smash_logs | Dorm Log: Scorching Summer Edition

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Dorm Log: Scorching Summer Edition

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The Ivysaur eagerly perked up in victory, all but leaping from his seat. "Yessss."

Onwards, then, to the great outdoors. Bulba went right ahead and transformed as he headed out the door, happily trotting out onto the grass.

Char was transforming right on his heels. That big ol neck craned down to Bulba's level to shoot him a grin, then Char stopped, bending down so his broad back was presented to Bulba. Climb aboard, kiddo, your chariot awaits.

Yes yes yes good. Bulba scuttled right on up (barring that slight foot slip there please disregard that fumble) and got himself situated in that nearly saur-shaped spot on Char's back. Next came buckling up his seat belt, loosely looping around a few vines across the dargon's person. Cool.

"Okay...!"

Good job, Bulba. Always dragon responsibly.

Once Bulba was nicely settled, all it took was a running start, plenty of wingbeats, and they were up in the air. Char resisted the temptation to show off -- going too high or too fast tended to not be such a wild time for the passenger as it was for the pilot.

It'd been a long time since he'd actually flown to the garden, but after all the false starts and do-overs growing it had involved, he'd made more than enough trips for the route to ingrain itself into his memory. Once they were high enough to coast comfortably, he stole a peek over his shoulder at the Ivysaur he was carrying.

"So can I ask why I'm bein' invited out there, kid?"

There came the familiar thrill as his stomach sort of dropped away along with the ground and his breath caught in his throat. Familiar as it might have been, the rush still felt like a new surprise and Bulba held on just a little bit tighter. The contrasts between the warmth of the dragon beneath him with the sun on his flower and the cool wind rustling through his leaves were wonderful. This was exactly what he had wanted. He sort of peeked over Char's shoulders at the landscape below, but quickly decided once again that it was nicer to just focus on the clouds.

Once they were coasting, Bulba settled himself in quite comfortably for the ride. The Ivysaur beamed back at Char, briefly nudging his back with his nose in a small nuzzle.

"It's a surprise!"

"A surprise?"

If lizards had eyebrows, he would have raised them. He was in no big hurry -- it wasn't a very long trip at all, but slowing it down a bit by coasting as much as possible would mean a smoother ride for Bulba, and as long as he wasn't looking too nervous about the height, he might appreciate the time to take in an eyeful or two of the view, maybe.

So it only made sense to milk it a little, right? He shot Bulba a quick grin. "What, don't I at least get a hint?"

He definitely super appreciated it. There would be exactly zero complaints about spending too much time flying.

"It's uhh..." He was trying to peer over Char's shoulder again, already forgetting his lesson. There was a brief show of him scooting back because wow high up whoa geez hi. What was he thinking of? Hints. Right. Yes. "... Green. It's green."

The hint that pretty much covered the possibility of anything from trainers to plants. Wow.

Ooh, he saw that peek over the edge. "Don't sweat it, kid. I ain't gonna let you fall," Char piped up, as if it would be at all possible for Bulba to fall off while his vines were doing their thing. Heights had a way of calling to him ever since he'd gained a flying typing, but he could kinda empathize -- Bulba trusting him with this was like a Charmeleon trusting a Blastoise to cart him across the ocean. Probably safe but still pretty dang nerve-wracking.

Reassurances aside, there were hints to be pondering. Unintentionally ambiguous hints. "Green's comin'?" Char asked, vastly missing the intended sense of the word in full Who's On First style. "How come we didn't just bring him with us?"

Yeah. He knew there was nothing to be worried about but yeah man. It was time to actually start listening to himself and stick to cloud gazing. Look how nice they were. Super fluffy. Oh man.

"Oh... Oh, no, I meant like... Not that kind of green."

The fluffiest. Don't get to used to them, though, Bulba, because the descent was gonna start up any second now.

"Oh, so, like... plants kind of green?"

Char pondered this ponder for a moment, then came up with a super plausible guess.

"You planted a giant man-eatin' flytrap and we're gonna feed it a whole cow."

Bulba just laughed.

"I'm going to tell you yes, but you're going to end up really disappointed."

"Well, now you know what to plant next year," Char laughed.

The landing itself got stretched out a little, too: better to circle down a bit and come in nice and easy than pull any kind of dive. Clear landing spots tended to be pretty scarce in the forest, so that whole taking-it-easy strategy was definitely the smartest way to go.

(It also gave Char time to sort of surreptitiously scout for signs of man-eating flytraps.)

No real signs of man-eating flytraps, alas.

