They'd be leaving the God's Garden soon enough, but Gin wanted to make the most of the time she had left. It would be important to learn what she could about the herbs here. Herbs, always the herbs. They wouldn't be overly far away, and she could make a run back up here if necessary. If Gin was going to put that much time and effort in, though, she'd need to know exactly what grew here. Learning. Right, always learning.

It was dusk as she searched the garden itself, trying not to get too distracted by the various ornamental plants. They were pretty. A woman with an eye for color, she can't help but like pretty things. Her tail wagged loosely at her haunches as she allows herself to get a bit lost in the plants, and in her enjoyment of them. Giving herself the time and the space to really enjoy something... life hadn't been too bad lately. As the fading sunlight wrapped around her shoulders and filtered toward a purple dusk, Gin was at ease.

Speech

Fern is out patrolling the border around the pack lands, reinforcing scent markers and rubbing her gray coat against bushes to leave bits of fur behind. Puff, the gray girl’s stoat companion, sits between the wolf’s shoulder blades, small paws wrapped loosely around the fur on Fern’s neck. The sun is setting, painting the sky with brilliant swaths of oranges and purples, drawing the girl’s attention and causing her to pause. Puff speaks up, saying, “The sky sure is pretty tonight. Think we can find a good spot to watch it?” Casting her ocean-hued gaze around, Fern spies the overgrown stone foundations that mark the beginnings of the area known as the God’s Garden. Quickly, the girl says, “We can go sit for a bit but Rudy will be expecting us for dinner soon.”

Even though she cannot see the stoat’s face, Fern can feel the eyeroll that Puff is giving her. A soft chuckle filters out as the gray wolf angles toward the flowers of the garden. The scent of unknown wolf reaches the girl’s nose and she stops a moment to scent the air. Hmm. Seems they are part of a band or pack that Fern has not met. Well, time to change that. Puff knocks a small paw on the back of the girl’s skull, saying, “Hello? Can we get goin’ already? I don’t want to miss the show!” Fern rolls her eyes even as she starts to move once more, setting course to intercept the unknown wolf’s scent. When a soft champagne colored wolf comes into view, Fern calls out softly, alerting the wolf to her presence as Fern moves closer. When she is within ear shot, she says, “Hello there. Do you need any help?” Light paws come to a stop a respectable distance away and she offers the wolf a warm smile.


"Fern" | "Puff"

Her exploration of the garden itself was intense, curious. So many of these plants were ornamental, and that was... maybe a bit odd. They looked nice, some smelled nice, but the usefulness of each was limited in Gin's experience. Hm. Were... all of these ornamental? There had to be some good things hiding here. Gin's gaze is intent, and she's wrapped up in the flowers. The herbs. All of them where they grew, and she's careful. This was turning out to be a bit more labor intensive than she'd initially planned, but... well, was she really even upset about that? It was nice to do some work, really. Apply herself. That, and it was a bit like a treasure hunt.

Somewhere here, there was lavender. Gin could smell it... yes, she could smell it. She's wrapped up in her own thoughts and in her search when she hears the voice. It was soft, friendly enough. Oh. Her gaze flickered to the stranger, eye contact fleeting but friendly. A demure smile to the source of it. The ghost takes her in for a moment, realizing that she's caught somewhere between a girl and a woman. Not quite grown into herself, but friendly. "Help?" Her brow furrowed for just a moment. What would she need help with?

"I'm just ah, enjoying the garden." Kind eyes from the champagne girl, and a smile. With a voice quiet and lilting, filling the space between them, she speaks. At least the girl seemed friendly.

Speech

A smile never seems far from Fern’s lips these days and tonight is no different. As she approaches the stranger, a friendly smile is on her face, she asks if the woman needs help. This seems to confuse the wolf, the momentary furrowing of her light brow speaking volumes alongside the echoed word. As the wolf’s quiet, gentle voice announces what the woman is doing here, the gray girl dips her head in understanding. Puff peeks out from between Fern’s ears, the little stoat giving the champagne wolf a wave. Fern looks around the stone filled garden as she says, “Well, you picked a great time to enjoy it.” Ocean-hued eyes look upward, the breathtaking colors painting the sky pulling a happy hum from the gray wolf’s chest.

