Sit Back And Watch(Lucy)

[blake2]

Dappled light filtered through the canopy of trees overhead, the overcast gray sky broken here and there by puffy, white clouds. The September day was , approaching the lower 70's as the afternoon came, but at least the rain had passed through earlier. Robbert Madden had decided early in the morning that it was a perfect day for a nice hike. Without the obligations of class or work, he packed his trusty backpack with all the bare essentials. Usually Robb preferred to keep his keep his cell phone at his apartment, but today was going to be a longer outing than most hike, so he tucked the stupid thing into one of his pockets. The hiking trails are a short drive south of Robbert's apartment, but they were worth it. He set out right after breakfast. He figured he'd hike for a couple of hours only taking a few quick rest breaks to figure out which direction to go next. These trails would take him around in circles but the view from each one was a little different.

As the twenty year old continued his hike, the trail become rougher. He was soon maneuvering over rock falls of varying heights, finally coming to one that was marked with the option of taking an upper or lower trail. Robb chose the lower trail to stay closer to the river, which had been getting progressively rockier, the closer he got to the rapids. After another half hour or so he came to another area with large, flat rocks. This was much more open than the first, with more space to spread out. The rocks were amazing, some with bowl-shaped depressions worn into them from the water, others with crescents curved into the sides. Robb wandered around looking at the geological formations for a while, occasionally throwing a stray rock or two to skip across the water's surface.

There were also some points along the trail where he was close enough to the river that Robbert could feel a little bit of spray that was kicked up when the water splashed over a particularly large rock or the wind caught it just right. The boy moved off the trail a little bit, closer to the river's edge, so that other hikers could get around him, though he hadn't seen many walk past him. Robb shrugged the backpack off of his shoulders, pulled out a water bottle and took a long drink. He ripped off the beanie he had put on this morning and shoved it inside of his bag. It was by no means windy enough for him to use it just yet in the season. A hand went through his unruly hair as he tried to tame it to the best of his abilities.

Moss covered the entire rocky outcropping, smelling of fresh water. Robbert's day off couldn't get any better in his opinion. The only sounds present was the occasional rustle of the trees above him and the movement of the river. He reached down towards the moss that was growing around the edge of the rock he chose to sit on. The pads of his fingers gently touched the mossy surface to reveal that they were slightly went still from the morning storm. He focused a bit of energy into his fingertips and watched as the moss began to spread at an increased rate. Robb pulled back and marveled at the sight. No matter how much he tried, he could never get over how blessed he felt to have such a gift.

OUTFIT

[lucy]

Many people assumed that the only time Lucy was outside was when she was looking at plants. That wasn't all together true, though. She enjoyed being outside at any time, regardless of when it was and whether or not there were plants to be investigated. Now, it wasn't to say that she didn't like going to explore around looking for certain plants, and it certainly didn't mean that she didn't like to find them as she walked or anything. She quite enjoyed both those things. But sometimes she was just out to enjoy the fresh air, and didn't have any ulterior motives.

Today was one of those days, for the most part. She had decided that going for a hike seemed like a good way to spend an otherwise noisy, obnoxious day- perhaps it'd be quieter up there. For some reason it seemed all the other students were full of loud energy today. Lucy hated loudness, crowds, and sudden noises- all of which seemed to be plentiful today around the schoolyard. And so hiking it was.

She'd only brought a small pack with her, within which was a notebook and some pencils, a battered copy of a plant encyclopedia, and a water bottle. No, she wasn't going specifically look at plants. But she always made sure to carry her encyclopedia and her notebook with her at all times, just in case! It was a botanist thing, she supposed, as her father did the same whenever he was out in nature (which was very frequent, she might add, such as herself).

Lucy walked slowly, casually, not wanting to rush. There was no need to, after all. And the outdoors was so serene and peaceful now- she wanted to enjoy it for as long as possible. She stopped every once in a while to take a sip from her water bottle, but otherwise she continued at a constant, though relatively slow, pace.

She soon came to a fork in the road with two different pathways. She was tempted to take the upper path, but instead decided to take the lower, rockier one, nearer to the river. There might be some interesting moss growth there, in which case she'd like to record some details of it whilst she was there. She smiled to herself as she made her way across the rocks, enjoying the smell of the water as she approached it, getting closer and closer to the river. The rocks were interesting to look at, having many different sizes, shapes, and depressions. Erosion was an amazing thing!

