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Post by Fiera Ferella on Jul 23, 2023 13:37:44 GMT -6
Man, it was hot out. Yes, yes, supporting nature, we'll give you something for your troubles, very noble, but did they have to pick a day for it where the sun was, apparently, hellbent on killing them all? The humanish could already feel herself sweating under the heat, and she wasn't wearing much but a short sleeved button-up (tied in the front, of course, for cuteness), shorts, sneakers, and a large hat and sunglasses set. Not exactly overdressed, but apparently any clothes at all was too much for THIS summer's day. Her companion was wearing way more than her though- and somehow he still felt exciteable. Not, perhaps "sprinting in circles" excited (he was far too big and old for that), but Argyle's clicking talons on the sidewalk kept up a peppy beat as they made their way towards the location on the questing board, his ears swiveling about to pick up every sign of summer. Fiera 1 Argyle 0.1/0.1 1 (Note: Have completed this quest once before.)
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 1, 2023 10:26:13 GMT -6
There were plenty of signs for him to hear- the buzzing of cicadas, the thrum of air conditioners, the subtle buzzing of magic that helped keep the city running. Fiera was glad that their quest today was just outside the City, or else he might bolt off in an attempt to investigate some of these new sensations. For now, her gently tugging on his leash was enough to keep him going as she kept an eye out for the signs leading to the tree planting event. Ideally, these trees would grow up healthy and strong and provide ample shade in the park that was being set up. Shade that she would certainly appreciate right about now. Finally she caught a glimpse of a pale green sign on it with the name of the event and a tree symbol on it, with an arrow pointing down a particular street. Just what she was looking for.
Fiera 2 Argyle 0.2/0.2 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 1, 2023 14:58:07 GMT -6
The pair followed the signs past apartment buildings and small shops, then past increasingly smaller buildings and empty lots, before finally petering out somewhere where there were only dusty "coming soon!" signs tapped into the dust, one stiff breeze from falling over. Fiera wasn't especially impressed with the place- why put a park here? But she ultimately supposed if there was decent enough soil, it was best to preserve the area BEFORE buildings went up around it, not after. At least the lack of... well, anything made the place she was supposed to be easy to spot. She could already see the milling crowd in the distance, with at least a few people with clipboards near the road that she was probably supposed to talk to first. Argyle's ears flicked upwards as he spotted them- more people! How exciting for him. Fiera kept a grip on his leash, not wanting him to dash off and scare the crap out of someone.
Fiera 3 Argyle 0.3/0.3 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 1, 2023 18:02:00 GMT -6
He wasn't a small animal after all, and could probably do some damage even he decided to even playfully pounce on someone. She brought him here primarily to give her some breathing room while working. He wasn't mean, but the sheer size and look of him was bound to make people decide to take another route instead of approaching her. She approached an ungulate mammalian with a clipboard- the only one who didn't awkwardly sidle away from the large gallor. "Here for the plantaganza?" The deer woman said chipperly, holding up the clipboard. "We aren't calling it that, Carol!" Shouted one of her coworkers off to the side. She only flicked her ear in response. "Uhm, yes. Me and Argyle here." "Perfect! Will you be needing-" "I brought my own shovel." Fiera said, holding up her old reliable from the mines. Their shovels were probably fine, but she felt more secure with hers. Fiera 4 Argyle 0.4/0.4 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 2, 2023 11:03:46 GMT -6
"Oh, that's excellent! Saves us a bit of time." The mammalian said with a smile. "Name?" Fiera gave her name- and Argyle's, as they apparently had a second registry for pets. Apparently it was for potential damages, so they'd know who did what. Apparently someone brought an acid elemental the previous time they held an event like this that killed half the plants. The chaos was, apparently, impressive. Fiera reassured her that Argyle was much more pleasant and wasn't going to cause any trouble- a statement she only halfway believed. He wasn't spitting venom any time soon, that was for sure, but he could still knock over a tree or two if he really wanted to and he wasn't... Fiera's BEST trained pet. Still, they got through the registration intact and were soon pointed in the direction of the sapling trees they were meant to be planting that day by the mammalian.
