Seeing is believing., Open

[Gabriel Forrester]

One of the things Gabriel missed from the Compound life most was his high tech visionary implements. He was all but blind as a bat without them, and instead of the high tech bio-monitoring contact lenses or the glasses that featured an in-screen computer monitor that shared information, he was stuck with plain old glasses in a prescription slightly wrong for him. The dark rimmed glasses were cheap, but they were better than nothing. They had been a scavenged gift, and they were precious to him.

He could have undergone surgery to correct his vision but Gabe had always been skittish about permanent modifications. Luckily he hadn't been so stupid as to bring his contact lenses. They would have up-linked his location in a heartbeat.

Squinting in the early morning sun, Gabriel rubbed his eyes and put his glasses back on. The rooftop was so serene at sunrise and he came here to pray and work on his herb garden. A little chamomile for Adam One to help his sleep, some lavender for the soap making. Mint for the kitchen...

He hummed Oh Sing We Now The Holy Weeds as he worked, unaware of the world around him as he immersed himself into his work. There was a certain peace here he would have never been able to find in the Compounds and Gabriel couldn't imagine going back to that lifestyle. Or to his wife. He did miss his children, but it was safer for them to be away from him. If the Compound knew that he had secrets in his head, they might have ended up collateral.

Gabe placed his herbs in the woven basket at his side, pausing when he heard footsteps behind him. He had company. Good. Company was always nice.

[Tora]

to be a part is to be truly whole

Today was the only day. Yesterday and tomorrow didn't exist. The sun was rising on the dusty horizon for the first time. A few daring bees crawled out of their hive to discover the light.

Tora's legs were folded in front of her, her spine perfectly perpendicular to the hard cement. Today was the only day, but she was not the only living thing. There were millions, billions even, of living organisms out there breathing with her. A slow pulse they shared.

The bottom of the orange globe lifted in the distance. She reached upwards, then folded herself over, her arms pushing towards the sunlight like a new sprout. Her back curved as she left the weight of her head drop.

With a final deep breath, Tora unfolded herself. Her morning stretching and meditation was often her favorite part of the day. It was the most peaceful. She let herself think only of the tenets of life: metabolism, respiration, adaptability. Nothing of the complexities of the Compounds, the Pleeblands, the politics of Gardener life. It wiped the slate clean. She hardly ever found the need to use slates herself, but like all good Gardeners, she knew to clear them when she finished. Leave no written word. Leave yourself unattached.

She stood and walked a lap around the hives. The workers were coming out of each, lifting off to perform their duties. Now it was her turn to do the same.

Tora climbed the ladder down from the rooftop, taking the internal stairs to street level before crossing to a building cat's corner to her own. She had seen movement, although the heights of the buildings made it difficult to see who it was. In this building, she reversed her pattern. Up, up, back towards the sky.

The roof access opened onto a small garden plot. Gabriel was knelt beside what used to be a set of waste bins. Waste no more. Tora smiled. The Gardener ways caused a beautiful picture of irony. A bin for waste now grew lively plots of herbs.

"A peaceful morning to you, Gabriel." Tora had had reservations about Adam Three at first. A new person was always a threat. Now she tended to envy him. He never seemed to question his faith the way she sometimes did. Adam One said doubt was the path to true belief, but of course Tora sometimes felt doubts about that as well. Gabriel led by example. The neuroses he showed when he first arrived seemed soothed by being amongst the Gardeners.

Tora knelt beside him, watching a bee land on the attractive purple petals of an echinacea flower. "I see my friends followed me over here. Do you mind if I join you for a bit?"

Tag Gabriel! | wearing this | Notes: I feel like I'm going to really enjoy writing for these two!

made by marv @ atf

[Gabriel Forrester]

The Holy Weeds

Gabriel recognized the voice without having to turn around. He smiled to himself and then did turn to face his dear sister.Tora was Eve Four and she kept the company of bees. He quite liked the bees and their keeper was always pleasant.

"Company is most welcome, from bees or otherwise," he said with a grin, adjusting his glasses out of habit. He patted a spot on the warm rooftop nearby. "I can't think of a better place to be this morning. It was never this...peaceful...in...in my previous life."

His previous life. The life he was so very glad to be free of...even when he did miss his wife, his children, the perks of modern life. But the Gardner teachings had resonated for him and he learned to embrace the simplicity right down to the violet biolets. Still, thoughts of the life he had left made his throat clench and his mind race in fear. He disliked that life.

