2022.02.09: Roses and Bacon
Tuesday morning. Brooke normally is here already, but instead is running a bit late. She has a bag strapped across her torso and another bag in hand. Supplies of some sort were needed. Today though, she stops to check out the garden a bit more and see how it is going. Sigh. "It just feels like there is something missing up here but I cannot put my finger on it." She shakes her head, "Billy. He would know." Another sigh.
Anya comes drifting in from the street, her steps accompanied by a soft jingling sound, owing to an anklet of bells worn about one slender ankle. That, a gauzy sort of skirt and a short-sleeved blouse serve as her wardrobe for the day, with a little rose quartz pendant in the shape of the blossom of a rose at her throat on a gold chain. She's dressed like it's the height of summer, while her skin has that winter-paleness that doesn't really happen here as much. Tourist or recent arrival, almost certainly. Her eyes are perhaps a bit dreamy, a bit prone to looking off after something or other, but she isn't so distracted that she doesn't hear Brooke as she comes in, and instead of asking someone to help her find Brooke, she unwittingly approaches the subject of her search. "Roses," she offers. "If you don't mind my putting my oar in. But it needs roses. Soften the edges of things, perhaps. Climbing, wild roses."
Brooke turns to see the woman just as she approaches, as the bells are not hard to miss. "Oh! That sounds like a good idea! There is a beautiful rose garden back in San Jose, I can just see them now. Thank you for the suggestion. I'm Brooke, by the way. Brooke Spencer. Are you new in town?"
Anya's eyes light up when Brooke gives her name. What's more, they actually focus on the woman as she nods. "I am. Very recently arrived. Anya Ryan, and... well. I was actually looking for you. They told me about this... project. And that I should come meet you in the area. Also, you're very welcome. Roses are almost always a good idea."
Brooke aaahs as Anya speaks, "I see. Then follow me. I need to put this bag away in the fridge, and we can talk more privately there." She looks around seeing a few of the community working in the gardens at the moment. "We can talk about adding the roses and whatever else perhaps you can work with me to do. Right this way." She gestures for Anya to follow her, and when they get to what seems to be just a normal little shed, Brooke quips, "It's bigger on the inside." Stepping inside a latch is opened and set of stairs is there to go down.
Follow she does, with a nod and a polite smile, though at the quip, she comes right back with, "But is there a swimming pool in the library?" And then she beams, looking oddly pleased to have gotten the reference. Her gaze skitters about, following things that aren't there. Or are. Chimera. Perhaps a tiny spirit. She says nothing, though, and mostly just looks distractable as she trails Brooke into the building. And, of course, down, making an appreciative sound when she sees the haven.
Brooke sits the bag she is carrying on a desk, and then takes off her usual work bag to sit on a stool by her computer station. She takes out a few bags filled with raw bacon, and stashes it in the fridge under the desk, along with some juice and some bags of veggies and fruit. "Welcome to the Tech Haven."
- And at JUST that moment, the sounds of something powering up and coming in their direction startup. Then there is the voice. "Feed. Feed. Feed. Feed." The overwhelming scent of fresh bacon can be smelled as the large Terminator Bacon Bot approaches.
Brooke reaches back into the fridge and pulls out the extra bacon she brought in today. "Hang on there big guy, I've got your fill up." She looks to Anya and says in her best impersonation of Arnold Schwartzeneggar, "Stand behind me if you want to live." A giggle, because she cannot help it. Moving forward she brings the bot to a stop. "Here, let me fill you up." She hits a few buttons and the refrigeration unit built in opens up and she refills it with the bacon in the bags. "There, you are good. Now I think we are both hungry."
- That is all it takes and BaconBot takes out two paper cups filled with bacon and shoves them out toward Brooke and Anya. "Bacon!"
It's just a whole journey of reactions. Politeness at the emptying of the bag. Of course a werewolf has bacon. Then... sudden alarm, and a little squeak as she turns with wide eyes at the monstrosity heading their way. In point of fact? She's already starting to scramble around behind Brooke even before the joke is made. Next comes confusion as the bacon is brought back out and fed to the machine and finally... a giggle of her own when cooked bacon appears. "What on earth.. is.. I mean."
