Dewei perked up at the mention of an Oriental antique store. Often times, such places had a lot of fake merchandise made to model things from the past. On the other hand he had been to some fine shops that boasted real goods from the past. Even the shops that were stocked with counterfeits always had a few real pieces and his trained eye always homed in on the genuine items. Picking himself up from the bench with the aid of his horse-headed cane, Dewei drew closer to inspect the seed he suspected to be fake.

The glow was amazing, unlike anything he had ever studied prior. Was this really a living seed or just some novelty item the young man had been falsely lead to buy. He had no idea. The only thing he did know was that it was new to him and the he hadn't seen anything like it.

It certainly is well over 2000 years old, Gui said as he floated back over to them.

Ran gave him a quick glance, hoping neither of the men would notice it. You're certain of that? she asked, though she knew better than to doubt the tree demon's knowledge of plants. Ever since their minds were connected, Gui had displayed his knowledge of plants to her. Apparently being a tree demon had made him well-versed in all things that grow from the earth. She didn't quite understand it, but she didn't bother to argue either.

Oh yes, Gui answered, nodding his head as he leaned closer to inspect the seed. Becoming lost in his examination, he gave no more answers.

"An antique shop?" Ran finally said out loud. "Perhaps I've been there to," she added in a mumble, getting the sense that Charles probably did acquire the seed at the same shop.

"Oh, really?!" In his excitement Charles raised his voice a bit louder than he had intended. "What do you think of the shop, then?"
He was unable to read the expression that rested upon Ran's face. Had she too bought something from the store only to discover it was a fake? Was she eyeing him with pity?

Deep in his speculations, Charles had not noticed the crippled man walking to his side. He appeared to be deeply interested in the lotus seed, and Charles immediately recognized the look he gave the Chinese artifact. It was the look of a learned man inspecting a potentially precious endive; he had seen the exact same expression on countless occasions years ago, when his father had been around. Hoping he had a valuable opinion to contribute, Charles moved the plastic baggie holding the seed closer to the man's face.

Dewei wasn't sure what to think. "Hmmm," he mumbled, "a very interesting thing you seem to possess. Is this the reason for your trip today? To consult with a botanist or other expert? Have you exhausted all other avenues of research?" He knew what scientists liked to do to seemingly rare and unique specimens. "If so, I suggest you never let the seed leave your possession. An expert might do something...unnecessarily drastic."

"I found the shop rather fascinating," Ran answered with a wide grin. "Lots of unusual antiques there." The grin melted away quickly. Don't you even dare! she ordered when she noticed Gui about to poke at the seed.

I'm only looking, grumbled the tree demon, unhappy to have his fun interrupted.

"Something unnecessarily drastic?" Ran repeated as she looked to the older man. If the lotus seed was anything like her dead tree branch, she certainly hoped they wouldn't do anything to harm it.

Charles nodded at the crippled man. "I didn't really know who else I might go to for advice on this kind of thing. I was hoping I might be able to find someone here who knows their plants," he laughed.
The man's warning instantly created comical images of mad scientists pouring assorted chemicals into test tubes. However, the comedy of the idea soon faded when another image took its place in his mind: the image of a labcoat-clad man standing over his precious lotus seed with a small hammer in hand.


Charles felt his heart quicken as Ran smiled. He figured her grin was due to her memory of the antique shop rather than an attempt to flirt, but she was undeniably lovely in a way he could not describe. Spots of bright red rose to his pale cheeks in a blush, but quickly faded away when Ran's lips suddenly flattened.
He internally kicked himself for enjoying the adrenaline rush that Ran's smile gave him. "No, stupid!" he told himself silently. "She's nowhere near as pretty as Jane!"

He turned back to the man. "Really, all I want to know is if this seed will grow if I plant it. What do you think?"
Hesitantly, he passed the plastic baggie to the crippled man, taking great care not to drop it.

