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aster-d-angelo · 1 year

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Reth and Valia — Growing Pains

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Sweet Lord above, I’m gonna murder him. I don’t know how yet, but I’ll find a way.

It’s only been a week and already I’ve developed a twitch that kicks in with a vengeance whenever he’s brought up.

*sigh*

Where to begin…

Okay, so I realize being a handler is supposed to be a good thing. It shows I can handle my responsibilities and care for a living being without fail. It might even be enough for a promotion in the near future.

But good God, did it have to be him?

Yes, I know I shouldn’t complain. I was given a responsibility and I’m gonna fulfill it even if it kills me, which at the rate things are going is a likely possibility, but dammit, he can’t go a little easier on me?

Every day, it’s the same: get up, go take care of the giant bastard, nearly grind my teeth to dust, and then go about the rest of my day.

Until dinner, when I have to do it all over again. Rinse and repeat.

It actually wouldn’t be so bad if he didn’t make it an excruciating point to get on my nerves every single minute of every single day. He just won’t let up; every other sentence out of his mouth is teasing, insulting, or downright flirting, and the whiplash from irritation to anger to embarrassment and back has long since given me a near-constant headache in his presence.

I just…I just don’t know how to act around him. His moods flip like a goddamn light switch, leaving me scrambling to keep up. Just when I’m feeling sympathetic towards him, he starts teasing me again, and the moment I’m ready to flip my lid, he sobers up or God forbid starts flirting.

That’s probably the worst part, feeling like I’m just another warm body for him to hit on. I realize he doesn’t get out much, but it feels so useless. Like, are you really getting something out of that?

I’m probably being too hard on him, but would it really kill him to stop trying to get a rise out of me for more than two seconds? It doesn’t help that he’s so good at it…freakin’ jerk…

With a heavy sigh, Valia pushed back from her desk, dropping her pen and stretching out stiff muscles. It was probably best that she stop that particular entry right there before it devolved into a spate of name-calling and increasingly violent threats.

A glance at the clock brought on another sigh and Valia reluctantly threw on a jacket, latching the gauntlet back on and grabbing her key before heading out.

Nights were cool lately, much cooler than the warm days they’d been having. The indigo sky above was speckled with stars, wisps of cloud barely visible in the dying light. Hands in her pockets, head craned back, Valia star-gazed until the barracks blocked her view.

Walking down the dark, silent corridor alone was never fun, Valia hurrying past cage after cage trying not to look inside any of them. She almost walked past Reth’s cage in the dark, turning on the little lantern light set in the wall by the door so she could see to use the key. Should really think about a flashlight…

The cage door squeaked open, Valia slipping inside and venturing a couple steps into the darkness beyond. The lantern light didn’t reach inside very well and her skin crawled at the impenetrable blackness filling the cage. “Anybody home?”

Not ten feet in front of her, a pair of teal eyes suddenly blinked open, shining eerily in the dim lamp light and scaring the shit out of her. Before she could beat a hasty retreat back to the door, however, a hand materialized behind her, dimly backlit and deepening the gloom around her. A toothy smile gleamed in the shadows, sending a shiver up her spine.

“Well, look who’s back,” came the low rumble she was slowly becoming accustomed to. “Wasn’t sure you’d be back after this morning.”

Ah, yes, this morning, when she’d basically stormed out the second his needs had been met, head ready to explode with frustration. “Yeah well, I have a responsibility to take care of you. I’m not going to abandon my duty just because you’re being a massive jerk,” Valia shot back, a thread of steel in her tone despite the lightest tremors running through her.

The hand withdrew with a chuckle, trailing light drag marks through the dust. “Ouch. Tell me how you really feel.” Sand and clothing shifted, Reth presumably sitting up in preparation. “What're we waiting for, then?”

Mouth thinning, Valia twisted the dial, smacking the button. The bright flash illuminated the cage for a second, an afterimage of a light dust cloud and a swiftly shrinking giant burned into her night vision. Then darkness returned, Reth soon sauntering into the dim light, hands stuck in his pockets. For once, he didn’t say anything, a fact for which Valia was secretly grateful as she led the way back down the hall.

