deercountry | Harvest Party! [Prompt from the TDM, OTA ]

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Harvest Party! [Prompt from the TDM, OTA ]

Who: Gaia, New and Old CR!
What: Vegetable harvesting, gathering jars for canning, fighting wicked weeds.
When: Mostly during the very beginning of March and first few days of the Wild Growth.
Where: Trench and Surrounding Areas (Excluding Beach and Boardwalk).

In the wake of speaking with Sharon Da Silva over the network about organizing lessons on canning and smoking, Gaia hadn't expected to have much on hand for the lessons.

Then suddenly, as if spring wanted to announce its approaching time with a full Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a bounty of vegetation began sweeping through Trench. She was absolutely not going to miss this opportunity. While it was going to be great to have some fresh vegetables before anyone could rightly expect it, there was certainly enough surplus to think about preserving it.

And soon, before the sudden bounty shriveled up or something worse arrived in its wake. Like herbivorous monsters drawn to the meal, who draw predators. Or as it turns out, the progression to dangerous plant life.

1. You're gonna need a bigger... supply of jars?

One of the things that becomes clear early on; Gaia doesn't have nearly enough surplus jars and lids on hand to handle all this veggie goodness. You might find her running around shops, markets and various organizations, looking for any extra that people are willing to trade or exchange. Of course not any jars and lids will do and supplies might be limited given it's just at the end of the winter season. A lot of people who keep such things around have only the ones they've emptied from their own stocks. Shops? Well that's going to be hit or miss depending. Gaia is not above knocking on doors; whether in Trench or Feed or Ache to look for donations.

i. "I'll be holding a class on canning and it looks like I'm going to need more jars. Would you be willing to donate some?" Though she speaks of donations, she does give the impression that she'd be open to negotiation, whether in trade or a return of the canned product.

ii. Or find her in the shops, eyeing glass jars and suitable lids with a critical look, as though willing them to tell her whether or not they're thick enough to go through proper sterilization and canning without breakage.

2. Harvest Roulettes

When it comes to harvesting itself, well it's not without dangers. Gaia has probably asked around the people she knows for volunteers to help gather the various edible vegetation, fruits and berries that appear outside of peoples' private gardens and properties. The reward of course is a portion of the harvest, while a certain amount remains reserved for the canning drive; something she will have explained as a class, but with the surprise bounty, most of what is harvested and canned will be donated to the orphanage or Sanctuary, or stockpiled at the Outpost.

i. In the first few days, it's pretty ordinary and a task that anyone is welcome to help with. Gaia will even ask property owners if they're willing to give a portion for the class on the premise that it goes straight to donation rather than someone's private larder. The drive to be helpful hasn't quite bleed out of her from Feburary's Darkblood frenzy and there might be some call for concern over the lengths the young lady is going to. She seems to be just barely keeping the balance between supply and manpower to process it, the idea of lessons or no. It might be a good idea to speak to her on the matter before the scales tip.

ii. And further on in? That's when things get dangerous. As the more risky plants start to appear, some of the drive to harvest a supply for donations and class and whatnot turns to assistance in taking care of the more threatening dangers hidden among the deceptive bounty. Even if she seems driven, Gaia still understands there are such matters as priorities and her request for help starts to shift as days go on to handle some of the threats that are ambushing people just trying to come out of their homes and businesses.

"Look, there's another one." Gaia is wielding a hammer and has a cloth wrapped around the lower half of her face, goggles keeping her eyes safe. Most of her skin is covered up, because honestly there is nothing worse than a rash from a giant frond of poison ivy. Well, that's not what's happening here, but it's certainly been seen. Today's culprit is one of the scythe-bladed blossoms, all but overshadowed by some ivy and wild berry brambles. And those themselves will be a problem when trying to get at the more dangerous plant, for with overgrown berries and leaves on brambles come overgrown thorns, inches long and sharp as daggers like a protective web around the enemy.

