floral bonds [bastian]

[lucy]

The flowers smelled so nice today- it was probably a result of the rainfall the night before. That's always how it happened, after all- flowers and plants were at their freshest after a good rain, especially when the sun shone brightly afterward, which is what it was doing now. Lucy always visited the gardens after it rained, amongst other times of course, because of how pleasant it was, both in sight and in smell.

That was why she found herself there at this time, kneeling amongst the flowers every once in a while to look at them lovingly and to smell the shorter ones. They were so lovely after rainfall, but especially this time of year- fall was the time of harvest, after all! It probably didn't count for flowers, of course, but it was the idea around 'harvest' that made this time of year special.

Flowers were delicate, but resilient as well. That's one of the things that Lucy really liked about them. Flowers grew in any season, though the type of flower that would grow depended on which season it was. Some flowers were brightly coloured, some more pastel, and still others more of a dull colour. No matter what they looked like, Lucy liked them all for different reasons. Flowers were fascinating. She was rarely happier than when she was strolling amongst them, after the rain.

[BASTIAN RAY HAWTHORNE]

Saturday morning. He had slept well, despite the storm. That hadn't exactly been the best part of his night but it hadn't been a complete disaster. He had made a new friend, sort of. That was a story for another time. He sat in bed and stretched. His roommate was still asleep. He crept silently out of bed, grabbed some clothes and a towel and went to take a shower. It was a quick one. He had showered and gotten dressed in no time. He returned to his room to his sleeping roommate and crept around the room as silently as possible. He grabbed his bag and things. He wanted to go out to the gardens. He knew that the flowers after the rain would be looking beautiful right now and he wanted to try and draw some.

Once he was ready he was out of the room like a ninja. As he walked into the common room, there were a few early birds but basically all the winds were nestled in their beds sleeping. It was a Saturday after all. Bastian decided to make a stop to the cafeteria. He grabbed himself a hot chocolate and a banana. Just something for now until later when he'll have an actual breakfast. Then he was off to the gardens. When he was right he couldn't be happier. The gardens looked just as good as he had imagined them. He looked around to see what he would draw today.

He settled on some roses. He knelt down on the wet pathway. He didn't mind. He pants were black so you wouldn't be able tell anyways. He had about half an hour before his dad would be coming to get him. Bastian normally spent the weekends at home since he was at school during the week. It was the plan he had decided on when he first started the academy and had been adopted by the Hawthornes. More than enough time to make his drawing. He flipped to a blank page in his sketchbook and laid his art kit down on the pathway. He pulled out a few colors before he he started to sketch away in his book.

[lucy]

It was still relatively early, so Lucy hadn't been expecting to see anyone else outside, especially not in the gardens, where it was still relatively wet. The earth students probably wouldn't mind as much, but as for the others, well, she had expected that they would still all be in bed, enjoying their weekend. Lucy did this as well on occasion, but on such a morning as this, it was next to impossible for her to stay inside.

Since she wasn't expecting anyone to be outside at this time, in this place, she was a bit surprised to see someone crouched among the flowers, with what seemed to be a sketchbook of sorts. She recognized him, having been introduced by the wind leader at some point, but couldn't remember his name to save her life. Perhaps he'd remember hers and they could start friendly conversation? She remembered it starting with a consonant and not a vowel- a 'B', she thought. An odd thing to remember, yes, but nonetheless it helped her to start remembering his name, though she didn't say it when she spoke to him, just in case.

"That looks lovely!" she said excitedly, gesturing toward the drawing of the roses that he was working on. They looked so realistic and lifelike. It was amazing! People often said that Lucy was just easily impressed by things, but she really did think it was remarkable that someone could draw that well. Flowers were so intricate at times, too- that made it all the more impressive that someone was able to draw them with such skill. "Do you draw here often?" she then asked curiously, sitting down next to him on the cool, wet ground. She didn't mind. She'd change when she went back inside. Being the daughter of a botanist, she would often get her clothes wet or dirty from working with plants anyway, so she was used to it.

