[Winter Shores]

Username: Winter Shores
Buttermilk: Antheia
Prompt:
Antheia walked down the cobbled path that lead to Sorrel's Greenhouse. She knew it was a long walk away from the farmers market so she brought a backpack full of snacks and drinks. She couldn't keep but have a skip in her step as she was full of energy. Everything seemed to be going good and the farmers market was picking up slowly. More people had came than yesterday so it was a little crowded. She hopped that the seeds she had planted yesterday would have hopefully spurted by now or at least started to show some sign of life. Her eyes came in contact with the glass building although she had to squint slightly because the suns rays were bouncing off the glass into her eyes. She walked up to the door and pulled it open the mixed aroma of all the plants and flowers hitting her in the face. She loved it. She felt at home here. Antheia walked through the greenhouse until her eyes met the familiar terracotta pot sitting on the table. She smiled sweetly at it and placed her backpack on the floor. She could hear footsteps approaching so she turned around to come almost face to face with Sorrel. Sorrel smiled kindly, "Good afternoon! I'm glad you could come back and help me out. How are you? Has the plant made any progress?"
Antheia looked at Sorrel and shrugged slightly, "Hi, Sorrel. I'm okay, things could be better. I haven't check if the plant developed any, I just got here."
Sorrel nodded, "Well I think you should take a look. I'll be further in the greenhouse tending to other plants." Sorrel passed a warm smile to Antheia and patted her shoulder before turning around and heading to where ever she had to be. Antheia sighed heavily. She was scared to look at the plant, what if she had some how messed up. Antheia walked up to the table and peered over the terracotta pot looking down at the black soil. Nothing! There was nothing in the pot except dirt! had the seed she been given not good ones? Was that even possible? Antheia pouted, there had to be something she could do to help it. Maybe it was just a late bloomer, she thought and chuckled at the pun she had unintentionally made. She picked up the pot and held it close to her chest, "What shall we do with you? Are you hungry? Do you need some more sunlight? Or maybe some fresh air?" Antheia loved plants surely enough but it was always her grandmother who had taken care of the plants not her. She walked away from the table that the pot once sat on and headed towards the door. There was already lots of plants outside surrounding the greenhouse. She pushed the door open with her shoulder and placed the pot down on the ground. Antheia turned in all directions trying to look for a watering can or maybe a hose. She smiled when she saw the green tubing and walked over to it turning the water on. Once she saw water running out from the nosel she picked it up and walked over to her plant and watched as the water poured into the pot. She knew well enough not to give it too much water or it would make it worse. She looked around as the water poured onto the cobbled walk way. Maybe she should water the other plants? With that notion she pulled those hose and walked to the other plants giving them a good dosage of water before moving along. Hopefully the water would help and so would the suns light.
(Word Count: 616)

[mtuan,]

Username: mtuan,
Buttermilk: Abby
Prompt: A soft frown appears on Abby's face at the sight of no new progress in the seeds. Did they die already? Were the seeds 'dead' before she had even started trying to grow them? The young girl sighed sadly as she poked around in the dirt some more, just a little bit hopeful for some sort of change. None came. And unfortunately for Abby, her spirits began to fall at the sight of such. Unhappily, the young girl gave another sigh but decided to take the watering pot with her and a little spray bottle, filling both of those with some water and headed back in. She first started with a bit of water for the soil- just enough to drip to the bottom of the post. And then she took the spray bottle and mixed in some plant nutrients into more water, spraying the mixture at the very top in hopes of doing some good for the poor plant. [160 words]

[Venatici]

Username: Morghettio
Buttermilk: The Holy Trinity
Prompt:
How will your buttermilk ensure that the seeds sprout?

Stripping of his duck suit, leaving his fake identity behind him, Morgan shed himself of the day's worries and once again decided to give a trip to the greenhouse last. His husband and his plants were always his saving grace: if Morgan found himself troubled, too stressed by someone else's concern that he just could not solve, he had always instead found himself returning to the forest. Now that he had legitimate responsibilities and was no longer badgering around by someone's water heater in the basement, escaping to the forest was not so easy.

Wulfe had made it the point to bring the plants to him. Plants had always been a very soft spot for Morgan: they had given him so, so so much, that he always made his best effort to give back to them.

