House Call

[Electra]

Plants were never easy to communicate with, one reason Stesha didn't try it too often. They communicated so much in images and feelings, rather than words, that it was hard to get specific with them. But this plant was quite unlike anything she'd tried to interact with before. She tried to project an attitude of friendliness and a desire to help, coupled with images of wilted plants receiving new energy and vitality. She'd done a lot of that lately, so there was plenty of imagery to choose from. Zeroing in on the tiredness it was projecting, she returned inquisitiveness and concern. Normally with a plant that needed an energy boost, she could simply give it one, but this plant had power on its own.

[angrydurf]

With greater allacrity than one would expect from plant life the plant poured forth imagery to her, she saw or felt the draining of energy followed by the surge of new growth an endless cycle through time. Its difficulty seemed to be related to this cycle.

It was eager to satisfy her desires it seemed but at the same time seemed to be struggling with how she could not know what was wrong.

Ace waited for some time and then inquired, "You have been at it for some time would you care for a drink?"

[Electra]

With some effort, Stesha pulled herself out of the communion with the plant, blinking into the artificially directed sunlight and getting her bearings. She smiled over at Ace. "Just some water, please, would be great. The plant is very old, and has a lot to say." She sat back on her heels, rocking slightly and trying to decipher what the plant had been telling her. "How long has it been since it's sent out runners?" she asked.

[angrydurf]

Ace nodded and took a couple steps toward the door. "Runners?" He asked rhetorically, "Hmmm I would say roughly monthly theres a bit of a runner starting."

He paused consideringly, "Those are usually harvested however. The root extraction is detailed in the red folio over there." He said with a nod of his head towards the desk.

"I'll get you that water." Ace said as he turned to step out the door leaving Stesha with the plant. Really quite trusting considering the things value but Ace considered himself an excelent judge of character.

[Electra]

Stesha went and picked up the binder, leafing through it for collection patterns and signs of dormancy periods. "Are you just tired?" she asked the plant aloud, studying the harvesting data. "This is a lot of harvesting going on. You must be all cut up in places you don't want to be." Tentatively, she reached out a hand and concentrated a little healing energy into it, the way she would with any sick houseplant. It probably couldn't hurt, and if it didn't seem to work, she could just pull back.

[angrydurf]

There was no real sign in the records of any kind of dormancy however there were series of pictures of the central root throughout the process. Looking over them in order Stesha noted that the root was growing at what seemed an accelerating rate. Unusual for a plant which one assumes had reached its full size.

Her healing energies seemed to do little good but there was something about the plant that she couldn't quite place at first. Then as she stopped the energies she felt it more destinctly, a kind of resonance witht he plant when she focused her energies upon it.

Ace stepped back into the room with a small pitcher of icewater and two glasses on a tray. Balancing the tray in one hand he cleared space for it ont he desk quickly and offered Stesha fresh poured glass with a smile, "Any luck?" He asked non-chalantly He wasn't overly worried about time but he was concerned as to who else to turn to should Stesha not be able to help.

[Electra]

Stesha shook her head, frustrated as the resonance seemed to fade. "There's something," she admitted. "I feel like I've got the edge of it, but not the whole thing. The root is growing much faster than I'd expect, given its size and age. It's taking all the energy that would normally go to the leaves, but I'm not sure why. Thank you." She accepted the glass of water and downed it in a few gulps. "It doesn't seem particularly distressed, but plants don't always know any better." Holding the glass in both hands, she looked up at him. "What do you know about the root of the plant? Do you ever dig in and harvest from that?"

[angrydurf]

Ace took a sip from his own glass before replying, "The root? Occasionally. Its one of the more potent parts of the plant but only by the schedual its previous owner suggested, possibly less really."

Ace looked concerned as he asked Stesha, "Do you think its been over harvested? I try to take great care with the harvesting." He did seem genuinly more concerned for the plants welfare than the posibilty of needing to stop the harvest.

"I was under the impression that regular harvest was neccisary actually. I rarely have much need for the material and it keeps well in most cases." He further explained

[Electra]

"If it is, it's not the only problem, but it doesn't feel that way," Stesha told him. "If I didn't know how old it is, I would say it's immature and putting down tap root in preparation for a growth spurt. But that's something that very rarely happens in mature species. On the other hand, there are a lot of unique things about this species. I've given it some energy and that helped a little, but again, it all wants to go down into the roots."

She looked over at the plant, running a finger over one glossy leaf. "The positive news is that while I know that it's tired, I don't think it's dying. We can figure out what's wrong and get it healthy again The other thing that I can do is nudge along its natural growth, so we can see what it's got planned. I'd like to look at the oldest records again though, see if there's anything that's going to tell me more about its behavior in the wild. I know you can't reveal where you got the plant, but if you're still in contact with him or have any more papers, they might help too."

[angrydurf]

Ace smiled, "I'm glad to hear that, thats definately good news."

Ace went over to the table and dug about for a bit before handing her a small packet of photos and a few pages with less legible handwriting.

