video | action;

[heliakal]

Hello everyone, this is Clark Kent, your resident gardener...

[ Clark smiles at the camera, and reaches up to brush a little water away from his brow. He's stripped down a damp undershirt and streaked liberally with dirt. It might be a little surprising to those who've only seen him in his loose-fitting uniform, but Clark is thickly built, and looks perfectly at home with physical work.

Granted, he's not damp from sweat. About five minutes earlier there was an incident with a garden hose that was most definitely shut off when he set it down. He's starting to think that a lot of things on this ship have a mind of their own. ]

If you've been through the gardens lately, you might have noticed some new seedlings peeking through the dirt. So far, I've planted a variety of vegetables and some fruit suitable mainly to humans. Ideally, I'd like to meet more the crew's varied dietary needs. If there are any specific foods you're looking for that I might not be familiar with, feel free to contact me. I can't promise that I'll be able to grow everything, but I'll do my best.

[ Clark glances at something over his shoulder, then rubs his chin, leaving another streak of dirt along his jaw that he's entirely unaware of. ]

And as a last note... I bought a sculpture here earlier, and put it in the gardens for decoration. Unfortunately, it seems like a lot of us are seeing memories and weird illusions in the glass produced by the locals. While the effect is physically harmless, it can be pretty jarring, and I wouldn't want anyone to be caught unaware.

[ He pauses for a moment, then shakes his head. ]

I think that's all. You'll be able to find me in the gardens for the next couple of hours if you have any questions.

[ And true to his word, Clark will be in the gardens for the next little while, watering the plants and re-planting any seedlings that need to be brought out from the nursery. ]

Comments

[heliakal]

[ Clark stands from where he's been crouched in the dirt, dusting his hands off on his pants. She's smaller than he expects, even from the video, but there's a certain confidence to her bearing that he takes a liking to immediately.

He comes over to see what she's got. He's seen a lot of the world, but nothing like this. He's clearly curious, but he nods at her warning, and keeps his hands to himself. ]

I can arrange that. Anything that will cause lasting harm if someone decides to ignore the warning?

[imaginary_wife]

[It's hard to get respect when you're only 5'3'' in a town of tall humans unless you make up for it somehow.]

If they ingest it, yes. But that goes for a lot of plants so a good general warning would be "don't eat plants unless they're taken from the mess hall." But inevitably someone always ignores the obvious. [She says with a sort of tired knowing.]

It's what keeps me in the job.

[heliakal]

Yeah, that's what I figured. I'll make sure the warning is thorough, I think that's the best we can do. I could lock them up, but that would defeat the purpose of having them available to you in an emergency. [ He shakes his head. At least most of the crew are adults, and thoroughly culpable for their choices. ] Here, this way...

[ He starts walking to one of the far walls where there are sets of planters attached in neat rows and columns that climb about halfway up the wall. There are plenty of lower boxes that are empty for now, and still within easy reach for her. ]

Are you a doctor or something like that, back home?

[imaginary_wife]

Something like that, yes.

[The one that lets her make up for everything she's done wrong. But long ago it was just something that made her happy.]

I have to think up plans to protect the town every once in a while when the authority manages to get in a stupid situation. I like to have hobbies.

[heliakal]

[ Clark raises an eyebrow at that, though he doesn't press just yet. Not everyone who makes medicine is going to be a doctor with a group as diverse as this. ]

The authority? [ He inclines his head, curious. ] Can you tell me a little bit about where you come from?

[imaginary_wife]

[She would be cheeky, but here it's relevant information. Things people need to know.]

My people had to escape our system. Our suns were about to collide, and races from all the habitable worlds joined together for an Ark project. We aimed for the nearest planet with a compatible atmosphere- Earth. They weren't as technologically advanced, but they were people.

There was a war. But eventually we got along. We came to work together.

Not really a sob story. We all found a new home, and we get to try to get along without screaming insults at each other. It got easier when everyone realized they had compatible genitals. [A rude joke, but it's not really a false one. There were many other reasons, but that humans and Votans can start families as Votans can with other Votans makes all the difference.]

[heliakal]

[ The joke surprises a quiet chuckle out of him, partly because it lightens up a somewhat somber story. She's very candid about it, but he can't help thinking of Krypton and Earth. He wishes it could have been different but, for the most part, it's just nice to hear something good came of first contact for a change.

He doesn't feel too bad about wanting to ask a dozen questions all at once. ]

I can imagine. Something like that happened where I come from, too. It's never really easy, but I'm glad you can work on it.

[ He inclines his head at the plants she's brought with her. ] Were you able to save much from your system?