The stoat keeps looking at the champagne girl, Puff watching her with a curious tilt of her small head. With Fern’s head still tilted up to the sky when a small, squeaky voice speaks up. Puff says, “You sure you don’t need help? I’m really good with finding things.” The stoat lifts up one tiny paw, flexing her toes to show how dexterous they are. The gray girl chuckles softly as her friend speaks up, head lowering to look at the champagne wolf. Fern says, “Its okay Puff. She might not want any help. In fact, she might want to be left alone.” Lifting her eyebrows, the gray wolf asks, “Would you like us to go? I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I just… like to make friends.”

Soft chuckle filters out as the girl dips her head in greeting, saying, “My name is Fern. And you met Puff.” Head bobs up slightly to show off the stoat, the small creature giving a small squeak of disapproval. The pair wait to see if the champagne wolf wishes to be left alone.


"Fern Lark" | "Puff"

She was friendly. It was enough to at least begin to set Gin at ease. Since when had she been so uncomfortable around others? So nervous? The long night had done some unfortunate things to the way that the ghost viewed the world and more and more... well, more and more she was becoming just that. A ghost. The little stoat peeks up from between Fern's ears, and Gin peers back with interest. She'd never seen such a creature, and the wave was quite endearing.

"Don't worry, I'm not looking for anything particular. Just learning what grows out here, so I can find them if I need them." It's more than Gin has spoken in what feels like ages, but it was... well, it was nice, really. Though nearly two entire seasons had passed since the darkness broke, she was still learning how to be social again. Being on her own for too long, as well, had changed her. It was as if she was still trying to get large pieces of herself back. It wasn't a good feeling, but here she was. All Gin could do was try, right?

Her smile was sheepish as she looked to Fern. "You're not interrupting, there's no need for you to go," she reassured. "My apologies if I seem a bit... ah, you know how it is sometimes," the ghost waved her muzzle as if to dismiss the thought. "It seems that I'm not as used to company these days." Though awkward for a moment, she manages to recover with grace. Things had been strange, and there was no need to dwell on it further. Yes, they'd been strange. Maybe with her continued effort, Gin could get back to normal.

"It's good to meet you, both of you. I'm Gin." The smile doesn't waver, though warmth fades into her tone. Puff and Fern, she'd learn their names and she'd keep them. Gin is a collector, after all. A collector of all things, as long as they didn't weigh her down in her travels. Names, stories, dreams, desires-- all things indeed. "You're welcome to join me in exploring the plants, if you'd like." Right, maybe it wasn't the most exciting thing, but company... well, she wouldn't object to company after all. Gin was trying.

Speech

The smile Fern wears is not forced, the joy and happiness she has found with her family and the pack… it has helped to heal a part of Fern that she had not realized was broken. Puff waves at the pale wolf and offers her a huge smile, the weasel-like creature may be small but heart is big. The ghost speaks up, putting the stoat at ease and Puff gives a nod, continuing to watch from between Fern’s ears. The pale woman seems uneasy and they gray girl offers to leave but the ghost reassures Fern that she doesn’t need to leave. Her apology is taken with solemn nod and the soft reply of, “I understand.” The comment about not being used to company receives a gentle chuckle from the gray girl and another, knowing nod.

The ghost offers her name as Gin and Fern’s smile widens as it is evident that Gin is uncomfortable but she is trying. When the invitation is extended, Fern bows her head slightly and says, “We would love to join you in exploring the plants.” Lifting her head, the gray girl adds, “My mother was a healer. I know a little bit about plants but not a lot.” Puff looks at the pale wolf and suddenly descends Fern to hop away. Casting a quizzical look at the retreating stoat’s back before giving a shrug of her gray shoulders and turns to wander over to a patch of roses. Lowering her nose, Fern inhales the sweet aroma they offer, eyes closing as they bring memories flooding back.

A soft smile rests on her lips as she reopens her eyes and lifts her head. Softly, Fern says, “Our den always smelled of plants and flowers. I… miss those days. They seemed so much… simpler.” Puff suddenly reappears, bouncing up to the pale woman and stand on her back legs. Small paws clutch a beautiful purple lily and Puff stretches her small arms up toward Gin, offering the wolf the flower. The stoat says, “This flower reminds me of you.” The small creature smiles as she offers the wolf the flower and Fern’s heart melts from the kindness, Puff is showing.


"Fern Lark" | "Puff"