"I think thats the best I can do right now, my friend isn't really available at this point." There was a hint of sadness in his eyes with the statement.

Inside the packet were pictures of Ace and an elderly man of what looked to be East Indian descent the ones on top looked to be of the two of them in this very room potting the plant, it was nearly the same size but there was something odd about the root shape. Flipping through the pictures she saw more of the same but managed to show the root at several other angles, towards the back of the stack were three black and white pictures of a young Ace Danger, just like in the old Jungle Patrol serials, and a younger boy in a somewhat oversized turban.

[Electra]

Stesha spread the pictures out, studying them one by one. Suddenly, she picked up the best picture of the root, just before it went into its new soil. "Look, look at this," she said excitedly. "The documents said that it reproduced by runners, but it's obviously been split at the roots here in this picture. It's not an offspring, it's definitely a split from a bigger plant. I would say that the root on your plant now, from what I can see of it, has got to be about the same size as the total root was in the plant this one came from. And if it splits, that also explains why it feels so ancient in my head, it's sort of cloning itself again and again."

She gave Ace a brilliant smile, relieved to have found what had to be the answer. "When the leaves on a plant are smaller and sparser, and the root ball is bigger, it's easier to do a clean splitting. This must be part of its life cycle, like it was talking about. If you split it, it should grow back to its former above ground size in a year or so."

[angrydurf]

Ace smiled wide, "Excelent, that is great news."

He looked down at Stesha for a moment and told her, "You know you have a lovely smile." Matching it with one of his own. He let the statement linger for a moment before he spoke again.

"So you can do the split then? I have tools for most gardening tasks if you need." Ace inquired pulling a small box from under the table. He pulled out a trowl and added, "I can help if you need." With his infectous grin spreading once more across his face.

[Electra]

Stesha's smile faltered a bit in uncertainty about what to do with the compliment, but it returned with a laugh when he produced the trowel. "We could do it with that, I suppose, but it would take about forever. This poor guy doesn't look like much above the ground, but he's got a lot going on down there in the roots, and I'm sure they're strong. If you've got a spade in your shed, we could get it faster and cleaner. You also need to decide where you want to put the split. The original can go right back into the ground, but you'll eventually need a second planter about the size of this one for the new baby. It'll be fine in a pot the size of a five-gallon bucket for awhile if you need to think about it, but the fewer times you transplant, then better."

She carefully gathered up the pictures and handed them back to him, then headed back over to the plant in question. "Doing the split itself won't be a problem. If you have all the equipment, we can have it done in a couple of hours." Gardening talk was safe and easy ground, and looking at the plant was far preferable to staring at her host and risking having her jaw drop open in a very embarrassing way. Sure he was gorgeous, but she'd just had a really nice first date with Derrick a week ago, and was seeing him again tomorrow. Maybe looking didn't hurt anything, but it made her feel sort of guilty. Compared to all that, caring for a magic plant was easy!

[angrydurf]

Ace gave her a quick wink, "I can think of worse company." He said with a grin but put the trowel down.

"I'm sure I have something of the sort around here somewhere despite the sparseness ofhte environs I'm actually have a very well equiped garden." Ace joked as he walked toward the exit I'll see what I can find.

He returned moments later with a pair of spades leaving no doubt that he had known exactly where they were when he left.

He passed one of the spades to Stesha his hand gently brushing the back of hers as he handed it off. Flirting was second nature to Ace and really he couldn't help himself.

Ace pondered for a moment her question on what to do with the split, then with a shrug replied, "I'm sure I can find some deserving soul who would want one." He flashed Stesha hsi rather distracting smile once more then asked, "So where do we start?"

[Electra]

"I can tell," she said. "I'd love a chance to just wander around your greenhouse. It seems like you've acquired some amazing specimens in your travels. But first things have to come first. Let's dig around the sides, then underneath. Keep to the edges, and watch for the feeder roots. We'll lose some and that's okay, but the fewer, the better." Stesha put the plant between them and put the spade into the ground, safely on the edge of the root ball. It was easier than digging a bush out of a regular garden, but still required a little bit of foot power as well. "Do you garden as a hobby, or do you only keep certain special plants you've come across?"

[angrydurf]

Ace dug his spade in according to her directions as he replied, "I dabble. Over the years I've acumulated a few with sentimental value and I have the space."

He grinned up at her, "Well I still owe you the tour so you still have a chance after we finish here." He met her eyes to add, "If you're not too busy." Flashing that distracting smile again.

The soil was well airated so it was fairly easy to get the rough shape dug out leaving only the need to clean up the root ball in short order.

[Electra]

Stesha blushed at the smiles, ducking her head and hoping the extra color was covered up by exertion. She knew how to flirt, but Ace Danger was in a whole 'nother class of flirtatiousness. She wondered what would happen if he and Moira got together. If that ever happened, she'd love to be a fly on the wall and taking notes for later. "I'd love a tour," she told him honestly, "if it's not a bother for you." She could handle feeling a little overwhelmed for a little bit in order to see what other plants he was keeping around. And it wasn't as though being around him was unpleasant at all! Stesha just wished she could tell her friends about all the amazing things she was doing these days.

