[ussbansheec] Setting Up House...Greenhouse that is

  • From: Andy Maluhia <CaptainAndy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: ussbansheec@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 06:08:41 -0400

_ Setting Up House...Greenhouse that is

_by Awapuhi Kaleohano, Anela Maluhia, and Briar Frost

Awapuhi made her to her cousin's house while humming an old tune. One day, she told herself, I'll even try the words again. She was on her way there at Baya's request, to talk to his son about a greenhouse. When she pressed him for details, all he'd said was 'Talk to Anela. You'll understand'. So she stepped onto the lanai rather than go through the front door and smiled at what she saw. There was her cousin's son snuggled up with the strangest looking young woman and the man looked blissfully happy.

"Stranger," Briar murmured as she lifted her head to see the new person. She fixed her strange eyes on the woman and smiled. "Hello."

"`Ano `ai," Awapuhi said with a warm smile. Pretty little thing if a bit strange looking. "You ho'olu, Anela?"

Anela grinned up at her. Awapuhi, or Awa as they all called her, was not a small woman. She was tall and full figured and as graceful as any of the younger women on the island. "Very," he said mildly. "Come closer, Awa, I want you to meet Briar."

Briar was so relaxed with Anela that she automatically snaked out a vine to offer instead of her hand as she smiled at the new woman.

Anela watched as Awa's eyes widened in surprise but he grinned when she knelt next to them, holding out a hand to the vine. "Hô ka nani!" the older woman exclaimed. "E, Anela, your father said she was special." Smiling at Briar, Awa allowed the vine to snake around her hand. "I'm Awapuhi but they call me Awa. This one's father is my cousin. E komo mai."

The vine curled and twisted around Awa's hand and arm. "My name is Briar Rose. I'm going to marry Anela."

"Good. This Maluhia men...they need themselves good women to take care of them," she said brightly as she settled next to them.

"Hey! Don't make like that, Awa. I'm not helpless," Anela grumbled good naturedly.

"Yeah, boy, but you'll be better off," Awa teased.

"Not helpless?  Does that mean I'm not needed?" Briar smiled sweetly at him.

He rested his chin on Briar's shoulder, giving her a hug with one arm. "Oh you're definitely needed. You are not only beautiful on the outside, you got beautiful mana, too."

"This is what I like seeing. It's good you youngsters should be happy. Andy'll be tickled something fierce when he comes home, especially when he sees the greenhouse. That's why I'm here you know," Awa explained. "Briar, ka liko here tell you what I do?"

"No, I didn't know you were coming." Briar still kept her eyes on the woman even if she started tickling Anela's chin with her vines. "I would guess you built greenhouses."

"Something like that. Baya tells me you have your own back on the mainland and he wanted to make sure all the lives inside made it here safe." She held up hands that were a bit calloused from years of working with green things. "I work with the ka mea kanu here--the plants--and he thought I could help."

"Can you hear their song too?" Briar asked hopefully. "Do they dance for you?"

Awa covered her mouth for a moment, thinking. "I speak to them: the plants and trees. If they are speaking back to me, it's in their leaves and flowers, in the fact that they continue to allow me to us them as I need to. I think maybe you understand them better than me but I'd say we're on good terms."

"If they grow for you then you understand them just fine," the younger woman mused. "They only grow and flower for people who are good to them."

Anela twitched a bit from the tickling vines then gave up and chuckled. "Cut that out, silly woman," he said brightly as he kissed her cheek. "Awa, Briar came here by transporter and, well...let's just say it didn't go real well. I don't want the same thing t'happen to her greenhouse plants."

"It's extremely painful," Briar admitted. "Much worse than it ever used to be."

Anela rested his cheek on top of her head. "I'm still sorry 'bout that, Briar," he said softly.

Awa had no idea what the girl was but she obviously made her little cousin happy. "So the mana of the land likes you then, Briar. That's good. Now, you tell me since you know 'em and I don't, how do you want us to bring your greenhouse plants over?"

