93rd of Ashan
The days were starting to get warmer. The last little cold teeth of Cylus were falling out and replaced by the raging fangs of Ymiden. Soon Jonathan would have to time himself. He'd have to wake up earlier, and nap during the hot season, in order to prevent himself getting overheated. He knew he ought to wear better clothing but being shirtless and shoeless in the face of warmth was so much more comfortable in the face of Ymiden. On these sorts of days one would be wise to seek out a cool place to lay one's head. It was far too hot even for the river outside of Kaelserad and Jonathan wanted to explore a little more of the city itself. It was a little hotter here to be sure. The press of people made the heat even more oppressive, and the massive stone buildings were turning into big ovens. Honestly someone could have baked freshly-cracked eggs on the sidewalk. He walked quietly through the streets, his pace hurried by the warmth of the cobblestone beneath his toes.
Maybe shoes might have been a good idea. He hurried along, avoiding bright and sunny spots. That was there the comforting warmth under his feet turned into a more aggressive burn. There was no shelter from the oppressive sun; he had heard of a cold spa nearby but the prices were probably outside whatever he could afford. That, and he wasn't sure he wanted to be frozen. He just wanted to cool off a little bit in the rising Ymiden heat. A lush archway looked to offer just that, and he crossed the street quickly to aim for it. Ah, the gardens. He'd heard of the Lochgrass Gardens before but the seasons prior hadn't given him any reason to go there. It was a place for lovers, and had quite the reputation for entwined pairs finding themselves deep in the gardens. Perhaps it had been designed that way, with little out-of-the-way alcolves. Hanging wisteria vines greeted him as he passed under the arches, whispering promises of cool breezes from the ponds.
Instantly, Jon's feet felt better. The shade here made the stones under his feet cool. He could even feel a little rise in humidity; there had to be garden ponds somewhere nearby. Traveling a little deeper he heard the distinct merry tinkle of a fountain. His assumptions had been right. Jon took a moment to stand in the pathway and breathe deep. Oh, this was heaven. He could smell fresh greenery; there had been recent trimming by the local Gardeners and the scent invaded his nostrils. There was a heady sense of life all around him. The plants were breathing in and out all around him, making the air significantly cooler as they drank up the sun.
Jon rolled his shoulders and smiled, strolling through the gardens. He paused to look at one of the ponds. The fish flicked under the water, their faint little glows flashing under the shimmering reflection of the pond. This was the sort of inner peace he craved constantly, especially after the reminder of his past life he'd had glancing into the Crazed Corner. He wasn't that person anymore. He was relieved of his drug addiction. He had a job at Kaelserad, he had a home and he had a man. He even had Hob, even though the Harvester couldn't appear in the gardens. It was a pity. Jon wanted to share it with him. Jon wanted a day when he and Hob could walk through the city together without people trying to kill them. It was a nice daydream. Aberrants walking with their Harvesters, treated as normal people by society. Perhaps a little feared given the role Jon imagined for them. They would be arbiters of peace, bringers of a new era. No mage would use his gifts for evil with an Aberrant nearby ready to consume him body and soul.
'You are a dreamer. That's why I like you.'Hob chuckled.
Jon shrugged and glanced at one of the stones in the pond. He frowned. He could see it wobbling with the movements of the water. It was a nice piece of shale, creating a little overhang for the fish to shelter under. Perhaps during rain or when the heat became too much for them. A little bird might alight on that stone and send it crashing into the water, crushing any young fish caught under it. Jon bit his lip and looked around. He couldn't see anyone. He reached out and tried to settle the stone. Ah, that was the problem. The mortar they'd used to try and secure it was rotten away by the water. Corrosion wouldn't fix it...but...maybe he could make it stronger. He knew stone. He'd spent much of his time around it. His childhood was surrounded by a rainbow of gemstones and precious metals. His training ground was a river of boulders and spillways. He loved stone and rock, and this handsome piece of shale really didn't deserve to meet it's end tipping into the water like that. He didn't want the fish hurt either.
He had to be careful. When he reached out with his ether this time it was to strengthen the hold of the rotting mortar. He tried not to corrode it, but to take those tentative little holds it had on the shale and make them stronger. To make the stone remember how strong it had once been. He frowned in concentration. He'd never done this before, but here the stone was, wiggling less and less. When he released it for a final time, it stood as stock still as if someone had repaired it. Jon smiled and nodded, withdrawing and standing up to watch the fish again. "You're welcome." he told them.