She devoted most of her attention to the plant as they took it out, using the trowel on the exposed root ball to brush away extra dirt. "Look at this, it's practically perforated down the middle already. I've never even seen a hosta so eager to split off," she joked. "We can use some of the soil from this planter to fill the bucket, add a little of the fertilizer you use, and it'll be a less stressful transplant. Unless you have an actual pot you'd like to use," she added with a grin. "I normally just use buckets, but that might not match the ambiance you're looking for."

[angrydurf]

"Its the least I can do considering." Ace replied while fishing for a bucket from under one of the tables.

He held up a decent size bucket inqireing, "This'll do? I Figure a bucket ought work till you get it home figure out where you want to put it." He glanced up with a wink, "unless you want to keep it here but with your talents I doubt you'll need all this claptrap he motioned at the assorted enviromental controls."

Despite the unlikelyhood the offer seemed genuine as he began placing a starter layer of soil in the bucket.

[Electra]

Stesha gaped at him, the offer taking her entirely aback for a minute. "Me?" she finally managed, her voice squeaking a little on the end. "You're giving it to me? I don't know what to say. I mean, I'll take great care of it, of course, it would be the prize of my garden. But... wow. Thanks doesn't seem like enough."

[angrydurf]

Ace smiled at her shock, "You've more than earned it, this plant was a gift from a dear old friend." He took a step towards Stesha getting much closer.

He was not so close as to be inside her personal space but just close enough that she could see how easy it would be for him to be. He looked at her earnestly and explained, "You saved it, thats well worth it to me."

He took a step back then and conineued to prep the bucket as he spoke, "Besides theres a certain graceful symetry to it, I was given the plant by an old friend and now I get to give the next cutting to a new one." He flashed her a quick smile at the comment.

[Electra]

"You've taken amazing care of it," she told him with a smile. "I'll make sure to do the same thing. And it's my pleasure to be able to help someone cure a sick plant. There's nothing nicer than seeing a sickly plant reach its potential." She shifted from foot to foot momentarily, wondering if the signals he was giving were just habitual flirting, or if he meant something by it. Surely not, she decided again.

While Ace prepped the pot, Stesha began doing the actual split, carefully tugging apart and extricating the tangled mass of roots into two separate bundles. She used her powers carefully as she worked, healing torn edges of roots and strengthening the ones that threatened to break. It had obviously been split before with apparently mundane techniques, but it never hurt to take a little extra care. As she worked, she asked "Would it be possible for me to get copies of the care instructions you have for it? I'm good with plants, but I've never dealt with one quite like this before."

[angrydurf]

Ace finished prepping the potting bucket and moved to help Stesha manipulate the heavy plant.

"I'm sure you will." He replied with a smile as he helped wrest the root ball apart.

He glanced over his shoulder, "Well it will give me an excuse to have them all digitized finallly." He said with a spakling laugh, "I'll get them too you in a day or two, give me a chance to see my favorite plant expert again." He added with a sly wink.

With Steshas skills they made short work of seperating the root masses and it was a simple method to fill in around the roots to finish the repotting process.

[Electra]

When the potting was finished, Stesha filled a watering can and gave the bucket a good wetting, then put some water into the original planter as well, though it was nearly moist enough already. "I don't want to heal them up too much right now," she explained, "because part of the reason for splitting older plants is to shock them into new growth. If I just heal everything up, it won't get as much of a benefit. But I can stop by next week to check on it, just to make sure it's recovering all right. We could kill two birds with one stone, I could check in on it and pick up the papers at the same time?"

Right now both plants looked pretty good, if quite asymmetrical, but the next few days would tell the tale on how well the split had been tolerated. "Sometimes the best thing for a plant is just to leave it alone and not mess with it too much." Despite that bit of sage wisdom, Stesha couldn't help fussing over the plants a little more, patting down the soil lightly and double-checking the moisture and fertilizer levels. It was such an amazing plant, a privilege to work on it, really. She wasn't sure she'd even fully wrapped her mind around the idea of having one. "In a year, they'll both be in great shape." She couldn't help but smile again at Ace, he was the sort of man who made it easy.

[angrydurf]

"Thank you again Stesha." Ace said offering her a hand up.

He chuckled lightly holding up one soil crusted hand, "Theres a sink in the next room we can wash up there." He said with a nod toward the door.

As he made his own way toward the exit he asked with a smile, "Would you like something to eat? I can whip something up if you like, for some reason delivery never works out."

Upon reaching the door he opened and held it for her and murmered, "Ladies first." before following Stesha into the airlock once more.

[Electra]

"I'm fine, thanks" she told him as she preceded him out the door. "I only eat recreationally most of the time. And I'd hate to be the delivery person trying to find your house, after this afternoon," she added with a laugh. "But I definitely need to wash up." She scrubbed the dirt off her hands in the sink, leaving nothing but faint lines of dirt under her fingernails. "Does your house do that naturally, by the way?" she asked as she dried her hands. "Or is it a security measure?"