The garden as a whole looked both a lot like Char had last seen it, and yet entirely different. The Charizard's grand plan had not yet entirely com to be, as the fruit trees were still only so big, but they were coming along quite nicely. The berry bushes that had made it were thriving, however, and were accompanied by a number of happy additions. The flowers that were in season greeted him with waves of color. It had all come a long way from the plot that Char had started, dutifully encouraged by almost daily visits from the Ivysaur.

Also notable was the suspiciously large area that was... very... clear? It was like a large dirt patch, mottled with very flat looking rocks and hedged with an assortment of plants that certainly did not exist there before. Right?

What a convenient landing spot.

Convenient, indeed.

That hadn't been there last time Char had visited, but an awful lot of time had gone by since Char had last visited. The allure of such a safe and easy landing point was impossible to ignore: Char touched down in this mysterious new area, taking a second to survey the changes to his surroundings. It looked like the place had flourished under Bulba's nurturing hand -- he'd been confident that it'd do well once handed over to Bulba, but it was still nice to see firsthand how well it was doing.

It didn't take long for his attention to land right back on this mysterious new clear space in the garden, though. He again looked over his shoulder, giving Bulba a curious look: what was this spot all about?

Bulba just grinned a big froggy grin at him as he released his vines and sliiiiiiiid backwards down Char's back. He tumbled over harmlessly to the ground before he got near Char's flame, though it probably moved a bit out of the way anyway, hopping back up on his feet with a rustle of his leaves.

Now that it was up close and personal, it was easier to see that the area was big enough for conceivably more than one dragon. Or giant warty butts. But shh. It wasn't all dirt and suspiciously large rocks either. There were large patches of pebbles here and there, and a smattering of greenery poking through the cracks. The plants circling the area ranged from bright patches of flowers and tall shrubs. (Though it was far too early in the season for them to be turning red. Come back in September for that.) There were other kinds as well, all neatly tended. Some look freshly planted.

"I was thinking I might try to put in some sumacs later," he started saying as he trotted around Char. "The dead nettles are doing really nice though," he continued with an indication to one of the shadier spots, where a creeping blanket of leaves were spread out and showing tiny pink and white flowers. Bulba looked back at the bigger green shrubs, giving them a special nod. "The burning bushes are going to be really pretty in the fall though."

There was a whole lot of talking about things but not a whole lot of explanations, and Bulba knew it. Part of it was maybe because he was a little nervous that it was going to seem silly. Funny that, considering how Char had felt about the garden in general.

The Ivysaur turned his head back to look at Char, his smile much notably shyer. "They're a lot thirstier than everyone else, but I think it's worth it. It's not really done yet, and it's never going to be fire-proof but..." He glanced over at the flowers a bit before looking back at Char.

"... They're all pretty resistant at the very least."

Edited 2013-07-25 09:01 (UTC)

Char had been doing some tentative exploration while Bulba spoke, cradling his tail safely away in his hands like a nervous Charmander as he craned his neck down to explore the unfamiliar plantlife. The names Bulba had been dropping were all lost entirely on Char, who wouldn't know a lily from a lemon tree if they weren't labelled -- except for a brief look of alarm when the term "burning bush" got dropped, most of the discussion got polite but uncomprehending nodding.

At least, up until the end. Then things started to make a little more sense. He'd planted these... because they were fire-resistant?

In the process of planting this garden for Bulba, Char had come to project a lot of things onto it. His struggles with getting the seedlings established had come at a time when he had been deeply afraid that he simply wasn't capable of being nurturing. Each failure had reinforced the nagging worry that all a Charizard was good for was destroying, and every wilted sapling seemed to be a whispering reminder of the hurtful words a selfish Charmeleon had snarled at a brother who'd done nothing but love. Turning to Vinnie for help had echoed even more of his insecurities: just like the meagre contributions his own two hands could offer somehow felt woefully inadequate next to Vinnie's innate Venusaur plant-growing powers, he'd been scared by the fact that Bulba seemed to have a new brother figure who was far better-equipped to understand him on a level Char could never reach.

Really, Char was not so clumsy with his tail: he'd spent months roaming among the fragile budding plantlife without a single wayward spark when he'd been establishing the garden, and there was no particular reason why handing the garden over should change that. But that heavy, squirming insecurity had long since taken route in his mind: this was supposed to be a place that was close to Bulba's heart, and Char felt like he had inflicted far too many scars onto Bulba's heart to belong there. He knew Bulba wasn't fragile -- the fact he still loved so easily despite the vicious Charmeleon's sharp tongue and the well-meaning Charizard's accidental burns more than proved the incredible strength Bulba had. Even so, it had seemed to Char that the safest place to view this part of Bulba's world was from afar.