"In a shuttle, a large one," she said as if it was obvious. "How else would you get so many plants from one place to another?"

"Transporter but I thought maybe not so good an idea, you know?" Awa explained.

Anela's eyes danced with anticipation. "I know just who to ask about that, too. You ever hear of Calen Sorenson, Briar?"

She shook her head and bit her lip.  "Does he build greenhouses too?"

"No, but he has one that's on par with yours, just with different sorts of plants. He's a botanist and a friend of my father's. If I ask him for a favor, he'll help me," Anela explained, tickling one of the vines. "Most people think he's a little odd but he's not. He's just half Vulcan."

The vine retracted then tapped his nose playfully. "What kinds of plants does he have?"

"Mostly medicinal ones and then a lot of what's left are from Romulus," Anela told her.

"I've never seen a Romulan plant before," Briar mused. "How does he get them out of Romulus?"

"Ah, I'm not sure to tell you the truth but I think his father has had them for a very long time. The both of 'em are botanists," Anela told her.

"What can he do to get my greenhouse here?" Briar asked.

"You know, I don't ask people why they have certain things because it's just better not to know sometimes. Sorenson's got a shuttle of his own. The environment in those things cane be adjusted to a minute degree and it's big enough to fit a lot in," Anela explained.

"Eh, and he might be a bit of a flake but he's good at what he does. So, him I trust," Awa added.

Briar thought about for a while, her vines absently curling and uncurling. Finally she shook her head. "I don't. I cannot. I've never met him. Briar never trusts someone until she can touch them with her vines."

"I could invite him over or I could take you to see him. He lives on the mainland but not so far that we couldn't take the island shuttle over and then go by ground," Anela said carefully.

"If that is what we must do," Briar nodded. "You sound as if you would rather not."

"I don't want to distress either of you by all these changes so quickly. I don't want to hurt you," Anela said softly, his finger resting under her chin.

"Hurt is inevitable in life," she said softly. "Distress is unavoidable when things change so quickly. There is nothing you can do about it."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it and not try to prevent it," he said easily.

"It makes him a good doctor, Briar. Him and his father--they both care that much," Awa finally added. "He'll come here if it's easier. The man loves it on Kauai."

"It would put him out," Briar sighed. "We will go to him. Less hassle for my whims."

He rubbed her shoulder a bit. "At least it's warmer there than New York, even if he does live north in California. You sure, pretty lady?"

She nodded even though she didn't feel it.  "Not by transporter."

"No, no--of course not. The ferry shuttle to the mainland's about a two hour ride then it's another hour by ground car," he assured her. "Then, maybe while we're gone, Awa will have designed the perfect greenhouse for you. She's good that way, aren't ya, Awa?"

"Flatterer," Awa said with a friendly snort.  "It's a gift is all I know."

"Why not use the design of my old greenhouse?" Briar asked as she rose to her feet and offered Anela her hand. "It would save on work."

"That would work just fine if the design pleases you, Briar. To me, such a place is a heiau, a holy place, because it protects what was given to us." Awa reached out to pat her shoulder. "You draw it up for me and it'll be done."

Briar offered the woman a smile as one of her vines curled around Awa's fingers. "Thank you."

Anela stood up, brushing the soil from his legs before holding his hands out to Briar. "You know, if we're lucky, we might even catch sight of some dolphins or whales on the ferry. Those're awesome."

Her head tilted to the side and Briar frowned for a moment. "I've seen them before... I think... And porpoises. A long time ago."

"Just stay out the water when Mano's around," Awa warned. "The dark one's gone off with Pila so the old thing's got a bit of an opening."

"A shark," Anela explained with a grin. "My uncle's got an understanding with it and that would be that Uncle's the bigger predator. Come, pretty Briar, we can go if you want."

Nodding her head, Briar gave Awa a wave of both hand and vines. "Thank you, Awa, for my greenhouse."

"You're ohana now, girl. It's nothing for family," Awa said with a return wave.

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