|
|
Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2011 16:49:08 GMT -5
Dare pushed open the door to one of the larger greenhouses, and was nearly overwhelmed by the moist heat that blasted into his face. Outside was cool, autumn having snaked out its fingers in the past week, and it was becoming less and less comfortable to sit near the lake. He'd never been to the greenhouses outside class, and that had been over a year ago, but he knew he'd find Keith here, and it was as good a time as any for a social call.
It was bliss getting out of the cold. Dare shook his head at himself. He was the only one who thought it was cold, but as beautiful as fall was out here, he missed the more temperate climate he'd grown up in. He pulled the door shut behind him and breathed in relief. He could stand a little perspiration after walking across the grounds.
"This looks like a good place to hang out on a rainy day," he said aloud. He grinned, then unwound a long, knitted rainbow scarf from his neck and moved to shuffle out of his sweatshirt. His arm warmers could stay for now, but it was plenty warm enough to peel the rest off.
|
|
|
|
Post by Keith Evans on Oct 12, 2011 16:55:13 GMT -5
Keith grinned from his place in the back of the greenhouse. "Definitely," he said as he stood. He was in what he normally wore after classes in the greenhouses. There was a comfortable pair of old khaki cargo pants, the pockets full to bursting with odds and ends, with stained knees and tattered hems shuffling around his bare feet, along with a gray tank top that had recently replaced an older one filled with holes.
"I'd rather be in here than outside any time of the year, actually," he said, wiping his forehead and rounding the center table to come to the front of the building to talk to Dare better. He glanced towards the colored windows, not that he could really see anything out of them other than vague shapes.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2011 17:03:59 GMT -5
"Yeah, you told me that once," Dare said. He looked aside for someplace to dump his things, then swept his hands back through hair that was already threatening to curl at the edges. "Too warm for me, but I'm already so sick of the cold I was going crazy. Can't keep the tower as warm as we kept the flat in Diagon Alley." Even with magic, it was a ridiculous waste of time and energy trying to get every room they used.
|
|
|
|
Post by Keith Evans on Oct 12, 2011 17:15:43 GMT -5
"Yeah, I bet, that thing's huge. Mine stays pretty warm," Keith said. "I avoid the cold whenever possible, but this is nothing, how was your first winter here?" His eyes held a teasing glint at the thought. He knew where Dare was from, and he had some vague idea of the weather there, and this was one of the most different places he could think of.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 12, 2011 17:21:59 GMT -5
Dare's gaze grew far away for a moment as he thought back. Then his lips curved into a grin. "Amazing," he said. "I know it was cold as balls, but mostly what I remember is just the snow. The cold sucks, but if it's snowing and I can get out in it, it's all good." He remembered that first snow still, coming out of the jewellery shop with Michael and huddling together under his cloak. He remembered that next morning too, and how much it hurt trying to defrost his frozen feet. "I'll forgive winter for everything as long as it's snowing."
|
|
|
|
Post by Keith Evans on Oct 12, 2011 17:25:20 GMT -5
"I can agree with that," Keith said. "I heard this place is gorgeous when it snows." He didn't know for sure, and had never seen pictures, but he had heard whispers and rumors and when he had announced his new job people had been sure to tell him that it was, even those that had never seen it. "My school just got muddy."
|
|
|
|
Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 13, 2011 16:00:18 GMT -5
"It's pretty amazing here," Dare said. "I always thought it was like, snow all winter, you know? The first time it melted was depressing." He gave a teasing, crooked smile and propped himself against the nearest sturdy table, one covered with potted plants he couldn't identify. He'd taken his last Herbology class at SWIM and figured they just didn't grow in the U.S. His school had skipped about everything it could get away with.
|
|
|
|
Post by Keith Evans on Oct 13, 2011 16:03:04 GMT -5
"I stay inside as much as possible when it snows. Fireplaces are my best friends when it's white," Keith said. "Watch out for that one," he pointed to a blue pot with a writing vine in it. "It's not dangerous but it gets touchy feely sometimes." It was a cut from another plant in the greenhouse that he was sending off to another school.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 13, 2011 16:09:44 GMT -5
Dare blinked and looked back to where Keith had gestured. Sure enough, the vine was creeping toward him, apparently set on catching a belt loop. He shifted down the table slightly away from it. "That doesn't grow around here, does it?" he asked. It looked rather exotic, and for all the plants he knew of that would scream, bite, or sting, he'd never seen one that looked as though it would gladly take intimate liberties if given the chance.
|
|
|
|
Post by Keith Evans on Oct 13, 2011 16:13:07 GMT -5
Keith chuckled and shook his head, "No, it's from southern Japan. I have to glare at the big one every so often, sometimes I have to petrify it. I've seen girls run away screaming from it the first time it tries anything." It was a fairly harmless plant, just a little annoying, and it made for a good first class for some of the older students.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 13, 2011 16:39:26 GMT -5
Dare looked at the little plant again, which seemed to be sulking at the distance between them. "Speaking of unexpected molestations, how's Rowan?" he asked, drawing a laughing gaze back up to Keith. He wasn't entirely sure how he'd gotten from one subject to the other, but he supposed it made sense somehow.
|
|
|
|
Post by Keith Evans on Oct 13, 2011 16:42:29 GMT -5
Keith chuckled again and raised a hand to rub at the back of his neck. He leaned back on another one of the tables. "It's great, really. We haven't gone out for like a month, been busy, but the last time we went out was amazing. Of all things, we got in a food fight." He still couldn't really believe it. "And I'm wearing the cage, five days now." An almost pained expression crossed his face. He hoped they could do something soon.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 13, 2011 16:53:10 GMT -5
Dare gave a low whistle at that. "Five days," he repeated. "So he picked up on it okay?" Michael had taken to it immediately, but as much as Dare heard about Rowan, he still had a difficult time wrapping his mind around the whole thing. "Well, you know what they say about the quiet ones." He grinned.
|
|
|
|
Post by Keith Evans on Oct 13, 2011 17:58:06 GMT -5
"I wish," Keith said. "He doesn't get it, but he's fine with helping out. He loosened up a lot the last time we went out, too, which was really nice, spent the night with me." It had been great waking up next to Rowan. He really hoped they could do something soon.
|
|
|
|
Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Oct 14, 2011 8:24:59 GMT -5
Dare arched his brows in silent question. When people mentioned spending the night with their significant others, it was usually easy to guess what had happened, but with Keith and Rowan, guessing would be a waste of time. The two seemed more like friends, with occasional slippage into something else, and a one-sided attraction, but the whole thing was so complicated that he couldn't be sure.
|
|
