sweetcandygirl | Nothing Better than New Years in the Amazon

Walking through Red's garden is a delight for Amelia. There are so many plants she's never seen before, and they're all healthy in ways that defy any normal growing seasons or traditions. Some of these plants may be deadly, but the rogue feels at ease as she takes in the sights around her, a curious smile on her face.

Charlie is quite the spectacle all on his own. Amelia tilts her head slightly to one side as she regards the plant, her smile widening a bit. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Charlie," she says to the plant. "Thank you for protecting Red's home. You seem to be doing a very good job if the garden's flourishing the way it is."

Harley heads up to pat Charlie on his head, and the plant snaps at her. Pamela just shakes her head, as Harley continues the game of getting close enough to tempt the plant, and pulling back quickly.

"You will tire him out, love."

"Thank you dear. You should help me pick out the best places to plant these seeds," Pamela tells Amelia.

Amelia chuckles at Harley's antics and then turns her attention to Red. "They're in the same plant family as roses, but are supposed to be very hearty flowers. If you have a small area where they can get plenty of sun and won't get overcrowded by taller plants, I think that would work best." She smiles warmly at Ivy. "I'd offer to help plant them, but I think my tailor might kill me if I told him I dirtied his latest creation in any way. I'd be happy to come back another day in proper attire, though."

Pamela smiles and gently touches Amelia's arm. A light enough touch that it can be easily avoided, if Amelia so wishes.

"You are welcome back here anytime. I would not know what to suggest to your tailor on what you should wear.... as I tend not to be as fashionable as Harley over there."

Harley was sticking her tongue out at Charlie. And flashes Red an innocent smile.

"Perhaps one day you would even be willing to visit my hot springs."

Amelia's cautious about the touch, but doesn't shy away from it. She's been around the other woman enough now that small touches like this are worth getting used to. She won't be returning the gesture in kind any time soon, but accepting it is something she's warming up to.

"I do all right on my own, but the tailor Harley and I share makes up for my gaps in knowledge or desire to be more fashionable." Which is helpful for outings like this when she wants to dress up nicely but needs a cooler ensemble than she would normally choose. Alex does love dressing his favorite ladies in beautiful clothes!

"Hot springs?" For a moment Amelia's confused - hot springs are very rare on her world - before she remembers they're most often used for bathing. Her cheeks flush a bright pink as the thought settles in. "I-I'm not sure I could. Bathing is a very solitary thing for me. I'm sure you wouldn't really want me to join you for that."

It hasn't occurred to her yet that the invitation is a form of flirting. It's simply an invitation from a friend to see a part of her vast home. Nothing more, really.

"The nice thing about Pam's hot springs... is that they are spread out enough that you could have a small pool all to yourself." Harley reassured Amelia. She knows that Pamela was flirting, but that it wasn't picked up by Amelia.

"But today is all about drinking in her tree house."

"But we can still talk with each other while we enjoy the hot springs?" Amelia's smile is curious and a touch excited. An outing like that does sound enjoyable, though she might still insist on a bathing suit or some sort of covering anyway.

"I had no idea you had a house up in a tree." The rogue turns her smile to Red. "I'm excited to see it. Please, whenever you're ready, lead the way."

"Of course. We have pools that are close enough where you can talk to each other, while still keeping privacy." Pamela reassures her.

"Pam can even encourage the vines around the hot baths to grow extra thick, to provide a protective screen." Harley chimes in.

"Well dear... it is a little more than up in a tree...." Pamela leads them to the house that has been shaped out a large tree.

Amelia doesn't quite have enough time to offer excitement about the future hot springs trip when Pamela's house come into view. The rogue's eyes widen as she looks up the length of the tree, her jaw slackening a little as she takes in all of the details. She's never seen anything even remotely like this before and it takes her a moment to recover from the shock.

"This is incredible. You made this?" She turns to Red with a bright smile on her face before turning her attention back to the house. "It's as much a part of nature as all of your garden patches."

"I made it with a little help from this old friend...." Pamela pats the trunk of the tree. And a few flowering blossoms appear under her hand, and spread to where the door of the house is, decorating the door in a warm welcome to her guests.

"I have created an extra bedroom here, in case you ever need to stay longer than a day, dear." She tells Amelia.

"Are you inviting me over for the night?" Amelia teases playfully. She throws a wink at Red as the follows the two women inside. "I'd be glad to stay a little longer. Time with friends is better than spending time on my own. Either way, I appreciate the offer. Should I ever need an escape from my daily routine for a few days, I'll let you know."

"You have an open invitation. Any time." Pamela tells Amelia, and links her arm with the other woman as they enter the treehouse.

"This is a good place to just cut off from other stupid shit." Harley tells Amelia with a grin.

In the first level, there is an open area dining room, where there is a few side dishes set out.

"There's been plenty of that recently." Damn Blaze and her secrecy around what was going on with Steve. Amelia exhales a small sigh and pushes the thought from her head as she walks along with Red. Best not to focus on what's bothering her when she's here to have a lovely evening with her friends.

As they enter the dining area, the rogue smiles as she looks over all the dishes set out on the table. "A small feast to start us off?" she asks, curious. "What other plans do you have for us tonight?"