[BASTIAN RAY HAWTHORNE]

Bastian had expected to be alone in the gardens but wouldn't have been surprised to have found others up this early. It wasn't hard to imagine someone else to be up this early. He didn't pay attention if there was anyone else. His focus had been on coming to draw the flowers after all. "Thanks." he said with a warm smile at the person who had spoken to him. "Lucy right? I remember quickly Kai introduced us before I had to go home. I'm Bastian. Nice to meet you. Again." he said with a slight chuckle. He remember this girl. His friend Kai, the wind leader had introduced them but Bastian had been in a rush to meet his parents so he didn't get the chance to properly talk with Lucy. He remembered that they were of the same element and that Lucy was in the 12th grade, her final year of the Academy.

He nodded his head at her question. "Yeah. Then again I tend to draw everywhere I can but of course there isn't a better place to draw flowers than the garden, especially after a rain fall." Bastian loved the look of the flowers with the remaining water drops on the petals and stems. He liked the challenge of drawing them. "I like drawing the rain drops on the petals." He said continuing his sketching. "What brought you out this early?" he asked curiously as his pencil moved on the paper with each stroke.

[lucy]

Bastian- that's what it was. Lucy was going to guess it, but she didn't want to get his name wrong if it were something else, so she hadn't. She smiled when he re-introduced himself and nodded. "Yes, I remember now. Nice to meet you again, too!" she said with a slight laugh toward the silliness of introducing oneself twice. At least this time she'd talk to him- before it was more of a fleeting conversation- he was off to be picked up by his parents, and she was merely wandering anyway, and had been planning on going home soon as well. Today, she supposed, he'd be going home as well, but at the moment he didn't seem in a rush, so perhaps it was the ideal time to talk.

"I agree." she said contentedly when he made a statement about the flower garden being the best place to draw flowers- and especially after rain, which is what she'd always thought too! "I can tell. You're so good at it!" Lucy chirped, still amazed by the detail and beauty of the drawing. Bastian then asked her what she was doing up and out so early. She gave a small shrug, but smiled all the same. "I always end up wandering out here after the rain. It brings a whole new atmosphere to the flowers, especially when the rain's followed by sunshine such as this." she said dreamily, gently untangling two sprouting flowers as she spoke.

[BASTIAN RAY HAWTHORNE]

Bastian didn't mind introducing himself again. In way he didn't really see their first introduction as the proper one since it had been so quick and Bastian hadn't let either one of them properly meet and greet each other since he had been in such a rush so this time was making up for that. Plus, although he had remembered Lucy's name there was always the chance that she had not remembered his so thus it was as if they were just starting over which worked for Bastian as he continued to draw in his sketchbook. Although they were in a similar situation as the first time with the difference being that although he was waiting for his dad again this time he had a bit more time to converse unlike last time when he was seriously in a hurry to get out of the academy and start his weekend with his family.

He smiled warmly. "Thank you." he had gotten complimented many times since he came to the Academy for his artwork. From his parents to the friends he has made. He liked it. It told him that at least he could do something right. Bastian was still learning to use his elemental powers but at least his drawing was something that he could be proud that he was good at, maybe really good at as some have told him. Bastian knew that he still had much to learn when it came to his art skills and he was always learning different styles or techniques thanks to his mother but one of the things about being very young is that he still had a lot of time to learn. "That's true. It's also probably one of the best times to come to. When the sun has just raised itself in the sky and everyone still very much asleep. Can't ask for a much more peaceful atmosphere. Do you like to spend a lot of time in the gardens?" he asked curiously. Bastian was definitely the curious type. He was always fascinated by things and he had the chance to learn new things he always began to ask a million questions, even if it becomes annoying to others but he tries to keep a lid on it when he can of course. He wouldn't want to become a nuisance to people. It probably just came with growing up in the orphanage. For the longest time it was just going to school and returning to the orphanage. There wasn't really much in between time to really explore what was out there.

Bastian finished up his drawing, adding some color to it trying to match how vibrant the flowers looked in real life. After a couple more minutes the drawing was all done. Bastian was very happy with how it turned out. He at least believed that he was able to match beauty of the flowers. He put his colors away and tore the page out of his book. "Here. My gift to you." he said warmly with a bright smile. Bastian liked giving out his drawings, especially to the new people he met. This was sort of Bastian's way to commemorate the new people he became friends. It was sort of how he made a connection to them.

[lucy]

For a student two years (at minimum, probably) younger than herself, Lucy found that Bastian was quite intellectual, possibly more than she. Though, to be honest, Lucy had never believed that intellect came with age. She believed almost the complete opposite- that intellect came with experience. Though age and experience could not be seen as exact antonyms, they were not synonyms, either. Neither definition, synonym nor antonym, could completely describe the relationship between the two words 'age' and 'experience'. Most people associated the latter with the former, or vice versa, but Lucy saw them as completely different things, and tied the latter to intellect more so than the former. Perhaps she just had a rather odd way of thinking, if she were to think at all.

