[Open Log] parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme

[prettypurpleparlor]

Who: Muffet and YOU (plus closed prompts for a couple people).
What: Gardening and home improvement, island-style.
When: The 15th.
Where: Islet 3, and various points around Enso.
Warnings: Arachnophobia? None I can think of, but if any come up I'll add them.

remember me to the one who lives there:
[If you're passing by Muffet's house that afternoon, you might see her up and about- emphasis on up.]

[Her repairs to her little islet home seem largely completed, with half of the building covered by a neatly repaired wooden roof, over a comfortable little room... but the other half is deliberately open to the sky.]

[Instead of putting a roof over the other half of the house, Muffet has strung a large web of her own silk over the top, blocking entry to curious animals but letting the sun and rain through. The reason for this will become obvious with a bit of looking- she's turned the uncovered half of the house into a walled-in garden.]

[The roughly-made wooden floorboards she put down stop where the roof does, leaving the bare dirt free for planting, and she's taken advantage of the space to grow bountiful amounts of various edible plants somewhere she can keep scavengers from getting at them. In the very center of the garden, pride of place is given to a healthy young pear tree.]

[And as for the lady of the house herself?]

[Well, she is a spider- which is probably why she looks perfectly comfortable walking around on top of her web. She surveys the garden from her rooftop vantage point, standing casually on a single silken thread. She seems pleased with how her work is coming along.]


and sow it all over:
[Or maybe you're at one of a dozen different spots on the main island- by the lake where blackberries grow, a spot in the marsh that has carrots, or really anywhere that an edible plant can be found.]

[She works carefully, taking only a very small amount of any one thing to transplant into her garden. Still, there's more than she can carry alone, which is probably why she's very carefully tying the latest portion of her gardening haul onto the back of a...]

[Wait, what is that?]

[For all its' odd appearance, though, the... cupcake beast? Muffin monster, maybe? Well, whatever it is, it seems pretty docile, calmly accepting whatever Muffet has it carry and following her lead around the island unprompted.]


tell her to buy me an acre of land [closed to Taako and Lup]:
[Oddly enough, there seems to be one area out in the front of the house that she's cleared neatly but hasn't planted anything in, a decent-sized spot in the shade of a nearby coconut tree.]

[She's been saving that spot for a while- specifically, for as long as she needed to make sure the rest of her house was in order, so she could be sure she wouldn't have to move again too soon.]

[Because as much as she appreciates Taako's offer to build her an oven, she knows the twins are probably going to charge enough that she won't want to pay it twice.]

[Now seems like a good time to start negotiating.]


answer as many for me [closed to Ignis]
[The bulk of her garden is kept within the house walls, where she can keep it safe, but Muffet isn't one to waste space. All along the sides and back of her house she's planted more crops, and she hums softly to herself while she tends to them.]

[Passing by, someone might just happen to hear a pleasant little tune...]

Comments

and sow it all over

[souris_keteer]

[Mickey is starting to understand he'll never adjust to wildlife. He takes one good look at... whatever this is, then crosses his arms and tilts his head.]

... Huh?

[prettypurpleparlor]

[The creature seems pretty content with its' situation, at least- Muffet gives it a friendly pat on the head as she finishes tying her plants onto its' back, which results in it making a pleased-sounding humming noise.]

[She catches sight of Mickey as she turns around, and smiles brightly at him in greeting.]

Hello, dearie. Everything going well for you today?

[souris_keteer]

... I think so!

[Depends if he's hallucinating or not.]

I, uh, don't think I've met your friend there.

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Nnnope? Probably not, anyway, the giant muffin creature is definitely still there.]

Ah, that's right, I haven't introduced my pet to anyone yet, have I?

[She gestures at the beast, smiling fondly.]

This is Ramequin. I made them when I was much younger, and they've been my dear friend ever since.

[souris_keteer]

Your pet?

[People can have dessert as pets? ... sure, why not, logic's not really a thing on the island anyway.]

Well, then! It's nice to meet you, Ramequin!

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet laughs softly, seeing Mickey's confused expression.]

Yes- I was experimenting a bit with my magic at the time, and wound up with some rather unexpected results.

[Ramequin seems to recognize its' name when he says it, making a soft huffing noise not unlike a dog curious about a new person. She lays a reassuring hand on its' head, letting it know that he's friendly.]

You can pet them, if you like.

[souris_keteer]

Aw, really? Thanks!

[Okay, so it's not quite a dog, but Mickey does love pets. He eagerly comes over and begins petting on what he assumes is the head.]

