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 Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 9:21 pm
Evie considered this and nodded solemnly even as Jack did his best to hide his amusement. "I think you're right, Ren," she agreed. "You're so smart! I hadn't thought of that because sometimes things look like that should be imaginary but they're really real and sometimes it's the other way around." She craned her neck up to look at Jack as if for confirmation. He raised an eyebrow. She giggled and twisted to smile at Ren and Linnea again. "Venus Fly Traps don't look like they should be real," she explained. "But I'm glad you have real flowers and smelly ones, too. I wish Daddy would plant something."
"Now, lil bit, you know I told you I kill plants." He shared a sheepish smile with the other "parent" present.
((Soooo sorry about the delay! Work killed me and then vacation snuck up!))
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 12:32 pm
"Really?" Nobody had ever called Ren smart before. Pretty, noisy, splashy... but never smart. "Thanks!" she shouted, welling up with pride. "I think you're pretty smart too! Like with those Fly Traps... is that like fly paper?"
Quickly diverting her eyes, Linnea nonetheless smiled. "There are-" she began, then fell silent. The man, however nice he was, probably wouldn't be interested in what she had to say. But she had already started, there were only a few more words. "There are plants that don't take much care. Anyone can make them grow, even you."
And then she clammed up again, and put one hand over her mouth. How could she have actually said that? And it sounded like she was thinking less of him, when that wasn't really the case. Why couldn't she say what she meant?
Frowning, Ren ran over the last few things she'd heard in her head. "You... you KILL PLANTS? Why? That's not a nice thing to do, Mister Evie's dad!"
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 7:26 pm
"Oh, I don't do it on purpose, sweetheart," Jack reassured Ren. "I do my best but I don't reckon they think much o' me. Either I don't water 'em enough or I do it too much or, I dunno, I look at 'em wrong. I wish I could. Evie probably would like a few flowers at the window."
"I would." Evie nodded and she stretched out a hand to pat Jack's fingers as they curled around her cup. Then she leaned on the rim, propping her chin up on a little fist. "Miss Linnea?" she asked sweetly. "What plants wouldn't Daddy kill?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 8:14 pm
"Oh, it's an accident!" That made Ren feel better. It would be awful if a nice person like Evie's dad went around killing plants on purpose. "Then you shouldn't feel bad. Linnea says that accidents are nobody's fault!"
Linnea didn't even hear Ren's comment, instead focusing on Evie's question. It was a little bit easier to talk to somebody who was just a few inches tall, and who was asking her for help. Just a little. "There's Swedish Ivy," she started slowly, running through lists of plants in her head. Rin-chan would probably know better, but she wasn't completely useless. "Spider plants. Some geraniums and daylilies. There are books, too."
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Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 8:08 pm
Evie nodded eagerly, mentally making note of the plants mentioned. Of course, if she forgot, she knew Jack would remember but it was still nice to learn things. "Which ones have the pretty flowers, Miss Linnea?" she asked. "Like with really bright colors?"
Amused, Jack stretched out his hand to set down the two dresses and absently poke at the other items hanging up. It was good to see Evie making more friends and there was no chance of these two ever getting her into trouble. In celebration, he resolved to buy both dresses (even if they would prove useless) and... Ah, there. Two little packets of doll-sized hair accessories.
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 7:45 pm
Frowning, Linnea shifted Ren's glass in her hand. Which did Rin-chan say were the really hardy ones? "Echinacea." Those were good for memory too, if she remembered right. "Irises. Zinnias. Lantana. Red Wing Azaleas too, I think. I'm not sure."
"There's a girl who lives with us who takes care of the plants outside," Ren piped in. "We go and help sometimes. But we have plants on the window, and Linnea takes real good care of those! I like the really big white ones, which ones are those?" Most of the flowers on the window were white, and it was hard for Ren to tell them apart. But that didn't make her like them any less.
Linnea nodded. "Gardenia." She liked them as well, mostly for their fragrance. "And jasmine. They need more attention."
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 8:39 pm
"I could give them lots and lots of attention," Evie giggled, "but I couldn't water them probably and Daddy would kill them so I think we shouldn't. Maybe when I get big enough to come out of the cup." Suddenly, she tilted her head and squinted at Ren. Her brown eyes were bright with curiosity. "Ren? Do you think we'll ever get out of these cups? Daddy says we have to stay in them to be safe but Brunswick can fly around and..." She sighed; it wasn't sad, just a simple exhalation of air, but there was a crease between her eyebrows as she thought. "Maybe?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 9:56 pm
"You could remind him," Ren suggested. "I remind Linnea to do things sometimes. 'Cept she's got a good memory about flowers, so I don't have to do that."
Linnea shook her head, embarrased again. She might have a good memory when it came to taking care of the flowers, but she forgot to do seemingly simple things, like eating dinner or going to sleep. At times, it felt like the minature girl took care of her, instead of the other way around.
But Ren didn't seem to notice Linnea's discomfort. Her eyes had gone wide, and she was staring at Evie unblinkingly. "Out? I... I never thought about getting out." What would that be like? Would she get to go wherever she wanted? Or be big like Linnea? There were so many new thoughts, and it was a pinch too much for Ren to handle all at once. Rather than forming a reply, she just kept staring, eyes slightly glazed over, as she imagined the possibilities.
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Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 8:27 pm
"Maybe some day, lil bit," Jack interrupted. The crooked smile on his face radiated discomfort, though, and he clearly was hoping Evie would abandon all ideas of jumping out of her cup to see if she could manage. "We'll just have t' see. You an' Ren are still little girls, y'know."