Bastian, proving her thoughts of his intellect level even further, began talking of the timing of coming to the gardens. Lucy nodded contentedly as she listened; it was quite right, after all. There was no better time to visit any garden than right after the rain. He asked her if she came to the gardens often. She smiled fondly at the question, and answered, "All the time! If I'm not around other places, just wandering, I find myself here more often than not. Even when I am wandering, I end up here somehow or other." she said. She really did love the gardens, and it showed from even her subconscious, when she wasn't paying attention, and would end up here after a walk. "Do you come here often as well? You seem so good at drawing the flowers here, I could only guess...." she inquired, looking over at his drawing once more, only becoming more and more impressed by it every time she looked.

It was probably common knowledge, at least by those who even slightly knew of Lucy, to know that she was very easily excited or impressed by things. Because of this, her face lit up as if Christmas had come early when Bastian finished the drawing and handed it to her. She took it from him happily and gazed at it with excited eyes, exclaiming, "Oh, thank you! It's so lovely! I promise I'll keep it safe!" she could have gone on much longer, but was too busy looking at the drawing, thinking of how very much she loved the look of it, and how lucky she was to receive it as a gift. How very kind of him!

[BASTIAN RAY HAWTHORNE]

To some people Bastian may seem a bit more mature for his age. It was probably because Bastian didn't grow up with tmost conventional childhood. They say that your experiences shape who you are. Bastian didn't have parents to teach him. He did have some adults he could look up to but at the end of the day living in an orphange was far from being the same as living in a regular house with family. Of course some would argue that it would probably be better.

Bastian giggled a bit. "I'm the same. I tend to wonder all around campus when I'm looking for a place to draw. I think I've drawn close to everywhere at this point." Bastian was normally always drawing during his extra time when he wasn't doing school or something else of more importance. Bastian of course was good at prioritizing but he would be drawing any chance he had and now that he had so many more tools at his disposal he took advantage of them. Always trying out new things and improving on the old. "I tend to find a lot of new things to draw when I'm just wondering around." he said with a light smile. His smile grew when Lucy asked her question. He nodded his head. "Yeah. Flowers are some of the most beautiful things to draw what with their vibrant colors and all."

Bastian was happy that Lucy liked his drawing. Bastian was one that liked to give his drawings away every now and then. He likes sharing his work and by the looks of it Lucy really did like it. "I'm glad you like it. Consider a token of a our new found friendship." he said with a bright smile as he began to put his stuff away. "Did you have any plans for the weekend or were you going to be staying on campus?" he asked curiously.

[lucy]

Wandering was such a nice thing to do, especially when one didn't have anything else to do or to worry about. On weekends, it seemed, wandering time was at its finest. You weren't rushed, and you didn't have anything to worry about, or at least, not school-related things, and you could spend the whole day wandering and thinking without much (or any) consequence. Lucy was glad to hear that Bastian did the same, and had similar- if not the same- views on wandering as she did. It really was lovely to experience. "I think... that if one were to merely be nomadic and only wander and think for their entire life, it would not be a wasted life." she said, not really responding to anything by doing so, but more so voicing a random thought that often occurred to her during her wanderings. She, at least, believed it to be true, so it was not an unnecessary thought in its entirety.

"It's no wonder that you draw so well, then. If you do it so often, I mean." said Lucy with a smile, for it was quite true. Practice made perfect, isn't that what everyone seemed to think and say? It must be true, should that be the case. "They're all so different, too." added Lucy when Bastian mentioned his enjoyment for drawing flowers and the reasons going along with it. "Even flowers of the same species have their own characteristics. They're like people and animals in a way. Maybe a lot of people don't notice it, but it's true all the same. Every flower has its own personality and appearance, just like a person or an animal would. That's one of the reasons why I like them so much. Plants are like that, too, though it can be a bit difficult to see it, even more so than with flowers." whenever she was talking about flowers or plants, Lucy ended up going off on her own little tangent about something or other. Luckily for her, most people didn't seem to mind. If they did, well, Lucy would find that they'd just walk away. She didn't mind. Not everyone appreciated flowers and plants as much as she; she wouldn't expect them to. If everyone were the same, wouldn't it be rather boring? She thought so. Lucy liked individuality both in people and in plants.

