Black Thumb (Back Post)

Posted on Mon Aug 22nd, 2022 @ 12:40pm by

Mission: The Lost Brother

Commander Wagnor entered the science department, carrying a potted plant. The plant was wilted and barely alive. He thought he'd followed the instructions he'd been given, but it still looked sick. So he figured Bryant might know what to do. He thought about asking her to come look at it in his quarters, but thought someone might get the wrong idea.

Faint music was playing in the office and Paige was singing softly along with the song, not really paying attention to the fact that she was doing so.

"Hello Ms. Bryant, I was wondering if you could help with this poor plant." Soran said quietly.

"I can certainly try. Put the plant on the macro scanner there and we'll see what ails it."

"Thank you," he said. Setting the planet on the scanner, "you have a nice singing voice."

Paige blushed faintly, the pink color creeping down her neck. "Thank you" she replied a smile gentle upon her lips. "Where did you get this plant, and what instructions came with it?"

"A friend on my last ship gave it to me I don't remember her instructions, that might be why it's dying" He said looking sheepish.

"Alright then." Paige answered, tucking a lock of pale hair behind her ear. "Has it ever bloomed for you?"

"It was blooming when I got it, it started to look pretty bad when I transferred here."

"Transition shock is still a thing, despite all efforts to prevent it." Paige smiled a little, taking a sample of the soil and touching a leaf with a sampler to view the structure more closely.

"I was told that caring for plants can be peaceful but peaceful but I seem to have a black thumb."

"It can be peaceful, I find it quite soothing. I imagine that your idea of relaxation and mine are quite different." Her eyes twinkled as she raised her gaze to him, her eyes appearing much more green than normal in this light. "As for your plant...It's called a Peace Lily, and is an air purifier that was used in ancient ships to aid the environmental health. Most of the problem you are seeing is that you've been over-watering it. This leeches all the nutrients out of the soil, and leaves it nothing to feed on. "

"Oh, thank you," Soran smiled. "I find many things relaxing."

"Do tell." she encouraged as she pushed away from the desk and walked to a tall cabinet which she opened. It was full of pots of various styles and colors. Eyeballing the plant and the pot it was in she pulled out a couple of pots and settled them on a long table. "Which one of these strikes your fancy the most?"

"I like the gray one," Soran smiled. "As for relaxation either playing or listening to music does the trick."

"I see the appeal" Paige agreed tipping her chin up in a gesture of 'listen to what I've got playing'. A smile played at her lips, before she took the gray pot and laid a mesh down over the drainage holes. A circle of small grey rocks went around the mesh and held it down to the base of the pot. "So, you really only need to water this kind of plant once a week, if that. It tolerates being dry fairly well."

"I keep that in mind," He said

She tipped the plant expertly out of the pot it was in, and stuck the soil ball under a stream of glittering green liquid. The soil broke apart and was sent down to a collection area. Paige began to clip any roots that showed signs of root-rot. "Over watering can cause root rot, and other fungi that don't belong on the roots of a healthy plant."

"Thank you my... Friend." Soran looked away for a moment.

Paige smiled up at him, and saw him looking away from her. Embarrassed, or unsure about his ability to make friends? Either way, she was happy if he wanted to be her friend, and her eyes lightened a bit as the overhead lamp caught them. "Yes, I'd like that."

"I'm not very good at asking for help," He said softly.

"Nor I." Walking across to her spigot, she rinsed the roots, then laid a wafer of a fluffy material over the root branches. Filling the pot with fresh dirt, she planted the lily with an expert hand, tapping the pot here and there to even out the dirt within. Then she replicated a water ball and placed it in the pot. "This will change colors as it dries, when it's the same color as the pot, you need to water it until it is blue."

"Thank you an old friend gave me this as a cutting from a plant on earth." He smiled.

"It's a hearty cutting. It will thrive." her smile was soft as she touched the leaves. "Do you wish it to bloom more, or do you want a green leafy plant."

"Is either option better for the plant?" Soran asked.

"No, there's really no significant difference. " Paige answered after a moment of thought. "It will bloom regardless, it will bloom more if certain conditions are met."