the saddest yard sale advertisement you will ever see [video]

[ka_sera_sera]

[Roland sits amid wood, nails, and wire, scattered in a few small piles across the overgrown back yard. A little ways behind him, eagle-eyed viewers might notice a chicken in the process of laying an egg.]

Fiona Gallagher's... gone home. She, ah-- [He shakes his head, starts over, nodding at the house his camera's not at the right angle to show.] Anything in there's fair game. Odin 107, I mean. I won't be needing any of it. The door'll be open. Probably food and furniture, mostly - anything in the cupboards or refrigerator, anything not nailed down, bar the refrigerator and stove. I think the place came with those. [He shakes his head again, realizing he might be starting to ramble.] Doesn't matter. Corn, beans, squash plants in the back. Take them. Can probably see 'em behind me somewhere.

[Another chicken starts to peck at his sleeve and he lifts his arm, blinking at it.]  Ah. Couple chickens, if you can catch them. Is that all? I think... I could probably use a couple extra hands to get all this wood and a couple of these plants over to Freyr district. And I... to be honest, I could probably use the company.

Bowls. I'll need a few of the bowls to transport these plants in. Other than that... Plates, silverware, clothes, bedding. Doesn't matter. I'll be leaving once it's empty. If I'm not here, don't take any of the magic plants. I'll find you. [The tone of that last is too absent for it to sound like a threat. It sounds, if anything, like an afterthought.]

The door's open. Have I said... [He has, probably. Roland shakes his head again, grimacing at himself, and cuts the feed.]



(ooc: If your character would drop by, this post doubles as a log post. Either prose or this format works, I'm comfortable with either.)

Comments

[ka_sera_sera]

[He shrugs. Not suggesting so much as... stating a few facts.]

The eggs are good for protein, useful if these shortages get much worse. Long as you don't expect her to actually use any henhouses, you should get on well enough.

[Having found the papers and tobacco, Roland starts to roll himself a cigarette, nodding at the small henhouse in the corner of the yard. There's been no attempt to keep it in good condition, as it's not being used. He mostly kept it standing out of some vague optimism. Well. Too much effort to tear it down now.]

[feathery]

[The power of suggestion.

Davesprite's feathers lift and he looks back at Roland, expression unreadable. He considers and then shrugs, almost imperceptibly.]

Well, at least you didn't ask if eating eggs is cannibalism. [He eyes the chicken again, partially turning her around. She clucks at him.] What's her beef with hen houses.

[ka_sera_sera]

[Roland's fingers pause on the cigarette and he frowns. The idea of cannibalism hadn't actually entered his mind, no, but it's there now. He finds himself wondering if it would be, for whatever manner of creature the boy in front of him is. He shakes his head, dismissing the thought.]

Damned if I know. Neither she nor her sister ever took to it. Never did find out what I was doing wrong.

[He pauses to start looking in his purse for flint and steel and then continues, voice casual.]

Might get worse if you take her on her lonesome.

video

[modernmarvel]

[Tony might be more of an acquaintance to the strange cowboy, but he knew when a buddy needed a distraction. And he wasn't the only one losing friends.]

Hey. So don't think I'm offering because I like you or anything, but if you need an extra pair of hands to move some of that stuff...

Well, you could pay me in a beer or two. And I'll buy you a couple. Looks like you need one. Or half a dozen.

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[ka_sera_sera]

[He's already shaking his head when he starts the recording.]

The last thing I need is to get drunk again. Or hungover.

[Fiona'd made him some sort of hangover cure last time. She'd laughed at him, of course, but she'd been very kind. The thought isn't particularly relevant, but it passes through his mind anyway.]

But I could use one or two. [One corner of his mouth drifts up a little.] Wouldn't be the first drink I've had with someone who doesn't like me.

[He half-turns, looking the yard over, and waves a hand at it.]

Even if you'd rather not... all this, I wouldn't mind buying you a few. Just name the time and place.

[quantumtangled]

Much more so. There are defenses I can design with the materials at hand.

[He says because he doesn't have a clue how to 'comfort' someone. Really, he shouldn't be the one relied on to comfort.]

[ka_sera_sera]

Glad to hear it.

[Though Roland's dropped his hand from September's arm he still spends a second standing a little closer than he would to most anyone else, then turns and heads toward the closest pile of what used to be a greenhouse.]