"Thank you!" said Lucy once more when Bastian told her it could stand for their new friendship. It really was a wonderful drawing! Perhaps she'd go home this weekend for certain now, just so that she could hang the drawing on a wall in her room. He then asked her if she'd be going home, almost as if he'd read her mind. Though, she remembered, if he'd read her mind he wouldn't have to ask. "I think so. Might as well- my father might need some help with his research." she smiled fondly at the memories of assisting her father with such things; she always enjoyed it. "If not, my mother might want an extra hand in the shop." either way, Lucy would be happy. "Will you be?" she had already assumed he would be, but she supposed it'd only be polite to actually ask.

[BASTIAN RAY HAWTHORNE]

Bastian thought about Lucy's comment about being nomadic. "I guess. Sounds rather lonely though. Not really having a place to call yourself home." he said. The majority his life living in the orphanage, the only place he had known, never really thinking that he'd leave at least until he was eighteen. Yes, he did leave but it hadn't exactly been how he would have planned it. He would have preferred leaving the orphanage being adopted, not just running away. He had wandered his way to New York. "I guess for someone like me having a place to call was the most important thing for so long that being nomadic isn't all that appealing." he said with a bit of a laugh at the end.

Bastian thanked Lucy for her compliment. Although he didn't think very highly of his work he appreciated hearing others say that he had some talent. It definitely boosted his confidence that he was doing something right at least. He was fascinated by Lucy's words about the flowers. He had never really thought about it himself but what she said was very valid and very much interested him. It also said a lot about her. It definitely gave off the vibe that she was a flower lover. That was pretty neat. "That's pretty cool, the way you talk about the flowers. I never really thought about it before myself but you're right. They are just as much alive as we are."

Then his curiosity turned to Lucy's parents. "What do your parents?" he asked with a curious tone. Bastian was quite the curious one. Everything basically fascinated him. ""My father should be here soon. We're going out of town for the weekend." he said cheerfully.

[lucy]

The nomadic lifestyle definitely wasn't for everyone- even Lucy knew that. She supposed Bastian must have been the family-oriented type- not to say that she wasn't to a certain extent, for she did like people (though not in crowds) and was rather friendly, but she did like solitude as well, or at least wasn't bothered by it. The again, it seemed as though Bastian wasn't too bothered by it either, or at least, not when in the garden or some other place, drawing. It was curious how many different traits people could have whilst still being well rounded as a person, and having all the different traits work together and compliment one another.

"I suppose...." mused Lucy on the thought of nomads being lonely. "Though isn't that what makes it more fun, never knowing what'll happen next? I suppose you would have to be very relaxed in order to be this way though- to enjoy such a lifestyle I mean. Carefree, at least." she was not talking of herself, though it may have sounded like it. No, Lucy was merely speaking from the heart, as usual. She rarely meant anything other than exactly what she said- she didn't like to mask her words with other words, not really.

"What do you mean?" she asked somewhat suddenly, shining more proof on her blunt personality, when Bastian used the term 'someone like me'. She was merely curious, of course, and though curiosity sometimes got her into trouble, she rarely thought beforehand even now. Instead she looked at him curiously, waiting for an answer.

Whilst doing so she was asked her own question, and so she answered it with a somewhat proud smile. She loved her parents. "My mother is a florist, and my father is a botanist." it was a simple question with a simple answer, but nonetheless answering it made her happy. She then noticed Bastian saying that he and his family were going somewhere for the weekend. "Where are you going? It sounds like you'll have a lot of fun. Are you very close to your parents?" she shot out one question after another, it seemed, but all were well-timed and not too pushy nonetheless. What could she say? She was curious.

[BASTIAN RAY HAWTHORNE]

"Carefree huh? Then I definitely wouldn't be up for it. I'm a positive person but I wouldn't go that far." Bastian was a positive kid, sometimes too positive for the liking of some and he knew that he could get on people's nerves but of course he didn't mean too. It was just his personality, which surprised some when they knew the life he's had but then again what did they expect of him, to be depressed or something. He didn't have time for that. There was no point in dreading what he didn't have. That was wasting too much energy in his opinion. "I guess I'll just have to stick to wandering to the gardens." he said with a smile and small set of giggles.

