Soft muted sounds of pouring raindrops upon glass echoed throughout the Academy Greenhouse adding an almost pleasant musical quality to the air while dulling the usual quiet atmosphere of the quite large glass building, the sounds coming from above however sounded different as the roof of the building was made not of glass but plastic hence the sound was distinctly different to the ears of most. The greenhouse itself was a myriad of bright vibrant colors as many different species of plant and tree called this building home the scent from all of the combined flowers made the air smell sweet and inviting, naturally not all of the plants looked as such as entire sections of the building were devoted to more dangerous flora including several of the most deadly toxins to be found in all of Valucre. It was normally tended to by several priests as well as a few select students who showed an interest in such a vocation while at the same time being trustworthy enough to work independently, such duties carried with them no real additional benefits hence few students even those who truly loved plants would sacrifice their free hours to tend to the flowers over more seemingly entertaining practices.
Rika however had found it to be a perfect way to occupy her time considering her free hours were spent mostly reading books and avoiding the looks of others as she made her way around campus, her ghostly form attracted a lot of onlookers and quiet whispers from many of the other students. But such actions were becoming less frequent now that Rika had been at the academy for a few months as other more interesting things had begun to occupy her fellow students minds, it was a relief in a way since Rika had felt so alienated from those around her except for a few notable people. The teachers of her classes had found Rika to be a most apt pupil as she always listened to their lectures and instructions with a keen ear while avoiding being distracted by class shenanigans among her fellow class mates, Rika also had a habit of staying behind after classes for extra assignments and work such as the greenhouse work she was currently engaging in much to the disgust of some of her classmates. Names such as ‘teacher’s pet’ and ‘brown noser’ had been common labels given to the girl both behind her back as well as several directly to her face from the members of the class who seemed to be struggling, Rika didn’t begrudge them too much as in her mind they were either simply jealous or frustrated as the work didn’t seem to come as naturally to them. A small smile played upon her ghostly lips at the thought of someone being jealous of her for much of anything given her current state as metallic fingers made lite work of delicate pruning, fingers that rarely made mistakes as well as never growing tired which was another reason this job was well suited to her.
Today she had come in early since she didn’t need to sleep which meant most nights she would simply lie in bed waiting for morning to come or wander the campus grounds, she had grown a particular attachment to the docks at night time as the winds around that time of night since it offered the best view for how her vision now worked. Which was the only real downside of this vocation which was that she couldn’t really tell one flower from the other without finding the right differences, there were even some that looked so alike Rika couldn’t tell the difference and simply had to leave them for the priest which was in its own way disheartening.
“Sunny morning... let your rays shine down on this little one…” The words quietly sung in a musical tone the voice distorted slightly so it sounded almost like two people were singing, the words were clear however and feeling was evident in the way the words flowed.
“Rainy morning… let your tears pour down to heal this little one…” A second verse sung in much the same tone as water poured from a hand held water can droplets cascading over the waiting flower, it was only when she was truly alone that Rika sang since she lacked the courage around others but with the flowers as an audience she found the courage.
The sun had just begun to rise as she had started her song which was quite the coincidence or so Rika thought as she walked over to use the watering can on another nearby flower, it was looking to be an interesting day as the first of the students began to emerge from the buildings most of them likely rushing to be first in the breakfast queue or to be first into the library to grab one of the many bound volumes needed for their uncompleted homework. There was another reason Rika had visited the greenhouse so early in the morning was to attempt to dispel a rumour that the greenhouse was in fact haunted, the rumour had cropped up several weeks ago when a group of students who had been studying inside the greenhouse late at night claimed to have heard what sounded like ghostly crying. Most people dismissed it as simply the wind or an overactive teenage imagination but Rika being party a ghost herself had also been nominated by some as the possible cause, which was ridiculous really but none the less Rika had decided to investigate none the less both in an effort to clear her name so to speak while at the same time out of curiosity. The night had revealed no clues however so all Rika had ended up doing was keeping the plants company but she was planning to stay again at the greenhouse tonight, placing the watering can down Rika made her way towards the entrance to the greenhouse wanting to make it to the library herself to look a few things up before the rest of her day started.
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