Fantasy The Near-Forgotten House and the Abandoned Village

[Clairikins]

"More fabric for clothes?" Emily asks, "I've been running out of supplies."
"There's a place nearby that has fabric. We're fine."
"But it's been chewed up by rats! I can't use it!"
"The more pressing matter are things like gardening tools, like the clippers. Some spare gas in case of emergency. Food to last until I get the garden expanded..."

 

[Thanny]

"Sounds like a plan," commented Anisa, mentally ticking off the number of things to look for within town. So far there were a number of things on her list: food for three, gardening tools, and gasoline. Gardening tools would be the most expensive immediate things to get, followed by food. She did not have a minute to lose in her mind. It would not do well if she were to head back at dusk or night.

"Thanks, both. I have a good idea on what to do now." She flashed a smile toward the others. I will see you sometime later."

Searching first for the basement and a garden shed for supplies using a flashlight from her pack, she got a mental assessment of what they had needed for gardening such as a hoe, a spade, a trowel, pruning shears, and maybe a watering can. This would rack up a bill. Maybe she can build a tab? She hear that some places allowed this for return customers, but maybe she can get one and pay it all back in full plus extra for compensation.

Picking up a gasoline canister devoid of anything but residual vapours, she looked back at the house and started walking in the direction of the town.

((Let me know if you would like anything changed for ease of access or improvement.))

 

[Clairikins]

As Anisa starts to leave, Sundrop is there, holding an old bag with wheels, and covered in enough clothes that only her eyes are peeking out. "I don't want you to get lost or hurt, so let's go together."

Despite being so small, she's still pretty strong, strong enough that she used to do all the trips to town herself for a while. Still, she has to make sure to cover herself well, just to be safe- she doesn't want anyone to recognise her or try to delay her progress by flirting with her.

 

[Thanny]

Anisa paused and blinked in shock at the pile of standing clothes till she realised the voice of the person inside it.

"Sundrop?" she asked quizzically, the name not so easy to roll off of her tongue like the name of Emily which was well-established for her.

She squinted and wanted to ask why she was bundled up like that, but was certain that Sundrop had her reasons. Her immediate suspicions was that she was that it was because she was not human, but she seemed human enough, much like Emily if you did not take into consideration ears and up.

"Well, I would welcome the company. I happily accept! Where are we off to first?"

She was delighted to go along with someone. This will stave off the loneliness of the road greatly, she hoped.

 

[Clairikins]

(Not like "A ton of clothes" but more like "wearing a shawl and a mask and a hoodie with jeans")

 

[Clairikins]

"...and that's why I'm going with you. Come." Sundrop rolls her bag out of the house, looking out for a car- but Arisa came here in a taxi, so there was no car to be taken. "Come on; we'll be walking for a while." With that, she turns and heads off- there's a small town on the horizon, and that's where they're headed.

 

[Thanny]

Anisa made an askew look like "What was that supposed to mean?" before following, stuffing her hands in her pants pockets. Sundrop reminded her of a cousin in her rather large family on her mother's side. She certainly had good ideas, but it was hard to quickly like her. More effort had to be put into trying, Anisa concluded.

"So how did you meet my uncle and Emily?" she dared asking. "I am very curious. You seem more seasoned somehow, especially if you are being hounded by people searching for you."

 

[Clairikins]

"Now that's a long story..." Sundrop sighs, unsure of where to start.
"I had a part in the war- the Soldier of Beauty, if you've heard of me. I went out on the front lines and turned the tide on my own. After the war, they wanted to keep me; there was practically a war over which country could keep me. Since then I've been on the run, and I found the house here." She keeps walking, the story old to her now.
"He passed away shortly after, and everyone else left he did. I didn't have anywhere to go, and Emily believed he would come back, and now you're here. ...I wonder if the others will come back now."

 

[Thanny]

Anisa kept her eyes on Sundrop throughout the story thus far, sometimes tripping up on the road but always catching herself. This girl . . . was a war veteran? A soldier? But what war? She had no idea who she was, this Soldier of Beauty, but if she was truthful and turned the tide of battle she certainly was impressive.

