Pobble Garden!

*It is a bright morning, and the Paradise Oasis is shimmering! Literally – shimmering as the heatwave distorts the air and beads of moisture evaporate under the glaring sunlight. Most critters have gone underground to hide or are looking for other means to escape the heat. The Pobble Garden conservatory is bustling with activity as members of staff scramble to give shelter to multiple critters piling in through the entrances at once. It’s the only publicly accessible air-conditioned building in the area. You have volunteered to help out for the day and have been assigned to look out for a pebbling who is overheating! * What do you do to help?

     Maer wiped a bead of sweat off her brow and repositioned the sheaf of notes balanced on her arm. She volunteers to help every weekend because it gave her a lot of field work experience that she couldn't get in classes. She adored all the creatures and looks forward to every Sunday morning. Today, however was ruthless. The heat does not agree with her and her hair was sticking to her skin. Her vision started to get blurry and she shook her head, causing some papers to slip from her grasp.

     She looked towards the other staff rushing towards the air-conditioned building.... "Cowards" she muttered and turned her attention back to the overheating pebbling. She worked with plenty of pebblings back at the tree, but this poor little guy was not having a good time. There was no way she could give in to the machine powered relief from the heat when there are critters in need; Why was it so hot in the morning? She handed off her notes to her leafree assistant and grabbed a cup of water and urged the little critter to drink.

     "C'mere, little guy.... that's it." She then picked up the pebbling and headed towards a nearby pond. She set the pebbling in a shallow end and hoped it would cool down a bit. She then moved on to shoo a hoard of slabsters away from the pobbles- they didn't seem to have the best intentions. One was holding what suspiciously looked like a knife, but that couldn't be. Why would a slabster have a knife? Gosh, it was so hot out. Maer looked longingly at the overcrowded conservatory. Better to be out here than packed in against sweaty bodies. She retrieved her notes from the leafree and jotted down the pebbling's improving condition. He was now happily splashing along in the pond. The pond... looked very inviting. She looked back towards the conservatory in which a seeker was squabbling with a guide and a cervabloom. Still not inviting.  She picked at her clothing that was already slightly damp with sweat and water splashes from the pebbling.

     Oh, to heck with it! With a sigh, Maer lowered herself into the cool and glistening pond waters alongside the pebbling after safely depositing her notes in a plastic bag outside of the splash zone. With the pebbling she was assigned to, Maer enjoyed the rest of the morning swimming in the pool; of course, while her coworkers suffered in the over-stuffed building.

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entry by hedwig

‘mimi, do we have to go today?’ mei mei fanned herself dramatically as she and kymmie made their way to the pobble garden conservatory.  ‘mei mei, when there’s a job we volunteered to do, we gotta do it!’ mei mei crossed her arms, turned her head away and huffed. ‘besides,’ kymmie continued, ‘if we’re not doing so hot in the sun, imagine how the pebblings and the other critters must be feeling!’ slightly tempered despite the sun sweltering above them, mei mei sighed and walked diligently alongside kymmie. never has a town with ‘oasis’ in its name seem more alluring to a pair of weary guides, steadfastly dragging themselves along to their destination even when it felt like the heat intensified with every step they took. 

 when they arrived at the conservatory, it seemed that they were not the only ones wiping sweat from their brows. dozens of volunteers were ushered into the conservatory and instructed by available staff in turn. as kymmie’s eyes wandered in appreciation of their surroundings, mei mei tugged on a strand of her hair gently to draw her attention to the kindly staff member assigned to show them around. after briefly introducing themselves, the staff member led them into the conservatory. feeling the cold air hit their skin after trekking under the sun’s blistering rays was more satisfying than any thirst-quenching drink the two have shared in the past.

 the staff member led them to a group of pebblings, their faces betraying their discomfort from basking in the sun for too long. mei mei, eager as ever to help out pebblings in need (she couldn’t help but think of her own), attempted to pick up one of the smaller pebblings with her hands before the staff member could stop her. she recoiled at the slightest touch, ‘oww! they’re so hot!’  ‘they have been in the sun for a while, after all,’ kymmie explained as the staff member handed them leaves they could use to shield their hands from the heat. ‘follow along - and try to keep up!’

kymmie carefully slid a leaf under one of the larger pebblings and used it to leverage just enough height for kymmie to successfully cup the pebbling with her palms. like verdant gloves, the leaves kept the pebblings’ hot surface from their hands for long enough to carry them to nearby ponds. as each pebbling was brought to water, kymmie and mei mei saw how each one relaxed when they were placed into the pond. the expression on their faces turned from one of discomfort to one of relief, settling into small smiles that made kymmie and mei mei’s hearts flutter.