3. Related Wildcard

Anything else related to harvest stuff? Feel free to PM or discord!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There's a growl as what looks like a wolf bites down on one of the leaves, tearing it from the plant despite getting a few nasty cuts on its mouth. Pale blood drips from its mouth and it uses the opening from the torn leaf to latch its jaws onto the stem of the plant. The plant turns and starts slashing at the animal with its blades, leaving it open for attack.

Gaia had been caught off-guard. She was still far enough back to be out of the plant's range and had been debating whether to keep her hammer and smash the brambles down to get at the plant or switch to bow and arrow to see if it had any effect, thus preserving the food source.

And then suddenly a wolf creature leaps in and starts attacking the scythe blossom (as she's calling it in her head). It's perfectly understandable that the teen isn't sure whether the wolf is a new threat or possible ally. But she is definitely switching weapons.

The hammer can be conjured away. The bow had been on her back, but practice has made it easy for her to draw it around and pull an arrow from the accompanying quiver hanging on her hip. As she does, she's casting her attention around, not only making sure her line of fire is clear, but that there seem to be no other potential threats while she concentrates on aiming.

Also looking for someone who might have sent their companion to aid her; it's not an Omen after all, as they can't actually attack.

"Uri, guard!" It's only natural she brought the trained canine with her on this endeavor. Between her Omen- a large specimen of a black crowntail betta- and Uri, there's certainly a lot of scouting power. And the dog can attack anything that comes at Gaia.

But she has her doubts about the 'wolf' being a danger, particularly when it adjusts and draws the plant's attention so she can get an open shot. From earlier encounters, enough damage to the stalk seems to do the trick to disable it.

Honestly Gaia isn't sure why but she's not going to argue results. It's easier to weed it out by the roots once it's not trying to slice with those mantis-like appendages. The arrow is loosed and thunks solidly into the stalk. Vibration and reaction seem to be its instincts and it's likely that it will whip around trying to 'strike' at whatever just game near.

Which Gaia certainly isn't; she readies another arrow and keeps an eye on the wolf's actions as well.

The 'wolf' goes for a firm smack at the scythelike blades as it whips towards it, catching some of its momentum and getting sliced in the side for its trouble. It growls and lunges, ripping off another leaf from the stem along with a chunk of it.

Another spit on the ground, another splatter of blood - it's light, though the smell is different. Not that Gaia's going to sniff blood in the middle of a fight. Either way there's a young man's voice that issues from the wolf's mouth.

"If you can hit where I tore off another leaf, you can probably do some more damage." Hopefully enough to take this thing out. It's just a plant, how much health could it have? Either way the 'wolf' backs off, growling and preparing to lunge again.

And as for Uri and her omen? There's nothing to see here - though Uri might note that the canine doesn't quite smell like a canine.

The teen isn't able to smell blood like that. (That was totally months ago, ahem.)

Gaia wasn't expecting the 'wolf' to talk. Particularly in a normal hume's voice. To her credit, it doesn't startle her for long.

"Right. Of course you can speak," she mutters. The plant is really whipping around and she's not entirely sure she can hit such a specific target. She's clearly trying to find the target suggested- questions about talking animals can be answered later and lets out a frustrated sounding request.

"At least give me an opening!"

Arte is on full display of his fins, reflecting Gaia's state of mind about the battle. Aggressive, attacking. Uri is well trained; the canine has been told to guard his mistress and that's just what he's going to do.

Eventually there's a shot she can take, perhaps because of the new arrival's actions or distraction and a second arrow finds itself buried quite near one of the torn leaves.

"Ugh!" Gaia gives up on the bow. It really isn't effective - at least with her current skill level against this type of enemy. It's dropped to the ground and the hammer once more appears in her hand. "Arte!"

The betta seems to know exactly what Gaia wants, shifting to a smoky shadow that seeps into the intricate looking weapon.

But even before then there had been some sort of dark aura forming around the weapon. The Omen seems to enhance it.

With Uri following behind, Gaia surges forward. Here is where the sturdy fabric of her clothes and leather protective pieces come in handy against the brambles, allowing her to push through them and swing the hammer down on the previously damaged stalks.