"If you have nowhere else to go, this house can certainly house you until you are ready to decide where to go," Anisa spoke up, tossing a good-natured smile. "That was probably the idea from the start, but I for one hope you will be able to enjoy being here. This is the first I have heard of others, though. Were there more occupants in the house? Now that I think about it, the house is pretty large, all things considered." She mused, a hand brought up to her chin meditatively. "And that might mean we need a bigger garden than I thought, which means more seeds needed. I hope I have enough."

She looked over again to Sundrop.

"I might be talking to the wrong person if you are new here, but is there much need for farms out here? I need to make money somehow out here to pay for things instead of living off savings if I am to live here."

 

[Clairikins]

"I dunno. I want to say there were about twenty others? They said your uncle used to be a farmer- everyone worked together on the fields, but none of them wanted to continue after he passed. I know my fair share about plants, but getting rid of them? Not my business." Sundrop continues for a bit before musing, "I wonder if any of them will come back if we fix things up."

 

[Thanny]

Twenty people! Anisa looked very much impressed and whistled a note of approval. Also, her uncle was a farmer? That explained his rough hands whenever she had seen him. Did that mean they had mechanical equipment? She did not see any, but she did not really explore very far.

"I hope they do come back," she wished audibly, "and if not all of them then some of them at least. I would like to meet them, and maybe learn a little bit more of my uncle from them as well." She looked over to Sundrop with a beaming smile. "That makes me look forward to all of this all the more. I can do the clearing, but I know diddly squat about the other stuff except watering. When it becomes time to plant, do you mind if I pick your brain on raising crops?"

 

[Clairikins]

"That's why I'm here-" Sundrop looks away for a bit. "Do you really think they'll all come back?" She has her own reasons to believe why they wouldn't- if they for captured or found new homes or whatnot- and she knows what it's like to lose someone.

 

[Thanny]

Anisa gave a puzzled expression at first, but all things considered this was not a silly question to ask twice. She mentioned these underground laboratories, and maybe there was bad blood between folks before or after her uncle passed. Nevertheless, she felt the same as before, grasping Sundrop's idle hand with her own.

"I really do," she answered as sincerely as possible, giving her hand a squeeze, "and if not, we'll at least give them the option. Here's hoping that they know how to keep in touch with each other. It will make things much easier."

 

[Clairikins]

"Right... things like cell phones and internet and whatnot. The world is smaller than ever before." She sighs, "Or maybe we'll find others like us; others to find and bring back and to give a home that they've never properly had... yea."

 

[Thanny]

"That would be fun in and of itself, I think," Anisa replied, giving one final squeeze of the hand before replacing it back to her side. "A gathering place for runaways and the unfortunate and old members together on a farm sounds like a lot of work, but a lot of fun too. Let's give our best!" she exclaimed, giving one of her winning, formidable smiles. "I have a feeling that you will be quintessential to all of this."

 

[Clairikins]

Sundrop glances up at Anisa. Her, essential? Not impossible, but she doesn't believe it, still.
"I just know how to grow plants and keep people in line. That's all. They don't exactly teach life skills in the military."

 

[Thanny]

"Everyone has their strengths, and people skills and intelligence of a certain field make a huge difference if you choose to use them in that field," Anisa replied, still warmly smiling. "A few years of under-the-table manager training has taught me at least that much, and it does not take much to practice if you are interested."

Anisa ran ahead a little ways and turned around in a splashy manner, feeling as if bubbling with life. "Now, come on, let's pick up the pace a bit! I am excited to see the town and get started. You military folks like to run, right?"

 

[Clairikins]

"I'm EX-military." Sundrop rolls her eyes. "I dropped that life as soon as I could." Still, she increases her pace. It won't take /too/ much longer to get to town now, at least.

 

[Thanny]

((Shall we jump to the store, maybe? I am clueless about what to talk about now.))