"Why not plant it and find out for yourself? From my understanding, such plants are fond of water, though I'm no horticulturalist. Maybe ask one of the botanists about raising Lotuses, but I recommend keeping the seed to yourself. I'm sure they could direct you to some valuable resources. Then again, I could be wrong. Maybe this specimen is delicate and needs specific conditions. I guess either way you'll have to take your chances." Normally, Dewei was much more surer of himself in regards to antiquities. This seed only had age in common with the things he studied however, and he couldn't be sure of anything as a historian and not a scientist.

Ran missed the flush of color on Charles' face as she frowned more at the tree demon that kept looking like he would reach out and poke at the seed at any moment. Really, you're impossible sometimes, she told him with a sigh.

It's not every day I get to see such an old seed, Gui grumbled. No matter how old his tree branch was, it was dead, unlike this seed which had a sense of life to him. Do you think it's possessed? He turned away from the seed to give Ran a curious look.

It certainly is a possibility Ran answered, folding her arms as she stared at the seed. But if it is, that's for him to discover.

"If it does grow, I bet the flower will be quite lovely," she said, jumping back into the conversation.

Ran missed the flush of color on Charles' face as she frowned more at the tree demon that kept looking like he would reach out and poke at the seed at any moment. Really, you're impossible sometimes, she told him with a sigh.

It's not every day I get to see such an old seed, Gui grumbled. No matter how old his tree branch was, it was dead, unlike this seed which had a sense of life to him. Do you think it's possessed? He turned away from the seed to give Ran a curious look.

It certainly is a possibility Ran answered, folding her arms as she stared at the seed. But if it is, that's for him to discover.

"If it does grow, I bet the flower will be quite lovely," she said, jumping back into the conversation.

He nodded respectfully at the man's suggestion. He would never dare say it, but his advice just put him right back to where he had started. Perhaps it was silly to make such a fuss about the seed, about whether or not it truly had the potential to grow or if it was even a seed at all. At any other time Charles would have simply plopped the seed in mud and wait for a week or two to see if anything sprouted, but presently he felt a great fear: the fear of disappointment, the fear of a week wasted in nervous anticipation.

He chastised himself for being so childish. As if he hadn't been disappointed time and time before! The exasperated expression that flashed on Ran's face made him wonder for a moment if she was as annoyed with him as he was. However, the unpleasant thought soon melted away as she presented him with renewed hope. If the beautiful seed did grown, it would be sure to produce an even more beautiful blossom.

...but then again, that was a big "if".

"I've never taken care of a flower before," Charles admitted. "I don't really know what I'm supposed to do!"

His mind suddenly darkened. What if it grew and he neglected it? What if it had the potential to be a beautiful flower but never got to because he forgot some all-important rule of botany? He would feel horrible putting such a lovely (and not to mention expensive) thing to waste. Charles imagined the boyish face of the salesgirl at the antique store shaking her head in disgust.

"well, you are in the right place to learn how to grow one at least. Like I said just ask one of the botanists here about the proper conditions for growing lotuses. I'm sure that will get you started at the very least. Maybe we could look around the gardens some more, were bound to find some lotus plants somewhere in here. Are there any places on the map that are suggestive of a location?" he still wasn't sure how to best aid the young man other then by being helpful by any means

Ran shrugged. She knew little about taking care of such a plant. She suspected that most of the plants around her apartment would have withered and died by now if not for Gui's care of them. So she had little advice on how to grow the lotus seed.

Even Gui seemed a bit uncertain of what advice he could give.

Ran pulled out a map from her back pants pocket and unfolded it. "They grow in water, so somewhere around a pond, right?" She looked over the map, searching for the nearest pond.

At the man's gesture to assist him, Charles decided that it would be best to put aside such negative thoughts for the time being. He quickly recalled that he was in the presence of very gracious company, and it would be highly inconsiderate of him to wallow in self-doubt when they were trying to help him.

"That sounds like a pretty good idea," Charles smiled at the man. "Thanks for your help! By the way, I'm Charles."