"Huh, oh because I'm an orphan." he said nonchalantly. Bastian was on that spoke very freely when it came to his life prior to coming to the academy and being adopted. He wasn't ashamed of it since it wasn't as if he could control it so he didn't see any point in dreading over it. That was his life, it was a part of who he was and that was that. "Well, at least I was until May of last year. My parents adopted my for my birthday last year. Before two years ago though I lived most of my life in an orphanage in Phildelphia. Then a few months on my own in New York before I came to Maple Hallow." he said reminiscing of that time of that building that he called his home for so long and the friend he left behind when he ran away. He didn't mind Lucy asking that was why he talked in an unfazed voice. The topic wasn't bothersome, sour, or hard to talk about.

As he listened to Lucy talk about what her parents did his eyes brightened with a bright energetic curiosity. Bastian was a curious one and he would tend to find practically everything fascinating, especially when it was something that he had no real knowledge of or couldn't do himself. "That's really cool. It must be so much fun to help out your parents, especially being around so many plants and flower. I'm sure there must be more than a dozen awesome things to draw." Her parents sounded like very interesting people and those were always the best. Bastian wasn't fazed by her sudden burst of questions because he's done the same before.

"I sure we will. We're going to celebrate my dad's birthday with some family out of time." he said in a cheerful voice. Since the adoption he had met a lot of his parents' family member and they've been really welcoming of him. His father's parents took him fishing once and made the scarf he was wearing. His mother's parents took him to an art show once and to see a performance of the nutcracker once which was absolutely amazing. It was just astonishing to think of just how much his life had in changed in the past few years. "We're really close. My father's an architect and he's taken me to some of the places he's helped design and their absolutely breath taking and my mom's a painter and she's been teaching me a bunch of things and techniques." he spoke with so much joy in his voice as he talked about his family. It represented the amount of joy they had brought to him all this time. "She actually picked out my art kit. She said she had to do it because my dad would have no idea which one would be the right one for me." he said with a light giggle. "And they've been spoiling me with fedoras. This one's my favorite though." he said tapping the fedora that was placed on his head, "It was the first one they gave me."

[lucy]

It was interesting to hear Bastian talk about his family, his past... pretty much, his life. Lucy could not help but smile to think of his cheerfulness even though he had had some rough times in his past. She could definitely admire that quality- she tended to be, for the most part, rather resilient as well. All nomads had to be, of course, and adaptable as well. Lucy was no exception, even though she wasn't yet a nomad- not officially at least, though at heart she felt as though she were one already.

"You sound as if you're very close with your parents. I think that's wonderful. Sometimes when people are adopted, I think, they never really get that full bond. I wouldn't know, really, but it's how I always imagined it. I'm glad you're able to prove me wrong on that." smiled Lucy. The way Bastian talked of his parents, it was almost as if he were actually their biological son, and that he had grown up around them his whole life. That was great- Lucy was the same with her own parents as far as closeness went, though, of course, she was actually their daughter, and had not been adopted or really been through any hard times- not compared to Bastian, especially.

Bastian seemed rather interested in her own upbringing, or at least currently. Lucy loved being around all the plants and being able to help out, that was very true. "Yeah, it's great!" she grinned, thinking of it. While she was talking about it, it made her decide finally that she would, in fact, return home this weekend. Just talking about her parents and working and whatnot made her want to be there, doing those exact things! Besides, she'd be able to exchange some research notes with her father, which was always interesting as well- they would often research something together from their two locations and then combine their notes for even more information.

When Bastian mentioned drawing, something occurred to Lucy. "I'm not an artist by any means, so I wouldn't know, but there are many beautiful flowers in the shop, and my dad and I keep quite a few interesting plants in our greenhouse as well. So if you ever want to stop by, even with your parents if you want, feel free! We love having guests, and it's good for business too! I'll be happy to give you a tour and everything." Lucy loved sharing plants and flowers with others, whether it be literal or just general knowledge. The thought of it always made her happy.

Bastian then went on about his parents again, sounding so loving. It was wonderful to listen to him talking about them, for the love between he and his parents was very evident from the way he was speaking. "Your parents sound lovely! And they also sound as though they love you very much." she said happily. Though she did not yet know Bastian very well, it still made her cheerful to think of the good life he had now as opposed to the earlier one that he had mentioned briefly.