Of course, she still reaches for the cup o' bacon. Because bacon. "I thought it was going to eat me. Almost blasted it with thorns. But I didn't want to mess up any equipment of yours." a pause, then she murmurs, "Oh. And... Anya Lenore Aisling Ryan, kin of the Fiana, daughter of Liam Takes The Chance Ryan. and niece to Ethan Star Howler ryan, athro ahroun of the Fiana." And she bobs a tiny little curtsey, for some reason.
- Satisfied, BaconBot rolls on out of here, and back to his station - until needed to spring to action to deal with someone's hunger again.
Brooke grins, "Sorry, it is always a treat since the first day I met BaconBot to see how newbs react." With Anya's introduction, she nods and returns with "I am Brooke Spencer, rited Hushed Blaze, Elder Galliard Glass Walker born on two legs, packed with Zephyr's Hand, member of the Random Interrupts, Master of the Howl for the Sept of the Enduring Spirit. It is a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for not blasting thorns, although that would be a first for me to see and I've seen an uparmored T-Rex." She invites Anya to take a seat. "Tell me, what brings you to Prospect and our Sept?"
Anya smiles somewhat demurely and dips her head. "I'm told it's not a common path to follow, but it's what called to me. I commune with the spirit of the Rose." One can practically hear the capitol. "Which is a large part of why I came here. Roses only grow in the summer in Maine." She settles herself down in a chair, acting as if all of this were a perfectly normal thing to say, and a normal reason to move across the country. She also nibbles on some bacon and gives the bot a look of intrigue mixed with a tinge of uncertainty.
Brooke can see there are still some questions, so she adds, "My predecessor built this place with his pack, which is now my pack. Billy, rite named "Very Good Boy." He got really caught up in some projects and ended up leaving to go with some war buddies. I miss him every day. BaconBot was one of his creations. Along with Stabby, but Stabby isn't welcome here. We got enough roombas around here, we do not need Stabby and his steak knife to mess up the tech." Because of course Stabby is a roomba with a steak knife attached at ankle level.
"So Maine. I bet it is really cold there. I couldn't imagine that on a day to day basis for months on end. It is a good change to here. Prospect is a mild climate. I do not know a lot about Roses, but if you are interested in helping out in the city, I could use someone to help watch and guide the community garden uptop here. Billy was the one that did it, he loved his tech, but he loved farming too. Without him to guide it, it has been a bit stagnant. I wouldn't want to impose, but perhaps you would also be interested in seeing our Arcology. Hopefully soon it will be time to perform the ritual and fight the good fight against the wyrm to seek out a totem spirit for our Urban Caern. We've cultivated a wonderful indoor ode to nature, and want to bring a bit of the forest into what is a dreary city."
Soft brown eyes widen a little when Stabby comes up, but she relaxes again at the assurance that he isn't here. Then, she nods eagerly, clasping her hands in her lap. "I grow more than roses," she says. "That's just the spiritual side. I've made something of a study of growing things, I'd love to help out with that in any way I can. Especially if it's an area you're lacking in."
Brooke nods, "I am lacking in anyone here at the Community Garden. There are other Theurges and kin that help at the Arcology, but any advice or assistance that you think you can offer is most welcome. When it comes to these things, I want to be sure we have multiple eyes and ears and ideas so no one feels stagnant. That is what happened in this area for a long time. The stagnation allowed the Wyrm to fester, and take hold. We've been pushing it out, one building, one day, one night at a time. It has come a long long way."
Anya nods, listening, and smiles softly. "Then I stand by what I said about the roses. Not just roses, flowers in general, really. More useful than people think when it comes to fighting things like that. It would be my honour to help in that area. I love gardening."
Brooke gives a double thumbs up! "Excellent! So many come here and just want to be fighty. They have no idea that fighting back can include the small things. Every plant added to grow helps with the air. Every bit of litter picked up. Every window cleaned to let in better light. Those small things add up. Getting fresh veggies and fruits to eat, rather than just something processed. It helps everything grow here. Now I may be the tech queen and glass walker leader, but we need a balance. Even within the city. All the concrete, and smog, it isn't healthy and is just what the Wyrm wants. We can still have our clean lines and hard surfaces, but there is still room for beauty and living growing life."
