socialcapital | [ JACKSON HEART ]

They look at each other, and then Firuz does the universal arms-up sign for requesting uppies.

[And uppies he will have.

Satin knees down, gesturing Firuz to turn around, and with the ease of more than a little practice, sets Firuz up on his shoulders.]

Here we go.

[Sitting there puts him high, but Satin standing makes him go higher, up to where branches completely unmolested by small hands are fully in reach.]

He giggles, clearly thrilled with being The Tallest, and starts picking out the best looking fruit.

Azir, meanwhile, copies what he's seen the adults do when reaching high fruits and grabs Satin's leg like he's bracing a ladder.

[He's a good kid. How this became crazy goth murder fighter remains an inexplicable mystery.]

Thank you for the support.

[He keeps one hand around Firuz's ankle, keeping him braced and steady, and briefly reaches up to nab two for himself.]

Azir nods seriously. He's concentrating!! He's helping!!

Firuz holds the fruit out like a demonstration.

"You can just peel it with your fingers and bite it. It doesn't take a knife or anything."

Is it the kind of fruit with one big seed in the middle, or a lot of little seeds?

"One seed! You eat around it."

Impressive.

[So an orchard would likely need two for cross-pollination... assuming they could adjust to a world without Creation's particular patterns.

Still. Worth noting.]

Have you picked the ones you'd like to?

"Yes! I have two! It's the best two."

Well done.

[The time for being TALLEST has sadly come to a close -- he kneels again, lifting baby Firuz off his shoulders.]

Can I ask you two for one more thing? Come close here together -- I'd like to take a picture to remember this by.

"Take a picture?"

"We don't have a painter around..."

But they cluster close together anyway because that's just kind of how they naturally stand.

I have a special mirror for it. As far as artifacts go, it's not powerful at all -- nothing like this greenhouse. But it can save a moment in time.

[He holds his phone up (in selfie mode, so they can see it), and their image briefly freezes as he captures those innocent, joyful faces, and the trees behind them.]

They have twin :o! faces in it, wide-eyed and curious.

"That's pretty cool though..."

"Artifacts are cool."

One more -- would you smile for me?

On three, think of the fruits you just picked. One, two...

Three!

They give their MOST charming baby smiles. They love snacks.

[It's a good picture.]

Thank you. When I get home, I'll draw it in my journal properly so I won't forget it. And I'll write down everything you taught me about your fruits, too.

"Yeah!"

"It's important to know about fruits."

Very important.

May the day bloom richly for you both. Prince Firuz, Prince Azir.

[He gives a brief, formal bow in farewell, and heads back to the entrance.]

They chorus a "BYYEEeeee!" as he leaves, waving until they vanish behind the plant cover.

[Precious. Safe. As least so long as they stay in that endless day, playing among the plants.

... which brings him back to the bloody marker of how those days ended.]

I wonder what you would choose, if you were here. Leave this as it is? Or do something drastic, with no knowledge of what the effects might be?

Estoria has done more than enough toying with these memories already. But still...

The bloodstain sits there, perfectly avoidable and perfectly conspicuous.

[And perfectly on the ground.]

But still. If it's my choice alone, I will try.

[He hasn't done this before in this life. There hasn't been reason -- a gentle shove here and there, yes, or the force he applied to that small circle of metal. But nothing serious.

Nothing like reaching his strength into the earth itself, holding the whole circle around and under that stain with his will and magic alone. Nothing like lifting, trying to pry the whole of it up, like a scoop of earth carved out by a giant hand.]

The earth gives way like he'd expect it to, it hasn't been reinforced in any way.

A number of odd looking little plant creatures pop their heads out of the greenhouse door to see WHAT is going on out there, and then pop their heads back inside like 'that is NOT my problem it is OUTSIDE the greenhouse'.

[It is outside the greenhouse. And if there's no washing this blood away, there is at least a way to put it further out of the way.

He flips that entire chunk over. Like a pancake. And sets it back down.]

The ground is unsettled and a little bit out of place, but - one good rain will put it back to normal, probably.

If he touches the spot where the bloodstain was, he sees no memories.

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