Lucy soon noticed that she wasn't alone. There was someone else nearby. Being that she was relatively friendly, and very curious, she soon found herself approaching him. She stopped nearby but not too close to watch what he was doing. Oh, he must have been an earth elemental! She watched with excited interest as he made the moss grow, sitting down on the ground across from him for a better view. There was nothing particularly special about this patch of moss, but watching it grow right before her eyes was, to say the least, fascinating. She was always interested in these types of things, though her father would often do the same thing. She couldn't help but grin at the sight; earth elementals were so amazing. Sometimes she'd wish that she were one as well, but she was never one to resent something given to her, so she didn't dwell on it. She was still an elemental after all, which was a skill to be happy about.

[blake2]

So lost in his introspection, Robbert failed to notice the footsteps ahead of him, disturbing the stillness of the otherwise quiet woods. A shortish looking girl with snow white hair was staring right at him. Well, more like at where his fingers had been touching the moss. He gave her a quick friendly smile before realizing what she had probably just saw. His smile fadded and his mind quickly went into overdrive. "What if she saw me? She had to have...I wasn't exactly on look out when I did it..." he thought. Seeing as the girl didn't go running for the hills at the sight of his powers, he hoped she was an elemental as well. For a second there he had thought he went an exposed himself to someone outside of Maple Hollow. He would have to be more careful in the future when he was in public.

Robb surveyed the scenery while trying to work up the courage to say something to the white haired girl. Inhaling, he took in the scent of rainwater mixed with forest pine. Though he didn't like water he did enjoy that after rain smell. A sliver of sunlight shone through the overcast clouds and broke through the dense forest. The forest was silent after that, the stillness of the scenery a façade for the nervousness bursting within. Somewhere from up above, a family of birds scattered, the noise of their leaving providing the only sound. Down below their feet, the rocks damming the stream gave way, letting a new current of water to gush forth.

Yet, as all things, it had to come to an end. Robbert cleared his throat, willing to finally be the first who broke the silence. "Pretty nice day out isn't?" He scratched at the back of his neck as if it was going to help him think of something less awkward to say. He was not one of those smooth, confident folks who could just put himself out there to stranger. Sure he loved talking to people, but usually they were his friends already. "Even with the light rain this morning I couldn't help myself to a hike." He imagined it must have been the same for her. "My name is Robbert Madden. I go to school down by Maple Hollow." The boy was hoping to fish out some information from her as well, most importantly if she really was an elemental like he assumed. Robbert would have a lot of explaining or lying to do if she wasn't. The idea of lying didn't really sit well with him.

OUTFIT

[lucy]

Lucy watched the expressions on his face as they turned from being startled to being fearful, and then perhaps even to being slightly curious. Lucy herself was almost always curious about something or other, so she could sympathize with the last of the three emotions that she had detected. Seeing as he seemed just the slightest bit nervous as well, she put on a friendly smile and plopped down on the ground nearby. She couldn't see why he might think she was a threat, but perhaps she'd merely startled him and that's why he seemed that way.

She watched with interest as he stopped what he was doing and looked around at the scenery. It took a few moments, but he did speak. It seemed he was friendly after all, if not a bit startled initially by her seemingly popping out of nowhere. Perhaps she'd been too quiet, walking slowly and carefully against the rocks, and he hadn't heard her approach at first. She listened to him speak and looked up at the sky for a short moment when he mentioned the weather. It made her smile; it was a rather nice day.

"Yes, it is! I like it even more when there's sunlight after rain. The air feels moist and all the flowers and plants smell even more fresh." she said happily, speaking a bit too much, and possibly a tad too enthusiastically for a response to such a simple comment. Oh well- it was how she felt, wasn't it? No need to hide a happy emotion. Now he was introducing himself- Lucy felt as though it was only polite to do the same. "Lucy Aeris. I'm in school at that area as well!" she smiled. He didn't look familiar, though, but he did look to be at least her age, if not a few years older. Curiously, she inquired, "Are you a graduate?" he must have been; she was in the oldest grade at the high school, and she was almost certain that he wasn't in it with her. Unless of course she'd never noticed. She supposed it was possible that he was one of those people that looked older than they were, but she found it more doubtful than anything else. Perhaps instead of thinking about it, she could just wait for a response.