... I almost expected my hand to get sticky.

answer as many for me [closed to Ignis]

[shatteredlenses]

[Even before losing his vision, Ignis was good at listening to what was going on around him. In his view, there is so much people miss by talking just for the sake of talking. For instance, a little listening today brings him word that a certain Muffet has been doing a lot of gardening around and in her home. Considering he is looking for a good place for a few special plants that have come into his possession, this is very valuable information indeed.

He's been across the rickety bridge to islet three a couple of times now, so traversing it isn't as hard as it was the first time. Listening closely for some indication as to what house she's at nets him a gently hummed tune as his guide. After listening to her for a moment, he clears his throat softly to get her attention.]

Someone is certainly a busy bee today. Would you like a little assistance?

[Well, that sounds like a run of the mill greeting, but what can it be he's hiding oh so innocently behind his back?]

Re: answer as many for me [closed to Ignis]

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet blinks curiously at the way he's standing, then smiles as she realizes. Somebody's up to something, hmm? Looks like he's having fun, she'll play along.]

Why, what a thoughtful offer- although, I've gotten most of my work done today already. Did you have something specific in mind?

[shatteredlenses]

Something specific? No, not really. It's hard to have specifics when you're acting on information gleaned from rumor.

[Ignis looks toward her garden as if he is trying to 'see' what's there. Of course, he can't and it's clearly all an act.]

Though, I'm rather curious to know if there is any space left in your garden. Perhaps a corner where you can make sure there is good drainage? Some plants are dreadfully picky, you know.

[prettypurpleparlor]

Rumor? Nice to know that I can still make myself the talk of the town- or the islet, as it were.

[Muffet replies in a cheerfully amused tone, matching Ignis' own act.]

Hmm, now that you mention it, I can think of a couple places. Does your curiosity tend more towards sunny areas or ones in the shade? After all, one should consider all a particular plant's needs.

[shatteredlenses]

Splendid! It just so happens my curiosity tends toward liking light, but we must also make sure it doesn't roast, as the case may be.

[Really? Ignis, must you?]

Constant tropical heat can get to be a bit much for anyone or any-plant, so a little shade won't hurt.

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Ooh, she's definitely curious about this one.]

Of course, moderation is a sensible way to live for anybody- floral or otherwise. If partial shade would be best, I believe there's still a good spot here, around the corner...

Remember me

[alittleditty]

[Exploring - even just the islands they've been given to live on - is a thing to be done carefully, for Tataru. In small bits and pieces, nothing where she might accidentally bite off more than she can chew. That being said, there are still things that catch her attention enough for most caution to be thrown to the winds. Such as seeing a well-tended garden through a window of one of the better-restored houses.]

Oh my!

[She stops herself short of the doorway, thankfully. It would be very rude to just barge in uninvited and unannounced.]

Do you mind if I came in? I'm quite curious about your garden there.

[Not to mention, given the effort that must've gone into said garden, it's entirely likely that Muffet might be able to answer some of the other questions that Tataru has had of late.]

Re: Remember me

[prettypurpleparlor]

Oh, of course, I always appreciate company.

[Muffet smiles warmly at her visitor, and gestures casually with one hand- which somehow causes the front door of her house to swing open of its' accord.]

[The truth is that she just uses her own magic to bind the door shut because she couldn't figure out how to make a proper lock work with what she had, but there's no need to actually tell people that when she can take the opportunity to look mysterious and dramatic.]

Do come in, dearie- it's through the doorway on your left.

[The door leads into a small, neatly-decorated wooden room. As she said, there's a small doorway in the wall, covered by a curtain. She probably didn't need to tell Tataru that, honestly- it's not a large house, and it's the only door there- but it's the polite thing to do.]

[alittleditty]

My thanks.

[The room earns more than a passing glance - it's one of the nicer and better-restored ones that she's seen thus far on the islets. But ultimately, she presses on, slipping out into the garden, where she begins to examine the different plants in earnest.]

Did you find all these plants here?

[prettypurpleparlor]

Most of them are cuttings or transplants from around the island, yes.

[Muffet has no problem carrying on a polite conversation while standing several feet above the ground on a giant web, it seems.]

This one, however, was one that I requested from the Storyteller.

[She pauses to stand above the pear tree, indicating it with one hand. It looks like it's doing well- as does the rest of the garden, having clearly been tended to with care.]

[alittleditty]

They all look lovely...

[Yes, she's very much noticing the obvious care that was put into this garden, and it showed in how much it was thriving.]

Hm... By any chance did you see plants such as cotton, or flax, while you were out gathering these up?

[prettypurpleparlor]

Hm... I can't say I saw any flax, no. Cotton, I can't be certain of- my expertise is almost entirely limited to edible plants, since I have my own silk to spin with.