Their first and only stop was the “cafeteria” — really just a fancy name for the patch-of-dirt courtyard across from the wash stations. Reth plunked down in his usual spot against the wall while Valia went to retrieve his meal. The tray was twice the size of normal ones, half-full of stale bread, a handful of slightly overripe fruits and veggies, a cut of jerky, and a cup of water. The cadet couldn’t help the wince as she hauled the tray back to the giant — at least it wasn’t gruel.

Reth accepted the tray like he always did, with a nod and a smirk. Valia just ignored him like she always did, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms as she scanned the courtyard. They were a little later than usual today, so only a couple other assets were around, finishing up their own meals. Their handlers looked bored as hell, hardly acknowledging their asset’s existence until they were done, then leading them back to their cages with hardly a word or even a glance.

Unexpectedly, a sliver of guilt slithered through her chest, watching fellow officers handle their assets so callously and sensing an uncomfortable similarity to her own actions. She’d never thought of herself as a cruel person, and from what Reth had said when they first met, she was different, apparently more kind than others had been. She had taken a strange sense of pride in that, having won the vague approval of a species that severely disliked her own.

But given how quiet and relatively compliant Reth had been lately, she wasn’t sure how well she’d kept that up. Indifferent could be just as bad as cruel, after all.

A poking sensation pulled her from her thoughts, Valia skittering to the side instinctively as she noticed Reth in her immediate peripheral, a hunk of bread in his hand. “Wha…did you just poke me with your food?” she sputtered, brushing at her uniform and scowling at the bread crumbs.

“Well, nothing else was getting your attention, sweetheart,” Reth answered lazily, tearing off another chunk of bread and holding out the tray with a smirk.

With a huff, Valia snatched it up, feeling heat climb her neck a bit as she took the tray back.

They made their way back to the cage without issue, Reth ducking inside and heading for the corner while Valia trailed some feet behind. Another twist, another click, and Reth was full-size once more, invisible in the dark as he presumably settled against the wall.

And that was that. Okay, time to head back to the dorms and hit the books for tomorrow’s quiz—

A yelp escaped her as a hand abruptly descended, cutting off her path to the door. Valia whipped around, staring up at disembodied teal eyes, mind racing for an explanation.

“Where’s the fire, sweetheart?”

She struggled with the spike of irritation. “I’m going back to my dorm. I have a quiz tomorrow.”

“And you hafta be studying every second until then, right?” She could hear that goddamn smirk as he tilted his head. “Do you ever relax?”

Breathe, Val, just breathe. “I do, actually. Thanks for the concern, if that’s what that was,” Valia snipped, pivoting on her heel and attempting to sidestep the long fingers in her way.

They shifted with her, making her teeth grit as she glared over her shoulder.

“I don’t think ya do.” His fingertip gently tapped her shoulder, making her jerk back. “How ‘bout you hang out with me for a bit so I can be sure?”

He couldn’t really want her to stick around; hell must’ve frozen over.

“What’s the catch?” was out of her mouth before she realized it.

Another chuckle, soft and amused. “You wound me, sweetheart.” His arm came down just like before, letting him lean down into the dim light and putting her level with his smirk. His warm breath just vaguely brushing past her, Valia resisted the overwhelming urge to step back, her back mere inches from his fingers, breath held as their gazes locked.

“…maybe I just appreciate your company,” he said quietly, making her freeze in place.

Hold up. Was this flirting? It seemed like flirting, but…

Her mouth opened once or twice, but her usual sarcastic responses didn’t seem appropriate somehow and she didn’t really have any others handy…

The silence stretched almost to the point of uncomfortable, Valia struggling to process as her face slowly flushed. Thankfully, it was enough for Reth to pull back with a snort, hand moving just off to the side, essentially freeing her. “Well, that’s a no. Don’t study too hard, kay?”

For the second time that night, guilt squeezed her chest as that neutral expression of his slid back into place. It didn’t take a genius to know why he wanted the company and used her wellbeing as an excuse, but she still couldn’t wrap her head around why he’d choose her. They hadn’t had a decent interaction the entire week she’d known him, barring that one moment when they’d first met, and even now, she couldn’t talk to him without wanting to punch him in his big smug face. Sure, she was around him the most, but he had to have somebody else to hang out with!

…right?

No, now she was just being stupid. He spent at least half of each day in the cage, interaction between assets outside the cage was frowned upon, and none of the officers wanted anything to do with the assets — there was literally no one else.