[blake2]

"Well then, it's nice to meet you Lucy,"Robb let out a sigh of relief. Luck was on his side today. Now that he knew that he hadn't blown his cover to someone from the outside world he felt a little more at ease. What would happen if he had exposed his talent to someone from the outside? He shook the ideas out of his mind and returned his attention to the girl who now sat closer to him. "Yeah it looked like a lot of the plants out here needed some water after this dry summer we've had." Red alert, you're talking about the weather, he warned himself. Ever since his arrival at the academy he had the nasty habit of talking about the environment a little more than what people wanted to hear. It was hard not to care about the planet with his elemental alignment. It only made sense that the better he treated it, the better his powers could grow.

"Um, yeah I'm a Junior at the University. I'm studying Bioengineering," The classes were intense; Biology, Chemistry, a little bit of Physics, and that was just his science related classes. Robert had never done so much math and science in his life than the past two years at school. Equations, experiments, and hypotheticals consumed his life somedays. All the late nights buried in his homework would pay off one day. "I'd like to go to Medical School after I graduate here," If he couldn't get past two more years here than he didn't deserve to be a doctor. Saving lives took much more work than any math equation ever would.

Robbert didn't notice at first, but his fingers were lightly tapping against the rock he was sitting on. It was just his body's way of getting past his jitters. Unlike how his sister was, the Earth elemental had a hard time putting himself out there at first. He took a deep breathe as he folded his arms across his chest to stop his drumming. He offered Lucy a sheepish smile before getting back into the conversation. "Are you in High School Lucy?" he asked. It was a better way of figuring out how old Lucy really was. A much better route than just flat out asking her in his mind. His mother would kill him if he ever thought to ask any female how old they were. "I don't know if I've seen you around,"

OUTFIT

[lucy]

"Nice to meet you too!" responded the cheerful girl with her everlasting smile. She did enjoy meeting new people from time to time; lately it seemed as though she was meeting a lot more than usual. She noticed that this particular person, Robbert, seemed very knowledgeable about plants and their atmosphere. It only made sense, really, as he was an earth elemental, but still. It was always so refreshing to be around people like this! She couldn't help but smile at his words, and nodded slightly as he finished. "Yeah, I'm glad that it's rained. Sunlight's great and all but it's important for plants to get water, too." of course she was only speaking the obvious, but it felt good to talk about the environment a bit. Not a lot of people would be willing to hold up a good conversation about it unless they were thoroughly interested. She hoped she wasn't being boring.

It then turned out that Robbert was working on bioengineering in the university. How very impressive! And already a junior. Despite that she was very much interested in botany like her father, Lucy had never planned on becoming a full-fledged botanist. She preferred to learn things on her own and to travel like some sort of plant-obsessed nomad. She knew a lot about botany at this point anyway, both from her father's teachings and her own studies, both of which included large amounts of fieldwork and bookwork. It was really like being in the university for such a subject, except less demanding in her opinion. And if the whole travelling-and-learning-about-new-plants thing didn't work out, she always had the flower shop to fall back on- her mother's flower shop.

"That sounds very interesting. Is it quite difficult?" she inquired. She expected it must have been. It sounded it at least. "Anything medical-related is always a good, sound occupation though, I think. That's very impressive of you." she added. She often wondered if it might be interesting to study more into herbal remedies and the like. She knew quite a bit about grasses and herbs, and what they did, so that type of subject really wouldn't be too much of a stretch from what she already knew and learned about.

He asked if she was in high school, based on the fact that he hadn't seen her around. He had made pretty much the same deduction as Lucy had, in a way. She had also assumed he was in the opposite school as herself, mainly based on that she hadn't seen him before. That was fine. Great minds think alike, isn't that what was said frequently? "Yes, I'm a senior this year." she nodded, hoping that this would be her last year. Due to her not paying the greatest attention in classes, she didn't always do that well in class. She was all right, though- her grades, surprisingly, weren't abominable or anything. They just, well... she wasn't passing with flying colours, either. Oh well. One couldn't have it all, and she wasn't planning on furthering her education in the university, anyway. As long as she passed and moved on, that's all that really mattered.

