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It's pretty late in the evening, but Myra doesn't seem to mind. She sits on a park bench, checking her phone for messages between glances around the area - underneath the bench, half-hidden behind her legs, is a bag and a young berry bush. She seems to be waiting for someone.
And approach, that someone does, moving relatively quietly in the darkness, their fact shaded by a wide-brimmed hat, a small smile visible under it as they walk over to the bench. There's a backpack on their back, and a large Nalgene waterbottle clipped to it. "Hey, pretty lady. You out here all by yourself? You might run into someone doing horrible criminal acts that way." The tone of their voice is all tease.
The 'flirt' is met with a grin, Myra sitting up as Lif approaches her.
"Ah yes, how terrible - what would a completely and utterly defenseless woman like me do then, hm?" She laughs and throws her thick braid behind her head, tucking it into the hood of her sweatshirt.
"I can hardly imagine. Perhaps you should let me accompany you someplace more quiet." They wiggle their eyebrows, offering Myra a hand up.
She snorts and accepts the hand and help up, brushing down her pants before ducking to get her bag, "Dinner first, Lif, dinner first!"
As always, Lif's hand is colder, clammier than one might expect. It's just a thing, with her. Poor circulation has always been the excuse, offered like she doesn't care if she's believed or not.
"Why? Looks like you brought something that's gonna grow up to be dessert." A nod at the small bush under the bench. "Planning ahead."
Myra takes on a playful tone, "You must eat dinner before dessert!" She laughs softly, obviously bullshitting as she swings the bag over her shoulders then pulls out the bush, "Also can be good for more than just desserts, of course. Once it grows and starts having the berries."
"How can I eat any pudding if I don't eat my meat?" Their lips quirk, and then they lean in to look at the plant quietly. "Hardy baby, that's going to do good around here. You picked well."
Dessert must have been a summoning spell because Heather was out and about to catch them in the act. She looked like a soccer mom and was out jogging,dressed in leggings and a drapey racerback tee. She slowed, peeking over to see what was being planted, and flashed the pair a grin. "Hello! What are you working on?"
Snrk. "Exactly."
She cradles the plant gently in her arm and smiles proudly, "Thank you, I do try. I had this one growing in my yard for a while, so I've been able to make sure they're nice and healthy before sending them out into the wild."
She then pauses as Heather appears, looking mildly uncertain, "Ah - Heather! Hello. We are..... planting." Planting. Ah, yes. Great respose there, Myra.
"You two know one another?" There's a sidelong glance at Myra from under Lif's hat, before they turn to Heather. "Urban beautification project. Very important. Reintroduction of native species."
For all that they may manage to sound official...it's the middle of the hecking night, so this is kinda...off.
Heather chuckled. "Oooh. I see. Is weed native around here? Or is it something else? I'm Heather, nice to meet you."
Myra's voice takes a dry tone, "It is a berry bush, actually. And.... yes, we are acquaintances. We tend to ahhh prowl in the same community circles at times."
"The weed doesn't get planted out in public." She shakes her head at Heather. "Really, a lot of the strains have very specific growing conditions they want, so if one were to be growing it, one would want to control the environment, not just drop it in a park."
Heather sat down next to the pair and shrugged. "Flora isn't my forte," she admitted. "Unless it's ripe enough to eat. I suppose if it needs those specific growing conditions it isn't native. What kind of berries are these going to be?"
"These are ahhhhh raspberries," She glances down at the plant, as if to double check, "Yes - raspberries. Will be good for the local ecosystem, and also good for, well..." a quirk of the lips, "Snacking."
"If we plant it, it will someday become ripe enough to eat. Trust me, I'm a scientist." They grin broadly. "I'm assuming you've got a spot picked out, Myra?"
"Unless the fauna gets them first," she teased. "Though that's hardly a bad thing for them. What kind of science do you study anyways?"
"I do!" She perks up with excitement, "It's a lovely spot, between some trees near the sidewalk on the other side of the park," She nods in the proper direction.
"I'm an Environmental Science student at Temple, and a Student Trainee with the EPA. So...this is literally, actually my job, in theory. Kinda. It would be if we had more funding and public support."
"That's fantastic! I had a friend in college who took that path and became a food inspector as well as master gardener. Still sends me the most divine mint and pepper jelly every Christmas. Want some help planting?"
"....You would be interested to?" Myra tilts her head and seems surprised at this, but not like she has any mind to deny the offer of help - though she glances over at Lif to see if they would be willing to accept the offer, too.
"Oh, man, I want a recipe for that jelly." There's a warm laugh, and Lif nods, offering Heather a hand to shake (which is cold and clammy, more than might be expected on a night like this). "I'm Lif Loracks, nice to meet you. Heather, right?"
"Sure! Many hands make light work and I can always get a manicure tomorrow." Heather winked and then shook Lif's hand. "Yep! Heather. Nice to meet you properly. I'll see if I can pry the recipe out of her next time we chat."
"I wouldn't mind a copy myself," Myra concedes with a little smile, "Might be willing to share one of my own for it, too. Have you planted many things before? Gardening?"
"We could set up a group recipe exchange or something. I've got a recipe for the world's creamiest hummus, if you're into something smooth and light and perfect." Lif starts walking in the direction Myra indicated earlier, for the spot picked out for this bush.
"Not really but a good friend of mine grows tea and things. Baking is my hobby though, so I am all in on a recipe exchange." She flashed them a grin. "Desserts mostly, but I like to get some bread going when I have the time."
