voice: midnight ramble

[rickitikitarr]

[Ricki's insomnia is not getting all that much better. There isn't anything to do around during the day, exactly, either, but it's even worse at this hour in the morning. All he can think of is the library, again, and the network.

Today, it's;]

Who knows what about fruit hybrids? Did you know they've invented something called a pluot that's halfway between an apricot and a plum? I'm not an old fashioned bloke but that strikes me as a little ghastly.

[Flipping the age of his book.]

A plumcot. A pleacotum. This can't be real, it must be nonsense- here. Limequats. That, at least, is properly illustrative.

I'm pleased to see you haven't squandered the future that past generations won for you. Additionally, I think we should request all of these for the kitchen, immediately.

Comments

[chlorophylliac]

Please. I haven't choked anyone for months.

[Still pretty pleased that this is her reputation though tbh.]

[demolitions]

Maybe not to death.

[rickitikitarr]

Nice to meet you, by the way.

[chlorophylliac]

Mm. Ricki, isn't it?

Citrus hybrids have been artificially cultivated since the early twentieth century and hybrid Prunus - that is, plum/apricot hybrids - have been occurring naturally for centuries. There's really nothing new under the sun.

[rickitikitarr]

Are they like mules? I mean- they can't reproduce, you have to make a new set every time? This says that pluots and plumcots are possibly different generations of the same fruit, but I didn't think that was possible for hybrids.

[chlorophylliac]

Common misconception. Plants create fertile hybrids much more readily than animals.

[rickitikitarr]

Huh.

[Neato. He's learned something new.]

I wish I knew a thing about gardening.

[chlorophylliac]

I don't garden.

But if you're interested in learning about caring for plants, I can teach.

[Which is Poison Ivy for 'I'm dying of boredom and your voice isn't terrible to listen to'.]

[rickitikitarr]

Rosebushes. Tell me about growing rosebushes. I tried for years, and they only ever limped along for me.

[chlorophylliac]

Undernourished earth, overcrowding and lack of access to sunlight are the most common culprits. They thrive best in loam soil, well-watered at the roots.

Ask, next time you have a question.

[rickitikitarr]

What about weather? Are there any varietals that are more... tropically inclined?

[chlorophylliac]

More than I care to list. The humidity is the largest problem in the tropics - roses are susceptible to fungal disease. Look for varietals bred for resistance and you'll have a good place to start.

[rickitikitarr]

Brilliant, thanks. If I ever make it out of here, I know where to start.

[chlorophylliac]

If you ever make it out of here, leave via the greenhouse. I'll give you some seedlings.

[Which is basically a selfish offer. She clings to the idea that her children can be free even if she can't.]

[rickitikitarr]

You work in the greenhouse?

[chlorophylliac]

I run the greenhouse.

Or at least I will, until a warden arrives with the idea that they're more qualified.

[rickitikitarr]

I almost got work there, once.

[chlorophylliac]

If you were to actually get work here I wouldn't object. The place remains staffed.

[Though it's down to just her and the Emperor now.]

[rickitikitarr]

If I wanted to take you up on that, what would I do?

[chlorophylliac]

Show up, and I'll direct you to what's needed. Watering, feeding, some light maintenance. Dealing with infestations, should they arise. I don't clip or shape the plants, but what's dead will need clearing away.

[rickitikitarr]

Just in the morning, some day?

[chlorophylliac]

That's fine. I'm in there every day.

[It's practically home for her. Her cabin she uses mostly as lab space.]

[rickitikitarr]

[He disconnects, with a salute, and actually does show up, the next morning. Or later that same day, depending on how you want to squint at it.]

[chlorophylliac]

[Same difference. Ivy's dozing lightly, high in the branches at the heart of the greenhouse - but her pets are watchful, and they draw her attention to a newcomer. She climbs down, an easy descent, as he approaches.]

You must be Ricki.

[She's not strictly surprised that he's here, but a part of her had wondered whether the novelty would pass.]

[rickitikitarr]

That's me. I don't think I got your name, properly-