[blake2]

Robb thought he had shot himself in the foot by talking about the weather, but when Lucy seemed to agree with him about the conditions of the plants his face lit up. People usually cared more about reality shows and twitter in this generation. Lucy's optimism and genuine interest was refreshing. "Don't you think it's interesting that a plant or even just grass in the wild can go days without any source of hydration and survive while people spend thousands of dollars to pay for irrigation systems to maintain a green lawn? Just so it doesn't look dry or brown? The minute you cut that lawn off from a regulated water cycle it starts to dehydrate so quickly," Robb said. "It's fascinating. Like we've somehow conditioned wild growth to due certain things, almost like we've domesticated animals with scheduled needs," And he was fascinated by thoughts like that. Nature had developed a way to survive without the intervention of man and create a self-sustainable way of life. Anything that couldn't survive just died off or adapted. "People will do anything to beat off natural selection," he chuckled. It made him wonder sometimes on his outings through the woods what life would have been like without so much human intervention.

"The classes can take a toll on you. Even if you do like those subjects. I've never had to memorize so much in my life," He quickly did his best to backpedal. "Oh, no ma'am, I didn't mean to sound like I was fishing for approval or anything," he fell back into the bashful role, quickly flustered at the thought off even trying to show off. Robbert hated when folks did that. "I just want to be a doctor to give back. Did you know that there are some folks that take the job as some sort of way to feed into a narcissism they have in themselves? A few even get caught up in the glory of saving lives. We are talking about quite the God complex here" The boy shook his head in disapproval. Not him, he wanted to save lives so people could continue to give back to society at their fullest potential. Deep down though, what he really wanted was a way to help his mom out. "I guess in a way I'm like the people who water their lawns so the grass doesn't turn brown or die off, huh?" This was getting a bit too heavy for a conversation with a stranger. Especially one he just met on a hike on the woods.

"Anyway, High School huh? Are you excited about it being your last year there," Robbert was less than excited to leave than some of his fellow graduates. High school life meant free room and board, and meals from the mess hall whenever he wanted. Now he was two years out into 'the real world' with bills and rent to manage. He lived just on the outskirts of low income area. There were many streets a few blocks south of his place he never really ventured down during the later hours of his night. In the past two years hah gone without incident, so he never thought about relocating. "Twelfth year is really an exciting time. I remember learning so much more about my powers back then. Do you have plans for next year like University, or are you just sort of living in the moment of your last year in High School?"

OUTFIT

[lucy]

It was so much fun to be able to talk about the environment for once without having the other person that was part of the conversation being bored. It was never as interesting when you were practically having a one-sided conversation about something, no matter what the topic was. Lucy was glad that Robbert understood her point of view on such a topic. He was right, of course, about everything he spoke of. It really was interesting to think about! "Yeah, sometimes it's too bad that people think they have to interfere with everything. If they could just let nature be as it is and not meddle with it, perhaps things would be much better off." she said thoughtfully, wishing that such a thing were true. Couldn't people just learn to deal with their own problems? It was unfortunate, but it seemed as though people always meddled where they didn't belong, or worried over the silliest of things. Sometimes people thought that Lucy was a bit too indifferent to people, but she just didn't believe in all the drama that they'd cook up all the time.

It was amazing to hear Robbert talk about school. He spoke of it rather fondly, but wistfully as well. Lucy liked to hear about it from time to time, even though she never planned on going and furthering her school life past high school. She wanted to get out into the world and explore! School just wasn't for her. She was smart enough, of course, and did enjoy learning. But the classroom environment wasn't exactly her cup of tea. She definitely preferred fieldwork any day.

"Oh, no. I didn't think you were being like that." to be honest, Lucy didn't pay attention to others' emotions long enough to realize something like that, anyway. She tended to be a bit too oblivious when it came to such things. "I just think it's very admirable of you." she smiled contentedly. It really was, after all. Many people would say that they wanted to help people, but when it came right down to it, they were too scared. To have someone willing to work hard to help others was very admirable, indeed.

He brought up high school now, asking her a few questions here and there. "Yes, I think so. I've never really been the classroom-oriented type, really. I like fieldwork much better. I'm going to travel once I graduate, I think... see the world, learn about different types of plants throughout the world." she said dreamily, thinking of all the new potential discoveries awaiting her upon her graduation. And it was coming up so fast! She'd almost forgotten. Her last year already... how time would fly. But she was definitely ready, at least.

