Chapter 04: Green Thumb
Working with crops isn't easy. Lajos still wants to try.
"And then I take the watering can and...?" Lajos swung the bright blue can around, drenching the turnips in water. The air was still quiet, the forest creatures still not fully awakened as the two worked.
"Just like that!" Jazz said, giving him a thumbs-up. "Just don't spin so much; you'll fall down."
"Good to know... though I think you get dizzier faster than I do." Lajos grinned. "Are they almost done?"
"Shouldn't be longer than a couple days." Jazz replied with a nod, putting a hand on his hip. "Maybe I'll order a sprinkler or two; gives us more time to hang out around town."
"We could build a bird shed." Lajos put his thumb on his chin, closing his eyes in thought. "Heck, I could help pay for it even."
"How long are you planning on staying here?!" Jazz asked, eyes widening at the thought. "I'm not putting a whole shed and birds in just for you to leave as soon as they're done."
"True..." His brow furrowed, the bridge of his nose crinkling. "Maybe if I end up staying I will show you how to care for animals."
"I'd like that." Jazz smiled. "C'mon, since these ones are almost ready I wanna plant something else today."
Lajos put the watering can down next to the house as Jazz held up a plastic bag. Inside it was a single potato, cut up into nine pieces. "It's not a lot of seeds," Jazz explained, "but I think it'll be a good start. Grab the shovel, okay?"
Lajos nodded, walking over and picking up the shovel. "So we dig a hole?"
"Yeah, just a long one." He scraped the dirt with this shoe, drawing a line from the watering pond to the edge of the patch. The two of them dug together, meeting in the middle with a high five. "Now we drop the potato slices in and cover 'em up."
"How long do they take to grow?" Lajos asked curiously, grinning.
"The book I read said they take about... a month." Jazz nodded. "The turnips are coming along great; they'll be ready in... another week, I think." He looked at Lajos. "Y'know, if you wanna borrow some of the books Pete left behind..."
Lajos shook his head. "I'll think about it; I just learn better watching it happen, you know?"
Jazz nodded in reply. "I can respect that." He said plainly, "The important thing is knowing your own limits, got it?"
"I like to think I do." He replied with a laugh. "We're done with this part, though, aren't we?"
"Yep. Let's get these watered and then we're done with work." Jazz grinned, "I wanted to go to the waterfall today."
Lajos raised an eyebrow, "Interesting," He said jokingly, "Going to bring the archaeologists a gift?"
"Maybe," Jazz shrugged, "I'm sure they'd enjoy a home-cooked meal as opposed to whatever space food they brought from home."
Lajos picked the can up again as Jazz walked inside, digging through the fridge to find something to take with him. Cheese, bread, wine, curry.... He pulled out a small loaf of bread and a bottle of wine, wrapping the bread in plastic as he gently placed both in his rucksack.
"There's another bottle in the fridge if you want it, by the way." Jazz told Lajos as he came in the door with the watering can, setting it next to the door as Jazz slung the rucksack over his shoulder. "Figured you'd like it after all the work you've been doing." He said with a smile, waving as he walked toward the door. Lajos tentatively stepped into the house as he left, quickly grabbing the bottle of wine before closing the door behind him.
The air was quiet for once, not much more than a breeze in the air as he walked. He whistled to himself, hearing the crunch of the dirt under his shoes and the jingling of the bottle in his rucksack. It was nice to walk alone for once, feeling every spring in his step and the gentle breeze in his hair.
It didn't take him long to make it to the waterfall. The quiet air gave way to roaring water as he looked at the mountainside, watching the water tumble down. Carter was stood in front of a large tent, hands clasped together as he stretched. The woman he was with was nowhere to be seen; Jazz figured she was already in the cave.
"Oh! Good morning, Jazz." Carter gave him a smile as he approached the tent. "Come to see the waterfall?"
"Well, yeah, but..." He pulled out the bread and wine from his rucksack. "Figured you and your, um, friend.... would like a better lunch today."
