Fic: The Citadel - interlude: Dominic and Viggo meet

[silentdescant]

title: The Citadel - interlude: Dominic and Viggo meet
rating: PG
summary: Dominic visits the greenhouse for the first time. (Obviously, this takes place way before the main story)
a/n: I'm not planning to fit this into the fic anywhere, it's just a little extra bit that I wanted to write. Also, it doesn't really have an ending, because it's not a real story, it's just a little snapshot kind of thing.

Citadel index

Dominic craned his neck, trying to see around the greenery, but couldn’t find the pathway he’d diverged from. He looked to the ceiling to get his bearings. After a moment, he realized he didn’t know the greenhouse well enough to find his way back to the door or that shed he’d passed. Dominic began to wander, then, with no purpose in mind. It wasn’t as if he was needed elsewhere at the moment, and he would eventually find the door if he wandered long enough.

 

There were small clearings every so often, but, as far as Dominic could tell, they weren’t intentional. Most of the plants hadn’t grown to maturity yet, though of course some were fully grown, having been transplanted from Earthside greenhouses.

 

After over an hour of walking, Dominic’s feet started to ache: he was so accustomed to walking on the smooth surfaces of indoor corridors and city sidewalks that the gravel and dirt beneath his feet felt uncomfortable and strange. He’d already tripped over rocks and roots more times than he could count. He hadn’t anticipated that the ground’s unevenness would affect him so much. With a sigh, Dominic lowered himself to the ground between two trees and pulled off his boots.

 

He had the beginnings of blisters forming on both of his feet and his right ankle twinged, all from his clumsiness on the bumpy ground. Dominic poked at his tender ankle; it wasn’t broken, or even sprained… it just hurt. Dominic decided not to carry on until he’d rested a bit, and so he laid back against the trunk of the tree, allowing the sounds and smells of the greenhouse to lead him into a light doze.

 

***

 

Viggo knew someone was in the greenhouse, someone that didn’t know their way around; he’d heard the person walking earlier, and then cursing as he tripped over a rock. Viggo didn’t think much of it, though. The greenhouse was open to anyone who wanted to come in, though they were supposed to keep to the path. Viggo wasn’t actively looking for the rule-breaker; he just happened to stumble upon him, napping in a small copse of young evergreens.

 

“Hello,” Viggo said softly, wanting to wake the man but not startle him. The man was more of a boy, really; he had a youthful face and his clothes were relatively stylish, if slightly dirty. His streaky blonde hair fell across his forehead to brush against his closed eyelids.

 

The young man stirred at Viggo’s greeting. His eyes fluttered open and he yawned, taking stock of his surroundings and looking for the source of the sound that woke him.

 

***

 

Dominic’s gaze finally settled on the man standing behind a short evergreen. He pushed himself to his feet, brushing off his hands on his trousers, and gathered up his boots, proceeding barefoot to introduce himself.

 

“Hello,” Dominic said, smiling lopsidedly.

 

“You’re lost,” the man replied. He stuck out his hand for Dominic to shake. “I’m Viggo, the greensman.”

 

“Viggo, hi. Um,” Dominic looked around. “I sort of wandered off the path. Sorry.”

 

“That’s fine. I heard you walking earlier and I figured you’d find your way back eventually.”

 

“Oh. Well… I tried, but I think I only got myself more lost. I’m Dominic Monaghan, by the way.”

 

“Have you been in here before?”

 

“No. I mean, I’ve looked in, but this is my first visit. It’s amazing, really. I can’t believe the… the magnitude, I suppose. I wasn’t expecting it to be this big. Or this beautiful.”

 

Viggo grinned. “You haven’t seen the gardens, yet.”

 

“Gardens?” Dominic asked, cocking his head in interest.

 

“Cultivated plants. Flowers and the like. It’s not far from here.”

 

Dominic smiled broadly. “Lead the way.”

 

Viggo nodded and set off, trusting Dominic to follow him. They kept up a quiet conversation, and the long moments of silence between their voices weren’t awkward, but companionable. As they walked, Dominic continued to take in the beautiful diversity of the plants around them. After a few minutes, he finally noticed Viggo’s footwear, or lack thereof.

 

“You’re barefoot,” he said without thinking.

 

Viggo looked back at him over his shoulder. “So’re you.”

 

Dominic looked down. “Right. I forgot. I’m not used to walking on terrain like this. I’ve got blisters, now.”

 

“I think I have some cream in the shed. A first-aid kit, anyway,” Viggo offered.

 

“I’ll be fine. I have some stuff back at my room. I’m not a doctor, but I sometimes go down and volunteer at the emergency clinic.”

 

“What do you get paid for, then, Dominic?”

 

“You can call me Dom, if you like. I work in life-support, but I’m kind of a cross-breed. I sort of bridge the gap between life-support and programming, so I basically keep all of the vital electronics running. And you said you’re the greensman, right? What does that entail? Does the greenhouse take a lot of… cultivating?”

 

“It takes a bit,” Viggo replied. “I have a few guys to help me out, and we just keep things in order, pretty much. It’s a lot research, as well; we keep records of growth rates and fertilizer tests and things. The greenhouse on the whole mostly takes care of itself, though. Ah, here we are.”

 

Viggo led Dominic through a short row of bushes. Dominic’s jaw actually dropped at the sight before him. There were brightly colored, large flowers bursting out of the green leaves and ivy, and there were small, artfully knarled trees fanning out over the shorter plants. The grass here was neatly trimmed and vivid green.

 

“Wow,” Dominic breathed, receiving a soft smile in reply from Viggo. “You did this?”

 

“Yeah,” Viggo answered.

 

“It’s kind of a… Zen garden type of thing. It’s beautiful.”

 

Viggo ushered Dominic forward with a gentle hand at the small of his back, and the moment Dominic’s toes touched the soft grass, he giggled.

 

“This… this is just what I needed,” Dominic murmured. He hadn’t realized just how out-of-sorts he’d been feeling until that moment.

 

“I thought so. Dom, you can come back anytime you want to,” Viggo said. “I’d love to show you around, if you’d like.”

 

“I would like that,” Dominic said. “I love trees and flowers… I miss them, from home, y’know?”

 

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m here.”