Its 16 miles, to the promised lands (Jazalea)

Subject: Its 16 miles, to the promised lands (Jazalea) Thu May 15, 2014 11:28 pm

Azalea mind had been perpetually reeling since her visit to St. Nick's over the weekend. What the witch had expected to be a routine visit revolving around Victoria's physiotherapy and recovery rate had turned into something the witch could never have expected - a business deal.

As Healer Derwent had gone to explain the specifications of the offer, Azalea hadn't been able to do much more than listen and stare, trying to process the information as it was hurled at her, assaulting her in ways the brunette could never have imagined.

And in the wake of the proposition, she had been tricked into a medical check up. Perhaps Healer Derwent had an agenda, perhaps the young witch had looked too stricken for a medical professional not to warrant a check up in good conscience. Whatever the reason, her supposed-to-be quick trip had been extended by another two hours as Azalea had sat through various tests, only paying minimal attention to the processes her body was being subjected to as she thought over the hospital's offer once more.

The numbers part of it Azalea knew she would never understand. That was for Jake or some bank or even Dad to deal with. But the premise, of selling what she found, of approving methods to modify and customize her research to fit other T6 patients and possibly bringing about a long term cure for paralysis, no, it was too much to deal with.

So Azalea hadn't. Once the tests were done, the witch had quietly gathered her bag and left the hospital, determinedly not thinking about the meeting. It had worked for the first few days as she kept herself busy with both schools and her housework. And when that wasn't enough, the witch concentrated on the classes she had decided to teach at the university. But at the end of the day, Healer Derwent's words always came back to haunt her.

Long term cure...

Could save millions of lives...

Untapped potential...

In an attempt to clear her mind, Azalea had decided to work on her greenhouse that evening, leaving a note to Jake back at the apartment letting him know where she was along with a request to please order out as she hadn't had time to cook. The plants that Josh Murray had so... thoughtfully obtained for her were still in a bit of a lurch as Azalea decided which ones would stay at Hogwarts, which would thrive best in Salem and which could be brought back to Canada without breaking too many laws. As it was, she had brought back quite a few specimens and making place for them in her already crowded greenhouse was going to take some doing.

It was also the perfect task to take her mind off the offer she's been made four days ago.

Guest

With training back in full swing in October, and winter already beginning to draw in in Canada, Jake understood Azalea had to spend more time down at her greenhouse, making sure it had all the appropriate measures to make sure the temperatures didn't plummet in the minuses like the rest of the land. Jake had never been great at Herbology, but living with Azalea meant you picked some of this stuff up. Even if he didn't know what she was growing, he knew that only one plant could withstand the snow.

And they weren't ones found in the witch's greenhouse.

Arriving home, later than expected, Jake was surprised to find the smell of cooking not filling his nose. But, he wasn't disappointed. Calling out to Azalea, no response came, and upon checking the dining table, a note sat detailing that she was down at the greenhouse. A fond smile touched Jake's lips at this information as he put his Quidditch kit in the usual place Azalea kept dirty washing, before grabbing his Meteorites jacket and heading out of the house.

It was definitely getting nippy, Jake reflected as he walked down the road. Waving to their neighbours as they passed before he crossed the road to the greenhouse. A soft knock on the door announced Jake's presence before he stepped in to the much too warm area. "Azalea?" Jake called in to the magically enhanced building that was larger on the inside than the outside. His girlfriend wasn't anywhere to be seen as he took a superficial look around, gently closing the door behind him.

"Azalea?"

"I'm behind the hydrangeas," the brunette called out, lips already formed at the beginning of a smile at hearing Jake's voice. Why he'd decided to come down here in the slowly chilling wind instead of just resting at home was anybody's guess but the witch appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.

"And dealing with a flesh eating plant, so approach carefully," she added, moving the miniature shovel with a finesse of a healer mid surgery through the earth. Defining boundaries was going to be key if the young woman was going to force cohabitation upon species that were never meant to live in the same country let alone the greenhouse.