[blake2]

"Ah that's good then, and thank you," he said accepting her compliment. So far he really enjoyed Lucy's company. She seemed to be pretty nice and easy going. She certainly seemed to be someone Robbert could at least hold up a conversation with, one's that they both had interests in. The hike was turning out to be more than a good idea. "See, this is what happens when you put yourself out there," he reminded himself. He was not to any extreme as popular as his sister had been, but he got by once he summoned up his nerve. "I'll meddled around with medicine if it means helping a few people," he said, poking fun at himself from what he said earlier. It was a shame when she said she would be continuing with school though. He would have enjoyed seeing someone as genuine as she seemed around campus.

"No University then?" The mere notion was too hard for Robbert to picture for himself. On top of the fours year he'll put in at college, he still had another fours year at a medical school to look forward too. In a way he was jealous of Lucy. "The world huh? That sounds like quite the adventure. I'm sure you'll end up seeing a lot of beautiful places along the way," He let his imagination soar. The icy mountains in Scandinavia, the deserts of the Middle East, the forests of South America. Lucy made it sound like the whole was just waiting for people to come and explore it. 'No,' he reminded himself, "Mom needs me to finish through school as fast as I can,". "So, you're just going to-"

A loud grumbling sound from his stomach interrupted Robbert before he could comment further. Another down side to living away for campus was that he had to pay for his own food on top of bills. Somedays he just had to skip a meal or two until his next paycheck came. He should have had breakfast this morning. "Excuse me," he pardoned. Robbert dug around through his hiking backpack until he finally pulled out a Clif Bar. They were a bit pricey to pick up all the time with his tight budget, but sometime it was worth the treat. He wrestled with the package to get it open. "Would you like some? I think it's some oatmeal raisin walnut mix," he turned over the bar to check the wrapping before extending his hand out to Lucy. "So what I was trying to say was, you're just going to pack your backs and travel around? Do you think it will be difficult to support yourself along the way?" Robb was too much of a practical thinker to get completely caught up in the romance of just setting foot wherever. He would have needed a plan, locations he knew he could stay at along the way, ways to get money or food. He wished he could be free spirited, but it wasn't the way he was raised.

OUTFIT

[lucy]

"How very altruistic of you!" Lucy beamed, saying the first thing that popped into her mind, as usual, when Robbert talked about becoming a doctor. It must be very hard, though, she supposed. Everything. All the schooling required, and saving lives every day... there'd always be those few people whose lives you couldn't save, too, which would make things that much more difficult on the doctor, wouldn't it? To try so hard to save someone's life, only to have them die right before your eyes... a horrid thing to think about, but true all the same. How dreadful! Yes, you'd have to be very brave indeed to be a doctor. Lucy wouldn't ever be able to do such a thing. No, she was probably much better off just doctoring plants.

Lucy's eyes shone as Robbert pretty much summarized what she was planning on doing. No university, just going along like a free bird, seeing everything there was to see, and going to all kinds of different places just for the mere purpose of being there, and seeing things, and doing things. It sounded like absolute heaven! "It's going to be so wonderful!" she said happily, giving a little contented sigh. "It probably doesn't sound very practical to someone like you, but I think it'll be lovely." bluntness struck again. Oh well. She didn't mean it badly, or that he was too pretentious to understand. She merely meant that someone that was interested in schooling and working hard in that aspect probably wouldn't have the same appreciation for nomadic experience as she; but then again, perhaps he did. He certainly sounded like it when he spoke of it.

He started to ask her another question but was interrupted by the sound of- what was it? His stomach? Yes, it must have been, for he'd gotten out a granola bar of some sort. But then he offered her some, when he was the one hungry! She gave a grateful smile, but took one pale hand and pressed it gently onto his extended one, so that she closed it over the food. "I think you need it more than me." she said serenely, nodding toward his stomach as if expecting it to agree with her. She removed her hand and went back to her original sitting position, as he began to talk once more.

