Zircon's home was a tree house build in the highest, mightiest tree. Her territory was beautiful, with beautiful creatures, plants, flowers surrounded by colorful butterflies, sparkling brook with small glistening fish. The grass was so soft and green like a carpet, the trees were so brightly colored Parakeet and the umber brown branches were so strong you can swing and climb up high.
Zircon's tree house was homie. On the outside the house was colored Tawny with a Cherry red roof on top, there are no glass on the windows just lintels, and the door was barn red. The tree house was decorated with all sorts of colorful flowers, with the greenest of vines. Inside Zircon's furnishing was all handmade by nature, chairs made of sticks decorated with vine flowers, her sofa was all wooden but for comfort she put a soft woven woolen cloth from her animal friends who made it for her, table made of deadwood, lightflies for light, walls decorated with paintings of magnificent animals, and well there's no kitchen Zircon does her cooking outside, and for bathroom she bathes in the waterfalls.
"After a hard work in the heat, how would you like I make us some cold refreshments" asked Zircon.
"That would be great" replied Red.
"Great then, I'll make us some ice tea."
"Ice tea sounds great" said Terra, who's surprised they have ice tea in their galaxy. "Just to be clear, we're talking about flavored tea that is cold right?"
"Of course" answered Zircon. "Any requests of flavor?"
"Just your specialty Zirc" answered Sapphire. "I'm sure Terra can handle the Jungle Planet's tastes."
"I'm sure I will."
"Then I better get started." Zircon went outside to whip up some delicious cold drinks. Only these drinks were much colder than they thought, in fact they're actually frozen on a stick. Like popsicles.
"Here you go guys, some nice cold refreshing ice tea" she gave them each the popsicle teas.
Terra was confused, this was not at all what she expect. "Um, why is the tea frozen?"
"Cause it's "ice" tea" Red answered her odd question.
"Yeah, but where I come from ice tea is actually cold liquid, we call this popsicle or ice pop."
"Ice pop? Why would flavorful frozen food substance pop?" Red laughed.
Sapphire and Zircon laughed with him as well. Terra just smiled, ignoring it, as she tried the ice tea. "This is pretty good. What flavor is it anyway?"
"Candy flower" answered Zircon, while sipping her ice tea popsicle. "It's the sweetest flower we use for our teas, hot and cold."
"And by hot tea you mean-"
"Flavorful hot liquid tea."
"Just making sure."
"Well Candy flower is not just for teas, we use it for other food and beverage like cakes, juices, creamy filling, sauce, caffeine, salad dressing and others."
Sapphire should remind them about reviewing Terra's training, but she didn't want to spoil the moment, she forgot what it was like to spend time together, she missed that, maybe this friendly conversation could help Terra build up her confidence in control.
While Zircon was sipping her ice tea, she sighed in relaxation as she looked around her place. "I'm gonna miss my home when I'm gone for the quest. I wish there was someone here who could look after the jungle."
"Is there?"
"No Terra, I'm the only Galactanian who knows and lives in the Jungle Planet. I can't allow anyone else to know the secret planet."
"Why not?"
"Cause they are all strangers."
"But I thought everyone in this galaxy, including Galactanians, had to look out for each other."
"Yes, but that doesn't mean to just blindly trust someone you don't know" continued Zircon. "You have to have caution, people can still turn their backs on their code of honor with or without reason. Don't you remember the old saying "don't talk to strangers"?"
"Of course I do" said Terra. "I'm not naive , I'm just trusty. Or at least that's what I believe I used to be... I'm not sure."
They looked at her with worry. "Maybe you should let us handle who to trust" said Sapphire.
Red and Zircon agreed with her on that. Terra replied with a nod of agreement, I better let the professionals do the complicated work, she thought.
Zircon wanted to change the subject. "So who wants more ice tea?" she asked in a cheerful voice.
"We do" they respond together.
Zircon went back to the outside kitchen to make more, however when she gathered the ingredients she found out she ran out of Candy flower. "Strange, I could've sworn I gathered enough flowers to last for a week. Who took them?" Zircon turned to her animal friends "Did any of you creatures munched on my flowers?"
The animals shook their heads in response. Zircon can tell their telling the truth "But if you didn't eat my Candy flowers then who did?"
Suddenly one of Zircon's insect friends flew by to inform her that a new plant sprouted out of nowhere. "Take me to it" Zircon shapeshift into a Lepidoptera, the swarm of insects lead her to the new plant, it was a type of rosacea pink flower, a big one the size of a shrub, she had never seen this plant bloom in her planet before. Zircon hovered around it to get a better look, she was astonished by this new specie she discovered, technically the insects discovered it first but still. Zircon changed back into her original form, she tried to dug up the flower from its roots but the flower clang to the earth so tightly, then she felt it moved by itself, she was taken aback as she watched the plant shaking, and then after a few quakes it popped out of the ground doing a back flip in the air. Zircon was surprised at this, for it is revealed that the flower was no regular flower but a plant like person, who is a she!?
The female plant person appears to be Fern green cuticle, with rosy pink petals for hair and some of her vine hair is forest green, her apron dress is made of the longest lush jungle green leaves, her eye color is mint green, her lips are green as honeydew, she walks barefoot and has ears the shape of smooth leaf.
