Chapter Text
The greenhouse was devoid of any lights save for a small filtering of the moon through the glass panes high overhead. Fiachra took that as a sign that no one was inside, although the canopies of thriving plants made for a thick labyrinthine haven it wasn’t so dense that he wouldn’t see any lights if they were there. At so late an hour there was no need for any student or professor to be in the greenhouse, which was precisely the point for his visit.
He shut the glass door silently, pocketing the key Aerona had gifted him before setting off into the trailing fronds that marked the entrance into the rest of the greenhouse. It had taken him their entire Freshman year to convince Aerona to make a copy of the key and now, at last, he had it early autumn before everything started to turn. With the key in his possession, he made use of it a few nights a week for the past few weeks, careful to go in the middle of the night to not get caught. His eyes adjusted fairly quickly thanks to the moon, although it was still very dark with amorphous shapes that he could barely make his way through. It was a simple path, at least, to a work table and set of chairs.
He took a seat facing outward, straddling over it and resting his arms casually on the back of the chair. The air was still and a little stifling compared to outside but it felt cleaner and the heavy scent of soil and plants was an inviting one that cleared his stress in a way that was unrivaled anywhere else. He relaxed into the chair with deep breaths, appreciating the silence and darkness while managing to remain just alert enough not to fall asleep.
Belenus shimmied a pick in the lock of the greenhouse door prepared for a challenge only to find it unlocked. He was simultaneously disappointed and relieved, disappointment lingered from being shunted from a challenge although he was uncertain he would be able to successfully pick a lock having never done it before. He entered easier than anticipated and all the more cautious for it. There was no one on the quad at this hour and no one he could discern inside but the last thing he wanted was to haphazardly run into anyone. It wasn’t as though his intent was nefarious, he simply needed some supplies that weren’t class sanctioned and couldn’t be signed off on, he planned to take only a small amount that wouldn’t be noticed or damage the plants.
He shut the door behind him soundlessly, stepping carefully through a narrow walkway, peering hard through the shadowed plants. They weren’t so dense inside that he wouldn’t see any lamps should they be on, but there were enough along the walls of the greenhouse that if he got far enough in anyone from the outside would have a difficult time seeing him. It was light enough to navigate without bumping into anything but not enough to identify the plants. He took every step with the utmost care watching the floor closely for obstructions avoiding them all until he was in enough to use his phone’s flashlight safely.
The light flooded a small portion of his surroundings and he happily scanned the tables and shelves combing through the plants to check their labels. He crept along as slowly as he had without the light, looking closely to not miss the specimens he was searching for. Knowing their scientific names, common names, and appearance didn’t go as far as he hoped when surrounded by so many varieties of everything imaginable.
He scanned the room with the light beginning to feel overwhelmed. Shadows of plants lengthened and shifted with the turn of the light and for a brief moment, a shadow loomed across the path like a human figure. Startled, heart leaping into his throat, he jumped, fumbling with his phone and nearly dropping it. Light splayed everywhere in the struggle and the human shadow grew longer, impossibly imposing in its distorted length. Dread grew like nausea in the pit of his stomach and his heart remained lodged in his throat hammering wildly. There was nothing to be done for it now. He grimaced, waiting for the stranger to show, the second it took felt like a century.
When the stranger appeared he angled the light to see who it was without blinding them. Though it was difficult to make out the details with the amount of black they wore, it wasn’t anyone he readily recognized. They were lean and perhaps a little lanky though obstructed by a jacket, what skin was bare was tawny and they had black hair that blended with their clothes. Their face was smooth and angular, eyes narrowed in suspicion. They didn’t look to be a professor of any sort, too young and casually dressed, possibly the same age as him.
Fiachra realized how much he had zoned out when a glimpse of white light flashed through the leaves, alerting him of the presence of another person. His attention snapped to full alarm bringing with it high strung nerves hinging on panic. His instinctual reaction was to dodge away from the light into the dark, but the act of standing nearly did him in with the way he was positioned in the chair. He stumbled off to the side barely keeping his balance while holding onto the chair to keep it from clattering to the floor. With a few swears under his breath, he managed to right himself free of his surroundings.
The light remained cast in his direction and he could see his own shadow darkening the length of one of the paths. No chance to slip away undetected. Rather than risk running into anything on the way out and digging himself further into a hole, he gathered his resolve after a second of fretting to face the newcomer with a sure stance and smooth demeanor.
The person he was confronted with did not meet his expectations. They were intimidatingly tall, which was rare for him to encounter, but it was everything else that really threw him off. They had long white hair and a white jacket that for a moment made him believe it was a professor from the science department, however, their face was too young and hair much too long and full to be naturally aged white. Their coat wasn’t a lab coat upon a longer glance but some kind of stylized asymmetrical jacket that could only be found online. They were definitely a student and looked as though they belonged there as much as he did.
“What are you doing here?” He asked simply, recovering from his shock only a moment before the stranger.
“Me? What about yourself? Lurking in the dark dressed in black. You’re obviously not working in here and you don’t look like you’re up to any good.” The person before him scrutinized him and he could feel their eyes boring into him. The expression on their thin angled face was one of harsh sharp lines.
“I was resting my eyes from the lights. Are you going to come in here and say I can’t take breaks?” He returned the harsh look with one of his own, not budging. It was a valid question to ask even though it didn’t actually apply to him.
“Ah…no.” The person shifted looking away for a moment. When they turned back their stare felt no less intense despite being shadowed. “But no light could be seen the entire time I walked across the quad. A break that long is unlikely. I haven’t seen you before in the sciences wing, you don’t look like you have leave to be here.”
“Nor do you,” Fiachra snorted, giving the other person another once over. “I haven’t seen you around campus ever for that matter.”
“If you haven’t seen me around you haven’t been looking close enough.”
“I’m familiar with the horticulture majors enough I would have seen you and I’m certain I’ll notice you after tonight.” He was confident he would be able to notice someone as flamboyant as the person in front of him but it was a large campus and he didn’t know everyone, if they were a science major they had more likelihood of having business here than he did.
They opened their mouth for a moment as though to speak but then scowled, perhaps considering his vague threat. “So, you’re on good terms with the faculty in charge of the greenhouse,” they began slowly, choosing their words carefully. “Yet, you say nothing about permission to be here.”
“You haven’t mentioned permission for yourself of any sort and you haven’t brought up connections either,” he replied just as carefully, keeping his seeming advantage in reference. It would be dangerous to be recognized or turned in since he frequently associated with Aerona, he didn’t wish to implicate her with his actions. He switched gears mentally, keeping mounting unease in check for the moment and setting curiosity for answers aside for later. “Listen, we aren’t getting anywhere with this conversation, so I’ll offer you a deal. I won’t push your motives for being here and I won’t bring up ever seeing you if you return the favor. No one will be the wiser. I’ll even leave first.”
“You are aware you sound even more guilty of something right?” Their mouth twisted to a frown but they stepped to the edge of the path regardless. They pointed the light at the floor so he could pass easily and maintain what semi-anonymity he had.
He took the opportunity to leave while he had it, giving a short friendly wave without turning back around. Curiosity over the strange person and their motives nagged at him with no leave, wanting answers with no real advantage to obtain them.