Carter laughed as he took the food and drink. "Well, don't tell her that!" he joked, "Of course, I think she'll appreciate not having to do so much for lunch. Doesn't mean she's not gonna get the curry powder out anyway..." he shook his head.
"Not a fan?" Jazz raised an eyebrow.
"Not really... I used to enjoy it, but... it's all she makes. and worse, sometimes it's the only edible thing she makes." He replied, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. "But it's not like I'm particularly skilled with a camping stove; my hands aren't all that nimble."
"Well, if you ever need edible food, give me a call and I'll bring some over." Jazz grinned. "Unfortunately, I've always had something of a kind heart." He laughed, looking up at the mountain.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Carter asked, looking at him. "Between the mountain and the waterfall, it's easy to feel rather connected to nature. Add in the sun shining through the trees..." He stretched his arms, a big smile on his face. "It's wonderful."
"What's the cave like?"
"Warm and damp, but..." He grinned. "Full of life, too."
"Full of life?"
"Well, certainly, in a sense..." He sat down, Jazz following suit as he drew in the loose dirt. "Ancient life, mostly. Artifacts, trinkets, odds and ends... that sort of thing."
Jazz leaned forward, listening intently. It was weird... under any other circumstance, were they a teacher at a podium and a student in a desk, he wouldn't remotely care; he would have been content to draw, trying to listen but ultimately failing. Here, though... he was deeply mesmerized, barely fidgeting as he spoke.
"For generations, my family's believed we've had some sort of ties to an ancient royal family; my father had the biggest lead in our search, a few years before I was born. He'd found an ancient crown! One that fit him perfectly!" He laughed, "It's in the Eagles museum... though, I suspect you've never really visited there."
Jazz's cheeks were warm. "No, I've been there, just... not willingly." He let out a chuckle. "I've never been the best, um... learner."
"Not that important, here; once my father retired, the task to carry on fell on my shoulders. Sure, I haven't found anything nearly as surprising as he has, but..." Carter smiled, "I've found plenty on my own. Dresses, facial masks, bottles of perfume..." He put a hand on his chin, "To put it through a more contemporary lens, there's plenty of more 'feminine', I suppose, artifacts in the cave. Perhaps it was more of a matriarchal society? Or maybe one where skin care and thin, breathable fabrics were preferred and considered in higher regard... I'm still searching, really."
"Fascinating..." Jazz mumbled, a smile creeping across his face. "Do you think you'll find anything?"
"I'm always hoping." Carter smiled.
The woman stuck her head out from the cave. "Carter!" She called out, "I found something!"
He jumped to his feet, "On my way, Flora!" He looked at Jazz, "You're always welcome to stop by and chat, if you'd like."
"I'll definitely think about it." Jazz grinned, getting to his feet as Flora grabbed Carter's hand and darted into the cave.
When Jazz returned home, Lajos was sound asleep in the middle of the turnip patch, Baba pecking at the worms and grass around it. He walked over, nudging Lajos with his shoe and kneeling down to pick up the bird.
"Hmmn... what?" He mumbled, shielding his face with his hand. "Jazz...?"
"You fell asleep." He explained, giving Baba scritches as Lajos got to his feet. "I just got back, figured I'd wake you up before the sun set."
Lajos shrugged, taking the chicken back from Jazz. "Did you enjoy your trip?" He asked, chuckling.
"Maybe a bit. He spent most of the time I was there talking about his research..." He put a hand on the back of his head with a laugh, "First time Iever actively enjoyed learning anything."
"I bet." Lajos chuckled, "Marlin came over today. Said the crops were growing nicely; we split that bottle of wine you gave me and talked about.... boys. Then he left and I fell asleep."
"Boys, huh?" Jazz chuckled, "Y'know, he did mention that when we brought you home..."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah... though I did promise I wouldn't tell." Jazz put a finger to his mouth and grinned. "You should probably get back to Takakura's - you need food too, don't you?"
Lajos rolled his eyes, the thought of whatever Jazz may have been hiding burning at the back of his head as he left.