"Plants are living things," Ren Zexian began, trying to offer instructions and explanations that Nathan would understand clearly. He was not trying to underestimate the youth's intelligence, he'd already experienced Nathan's flashes of brilliance, however he also knew that what Nathan had no visual reference or if he couldn't make sense of it, he would dismiss it. Taking a leap of faith was too much for the straightforward youth. "Therefore, like people, they contain energy." He saw Nathan's eyes sparkle and knew that this was the correct way. Nathan loved plants more that anything, were he another man, he might have felt jealous over the youth's care and affection for all things green.

"However, the water, the air, the earth, the sun these all contain energy too." Nathan could accept kind of accept this. Plants used these things to create glucose and to burn glucose, in order to have energy to grow. "What you see here, is all of your spiritual energy, Nathan, in the form of plants and water and..." How to describe the third root... once they would call it the Blessed root, a body root, but one that was completely useless unless one had a complimentary root. It could be said that Nathan had two... "And as the spiritual energy is a part of you, you can instruct it. Make the energy become real water or use it to communicate with plants. Or you can use it to strengthen you, to attract more of it from outside of your body, to expand your innersea in order that you can store more of it. Observe."

Nathan watched as the plants about him swayed, seeming to move without wind and their leaves and petals shook until they came loose. The water in the pond also stirred, rippling along the surface until droplets rose from the formerly glassy surface and gathered in the space above it. The leaves and petals spun about, joining the water until they danced in weaving motions with the water droplets. The display was mesmerising, but not yet complete as then the glowing flower dissolved into soft seed puffs, similar to those of a dandelion. These were then swept into the whirlwind of colour spinning about them, however, each petal, leaf and droplet that was touched by the glowing seeds also began to glow in turn, becoming more brilliant, more vibrant, more stunning.

"You now need to guide them, Nathan," Ren Zexian instructed him.

"Guide them where?" Nathan asked him.

"Follow me, I will show you." The image that was Ren Zexian began to float up before him and gently pulled at his hand. Without thought, Nathan felt himself rise and begin to follow.

*****

Making ice was now relatively simply for Tyler, though it was definitely easier to freeze water than to create ice from nothing. The former also took less energy. However, ice melts above zero degrees and although the weather was no longer that warm outside or in, it was also still fairly above freezing. Trying to alter the temperature of the basement that it would stay at low temperatures throughout both winter and summer was not going to be an easy task. Tyler was already aware he would have to expend energy in maintaining the cold room. Admittedly, there were two others with water and water linked abilities, however Tyler felt that neither would be reliable in assisting him. Nathan would always point the majority of his energies towards his beloved plants and as for Brooke... well Tyler just disliked her.

"Rather than making the whole of the basement a cold room," Dexter suggested to him, "wouldn't it be better to focus our efforts in creating a smaller space, away from the windows and doors? It would require less energy to keep cold if the walls were thick and insulated and the door to it was thick and had a sufficient seal to keep the cold air from escaping."

"Makes sense," Tyler agreed with him. "Just it shouldn't be too small. We have to store a good amount of things in there to keep them from rotting too fast over winter. Especially as we have a fair few mouths to feed now. Still, I can't just freeze the air and just putting ice everywhere would make the room damp and effect the food."

As they were considering alternatives, just as freezer packs and whiskey stones, neither of which seemed that viable, considering the overall size of the planned cold room, Paul came in from the gardens, opening the door wide in order that Shaun could push his wheelchair in with a bit of help from the young teenager, Nan Li Liang. In Shaun's lap was a basket filled with aubergines, tomatoes, peppers and spinach.

"That for dinner tonight?" Dexter asked, glancing at the filled basket. Slowly, but surely, the treasures from the garden were vanishing. Soon, there would be only root vegetables to harvest. Much of the produce went into the meals that Autumn prepared for them all, but they knew that they were also a little against the clock as the season's remnant heat cooled and ushered in the first frosts. They would have to harvest anything left in the garden and either process it or attempt to keep it fresh for longer, hence the need for the cold room.

Paul nodded. "Autumn mentioned something about roasted aubergines, with some type of sauce and sides. She's digging for sweet potatoes at the moment with Lucy and Aslan." The sides of Dexter's lips curved; that little girl had grown as fond of Autumn as she was of Nathan, though he felt like the woman was like a mother to the child unlike Nathan who could at best be like a big brother.

"Nathan is still on the roof with Ren?" Tyler asked. He was surprised, in fact he'd assumed Nathan wouldn't last five minutes in his attempt to cultivate, especially considering how he'd reacted before when Ren Zexian had tried to teach them all.

"Yep," Paul replied and grinned slightly lewdly. "And they are curled up pretty closely as well."

His response caused both Tyler and Dexter to frown. "Are you sure they are cultivating?"

"How would I know?" Paul asked him, reminding them of his non-ability user status. He took the basket from Shaun, mentioning that he was going to wash the vegetables before Shaun rolled his eyes in thought that Paul was looking down on him and his disability again. Not that Paul meant to make Shaun feel inferior, just that he couldn't help being overprotective of his friend.

"Never mind," Dexter decided to change the topic of conversation. "Come help us figure out how to create a cold room in the basement."

"Can't you just fill it with ice?" Paul asked Tyler directly. Tyler gave him a cold glare, before filling up the bowl with water. Paul tossed the vegetables in nonchalantly.

"If Tyler did that," Shaun pointed out, "we'd have a serious problem with mould and damp if Tyler couldn't keep the place frozen all of the time. What about freezing water contained in sealed buckets or something? I could probably make some."

"It's a thought," Tyler agreed. "But it would be difficult to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the room and the buckets would take up space."

"Metal tubing," young Nan Li Liang suggested. "If cold water is running through metal tubing, wouldn't the air about it be cold? If the tubing is above everything, then the cold air would descend as well."

"How would we keep the water running through the tubes though?" Paul asked aloud.

"Ice melt," Tyler pointed out and ruffled the teenager's hair in approval. "If the running water was collected at the bottom, I only need to return it to a tank and freeze it again once or twice a day. So long as the cold room isn't opened too often, the air will reduce in temperature and stay cold as well."

"And metal walls, floors and ceiling would reduce chances of damp," Dexter mentioned, rubbing at his chin. He slammed his open palm upon the table. "Let's get some measurements worked out and get this thing sorted."

*****

Upon the roof, a few hours later, the long, auburn lashes framing two sapphire eyes fluttered apart and glanced over the face pressed close to his own, two foreheads pressed close. Heat rose rapidly through his face. He should have felt uncomfortable, he should have flinched away, but as two obsidian crescent moons captured him as they observed him, he felt as if it wouldn't be bad to move closer still. He was disappointed when Ren Zexian backed away. Yet even then, their hands remained intertwined as if neither man wished to separate.

Ren Zexian sat beside Nathan, smiling warmly. "You did very well," he praised.

"Can I make more water now?" Nathan asked him. "I wish to grow rice for you in the spring."

The older man could not help but falter as he realised that the reason that Nathan was serious about Cultivating now, about wanting to learn, about wanting to strengthen himself, it was all for him, Ren Zexian. His heart quickened a pace and his gentle smile suddenly lacked any distance, becoming softer, more genuine. "En," he murmured, "though, you will need to cultivate more often in order to notice the difference."

Nathan's head tilted a fraction to one side. "Then you will help me again and we will practice together."

Ren Zexian's expression fluctuated once more. A different method of 'Cultivating together' flashed through his mind, distorting the innocent words into something less wholesome. He pressed the notion down, lamenting his sudden lack of control and patted Nathan's hand with his own. "En."