So Morgan found himself, drenched in sweat from his duck suit, standing in front of his one little coveted pot he set aside for the time being (so that Wulfe did not need to know he got another kid). Though, of Morgan was being a biased sort of honest, then I mean, was he even likely to notice if Morgan just hid it somewhere in the house in plain sight? It was not like they had such a small amount of plants that they could easily count them: Morgan was constantly propagating, giving away little ones to friends and keeping even more of them for their house.

Kneeling to see the pot, Morgan pulled a plastic packet from his pants pocket. Pulling out a packet of plain tissues, then wiping off his hands and face to prevent any of his sweat from getting into the soil or on the seedling, he tested the soil and decided to give the little seeds some more water. Before he got up, Morgan took out a small little waterproof pocket radio and placed it next to the pot.

At the very least, it was rather humid in this greenhouse, for which Morgan was both thankful and unthankful for (the man was already dripping sweat from that hot costume), so the plant could stay in a humid environment. He kept a water tray underneath and let it drain out of the bottom, squatting on his toes in order to check for the progress. Once the plant's soil had sufficiently dripped out any excess water, he dumped the small container into a nearby plant who needed it, and resumed his little checking routine.

All the while, Morgan spoke to his little plant. In an incredibly soft, gentle tone, Morgan spoke to the seeds beneath the soil. It was like a parent speaking to a newborn: knowing the conversation is one way, but with bounds of love all the same. Eventually, Morgan decided to sit down and hold the pot in his lap. If anyone had walked by, they might think Morgan had gone crazy. Even if not, many a buttermilk may have gotten concerns about the plant not growing: they might assume this was some last ditch effort from the bull to try and grow seeds that would not sprout.

However, Morgan knew best that things take time.

Before he left, the tall lanky man bent over to turn the FM radio on, letting it listen to some gossip talk show. When he did finally exit the greenhouse, Wulfe would have been waiting there for him: knowing that Morgan does this for all his plants.


[ 575 / 150 words ]

[DarkestWerewolf]

Username: DarkestWerewolf
Buttermilk: Aria
Prompt: 198 words

Aria skipped into the greenhouse, excited to see what has sprouted in the newly planted pots. As she made a turn to where she lined the pots, her smile dropped. Nothing.

She peered into every single pot, carefully observing and scrutinising each one in a desperate attempt to look for a sprout. Still nothing. She sighed. What was she going to do? Not even a single hint of green. Aria plopped onto the ground and pondered. What could help make the plants grow better? She thought about it, glancing around to see what she could use. Fertiliser! That’s it! She rushed over to grab the bag and slowly shovelled out small amounts of it into each pot. Afterwards, she pat down the fertiliser and went to find some egg shells. She recalled reading that egg shells could help with plant growth.

As she went into the storage of the greenhouse, she saw a small bucket labelled egg shells. Aria lifted the cover and took out a few egg shells. She headed back and crushed them, raining the pieces over each pot. She finished off her job with a light drizzle of water. There. Hopefully something will sprout now.

[Northstar.]

Username: Northstar.
Buttermilk: Gemma
Prompt:

What did I do wrong?" Gemma questions the little pot.  "I watered you. I housed you. What else do you need?"  The bare soil doesn't answer; neither does the pot. 

Gemma stares dreamily at the little not-quite-yet-plant.  Could she will the little seeds to grow? Even just a little?  With a tiny frown she picks up the pot.  Maybe the little seed was stubborn? Or shy?  Sunlight makes all things grow.  They would sit in the sun and Gemma would coax it out with patience.

There's a big oak across the way, with long heavy branches that sweep across the ground.  Sunlight peaks through the leaves - plenty.  Gemma sits on one of the low branches, little pot cradled in her lap.

"I don't know if you're stubborn or shy," she tells it as they soak in the warmth.  When lost in a daydream time passes like grains of sand through an open hand.  The soil does not change.

"I suppose I could sing you a song?" Gemma murmurs. She hums a few bars of 'you are my sunshine' and breaks into soft song. They stay like that until the sun dips beyond the treeline.