"I didn't expect to see you here," she smiled, replacing the shovel and reaching for a similarly miniature gardening hoe, two mismatched gloves encasing her slender hands. "You should be resting up for the game."

Guest

"I'm behind the hydrangeas,"

"Hydrangeas..." Jake muttered to himself, looking around helplessly. Perhaps taking more interest in Herbology at school would have been a good idea as he scanned the area. Blue... he believed the plants to be, and once he'd found a blue plant, the young man moved towards them, smiling to himself as he finally found Azalea. "You need to label them, for my sake." Jake teased lightly.

"And dealing with a flesh eating plant, so approach carefully,"

Jake chuckled softly. "I won't touch anything without permission." He told the witch softly, peering over her shoulder to see what she was doing. So intricate she was with her tools, Jake had... well, never seen her with her plants except on the occasions her vines were in use. Though, the Quidditch star didn't think that really counted.

"You should be resting up for the game."

"Rest?" Jake thought for a moment about that word, before shaking his head. "I don't believe I've gotten any of that for a very long time." He confided, watching Azalea work. There was no hint of complaint in Jake's voice, on the contrary, he enjoyed his work immensely, but rest was something that had happened in another life time. Or, it felt that way at least.

"Is that one new?" Jake asked, noting the plant didn't look to be potted like the rest of the plants that lined the witch's greenhouse.

"I won't touch anything without permission."

The witch tried to keep a straight face at the declaration which was a metaphor for Jake's life. No touching without permission. Azalea could feel her body relaxing as he neared, peering over her shoulders as she worked. Where once she might have been uncomfortable being observed so close to the plants she looked after, Jake's proximity always had a calming affect on her.

"Is that one new?"

"Mhm," the witch nodded, digging out small irrigation lines around the specimen. "Man-eating tree. Or currently large rodent eating tree," she clarified with a laugh. "Never though I'd see one of these babies again but life is full of surprises," she mused, surveying her work before replacing the hoe into a neat toolbox she kept for tinier samples..

"Permission to kiss," she grinned, turning to Jake with bright sparkling eyes.

Guest

"Man-eating tree. Or currently large rodent eating tree,"

"I don't remember studying that one..." Jake replied, trying to think back. No, if he'd studied something capable of eating men, Jake was pretty sure he'd remember. Or maybe he'd overlooked it in the book. Whatever the case, he'd never seen one. "Looks cool though." Jake added, watching the small shovel exchange for a small hoe and then that being put away.

"Permission to kiss,"

A smile touched Jake's lips as he bent down enough to kiss Azalea. Having spoken permission was amusing for something that was normally a given. But Jake liked the playfulness of the situation and abided by her rules. "Did you have a good day?" Jake asked, sinking down to her height and looking towards the plant she'd been working on briefly before looking back at Azalea.

Present from her dad, Jake assumed, not bothering to question it.

"Did you need help with anything?" The Quidditch star asked, remembering the note saying she would be back late. Jake didn't mind her being out late, so long as she was safe, Jake never pressed for much more information. But knowing she was so close to home, Jake had wanted to see her before he fell asleep on the sofa waiting for her.

"I don't remember studying that one..."

"I introduced it to the syllabus a while ago," Azalea supplied. "Or tried to anyway. The one specimen we got ended up... burned. After that the Ministry wouldn't hear of continuing with it." It still irked the witch that a tree had been damaged under her care but such was life she supposed. Her track record couldn't be perfect.

As Jake bent down to brush his lips softly to hers, the young woman tried to restrain a small laugh at the mischievousness of the situation.

"Did you need help with anything?"

"Not with the plants," the brunette confessed with a slight smirk. "Though I'm exhausted beyond belief so you might have to carry me home," she finished, sitting back on the ground, her ankles tucked neatly underneath her.

"Oh, I saw Healer Derwent last weekend," she added, deciding now was as good a time as any to let Jake in on the dilemma she'd been wrestling with these last few days. "Remind me never to suggest that career to people, sneaky things Healers are."