Gabriel realized that while he found Eve Four pleasant, he didn't really know her all that well. In his earlier years with the Gardner's, Gabe had been quite unpleasantly vocal about his situation--his story was sometimes too well known. But he had been in a place of mental suffering and credited these kind people and the very herbs he tended for saving his life. "If you don't mind my asking, what did you do before the Gardeners? did you grow up here?"

He hoped he wasn't overstepping but it would be nice to know her better. She seemed sweet, and while he didn't miss his Compound life, sometimes he did miss the friendship of a woman greatly. Even if it was just that--a friend.

______________
Ditto!

[Tora]

to be a part is to be truly whole

Tora knew the surface details of Gabriel's previous life, but she never pried too much. She was a little frightened of what she might find. Knowledge was a gift, but she wasn't entirely ready to know everything that went on in Compound life. General knowledge was enough. He had spouted wild stories when he first arrived, but she took these to be be exagerations.

She was fairly certain he had children, although she wasn't sure how many. That seemed peaceful enough. Perhaps not calm the way this morning was, but with a sort of inside peace. Tora imagined that having children was an immensely rewarding experience. She had no personal experience to tell her otherwise.

That knowledge made his past loom all the more dreadful. Something was so terrible that he would leave his own children. Tora occasionally wondered if Gabriel himself was the terrible thing, but she quickly silenced such cruel thoughts. Adam One trusted Gabe deeply and Tora trusted Adam One. It was quite enough to make Tora trust Gabriel completely. After all, if the Adams and Eves didn't believe in one another, how were they to get the faith of the rest of the Gardeners?

She sunk her fingers into the soil. Even now, the soft earth beneath the surface was warm. Lifting a weed out by its roots, she set it aside. Perhaps it could be transplanted to live elsewhere.

His question surprised her, and Tora considered carefully how she wanted to answer. Setting aside another seedling weed, she decided trust meant sharing.

"'Before' was a long time ago. I've been here for nearly as long as there have been Gardeners, I think. I wasn't always here with them though. I lived out in what they used to call suburbs, but I left my family when I was young." She paused, then smiled softly, "It wasn't until I got here that I actually realized what it meant to be home."

Tag Gabriel! | wearing this | Notes: <3

made by marv @ atf

[Gabriel Forrester]

The Eve’s words made Gabriel smile. He felt he was at home now too, though it hadn’t always been that easy for him. He nodded though, and tilted his head as if to say he understood what she meant.
“I don’t know what your suburbs are like, but the Compounds were so different from here. It’s rather hilarious when I try and think about all the useless things that those people consider necessities for living. It was so…artificial.”

He didn’t want to scare the Eve with stories of the compounds and he’d done his fair share of raving when he first arrived, but it had been unkind of him to do so. “I wouldn’t go back…except maybe to save my children and wife. I don’t think they would understand though.”
They probably would have him committed if he stepped on Compound grounds...

“The compound people don’t know what it’s like out here. They would find us…simple minded?”

It was a harsh truth, but Gabriel would take simple minded any day of the week to be free of the grasp of the technology worshipping heathens there.

[Tora]

to be a part is to be truly whole

Tora had never been inside a Compound, although somewhere in her room she had her identity papers stored away. At some point she could have applied for entry, maybe even gotten a job within a Compound. She easily could have worked for OrganInc with her education. Gabriel was right though. Being out here was real.

"The suburbs here probably aren't great anymore. Actually I think a lot of them have just been torn down. They were not so bad back when I was there." Tora shrugged, "Honestly, I'm not sure I wouldn't noticed stuff being wrong though. There's a lot of great ignorance to being young."

She sat back, watching Gabriel as he tended the plants. There was something of a mirror there. She saw herself reflected in the way he cared about his plants, the way he gently handled them, seemed to find something soothing about the whole act. It was how she felt with her bees. It was a sacred act, caring for the life of something else. Tora knew that God had given humans the duty of protecting the life forms he created, but a duty sounded dull and forced. It was an honor, truly enjoyable. She liked seeing that enjoyment in Gabriel's own work.

"They confuse a simple life for a simple mind," she observed. "Even pleebs make those mistakes sometimes. It's hard for them to recognize that our work and knowledge gives us strength, while their reliance on the corporations and the technology truly weakens them."