 

[Clairikins]

The two get into town, and Sundrop keeps her hold on Anisa's hand. "The store is this way." She leads the woman to the garden supply store, a nice place with all the stuff they'll need. "You still have your list, right?"

 

[Thanny]

((Thank you!))

Anisa entered the store with a smile on her lips, happy from the walk with Sundrop and interested in the different viewpoint of the town by walking on foot rather than in a taxi. Things were very different from what she expected, chiefly because it was a bit more lively than previously considered. The garden supply store was not exactly bustling, but it had a homey feel to it that made her breathe in the store's air with a sense of calm. It might be the first of many times.

"Huh? Oh, right," she replied sheepishly to Sundrop, pulling out a pocket notebook with a pencil stuck inside the metal rings. "I'll need these things to get started on some crop farming, please, and maybe a packet of flower seeds along with five of whatever crops seem to be in season."

On the list could be seen the following: a hoe, a spade, a trowel, pruning shears, and a watering can with question marks beside it. She looked around, finding gloves, and gasped.

"And gardening gloves! I simply cannot forget those!"

 

[Clairikins]

The town is nice, with a few people this way and that, and Sundrop pulls her disguise tighter over her head. "Let's just get what we need and go. No need to stay here any longer than we have to." She goes off to look for supplies.
The person working the garden store is nice and friendly, and is able to get Anisa everything she's looking for! "Ya working on starting ya own garden?" she asks, "Weather's been good for it, so I wish ya the best!" -she seems friendly.

 

[Thanny]

Anisa nodded in understanding to Sundrop, wondering exactly what she was scared of, if she was even scared at all. Maybe she was just being overtly cautious for the sake of others, or was it for her and her alone? It was tough for Anisa to wrap her head around. Maybe it was that she was afraid of the power of her own appearance. She would have to admit that most guys and maybe some girls would ogle her for obvious reasons. When the light caught her just right, she was lovely, after all. Sundrop was a fitting name for her, in hindsight.

Anisa laughed lightly when the shopkeeper started up conversation with her and nodded happily.

"I certainly am, and thank you!" she replied, smiling up at the very amiable working girl. "I hope the crops will take. This will be my first time trying it out, so it will be an experience as well as an experiment. I expect to be here in your shop often enough to be a regular in the meantime."

 

[Clairikins]

The employee helps Anisa with all of the things on her list- getting a full cart of supplies ready! By the time they're ready to run it through the checkout, Sundrop comes back carrying a thing of weed killer. "Hu..." she glances over to the employee, "people use this stuff, but it's not on your list. It might help." It's what she was looking for since they walked into the place. "Fertilizer too. People use a lot of things to farm."

The shopkeep looks at Sundrop curiously, the girl all covered up on this lovely afternoon, but she has work to do. "Will that be everything, miss? Or will you get the things your friend has suggested?"

 

[Thanny]

Anisa looked over to Sundrop with interest, espying the weed killer and thinking that that was a great idea to get rid of some tougher weeds to remove. Fertiliser was especially useful. She did not know how well the plants would grow out here, or if they would need lime, or anything. She thought it best to trust Sundrop and use some fertiliser. She tended her own garden out here, so she would know the soil better than anyone besides maybe the attendant, or was she maybe the owner of the store?

Regardless of her question, she decided to focus on the shopping for now and smiled at both.

"Yes, please, to both the weed killer and the fertiliser -- a large bag or jug, though a bag would be better, please. Thank you!"

She nodded her thanks to Sundrop, not sure if she should say her name. Sundrop was being cautious, after all, even to the shopkeeper. Anisa figured that she herself would have just enough to cover all of the funds. With any luck she would have enough to eat without having to rely on the others she had just met, Emily and Sundrop, before her own plants would be ready to harvest. She was hesitant to go back home and take more from her bank account if it cost so much for a taxi. Should she ask her parents for aid, or perhaps plan a bike ride back to her city? So many decisions.