Guest

"Or tried to anyway. The one specimen we got ended up... burned. After that the Ministry wouldn't hear of continuing with it."

"Burned? How did you manage that?" Jake asked, frowning at the idea of Azalea causing any harm to plants. And, as far as his knowledge went, there hadn't been any fires at either of the greenhouses at either schools.

"Though I'm exhausted beyond belief so you might have to carry me home,"

A light chuckle left Jake at her carefully hidden demand. "I'm sure I can manage that." Jake agreed to her wishes. Reaching down, Jake waited for Azalea to put her arms around his neck as he put one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back before lifting her up. "You'll have to lock up, and stuff though. Or send Leafy." Jake told her, knowing he wouldn't be capable of everything in that moment.

"Oh, I saw Healer Derwent last weekend,"

"How is she?" Jake asked, an amused smile playing on his lips at the fact Azalea had finally agreed to seeing the Healer.

"Remind me never to suggest that career to people, sneaky things Healers are."

"Best tell Gavin that." Jake mused, navigating the greenhouse and going careful not to catch any of the plants as the two of them passed. "But what makes you say that?" Jake asked conversationally, heading out the door, turning only to allow Azalea to pull it shut behind them, or send Leafy instead.

"Burned? How did you manage that?"

"I'm not sure..." Azalea admitted, her mind travelling back to over a year ago when she had happened on the incinerated remains of the tree. And a perfect replica of her favourite green blouse beside it. "It was at Hogwarts, I wasn't there when it happened," she concluded, not wanting to talk about it, not least because the emerald blouse had been worn more than a dozen times since she'd found it.

When Jake reached to pick her up off the ground, the brunette let out a soft giggle. She hadn't meant right away but it seemed Jake was intent on getting her home. It was getting late she supposed.

"Best tell Gavin that." Jake mused, navigating the greenhouse and going careful not to catch any of the plants as the two of them passed. "But what makes you say that?"

"No Gavin would never be that evil," Azalea affirmed as the neared the door, closing her eyes momentarily as she sent her vines to lock up and put the protective wards in place. Wrapping her arms around Jake's neck, the witch stayed cradled close to him as the vines worked, switching off certain lights while turning on others, working the sprinklers where they were needed and finally securing the doors shut.

Opening her eyes, the witch looked up at the dark skies. There was no moon this close to winter.

"She wanted to make a business proposition," Azalea explained. "She says the hospital is very interested in buying the research I did for Vic."

Guest

"It was at Hogwarts, I wasn't there when it happened,"

"That makes more sense." Jake agreed, smiling slightly, it would never be Azalea who would do such a thing. "Accidents happen." He concluded, knowing that none of the Hogwarts kids would likely do such a thing on purpose. They all seemed... such good kids.

At the mention of Gavin not being so evil, Jake nodded his head slightly. Whatever this evil was, Jake wasn't sure. But Gavin... was a good kid.

"She says the hospital is very interested in buying the research I did for Vic."

"And your reply was?" Jake asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Surely you will? It's a great piece of research that could help so many people. I mean, the money doesn't matter..." The boy explained, looking to Azalea with a curious look on his face. What was the younger witch thinking?

"And your reply was?"

"Uhh... silent gasping?" the witch replied, giving him her initial reaction. "Waiting for someone to jump out and say "gotcha" like they do on TV?" In fact, Azalea had been stunned into silence for most of the remainder of her visit with the healer.

"She kept talking about customizing the procedure, observing the process from scratch to recreate in lab conditions. She said she was surprised private firms hadn't approached me... I guess I was supposed to have forwarded proposals to major pharmaceutical companies in the country. But I..." The witch shook her head, the though both confusing and overwhelming.

"And then she started talking about gold, and tax reductions and you know I don't understand any of that so I just nodded along until she was done.. And then she sent me off for a full body scan because she said i should do one every year."

