"Really? You'd join me?" Now, that's just sweet, Bel. Barcus smiles up at him, utterly charmed, and suddenly the garden makes sense. Plants don't grow unless you plant the seed. Connection, romantic or platonic, has to be nurtured. It doesn't just appear in your lap.

"...I have a friend who can make flowers bloom out of nowhere," he adds thoughtfully. "Her name is Night Sky, I don't know if you've met her? But I think if I asked she'd make me some luminous mushrooms. I'd just need a place to plant them."

She would also, he assumes, hit on Bel if he introduces them. Better warn him if he doesn't already know her. "A project, then. Cultural outreach, for us."