Fantasy The Near-Forgotten House and the Abandoned Village

[Clairikins]

"Yes, it's over there. If you don't know how to deal with deer and bears, you should be careful- there's no hospital around if you get hurt or walk into some poison ivy." Sundrop keeps her spot, apparently lost in thought even still. "Or you might get lucky and find someone out there; I wouldn't know." Sundrop looks... tired.

 

[Thanny]

"Hmm," pondered Anisa uneasily, "I remember a bit about moose, but I do not think it wise for me to wander around with bears around. I have never seen them or learned anything about them. Poison ivy I know of, however."

Anisa bit her lip, uncertain of what to do. Perhaps it would be best to take Sundrop with her after all, or Emily if she was unavailable. However, Sundrop looked unwell, or weary, or some blend of the two, drawing Anisa's attention and making her squirm a little closer, still seated.

"Is something wrong? You look, well . . . put out or something. Are you okay?"

 

[Clairikins]

Sundrop glances up at Anisa for a moment. She looks back to the horizion and considers her words for a few seconds. "I'm just getting used to seeing a human around here again. After what happened to the last one- to your uncle. If you stay, things might go well again, but if something happens -if we scare you of- then we're back to where we used to be. I... I don't want something to happen to you, but I can't protect you when you go into town or if you go off on your own. So I guess I'm just worried about you. ...you don't have someone back home who'd be willing to take over if you left, did you?"

 

[Thanny]

Anisa's eyes went wide for a second before lowering to the ground between her knees, quiet and thoughtful. Sundrop had a deeper perspective on what-ifs than she had, perhaps garnered through wisdom or necessity. She licked her dry lips as she formed an answer.

"I, uhm . . . I do not think I do, no. My parents, maybe, but they have their own house to worry about now since I moved away, and I have no siblings, and I lived alone for three years. A cousin, maybe, but he is young and not wise with money. He'd probably turn this place into Party Central if he owns it and leave it when the inheritance money is gone. One thing is for certain, though: you can't scare me off."

She smiled over to Sundrop as if to affirm this, not that it was not a genuine expression. Her face beamed in the lowering sun before she chuckled a bit.

"Besides, I can learn to defend myself. I know a few moves from watching my dad box and some old kung-fu movies, if that makes you feel better."

 

[Clairikins]

"You couldn't even defend yourself against me. Heck, you couldn't defend yourself against Emily if she came for you. You have no hope against a bear or if someone came to attack you while you were alone. And we can't be a safe haven for non humans if you're not here."

 

[Thanny]

Visible confusion lay on Anisa's face as she grew downcast and defensive.

"Well, what would you have me do? Get a gun on my hip at all times like some cowboy in a spaghetti Western? Lock myself away on this farm? And who would attack me out here that is not a wild animal? Honestly, Sundrop, where is this coming from?"

 

[Clairikins]

Sundrop sighs. "I'll guess you'll find out eventually, but not all of us are as friendly as we make it seem; some of us do bad things without realising it. I..." she bites her lip, not wanting to reveal her secret. "I... I killed your uncle. I think. I came to the house in need of medical attention, and once I was fixed up, he saw me getting dressed- I should have been more careful. I... I gave your uncle a heart attack and... and he didn't make it." Sundrop is sullen, her hands around her knees. "I'm the reason why everyone left. How can I face any of them again after what I did? How can I face myself when I ruined such a great thing? ...how could I face myself if I did the same to you?"

 

[Thanny]

Anisa eyed Sundrop with a look of disbelief, agitation, and, still, confusion. There was no way anything of what she had said could be true, and yet her better judgement made her think more upon this. She stared all the while, face stricken of colour, until she tore her eyes away toward the horizon.

"There's no way. A heart attack? From walking in on someone bandaged up or whatever it was? This does not sound possible . . . I don't know what to think of any of this, and yet you seem to believe it so firmly. If this is a joke--"

Tears stung at her eyes finally, burning their way to fullness where there once was the simple pleasure of talking with a new friend.

"Then I will need a weapon to defend myself with. But not from you. If you speak truly, this is a tragic accident, and I'd forgive you, but . . . I just . . ."

She droned off, resting her head on her bunched up knees, trying to dry her tears on one of her tee's sleeve. She only managed to clear one eye when she dared to look at Sun again. She was at a loss for words but a small handful, speaking them to confirm for herself the truth of this: "It was an accident. An accident, right?"

 

[Clairikins]

Sundrop moves up to Anisa, resting her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Of course it was. I... I'm a nymph, or at least half nymph. I wasn't careful enough. I have to cover myself when I go to town or people will notice and will never leave me alone. I was exposed and he walked in and fell and no one could save him. I'm sorry. But..." she wipes her face with her free hand, "but now that you're here, we can bring everyone back, the house can go back to being glorious. And. ... and if people would prefer it, then I'll leave. But you don't deserve this and neither does Emily." Sundrop stands up, turning to walk back around the house. "I'll keep working for as long as you'll have me."