It sounded like a sermon and Tora laughed, "Sorry to preach. Your words seemed to knock something loose in my mind."

She hesitated before speaking again. It wasn't just the simple-minded part that had run amok in her brain. Tora didn't want to intrude on private thoughts, but being with the Gardeners so long had taught her that sometimes that intrusion can be beneficial. Releasing words into the air could keep emotions from building pressure inside.

"Would you tell me about your children, Gabriel? Do you know anything about how they are now? It must have been hard for you to leave that life."

Tag Gabriel! | wearing this | Notes: Bit dialogue heavy, oops.

made by marv @ atf

[Gabriel Forrester]

"Oh, no apologies needed Sister," he said with a chuckle, "You're quite right. I've seen both side and heavens know I was just as ignorant upon arrival here. And now look at me! The old Gabriel would have died without his technology and medications. The new Gabriel is born again because of the lack of it. You're very correct."

He sighed, washing those thoughts away and focusing on Tora's request. It was hard to think about the girls.

"Violet and Zoe, my two lovely little girls," he said, smiling wistfully. "They're teens now, but they were just little things when I left. They looked like their mother then. Dark hair, almond eyes. My lips of course, though hopefully their mother's brain."

He felt the corners of his eyes stinging, "I haven't had a word of them. I wish I could get to them, free them of the life there before it's too late..." But it was impossible at the moment. His throat clenched up uncomfortably.

"It was very difficult to leave them. Having children is like giving a little piece of your soul away. To be away from that piece of you is painful. But it's gotten easier. Once I gave myself over to the faith, it got easier. I think of them every night, I wonder how they're doing."

He folded his hands in his lap, trying to regain his composure. "Do you want children, Tora? I wanted a whole passel full of them but it seems unlikely now."

[Tora]

to be a part is to be truly whole

Two girls. She tried to imagine Gabriel with children, with infants, as they must have once been. The image fit, but she knew it wasn't accurate. The calm and patient man she dealt with was almost an entirely different person from the one who had first come to the Compound. Had the girls had a raving lunatic for a father? Tora certainly wouldn't advocate for that. She knew what it was like to have the wrong person for a father. She wouldn't wish it upon anyone.

And yet... she didn't think her father could ever have made the transformation that Gabriel had. He certainly never would have left. Tora wasn't sure which took more strength. Surely leaving, but then her own mother had left and Tora hadn't felt the strength then. Instead, she felt kicked down, defeated. Her own mother had abandoned her.

Tora felt a strong tug of sympathy and pity for the two girls Gabriel had left behind. Perhaps he did what he felt was best, and it was possible that he was right. All the same, there was an unavoidable horror that came with being abandoned by one's own parent. Of all the people in the world, parents were the ones who were supposed to always be there, always love you. Who was going to love those girls now that Gabriel was gone?

God had brought him here. Maybe God would bring the girls here too. It could be thoughts like that that helped Gabriel cope with the loss. He was so strong in his faith, he must believe. Tora couldn't help but think the girls were simply left for whatever fate happened to stumble upon them. God wasn't always the kindest of all souls.

He had suffered a loss too, she reminded herself. They were his children and he must have cared for them deeply.

"I'm so sorry. I know what it's like to lose someone you love. It must be a burden for you every day." Her burden was many many years old, not eliminated but certainly shifted by time. His was surely still fresh, as evidenced by the tightness in his voice and the redness around his eyes.

"My own children?" Tora shrugged, "I don't think everyone should be a parent. I love children, certainly, but I've never thought I was particularly cut out for the care of one. In any case, this isn't a world I think is a very good place to bring a new life. I would feel guilty for subjecting a child to the terrible things out there. And anyway, I'm much too old for diapers and midnight wakings."

Tora laughed. She had, at some point, considered the notion of having a brood of her own. It wasn't a serious consideration though. Her parents weren't exactly the best role models. And she believed that children deserved love. Tora wasn't sure she even knew how to properly have that much love.

Tag Gabriel! | wearing this | Notes: Internal struggle party!

made by marv @ atf

[Gabriel Forrester]

He inclined his head in a slow nod. Yes, it was a burden. But he knew Lin would watch after them. She had money and means and was protective of their children. She would keep them safe. Gabe had fantasized about bringing all three of them out of the compounds multiple times. It was no use though. Lin wouldn't want to leave--she certainly wouldn't understand. To her the Compounds were safe and the Pleebs a land of fear and disease. True, there was disease here but there was also safety outside the grasp of the Corps and the message of the Gardeners would save them.