Jon walked by the pond and deeper into the gardens. There was everything here. Trees artfully arranged with perennials and clusters of annuals. Succulents in some of the drier areas that were fed by the humidity in the air rather than careful watering by the Gardeners. He smiled at them, kneeling to examine some of them. Strange. Some of those hard, spiny little plants looked like some of the carved gemstones his father had made for nobles in Etzos. He liked them. He wondered if Alistair would let him have some of them around Kaelserad. The place was a paradise but Jonathan had a weakness for rocks and crystals. He had always grown up with them. He'd have killed for a decent quartz point anywhere in Alistair's office to mess with. A far as he could tell Alistair wasn't very sentimental like that. He probably wouldn't understand. He sighed and stood up, looking down at the succulents. How he wished he was a Defiant. He'd tell the earth to nourish these little living gemstones.
He wished them luck anyway. Maybe he'd visit again and nestle a little tourmaline or jade among them. Nothing too fancy. Just a little hint of green to make the blue and red hues of the succulents pop a little more. He liked the artistry there. Maybe he had more of a gift for gemstone arrangement than he'd thought in his youth. His father had always wanted him to stay in that shop, constraining his Transmutation to fixing gemstones. It was something Jon wanted to try; his father had been able to take the most broken of stones and knit it back together into a neatly-cut marvel. Maybe he could do the same now. He shrugged at the idea. He was born for greater things than running a lapidary. He was destined to found Acadia.
Jon worked his way through the gardens. He liked fixing, he liked helping. If he noticed a fence was a little rotten he tried the same trick he'd done with the pond. A tiny little bit of Bolstering here and there to try and help. Everything he fixed made the garden better and in his opinion more than paid for the privilege of walking through it. A little wood rot here, a little stone fixture there. They advertised plants for sale and he took a browse through little succulents in tiny pots barely bigger than the palm of his hand. From what he could see they enjoyed being dry and pot bound, a far cry from a sprawling honeysuckle vine or deep-rooted tree. He was sorely tempted to buy one, but he still wasn't sure what exactly his job was in Kaelserad if anything. At the moment it seemed like he was the strange mistress of the hospital. The one who studied and made love with the doctor in spare surgeries.
He left the little gems and shrugged his shoulders. He was cool enough. Perhaps it was time to return to the hospital and see if he could do anything. Clean tools, perhaps fix up the books or read a little more. He breathed in the cool air one more time before he circled back around to the pond. He waved at the fish, bidding them a good evening before heading back into the oven of the city. Ergh. He was tempted to flee back into the gardens if he knew the Gardeners wouldn't particularly like him lazing there all day. He could take a nap near the Kaelserad pond and visit his own fish.
The days were starting to get warmer. The last little cold teeth of Cylus were falling out and replaced by the raging fangs of Ymiden. Soon Jonathan would have to time himself. He'd have to wake up earlier, and nap during the hot season, in order to prevent himself getting overheated. He knew he ought to wear better clothing but being shirtless and shoeless in the face of warmth was so much more comfortable in the face of Ymiden. On these sorts of days one would be wise to seek out a cool place to lay one's head. It was far too hot even for the river outside of Kaelserad and Jonathan wanted to explore a little more of the city itself. It was a little hotter here to be sure. The press of people made the heat even more oppressive, and the massive stone buildings were turning into big ovens. Honestly someone could have baked freshly-cracked eggs on the sidewalk. He walked quietly through the streets, his pace hurried by the warmth of the cobblestone beneath his toes.
Maybe shoes might have been a good idea. He hurried along, avoiding bright and sunny spots. That was there the comforting warmth under his feet turned into a more aggressive burn. There was no shelter from the oppressive sun; he had heard of a cold spa nearby but the prices were probably outside whatever he could afford. That, and he wasn't sure he wanted to be frozen. He just wanted to cool off a little bit in the rising Ymiden heat. A lush archway looked to offer just that, and he crossed the street quickly to aim for it. Ah, the gardens. He'd heard of the Lochgrass Gardens before but the seasons prior hadn't given him any reason to go there. It was a place for lovers, and had quite the reputation for entwined pairs finding themselves deep in the gardens. Perhaps it had been designed that way, with little out-of-the-way alcolves. Hanging wisteria vines greeted him as he passed under the arches, whispering promises of cool breezes from the ponds.
Instantly, Jon's feet felt better. The shade here made the stones under his feet cool. He could even feel a little rise in humidity; there had to be garden ponds somewhere nearby. Traveling a little deeper he heard the distinct merry tinkle of a fountain. His assumptions had been right. Jon took a moment to stand in the pathway and breathe deep. Oh, this was heaven. He could smell fresh greenery; there had been recent trimming by the local Gardeners and the scent invaded his nostrils. There was a heady sense of life all around him. The plants were breathing in and out all around him, making the air significantly cooler as they drank up the sun.