Anya flushes a bit, but it's in a pleased sort of way, smiling back across at Brooke. "I'm not very fighty. Er. Thorns aside, that's a contingency anyway. Not in the usual sense. I guess... I say it with flowers. Also beans, carrots, dill and aloe. You need the Wylde if you're fighting the Wyrm. And green, growing things are good for that. Also, one small, pretty thing like a flower can penetrate a lot of emotional gloom."
Brooke gives a gesture like 'see?' "Exactly! Not only can plants give off chemicals to combat all the Wyrm tries to add to pollute, the science is very sound on the way they naturally cleanse in general, but the emotional states of the people living here will be boosted."
Anya pauses for a moment, worrying at her lower lip as she regards Brooke, then blurts out, "I can talk to roses and learn what they've seen, too, so having roses through the area is like... an extra set of eyes and ears. Well. Sort of, they don't really... _see_. But they percieve. If that is at all helpful."
Brooke nodnods! "Anywhere we can get information. If any spirit has seen something off. That is why the next block over, we've paid chiminage to the Wyld spirits in the area - attracting them to the Community park and playground. They were causing a stir at a local theater, and we've given them a place where joy takes over and they can add without hurting anyone. Similarly, I have an building where some bad things went down and I bring in used electronics for the pattern spiders that inhabit the area. They keep an eye on things and can report to me what they see happening, since we couldn't get ownership of the building. That sort of help will be a gaia sent."
Anya nods slowly. "Well, I'm glad the spiders have their place. I know the Weaver has gone mad. I understand, but pattern spiders do have a place in the world. And some of them make very pretty webs. Should I avoid the park, or are the spirits there friendly? Not that I act like I can.. oh, yes. I should have said that already. I can see them. The spirits, the dead. Other oddities. Sorry, perhaps I ought to have started with that, it's just so normal to me."
Brooke shakes her head, "The park is very welcome. Please go and check it out." She smiles a bit and reaches out to lightly touch Anya's arm if allowed. "Seeing things is not unusual for some of us. I do not see that myself, but it can be insanely helpful when we need information around here. Please, come to me if anything odd happens, or you are given information. Do you have a phone?"
Anya does allow it, and even flashes a warm smile. But she also fishes into her purse and pulls out the latest model of iphone, and slides it over without hesitation or question so Brooke can see it. "I promise that I will," the kin murmurs. "I mean, that's what I'm here for. Being helpful. My father left me enough money that the investments keep me more than comfortable without working, so... helping all of you is my job instead."
Brooke grins, eyeing the phone. "Even better. Someone with more time and dedication to our cause will be wonderful. As for your phone, I know you have this latest model, but if I may? I can swap it for the exact same one, and transfer everything you have on this one. It will be like nothing has changed. BUT it will have a special chip inside to prevent hacking or being traced. I can still find it. But that is because we have things made by one of our kinmages and maintained to keep any Gaian from being traced, having their phone cloned or hacked to take information. We all carry these things around with us and without it? We are beckons for those that wish us harm to find us. If it ever did fall into the wrong hands, I can wipe it as well. This is all free, something we have the money for with our investments as a tribe and the urban garou. You can upgrade whenever you like as well. Oh and I have phone cases if you need them too. Would you be ok with that?"
Anya nods her head. "So long as I don't lose anything. But seriously, I can pay for it if you need, I have the money." She wriggles arounda little, though, looking pleased with what Brooke is suggesting, and then goes on to make small alk while the contents of her phone gets moved. There are... a lot of roses. Her wallpaper, her phone case. It's a thing. When done, the smallish kin hops back up to her feet. "Okay. I'm going to get out of your hair, because I want to go up and meander around the garden and see what's there already and what I think should get added. Thank you so, so much. I am even more glad I came out here. Plus, you know. No more nasty snow." And off she will bounce. She even pats the Baconbot, evidently over her initial nervousness.