Fiera 5 Argyle 1.0/1.0 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2023 8:33:39 GMT -6
"Have a fantastic plantaganza!" The deerlike woman cheered chipperly after her, and Fiera raised a thumbs up in response with an equally cheery "I'm not calling it that either!" It didn't take her long to find the saplings she was meant to be planting. There was practically an army of them, lined up in neat rows with their roots wrapped in a burlap sack full of soil. Fiera glanced behind her- there were also sticks and ribbons marking the areas where they were meant to be planted, arranged such that people would plant them all over where the paths were being put down, and park benches and lights. Some of those other features were already put up, and others were just as under construction as the trees were- if you could call an unplanted tree "under construction". Fiera looked back at her options- Argyle was already sniffing around them carefully.
Fiera 6 Argyle 1.1/1.1 6
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2023 8:37:21 GMT -6
Was she meant to just pick any of them? Fiera didn't know much about trees, but she could tell from looking at them that they were all different species. She spotted a tag wrapped around one of the trunks with twine, a little square of paper hanging off of it. She lifted it up- apple tree. Another was an oak. So they WERE all different species. She wasn't sure if they meant for people to plant them wherever, but glancing around she saw that all of the tree attendants were busy helping other volunteers. Fiera huffed- clearly they didn't appreciate her presence if they didn't feel the need to pay her any mind. But that was fine- she could plant these trees all on her own! She just had to pick something that looked nice. She glanced behind her- in the distance, she could see a long, lovely path that was already paved.
Fiera 7 Argyle 1.2/1.2 7
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2023 9:52:09 GMT -6
It was nice and long and after the trees were grown, she could imagine a lovely canopy shading it as it ran off into the distance. She had the perfect idea for what to plant along it too. She sidled along the rows of tree saplings, checking the tags as subtly as she could so she wouldn't be seen. Finally she found them- the cherry trees. She could just imagine the pink blushing blossoms falling softly in the spring, the fresh fruit in the summer and autumn. It would be beautiful and romantic... if she could get them over there. She tried lifting one- it was pretty damn heavy. "Maybe I could..." She muttered to herself before glancing at her gallor. "Hey Argyle... come here a minute." She said, wondering if she could swing it over his broad shoulders. The aptery gallor backed away, already catching on to something suspicious in her tone.
Fiera 8 Argyle 1.3/1.3 8
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2023 9:56:13 GMT -6
Well then, that was a bust. Just about then however, Fiera jumped out of her skin as someone spoke up behind her. "Oh, eyeing the cherry trees?" She hissed despite herself. "Oh, sorry." Said the planting worker, a young uthax- or maybe just a small one. "Those are supposed to go by the long path, over there." He said, gesturing in the direction that Fiera had already been planning on dragging them over to. The humanish glanced at the trees and back at the worker nervously before launching into her usual spiel. "Oh, over there? What a wonderful idea! I wish I had thought of it, that would look lovely in spring. Uh, just out of curiosity, if someone were to go and plant some trees on their own without asking, what would happen?" The uthax paused, clearly not expecting such an awkwardly inserted question. "Well... if it was the wrong kind of tree, we'd have to dig them up again and put them where they're supposed to be. They certainly wouldn't get any quest points out of it."
Fiera 9 Argyle 1.4/1.4 9
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2023 9:58:42 GMT -6
"Oh no!" Fiera said in mock concern. "Well, I'm certainly glad that hasn't happened! Uh, anyway, would you mind giving me a hand with these?" She said, suddenly glad that she hadn't had the time to take matters into her own hands. "Oh, sure! They're pretty heavy. That's what I'm here for!" The worker said. Despite his smaller size, he was easily able to lift two of the trees by their trunks, the sacks hanging limply beneath them. Fiera was able to awkwardly lift one of them herself, praying that her back wouldn't be upset with her the following day. "Come on then, Argyle!" She said in a choked tone, and was glad that his leash was already looped around her hand so she could tug him along. Still, she didn't really need to- the whole sight was so odd for him that he happily followed along behind her, watching her wobbling footsteps.
