Fantasy The Near-Forgotten House and the Abandoned Village

[Thanny]

"That is true. These look more crafted than manufactured. Credit to the elf as well."

Anisa looked about, smiling at the planters. Perhaps barrels would be good for the herbs she hoped to grow in the future. Grains and other ground-based plants, however, she hoped to keep in long, lovely rows.

She grinned at the thought of a dwarf doing the barrel-making for her previous idea, smithing long bands of iron or steel to rim them. Perhaps he had a Scottish accent like Tolkien and others had predicted? But maybe that is not what a dwarf or even an elf would be likened to.

"I certainly have plans for this garden. I did not take those classes for no reason, even if I did not expect them to be for myself."

Her head readjusted to Emily, mouth opening and closing as if hesitant to ask something. Finally, she asked.

"Something has been bothering me for a bit. When did the garden or the fields get so overrun, and I was not privy to this but . . . when did my uncle pass away? What did the others do to combat these odd plants? If I did not know any better, it seems as if a hex was laid down on this place with the state of these vines." She shook her head. "I am sorry; this has been on my mind for a while."

 

[Clairikins]

"It... it probably was magic, of a sort." Emily admits, looking away from Anisa and across the field. "I never learned much about magic, so I don't really know what caused it, just that your uncle was the only one who could keep them at bay. And when he passed away last year, they only continued to grow. Maybe someone else can explain it better though. Neither Sundrop nor myself know a lot about how magic works, just that we've kept three rooms and part of the garden safe."

Emily just continues to look out, turning to look at the forest off in the distance. "Maybe one of these days Sundrop will take you into the forest to find some others like us; she hasn't had any luck herself, but maybe they'll be drawn to you like they've been drawn toward your uncle."

 

[Thanny]

Anisa listened in and remained quiet, eyes widening in surprise and interest as she did so. Magic existed? Perhaps that was to be expected considering Sundrop can cause a heart attack and attraction by her beauty, but the news of it still came as a shock. But why was her uncle a cause for people to come -- if Emily spoke correctly -- and why did they think she was able to do so? Perhaps she never would know this and that it would not come up. Maybe whatever magic or cause that brought everyone together was only hovering around her uncle, though she really, really did hope that some of whatever it was was imparted to her.

"I wonder," she stated pensively, "if that is what Sun was intimating. She wanted to go with me when I went to the lake in the forest over there. I met no one and saw nothing but nature, but I clung to bushwhacked paths. Perhaps I should take her along, search a little, you know? Would you be interested in coming too, if so? I really want to meet them. The others, I mean."

 

[Clairikins]

"If you do meet more people, it might be best to not overwhelm them." Emily isn't so sure that sending Sundrop is even the right idea anyway, since she indirectly made everyone else leave, but she has enough of a way with people that they should accept her apology if they just hear her out. Plus, she can keep Anisa safe!
"I'm okay with just staying here. Oh, but if you can hunt a rabbit or something, I can make it into a nice meal and use the fur to make you some mittens or something for winter... when it gets here."

 

[Thanny]

Emily had a point. Too many people might drive off the people that they were hoping to bring back, though she had faith that Sun could bring them back all on her own. However, if anything, Anisa had no idea who left and what they looked like, whereas Emily made the most sense for recognising them, seconded by Sundrop. What chance did Anisa alone have in gathering people? After all, was she not just a figurehead providing land to these people that her uncle did the same for?

"Huh? Hunt a rabbit?" voiced Anisa, snapped out of her thoughts. She looked down at her hands as if she had to think about committing the act right now. "I'll admit that I never hunted before. Do they deserve it more than fish?"

She recontinued work, trying to snip away at some more plantlife before the sun goes down.

 

[Clairikins]

"I'll... I'll admit- that was more for Sundrop's sake. I've tried going full vegetarian like her, but I just can't do it. She'll get sick if she eats meat, and I- ... I'll get tired, I suppose, if I don't. I just don't like how she judges me for it, but it's so good."
She draws little circles on the stone step next to her with her finger for a bit before speaking up again. "And they kinda deserve it; rabbits are just impossible to clean up after, and they'll chew on anything they can find."

 

[Thanny]

"Ah! Then you and I share a commonality," quipped Anisa with a tossed grin, setting down her work again to speak. "I myself am not too big on meat, but I cannot seem to like beans as much as meat, regardless of protein. I never had rabbit before, but if I ever take up trapping or hunting I will see if I can get one for us. I don't like killing, but I don't want them destroying our crops, and they will help sustain us."

Snip. Snip. Snip.

"So, Emily, do you have any hobbies, or things to do for fun? You seem crafty with your hands, clothesmaking and cooking and the like. You already seem promising as a chef."

 

[Clairikins]

"I never had time for hobbies." Emily admits, "Before I came here I was always cleaning, cooking, and taking care of others. After I came here, it was more of the same. And ever since everyone else left, I've just been looking after myself and Sundrop. Cleaning, cooking, and Sundrop often has little ideas for us, like reorganizing the books by language. There isn't enough here to have a hobby. ...but I guess I could make clothes if I had the right materials for it."

