Weed Pickin' (Open!)

[~*~ Azlin Zoi ~*~]

Azlin decided it was about time to make her way to the gardens once more. She had not been in the gardens as much as she wished to have been. But she had been floating around places as of late, and she had decided it was time to go down to the gardens and have a look about.

She would make her way out into the garden, bare feet sinking into the grass, as she took a deep breath, the fresh air always seeming to be able to perk up her mood. Baby blues would close just a moment, as if she was savoring it, before opening her eyes again. Moving towards a spot where it looked like flowers were going to bloom, from the look of it, she would also notice the weeds that had took over once the flowers went to sleep for the winter.

Kneeling down, not worried about her gown, for she wasn't actually in that always present gown, instead she was wearing a pair of denim jeans that fit perfectly, not to tight and not to loose, and a white and red small checked shirt with buttons down the front, red buttons to be exact, and the small capped sleeves. Her long locks of silver and gold were split down the middle and two thick braids hung behind her shoulders.

Fingers would begin to work pulling out the known weeds, so that the flowers might get more of the nutrients from the soil. She would continue to work the area, though if it was not a known weed, she wasn't pulling it so perhaps she would miss a few, but she did not want to mistake and pull out a flower. Once she got the small spot she had been working on, she would scoop up the weeds, and carry them with her to the next patch that would soon have flowers.

And she would begin the weeding once more. She decided that once she was done weeding she would take the weeds to the forrest, where they could be spread out and eventually compost.

[Armandeus]

With the coming of Spring and the reawakening of the plant life, the gardens would soon be attracting many, but for now all was at peace. And where peace and quietness reigned there was usually an Elf, or two, close by. At the moment the particular Elf nearby happened to be Armandeus, though at first he was nowhere to be seen.

Near the back wall of the Inn, and carefully situated away from all plant life, a hole had been dug into the earth. It was not overly large, perhaps five feet in length and shallow. From a distance one could also say it appeared to be an open grave, a most fitting description considering there was a body laying in it.

Stretched out across the space was none other the master chef himself, his hands resting gently ontop his body; staring up at the sky and looking for all the world like he belonged there. The Elf was clad in his usual tunic and leggings, though today they both were a light tan color. Whether the color choice was to help him blend in or not, it did the trick, especially when he was covered from head to foot in dirt.

He knew when the other entered the garden, but the usually talkative Elf had remained silent, that was until she drew closer. Sitting up from his hiding spot, he looked towards the woman and smiled. "Tis a pleasant day to be out, isn't it?"

[~*~ Azlin Zoi ~*~]

It was the knowledge that those gardens would be attracting more and more as the weather warmed up, had Azlin wanting to help the gardens thrive. There was something about the feel of dirt, and the gardening work on your hands. She didn't wear gloves when she did any sort of gardening, for that would distract from the simple pleasures.

Az would go about her merry way, picking out more and more of the weeds, and keeping that growing pile of weeds with her. It would be when she was closer and the elf sat up speaking to her, that her hands would pause and move up towards her chest, for she had been in her own world. Which meant she hadn't given a thought to someone else being there, and when she was off in her mind, a lot of things could surprise her. Baby blues widened just a moment, before her hands fell back to her sides, and she would take a few tentative steps towards the man.

She wasn't sure how to respond, in any other way but to answer the question. "It is a very lovely day to be out." She would answer with a smile, for it wasn't often that Az frowned at anyone, even if they did just scare the beejees out of her! "Tis good to know that someone else is also out enjoying this weather." She would look down to make sure that her pile of weeds wasn't thrown to kingdom come with her jumping, and then she would look to the man. "I thought today would be a good day to weed." She wasn't sure what else to say at the moment, though as she got closer she would notice his dirt bed, so to speak. "Comfy?" And maybe it was odd that she didn't think him laying in the dirt was an odd thing at all.

[Guest]

Seleen had a lovely idea about the wedding. She and her beloved Shuda had met in the garden at night, so the wedding should be in the garden at night. She would, of course, ask permission from the Inn's owners. But before she did that, she wanted to see it in the daylight. She wanted to see things like if there was enough room in the area of the Queen of the Night Orchid to hold a wedding.

So she got up from the table and got dressed. She couldn't exactly go out there in her robe. So she put on a pair of jeans and a little short sleeve shirt that tied in the front. She slipped her feet into a pair of heels and headed out to the garden. Yes, heels in the garden. She knew how to walk on her toes to keep her heels from sinking into the ground, and usually she took them off to walk in the grass anyway. Venis had rubbed off on her and she almost always wore heels now.