Fiera 10 Argyle 2.0/2.0 10
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2023 10:03:11 GMT -6
Fiera managed to half walk, half drag the tree to the pathway, while the uthax was able to carry his effortlessly. The bastard. She tried not to wheeze TOO loud once they set them down and he continued his explanation. "So these need to be planted about four feet from the edge of the path, and you should try to dig a hole at least two, maybe two and a half feet deep to plant them. Then just take the sack off, make sure they're upright, and fill the dirt back in! Normally its a two man job, but it looks like you brought your own helper! I'll leave you to it, then! Flag me down if you need more trees!" He said, giving her a wave as he walked off. Fiera waved back weakly before looking at Argyle. A helper. Right. Aptery gallor were supposed to be fantastic diggers, but she'd be damned if she knew how to get hers to do it.
Fiera 11 Argyle 2.1/2.1 11
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2023 10:12:18 GMT -6
The uthax man had clearly thought he was a trained assistant. He... was not. He was very far from trained. Fiera only brought him along to get him out of the kennel for a bit of fresh air. Still, she didn't NEED him to be helpful. She could figure out how to do this all on her own- that's how she did everything. She looked at the three trees- she could plant those on her own, easily. She just needed to get started. So without further flitting about, she used her shovel to measure out about four feet from the path as she had been advised, pressed the blade into the soil, and started digging. It wasn't much harder than it was in the mines- in fact, it was even easier due to the looser soil. Within a few moments she already had a little pile of dirt building up next to her.
Fiera 12 Argyle 2.2/2.2 12
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2023 10:20:19 GMT -6
The unrelenting heat of the day meant that the sweat started beading up and rolling down her neck. Ugh. Admittedly that was one issue the mines didn't have- they were usually pleasantly cool due to the winding tunnels being so far from the sun's beating rays. Some parts could be a little warm and stuffy, but nothing like this. Furthermore, Argyle was starting to show... interest in what she was doing too. She watched as the aptery gallor watched her. Every movement with the shovel back and forth, moving dirt into the pile, was met with a twitch of his head from left to right as he followed it. "...Like what you see, honey?" She said, amused. She noticed his claws digging into the earth next- flexing with each stroke of the shovel, as if he was imagining digging as well. Slowly but surely, the cogs in Fiera's head started turning at the sight of him.
Fiera 13 Argyle 2.3/2.3 13
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2023 10:23:40 GMT -6
He certainly looked interested in digging, even if she had never formally taught him how... perhaps she could work with this. For a moment she stopped digging, planting the shovel in the ground next to the hole. It was only about six inches deep at this time, and not quite wide enough to fit the tree in it. Argyle's ears perked up- what was happening now? Then she leaned down, looking deep in the hole as if she saw something fascinating down there. "Wooow, look at that!" She said in a tone that she hoped made her sound enamored. She tapped at the bottom of the hole- and leapt back a moment later as Argyle pounced, swatting his claws into the bottom of it. Then he lifted a paw, looking for whatever interesting thing Fiera had found down there. "Oh, you almost got it!" Fiera said, trying to hype him up more.
Fiera 14 Argyle 2.4/2.4 14
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Aug 3, 2023 10:58:10 GMT -6
Argyle shuffled his claws around, the tip of his tail twitching. With Fiera showing so much interest in the hole, he had become convinced that there was something down there, and each little unexpected shift of dirt and pebbles as he moved only confirmed his suspicions. Eventually it seems to reach a breaking point and he became determined to find whatever "it" was, no matter how quickly it fled from him into the earth. He scratched madly at the bottom of the hole with his claws, digging far faster than Fiera could. The humanish took the opportunity to retrieve her shovel and shuffle several feet down, and began to dig the next hole. Still, she kept an eye on Argyle, making sure he wasn't hurting himself as she dug. That didn't seem to be the case though- he was having a great time mucking around in the mess he was making.
Fiera 15 Argyle 3.0/3.0 15
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