But if Bulba had gone to the trouble of making all this... Char fiddled with the tail in his hands, eyes meeting Bulba's. It took a moment to untie the knot that seemed to have formed in his throat, but eventually, he ventured, "Kid... is this all 'cause of me?"

It wasn't at all an issue of the Ivysaur being afraid that visits would end up with things on fire. He already trusted the dragon wholeheartedly with his own flower, he wasn't the least bit concerned about him traipsing through a garden he had put in the effort to make in the first place. There was a whole lot more to it than just setting up a physical spot that Char could feel comfortable in, too.

Just saying he liked it when Char was there clearly hadn't been enough. There had to be something else there to help him understand. Char might have given the garden to Bulba with the intention of it only being his, but in the Ivysaur's heart it had always been a spot that was meant for both of them.

The shy smile on his face grew a bit bigger as he cheerfully replied, "Surprise."

It had taken Char many years to understand what it meant to be a brother -- even at this point, he wasn't entirely sure he had all the rules figured out. He'd spent a lot of time thinking that the role he was supposed to play was that of a pillar. Ready to be leaned on at any time that Bulba needed him, solid and dependable, but static: waiting in the wings until Bulba came to him, and never requiring any reciprocation from the one he supported. His debt to Bulba was far too great for him to put any weight on the shoulders that had carried so much already.

But no matter how untouchable he pretended his Lonely-natured heart might have been, there was no possible way for him to deny that this gesture hit home. Bulba had gone to all this work. Bulba had gone to all this work for his sake. This was a very deliberate declaration that there was room for him here -- that he was wanted. Char might have been the big brother, but his brother's approval still meant the world to him.

Char shuffled closer to Bulba, trying to figure out the words to say here. None that seemed fitting enough came to him, so he settled back on his haunches, bent down, and scooped that little Ivysaur up into a hug.

The Ivysaur had been trying to gauge the dragon's reaction, stealing little looks at the tail in his hands. When it seemed hesitantly positive, he was really happy. When the Charizard shuffled closer, the Ivysaur had taken a step closer and hopped up a bit on his haunches in anticipation of maybe a brief nudge of Char's head. Getting scooped right up elicited the tiniest "Vy!" of surprise, and for a second he just let himself be held, a little bit stunned. But that soon turned to an eager nudging and nuzzling of his face against Char's belly and the slight in-and-out of tiny claws across orange scales.

He had hoped that this would have been a good thing to do. His chances to actually do something or be there for his big brother seemed exceedingly slim in his own eyes, and when they actually were present, they had been frustratingly easy to fumble. Char might not have required any reciprocation, but that didn't mean Bulba hadn't wanted to give it. He just had to find his own way.

Being as honest as he could seemed to work well. Their flowers couldn't speak and their flames couldn't mingle. There had to be another way to show him. Bulba had hoped that maybe this would work somehow.

Based on the embrace he was in now, it seemed like maybe it would.

"This is your place too."

It was something Char needed to hear.

It was far too easy to be far too hard on himself when it came to his little brother. He hadn't forgiven himself for all the scars he'd left on Bulba. Though he knew his little brother, against all odds, loved him, some part of him had held onto the thought of being unforgiven, of still being nowhere near worthy of that love. To reach out in need after having spent so long pushing Bulba away felt somehow far too selfish and unfair.

But the need had still been there. Even if he'd never aired it, Bulba had gone to all of this work to make room for him. Not for the first time and definitely not for the last, he was struck by just what a selfless, stronghearted individual his brother was. His mouth opened and closed a few times, trying to find the words to convey this much, but even if it was the sort of thing his tail-flame knew how to scream, the opposite end of him was clumsy and fumbling with it: the words he wanted still wouldn't quite come. All he could really manage was to laugh and bend his head down to positively smother the top of Bulba's head with big slobbery dargon licks.

It would have delighted him to no end to see a tail-flame like that. He knew how to read the sort that could blanket a room in its warmth and cheer. All snuggled up against Char's chest, however, it was escaping his view. That was all right though. Smothery licks and laughter were languages that Bulba knew how to speak very well.

The giggle had been building in his throat and it wasn't long before Char's laughter coaxed it out in full force. It was infectious, after all, and soon they were just a pile of scales and leaves and laughter and copious amounts of dragon drool.

"Nooo -hehehe- I'm going to drown," Bulba complained, though he sounded completely delighted over it. There was exactly zero effort being made to try and get the Charizard to stop any of the things he was doing, because honestly they were all the sorts of things that Bulba had needed too.

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Dorm Log: Scorching Summer Edition

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