"Who are you?" Zircon asked the mysterious plant stranger with caution. "What are you?"
The plant stranger looked at Zircon with a fake smile on her face, she's doing a first impression, trying to be civil. "I am Azalea Fflur. I'm a creature of plants and you picked up the wrong flower."
"I've never seen you in my planet before. In fact no one should, how did you find this place?" asked Zircon, feeling alarmed.
Azalea assured her no harm, she answered her calmly. "I just felt the planet's pure soil. It's something I've never felt before, the nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium how it captures and stores vast amounts of carbon, how it purifies the waters of this world, and strengthens the planets lush green jungle forest photosynthesis that gives us fresh air, just feel that gentle breeze" she lay down on the soft grass, feeling the soil, like the plant she is.
Zircon looked at her strangely. "Glad you like it..."
"By the way I never got your name?"
"It's Zircon, and I'm the caretaker of this world's animals and of course its plants. And what are you doing in my planet?" she asked her in a strict tone.
Azalea stood up and answered her like a civilized person, which is not in her nature. "Long story, see me and my friend just set up camp here a few days ago for our expedition to-"
"Wow, wow, wow, wait, you mean there are others here in my planet?" Zircon had a bad feeling about this news. "How many of you are there?"
"Just the two of us, me and a friend" answered Azalea. "And don't worry, nobody knows this planet's location but us. Our stay is only temporary, we've come to study, to learn, to unlock the secrets of this world."
"See that's the thing about secrets, they're not meant to be known or seen by anyone."
Zircon would not allow some nosy explorers to interfere in her planet's sanctuary just to study something she's an expert at in her world. But Azalea tried to reason with her.
"Look I know this is difficult for you to accept, but let's talk this through. Just introduce me to your friends, gather them up and bring them to our camp to meet my friend then we'll explain the rest to you."
Zircon's a reasonable animal, she accepts her invitation and explanation, and it better be a good one, to go to her camp to meet this friend of hers and to learn about this expedition they're eager to learn about. "Alright then, come with me I'll introduce you to my friends Azalea."
"Please call me Azi for short." said Azalea, smiling and excited to meet Zirc's friends.
And so Zircon took Azalea back to her home, where the others were waiting for her inside. Zircon was about to call them when Azalea stopped her for a moment. "Wait. Before you summoned them let me hide above the tree's leaves to make a surprising entrance impression, I'm a mischief maker that way, it's my nature."
"Everybody is mischievous Azi, but okay, we'll do it your way" Zircon gave in to her silly idea.
Azalea smiled as she climbed up and vanished into the trees. Zircon called the group to come down. "Hey! Everybody come down, there is someone you should meet!"
Sapphire, Red, and Terra heard her call. "We're coming!" replied Sapphire.
And so they went down to where Zircon was waiting for them with her arms cross.
"What's going on Zirc?" asked Terra.
"Everyone we have a new guest in my planet" answered Zircon. "Meet Azalea Fflur."
And at that moment of introduction Azalea jumped out of the trees, twirl glided in the air throwing flowers everywhere like confetti, soaring down like a fallen leaf in its abscission.
Sapphire, Red, and Terra were surprised and impressed at this exciting meeting with a grand entrance. Zircon not really, she just rolled eyes glancing at the fallen flowers Azi threw, and suddenly realized those flowers looked familiar. It was the missing Candy Flowers she gathered in her kitchen. "What? These flowers are the Candy Flowers I was looking for. You stole them?"
Azi replied with a rebel smile as she landed gracefully. "Like I told you, mischief making is my nature."
Zircon groaned in annoyance, but just shrugged it off and moved on to the point. "Okay, everyone meet Azalea Fflur the creature of plants."
"Azi for short" added Azalea.
"Uh, what is she doing in your planet? How did she find your planet?" Sapphire asked, suspicious.
"Exactly, that's why I've come to inform you guys, that we have been invited to her camp to meet her friend" answered Zircon.
"Then what are we waiting for let's go!" said Terra, enthusiastically. Azalea looked at Terra in a curious strange way, she has never seen anyone like her with such soft blank flesh color. "What kind of creature are you?" she asked her, interested.
"I'm a human from planet Earth" Terra answered her with a friendly smile. "My name is Terra."
"Human? Earth? As in outside our Galaxy?" Azalea sounded so surprised, as if it's the first time she heard the news.
"Yeah, a human with memory loss is staying in Galactica for a while till she retrieves them" Sapphire explained it to her. "Haven't you heard the news from the royals and rumors?"
"Not big on politics."
"Anyway, I'm Sapphire" she continued. "This is my brother Red, and I'm sure you've already met my orange friend Zircon."
Red was familiar with Azi's species. "I know about you and your kind, you're a Plantical. From the planet Tropical Natulara on the south side of our Galaxy. A tribe of sentient plant people."
"Cool" Terra was impressed. Actually she's always impressed in this hidden galaxy.
"Thank you. What a smart male you are" Azi was flattered by Red's knowledge of her world. "But enough about me, shall we go now?"
They nodded in response. Azalea lead them back to her camp where her friend is waiting.