Absolem Azure

Midas looked up from the book he was reading and when he noticed rather familiar face he started to smile instantly. “It depends who you were thinking. It could have be me, it could have been someone completely different. Maybe it was someone who you wasn’t thinking at all. Maybe it was someone who doesn’t exist. I don’t know. Who is it?”

That nonsensical rant was just the answer he was looking for.

“The most ridiculous mouse in Wonderland...”

He held his arms out wide. “Bring it in, old friend.”

@mouse-of-oblivion

Aurelia practically squeaked. She put her hands over her mouth and shook her head. “I’m not trying to be rude, I just…” now, she’d forgotten what she was going to say. How in the world was she supposed to talk to someone when she didn’t know what to say? “I am not very good at talking to people. Confrontation scares me, a lot. How are you so confident?”

Well this one was awfully honest.

“I do believe the key is not giving a flying fuck.”

“Sorry,” she said faintly. “I just need to find a type of plant. See if the care I’m giving it is correct. I just can’t remember the name, only what it looks like.”

All right, now this was getting somewhere.

Absolem leaned forward where he sat, resting his elbows on his knees as he waited for the girl to go on.

“Describe it to me, then.”

Asking for help or even seeking it from others was something Quinn was slowly getting used to, at first she didn’t like doing it. However, situations like this left her no choice. 

She looked thankfully at the man, hoping that he would somehow have some way of saving her precious garden. “My mother grew plants, all year round. No matter the weather she’d have something, some even last months on end. She passed away not long ago since then everything just looks like it’s slowly dying. I’ve done what she has taught me, but it was just the basics.” 

Absolem listened well, but he still couldn’t tell what specific thing the girl actually needed help with. He liked to think of himself as a compassionate person on occasion, but moments like this tested him. He felt sympathy for the girl’s loss of her mother, sure, but a lot of Wonderland lost people recently and he had things he needed to do today.

“Child, I did not ask for your life story, just what you need help with.”

She had never felt so useless, everything she had learnt so far had come from her mother but since her death, t was like she had completely forgot everything. that she had told her. 

“I’m okay… just new to this hole plants in winter thing. My mother used to deal with it.” she sighed, closing the book. “Its as if I can read the words but none of it makes sense.” 

Well, he wasn’t sure what he could do to help her with that. Unfortunately he wasn’t in the business of bringing people back from the dead. He may lead a controversial life, but he had his moral boundaries and that was never something he would attempt to take part in.

“What are you trying to make sense of? Perhaps I can help. I’m quite the gardener myself...” 

Quinn sat on the bench, she was deep in thought. A book on how to care for plants sat on her lap. It would be her first winter without her mother, and she had always been the one to keep their garden in top condition and care for the plants over the winter months. Even before, it took her life she always made sure she and Quinn had enough to keep them going. Something the girl had been struggling with recently. 

“Come on. There’s got to be something in here” she said out loud. 

Absolem hadn’t planned to nose into anyone’s business on his walk through the Woodland. In fact, he had purposely avoided looking directly at anyone to try to maintain the peace of himself and the autumn breeze. It was the book that caught his eye, not the girl. He had studied it himself once, and he supposed he held a bit of fondness for anyone willing to put in the effort to take care of the land they live in. Since she looked to be struggling, he figured he’d take a few minutes out of his day.

“Something troubling you?”

She nodded slowly, now understanding, “So…. drugs?”

A pleased ghost of a smirk appeared as he rose his mug to his lips again. 

“Precisely.”

His answer didn’t do much to satisfy her curiosity, with his wording of “suppose” it made her believe he may not be the typical farmer she was thinking of. Normally she wouldn’t pry too much into other peoples’ business, but now she was very curious. “And what exactly is it that you farm?”

He looked up toward the sky as though it could help him find the proper words to explain this to her. “Oh, you know... Medicinal herbs... Plants with psychological properties... Those kinds of things...”

Her brow furrowed for a moment in confusion until he explained, followed by an understanding nod, “I see, well I hope the winter this year isn’t too harsh on you then.” She took another sip of her drink, “Are you a farmer?” she asked, curious now.

A short huff escaped him, nearly a chuckle but not quite, as he heard her question. Trying not to smile too much to be considered rude for finding humor in her inquiry, he nodded slowly. “I suppose I am, yes.”

“She is quite the trickster sometimes isn’t she?” she commented, a slight smirk on her face. “I do love the colder weather, though. It reminds me the season for curling up with a good book is almost upon us. I always look forward to that, don’t you?”

“Not particularly, no,” he answered honestly as his fingers absently traced the curves of the mug in front of him. “I don’t mind the reading part, but plants don’t grow quite as well in the cold. It makes my job a bit harder.”

“I heard you were the man for the job in the oh so wondrous Wonderland but it appears that I’m not looking for shit then.”

“What a delightful waste of my time, then.”

“Ouch — you wound me.”

“Good,” he answered before taking another drag from his joint. Taking his sweet his time to slowly exhale the smoke, he eventually spoke again, “Now did you actually need anything? Because if you’re looking to buy, I don’t have much on me right now.”

“You sure? I’ve had plenty of lurkers and as long as they’re pretty, I don’t mind.”

“If only I were in the presence of someone ‘pretty’.”