This is apparently something she's far better with than a bow. There is little doubt the stalks of the blossom become utterly crushed under the combined power of the weapon, the Darkness and the Omen's enhancement. But the scythes still have some life to them. Like the last kicks of a dead spider's legs, both sharp appendages swing wildly at both Gaia and Taro.

Rather than having immediately stepped back, Gaia instead dives forward, trying to get a grip on the strange talking 'wolf'. Before the plant's blades can do more than rip the back of her clothes, she teleports in a billow of shadows back out of range.

Whether Taro comes with her or not greatly depends on whether she succeeds in her aim of touching him.

He flinches back as she yells and takes out her hammer, because sure, why not. He's stopped questioning where some people get their weapons and chalked it up to 'fucking magic, how does it work?' levels of 'why ask'. It's not like he can really talk, given the nature of his own powers, it's just weird to see humans(?) doing magic.

He doesn't run when she reaches out to him and lets her take him with her, closing his eyes so that the disorientation of the sudden change in scenery doesn't bother him. He flops to the ground and finally in a blink there's the shape of a young man lying there. He's not quite ready for everyone to know his true form, so he might as well swap forms rather than drop them entirely.

Taro pushes himself up and wipes at his mouth, still bleeding slightly from the leaves. "And here I thought this was going to be easy. Blegh." He knows his wounds will heal eventually, so he tries to not poke at them with his tongue as tempting as that might be. "You're pretty handy with that hammer, though."

Edited 2023-02-24 03:23 (UTC)

Gaia will have you know she is quite human (hume?), thank you very much. Mostly. At least she plans to live like one and that's what counts.

Just because her former world had a loose definition of it...

Her sudden abandonment of caution over the 'wolf' probably had a lot to do with him calling out to her in the fight and making hints toward being an ally. It's with relief that she managed to grab him and remove them both away from the plant's death throes. Uri does some backpedaling but seems used to the tactic the girl used. Still on the guard command, he remains alert to their surroundings. The canine only pauses a moment as if to note the transformation from 'wolf' to 'young man', but so long as no threat is made to his mistress, he'll go back to watching their surroundings.

Gaia is a little more surprised. Even though she's seen a lot and is used to magic, sudden transformation of beast to man is a bit unusual to her still. The hammer remains after her attack and withdrawal but the omen appears again, solidifying and swimming off to retrieve the previously discarded bow.

"Hey, don't just lay there. You got hurt, didn't you?" Paleblood may not be immediately recognized without moonlight but red blood is definitely a different shade from whatever gushed out of the plant. Gaia is crouching down beside the sprawled Taro, concerned by both injury and the possibility of pollution. From a bag she pulls out items for first-aid. Fast healing or not, it's important to tend things immediately.

As for Gaia's own brush with the plant and brambles, the fabric part of her clothes look a bit torn and there's a rip on her back from the scythe blade that might not be immediately visible at this angle, but it doesn't seem like she's showing signs of actual injury.

"Hrmph," is all he'll get about how handy she is with a hammer.

He's not interested in being a threat, thankfully. He sits up and nods, doing his best not to open his mouth too much. "Mostly the roof of my mouth. It'll be okay." But oh right, blood pollution... he forgot that was a thing. He wasn't worried about it, but he probably should be.

She gets a smile though and a mumbled thanks as she offers something to staunch the bleeding, preferring to just press it with his fingers. He won't be able to talk, so he just lazily waves his hand. His own omen appears, a snow white fox that stares up at Gaia and yips. At least she doesn't seem like she's trying to pose much of a threat either.

Taro reaches out his free hand and pets his omen gently, looking up at Gaia. Man... he just wanted to steal some food out of this wild garden, he didn't want to get his whole shit kicked in.

She has bandages and gauze (the latter which can be stuffed in the mouth to press against the cuts inside) and ointments meant to disinfect and staunch bleeding if there are external wounds to consider (definitely do not ingest). And of course there's the canteen of fresh water. Whether or not Taro should have his own is irrelevant, she would offer it anyway.