 

[Thanny]

Anisa nodded, face downcast. Perhaps hobbies were off the table for everyone because there is either so much to do or too little to do, and the lack of supplies did not help either. With the house more opened up maybe it would be better for them to acquire hobbies if anything was left, but she had hopes to continue her hobbies at least when she was able to reacquire them.

"I see," she answered, trying to sound as interested as possible while snipping away. "I hope you will find something of interest, though making clothes is a science in and of itself, but in the meantime you are doing amazing in terms of cooking and cleaning, I am sure. It sure impressed me as of today!"

She shifted spots, tossing some of the vine ropes into a somewhat large pile before moving on five feet away.

 

[Clairikins]

"Well, as long as I can be useful, that's about all I can hope for." Emily looks a bit sullen for a moment. "But as long as we can all be useful, that's really all we need, right? I can take care of the rooms we have, Sundrop has been working the field, and now that you're here you can remove the vines. It all works out, and we have all the time in the world to make it work."
She looks down at the pile of vines on the ground. "...We should really be able to use them somehow, but I'm hesitant to use them as building material." Emily ponders what use the vines might have. "Maybe cooking them wouldn't be so bad after all? As long as we cook them well, they should be fine."

 

[Thanny]

Anisa paused her clipping to turn toward Emily, biting her lip and wondering if it was something she said that made the catgirl sullen. She soon after continued her work slowly, listening intently all the while.

"I still do not know if anything good will come from eating them, but it might be worth a shot. Right now this is our most abundant crop if it is! The woody parts might make a nice fence or rope if woven together, and the shoots and berries might be edible. Also, Emily? Don't worry. You are full of usefulness -- Sundrop can easily attest to that -- though I guess I personally don't know the first thing of asking people to help. Usually I try to do things myself, if that is what is bothering you."

 

[Clairikins]

"Oh no, I'm not useless- but I can't do everything. I can't even hunt my own food, other than fish. If we bring people back in, then we can get more done here. We'll have to get the real dining room back so we can all eat, and bedrooms and whatnot, but I know that you can clear it all out. I believe in you."
Of course, Emily stays where she is, sitting by the door and watching Anisa in action. "I guess a fence could be useful..."

 

[Thanny]

Anisa nodded, understanding the gist of things now with what Emily was trying to say. There was the foisting of all the heavy work on her, but she shrugged it off with a handful of snips. Perhaps what she meant was that the vines had blocked it all off, as they had a tendency of doing. Emily did mention that they chiefly had three rooms cleared of vines. Perhaps with the vines gone everything would be relatively normal.

She had a question to ask, but thought maybe it would be best to continue lopping vines for now to accomplish as much as possible before dusk, and so she remained at work without speaking up again unless prompted.

 

[Clairikins]

Emily sticks around for a while before eventually getting up and wandering back inside to start on dinner, leaving Anisa alone for a while. The food smells good, the vines get cleared up somewhat, and eventually Sundrop walks outside to collect the vines, stripping them for parts. She doesn't seem so up for talking right now.

 

[Thanny]

((Sorry; my sense of time is discombobulated. Did the three have lunch last and breakfast before that, or dinner last and lunch before that? I was under the impression that it was around eveningtime and not noon to afternoon. Whichever you prefer, really. =) ))

Anisa would continue trimming for the garden for some time, the sun descending from its high perch in the sky. While it could be lonely working by oneself, things grew slightly more productive due to the lack of conversation, and she was happy about the amount of work accomplished.

Sundrop was ever helpful, removing pieces of the vines for some reason or another. Perhaps she was making makeshift rope out of the vines? That would be especially useful for making a fenceline or bindings of any kind.
Perhaps she could lend a hand there later on.

"How much more do you think I have left, Sun?" she piped up, mildly uncomfortable about the long silence and desirous for even a bit of conversation to break up the monotony.

 

[Clairikins]

(Anisa came in, then Sundrop and Anisa went to town, then they had lunch. Then Anisa and Sundrop talked, then Anisa went for her bath and went out to work. I had thought that they had only ate once.)

"Until you're done, really. But you don't have to do it all today. It's getting late; there's no shame in leaving whenever."

(We can say Emily went in to clean up more, and the smell of fresh fruit is what's so good.)

 

[Thanny]

Smiling gratefully, Anisa nodded and decided to head in, washing the grime of intermingled sap, plant matter, and earth from her hands and tool to preserve its effectiveness. She will have to use a grindstone or something to make the edges as sharp as they are now later on. If she was intending to expand the farmland to its greatest limits she would have to use more than pruning shears. Maybe a scythe if whatever hex was placed here allowed it, or an axe for some of the greater plants.

When she approached, the fine aromatic smell of fresh-cut fruits greeted her, delicious and crisp and perhaps sweet. She wondered which fruits awaited them as she ventured to look for Emily, setting her tool inside along the wall near the door.