Guest

"Uhh... silent gasping?"

A soft chuckle left Jake at that thought. True enough, they held silence at times, but it was a mutual silence, otherwise Azalea always had an opinion on things. So thinking of her going silent in such a circumstance was unusual. "I guess, it would be a bit of a shock, but it's a break through, Azalea. I mean, Victoria is... more full of life, if that were ever possible, since the operation."

Listening to the prospect of having private companies after the work, Jake nodded. This wasn't his field of expertise, but he understood that a break through would be highly regarded in Azalea's field of work. The mention of money and Azalea not understanding made Jake smile to himself, muttering something about having to teach her one day. "The choice is yours though, do you want to sell it?" Jake asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"And then she sent me off for a full body scan because she said i should do one every year."

Jake's eyes left the path for a moment, worry etching his features for a moment as he looked at his girlfriend properly, not realising his feet had stopped moving. "That's just routine, right? You're okay?" The Quidditch star asked, wondering if he'd overlooked something vitally important.

"I guess, it would be a bit of a shock, but it's a break through, Azalea. I mean, Victoria is... more full of life, if that were ever possible, since the operation."

The brunette nodded, there was no denying that Victoria was perfectly healthy now. But despite a lot of what Azalea had done, the credit for the young Wormwood's recovery went to the little witch herself. Victoria had remained so cheerful and optimistic during the procedure and the resulting physiotherapy that there was no way things could have gone wrong. Victoria had the kind of unflinching faith in the world that few others possessed, the conviction that things would all turn out alright in the end.

"I guess I'm just trying to deal with the fact that I did a breakthrough. I just wanted Vic to walk again..." The word sounded off even to ehr. A breakthrough, groundbreaking discoveries, shape the way of modern medicine. How can something she tinkered with in her microwave at one point shape the future of medicine? The though was ludicrous.

And yet...

"If I sell, I'll have to go to the hospital a lot more often," Azalea pouted, clearly not happy with the notion. "How is that fair?"

"That's just routine, right? You're okay?"

"Relax Jake, I'm fine," the witch confirmed, reaching up to place a quick kiss along his jawline. "Madam Hart's been doing my tests since I was eleven. I just don't go to the hospital because the moment they see chlorophyll in my bloodstream, they freak." Her last test had been in her seventh year, nearly two years ago but Azalea was sure nothing had changed since then.

Guest

"I guess I'm just trying to deal with the fact that I did a breakthrough. I just wanted Vic to walk again..."

The statement was enough to bring a big grin to Jake's face. It was never the glory of becoming the first to make the break through, not the money it would bring. No, the only thing that had mattered to Azalea was that his little sister would walk again. "That's one of many reasons I love you." Jake whispered, placing a kiss on her forehead. The manner in which she treated his family like her own was one Jake was immensely drawn to, and Azalea had gone a step further than he would ever have asked her to.

"If I sell, I'll have to go to the hospital a lot more often,"

The pout on Azalea's face brought a soft chuckle from Jake. "But you'll be helping lots of kids, even adults, be able to walk again, or gain movement in their limbs." Jake provided as a benefit. "Surely that's worth it, if nothing else?" The man supplied, money was not something that would sway Azalea, that much he knew, the work wasn't really a deterrent either, what with their schedules, so Jake wasn't quite sure what it was that was holding her back.

As Azalea explained that she was fine, despite having the tests, Jake relaxed, continuing down the road towards their block of flats. Apparently she'd been having them for years, and they were okay, so Jake nodded. "Just so long as you're okay." He mumbled, glad of the reassuring kiss on his jaw in that moment. Jake wasn't overly fond of hospitals, or these tests that Azalea spoke of. But so long as she assured him that everything was normal procedure and she was okay, he wouldn't probe.

"That's one of many reasons I love you."