 

[Thanny]

"A nymph?" Anisa asked to no one in particular, a frown on her lips.

She listened carefully, taking everything in, and closing her eye when Sundrop swept the gathered tears away. Her thoughts felt as if they swam through her head a million miles a second, but when she finally garnered what she was hoping to say Sundrop already turned to leave. It took most of her willpower to stand up as well and call out.

"Sun! Don't go just yet." Her voice warbled as she took in a breath and heaved it out in a slow blow. Against all wishes, tears still crept forth. "There is something I want to say. In the end, it was an accident. As tragic as it is, it was, and . . . and I don't hate you for it. My uncle -- he was a good man, even a great man, but even if he knew of this he'd be of the same opinion as me, I am sure. So don't . . . I guess don't punish yourself for something you couldn't control. These things happen."

Anisa approached and looked at Sundrop, determined. She stopped short an arm's distance away.

"For now I want to say something quite clear: I have no intention of leaving even still, and I have no intention of chasing you away either. This secret"--she dropped her voice, thinking about Emily's sharper hearing as discussed before--"as long as you find it necessary, I will keep it too, especially from Emily until the right time. Now, let's build this place up again, yeah?"

 

[Clairikins]

Sundrop shakes her head. "She knows. They all know. Some might have the wrong idea, but they all know I was doing first aid on him and that he passed. Emily forgave me, but... but the others didn't, and so they left. It was only a secret from you." With that, Sundrop turns and walks off again; she still has work to get done.

 

[Thanny]

Hands drooping to her sides, Anisa stayed where she was for some time and, afterwards, clubbed the heel of her shoe against the ground. She felt, well, hurt. This secret was kept from her alone? She supposed it was not easy to discuss such a topic to the niece of someone one killed, no matter the incident, but even still it smouldered within her. How was she supposed to think, act, or do anything now?

In a small fit of rage, she left for the forest where she supposed the lake was, keeping to clearings and paths and avoiding underbrush, especially the dreaded leaves of three.

Should she reach the large body of water and not be interrupted by anything, she would sit there meditatively, chin in hand for as long as she could stand the loneliness, or if something snapped her out of it.

 

[Clairikins]

The girls back at the house keep to their tasks, and the forest is serene and mostly quiet- a lot of trees, of course, the wind gently sailing through their leaves. The wildlife scurrying around as Anisa approaches, and there are fish swimming in the lake happily. All in all it's a pleasant place, with danger lurking in the shadows.

 

[Thanny]

The quiescence of the lake was astoundingly refreshing, with hardly a lap in the water besides fish and water bugs that sent ripples along the surface. The wind was subtle but there and gently toyed with her hair, a promise of good fortune, in Anisa's point of view. She enjoyed the location to the best of her capability. The rage soothed nicely to a low thrum in her brain.

The sun was reaching the western trees when she decided to pack herself up from the quaint and lovely location, rising to her legs which still were slightly sore from the walk from town. If unhindered, she would be gladdened to return to her new home, picking up a solid-seeming branch of decent girth for good measure. Sundrop's words were not wholly lost on her, though perhaps it was a bit foolhardy of her to come out here alone. She had no intentions of bathing today. Maybe tomorrow would be better for that.

"I wonder how good this branch would be," she brought to voice, brandishing it like a fencing sword before laughing at herself. It was her coping strategy, to laugh and to make herself laugh, and even with everything discussed with Sundrop it was effective.

 

[Clairikins]

As far as Anisa is aware, no one is watching her during her time at the lake, leaving her alone to play with her new branch. The fish go about their business, the tress stay as still as always, and the critters go about their day, uncaring that someone new is around.

All in all it's nature, as far as it's concerned.

 

[Thanny]

Migrating back to the house with her newfound item still remaining on her person took little effort. Anisa followed the path she had taken to the lake almost perfectly. A bit of hiking during her college years and remembering a few locations based on landmarks helped her out on her journey back.

Somehow the hardest part was entering the house. For almost half a minute she paused at the double doors and wondered what was being thought of her, if anything, before pulling one open. It was a necessary thing, and a difficult one. She had not thought much of what to say to the others, if anything at all, for topic starters, though perhaps that would resolve itself on its own when things became a bit more ordinary.

"I'm back," she called out to the others from the entry, wondering if they were still present. She deposited her makeshift cudgel next to the doorway, leaning it against the wall. It might have been a while since she had left; while she was out there, she really did not pay much attention to the angle of the sun.