Reopening the map that he had plucked from the basket, he smoothed his index finger over the paper until he relocated their position. The hall ahead split into two separate rooms: the Desert Room and the Tropical Jungle Room. Past the Tropical Jungle room was the Oriental Garden Room. According to the legend printed on the map, a large pond lay in the far corner of the room.

Charles turned to Ran and nodded.
"Yeah, I think there's a pond right here...see?"

"Pleased to meet you both, I'm Dr. Yu, and its really no trouble." Dewei was interrupted by the sound of his pager beeping. Removing it from his pocket, he checked it noting that the university's number was predictably displayed across its digital panel. "Well, I must take my leave briefly, seems my colleagues need to speak with me." Walking away, Yu shook his head. He didn't normally receive pages since it was the property of the university's and was always a grim omen when ever it went off.

"I'm Ran," she introduced herself with a smile. "It was nice meeting you as well." She glanced over her shoulder to check on Gui, and she almost sighed with relief when she found he was only a few feet away from them.

The tree demon hovered low to the ground as he examined some of the flowers there. He was glad to see them in excellent condition. Despite how large the Menewshan Botanical Gardens was, the plants seemed to be well cared for by the humans.

Ran turned back to Charles and looked at the map again. "Ah, I see it," she said. "Shall we head over there then?"

"Oh well, it was nice meeting you. Thank you again for the ticket!" Charles flashed a grin at Dr. Yu, but he was already making his way out of the room, balancing his weight on the smooth, lacquer cane. He noticed the man shake his head.
'Did I offend him or something?' Charles thought. 'Or does he think I'm another crazy teenager?'

The image of Dr. Yu's retreating form and the way in which he shook his head almost disapprovingly at once became flamingly familiar to Charles. From the depths of his memories, the record of one his most painful days came surging up into his consciousness.
A poem scrawled in a little boy's shaky handwriting, an avalanche of adulations from a bright young woman, a hardened man's stony glare, a series of harsh words exchanged, and then a slammed door. It was the day his father had left, and the day that his one true childhood passion had been rejected by the man he cared about most.

'Yes,' Charles intoned. 'I haven't written a poem since.'
He felt his heart beginning to sink into the stormy oceans of gloom, but Ran's voice called him back into the present, where the glorious sun was shining through the glass windows of the Menewshan Botanical Gardens.

"Oh uh, sure!" His eyes snapped back to attention, and he held the heavy door open for Ran as they walked into the drafty hallway. He glanced at her, feeling the need to make some sort of small talk.
"So, what brings you to the gardens today?"

Ran watched the young man at her side, wondering why the saddened expression had suddenly flashed upon his face. But as soon as she had spoken, his expression changed. She shook her wonders from her mind. Whatever was on the man's mind was not for her to pry into.

Come on, Gui, she called out, glancing over her shoulder toward the tree demon. We're heading off now.

Can't I stay here just a little longer? Gui asked as he frowned at her. He had moved on from the flowers and was now examining a young sapling.

I'm not about to let you out of my sights after that little stunt. Ran waited for the tree demon to pass through the doorway before she entered the hallway as well. "Ah, well," Ran started, thinking quickly for an explanation. "I've lived here for quite some time, but I've never visited the gardens before." She shrugged. "And today was such a lovely day, I thought I'd come here."

"Ah, I see," Charles replied. "I don't live too far away from here, either. Well actually, it's a half-hour bike ride, but when the weather's nice like this, it doesn't feel that long."
He lifted the corner of his mouth in a partial smile.
"Are you just looking around or is there something you want to see?"

As they made their way down the narrow hall, Charles felt a sense of ease wash over him. Though he had enjoyed Dr. Yu's company and appreciated his kind gesture, the man's presence had stirred more memories of his distant father than was of comfort to Charles.
For lack of school friends or Jane on that day, it was nice to have someone relatively close to his age with him as he went to seek advice.

At last the hallway ended, forking into two separate rooms. The sign bolted to the floor indicated that the tropical and Oriental rooms were to the right, and the desert room was to the left.