Remember Me

[yallstupid]

[It's a bit hard not to notice the spider woman trotting about on her home - they share space o the same islet, after all. Guzma was very aware of this fact after their falling out several weeks ago, steering clear for various reasons, though he can't help but be curious as to her goings-on this day. He's busy at work with his own roof, far from finished with the construction of the hale style of roofing, but he's been diligently working for several hours each day with what supplies he could gather. Thankfully, a great portion of the roof that isn't finished is covered by a tarp, which keeps most of the rain and creatures out (though considering Ariados can eat most small critters, they don't wander in often) already.

He has Ariados ease him down from the roof, wiping sweat from his brow. A quick dip in the ocean at least rinses off most of the sweat, but he'll need a proper wash later, though not stinking is great. His longer, white hair is still damp as he combs through it with his fingers, meandering a bit towards the young woman's property to inspect it, and perhaps get a few ideas... It's no lie he's been using a lot of Ariados's sturdy thread to hold things in place until he can nail them together. Though, to be fair, even nails aren't as necessary. The silk is incredibly durable, and has a breaking strength of several hundred pounds, and it repels water. ...Mostly.

He's trying to be discreet, but fails pretty bad. His eyes always stray up, and circling one's home like a vulture isn't exactly subtle...]

Oh yes, she remembers you. ;;;;)

[prettypurpleparlor]

Hello, there. Everything going well?

[Muffet's tone is entirely relaxed and conversational, apparently completely immune to any possible awkwardness from talking to a man she last saw storming away angrily.]

[As far as she's concerned, she's not angry at him for it. She still thinks he was wrong, but she isn't upset with him. She also suspects that he's having a bit more trouble with sorting out what he is and isn't angry at- beyond "basically everything"- hence why she's been giving him the space to work through things without bothering him.]

...HECK

[yallstupid]

[And herein lies the discord. Guzma knows very well he handled the situation improperly, but he does not regret his decision in the slightest. Anyone who talks like that, will no regard to the feelings of those around them, and tries passing blame to those that are without, under the guise of care needs to be struck down. He knows a woman like that...who lured him in her her pretty words and her false 'care' - a promise of greatness, of respect, of acceptance - and left him to the abyss. People like that he cannot and will not tolerate. If he's branded as a monster, so be it.

It won't be the first time.

Guzma grimaces when he's caught snooping, looking up and actually straightening up to crane his neck up to see where Muffet was.]

Tch...as well as it can in this dump. You look to be in good shape, yeah? [He nods lazily to her roof. He's still far from done. Maybe a third of his is done.]

[prettypurpleparlor]

[If asked, Muffet might point out that she knows exactly what a monster is, and wouldn't use the word for his behavior. She'd likely go with something more like 'projecting your issues onto people who don't deserve it' or possibly just 'being kind of a dick'.]

[This, however, would require Guzma to actually talk openly about his feelings and is therefore unlikely at best.]

Well, I'm at least glad to hear that it's not going any worse than you'd expect.

[She smiles, gesturing at her unique rooftop arrangement.]

I've got things sorted out quite nicely for now, yes- although I suspect only having to cover half as much of the building helped it go a bit quicker.

[yallstupid]

[Well, the latter would at least get a laugh out of Guzma, though he'd argue that he's like that all the time, but we digress. Talking openly about his thoughts, and especially his feelings, is someone one has to really dig out of Guzma, and he will fight tooth and nail before he divulges even the most mediocre of details. The darker parts of himself will remain buried long after he's dead and gone, if he can help it.]

For now. [He interjects, holding up a finger with a wicked little smile. He knows better than to keep his head up. Life is never easy, nor is it fun. Especially not in this place.]

Mmh, yeah, noticed that...there a reason for that? I mean, I'm prob'ly the only one who'd know a spider don't often leave its web, but in this place...I'd think a web'd be pretty hard'a maintain.

[Win, rain, heavy storms... If they ever get anything big, it'd be in ruins.]

[prettypurpleparlor]

[She nods, conceding the point. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst... not that either of them have any idea what 'the worst' is just yet.]

Well, my web does tend to be a bit sturdier than average, given the size... but the real reason is because I needed to let in the rain and sunlight in this half.

[She smiles proudly, gesturing to the garden below her.]

After all, a walled garden is no good if the plants can't grow. I thought some of the more rare or delicate ones might do better within walls, where I can make sure all our food isn't being eaten up before we can get to it.

And if anything does try to drop in and steal something... well, I'm not one to turn down an extra meal or two if it winds up tangled in my web.

[The local bird population should probably try to perch elsewhere.]