Jon rolled his shoulders and smiled, strolling through the gardens. He paused to look at one of the ponds. The fish flicked under the water, their faint little glows flashing under the shimmering reflection of the pond. This was the sort of inner peace he craved constantly, especially after the reminder of his past life he'd had glancing into the Crazed Corner. He wasn't that person anymore. He was relieved of his drug addiction. He had a job at Kaelserad, he had a home and he had a man. He even had Hob, even though the Harvester couldn't appear in the gardens. It was a pity. Jon wanted to share it with him. Jon wanted a day when he and Hob could walk through the city together without people trying to kill them. It was a nice daydream. Aberrants walking with their Harvesters, treated as normal people by society. Perhaps a little feared given the role Jon imagined for them. They would be arbiters of peace, bringers of a new era. No mage would use his gifts for evil with an Aberrant nearby ready to consume him body and soul.
'You are a dreamer. That's why I like you.'Hob chuckled.
Jon shrugged and glanced at one of the stones in the pond. He frowned. He could see it wobbling with the movements of the water. It was a nice piece of shale, creating a little overhang for the fish to shelter under. Perhaps during rain or when the heat became too much for them. A little bird might alight on that stone and send it crashing into the water, crushing any young fish caught under it. Jon bit his lip and looked around. He couldn't see anyone. He reached out and tried to settle the stone. Ah, that was the problem. The mortar they'd used to try and secure it was rotten away by the water. Corrosion wouldn't fix it...but...maybe he could make it stronger. He knew stone. He'd spent much of his time around it. His childhood was surrounded by a rainbow of gemstones and precious metals. His training ground was a river of boulders and spillways. He loved stone and rock, and this handsome piece of shale really didn't deserve to meet it's end tipping into the water like that. He didn't want the fish hurt either.
He had to be careful. When he reached out with his ether this time it was to strengthen the hold of the rotting mortar. He tried not to corrode it, but to take those tentative little holds it had on the shale and make them stronger. To make the stone remember how strong it had once been. He frowned in concentration. He'd never done this before, but here the stone was, wiggling less and less. When he released it for a final time, it stood as stock still as if someone had repaired it. Jon smiled and nodded, withdrawing and standing up to watch the fish again. "You're welcome." he told them.
Jon walked by the pond and deeper into the gardens. There was everything here. Trees artfully arranged with perennials and clusters of annuals. Succulents in some of the drier areas that were fed by the humidity in the air rather than careful watering by the Gardeners. He smiled at them, kneeling to examine some of them. Strange. Some of those hard, spiny little plants looked like some of the carved gemstones his father had made for nobles in Etzos. He liked them. He wondered if Alistair would let him have some of them around Kaelserad. The place was a paradise but Jonathan had a weakness for rocks and crystals. He had always grown up with them. He'd have killed for a decent quartz point anywhere in Alistair's office to mess with. A far as he could tell Alistair wasn't very sentimental like that. He probably wouldn't understand. He sighed and stood up, looking down at the succulents. How he wished he was a Defiant. He'd tell the earth to nourish these little living gemstones.
He wished them luck anyway. Maybe he'd visit again and nestle a little tourmaline or jade among them. Nothing too fancy. Just a little hint of green to make the blue and red hues of the succulents pop a little more. He liked the artistry there. Maybe he had more of a gift for gemstone arrangement than he'd thought in his youth. His father had always wanted him to stay in that shop, constraining his Transmutation to fixing gemstones. It was something Jon wanted to try; his father had been able to take the most broken of stones and knit it back together into a neatly-cut marvel. Maybe he could do the same now. He shrugged at the idea. He was born for greater things than running a lapidary. He was destined to found Acadia.
Jon worked his way through the gardens. He liked fixing, he liked helping. If he noticed a fence was a little rotten he tried the same trick he'd done with the pond. A tiny little bit of Bolstering here and there to try and help. Everything he fixed made the garden better and in his opinion more than paid for the privilege of walking through it. A little wood rot here, a little stone fixture there. They advertised plants for sale and he took a browse through little succulents in tiny pots barely bigger than the palm of his hand. From what he could see they enjoyed being dry and pot bound, a far cry from a sprawling honeysuckle vine or deep-rooted tree. He was sorely tempted to buy one, but he still wasn't sure what exactly his job was in Kaelserad if anything. At the moment it seemed like he was the strange mistress of the hospital. The one who studied and made love with the doctor in spare surgeries.
He left the little gems and shrugged his shoulders. He was cool enough. Perhaps it was time to return to the hospital and see if he could do anything. Clean tools, perhaps fix up the books or read a little more. He breathed in the cool air one more time before he circled back around to the pond. He waved at the fish, bidding them a good evening before heading back into the oven of the city. Ergh. He was tempted to flee back into the gardens if he knew the Gardeners wouldn't particularly like him lazing there all day. He could take a nap near the Kaelserad pond and visit his own fish.