(194)

[fawn-]

Username: fawn-
Buttermilk: Zaria
Prompt: 2
Zaria loves to care for plants and animals alike, so she is determined to see her seeds grow!
"Maybe the need someone to cheer them up" she thought, so she rummaged around her collection of knick knacks and found her ukulele and a maraca. "Everyone likes music, I'll play the little seeds a song to help them along!" Zaria placed the pot on a wooden crate in front of her and picked up her ukulele. She strummed a song, every now and then shaking the maraca and singing some encouraging words to the seeds. Did she see something move? She leaned over the pot, examining the dirt. “Nothing yet, maybe the seeds would like the drums instead?” She grabbed a plastic container and a metal pot and used a stick to tap some beats. After Zaria serenaded the seeds, she looked closely one more time and added a little water and placed the pot in a sunny corner. “I’ll play the trumpet for you guys next time!” She cooed to the seeds as she was determined to find what music they would like best.

[bluex]

Username: bluex
Buttermilk: Cybele
Prompt: Cybele looked over at the greenhouse from the little spot next to a tree that her little friend was nestled under. She watched everyone scramble around with their pots, the commotion overwhelming as people rushed with water and fertilisers to their tiny friends' aid. She tilted her head in confusion and traced the rim of the clay pot with her fingers, warm from the morning spent in the sun. She wasn't too concerned about her little friend's growth rate. Cybele saw a bit of herself in the sown seeds, and knew exactly what this tiny plant needed.
"Perhaps... this conversation between us would be better elsewhere?" she muttered to the seeds that lie beneath the soil. Though she longed to scratch away the dirt and check on the seeds' progress, she swallowed the temptation and grasped the pot between her hands, hoisting it up and holding it close to her torso. The young girl's blue eyes flickered towards the trail to her left, lined by trees and shrubs of small flowers in an assortment of colours. Her lips curled into a small smile as she clutched the pot close, standing up from a crouch and carefully walking towards the path, avoiding the plants that surrounded the tree her own little friend shared the days with. Despite her hair draping over her left eye and the gentle breeze brushing leaves against her cheek as she tried to make it around the thriving greenery, she kept a firm grip on the pot and headed into the trees, blocking out the madness behind her.

As the two companions walked together, Cybele filled the silence with small talk and random thoughts that sprung into her mind. There was all sorts of spiels - everything from the dream she had last night to her favourite things to do on a rainy Sunday. She'd spent so long talking that she hadn't realise where they'd ended up. Snapping out of her trance, she gazed across the small clearing, overgrown and lush, stones scattered across the ground with the gentle bubbling of a brook within earshot. The air felt cold and damp as she walked closer to its centre, the shade that the trees provided was comfortable and Cybele decided this was a good spot to rest. She placed the pot on a nearby rock and sat nearby, lying back and sprawling her limbs in the long grass.
"I'm so excited for you to join me, little one. You have no idea what kind of sights you're missing out on!" Cybele looks around the area in wonder. She looks up at the trees that tower above her, the bees and butterflies that occasionally flutter by, the plants curling around the roots and rocks. She turns to the little pot, sitting helplessly against the cold stone.
"I'm not too worried about your progress. I don't get what all the fuss is about! It's okay to take your time, there's no rush to make your way into the world." She rolls over onto her stomach and rests her head on her arms. "This spot isn't going anywhere, and I'll bring you back here when you're all grown up anyway - it wouldn't be fair to let you miss out on a sight like this." She thinks to herself for a moment before smiling. "I never really found out what kind of seeds you were, but I'm sure you'll be the most beautiful plant when you finally do emerge."

Something in the corner of her eye caught Cybele's attention, and she shifted her gaze towards it. Her eyes fixed on the flower, taller than the others around it and blooming a beautiful shade of blue. She scrambled to her feet, grabbed the pot and rushed over to the flower.
"Would you look at that? It's so pretty!" She admired the oval petals, its bright yellow stigma staring up at her. Its stem was perfectly straight, leaves untouched. She wanted to pick it, but knew she'd felt bad if she took such a proud plant away from its home. She looked down at some stragglers that were still a bud, or were just coming into bloom. Her eyes lit up as she came up with the perfect idea. She gently dug up the roots of one of the small, struggling plants and scooped it up into her hand. With her free hand, she made some room in the soil next to her sown seeds and placed the plant in there with them.
"You can't always do things alone. Sometimes you need a helping hand to get you out of a rough patch. Since I'm not a plant myself, maybe you two could... work this whole growth thing out together?" She looked up at the small patches of sky seen through the trees and noticed a haze of purple as the sun began to set. "Alright, you lot. Lets get back to the greenhouse, can't skip out on your daily watering!"