It still felt odd, a foreign word when words shouldn't feel foreign and yet her body no longer shook when she heard it, her heart no longer pounded in her ears and her eyes no longed swept the area in panic, seeking out the nearest exist. Whatever magic Jake had, he had somehow managed to calm her when it came to some of her greatest fears. He had managed to reduce the mind numbing terror to an add feeling, a foreign word in her daily vocabulary.

"But you'll be helping lots of kids, even adults, be able to walk again, or gain movement in their limbs." Jake provided as a benefit. "Surely that's worth it, if nothing else?"

"Yes, everyone uses children as a leverage with me. Is it written on my forehead, Jake, in big letter that I cannot resist helping a child in need?" she asked, mock rolling her eyes. Healer Derwent had been quick to point out the children too.

"I suppose I will sell, eventually. I'm just not looking forwards to dealing with the monetary side of things. I don't even know how many zeros you put in ninety million, and I don't even know if that's a good sum or bad. Surely there are people who count this sort of thing for us, aren't there?" The Healer had said something about NGOs versus private firms in terms of payment but all of that had gone straight over Azalea's head.

"I know how to give them my research, more or less. I can teach them how to replicate cells from plants and I suppose, theoretically they can customize it to fit patients. I just don't know what comes after," she admitted uncertainly as the approached the apartment building, Azalea still cradled safely in the Quidditch star's arms against the evening chill.

Guest

"Yes, everyone uses children as a leverage with me. Is it written on my forehead, Jake, in big letter that I cannot resist helping a child in need?"

"Well, no. I'm not using it as leverage, I'm just stating that it's what it'll be used for. I'm not saying you should sell your research, I'm just giving you a reason why you might like to. It's your decision, if you don't sell it, I will stand by your decision just as much as I would if you do." Jake explained, because it really wasn't his decision what to do with it, after all.

"Surely there are people who count this sort of thing for us, aren't there?"

"I count it for you." Jake pointed out helpfully. "But ninety million?" He breathed, shaking his head slightly. "I might have to get an accountant to look over the transaction and make the right tax payments for us. Not to mention speaking to the banks to ask them how best to look after that..." Jake explained, his mind boggling at the sheer capacity of that amount of money. Of course, his own salary was huge, but he never spoke numbers with anyone because it didn't matter to him. It was all being saved as he saw fit, in bank accounts Azalea had access to, but likely no knowledge of.

And that didn't matter, so long as she was happy.

At the mention of what comes next, Jake didn't understand Azalea's words, pausing as they got to the base of the flats for Azalea to open the door for them. "What do you mean by after?" He asked, confusion on his face as he moved towards the stairs. "Surely you just head the research and approve any break throughs that come?"

as Jake reassured her that he would do the counting, and then went off tangent about accountants and banks, the witch closed her eyes, exhaustion from the day if not the past few days catching up with her. In a way, it was good that she had talked it over with Jake, but she was no closer to making a decision now then she had been in the healer's office.

"What do you mean by after?"

"After," the witch stated simply, one hand unconsciously curling into Jake's shirt as the chill of the outside world was replaced by the warmth of their home. "Will I be responsible for how its used? Do I have to keep doing more research and find more breakthroughs? Do I have to travel to places to teach healers how to apply this technique around the world?" The prospect seemed highly unappealing.

"The after scares me..." she witch murmured, her mind hazy with exhaustion and doubt. "And what if the procedure only works for Victoria an no one else?"

Guest

The flurry of questions from Azalea made Jake pause to think about the answers. Naturally, he didn't know the answers, because he'd never been in such a situation, or heard of it. "Wouldn't you teach a team how to do it, and then the rest of the teaching will be done by them? And they just come back to you on queries?" Jake asked, shrugging slightly as Azalea settled against him.

"And what if the procedure only works for Victoria an no one else?"

"Surely that's the challenge?" Jake asked, managing to open their bedroom door with his elbow and moving inside enough to close it with his foot. "To see if you can make it so that it fits everyone?"