He laughed a bit after Tora's words. "Oh dear Tora, you're never too old for children. Biologically of course there comes a time when we simply cannot, but you'd find it an easy thing to be awake at night and changing cloth diapers. I never minded on those sleepless nights, even when I had to go to an early meeting."

His gentle laughter stopped and he smiled, "Loving a child is the most easy thing possible. Keeping them safe is the issue."

Gabriel tried to stay his mind and keep it from going dark places. He reached out and fiddled with the leaves of a lavender plant. Sniffing his fingers, he instantly relaxed. The aromatic oils of the plant were one of God's greatest gifts.

"But I agree, this world can be daunting for a parent. Constant worry. I know better than most."

He sighed, resigned to the lot he'd chosen for his life. "Nevermind those dark thoughts, they are neither here nor there for us now are they? I simply pray for my family. It's the best I can do now."

Gabriel prayed for a lot of things. He sang the Gardener hymns in earnest and put his faith where it counted. He couldn't focus on things he could not change. Best to focus on his new life and how he could positively impact those around him.

"How are the bees this fine morning? I heard once that they can predict the weather, tell when rain is coming? Is that an old wives tale?"

[Tora]

to be a part is to be truly whole

Tora fiddled with calendula flowers next to her. It was one of the few in Gabriel's collection that she could name. She'd had to use a suspension of it for an infected cut a year or so ago. Perhaps it had even been this plant. That seemed a nice circle. She would have to ask Gabriel to teach her a few more names. Her bees probably knew these plants better than she did and of course she couldn't let them get too much smarter than her.

It wasn't time yet for such questions though. Instead she needed to focus on the topic at hand. Her mind wandered too much when the day was so peaceful like this. She needed a little more sunshine to keep it focused.

Gabriel himself seemed a little more peaceful when he spoke of his children, or at least of the simplicity of loving them. His worries were only evident from a small knot between his brows.

"Your strength is enviable, brother. I would have loved a child if I'd ever had one, but I couldn't stand the worrying." She set her hand on his shoulder, "I will pray for them too. Two voices in song are stronger than one."

Tora rarely prayed for herself. She didn't believe any higher power was particularly interested in her. Tora found herself rather mundane and boring and imagined that the universe had better uses for its energy that her own concerns. She sang hymns, praised the beautiful creations of God, but she chose her individual prayers carefully. Gardener theology could be flexible, and Tora tended towards the simpler side of things. Prayers were a type of positive energy. It seemed Gabriel could use some of her energy to send towards his girls.

She smiled as he inquired after her bees, "They are doing wonderfully. The closest I have to children of my own, I suppose, and I think that sort of love is healthy for them."

Tora paused and looked towards her own rooftop. Some of the workers would probably come over here soon.

"Not so much with rain, but they can be very good with temperatures. I always know when I'll be needing an extra blanket on the bed and the like. You should come by sometime and see them. I think your lavender crop really makes them happy. And that means very good honey."

Tag Gabriel! | wearing this | Notes: Longest reply waiting ever. I'm so sorry!

made by marv @ atf

[Gabriel Forrester]

He did have to agree. The honey was one of his guilty pleasures now days. Without the distraction of all of the processed and altered foods of the Compounds, the already thin Gabriel had dropped another ten pounds he didn't exactly need to lose. Still, he felt spiritually well here and he could have never said that in the Compounds.

"Well, you and your bees are always welcome in the garden. The lavender has been having a bumper crop and I'm going to have to find more planters soon. Maybe I'll place some over by the hives. We've got too much to use for the soap even!"


He chuckled, thinking of the soap they sold among the Pleebs. Gabriel wasn't overly fond of the scented stuff himself, but the plant had many uses and the money gained was most beneficial to the Gardeners for the supplies they couldn't scavenge for.

Gabriel stretched out his legs, basking in the warmth of the sun as it continued to rise in the sky overhead. "I think it'll be nice and warm today. I might go for a scavenge. Would you like to come?"

Some of the Gardeners preferred to stay out of the Pleeb world, but Gabe always found scavenging to be just the excitement he needed to pass the slow hours. It was an adventure--one never knew what they'd find among the rubble. One man's trash was another man's treasure.


OOC: Sorry this is crap! They're so low key!