She hadn't really thought about supporting herself or anything- she hadn't thought that far ahead, or something, she guessed. Either way, she didn't think she needed to worry about it too much. "Yeah, basically. I mean, I'm not going to any big cities, so I won't need that much money. I'll take some with me for a train in Europe, or for the ferry from England to France, perhaps, if there is one... Otherwise I'll be walking a lot, in rural areas, and there will be plants and whatnot. I don't eat a lot of expensive things. I can get by with a few vegetables and some water every day, really. It's all about the experience, after all! I don't believe in traveling in luxury." she ended up rambling a bit, but it was all true, or at least, they were all her opinions.

[blake2]

"It's true that I don't understand where you are coming from," he smiled, reassuring that he wasn't upset by her comment. "I'm actually jealous of you. I wish I could go out an do that. You sound a lot like my sister when you talk about this big adventure you're going to embark on." A warm feeling washed over him as he thought about his sister for a moment. He was unaware of how his smile seemed to spread a bit more. There was a spark in Lucy's eyes when she talk about it. Robb even thought she might have mentally left the conversation when she went on about it. "Even if I had the time I would get too caught up in the logistics to enjoy where I am. I wish I could just let go like that. To each there own I suppose."

He laughed a bit when Lucy closed his hand around the granola bar. "I've been hungrier before in my life, trust me." He took a small bite of the bar in hopes of silencing his stomach. No need for it to go and embarrass him again in front of his new acquaintance. When he was finished chewing, he ignored the food for a bit. He was much more interested in all the places Lucy was describing. England and France sounded like wonderful places to start a journey. Robb wondered for a moment if he should tell her about his early traveling as a kid. The best way was to keep it light and avoid talking about his family. It had happened so long ago that he was fine with talking about it now, but it was best not to lay down something so heavy on Lucy.

"I've been to Ireland before when I was five. I can't remember too much of it, other than everything really was green. Ad I mean really green," he chuckled. Everything about that place was green. If he had to sum up the time spent there in one word, it'd be green. "Lots of rain, hills, and rivers and such. Nice people too. But I was only a kid, so I didn't really run into anyone nasty." Robb wouldn't mind going back there. His father's family was still there as far as he knew. He took another bite of his bar and once he was done chewing he said, "You've got to be careful out there though. There are tons of stories about them taking advantage of tourists, especially young women, since they usually don't know the language," Robb had learned the hard way of getting screwed over by people. Well, he hadn't really learned since it seemed to keep happening to him. He was far too trusting for his own good. The boy felt guilty if he doubted people though. He preferred to think everyone had good in them.

"You could be walking around and just start talking to someone like me and then bam! You walk away and your wallet is gone, or worse," Girl's got kidnap in Europe all the time without news ever coming back to the family. He thought it best not to scare Lucy though. She seemed too nice for it. He finished off the rest of his bar in one bite. He hadn't really known how hungry he was until he started eating. Good thing he packed one of those away. Soon it would kick in and he'd be good to go for another hour or two. "Except I'm not going to take your wallet, I was just saying...you know, sadly all strangers aren't so altruistic."

OUTFIT

[lucy]

Lucy couldn't imagine not being able to let go and be free, especially when doing something like traveling! She supposed such things weren't for everyone, even if said people did want to be able to do it. Some people just weren't as free-spirited as others, which was fine. If everyone was free-spirited not much would get done, probably... even so, no matter what the personality type, if everyone had the same, everything would be quite boring, wouldn't it? That's what Lucy thought, anyway. "Maybe it's best that you aren't like that, then. If you're gonna be a doctor and stuff, I mean. You're gonna have to be more applied and mindful than someone like me or your sister." she said with a reassuring smile.

He mentioned his hunger briefly, but from the sound of his stomach earlier, Lucy felt a bit sorrowful if his statement was true. "That's not a good way to live; if you're gonna be a doctor, you should make sure you're healthy and eat properly so that your patients have a good role model. Right? It must be hard to come by money when you're in university, huh?" she added a bit dreamily, happy once again that she had chosen a different path than the one that would take her to more stuffy classrooms and schoolwork. No, she much preferred her freedom to any of that.

Lucy's entire face lit up with excitement and happiness as Robbert talked about Ireland and its extensive greenery- or at least, the part that he'd been in. "Oh, yes, I would like to go there very much!" she mused, already daydreaming of what she'd do around so much greenery. "I wonder if there's a ferry from Ireland to Scotland...." she wondered aloud, still not too worried about transportation, at least not money wise, but not completely oblivious to its needs, either. She knew she'd have to find a way to get from one place to another, of course, but if she went to Ireland first and ended up kind of stuck there for a while, that'd be fine with her, especially with the description that was given! It really did seem like a lovely place.

