a place in mind in case of one of Leto's surprise visits for a while now, and it just so happened that said visit was going to coincide with his return from the ski trip (and surprise Christmas, damn him!) that he'd gone on with Atton. So Sparkle had called ahead to make certain they were even open to the public, and then had specifically asked about which areas of the conservatory had the most moisture in them, "because we've got someone here with respiratory issues."

Hey, a little white lie for the sake of Leto's comfort never hurt anyone, did it?

"Okay, so," he said, grinning as he practically skipped through the portal, "we want to avoid the Mediterranean house this time of year. They keep it wet and foggy for the benefit of the plants inside. And the tropical house is humid to the point of being misty in there. But there's a desert house which might have some plants you haven't seen, if you like, or an orchid room, which is, like, super colourful, and they make sure that everything that's on display is in bloom, or else they'll swap it out for another one. The palm house should be pretty okay, too, with big tall trees and flowers and things, but if you're not sure about it, we can skip that one."

And the outdoor public gardens, eh. They had trees in 'em, but they probably weren't quite the sight to behold in late December as they were in, like, mid-July.

[OOC: For that guy! NFB for off-islandness!]

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"Huh? Oh!" Sparkle laughed and gave his shoulders a shrug. "Sure, why not? See, I had this cat, like, not all that long ago. Had him from a kitten when Fandom was doing the weird rain thing it sometimes does? He just sort of stuck around. But I had to give him away when I graduated, he's living with one of the students at the school now, and I can't have a cat where I'm at, so Atton got me this guy, instead."

Sparkle reached back to his bag and gave the little toy a pat on the head.

"Velcro rode around like this all the time, so sticking this guy here like this just kind of seemed fitting. And it's a step up from playing dress-up with the houseplants."

Which he was still going to do anyway.

Leto was used to more eccentric things than keeping a plush toy as a pet or playing dress-up with houseplants.

"Well, perhaps the houseplants would have appreciated this trip more," he commented with a laugh.

"Yeah, but if I take Pauline for a field trip here, I'd have to convince the staff that I'm not stealing her when we go to leave again," Sparkle declared. "And she gets so overwhelmed in strange places!"

Sparkle had never taken Pauline the houseplant out of the apartment since Atton had brought her home. Even Sparkle had his limits. Sort of.

"True," Leto agreed, "if she's a species belonging to any of the climates created here." See, he had noticed the correct pronoun here. "And if she gets overwhelmed, challenging her fears from time to time would be the right thing to do."

Sparkle gave this revelation all of the consideration that it was properly due, and then nodded seriously.

"Maybe when the weather on the island is a little less wintry, I'll start taking her for walks. I bet she'd love the park, just so long as the flamingos don't get any ideas."

"Perhaps a wise choice," Leto agreed. "The cold might harm her, and the flamingos are unpredictable, I have to admit. I might have brought them to the island, but I take no responsibility for their actions."

It had taken some effort to get flamingos delivered, after all.

"Unless these ones are another flock," he added, after a moment's thought.

Sparkle needed to take this moment to just cackle.

"The man who started it all, huh? This is probably the same flock. Maybe it's gotten bigger or something, who knows? But I'd be surprised if more found their way to the island without somebody helping them out."

There was a pause, and then he added, thoughtfully, "I guess it is Fandom, though."

For all he'd known, they were just another random invasion that never quite went away, or something.

Leto gave him an amused look. He was actually rather pleased that there were still flamingos on the island. He had to agree with Sparkle though: "Yes, it is Fandom. I wasn't sure if they would stay, but my reason for getting them in the first place was that Alice had expressed a wish to play flamingo croquet."

... Oh, those poor birds. Sparkle took a moment to try to envision how a game of that would actually go.

"I'm guessing the flamingos weren't as interested in playing croquet as you two were, huh?"

He'd met those birds. The ones at the park and the ones who had taken up residence on Hannibal's lawn. None of them really seemed like game birds, in that particular sense.

"They were not," Leto confirmed. "And they have sharp beaks, so if that bothers you I wouldn't recommend it. My daughter persuaded me to try it again the last time she visited though." He grinned, and was perhaps a little less concerned about the birds than Sparkle.

