It wasn't Lucille who opened the door, but a man with a massive jaw dressed in a suit and tie.
"Hi. Is there a Lord Wells staying somewhere around here?" Shiv spoke first.
"In fact, there is. What is it that you want him for?" The reply was delivered in a very pleasant tone.
"A fellow named Holly sent me."
"For what purpose?"
"Uh, I have a plant I want to sell him."
"Ah. Please, follow me."
Shiv did so, his two companions coming in behind him. The mansion was opulent and incredibly well decorated on the inside. There were strange paintings of ugly people that looked vaguely similar to the handsome man that had let them in on every wall, and gold lining for all of the trimming and furniture. The ceiling was very high, and Shiv, for the first time since arriving at the planet, felt as if the temperature had dropped below ninety degrees.
He was in paradise.
The man led them through a few doorways and down some hallways, passing several people with what looked like fancy servant garments. 'This guy must be some high-ranking butler.' Eventually, they came to a very fancy looking room with comfortable chairs.
Everyone took a seat, and the man looked at Shiv with a, "Shall we begin?"
'And then again, he might not be the butler.' Shiv took a deep breath. "Are you lord Wells?" The man confirmed that he was, and Shiv brought out the plant. "I found this somewhere, and have been told that it would interest you."
Lord Wells took the plant and examined it. He evidently saw the same thing Holly had seen, because his mouth went slightly agape, and he looked from Shiv to the plant and back again several times in rapid succession. "How much do you want for this?"
Shiv blinked. 'Crap. Not this again. Where's Marsha when you need her?' He glanced at Blaze to see if she might provide him with some inspiration, but she was busy marrying a fiery finger to a non fiery finger.
Lost, Shiv turned back to Wells and hesitantly said, "I won't take anything less than eight hundred tetradrachm."
Wells laughed uproariously. "Please, do not jest. This is a very serious matter. There are wealthy individuals who would trade everything they own for this plant. Now what is your price, really?"
Shiv sat there in silence, unsure where to go from there.
"Would you trade everything you have for it?" Blaze asked, her fingers now supposedly on their honeymoon.
Wells laughed. "No, I would not. I have a lot more to give than most people, so I'm certain we can come to an agreement before it reaches that level." There was the faintest hint of a threat in his words, that Shiv picked up on.
"What's your best offer?" Shiv asked.
"I would be willing to give you fifty golden talents for it." He said with the utmost seriousness. "Do you have more of these?" He gestured to the dandelion.
"That's my only one. And I'd take that price." Shiv held his hand out, ready to be done with it all, but Wells hesitated.
"Do you… do you know how to grow more of these?" He asked.
Shiv shrugged. "Sure. Just give me a few of those seeds."
'It can't be too hard. I mean, it's a giant dandelion.'
"Are you a trustworthy individual?" Wells asked.
"Uh… yes."
Wells ran his hand through his hair, and shook his head. "I have much to think about. Would you mind joining me for dinner tonight, so I can have time to come to a decision?"
"Ah, sure. Why not? First though, can I have that back…?"
"Oh, yes, of course." Shiv was handed back the plant, which he put into his inventory with the usual, "abracadabra."
"I have a few things to attend to. I'll send a servant to take you wherever you want to go, aside from the greenhouse and my quarters. Dinner is at six. I'll see you then." And with that abrupt little speech, he hurried out of the room.
Soon after his exit, a short woman with a shy demeanor entered and walked up to Shiv. "Would you like food or drinks, or to be taken somewhere?"
"Take us to the greenhouse!" Blaze immediately demanded, causing Shiv to laugh.
"A-are you sure?" The maid asked with wide eyes and glanced over her shoulder, in the direction Wells had disappeared in.
"Yes! Take us now!" Blaze stood up and pulled on the poor woman's hand insistently.
"As long as lord Wells is OK with it…" She hesitantly went along with Blaze, who assured her that lord Wells had specifically ordered them to go to the greenhouse.
Shiv followed them with a strong feeling of amusement and disbelief. 'I gotta remember to never tell Blaze not to do something again, unless I really want her to do it.'
***
Outside, the rain was kept off of their heads by umbrellas provided by the maid. They walked down a winding, paved path through the wooded area, gawking at the weird trees. Some of them looked like trees back from earth, like palm, oak, and even some willow trees, but the rest were garish colors and incredible shapes. Shiv felt the strong urge to climb some of them, but that had become a dangerous task since the arrival of the flying leeches, who loved to hang out in trees and drop down on unsuspecting warm-blooded animals and people as they passed below.
Blaze was skipping along, holding an umbrella over Uriel, who paced along with a tolerant expression.
They rounded a particularly abrupt bend in the path, and came upon the greenhouse.
"That's not green!" Blaze said with disappointment.
Shiv laughed and walked through the open door the maid was holding open. The sound of rain pounding on the glass roof was overwhelming, preventing any semblance of conversation from taking place. Shiv was perfectly fine with this, as he walked into paradise and immediately began examining the different plants. The maid had run off after letting the last of them in, but soon reappeared with another servant.
This servant had massive glasses sitting precariously on a narrow nose. He approached Shiv with uncertainty, and opened his mouth to speak, but Shiv beat him to it. "Where'd you find this one?" Shiv had used his skill on it, but the description had been vague about its whereabouts.
"We find that vine only in deep, dark, damp mines that never receive light. It is used to make an incredibly potent poison." The man pushed his glasses up his nose and blinked nervously.
"What's this plant here for? You know it's a weed, right?" Shiv pointed at a pretty little flower without looking, having already taken a long look at it.
"Oh, that one is here because it is actually edible in very small quantities and enhances the flavor of certain salads tenfold."
Soon, the two men had been to every plant in the greenhouse twice, and argued about the uses of most of them at least once. The young man had settled right into his element, and Shiv had quizzed him on everything he could.
Before they knew it, hours had passed, and the maid informed him that it was almost time for dinner. Shiv thanked the greenhouse keeper, and picked up Blaze, who had fallen asleep, and carried her in his arms as he followed the maid. Uriel had disappeared at some point, and still hadn't shown up, so Shiv told the maid not to worry about letting him in for dinner.
Shiv and Blaze were actually the last ones to show up, preceded by several familiar faces who were already making light conversation around the circular table.
Shiv walked up and gently set Blaze down on a couch along the side of the room, and put a blanket from his inventory on her. Then, he turned to the group of people, all of whom were looking at him silently, and took one of the free seats at the table. "Heyo, Lucille, Big Farmer." He gave them each a respectful nod, and they responded in kind. They both looked far more surprised then he was, though.
"I know why she's here, but what brings you here, big guy?"
"I'm a subordinate of lord Wells." He hesitantly replied. "Why are you here?"
"Oh, you know. Selling my harvest and stuff." Shiv waved his hand and turned to Lucille. "How are ya? Did your performance for the princess go well?"
Her veil was still present, hiding everything but her perfect lips and chin, which were both showing amusement.
'I don't even know how to show amusement with my chin, but she's doing it.'
"It does not happen till tomorrow. How would you like to see it yourself?" She asked. Her hat was much smaller, this time. And it was triangular and rigid instead of circular and floppy.
Still the same color.
"Actually, I don't think I'll have the time. As soon as I complete this business deal with him," he pointed at Wells with his fork. "I'll be moving on to officially begin destroying the world."