She got outside in the garden and put her hand up to cover her face. She still had that ring on her right index finger, but she still hated going out into the sun. And today was especially bright for her tastes. She heard voices and looked over to see a woman talking to a man in a hole in the ground. She thought it was Armandeus, but she wasn't exactly sure. She waved either way. after all, she was definitely acting much more the lady than she was eight months ago when she had arrived at the Inn.

She could see that some of the patches of flowers and foliage had weeds growing in them. She smiled. Talk about a great distraction. She grew up on a farm, dirty hands were nothing to her. She got to where the orchid grew and looked around to see how much space was available around the flower of choice. After all, this was where they had met. This had to be the spot. She was sure she could make it work.

So she slipped her feet from her shoes. Then she got down on the ground. She closed her eyes for a moment. She smiled as she remembered the night that she and Shuda met, in the very spot that she currently occupied. It was a very happy memory. And now, if all went well, they would make another happy memory here. She sat there pulling weeds from the area as she tried to picture in her head where things could be placed if they were allowed to get married in this spot.

[Armandeus]

It hadn't been Armandeus' intention to scare the woman, though he should have suspected it given the way he rose up from the ground like a reanimated corpse. It was a good thing Ar was not the kind to jump out and shout "Boo!" at unsuspecting people, he might have given the poor woman a heart attack! As it was, he offered her a rather apologetic, seeing the way he had startled her.

"I am sorry if I frightened you. I can assure you it was not my intent, I was simply rather curious as to who had come to enjoy the beauty of the gardens is all."

At the remark of his current bed's comfy-ness he chuckled, running long fingers through the loose soil that surrounded him. "I would use the word soothing myself. There is peace found in the earthsong that can be found no where else.

Since there was no risk of scaring her further, the dirt covered Elf began rising from his 'grave', brushing the loose dirt from his clothing all the while. "It is always welcome to find someone who cares for the beauty of nature. I am not a gardener myself, but I do enjoy the sight and sounds of nature." Brushing the dirt from his hands, he extended one out towards her. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Armandeus, or Ar if you prefer."

From the corner of his eye he caught sight of Seleen entering the garden, though it appeared she was heading off in the opposite direction from them. Her wave was met with one of his own before his attention was given back to the woman in front of him.

[~*~ Azlin Zoi ~*~]

She really did need to fine tune her instincts for they seemed to be off for quite a while now. If she had been on top of her game, she wouldn't of been startled for she would of felt a presence of sorts in the garden, unless he had a way to block such a thing.

Hearing his words, her lips would curve upwards into that almost always present smile of hers, as she listened then giving a nod of her head. And a soft laugh would escape before she spoke. "I just was day dreaming, and had not thought that anyone else was out here." She was glad that people were outside though, it was good for your constitution or something right?

Now when he spoke of his dirt bed, her head would tilt as she listened. Baby blues darting between him and the ground. "That does make sense, though doesn't one have to bathe frequently if one sleeps in the dirt?" She didn't have anything against it, she was just having her questions. "Is it not hard?" She was used to plush beds anymore, though if she thought back far enough she would remember cold nights on a cave floor.

As he rose from his 'grave' he was right, she wasn't going to jump or even twitch. Instead when he extended his hand she would take it in her's and give it a firm yet gentle grip and shake. She had learnt that some people judged another upon such a shake, she never wished to come off as something she wasn't. "I am a beginner gardener. I just know if the weeds aren't taken care of that they will eat the nutrients that the flowers and plants need. And I did not wish to leave the weeds laying about the gardens so I thought I would take them to the forest after I am done here." A pause, "Tis a pleasure to meet you Ar," As soon as he shortened his name she would jump on it, she was all about shortening names, "I'm Azlin...but most everyone calls me Az...most of the time." At least to her face they did, what they called her when she wasn't there she couldn't tell you.

She did not see the woman enter the garden for she was facing Ar and he did see her, if she would of there would of been a friendly wave hello.

[Armandeus]

Armandeus possessed many unusual abilities, even for one of Elven kind, but blocking was not one of them. At her mention of daydreaming he chuckled, for he had been doing something of the same before she came along. "I can relate, for I was lost in the wanderings of my own mind. There have not been many who have wandered this way, but with the beauty of the garden reveling itself it is sure to change."

He had expected it to appear odd that he had chosen a hole in the ground to sleep in, but he hadn't been expecting questions about it. Chuckling, he looked down at his dirt-covered self as he answered. "Yes, you are right. When one spends time resting in dirt they do have to bathe frequently. The trick is to do so without getting caught." Looking back up, he winked at her. "That is the hard part."

