Fall in love in a weekwe get by

– How's it going home? – Chester perked up. – For what? I didn’t even have time to offer coffee! Dougal, Mrs Ferguson is having mince pie today! I haven't tried it myself yet! You pulled me right out of the consultation! But this is fortunate – such wonderful specimens!

“The pie is enough for the two of us.”

It seems Norwood is determined to get me out of here. Even if this is a kind of concern in response to my complaint… No, that won’t do!

“I’d love to try your pie, Mr. Fully,” I tried to smile sweetly and sincerely, although I wanted to show my teeth more. – And especially coffee.

– Oh, please, no misters. Just not at home. Dougal, come into the living room, I need ten minutes.

“Twenty, if not thirty,” the professor stated gloomily, looking after him. And he added: “Well, let’s go.” Just don't complain later.

– For what? – I was surprised.

“You will understand when you begin to drown in the abyss of his plant enthusiasm,” he held the door, letting me go forward. – Sit down, any chair is at your service. Although I don't recommend sitting under the spitting milkweed, Chester allows it too much.

I stepped into the living room and froze, looking around in shock. The only free space in the center was occupied by a tea table and chairs around it. But behind the armchairs, and near the sofas standing against the walls, and on the walls themselves, on the windows and even on the ceiling, there was a jungle. All shades of green, crimson and gold, all imaginable shapes of leaves, interweaving of stems, trunks, vines… Bright spots of flowers and even – incredible! – fluttering butterflies.

Something tiny, azure blue, hovered before my eyes for a moment, and Norwood chuckled behind him:

“You were mistaken for a flower, Miss Blair.” Beware of cross-pollination.

– Is this a hummingbird?! – I exclaimed, looking at the tiny bird with a long curved beak.

– Of course. Chester took a very careful approach to recreating the biome.

–Can I have a look?

– Look, just don’t touch anything with your hands – they might bite it off.

I forgot about fatigue and even the presence of Norwood. I wandered around, looking at the bizarre curves of the trunks, the mesmerizingly beautiful leaves and flowers, butterflies, hummingbirds… I didn’t recognize any spoiled milkweed or anything that could bite off my hand, of course. Of all this wealth, only orchids were familiar to me, but even they very vaguely resembled what I saw in the flower shops of my native world.

I can’t imagine how you can do this at home! Charlotte's well-groomed front garden immediately ceased to seem too magical.

– While you are taking in the beauty, the coffee is getting cold.

I turned around. The professor was sitting at the table with a cup in his hands. Although I didn’t hear anything, the table had already been set for three, in the center was a tall, rosy cake, and the sides of the coffee pot, sugar bowl and cream jug were shining. I immediately remembered that it was high time for lunch.

I sat down opposite the professor. I poured myself some coffee. Asked:

– What about Mr. Fully?

– I have no doubt that it’s wonderful. And we deserve food no less than the tendrils of arenarius deserve care and attention.

“Well, if he’s not offended that everyone ate it without him…” I took a piece, my mouth filled with saliva from the mind-blowing aroma. She sank her teeth. The most tender, hot, incredibly appetizing! Chester is definitely at risk of being left without a pie!

I crushed the piece in a few seconds and immediately took another. Wandering through the swamps awakens a beastly appetite – I’ll say so if the owner comes to an empty table. Or again the professor will be there first. Moreover, he almost kept up with me and also took the second piece.

“Your face, Miss Blair, reflects an amazing mixture of emotions.” From pleasure to remorse. Don't worry. I'm pretty sure this isn't the only one. Mrs. Ferguson loves feeding everyone too much to deprive Mr. Fully of food.

“You calmed me down.” Laughing with your mouth full is bad manners, but I couldn’t resist. – At the very least, he’ll bake some more. It's terribly delicious, and I'm terribly hungry. Impossible to resist!

– Let's write it down. The invigorating air of Scotland has a positive effect on appetite and a negative effect on the number of pies in the surrounding area. Tested on two experimental individuals.

– Does the presence of Arenarius nearby preserve the pie for the mentioned individuals?

– Arenarius, scaly verbena, swamp pseudoclover, three magical varieties of heather, and you forgot the most important thing – purple stemwort. I think she may be the deciding factor in saving the pie.

And together we took another piece.