She took a deep breath and let it out.

Alright — time to start being the decent human being he apparently thought she was.

Before she could change her mind, Valia moved a little closer, hesitantly taking a seat on the sandy floor and catching his attention. “I guess I can stay for a few more minutes,” she mumbled, a finger swirling through the sand as she tried to avoid eye contact. “But you try to pick me up again and we’re gonna have a problem.”

A moment’s pause and she felt more than saw him lie down on the dusty floor, getting settled a comfortable distance away to her mild surprise. Eyes still on the floor, she missed the little smile that appeared.

“Yes, ma’am,” he murmured, and Valia’s heart skipped a beat as the words practically vibrated through her.

This was gonna take some getting used to.

-.-

Shutting her dorm door behind her, Valia stifled a yawn as she made her way to her desk, rummaging through her textbooks. Finding the one she needed, she plunked down and went to crack it open, only to catch sight of her abandoned journal entry just off to the side. A thoughtful pause had her toying with her pen, eyes tracing the neat, tight words.

It’d only been a few minutes and she’d pretty much hightailed it out of there, but…

Her pen scrawled another few words at the bottom of the page.

Okay, he’s not so bad.

Satisfied, Valia turned back to her book, settling in for a night of study.

The next morning, she went about her duties as usual, stopping in for breakfast before heading to the cage.

“Morning,” she murmured absently, mind occupied by the day’s schedule as she unlocked the cage door and stepped inside. It was a fairly light day and her quiz wasn’t until after lunch, so she could squeak in a review if she needed to…

The lack of response finally broke into her thoughts and Valia glanced up to see Reth propped up on an elbow, watching her with an unreadable expression on his face. He was unusually quiet, making her squint suspiciously. “What?”

A smug little grin appeared, Reth tilting his head. “Nothing.”

What was his deal this morning? Valia just rolled her eyes, spinning the dial. “Whatever.”

#g/t #g/t writing #d'angelo drafts #reth #valia #reth and valia #I've given up knowing what I'm doing XD #so here's the next bit

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anipgarden · 1 year

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Things to Do that Aren't Related to Growing Plants

This is my second post in a series I’ll be making on how to increase biodiversity on a budget! I’m not an expert--just an enthusiast--but I hope something you find here helps!

Some of us just don’t have much luck when it comes to growing plants. Some of us simply want to aim for other ways to help that don’t involve putting on gardening gloves. Maybe you've already got a garden, but you want to do more. No problem! There’s a couple of options you can look into that’ll help attract wildlife in your area without even having to bring out any shovels!

Provide a Water Source

Oftentimes when I see ‘add a water source’ in informational articles about improving your backyard for wildlife, it’s almost always followed by an image of a gorgeous backyard pond with a waterfall and rock lining that looks expensive to set up, difficult to maintain, and overall just… not feasible for me. Arguably, not feasible for a lot of people. And that’s okay! There’s still ways to add water in your garden for all kinds of creatures to enjoy!

There’s tons of ways to create watering stations for insects like bees and butterflies. A self refilling dog bowl can work wonders! Add some stones into the receiving tray for insects to land on or use to climb out, and you’ve got a wonderful drinking spot for all kinds of insects! You can also fill a saucer or other dish with small stones and fill it, though it’ll likely need refilling daily or even several times a day during hot times.

I've seen people online use all kinds of things to make water features. Some go with terra-cotta pots, pebbles, and a cheap pump to get a small and simple fountain. Others use old tires, clay, and a hole in the ground to create an in-ground mini pond system. If all else fails, even a bucket or watertight box with a few plants in it can do the trick--though do be wary of mosquitoes if the water isn’t moving. In situations like these, a solar-powered fountain pump or bubbler are great for keeping the water moving while still making it a drinking option for wildlife (it not even more appealing for some)--and these items can be obtained fairly cheap online!

Bird baths are an option as well--a classic way to provide for birds in your area, they can be easy to find online or in a gardening store! The only downside is that a good, quality bird bath can be pricey up-front. However, a nice stone bird bath should last a long time, be easy to clean and refill, and be enjoyed by many birds! I’ve also seen tutorials on how to make your own with quickcrete! Bird baths will be a welcome sight to birds, as they provide a space for them to drink and bathe to regulate the oils in their feathers for flight and insulation. Putting a stone in the middle will also help insects to escape if they fall in, and provide a place to perch so they can get their own drink. You’ll want to change the water and clean the baths regularly--as often as once a week, if you can manage it.

