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.)

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[ka_sera_sera]

[Unobtrusive, but not invisible; Roland looks up, stands, wipes his hands over his pants to get the dirt off. He opens his mouth, visibly hesitates a moment before speaking, and isn't quite sure why. As he speaks Roland grips one of September's upper arms in greeting, and though the physical contact's brief, it helps.]

It's good to see you. Thank you for coming. I know we're all a little busier these days.

[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.]

[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.]

[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.]

[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.]

[quantumtangled]

It would save time.

[What is wrong with the man? They must have been very close.]

[ka_sera_sera]

[He nods, setting down the glass, standing, and brushing his hands off absently.]

There's a few, ah, businesses nearby. We can ask.

[Roland jerks his head in the relevant direction, starts to walk, and then stops, turning back and clearly waiting for September to join him.]

[quantumtangled]

[He hadn't moved, at first, and he does follow once he's caught on. Just a small delay.]

[ka_sera_sera]

[Roland's not standing quite as close as he was during the whole 'cuddle spell' thing, but certainly a little closer than he usually would. Enough that their shoulders brush a little.]

[quantumtangled]

[He makes note of it, in his mind as he makes note of everything, whether it means something to him or not.]

[He knows all the native shopkeepers around here, too.]

[ka_sera_sera]

I can't think who'd have one. Perhaps... [Roland closes his eyes for a moment, depending on the feeling of September's shoulder next to his to tell him if he needs to stop or turn, and rubs two fingers across his forehead.] If there's anyone nearby who does bricklaying, works with heavy loads?

[quantumtangled]

I know who may have one. Will you wait and I will bring it to you?

[He clearly needs the help.]

[ka_sera_sera]

[He opens his eyes to look at September, then nods.]

That's fine. I can wait.

[Roland moves away, leaning against a wall and letting his head fall back. It may look like he expects to be waiting a while, but that's what he's used to, and falls into it without thinking. It's probably how September will find him if he leaves and comes back.]

[quantumtangled]

[He does come back soon enough--he might know the natives, but he's not a talker. And he's got a cart, as promised.]

[ka_sera_sera]

[Roland pushes himself off the wall, setting a hand on September's shoulder in passing and letting it slide off as he inspects the workmanship of the thing. Looks sturdy enough.]

Probably wouldn't have been wise to try to carry that glass all that way by hand. This'll do much better.

[Which is as good, in Roland's mind, as outright thanking September for thinking more clearly than he had.]

[quantumtangled]

It will. We need make only one trip.

[He says this as he starts to walk back--he's not one to waste any time. Or need thanking.]

[ka_sera_sera]

[Then, of course, there'll be less reason for September to stay, but nevermind that. It is more efficient, and with two people, possible. He grunts and nods, walking a little ahead of September before glancing back and deliberately slowing to walk beside him.]

[quantumtangled]

[And here they are, without a word from the strange suited man.]

[ka_sera_sera]

[Roland's never been one for idle talk. Since September doesn't seem inclined, Roland doesn't bother. Once they arrive he hunkers in front of the glass again, comparing the size of the sheets to the size of the cart.]

Probably not going to lie flat. One of us will need to keep a hand on the cart so it doesn't unbalance. We'll lift half these in first, then the other half. Ready?

[quantumtangled]

Yes.

[Trust him, he's still fairly strong. And he probably didn't need the instructions.]

[ka_sera_sera]

Now. [Moving the glass, so far, goes without incident, and without Roland realizing that he doesn't need to try and take charge quite so much as he has been. One day September is going to learn to speak up, and it is going to be one hell of a surprise for everyone.] Now the second half.

[He hunkers and grasps the rest of the glass, then pauses. This isn't something he likes to ask, and that's going to be obvious when he asks it. All the same, he probably ought to.] ...Is there anything I'm forgetting? Something we ought to be, ah- [He looks around, frowning, and runs a hand over his jaw.]