The question was finished just as Jake led Azalea down on their bed. Contemplating her as he leant over her. "I believe that it will work the same as it did on Victoria, just replace her... whatever you used from her with the person in question. Hell, with specialist equipment, you might find a generic cure. Don't you want your name on that?" Jake asked, she'd already made the break through of a lifetime, curing Victoria was monumental.

But the prospects were endless.

"You'll have all my support if you do it, if that helps." Jake whispered, sealing his words with a kiss, showing that he meant every word he said. Because really, that was all that mattered, that Azalea knew she would never have to do anything alone.

"Surely that's the challenge?"

Yes it would. And it really was too much to ask for an unchallenging life, Azalea mused as Jake carefully laid her down on the bed, her eyes growing heavy with the kind of not sleep that ensued when Jake wasn't by her side.

"I believe that it will work the same as it did on Victoria, just replace her... whatever you used from her with the person in question. Hell, with specialist equipment, you might find a generic cure. Don't you want your name on that?"

"Not particularly," Azalea replied honestly, opening her eyes to the world around her and finding some comfort in their bedroom set just the way it had always been. "Don't get me wrong, I want to help. I just don't need my name stamped over it," she clarified, trying to make Jake understand.

"Getting famous is you thing, remember?" she laughed, trying to mask the worry and uncertainty that still remained locked within her. "We can't have two internationally acclaimed people in one apartment."

Guest

"Don't get me wrong, I want to help. I just don't need my name stamped over it,"

"Then work anonymously, or put someone else's name on it to keep you out of the spotlight, if that's what you're worried about." Jake replied, moving Azalea over enough for him to lie down next to her. "If you really don't want the publicity, draw it in to a contract, I'll pay for a lawyer to do it for you, that puts the clause that you must never be named as the founder. Your work will go down in history, but not under your name." He supplied, trying to put her at ease.

"Getting famous is you thing, remember?"

"I never went looking for fame." Jake reminded her, leaning in to claim her lips for his own once more. "Worries me that you'll get caught up in something." The Quidditch star confessed, putting his arms around her and drawing Azalea close to him.

"Then work anonymously, or put someone else's name on it to keep you out of the spotlight, if that's what you're worried about."

"That's another option we can look at," Azala admitted as Jake nudged her softly, getting into bed beside her. The talk of lawyers and clauses was starting to blur her mind once more as the Quidditch star tried to explain how that would work, leaving Azalea with the realization that she knew very little about the whole being a grown up thing.

But maybe she and Jake together would know enough to get by, his knowledge making up for the skills she lacked.

"I never went looking for fame." Jake reminded her, leaning in to claim her lips for his own once more. "Worries me that you'll get caught up in something."

"I'll be fine," the brunette murmured against his lips, settling down comfortably between Jake and the bed, possibly her most favourite spot in the entire world. "I survived a childhood with a photographer constantly being chased by paparazzi," she joked as Jake's arms enveloped her small form, tucking her neatly to him.

"You have to eat," she reminded him drowsily, nudging the young man solely to go have dinner. "Not healthy to skip meals."

Guest

"That's another option we can look at,"

"It is." Jake agreed, finally relaxing in to the bed once Azalea was safely tucked against him. Even as she batted away his comments about being safe, mentioning Kit, Jake shook his head. There was one thing with having a famous dad, but a famous boyfriend was a different kettle of fish if the stories from his team mates were anything to go by. But Azalea would know by now that he had no interest in anyone but her.

Or, he hoped, at least.

"Not healthy to skip meals."

"Hypocrite." Jake muttered against Azalea's lips, before pressing them firmly against hers. "But I won't be going hungry." The young man mused softly, pressing himself closer. Azalea was tired, he knew that, but there were some things sleep could wait for. "Dinner's here." Jake added, stealing another kiss and making his intentions quite clear.

» And I decided you look well on (Jazalea)
» Every Now and Then I Fall Apart (Jazalea)
» Can we break free from chains of never-ending agony? (Jazalea)
» Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars (Jazalea)