Day 18

[laurefindil]

[Greenhouse]

Glorfindel has been spending a lot of time in the garden, what those on the train called the greenhouse. His flowers were already starting to push up through the dirt, which he was encouraging with his light. He was also singing some songs from his old home, back when Ecthelion kept making up songs for every occasion and then getting them stuck in everyone's heads.

If anyone else is growing something in the greenhouse, it is thriving by association.

He is singing softly to his flowers as he waters them, the room is suspiciously bright.


[Cabin](For roommates to walk in on him if you want to!)
Glorfindel frowned at his bed. It was...functional, but lacked interest. If he was going to spend time here, he wanted to personalize his space more. He knew there was fabric available somewhere on the train. He wondered where he could get his hands on some, and if they had any greens and yellows, if there were sewing kits available, and what his roommates would think of custom curtains.


[Hallway]

Glorfindel stepped out into the hall, glancing out the windows at the colorful display outside. He was on a mission to find a sewing kit. He wondered where to start looking.

Comments

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel tilted his head to the side. "Why would you have leaves all over the floor?" he asked.

[stealsyourheart]

He blinks at him. "You've got trees inside. Trees drop leaves. Even when they aint deciduos."

[laurefindil]

"They tend to blow away with the wind," Glorfindel said.

[stealsyourheart]

"..............................do you... have walls."

[laurefindil]

"Imladris has a few, but mostly they're for privacy."

[stealsyourheart]

So. Confused.

"But... how do you keep the weather out?"

[laurefindil]

"Well, when it snows we do tend to draw the partitions closed. But the tree canopies and the roofs do protect us from the rain and snow that would fall on us from above."

"The Healing Halls have walls, though, if that helps. The injured are often more susceptible to the cold and the wind."

[stealsyourheart]

"Are you sure you live in houses and not in tents." He says slowly. "Because that is not what I think of when you say 'house'. "

[laurefindil]

"Tents are what you take when you go out into the field for battle. Our houses are far more permanent. It is peaceful and tranquil, as long as you are away from the training grounds, of course. And the kitchens. They can get a bit frantic right before a meal."

"We have arches, and pillars, and plants, and roofs. Do walls really define a home?" Glorfindel asked him. "Are your homes more like those in the walled cities? With enclosed living spaces with boxes inside of boxes? Don't those make you feel closed in? Like this train?"

[stealsyourheart]

"No???" He frowns. "Like. How else are you supposed to keep the weather out, if you don't have walls? Or other people, for that matter! Privacy and all that."

[laurefindil]

"We have fairly mild weather in Imladris," says the reason why. "But weather isn't something to fear. There are walls and glass and things for those areas that need them. Like the library."

He raised both eyebrows. "Isn't privacy a social construct?"

[stealsyourheart]

Arien wants her job back, Glorfindel. Also Erestor points out Vilya probably has a lot to do with it.

"Dude, humans get sick if we're exposed to the elements! Also like I don't really want people to watch me on the toilet, you know."

[laurefindil]

[Look, Vilya does a lot, yes, but I'm sure Glorfindel makes it easier!]

"Ah. Humans do tend to feel the cold more strongly, I have noticed," Glorfindel agreed. "And I did say we had some walls, did I not?"

[stealsyourheart]

"I guess... what you're describing doesn't sound at all like a house to me!" He admits.

[laurefindil]

"It is an elven home," Glorfindel said. "But not a human one. Or a dwarven or Hobbit one, no. What is your home like?" he asked.

[stealsyourheart]

"Well...it's...it's a house I guess? Um. I live in a outer suburb of Tokyo so a lot of the houses look the same. Japanese houses used to be mostly wooden coz of all the earthquakes but then we used to have fires instead. So now we build with brick and concrete, but all the houses have to meet earthquake protection guidelines. It's not very big, only two bedrooms and a main room. Pretty standard really. A wall all the way around with a front gate."

And a secret room.

[laurefindil]

"Brick and stone and walls...reminds me of Gondolin. Do you have flowers? Plants? Fountains?"

[stealsyourheart]

"Most people have at least a LITTLE garden. But fountains isn't something people do unless they're filthy rich. Or the government."

[laurefindil]

Okay, that was fair, most of the fountains in Gondolin belonged to Ecthelion. Of course, he put them EVERYWHERE, as that was part of his responsibilities as Lord of the House of Fountains.

"Gardens are nice," Glorfindel said. After all, he was the Lord of the House of the Golden Flowers. "As you can tell, I like the one here."

[stealsyourheart]

He grins wryly. "There's so many people these days crammed into Tokyo that for most people, the only garden you have is the pots on your apartment balcony. I'm lucky, where we live there's a bit more space, so we actually have a small garden."

A lot smaller than it should be, which he realises now is because the secret room eats up the space.

"Are the gardens here like what you have at home?"

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel shook his head, then tried to paint a visual picture for Kaito. "In Gondolin, every street had flowers or trees planted along each side, and at major intersections there was a roundabout with a small park. Flowers, trees, greenspace for a picnic where the elves who lived nearby could rest and relax. Each section of the city also had a larger park, as well." He smiled at the memory. "My rule of thumb was a small park for every ten people, and a larger park per hundred. Of course the largest park was in front of the palace, since everyone at some point needed to come see the king." He laughed. "Turgon treated it like a waiting room for those who came to him."

[stealsyourheart]

"That sounds really cool." He nods. "We do have some parks - we Japanese like our green spaces - but in cities, there's not a lot of space for such things. Definitely, there aren't as many as you're describing!"

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel shrugged. "For my people, it is something we make a priority. It sounds like, though your people enjoy nature, they prioritize something else?"

[stealsyourheart]

He shrugs. "We prioritise a lot of things? I suppose you could say it's making a living. But like. It's a space issue too. There's ... over seven million people in the whole of Tokyo. There's just... no space."

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel blinked. "That's...a lot of people. That is...there have not been that many elves born, let alone alive at one time."