 

[Clairikins]

"Oh hey." Emily comes bounding up to Anisa. "Dinner's been ready for a while. Come on in and eat, while it's still warm."
In the dining area, Sundrop has already started her own meal, but Emily was waiting for Anisa to come back before eating. "I told you she'd be safe."
"Yea... I just worry, you know. Come come, have some dinner; after this it's back to a more vegetarian diet for a while."

 

[Thanny]

"Oh, uh, sure!" Anisa replied to Emily, sheepishly looking toward her. "I hope I did not delay dinner."

Once settled in and with hands washed as best as able, she happily settled down with the others with a thank-you for the meal. Anisa felt that a little awkwardness remained, at least in her eyes, from the previous discussion with Sundrop, but dinner helped soothe the pangs in her stomach and improved her mood to boot. The oily fish was delicious as were the sides, and she felt very sated, even if table salt might have improved the savoury flavour a bit.

"Thanks, Emily," she replied with a contented smile on her face. "This really hit the spot."

 

[Clairikins]

"Y-you're welcome." Emily blushes a little at the compliment.
"If only we had a fridge or a freezer, then we could hunt for a deer or something." Sundrop motions toward Anita.
"You can't hunt deer! They're living creatures! And nice!"
"Emily... you hunt fish."
"Fish deserve it." Emily mutters.
"Fine, I'll find a jerk deer and hunt that for you." Sundrop jokes.

The two seem all well and good, at least.

 

[Thanny]

Anisa snickered into the back of her hand at the conversation before her, enjoying the back-and-forthing before giving rise to her voice.

"I admit that a freezer or fridge would be helpful, and possibly chickens as well. Chicken eggs can be quite the wonderful thing to have, and I can make a number of things if we have a stove or an oven so you don't have to do all of the cooking. When we get our first profits, I think having a kitchen, water, and electricity would make things much more convenient. Even then, I am happy as-is, and will leave that jerk deer to run around for now. I am not that much of a meat lover, but fish is good."

She smiled and let out a quiet yawn that seemed to sneak up on her.

"Anyhow, Emily, let me handle the dishes for tonight. You and Sun have done a lot today on my behalf, and I should return the favour somehow."

 

[Clairikins]

"It's okay, I haven't really done much. If you insist on doing something, there are always more vines that need work."
"Yea, we can handle things around here for now. I've already handled the garden. ...if you could clear some vines around there, that would be excellent." Of course, Emily just wants to be of help and Sundrop still has her work ethic~

 

[Thanny]

"Ah, then I shall do that," Anisa responded with a nod, rising from her mostly polished plate. "I will tackle the garden first so that we can grow the crops a little bit faster. Thanks, both."

With the slightest of smiles, she slipped off into the other room, fetching her supplies and starting upon her work.

It took her a wee bit of time to find out where the garden was, but the place certainly seemed overpopulated with woody and green vine growth. Nothing too much to deal with, she thought. These seemed not as cumbersome as the ones indoors, but more prevalent. That meant more snipping which was less straining but more movement. Her hand would definitely be sore tonight.

 

[Clairikins]

Sundrop has a whole nice setup for the garden! Complete with raised planters and a water barrel to collect rainwater, and everything someone would want to make a garden by themselves that one can get without modern technology, power, or plumping. There's even a scarecrow in the middle of the overgrown field.

Eventually Emily comes out to watch Anisa at work, sitting on the steps of the building, elbows on her knees, watching the woman at work, amazed by her ability to remove the vines and to keep them gone- normally the vines come back after a few minutes whenever anyone else deals with them, and as Anisa works and works, the vines don't come back.
"Your uncle should have brought you here years ago." she comments. "When he got too old to deal with the vines himself."

 

[Thanny]

When Emily had spoken up Anisa looked around, catching her by the steps to the house. She was seemingly lost in her work, snipping away the gatherings of these odd vines that seemed endless, and pondering how they existed in a low area like this. Did not vines like high, climbing locations so that they can collect more sun? Or perhaps these were like gourds which liked to stretch out wide and grow massive leaves for covering more terrain? She did not know, but there were a lot.

"Hey!" she started out, waving over to Emily and chuckling. "I guess so, huh? These vines are everywhere. It is like a plague of plants, but in the end this garden stood the test of time."

She smiled over to the garden for a time, then turned back to Emily.

"This place is quite nice. I have to give Sun credit for this. Everything is organised and tidy. Hopefully as our new little plants grow it will look just as wonderful."

 

[Clairikins]

"Well, she can't take all the credit; the planters were made by the elf I was talking about earlier; Sundrop's just kept them nice. ...of course, we're going to need more planters unless we want to go back to old fashioned farming methods."