Harley does not know about the confrontation between Blaze and Amelia. If she did, it would be one more reason why she is glad that she had made arrangements for today.

"All fresh fruits and vegetables from my jungle..." Pamela explains.

"She even made a New Year's Eve moss ball, that will drop at midnight." Harley grins, excitedly. And points to the window where the moss ball is visible. It is covered with a glowing moss, that will brighten as the sun goes down.

"There are a few surprises inside that ball, for us." Amelia tells both woman. And sits down at the table.

"I LOVE surprises." Harley grins, leaning way out of the window, trying her best to reach the moss ball -- even though it is far out of her reach.

Amelia's head tilts to one side as she takes a seat at the table. "Is the moss ball significant in some way? A tradition?" She's never spent New Year's Eve in a place that celebrated with a ball drop before, so this is a new concept for her. Strange as the idea of a moss ball being traditional is, she's curious as ever to learn about new culture things from her friends.

She laughs softly as she watches Harley. "I suspect whatever's inside won't last until Midnight if Harley has any say about it. You know you can't tell her there's a surprise waiting and then keep it from her," she chides teasingly.

"On my world... there is a giant New Year's Ball that drops from Times Square in New York." Harley explains. "And all sorts of people gather to watch the ball drop, and signal a new year."

"I only grew it because of you, love," Pamela tells Harley.

And she watches in amusement as Harley continues to try to reach the moss ball. "Oh yes... but half the fun is going to watch her try to find ways to get it in her reach."

"They just... watch it?" What an odd tradition. She wonders what the significance of it could be, but doesn't press. People of Earth do a lot of things she simply doesn't understand.

A bright, silvery laugh falls from lips. "I'm glad I didn't bring any weapons to make it easier, then. We can't let her have it too easily." The rogue grins at Harley for a moment and then turns her attention to the fruits and vegetables in front of her. She moves her fingers through the air above the collection for a moment before carefully reaching in and pulling out a peach for herself.

"There's no rules against making it more difficult for her, is there?" she asks, turning a mischievous grin to Red. "If there is... could we break it?"

"Most of the crowd are drunk at the time. It is just a place to gather, listen to music, and watch a giant sparkly ball drop." Harley reaches out the window with her bat in her hand, still not getting enough reach.

"She obviously brought her own to the party." Red notes with a laugh.

"No rules at all..." Red moves to sit beside Amelia. "And trust me, we are all about breaking rules if there were any to have."

She gestures with her finger, and the vine holding the moss ball drifts further away from the window ever so slightly.

Still an odd tradition, but Amelia won't begrudge them that. If everyone is enjoying themselves while they watch 'a giant sparkly ball' drop, then she has no reason to interject herself into the situation.

She stifles a laugh behind her hand before taking a bite of her peach. With Red on her side, this is going to be a lot of fun. "It looks like it's lowered itself a little since I first saw it," she notes with a feigned seriousness. "Can you raise it a bit back to its correct level?"

Pamela nods and command the vine to raise the moss ball up a little.

Harley pouts for a second. And then clamors outside the window, to try to climb up the tree for a better vantage point.

"She does enjoy a challenge," Pamela notes to Amelia, with amusement.

Amelia continues to laugh as Harley remains undeterred by the moving target. This is the lighthearted fun she's been missing lately.

"What happens if she gets to it before Midnight? Do we let her have what's inside or do we have to find another way to hide it from her?"

Pamela leans forward, and whispers in return. Knowing that it would be harder for Harley to hear her now.

"There are actually Glow Butterflies inside. When the moss ball breaks open, they will all flutter out."

"So it will be difficult to hide them, if she achieves her goal."

Amelia helps herself to another bite of her peach as Red leans in, her eyes widening slightly as the woman reveals what waits inside the ball.

"Should we try to convince her to wait? That would be a lovely thing to see at Midnight when it's properly dark outside." The rogue frowns at the window Harley climbed through. "After you went to the trouble of setting up the surprise, too. I suppose this was always a risk with Harley, but it is a little sad to see it ruined so soon after our arrival."

"No matter what I had offered, Harley would find a way to bring a little chaos to the evening. That is just her nature. And I love her for having such an energy."

Pamela sips at a fruit drink, with a smile. "I am glad she has Loki back in her life now, for he relates better to that side of her, than I can. I still prefer my peace and quiet at times."

"She isn't trying to intentionally ruin the evening. So that is why I will accommodate her for a little bit."

Red's answer is more thoughtful than Amelia imagined it would be, and she nods as she finishes off her peach and sets aside the core.

"It's good to have Loki back," she agrees. For several reasons, but the rogue is especially grateful for his presence on behalf of Harley and Thor. The two of them benefit the most from his return, and she's glad to not see them suffer under the oppressive possibility of Loki never coming back. Losing him without any indication would have been...

Amelia's lips press into a thin line as she catches herself. Her life may be in upheaval right now, but she refuses to bring the evening down with her troubles. She takes a small breath to steady herself and then tilts her head curiously at Red.

"Harley seems to be full of chaos tonight, more than I've seen in a while. Perhaps a result of Loki's return?" There's no upset in her voice and the mischievous edge to her smile says she's more amused than anything. "Chaos often feeds chaos, after all."

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