If possible, it’s highly encouraged to fill and refill water features with rainwater instead of tap water. Tap water is often treated, so instead of using hoses or indoor kitchen water, collecting some rainwater is a great alternative. Collecting rainwater can be as simple as leaving cups, bins, or pots outside for awhile.

Butterflies and other creatures will also drink from mud puddles. If you can maintain an area of damp soil mixed with a small amount of salt or wood ash, this can be fantastic for them! Some plants also excel at storing water within their leaves and flowers (bromeliads come to mind), making them an excellent habitat for amphibians as well as a drinking spot for insects and birds.

Bird Feeders and Bird Houses

Some of the fancy, decorated bird feeders are expensive, but others can be pretty low-cost--I got my bird feeder from Lowe’s for around 10 dollars, and a big bag of birdseed was around another 10 dollars and has lasted several refills! If you don’t mind occasionally buying more birdseed, a single birdfeeder can do a lot to attract and support local birds! If you’re handy, have some spare wood, and have or can borrow some tools, you may even be able to find instructions online to make your own feeder. You may not even need wood to do so! Even hummingbird feeders, I’ve found, are quick to attract them, as long as you keep them stocked up on fresh sugar water in the spring and summer!

An important note with bird feeders is that you have to make sure you can clean them regularly. Otherwise, they may become a vector for disease, and we want to avoid causing harm whenever possible. Also keep an ear out and track if there’s known outbreaks of bird diseases in your area. If local birding societies and scientists are advising you take your birdfeeders down for awhile, by all means, do it!

Bird houses are naturally paired with bird feeders as biodiversity promoters for backyard spaces, and it makes sense. Having bird houses suited to birds in your area promotes them to breed, raise their young, disperse seeds, and generally engage in your surrounding environment. Setting them up takes careful selection or construction, preparation, and some patience, but sooner or later you might get some little homemakers! Keep in mind, you will need to clean your birdhouses at least once a year (if not once per brood) to make sure they’re ready and safe for birds year after year--you wouldn’t want to promote disease and parasites, after all. But they could be a valuable option for your landscape, whether you purchase one or construct your own!

Again, do make sure you're putting up the right kind of boxes for the right kinds of birds. Bluebird boxes are some I see sold most commonly, but in my area I believe they're not even all that common--a nesting box for cardinals or chickadees would be far more likely to see success here! And some birds don't even nest in boxes--robins and some other birds are more likely to use a nesting shelf, instead! Research what birds live in your area, take note of any you see around already, and pick a few target species to make homes for!

Solitary Bee Houses

A bee house or bee hotel is a fantastic way to support the solitary bees in your area! For a few dollars and some annual cleaning, you can buy a solitary bee house from most big box nurseries. Alternatively, you can make one at home, with an array of materials you may already have lying around! You can even make them so that they’ll benefit all kinds of insects, and not necessarily just bees.

Though you don’t even necessarily have to break out the hammer and nails, buy a ton of bricks, or borrow a staple gun. Making homes for tunneling bees can be as simple as drilling holes in a log and erecting it, or drilling holes in stumps and dead trees on your property. You might even attract some woodpeckers by doing this!

Providing Nesting Area

There are tons of different kinds of bees, and they all make different kinds of homes for themselves. Not all of them make big cavity hives like honey bees, or will utilize a solitary bee house. Bumblebees live in social hives underground, particularly in abandoned holes made by rodents--some others nest in abandoned bird nests, or cavities like hollow logs, spaces between rocks, compost piles, or unoccupied birdhouses. Borer, Ground, and Miner bees dig into bare, dry soil to create their nests. Sparsely-vegetated patches of soil in well-drained areas are great places to find them making their nests, so providing a similar habitat somewhere in the garden can encourage them to come! I do talk later in this document about mulching bare soil in a garden--however, leaving soil in sunny areas and south-facing slopes bare provides optimal ground nesting habitat. Some species prefer to nest at the base of plants, or loose sandy soil, or smooth-packed and flat bare ground. They’ve also been known to take advantage of soil piles, knocked over tree roots, wheel ruts in farm roads, baseball diamonds and golf course sand traps. You can create nesting ground by digging ditches or creating nesting mounds in well-drained, open, sunny areas with sandy or silty soil. However, artificially constructed ground nests may only have limited success.