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Az." Since she chose the shorted form of his name, he did so for hers as well. It was only fair, right? "For a beginning gardener you have a good knowledge about the plants and weeds. If you do not object, I could help you in your task."

[Guest]

Seleen got up from pulling the weeds, she had amassed quite a stack. She had gotten her mental picture in focus and knew that this would definitely work for the wedding. She wondered if she should ask permission before bringing it up to Shuda. It wouldn't hurt would it? Plus, she knew that she had a rare chance to catch Ar and ask him another favor that only he could do. So, without putting her shoes back on, she walked over to the other two who were out in the garden. She even had a third question, though this one was for the lady.

She approached quietly as not to disturb. She had her hands clasped in front of her as she stood there waiting for a break in conversation as Ar was speaking at the moment. When he finished she chose to take her shot. "Um, please forgive my interruption, but I have some questions to ask. Oh, and hi, I'm Seleen" The latter spoken to the lady as she extended her hand. "Ar, if it is ok with Shuda, I was wondering if we could hold our wedding here in the garden. He asked me to marry him the other night." She held up her left hand with the back facing them so they could see the truly unique diamond that he had commissioned just for her.

She smiled before she continued. "I was also wondering, if after we figured out what kind of cake we wanted, would you do us the honor of making out wedding and our groom cakes?" She had asked around a few places as she had been going along getting things done and had heard that there was none better when it came to baking than Armandeus. She had to wonder if he knew of his infamy. She looked over at the lady then. "Um, I noticed you had a stack of weeds, so do I, so what would you like for me to do with them?" She figured that she would ask so that whatever good use they were being put to, they could both contribute.

[~*~ Azlin Zoi ~*~]

Ah but it was because she was facing the elf that she did not see the woman at first, that is! She had her back to her, so it wasn't his fault. Hearing his words she would have to nod in agreement, for she too felt the same way, "Which is why I wanted to get a early start on what needs to be done here. Though I am not sure what all besides weeding, and watching for certain bugs."

Yes well if she was going to take it as a normal thing to do, she must get the information about his dirt bed. She laughed, she could not of held that in if she tried, and it wasn't laughter at him...it was at his words. "Perhaps if one did not choose to make their bed in the beautiful gardens they would not of gotten caught so easily!" Not that she thought there was anything wrong with sleeping outside, or even in a dirt bed, if that was what one felt most comfortable with.

Azlin was always glad when people did offer a shortened version of their name, for she often shortened them, herself and some people were rather touchy about such a thing! It was just her thing. And she did not mind at all for she wasn't used to many calling her Azlin either. She gave a small nod of her head, "I would never object to help in doing such a thing!" She actually liked the fact that people wanted to help!

It would be then she would go silent as Seleen would walk up and speak, and when she introduced herself to Az, she would hold out her hand, and give it that firm yet gentle shake. "Tis a pleasure, I'm Az." And then once more when words were directed to Azlin, "Oh yes, I thought to gather all the weeds and put them in the forest somewhere that won't bother anything, and let nature have its way with them." A small nod of her head.

[Armandeus]

Armandeus may have not been much of a gardener, but he knew someone who was, and as he listened to Az he was getting an idea. "If you would like I could speak to Elessar about providing you with gardening tips. He knows much more about it than I."

It was a good sign that she was laughing and with her words Ar couldn't help but join in. "Yes, that would keep me from getting caught, wouldn't it? Although I figured it better to place my bed in the gardens rather than on the front lawn."

He was still laughing when he turned towards Seleen, though he quickly calmed. Her first question the Elf considered for a moment before answering. " My congratulations, although I'm afraid I cannot approve that on my own. I shall have to speak with De'Ryanna first before a final decision can be made."

The next question needed no considering on Ar's part for there was nothing the Elf enjoyed more than getting a chance to bake. "I would be honored to make the cakes for you. I simply ask if it is going to be an unusual flavor that you include the recipe as well."

He went quiet as the two spoke of the weeds they had gathered. At this rate it wouldn't take long for the entire garden to be cleared.

[Guest]

Seleen smiled. She knew Az was probably short for something, and if she ever found out what, she would probably be in shock. "You can call me Sel. It's a pleasure. So just out in the forest anywhere, or is there a specific method to it?" Then she heard Armandeus' answer to her questions. To say that Seleen was thrilled would be an understatement of epic proportions. She couldn't imagine anyone else making their wedding cakes. She was almost giddy enough to hug the man, almost. She had come across an elf or two in her time, and the ones she had met were not big on hugs from people who they didn't know in an up close and personal manner. But her joy was definitely evident on her face. She had such a huge smile that even her fangs showed.