 

[Clairikins]

(This site is annoying; I was wondering why you never responded - I didn't get any notifications)

Emily is in the living room, gently munching on her bowl of fruits as she reads a book. All of the books are back on the shelf, now that Anisa looks around, except for the one in the girl's hands.
Emily looks up as Anisa and Sundrop come in, but then she gets back to reading. Sundrop cleans up as well and then heads to the makeshift bedroom to lie down.

 

[Thanny]

((Not a problem! I was wondering what was the matter, but that makes sense. What I will aim to do is mention you each time. Mentions for whatever reason seem to always go through.))

Clairikins

Anisa smiled up at Emily before her attention focused on Sundrop as she passed through the room to head to the makeshift bedspace. She wondered if this was typical of their latter hours of the day, resting up and recuperating while enjoying a good book. She further wondered what the book entailed. Upon further inspection, it did not appear to be much from the backing of the book. Its joys, perhaps, were more found within than in a pretty cover.

Tossing aside a loose strand of hair dangling before her, Anisa migrated over to Emily to see what the book entailed. The place looked quite picked up, which was impressive.

"I would not have figured you a reader," she commented to Emily, tossing her a happy smile. "Anything interesting to you?"

 

[Clairikins]

(Considering that RPNation waited until I reset my computer to show the notification, maybe it's just being lazy altogether.)

"I learned how to read in this house." Emily comments. "Your uncle taught me." she turns the page. The book appears to be written in French. "Everything was in visual cues before- a skull and crossbones on a box of rat poison, a picture of a mop on the cleaning supplies, pictures of food on the cans and boxes, you understand. I hope." Her ear twitches as Anisa comes closer, and she takes another piece of fruit. "You were talking about hobbies, so I thought I should do something.
Of course, Emily is sitting on the floor between the couch and the table, with the bowl on the table.

("It's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body")

 

[Thanny]

Anisa blinked in surprise, finding French words on the page instead of English. Could it be that Emily was bilingual, or rather that she was able to understand both languages in the written sense, or maybe just French? It was impressive nonetheless, especially if her uncle was the one who taught her. This was another bit of information she had never heard about him. Frankly, she was a bit jealous.

"I'm impressed that you can read French. I took a year each of learning French and Spanish in high school years ago, but I cannot read a whole sentence without it being the most basic," Anisa spoke with excitement, plopping down on the couch about two feet from Emily. "I can read some of this, though. "The man . . . other part . . . control, um . . . two souls?' Ooh, this sounds good, even if I'm nowhere near able to read it fully."

She smiled nervously, feeling a bit nosy of looking over Emily's shoulder, and rose to her feet again.

"Pardon me. Sometimes my curiosity gets the better of me."

 

[Clairikins]

(The 'two souls' part was a RWBY reference - to where a catgirl is reading a random book.)

"Sundrop's been teaching me. Turns out she's French. I'm still not very good at it, but it's getting easier."
Emily glances up as Anisa rises to leave. "You could have her teach you; I'm sure she'd be glad to share some of her knowledge that's /not/ about the war. She went to the bedroom, right? Try not to fight too much; I'd like to sleep there later." She takes another fruit slice.

Emily seems to be content with her book, her ears twitching at something Anisa can't hear.

 

[Thanny]

Sundrop? French? Anisa had to admit that she had no idea about this, but that this was quite cool nonetheless. She mused with her finger curled before her lips, wondering about asking if Emily can help teach French to her. If anything it would be a nice opening topic, and a good way to whittle down the time in the off-hours.

"Fight too much? That's . . . what makes you say that we would even fight?" she asked quizzically, snapped out of her thoughts by the comment. "As for the night, I'll, uh, stay out here for the night, sleep in a chair or a couch or the like till I get a bed purposed for myself, maybe uncle's old bed. My pack serves as a nice pillow."

 

[Clairikins]

"You can sleep in the bed if you want; both Sundrop and myself are used to sleeping with others." Fairies generally sleep all curled up together, and even in the army Sundrop was in barracks. Emily used to share a room with others in her position until she was saved, and even then she got used to sharing a bed with someone else most of the time.
"Unless you have a weak heart; then you shouldn't get so close to Sundrop. Of course. ...and why wouldn't you fight? After everything that happened."

 

[Thanny]

Anisa furrowed her brows and shook her head in frustration. Perhaps Emily had heard what Sundrop and she had said when conversing before she wandered to the forest, or the two girls had discussed matters sometime. Even still, she did not wish to elaborate on the subject, and lifted her head high as she straightened her back.

"That . . . is not a topic I want to discuss so readily. My heart is hale enough, but needs to heal still, and so I will sleep apart as I am used to. Thank you for the offer."

Her eyes darted back to the pruning shears. She wondered if there was enough daylight hours to clip her way to her uncle's bedroom and spend the night there. It will be dusty, but she hoped it would at the very least be sleepable.

"I'll try hacking away a little while longer while there's still light out. I'm getting a hang of it."