Providing Alternative Pollinator Foods

Nectar and pollen aren’t the only foods sought out by some pollinators! Some species of butterflies are known to flock to overripe fruit or honey water, so setting these out can be an excellent way to provide food to wildlife. You may want to be cautious about how you set these out, otherwise it can help other wildlife, like ants or raccoons. Butterflies may also drop by to visit a sponge in a dish of lightly salted water.

Bat Houses and Boxes

Big or small, whether they support five bats or five hundred, making bat boxes and supporting local bats is a great way to boost biodiversity! Not only will they eat mosquitoes and other pest species, but you may also be able to use the guano (bat droppings) as fertilizer! Do be careful if you choose to do that though--I’ve never had the opportunity to, so do some research into how strong it is and use it accordingly.

Provide Passageway Points

If you want your area to be more accessible for creatures that can’t fly or climb fences, allowing or creating access points can be an excellent way to give them a way in and out. Holes in the bottom of walls or fences can be sheltered with plants to allow animals through.

In a somewhat similar manner, if you’re adding a water fixture, it’s important to provide animals a way to get into and out of the pond--no way in, and they can’t use the water. No way out, and they may drown. Creating a naturalistic ramp out of wood beams or sticks, or stepped platforms out of bricks, stones, or logs can do the trick.

Get or Keep Logs and Brush Piles

I’ve already mentioned logs a good handful of times so far in this post. To be used as access ramps, or as nesting areas for solitary bees. But they have value as much more than that! Logs on the ground provide shelter for all kinds of animals, especially depending on size--anything from mice, reptiles, and amphibians to things like turkey vultures and bears will use fallen logs as shelter. Inside of a decaying log, there’s a lot of humidity, so amphibians are big fans of them--meanwhile, the upper sides of them can be used as sunning platforms by things like lizards. Other animals can also use the insides of logs as nest sites and hiding places from predators too big to fit inside. Fungi, spiders, beetles, termites, ants, grubs, worms, snails, slugs, and likely much more can be found inside rotting logs, using the rotting wood as food sources or nesting places. They can then provide food for mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. They can also be regarded as a landmark or territory marker as wildlife get more familiar with your space.

So how do you get logs for cheap? Try Chip Drop! I talk about them more in a future post, but you can mark saying that you’d like logs in your drop, so they’ll give you any they have! In fact, you may even get a drop faster if you're willing to accept some logs. You may also be able to approach arborists you see working in your area and ask for logs. There may also be local online listings for people selling logs for cheap, or just trying to get rid of them. If there’s land development going on near you, you may be able to snag logs from trees they cut down to make space. Do keep in mind, you don’t need to have huge gigantic logs laying around your property to make an impact--even small logs can help a lot.

If possible, creating and leaving brush piles on the edge of your property can be a great boost to biodiversity--even if you may not see the wildlife using it. They’ll provide shelter from weather and predators, and lower portions are cool and shady for creatures to avoid the hot sun. The upper layers can be used as perch sites and nest sites for song birds, while lower layers are resting sites for amphibians and reptiles, and escape sites for many mammals. As the material decays, they also attract insects, and as such they’ll attract insect-eating animals too. As more small animals find refuse in your brush pile, their predators will be attracted to them as well. Owls, hawks, foxes, and coyotes are known to visit brush piles to hunt. Making a brush pile can be as simple as piling branches and leaves into a mound, as big or as small as you want. You can even use tree stumps or old fence posts near the base, and keep stacking on plant trimmings and fallen branches. Do note that you don’t want to do this near anything like a fire pit.

Don't forget, with all of these, your mileage may vary for any variation of reasons, so don't worry if you can't take all of even any of these actions! Even just talking about them with other people may inspire someone else to put out a bat box, or leave a few logs out for wildlife!

That's the end of this post! My next post is gonna be about ways to get seeds and plants as cheaply as possible. For now, I hope this advice helps! Feel free to reply with any questions, success stories, or anything you think I may have forgotten to add in!