"In terms of ahhh desserts and creamy, I have a lovely arroz con leche recipe - rice pudding," She adjusts the plant as they walk, striding slightly ahead in order to lead them in the right direction, "I've been working on a banana bread recipe, but I'm not sure if I've got it quite right...." She scrunches her nose a bit at the thought.
"The trick with banana bread is to wait until you think the bananas are ready, and then give them a day more." Lif laughs. "And if you need a taste-tester, I'm your huckleberry. Or something like one."
"I'll make you a deal. You bring me fresh fruit and I'll make you something with it. Maybe even give you the recipe afterwards."
"You know what? Deal," She grins, "I was planning to make a batch tomorrow. Maybe I'll hold it off a day, though...." .... "What if I brought you honey, Heather?"
"...do you have to know what a fruit is to make something out of it?" Lif's tone of voice is thoughtful.
As the trio move, they eventually spot a face familiar to some of them. Most obviously a Changeling to Lif, of course, who can see the scales on Annie's legs, uncovered by her running shorts. Must be out for a late jog.
"Hmmm..." She tapped her lips. "Honey, honey. Ah! Russian medovik! It'll take a few days to do though. And... Not necessarily though it can be helpful. I made a pie of a mystery fruit recently and it was pretty incredible."
Myra gives Lif a curious glances, then another curious glance to Heather. She opens her mouth to ask, then decides that that is probably not a good idea and closes it. The jogging woman - somewhat familiar to Myra - gets a glance as she is noticed.
Lif's head tilts to one side slightly. "And where's someone like you getting mystery fruits from, eh?" There's a smile playing at her lips, but her pale eyes seem almost to be re-assessing Heather.
At least until she hears the sound of feet and looks up to see Annie. "Heya, barkeep. Water break?" There's a light gesture at the water bottle clipped to her backpack.
Annie blinks at being addressed, glancing over, then slowing to a halt as she recognises Lif. "Sure. Thank you." She glances between Myra and Hearth. "These friends of yours?"
"Well when you can bake a perfect pie, some things just fall in your lap unexpectedly," Heather said cheerfully. She offered Annie her hand. "New friend. I'm Heather, nice to meet you."
Something about what Heather says makes Myra duck her head slightly to hide a smirk. When she glances back up, she gives Annie a closer look - then smiles, "Ah! I think you might recognize me better with sunglasses and a medic patch, yes?"
"Myra's been a friend of mine for...about a year now? We met in a Home Depot, in the gardening section. I was buying blood meal, she was buying bone meal, and I can't remember who made the first crack about building a person together, but we've been running wild ever since ever since."
They unclip the water bottle and hand it to Annie. It's full, and the water is nice and clean.
"Annie. Pleasure meeting you, Heather." Annie takes the offered hand, shaking it briefly, before glancing at Myra. She studies the Thyrsus briefly before nodding. "Oh, right. You were at the protests outside the Fashion Show and at City Hall, right?"
Taking the water bottle from Lif, Annie raises it to her lips, taking a decent mouthful before lowering it, passing it back. "Thank you again, Lif. I forgot to refill mine before I left work, so..."
Heather arched an eyebrow at Lif. "Alchemy is an ancient and noble art," she teased.
"I was, yes," she glances forward for a moment, "Ah - those trees, there. Yes?"
Lif nods at Heather. "Sure, I suppose, but people are a lot of work and I've already got one body to maintain." And then, water bottle in hand, she jogs ahead to the trees, looking for the perfect spot for planting.
Annie glances between Myra and Hearth, looking slightly amused. "Should I ask what the three of you are doing out here, or is that the kind of thing I do not need to know?" She asks, strolling after Lif.
Heather meandered after Lif. "How about here?" she pointed to a nice shady spot behind a tree, a bit out of the way and immediate view. "Yeah, I prefer edibles over going all Dr. Frankenstein myself."
"Depends on how much trouble you plan to get us in," Myra smirks and sets the plant down so she can pull out a small shovel, "That's not a bad spot - perhaps a bit to the left?" She gestures with the shovel, "It might get more sunlight there."
"We're doing good for the city and its inhabitants. Which is the point, at the end of the day. Right?" Lif looks around. "Here, I can hold the baby while you dig, if you want?"
Annie smirks back at Myra. "Depends. What kind of trouble do you want to get in?" She purrs, then glances at Lif. "Fair enough. I might be interested in some of those edibles, though."
"I will trust in your expertise!" she declared. "And this isn't trouble. Trouble is the antithesis of planting berry bushes. That'd be like hating flowers. Or puppies."
"Please and thank you," Myra nods at Lif, handing the plant over before she begins to dig a hole in the spot, "And you would be surprised at how many people would get salty at us planting a simple berry bush."
Lif holds onto the bush with one hand. With the other hand, she sticks her finders into her water bottle, lightly touching the water.
Anyone watching Myra dig would almost swear the dirt is flowing itself out of her way. But the mages feel no ping about it.
Annie glances around. "Is this private property or something? Are you committing botany crimes?"
"Crimes of passionfruit!" She laughed. ""And Myra I do believe that's because there are wicked people in the world who deserve to be salty about all the good that happens."
"And you would be correct!" She laughs and doesn't seem to bat a single eye at the potentially odd behavior of the dirt, "As for botany crimes, well..... I think we prefer the term ahh...." She grins up at Lif, "Urban beautification, yes?"
"Ecological diversification and native plant re-introduction." They nod sagely, fingers remaining in the water bottle as they watch on.
"Fair enough." Annie chuckles quietly. "What kind of plant are you re-introducing? Or is that not a native one?"
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