The constant gardener

You’ll regret not kissing her a lot more than you’ll regret kissing her.

You’re the most beautiful storm I never want to tame.

Allison hesitated for a moment before nodding at Marcus’s suggestion, pulling her robes around her a little more on her way out of the apartment. She hardly ever minded being out in the rain, and the coolness of it was almost a bit of a welcome relief, but she didn’t want her dress getting ruined if she could help her. Corenna had been the one to buy it for her, and she’d feel bad showing up only to have it soaked through. Looking up and down the street, she tried to impress the image as much as she could into her mind, trying not to focus on how much she would admittedly miss it while she was away. Nowhere had ever felt like home quite as much as Clearbrook and Lothering, a fact she always felt a little guilty about when she knew the Carrows wished she would come home more. Three months hadn’t seemed so long when she agreed to go home for the summer, but it suddenly seemed like a very long time.

The streets of Lothering were mostly deserted. People had already gone to seek refuge from the storm inside their homes and those few that were still out were running to do so. The two of them were the only ones who mainted a rather tranquil pace, enjoying the rain rather than rebuff it. The question caused the man to chuckle for a moment and he glanced to the side to look at her. “No umbrella still” he confirmed. He had been meaning to get one but there had been bigger priorities on his mind “Besides, it’s easier to get work done with just a raincoat than holding an umbrella”.

Allison looked toward the open window, breathing in a bit more deeply that usual to catch the scent of a storm in the air. She knew that the few droplets of water on the window were an indication that people would soon be scattering from the streets and her foster parents would probably try to find a way to contact her to insist they start to get going soon. After all that she’d told them about the area, about the supernatural world in general, she could assume that even a simple thunderstorm in a place like this might scare them. She was still staring out the window when he closed it, eyes trained on the dark clouds as a faint flash of lightning brightened the sky. A small, comfortable smile formed on her face at the sight, finding it to be an all too fitting end to her undergraduate studies at Clearbrook. She knew her foster parents would likely fall asleep on the train ride home, but she couldn’t imagine doing anything but quietly looking out the window and watching the storm as it raged ahead. Sometimes she considered watching storms to be her own personal form of meditation, the only thing that always helped her feel a bit less burdened, a bit more at home wherever she was.

His attention went back to the kitsune when she spoke. He nodded after her words, accepting the fact that she had to leave already in spite of how short a visit this had been. That didn’t feel right for the fae, though. That they would just say goodbye to each other like this. It was likely that they would text each other over the summer, but still. This brief encounter wasn’t enough to bid farewell to someone he cared about as much as he did with Allison. “I’ll walk you back to the academy” the Welshman said with a light smile. He didn’t phrase it as a question on purpose to prevent getting a ‘no’. He wanted those extra minutes of walking her back.

Her lips curved into a frown for a few moments when he revealed he hadn’t been able to attend. Even if it probably was boring for a lot of people to sit through, there was a certain emotional energy about any graduation ceremony that made it intriguing. Allison had found herself watching a lot of her classmates to see their reactions throughout the speeches and receiving diplomas. It was very strange to see so many new kind of responses that she might not have expected from some people that she’d seen in the halls for the past few years.

A small smile stayed on his lips as the girl explained how things went in the event. It may not have been anything extraordinary, but it would have meant something for Marcus to have been there for her. It wasn’t the graduation itself he cared about, after all, it was her.

She waited patiently to be buzzed up, glancing up when she heard a faint clap of thunder. The dark clouds that were coming in overhead were moving at a speed too fast to be a natural occurrence, but it wasn’t that surprising to her. A number of thunder kitsune graduated, and it wouldn’t be all that odd for one to think that a thunderstorm was the perfect celebration. Or they just wanted to show off one last time. A bit of a chill breeze came by just as the door unlocked and she quickly came inside, glad to be greeted by warmth again. 

He wished he could have attended the graduation ceremony and it showed in the way he looked at her before he shook his head “No, I couldn’t go. There were no tickets left”. He probably should have asked earlier to secure his spot in the event. But he was glad Allison had decided to come to say goodbye, appreciating that she’d thought of coming to see him before leaving for the summer.

The graduation ceremony was just what was expected - traditional and nothing particularly exciting about it. They read off names and honors and people filed by in robes and there were hugs and pictures taken after and then it was time to go. Allison honestly went through most of it feeling a bit like she was on auto-pilot, even with the picture taking. It was strange, to be leaving Clearbrook even for just a few months. When she returned, it’d be different. She wouldn’t live on campus, with her housemates, and she’d be taking much more advanced courses in just one area. It almost seemed unreal. While Aryn and Corenna helped to pack up the remainder of her things and get them to the train, Allison went into Lothering to say a quick final good-bye to Carter and Ryan if she could find them. On her way back to the Academy, she passed by the street that led to Marcus’s and decided to make a quick turn. They still had plenty of time before the train left, and Corenna and Aryn loved just walking around Lothering to witness all that was there. With an assigned guide, of course.

Hearing it was the kitsune was a pleasant surprise. He knew today had been the graduation which unfortunately he wasn’t able to attend. He figured he wouldn’t see much of her on this day given the ceremony and the fact that her parents had come to town. It was to be expected her time would be spent with them and probably celebrating the momentous event.

She nodded and smiled a little. She really only had Corenna and Aryn coming to the ceremony, during a brief time period when the ward on humans would be lifted for people’s parents coming to the graduation. Assuming no one else would want to come who didn’t already have a way in, she’d given away her extra tickets and suddenly regretted that she hadn’t kept at least one or two just in case. “Just a few hours,” she admitted. “I’ve been boxing and sending a lot back home.”

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, the gardener turned around to see professor Linden in full Indiana Jones getup. The bender apologized for interrupting and asked Marcus to come with him, help out with a group of troublesome students. The fae looked around and didn’t see other faculty members around, most likely they were taking care of other things around at the party. Being the available one was probably the only reason Linden came to him and perhaps also because of his size and build. He could help him stop a brawl if it was necessary. “Sorry, I have to go” the fae said to Allison with an apologetic smile, a small one that faded as quickly as it appeared on his lips. “If you want any help with packing or moving around boxes, let me know” he offered before he disappeared into the crowd, following Linden.

Pressing her lips together a little, she listened, unsure if it could be as simple as someone who worked at the school asking for a ticket for it to actually happen. She nodded, folding her arms behind her back as she looked up at him. “The ceremonies are a bit boring, anyway,” she admitted, but then again, speeches and calling off names wasn’t exactly exciting. “If you didn’t go, you wouldn’t miss much.”

Marcus wasn’t even sure when the graduation ceremony would be, but he figured he still had time to see if anything could be done to be able to attend. “Maybe so, but if it’s possible, I’d like to go anyway” the gardener reassured her with a light smile. A question crossed his mind, and now was as good as any other time to ask it “And will you be leaving soon after graduation? Or are you planning on spending some time here before leaving?”.