Chapter 33: Two

“It says the Gardening Club is near here,” Charlotte says as she holds up a little map. There are grey squares that you guess are buildings and little black lines for the paths around the school. A bunch of those buildings have numbers on them that Charlotte keeps comparing to a legend. The one you’re moving towards it at the far end of the Academy, on the opposite end of the big hill the school is on.

The Gardening Club, as it turns out, is housed in a big greenhouse, the building made of a pretty latticework of wrought iron with glass panels all over it. There’s a lot of things within, like big bushes and vines covered in teeny tiny flowers that are really tasty-looking in the sunlight.

Charlotte lowers her map when you come around the building and see a group of five or so other girls all by the doorway. None of them are wearing cone hats, so they have to be older years.

“I’m not too sure I approve of this entire club,” Charlotte admits.

“Why not?” Abigail asks.

You look up to see a bunch of weird expressions crossing Charlotte’s face. “Well, I can’t say I approve of proper young women doing... that sort of thing together.”

“Gardening?” you ask.

Abigail looks just as confused.

It’s too late to start asking though because the girls at the entrance to the greenhouse notice you and stop talking right away. They form a sort of half-circle, one of them, the oldest by the looks of her, steps up to your group. “Hello, may we help you?” she asks.

“Ah, hello,” Abigail says. “I’m Abigail, and this is Charlotte, and this is Dreamer.” You wave. “We were looking for the, um, Gardening Club?”

The girl presses a hand to her mouth. “Coming in a trio. Oh my. Well, you’re at the right place, but at the wrong time. I’m Amara, the club president this year.”

“Oh, should we have come sooner?” Abigail asks.

Amara shakes her head. “No no,” she says while waving away Abigail’s concerns. “I mean, clubs only officially open as of tomorrow. You’re a bit early. But there’s no harm in giving you a tour now!”

“That would be nice,” Abigail says.

Amara smiles and moved back towards the doors leading into the greenhouse, soon you’re all moving into the big, hot building, the smell of flowers almost suffocatingly strong. “As you might have guessed, we at the Gardening Club try to make flowers stand out as the prettiest things in the world. We also do a bit of gardening on the side.”

Amara’s friends giggle a little at that. You move deeper into the gardens. Pass the open area at the front are a bunch of paths that are cut off from each other by big trellises and climbing vines. The rap-tap-tap of water dripping out of little hoses along the ceiling to platers next to the flowers is actually pretty loud in the muffled space.

“Um, I have a friend that comes to this club,” Abigail says.

Amara turns to her, interest clear in her eyes. “You do?” she asks.

Abigail nods. “Daphne, she’s been coming here since last year.”

All of the Gardening Club girls gasp. “You’re that Abigail?” Amara asks.

Your summoner is famous? This is as it should be, of course, but it’s a bit strange. Two of the Gardening Club girls are fanning themselves at the back and all five of them are inspecting Abigail very carefully.

“Well, you certainly have the ‘girl next door’ look pinned down,” Amara says as she taps her chin. “You grew up with Daphne, right?”

“Oh, yeah, we’ve been friends since... well, since we were really small. Our mothers both went to the Academy together, they were even in this club together!”

One of the girls gasps, a hand over her mouth. “How romantic!”

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“Abigail, dear,” Charlotte says. “I think you’re sending mixed messages to these poor girls.”

“Oh no, don’t tell me that you and, I’m sorry, I didn’t ask for you name,” Amara says as she turns to Charlotte.

“Charlotte.”

“Don’t tell me that you and Charlotte are a thing. Poor Daphne’s heart will crack.”

Abigail looks down at you as if you can help her, but you’re just as confused as she is. “Um. Charlotte is a friend? I can have more than one friend, right?”

“Oh, wow,” one of the girls says.

“O-of course you can,” Amara replies, her face goes very red. “We, we wouldn’t get in the way of any burgeoning flowers, even if they-” She pauses to wave at her face. “Even if they’re wild blossoms.” Amara swallows and moves along the path a little ways. “We have areas like this for tea and scones and gossip,” she says as she gestures to an area with little sofas and a glass table with a bouquet in the middle.

“Um, okay,” Abigail says.

“Abigail,” You ask as you pull at her sleeve. “These mortals are weird.”

She nods, but doesn’t explain anything.

“We have lots of little paths like these for members to walk down,” Amara says as she leads you down a meandering path. It’s just barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side. “And there are... areas for other activities,” Amara says. She gestures to an alcove set aside where there’s a bed covered in fluffy blankets. There are walls of flowers around it, so thick that if you were resting there, no one would be able to see you.

“That’s a good napping place,” you say. “Abigail, we should nap there together.”

Amara and the others gasp. “So young.” She coughs into a closed fist. “If you wish, my friends and I can... let you sample the greenhouse. We were just preparing to leave, but we tend to leave the doors unlocked. In fact, that might be for the best.” Amara gestures towards her friends, and with a whole lot of tittering and giggling, they move back towards the front of the greenhouse.

“Young?” Abigail asks, her head tilting to the side in confusion and her glasses dipping to the very end of her nose. She’s looking at Charlotte as if your new friend can explain better.

“They're implying that you and Dreamer share a relationship that’s... more than just Summoner and Familiar,” Charlotte says. She might be catching what the others have because her face is very warm looking.

“Of course there’s more than that,” you say. “I’m going to make Abigail the most happiest.”

Abigail frowns a little, looks at the departing Gardening Club girls, the bed, then you, then back again. “Are they, is the whole Gardening Club... girls who are... that way?” she squeaks.

Charlotte presses a hand to her face. “You only caught on just now?”

“Oh, oh my,” Abigail says.

“What’re you talking about?” you ask.

Charlotte looks away, but she answers anyway. “Certain young women have the... perhaps unhealthy habit of... falling in love with other young women.”

You think about this for a moment. “That just means that if Abigail mates she won’t be making yucky babies that will steal my rightful headpats. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Abigail wraps a hand around yours. “I-I, I think I should be going now. Thank-you-very-much-good-bye!”

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