abraxaslogs | [ CLOSED ]

[ At some point, Reno's expecting Kyle's gonna grow tired of their shit and abandon them to the moody bastards on their farms, but for now, Thorne's local delivery boy seems willing to stick around. He'll take it.

Mostly 'cause Reno doesn't do any work he doesn't need to do.

He makes a sweeping gesture at Natasha. ] Ladies first.

[ He sidles up to the next patch of what looks like unripe cherries dangling from a series of thick trees. We need 'em red and ripe, says the guy chewing around his toothpick, and Reno waves him off with all the assurance of a man who definitely did not flatten a bunch of peaches just five minutes ago. ]

Don't worry, old man, we got it.

[ She gives Reno a bemused glance, because she's pretty sure he's just trying to avoid more flat peaches rather than any semblance of decorum. But she reaches out to pluck the piece of paper from Kyle's fingers and glancing over the words. It's not an incantation she's tried before and many of the words are unfamiliar, but she'd just heard Kyle speak them so she imitates his wording...

...almost perfectly, but apparently her pronunciation is just a little off somewhere. Figures.

The peach inflates, returning to its normal shape. And then keeps growing, forcing her to use both hands to support it as it swells to the size of a basketball before stopping.

She blinks at it for a moment before slanting a sideways glance at Kyle. ]

If I pretend I meant to do that, do you think they'd be happy with a bigger crop?

[ At this point, Kahlil isn't surprised when Reno passes on the work to Natasha. It's fine, though. The paper leaves his hand and he settles down on crate, pulling one knee up to watch. Any excuse to leave the castle is usually a good one, even if it's basically for babysitting. Especially with the weather warming up. His skin can use the sun, especially with his recent freedom to use the Gray Space.

Not that he's particularly vain in that way (doesn't think of himself, anyway) but there are people (friends) here who would notice now if he started looking washed out.

He bites back a beleaguered sigh as the peach inflates, preparing himself to fix it again. The farmer with the toothpick, however, shoots him a look that has Kahlil remaining in place. The farmer approaches the enlarged fruit, picking it up. Feeling the fuzzy skin, giving it a sniff. He pulls out a pocket knife and cuts into the flesh, popping the piece into his mouth.

He stares down the two redheads. You can do that again? ]

[ What the hell—

Reno's already poking at the oversized fuzzy fruit before the farmer strolls on over. It looks like the kind of thing that Shinra would grow in its labs. Just, if you added more teeth and limbs to it and maybe a lifetime of test tubular anguish.

Ooh. He likes it, huh? Reno glances at Kyle, then at Natasha, and then back at the farmhand.

He flashes a confident smile before declaring: ] You bet your ass she can.

[ Reno looks expectantly at Natasha. He's being supportive. He's also never hesitated to volunteer someone in his life. Besides, what's the worse that can happen if they screw it up? An annoyed farmer? What's he gonna do, stab 'em with his pitchfork? ]

[ Reno. Never piss off the people who supply your food. It never ends well.

Although with their eyes now on her, she gives a faint grimace before offering the farmer a polite smile. ]

I'll do my best. I think I can recreate it.

[ She's totally bluffing. She's not even sure what she pronounced wrong, but she's pretty sure she can do it wrong again. Hopefully?

She eyes the peach she holds, and then the bushel of them waiting. ] Do you think they need to be flat before I try it? Let's see if I can do it with a regular one.

[ Handing the too-large peach off to the farmer, she reaches for one of the unspelled ones still in the basket and tries again. It works, sort of. While it doesn't get quite as big as the original, it still swells up several times its original size. ]

Ha!

[ She resists the urge to pump her fist in victory. She totally meant to do that, of course. Again. ]

[ There's a small crowd beginning to gather around Natasha and her peaches, murmuring excitedly as they continue cutting up the first basketball sized peach and pass around the pieces.

