On Shadow.

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie's accustomed by this point in her career in Milliways with bringing people through to her house.

Sometimes however, she does forget to mention that her door leads to the back end of her walk-in pantry.

"Mind the rice bags, please," Sallie throws out behind her. "I haven't had a chance to put them away yet."

'Them', here, meaning 'a stack of burlap bags waist high that restricts the narrow walkway of actual living space to about half of its original width'.

Sallie's concise like that; even she has issues navigating it all.

Comments

[hopeitsworthit]

"Yeah."

Dean shoves his hands in his pockets.

"Here's hopin' no one was actually planning on making that dinner."

Uh.

[realmrsreynolds]

The gardener looks appropriately disgusted at the notion, but tries to change the topic quickly. It still comes off awkward as hell.

"Aren't you two supposed to be in with Missus Reynolds?" he questions, finally lifting his shovel out of his particular divot.

[gavemea_45]

"Not while she's visiting." Sam shrugs, watching the gardener. "She doesn't need us hanging around while they're talking, you know?"

[realmrsreynolds]

"Seems fair."

It's an awkward movement, especially since it doesn't seem to actually do any good, but the gardener kicks one boot against the other to knock dirt and mulch off. The result is sort of an accidental shuffle.

[hopeitsworthit]

Dean exchanges a look with Sam. It's a look that says Dude, does this guy have to piss, or what?

"Yeah. Uh. We keeping you from working?"

[realmrsreynolds]

"A little. Duibuqi," the gardener offers, "But if I don't get this done, you know the missus is going to [leave me out on the side of a road with my hand up my ass], you know what I mean?"

[gavemea_45]

He's got no idea what the guy just said, and even less intention of admitting it.

"Fair enough," Sam says. "We'll let you get back to it."

[hopeitsworthit]

Dean, who has learned some profanity from Kaylee, looks kinda cranky for a second.

He's not sure if the gardener was being a jackass, but he can guess.

Still--

"Uh. Yeah. You get right on that, dude."

[realmrsreynolds]

Finally.

"Thank you," and the gardener returns to his flowerbeds.

Once the new arrivals go away.

[gavemea_45]

They don't go far-- just around the corner of the house and out of sight.

Sam looks back toward the gardener, then raises his eyebrows at Dean.

[hopeitsworthit]

"He seem kinda nervous to you, dude?"

Dean's not really looking at Sam.

He's too busy scowling at the gardener.

[gavemea_45]

"Yeah. Not to mention -- the guy's got a good reason to stand around and talk for a bit, and wants to get back to digging around flowers in the dirt instead?"

He shakes his head.

"He knows more than he's saying."

[realmrsreynolds]

Hopefully that was enough time for the two boys to get anything they needed -- Sallie walks out the front door and move towards the hovercraft, confirming Sam and Dean's presence in her periphery.

"Anything useful?"

[hopeitsworthit]

"Could be, ma'am," Dean says, as he heads toward her.

"We'll see how it plays."

[gavemea_45]

He nods agreement, then observes,

"Looks like your friend's got some help around the place, at least."

Sam jerks his head toward the garden.

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie turns to look in the direction Sam indicates, and her eyes narrow.

"Those used to be vegetable beds. Hunh."

[hopeitsworthit]

"You don't say."

Dean's not looking at Sallie.

He may, in fact, be moving back toward that particular gardener.

[realmrsreynolds]

"Dean? What -- "

Sallie is just hoping that Dean's not about to punch someone in the face.

The gardener's primary reaction?

Run.

He's kind of quick, too.

[hopeitsworthit]

Dean'd chase him down (and quick, too), but Sam looks to have that covered.

Plus he's too much of a wuss to want to get his hands dirty.

"Gimme a sec."

That's directed at Sallie, but most of Dean's attention is on whatever the hell the gardener was doing.

He crouches down, looking out for a spade or shovel, or something.

There's gotta be one around, right?

Because the plants themselves don't look that interesting.

[realmrsreynolds]

Gardeners are gardeners because they are good at being patient.

And usually, gardeners have no reason to be particularly fast at running.

"Go away!" he shouts behind him at his pursuer -- toe picking itself directly down into a gopher hole.

He almost bounces.

[gavemea_45]

Which gives Sam the few seconds he needs to finish closing the distance.

"Not a chance in hell." He crouches down by the guy, putting a hand on his shoulder.

To anyone watching, it'd look as though he were checking to see if the gardener was okay, but instead he's preventing him from getting up.

"What's got you in such a hurry, dude?"

[realmrsreynolds]

"Why did you lie about being here as Reynolds' help?"

The man on the ground is not terribly forthcoming. "Get off me."

[hopeitsworthit]

"Dude," Dean says, maybe a little louder than he meant to (or maybe not), "Tell me you don't think these scalpels are gonna turn into some kinda tree or something."

He looks up, and while he sounds flippant, his expression is anything but.

"Because that's pretty batshit. I'm just sayin'."

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie watched as Dean tore through the plant beds, Sam chasing down Dorothy's help all the while, as if the entire event was on the Cortex in some drama.

When Dean carefully plucks two scalpel blades out of the ground -- long things, an antique style meant to have a handle slid over the blunt end for use -- she stares at the gardener being led back from the field.

"What did you do?"

[realmrsreynolds]

"Nothin'."

It's a quiet response, and the young man was never so still since the Winchesters have seen him. He rolls his eyes upward again, gesturing toward the house.

"She did."