xp_logs | Callie, Zanne - Tuesday Evening

Callie gets a job and Zanne gets out of mowing the lawn.

"Shiloh, why are you so sad?" Callie placed the potted Lily of the Valley on the steps and sat beside it, staring at the white flowers mournfully. She studied the plant for a few moments, and sighed. To most people the plant could appear to be perfectly fine, but to Callie it lacked luster. It wasn't growing as fast as it should, and she perceived a slight droop in the buds. "What's the matter?"

"Callie?" Zanne stood on the sidewalk staring up at the girl with a slightly confused expression. "Who are you talking to?"

"Oh. My plant," Callie explained matter-of-factly as her attention turned to Zanne. She hadn't tried to hide that her conversation had been geared toward the flower pot sitting to her left. "I named it Shiloh. My dad sent it to me for Valentine's Day."

"That was nice of him," Zanne observed. The flower was quite pretty, not at all what one usually would think of as a gift. "Does Shiloh talk back to you?" she asked curiously.

She blinked and shot a knowing look at the older woman. "You think I'm crazy don't you?"

Where had that come from? "Of course not," Zanne replied slowly, not quite sure what tack to take. Maybe the question had been a little out of the blue, but given her family and everything, it didn't seem too far fetched. "Why would you think that?"

Callie shot her an apologetic smile as her face burned slightly. "I'm sorry. I'm kinda just used to people thinking I'm weird for talking to plants."

"I thought talking to your plants was supposed to be good for them?" Zanne ambled over to the stairs and leaned up against the wrought iron rail. "It looks like she likes it."

"Well it mostly gets weird when people find out they can talk back." She shrugged and glanced back at her lily. The signs were subtle, but they were there, and Callie just wished she could know what was wrong. "And talking to them only helps when you can figure out what they need, which Shiloh won't tell me." She sighed.

"Maybe it's still too cold for her?" Zanne offered. Despite the warm weather they'd been having, the nights were still cold enough to leave a frost on the ground. "And I don't think it's weird at all," she added after a moment's contemplation. "All things considered, it's probably one of the more normal this going on here."

Callie shook her head 'no.' "She's been in my room, and I keep it nice and warm. And I've been giving her enough water and other nutrients as well. And plenty of sunlight. But nothing." She sighed and looked up again. "So what are you up to Miss Zanne?"

"Not too much," Zanne replied, mentally glossing over her crammed to-do list, odd training-related aches, and occasional forays back into the world of finance - poking at the stock exchange was depressing, but fascinating. "I found some old bookcases up in the attic and I've been working on refinishing them. They should be pretty decent when I'm done, if you'd like one."

"No thanks. I had to leave most of my books in Milan. They're too heavy to take on the plane. I mean I have some, but not enough for that. I usually just take them out from the library and sit outside to read."

"Fair enough," Zanne smiled warmly at the girl. "Well, I had better get back at it. I hope Shiloh perks up soon." She started up the stairs to go inside but at the top step she paused, an idea occurring to her. "Hey, Callie? Do you have an after school job?"

Callie had been busy gathering the pot so that she could continue on to the greenhouse. She had been headed there originally but decided to rest on the stairs for a bit. Her plant was heavier than it looked. At Zanne's questions, she turned to face the mansion, hugging the pot to her chest. "Well I babysit Valentia sometimes, but no not really. I don't have a car, so I can't drive anywhere or anything. And there's school. Why do you ask?"

"I see. I was just wondering, if you had time, if you'd like to help Kyle and myself out with the maintenance around here." Zanne turned and came back down a few steps. "We've got the house mostly covered, but we could use an extra hand with the grounds."

The younger girl cocked her head in confusion as she replied. "But I don't know anything about fixing stuff. I mean I built a birdhouse in middle school like once, but the pieces were all precut. And I hit my thumb like a million times."

"Then we'll try to keep you far, far away from the power tools," Zanne replied with a laugh. "No, I mean something more along the lines of helping to take care of the gardens, mow the lawns, rake the leaves. It sounds like it would right up your alley."

Several moments passed while Callie thought about what was being offered to her. It was a lot of work, and a lot of land, she knew, and her father would probably prefer her focusing on school work. But it wasn't his choice, she decided. She hated that the only thing she had to do was homework. She yearned to be out of doors and not cooped up inside. This would give her that release. Callie straightened up, and with a broad smile on her face proudly pronounced, "I would love to!"

"Excellent." Zanne beamed at Callie, her mind starting to whirr as she realized she had to explain this to Kyle somehow. "Give me a couple days to figure a few things out, and then we'll sit down and put together a schedule for you, all right?"

"That sounds great! Thank you Miss Zanne." She shifted her grip on the pot. "I should go though. I'm going to take Shiloh to the greenhouse, see if all she needs is a little company. Just send me an e-mail or something when we should meet?"

"I will. Good luck with Shiloh!"