"Oh, I'm just looking around," Ran answered with a smile. "There are so many wonderful plants in here. It's a shame I'm not much of a gardener. Most times when I buy plants to decorate my apartment, they end up dying." She winced at that fact.

They would be if I wasn't taking care of them for you, Gui said smugly, floating backwards ahead of them so that he could grin widely at her.

Oh, quiet you! Ran scowled at the tree demon. She already knew that she was terrible at taking care of plants and didn't need him to remind her of the fact.

"Yeah, I'm not one, either. I don't know the difference between tulips and dandelions," Charles laughed. "My mom asked me to take care of her flowers one weekend, and I ended up killing them. Who knew you could wipe out an entire pot of flowers just by overwatering them?"

Walking over to the right, he opened the glass door leading into the tropical forest room. At once, a blast of humid air hit him like a wall. An unpleasant, dank smell that Charles associated with the monkey exhibit at the zoo tickled his nostrils. Reflexively, he ducked his nose into his shoulder and took a deep whiff of the flowery scent of fabric softener.
"Wow, I feel like I'm at the zoo."

Thick, dark green foliage covered the glass room from wall to wall, and a light misty fog floated lazily around the leaves. Despite the heat, Charles felt a chill run through his body. Everywhere he saw stern, disapproving faces; in the textured bark of the trees, in the fine veins of the leaves, and particularly in the strange exotic flowers.

It's a good thing your job doesn't involve caring for plants or you would have been fired long ago, Gui teased as they entered the overly humid room. Even the tree demon didn't find the humidity enjoyable. He preferred a cooler temperature with a nice breeze wrapping around him.

Ran sighed at his comment, but she knew that Gui was right. She looked over to Charles. "I guess we should look for someone that works here. Then you can find out more about your seed." She grinned at him.

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan," he grinned back.
Eager to escape from the suffocating humidity of the tropical room, he briskly led his way through thick walls of hanging leaves and vines until he located the glass door leading into the next room. Etched in frosty white onto the glass were the words "Oriental Garden".

Charles pushed the door open with his body and waited for Ran to pass through.

"You're heavy," Ran mumbled out loud when the tree demon decided to piggy-back on her.

This heat is too much, Gui complained. I think it's chipping away my bark!

Oh, you're such a whiner sometimes, Ran thought, shaking her head at him. It's not doing anything to your bark. She followed Charles to the next room, hoping it wouldn't be as humid as the last room. "Man, I could never survive some place as hot as that," she said, waving a hand to fan herself.

Charles stepped into the room behind Ran and almost tripped over a stone as he took in the scenery. To his side, weeping willows spread their long arms over the gravel path, hanging shaggy strands of bright green leaves like heavy rain. Swallowtail butterflies fluttered through the room excitedly, stopping only for a few moments to rest on a branch or an outreaching flower. Scattered in the gravel were stone scupltures shaped like tiny pagodas, just like the ones Charles had seen before in picture books of zen gardens. From the lush green grass offside the beaten path, exquisite chrysanthemums with tiny petals sprouted hopefully toward the high glass ceiling.

After examining the beauty of the Oriental room, he suddenly recalled that Ran had made a strange comment before they entered.
" 'You're heavy'? " he thought to himself. 'Did she just comment on my weight...?'
Charles looked down at his tall, slender body. Surely she was not referring to him. He shook his head and looked back at Ran.
'Maybe the heat in that room made her delusional?' he mused to himself.

"Um, are you all right? Do you need some water or something?"

The moment that they stepped into next room, Gui released his hold on Ran as he hurried off to examine the new plants. He reached out a hand and let a butterfly settle upon one of his long twig-like fingers.

Ran had to roll her eyes at him, glad that the tree demon didn't try to disappear to play pranks on unsuspecting visitors. She blinked and glanced over to Charles at his question. "Oh, uh," she mumbled, scratching her cheek with a finger as a faint blush rose to her cheeks. "I'm fine. I was just thinking of something else." She glanced around the room. "Perhaps we should see about finding one the employees."