"Oh, I know." Evie giggled and clasped her hands in front of her, looking for all the world like a naughty little schoolgirl. "I was just thinking. I like my cup okay. Especially on really sunny and warm days when you put me on the windowsill. The juice keeps me cool." She shared her sunshine-smile with Linnea and Ren. "And Daddy always knows where I am when I'm here," she informed them cheerfully. "I bet you feel better when you know Ren's safe, right, Miss Linnea? If you care so much about your flowers, you've gotta care even more about Ren... Who I think is better than an orchid!"
Discomfort gone in the face of his charge's words, Jack did his best to hide his laughter behind a quickly upraised hand. "She, hm, talks a lot, doesn't she?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 7:26 pm
With a hint of a smile, Linnea nodded. She did prefer always knowing where Ren was. The house she lived in was so big, and if Ren could move around on her own, she would probably spend more time with the others than her. It was a bit of a depressing thought- that her best friend was held captive, in a way- but they did help each other through their difficulties.
Shaking her head, Ren looked at Evie, trying to remember what she'd said. There was time to think of the future later. The present was staring her in the face! Blushing a bit, Ren shook her head. "You think so? I like flowers, but I think you're better than just about any flower I've ever seen."
At Jack's words, Linnea's eyes met the floor again, and she shook her head nervously. "I'm used to it," she murmured. After all, anyone who lived with Ren would have to get used to being talked at. "It's not bad."
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 4:26 pm
Twisting in her cup, Evie managed to tear her attention from Ren and Linnea with difficulty and smiled up at Jack. "Can we invite Ren and Miss Linnea over for a visit some time, Daddy?" she asked. The way her hands clasped and the use of Big Eyes indicated that there was only one correct answer.
Not that Jack was ever liable to say no to such a request. Nonetheless, he laughed gently and nodded agreeably. "Yeah, Evie. If they ever want t' visit, they're more than welcome."
"Yay!" Turning back with more than a little wiggle of joy, Evie spread her arms to include both of her new friends. "We live on a road called Calloway and it's kind of out of the city so we have lots of room around the house. It's a big house. It's pink."
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Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 10:36 pm
"Wow, really?" They didn't get out much, so the chance to actually visit was overwhelmingly exciting. Clapping her hands eagerly, Ren looked up at Linnea. "Can we? Pleeeeeease?"
Smothering a small giggle, Linnea coughed and nodded, not really thinking about the request. If she had, she might have tensed up and frozen again. But somehow, with these people, she was more relaxed than she had been in some time, especially considering they were in a public place.
Ren wasn't sure that Linnea would actually agree, but when she did she nearly jumped out of her cup. "Yay! Your house sounds really pretty! Our house is white, and it's near the beach, and we go for picnics sometimes. The water is so pretty, even if it smells funny."
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 7:21 pm
"Oh, it sounds neat. I've never seen the beach. Maybe..." Evie hesitated as a vague memory of manners prodded her mind but she pushed it off with a shrug. "Maybe I can come on a picnic with you sometime? Please? Daddy knows how to make Rice Krispie Treats. They're all yummy and gooey."
Somehow Jack managed to balance his purchases as he dug out a small, silver case from his jacket pocket. Then, with creative use of his teeth, he managed to flick it open and nimble fingers extracted one of the pale grey cards from its interior. "Our address," he offered, trying to manuever things so he could hand the card to Linnea. "I decided it was easier to print these up, like, instead of writin' it up every time. Evie likes company an' would invite the whole world over for a slumber party if she could." The card safely in Linnea's hands, he began edging the small group out of the aisle and towards the registers.
Evie didn't even seem to register the motion, merely clapping with delight at Jack's casual words. "A slumber party! We should have one," she announced. "Callie would probably like to see more girls around the house, I bet. You could come, Ren, and Miss Linnea and Dru and Brunswick's sister and Miss Trinity and..." She paused, face falling a bit with a new thought. "I don't know a lot of girls," she admitted.
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Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 11:19 pm
"What's a Rice Krispy Treat? It sounds good. Linnea's mommy makes chocolate cookies, and they're really yummy. We should have a picnic together and trade!" Whatever a Rice Crispy Treat was, Ren wanted to try one. Especially if it was as yummy and gooey as Evie made it sound.
Extending trembling fingers, Linnea took the card and quickly stashed it in her purse. It was becoming warm in the cramped aisle, and she hadn't had any water in some time, which made her uncomfortable. Absently, she started to scratch one of the small fins attatched to her wrist. Just a moment later she remembered where she was, and turned her head away. "Th-thank you, sir."
It sounded like Evie knew a lot of girls to Ren, but she could do better. "I know a bunch of girls that live in our house!" she informed Evie, counting off on her fingers. "There's Ying and Rinsei and Yeine and Prana... oh, and the babies, but they're just little. And Linnea's mommy. She counts, right?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 8:28 pm
"Of course, she does!" Evie studied her new friends in something like awe. "You know so many people," she murmured. Then she brightened and began nodding. "We can have them all come to the party. Maybe Daddy can show us how to make the treats. They're marshmallow and goo and that crunchy cereal and," she paused, face falling, "Daddy can't. He's not a girl."
Jack laughed at that. "I'll trust you all t' Linnea and Trin, lil bit. There's no way I'm lettin' you near me with a curling iron." He glanced at Linnea, noticing her fidgety movement, and frowned a bit to himself. Quickly, he dropped the two dresses and packets of hair clips on the desk for the girl behind the register to total up for him. "Are you doin' alright there, Linnea?" he asked quietly.
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