You can tell me about it as we walk. It's, uh... [He frowns, looks around.] The glass is over here. I'd like to at least get that back to the shop before I leave. [He squats in front of a few carefully stacked panes of glass, thinking over how best to carry them.] How are you finding the other engineers?

[Small talk. But here and now, with this particular person, it's not the words themselves that he's really looking for.]

[quantumtangled]

[What's really expected of him, he... doesn't care all that much about figuring out. It's all incomprehensible. He hardly knows why he felt the urge to come and help move plants in the first place.]

Imaginative.

[You know, something he doesn't much do.]

[samantha_grey]

I'm teaching them how to make the poultices, and I'll add that in as much as possible. Home gardening's not a terrible thing, after all.

[emulation]

She's gone? Man, that sucks so hard.

[ka_sera_sera]

[If he'd only ask Roland could provide him with an answer. As things are, September may just have to stumble around on his own until it becomes clear.]

Hm. [He glances at September's face, trying in vain to read it, then grasps two corners of the glass in front of him.] Take the other end of these, if you please. Just the top two panes for now.

That imagination a good thing or a bad one? Can't quite tell, looking at you. [It's not a complaint. It's just politely not mentioning such things is something he doesn't have the energy for right now.]

[ka_sera_sera]

No, it isn't. I wouldn't trust just anyone with a lot of these plants, nor with the mixtures that come from them, but it couldn't hurt to encourage at least some self sufficiency. Don't know how much time I'll have but if you need another hand with that, let me know.

[ka_sera_sera]

Yes. It does. Did- do you know her well?

[quantumtangled]

[He takes the glass, glancing around. No cart. Shame.]

It is a good thing. Do you have something on wheels to use to move?

[If he did have bad opinions about anyone, he'd keep that to himself. Forever.]

[samantha_grey]

Firebloom at least doesn't have a habit of being used for anything dangerous, so at least we won't be making things worse by getting more of them. Like you said, there's plants I wouldn't trust most folks with. Most of my poisons, for example.

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[yamagishi]

[She shook her head. While she does feel a little guilty that she did speak up about a sensitive topic, she wanted to be sure.]

No, it's okay. There isn't anything I need but I wanted to know if you were okay with giving so many things away. I apologize if I was being rude but I wanted to be sure.

[But she will admit. This does remind her of the fact that any one of her friends from home can go back home at any time. Which is to say that there wouldn't be much for them]

[emulation]

Not that well, but she was really nice. She got me in school.

[ka_sera_sera]

Oh, I- No. I should have thought of that. Cry pardon, I- [He stops, forces himself into absolute stillness for just a moment. Pushes out a breath. Enough of that.] No. I don't. Not that I can think of.

[He wouldn't put it past himself today, though that would be quite a thing to forget.] Do you suggest we find one before we actually try to take these anywhere? [It's a shame not to trust himself with even so small a decision. But maybe he can afford that, so long as September's here.]

[proudofwhatiam]

I'm sure the school will muddle through--but it will be rather different without her.

How are you faring, Roland?

sorry about the delay! our internet died for a bit.

[gymnast]

[ She nods slightly. ] I keep meaning to get involved, but this place-- [ She pauses for a moment and presses her lips together as she shakes her head. ] Sorry. You have more important things to worry about. Is there anything I can help with?

[feathery]

Whoa, hey, back up there, dude. I never said nothing about adopting any chickens, singular or plural.

[And yet here he is, still holding the chicken and watching Roland roll himself a smoke. He tries to imagine this guy smoking weed.]

This is practically coercion.

[ka_sera_sera]

[He glances up, then back down at the important business of lighting his cigarette.]

Are you not? Too bad. No one else's shown much interest in 'em today.

[Poor things. Look at them. Look at those lonely little faces.]

[ka_sera_sera]

[He nods.]

That sounds like her. She had more of an effect on this place than she quite realized.

[ka_sera_sera]

Mm. But medics should be a little more trustworthy. A little more capable, too. If the shortages get worse it may be best to reevaluate how much to trust them with. For now, poultices and the like will probably do.

[ka_sera_sera]

I'm okay with it. More than okay. I won't be needing any of it.

[He takes a deep breath, not quite a sigh.] Kind of you to be so concerned about a stranger. [A little peculiar, considering they've never seen one another before, but travelers here come from all sorts of worlds. Maybe hers is a particularly nice one.]