(826 words)

[honeybunchesofoats]

Username: honeybunchesofoats
Buttermilk: Triton
Prompt:

Triton walks into the greenhouse practically buzzing with excitement. He wasn't going to lie, he had wanted to come back to this booth the most, especially because he was antsy to see the sprouted seeds. Walking in and making a beeline towards his pot he peered inside...and frowned to see that there was no change. His brows furrowed in frustration and stayed put while he thought about what to do.

It was a rare sight to see him this calm over a mistake. Usually, he'd fret and let his anxiety get the better of him, pacing back and forth and buggy out, however, when it came to plants Triton was calm, calculated, always ready to jump on the next thought to make things better. He moved to one of the shelves in the greenhouse and grabbed a pinch of fertilizer, sprinkling this carefully into the pot. He then made his way to one of the houses outside, paper towel in hand. He wet it and came back to his little pot and placed the towel on top to make sure the soil wouldn't dry out too quickly.

After he was satisfied with what he could do for the plant physically he pulled up a stool and sat down next to the pot. He immediately started to sing in a soft and soothing tone. It was horrible, the man was practically tone deaf but you could tell he didn't even think twice about it, with even much less time to let it embarrass him. He rested his head on his hand and sang gently as the minutes passed by.

"There...hopefully now you can grow big and strong for us? I know there's a lot of punch packed into those little seeds and I want to see you to your full potential~", he smiled and stood, putting the stool back in its place. He left the house feeling confident enough in his skills that he knew he would see sprouts tomorrow. (329)

[Namida_☾]

Username: Namida_☾
Buttermilk: Curlew
Prompt:

No no no no no no, this could not be true. The seeds had to grow! Curlew had tried to be so careful while planting the seeds and searching a good spot for them, and now they didn't want to grow? He was also worried, because Sorrel had trusted him with taking care of the seeds, he just could not disappoint her. What had he done wrong? Why wouldn't they grow?
Curlew began to walk in a circle while stressing out about what he had done wrong. He picked out a nice place for the pot, filled it with soil, carefully placed the seeds, put another layer of soil on them and then watered them. He followed all steps.
Suddenly he stopped.
Wait- did he really water them? Or did he forgot while cleaning up the mess he made with the soil?
Now he completely freaked out, he forgot to water them! He quickly had to fix his mistake before Sorrel saw his pot. He quickly rushed through the greenhouse searching for a watering can. Luckily, he found one very quick. And it was even half full. He grabbed it, made sure Sorrel did not see him and made his way back to his plant, if you can call it one.
Since he also heard, that it would help to talk to plants, he now also began to apologize. "Hey, I'm really really sorry that I forgot to water you. But I'm watering you now, okay? Please don't be mad at me. Please grow, I promised Sorrel to take good care of you", he then began to water the plant and, to his own surprise, actually felt sorry for forgetting to water the plant. After watering them, Curlew decided to stay a little longer, talking to the plant.
"I can't call you 'plant' the whole time, I think I should give you a name..."
[318 words]

[kaminari.denki]

Username: .entity.
Buttermilk: Andromeda
Prompt: (313 words)

When Andie returned the next day, she was disappointed to see that none of her buckets had produced any sprouts yet but also knew that it may take a while. Luckily she'd come prepared to give them an extra little boost - a local farmer had sold her these small green sticks and said they were plant food. All she needed to do was open em up, wet the sticks and stick two per seed in each bucket - meaning that since she'd planted two each, four sticks would be going in.

With a plan in mind, Andie hummed softly and grabbed a watering can once again before popping her headphones in and getting to work. She carefully dug two lengths beside each seed before reaching into the package and dipping two food sticks into the water, though the farmer who sold these to her hadn't exactly told Andie how long they needed to be in the water and the first two disintegrated quickly.

"Oh, goodness.." she mumbled aloud to herself before shaking her head and trying again with furrowed brows, dunking one half quickly before flipping them and dunking the opposite half. Both sticks stayed together this time and were gently dampened - Andie hoped that would be enough - as she turned to insert them into her little ditches before covering them with dirt. "One down.. quite a few to go!"

She shuffled to the side and repeated her process: dig, dip, spin, dip, insert, cover, shuffle - all the way down the line as she bobbed her head to the music in her ears, only taking brief breaks to wipe the sweat off her brow. Soon enough, she was at her last planted pot and once all four sticks were covered, she leaned back on her heels and turned to see her work with a proud smile.

"Definitely getting the hang of this gardener thing!"