sugar berry

[imeanforever]

Near a stream that pours off a high cliff and then snakes away is a garden, carefully tended, and a house, built of wood and stone and transmuted pearl. Fairies weed the plants. One is fixing the roof. A berrybush, hair atangle with spidery branches, is painting gold stripes onto her purple arms.

Comments

[imeanforever]

Once Promise has planted her tree and given it the little boost she can manage without any knowledge of local harmonics or long-term familiarity with the place, she watches him draw. Because wow.

[infinitely_stranger]

And eventually, he looks up and smiles and hands her the map. "That should be a help."

[imeanforever]

"So much. Thank you. Thank you so much."

[infinitely_stranger]

"You're welcome," he says cheerfully.

[imeanforever]

"If you ever need anything - you probably won't but - well, you know where to find me."

[infinitely_stranger]

"I'll be back in five or ten years to see how you're doing," he says. "And if I've thought of a favour to ask, I'll say so."

He stands up and unfolds his starry wings.

[imeanforever]

"Have a good flight."

[infinitely_stranger]

"Thank you."

Up he goes and off he zooms.

[imeanforever]

She watches him leave. Then she studies her harmonic map, and grows her tree. She plants her seeds, and eats the last of her stored food, and boosts the garden plants - she brought not only food but also something she can use to make paper and soft pillow-fluff. She sips water from the stream. She boosts all the growing things again. Her tree won't be ready to live in for at least a few days, even with the map, but she can push the food harder than that. When she's rested her wings she explores the area around her new home and finds where there's already edibles growing; leftover cultivars from the breeders, some things apparently wild.