The dry air of the desert room felt familiar, although compared to most places in Arrakis there was more moisture in here. The plants adapted to this climate offered a harsher kind of beauty that felt more like home.

Yeah, Sparkle didn't trust himself not to get his ass handed to him by a flamingo. Even one of the smallish ones. He probably wouldn't be in line to sign up for a flamingo croquet competition or anything, no.

"And did that attempt go any more smoothly?"

That made Leto laugh. "I think I've failed to give a proper description of the game if you think it would ever go smoothy. And if it had, Hania wouldn't have enjoyed it very much. But I hope the birds won't torment your plant."

"I'll just have to be extra careful where I take her when I go on walks," Sparkle laughed. "I don't think it'll be much of a problem."

He was still smirking as he looked around.

"So, what do you think?"

About the desert plants. Not necessarily about flamingos.

"These plants might be able to withstand a flamingo attack," Leto replied. "Being able to defend yourself is required both of desert creatures and desert plants." He gave Sparkle a teasing look and nudged him.

You know, unlike the weak, fragile house-plants.

Okay, so Sparkle was a bit of a houseplant! He couldn't help it! He did laugh a bit when Leto nudged him, though.

"So really, what Pauline really needs is for us to stop watering her, and to make sure she gets more harsh life lessons? Maybe I'll introduce her to a nice cactus or something..."

Actually, Leto guessed Sparkle was a little sturdier than a houseplant - unless possibly when it came to flamingo croquet - which was why he got teased about it.

"It might take a few generations," Leto admitted. "The cactus could be intimidating."

He reached out and pressed a fingertip against the spines of the nearest cactus.

"It could be," Sparkle agreed, leaning in to watch. "But then again, the spines are for protection, right? It isn't like they're bloodthirsty or anything. They just wear their thorns out there like a shield, so everything knows not to push their luck."

Sparkle had never been chased around by a cactus, was what he was saying. And if there was, like, some kind of metaphor in there or something, he wasn't going to start digging too deeply just yet.

"Roses have thorns too. Most people aren't intimidated by them."

"The spines are for protection, yes. But to those who don't know better armor can be mistaken for weapons."

Leto pulled away his finger, where the spine had hardly left a red mark. He glanced at Sparkle, smiling. "Roses hide their thorns behind pretty flowers. A bit deceptive, don't you think?"

"Maybe, but everyone knows that they're there anyway," Sparkle pointed out, shrugging. "You only have to get hurt once to learn your lesson about being careful with roses. But I guess that makes a cactus even safer than a rose, doesn't it?"

Only really, really stupid people manhanled a cactus on purpose, even just once.

Leto laughed a little and reached out to brush his fingers through Sparkle's hair. "Yes, I suppose. If safetly is your goal."

Sparkle's smile went a little bit lopsided, and he laughed a bit when Leto ran his fingers through his hair.

"Nah, there's more to living than staying safe," he decided. "Just plain safe isn't any fun, anyway. Better to be smart about things, and not afraid to just go for it because of that."

"Perhaps I was wrong about Pauline. She might need a cactus friend and be brave and adventurous." He laughed as he said that.

"Most of the desert on Arrakis is too dry even for plants like these, but we are terraforming and that is slowly changing."

"Oh, yeah?" Sparkle gave another thoughtful look around the room as he started to stroll along the pathway. "So this is more a sort of... something to aim for, than it is a something you've gotten so far, huh?"

"Yes," Leto said, following beside him. "But there is always a cost. Change an ecosystem to accommodate one thing and something else must go."

He ran the palm of his hand against a thick succulent leaf as they passed it.

"I guess so, huh?" Sparkle chewed the inside of his cheek, thinking back to the house and how the locals in the neighbourhood had rallied against them. They hadn't taken so kindly to change. And now the house was in ashes, and the rich folks down Mapleview had gotten their way.

Not a pleasant train of thought, really, so he shook it off and leaned forward to get a better look at another cactus.

"So... what's the cost, on Arrakis?"

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