She wanted to jump for joy, turn cartwheels, anything. She was so happy that he had said he would make the cakes. She calmed herself enough to speak to him though. "Oh I fully understand about the garden. It's not a problem, I can wait." It made sense that they would consult each other on decisions that like that. The proprietors that was. "And as far as the cakes go, they are normal flavors, but the decorating of them might be a little different than you are used to. Shuda helped me pick them and they are sort of themed." She was still smiling. She knew that what she was about to say had the potential to sound a bit overwhelming.

She looked to the sky for a moment to make sure that she had her thoughts in order before she spoke. "There's three. The wedding cake itself, the groom's cake, and a cake we would like for dessert at the rehearsal dinner. We will of course pay you for them. And if you could make the dinner, we would be more than happy to pay for that as well. The reception dinner as well, if you want to that is. I can have Venis' employees at your disposal to help with anything you may need them to do. We love your cooking. And money is no object." Of course it wasn't. Shuda had money, and she had access to Venis' money if there was something she didn't want Shuda to pay for.

[~*~ Azlin Zoi ~*~]

-{ Sorry I let the ball drop. >.< }-

Azlin would give a smile at the mention of someone knowing about gardening. "Do you think he might? I wouldn't wish to have you bother someone, but I would love to learn more." She was a curious little girl that did enjoy learning new things. Not that everything would stick in her mind, but it never hurt did it?

A bob of her head at his words, before that slightly mischievous grin would form over her lips. "You would of just gotten caught a lot faster, and it would of messed up the nice lawn! And I do not think you would of gotten much sleep with all the comings and goings." She looked thoughtful a moment, "Though you would know whom was about at all times with that." Not that Az would wish to know such things, life was full of drama if one let it be without knowing all! The problems! Ack!

Az was kept busy while the two talked with her actions before looking back to Sel. And perhaps she would, Az was more of the underrated sorts. She would lift baby blues to the woman. "I figured just out in the woods scattered so its not just a pile of weeds might be best?" She looked a bit iffy on that, "Does that sound about right?" She looked between the two of them, she just thought scattered would be easier on the woods without hampering then.

[Armandeus]

Listening to everything Armandeus took it all in with a blink. She wanted how many cakes? Strange designs? Dinners? Oye, it was a lot that was being asked for and he was glad that she didn't need them all right away. He wouldn't be able to leave the kitchen for days if that was the case.

The offered assistance of the employees help was welcomed. This job would take more than he and De'Ryanna alone and he had a feeling that they would be going to the store more than one time.

"It would be helpful if you could describe the design, draw it out or even have a picture of it so that I will have something to work from. Other than that, it shouldn't be a problem." Then there was the reply from Azlin, and he answered her as he stood up, dusting off his hands. "Of course. I will talk to Elessar so the two of you may discuss gardening."

For now, it would be best if he left the garden so he could speak to his cooking partner about what they were being commissioned to do. "Drop the items for the cake and the menu items for the reception at the bakery Seleen, please." He gave her a small smile. The bakery was the kitchen, in case she did not know. "And two of the Employees can come by a day before the reception to help prepare food. Thank you."

The elf gave a nod to both of the ladies. "I must be on my way. Good to met you." Before he headed inside.

[Guest]

While Armandeus took a minute to let that all sink in, Seleen responded to Az. "Well, it's been a couple hundred years, but it sounds good to me." She smiled at the lady. "I have a few hours free, if you want, I can stick around and keep helping. I kind of miss working with the land." Her family had been farmers when she was alive. Then she looked over to Armandeus. "Oh, I have pictures, and Shuda picked the flavors and the fillings." She was very excited.

He spoke to Az for a moment before returning his attention to her. But when he did she was all smiles about what she heard. "Two employees, check, menu and pics, got it. Thank you so very much Armandeus. You're the best. My wedding is going to have the best food ever, thanks to you." And she knew of which she spoke. She had not eaten cooked food in over a hundred years, but one night, she stole a bite of one of Shuda's steaks, and even cooked, it was fabulous. She smiled at him and said goodbye as he headed inside.

[~*~ Azlin Zoi ~*~]

Before the elf left Az gave him a smile, "I would greatly appreicate that!" Before she turned her attention to Seleen, "Would you? That would be very helpful!" And in that turn, Azlin and Seleen would work side by side for a few hours getting the garden weed free! By the time the two of them were done it would be a surprise if one could even find a weed! Though with two femals working side by side practically you can bet there was some chatting too. With the piles of weeds, Az and Seleen would gather them into thier arms, and make thier way to the forest. Once in the forest the two women would spread out the weeds, making sure that they did not just clump in one spot. That way the animals might use some for homes, and if they did not they could just decompose.

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