Lucy's expression darkened slightly when Robbert began to warn her about Europeans. It wasn't like she was stupid enough to believe that there was no evil in the world, but she didn't like to think badly of others, either. She mostly didn't think about others at all, to be completely honest. Not in a bad way, especially. She tended not to judge others on the main premise that she didn't care enough to. "Stories..." she trailed off for a moment, but then her face brightened once more. "Stories!" she exclaimed again, as if it were a sudden revelation of hers. "Sometimes it is just stories. Whether or not you choose to believe them is your own will, I think. I'll try to be careful anyway, though. Just in case. Thanks for worrying about me." she smiled gratefully, even though she wasn't one hundred per cent sure that she believed in the stories. After all, wouldn't they be referred to as 'facts' if they were true? The whole idea behind a story was that it could be either-or, right? Hopefully everything would work out with her travel. It would be mightily unfortunate if something bad were to happen.

[blake2]

"Yeah I suppose a patient wouldn't be too keen to find out their doctor is thinking about how nice the clouds may have looked," Maybe Lucy never really went a few days without money for a decent meal. Robb on the other hand had been doing it since before coming to the Academy. God bless his mother for making every penny stretch as far as it could. On the worst of days he just put it down as character building. "Sometimes it comes down to a choice of electricity for the month or a few extra dollars to go out for a meal with your friends. Plus it's a good feeling at the end of the day when I think about how I'm doing this on my own." Heaven knows his mother would be more than happy to send the little money she had for her baby boy. The thought of it made Robbert upset. What kind of son would he be to even consider taking money away from his sick mother?

So Ireland was on Lucy's hit list for travel. He was glad to have mentioned it when she seemed to respond so eagerly. "I mean it's been awhile since I've been there, but public transportation in Europe seems to be a lot easier to use. Europe has this crazy train system that seems to connect everywhere," Now that would be interesting to Robbert. Hard to resist traveling when another country is just a train station away. "I'm sure Scotland is just a stone's throw away for the folks over there. Imagine though, spending the day in Spain somewhere, then hopping on a train overnight and getting to France in no time? It's probably no big deal for a ton of folks in Europe. Where is the one place you are just dying to go to?"

For once he saw a bit of seriousness dawn on Lucy. Or at least what he thought to be seriousness. He was glad that she would be cautious, even if it didn't seemed to be as much as he would in her given situation. "You know what stories are? Stories are what they tell on the news!" he teased. "Still, my mom has made a worrier out of me, so just be careful is all I'm saying." How crazy it must be to be a woman in that situation. Not that men weren't targeted for crimes and such, but it was almost always women being reported about on the news. Just because some close minded men saw them as vulnerable. "I don't like to resort to force, but worse comes to worse, you have your powers. What, uh, what sort of gift do you have if you don't mind me asking. You've seen my green thumb at work," he said smiling.

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[lucy]

"No, I suppose they wouldn't." agreed Lucy. Doctors shouldn't be absentminded- they should be focused and alert. At least, that's what Lucy thought. She never really focused on anything other than plants and similar things, so she wouldn't know how it was to really have to work hard and study things in order to get further in one's career. Sure, she studied quite a bit of botany with her father, but that was an interest. Surely doctors weren't completely interested in everything they did, or in every class or study that their profession required. Perhaps there were some that were, but certainly all of them couldn't be that way. How depressing! Though Lucy herself was rather indifferent to most things, and was more so focused on plants; if not, too dreamy to focus at all.

She listened intently as Robbert spoke of money, or lack thereof. It must have been difficult, but it at least seemed somewhat rewarding as well. Now, Lucy had never been part of an upper-class society, but she wasn't poor by any means. Coming from a moderately middle-class family, she had never had to worry about money being tight or nonexistent. There was always just enough or more than enough, and money was not a source of worry for the Aeris family. "It sounds rather stressful for you. But as long as it's rewarding and teaching you things, perhaps it's a good thing as well." it certainly couldn't be a bad thing all together, at least, as long as he was learning from it and moving forward in a positive manner. It probably did teach skills, even at this age, which was good, wasn't it? Again, Lucy wouldn't know. But she still tried to be slightly enlightened by the thought, though she'd probably never experience it herself. She wasn't particularly worried by very much.