Kahlil ends up with a slice, and chews on it thoughtfully as he watches this all play out. One farmer is even checking out the pancake-shaped ones with curiosity instead of annoyance.

This could've gone so much worse. ]

What about the cherries? [ he reminds, helpfully. ]

Edited 2023-06-02 19:58 (UTC)

[ With a glint in his eye, Reno watches her work. He's rooting for her to succeed, really. He might also just find it amusing if the fruit turned into a square instead. Frankly, he thinks all this is better served in a lab environment, but who's he to tell a bunch of civilians they can't have their magic peach balls?

He steals a slice and munches. Pretty good. ]

I think we've found you a new job. [ As for the cherries...

He walks over and stands under them. Is he gonna give it a try? Probably has to. He frowns, peers at the words, and gives it a whirl. They do not, in fact, grow any bigger. But there's a weird popopop, each stem sprouting a new cherry fruit until the entire branch tips over from the weight of the whole damn thing.

Whether that's what they want or not, Reno gestures at his accomplishment like he's brought them a miracle. Ta-da. ]

[ She'd taken an offered slice of peach from one of the older farmers, casting him a warm smile in gratitude as she pops it into her mouth. It's pretty good, and she's relieved whatever magic she'd apparently mis-cast hadn't ruined that part of it.

She does exchange a relieved look with Kyle, however, because yeah, that could have gone way worse. It probably could have gone better, too, but she'll still take it as a win.

She follows along after Reno, however, munching on another slice of peach as she watches him try again. Hopefully with better luck this time. Although when the cherries start multiplying like popcorn she lifts a hand to her mouth to try and stifle a quick laugh. ]

Well. That does count as multiplying the crop, I'm pretty sure.

[ The literal popping cherries makes Kahlil laugh-snort, nearly choking on the slice of peach he was trying to swallow at the same time, and he pounds on his chest with a slight cough before glancing at Natasha. ]

Technically? I think so.

[ The farmers are quick to inspect these too, and by now Kahlil wonders if perhaps they might not press their luck any further with them. But like the peach, they pass along the multiplying cherries, pushing for opinions on the taste.

Kahlil is handed one, and he chews around the pit thoughtfully before spitting it into his palm. Strangely, it immediately begins sprouting there, a small green stem and leaf emerging from the center. ]

[ Sure as hell does. Reno doesn't want to hear any complaints from the farmers. He munches on the offered cherries—until Kyle's palm starts to grow its own little leaf.

He leans over with a frown, a couple of cherries still in his mouth. Then he spits his own seeds out. Both of 'em, leaving red streaks on his hand and...well. There they go. Sprouting.

He glances at Kyle, then Natasha. ]

Guess they're really multiplying. [ Tch— ] This isn't gonna be a problem, is it?

[ Are they gonna hear from Thorne later on about how their entire town's covered in popping cherries? Should they just take off before everybody starts pointing fingers? ]

[ Natasha stares at it a moment before lifting her hand and making a gesture, speaking a word she's heard Stephen use a dozen times in their magical lessons when she inevitably casts something wrong. Which is more than she's going to admit to either of them. But mostly because Stephen delights in giving her a hard time in magical training in revenge for her combat lessons. She supposes that's only fair.

The magic dispels, stopping the multiplication or cancelling it from continuing further, but not reducing the effects Reno had made on the tree. She gives a furtive glance around to make sure the farmers hadn't noticed anything odd. ]

That could make a hell of a problem if someone swallowed one of those and it continued doing that. But I think as long as we stop the spell before it gets too out of hand, it should be okay? [ She hopes? ] That is, if you can even cast it again.

[ Someone more skilled than the three of them could probably figure out a way to shift Reno's work into something truly great, probably. And sure, they are potentially a choking hazard, but he gives Natasha a sly, amused look when she pulls that dispelling incantation out of her proverbial pocket.

He glances at Reno, conspiratorially. ]

She's been holding out on us.

[ CLOSED ]

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