He was quite right, she thought, when he talked of public transportation in Europe. It really was top notch there! It would have to be, though, as most everyone depended on it to get from one place to another. One day soon, Lucy would be dependent on it as well. "Yes, it's really amazing how well organized everything is!" she said dreamily, thinking ahead once again to her travels that were fast approaching. She nodded contentedly as he talked of the transportation and how regular it was for them; then he asked her about the one place she'd really like to go to. She didn't have to think of this one at all before answering. "The Netherlands!" she grinned. "They're well known for their floral valleys and meadows. I'd love to see it. There must be so many different types, and I bet the fields are so vast!" she gave a contented sigh as she thought of the place. She could make her way there soon enough, if she started from Ireland and made her way through the UK into France. She may end up going backwards momentarily if she were to stop in Spain or Portugal, but afterward, it was all going to be about the Netherlands, at least for a few weeks! That'd probably be where she spent the most of her time in Europe. She wouldn't be surprised if she were to settle down there permanently! If only she weren't so nomadic....

Robbert teased about her take on 'stories' afterward, saying that those were what were on the news, after all. Lucy merely smiled, but responded, "News isn't always true." she was never argumentative, or at least very rarely, but she liked to oppose from time to time as far as opinions went. Stories were nice, but they were, well, stories. No matter where they came from or who told them.

It was slightly amusing how worried he seemed to be about her traveling alone. "I wonder if they would do anything beneficial for such a situation... should be interesting." she mused, thinking about her powers when Robbert mentioned that they might help if something bad were to happen. She then answered his question of her own power type, saying, "Wind. Though I have to say, I like earth quite a bit. I wouldn't have minded turning out like that." she said with a small sigh. She was still happy with wind, of course, but it would've been much easier had she been born an earth elemental, what with her profession (if one could call it that; if not, interests) and whatnot.

[blake2]

"The Netherlands?" the surprise was more than apparent on Robbert's face. "You know how cold that is going to be? You better go before all the smow covers up those fields." He shook his head a bit trying to understand this girl. So far she was surprising to say the least. "I'd probably visit Germany if I ever had to money to go overseas. It has such a vast history in medical studies." The food over there would be something worth exploring as well. He wouldn't be one of those guys content visiting touristy sort of locations though. If there was a fair balance of research for work and some wilderness to escape when he could, it would be more than okay. Robb wasn't into exploring museums and historical locations over and over again. He would be uncomfortable in the uptight surroundings after awhile. One of his friends dragged him to some art show once, and after giving the gallery a once over, Robb had no idea what to do with himself. Everyone else was happy to stand around and talk about something. What were they all seeing in those pieces that made them stand in front of it for some long while he stood in the corner with his hands in his pockets.

"Of course it could help! Some guy's running after you with a knife and you just summon up some gale or something and trip him up. At least with wind it's a little less obvious. I can't go around starting earthquakes in the middle of no where without causing a big scene." Of course he would never in his right mind want to cause harm to someone. Violence was a terrible last resort for Robb. Plus he only learned how to control his element so much because he entered University. Since Lucy was skipping out of further studies her powers probably wouldn't be as advanced. He was quite sure how it work for Wind elementals. He didn't know too many of them. "I'm sure there are plenty of cool things you can do with your gift on the road."

It made sense that Lucy would want to be an earth elemental like himself. It would probably make her travels far easier if she was. Still, it wouldn't be half as fun if she had the chance to take the easy way out now would it? Robb leaned forward a bit and dug his fingers through the ground. He wasn't all too concerned with getting dirty as he enclosed the small pile of dirt in his hands. A warm glowing feeling spread to his fingers as he focused some energy into the pile of dirt in his hands. He removed the hand resting on top. A small green bud struggled to poke through the weight of the dirt. As it finally broke surface, the plant began to grow as Robbert put more energy through the soil. "Here," he said, offering her his hand with the flower. Robbert by no means knew what the plant actually was, other than white in color. He smiled towards Lucy. All he knew was that it was white like her hair, something he had rarely seen. "Now you can have a flower to remember this place."

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