Of course she's going to frown as he tries to wave it away. "Don't be stubborn. No one wants to deal with the effects of blood pollution because you think you've got struggle through on your own." If there's no external injuries though, she'll just offer the gauze to supplement his fingers. Well that and the water to rinse out the probably awful plant taste.

"Thanks for the support. If you were after the berries, you can have them." Gaia's gaze flicks to the remaining brambles that didn't get crushed. "I'm mostly trying to take out some of the nastier threats before the grow larger."

Oh yes, the fox is going to get a bit of a softened expression and smile. It is rather cute.

He'll take that water, if only to wash the blood out from his mouth. He's aware that he probably shouldn't ingest his own blood, especially not now. He hands the water back to her and huffs, before lifting his shirt to deal with the cut there. Oddly enough though, his clothing isn't ruined at all.

He's got fabric in his mouth so he looks at his omen. She speaks in a young woman's voice, seeming to roll her eyes as she does. "We're used to being on our own. From dealing with people to dealing with injuries, it's hard to break that habit." She sits prim and proper as Taro gets to working on cleaning the wound on his side.

"And yes, we were. Taro here hasn't been pulling in quite enough to trade. ... So we were a bit hungry. It wasn't as if we thought you would miss some of it." Taro mutters something unintelligible and the little omen scoffs. "Oh hush now, you've already been caught. It's bad enough you tried to fight - you never fight. What made you think you should?" Taro doesn't respond, clearly annoyed and stewing in his frustration.

Gaia looks relieved that the young man compromises at least. While he's sorting out said necessities, the teen looks around to make certain the area is actually still secure. While she's not exactly expecting another plant to grow super fast and pounce on them, one can never be sure. There are also other potential dangers that can lurk in the massive amount of foliage.

Assured things seem safe enough for now and after thanking Arte for carrying the bow to her, Gaia focuses her attention on Taro's Omen.

"Well that's reasonable in a way. I don't really mind if you don't want to rely on people you don't know at least. But you're going to get in trouble if you don't learn the common sense of this place, such as it is. This is just my advice."

No one likes a person who wantonly spreads blood pollution despite probably having been adequately warned. Or even if they somehow missed the memo.

"I think you're misunderstanding something though. These bushes aren't really part of anyone's property. I'm just here trying to take out the dangerous. If someone had come along to harvest those berries..." Well Taro probably saw what might have happened to the unsuspecting. Buried neatly in the brambles, from most angles it would have been too late to notice the scythes before they reacted to someone drawing too near.

"As long as you don't take vegetables or fruits that have bloomed on something that's obviously a property, it's fine to harvest them without asking. Though granted, there might be a bit of a fuss when two people want the same thing. We're just finishing winter after all."

As to food? Gaia reaches in to her bag again, rummaging around until she pulls out what looks like a bottle and something wrapped in brown paper. Got a good sense of smell? Well the latter is definitely some sort of sandwich; mostly vegetable and... is that bacon? The bottle's more difficult to tell; for one there's a time spell preserving its state and the container's thick. But it's a nice and thick veggie soup, full of nutrients.

"Here. I can just go home early and eat. You can have this if you're hungry." She pauses before waving at the small battlefield. "Just to be clear, there's no debt. Consider it payment for helping me take care of that plant creature."

"I wasn't trying to bleed all over this place. I saw a girl in trouble and I... walking away would make me an asshole." A role he's played a lot, admittedly... but Trench is a place where they're supposed to help each other, right? He's doing his best. He's naturally suspicious, and the fact that he didn't just walk away is... growth. Even if he was stupid about it.

Aw. He wasn't stealing? That's a little disappointing because stealing is fun, but he understands. "Yeah, I kind of noticed the weather. But it's good that there's stuff growing wild too. I'm used to drifting and taking odd jobs, not really stocking up for a long while." He does have a decent sense of smell, and...

... Is that magic? On a thermos? He's puzzled by it for a moment, so much so that he almost misses what she says and - oh. Ah. He nods and takes the two things with as grateful a look on his face as he can muster, tucking them into his bag. ... Was that bag there before? It might not have been. "Hey, any time. I'm not much of a fighter and definitely no good with a weapon, but some animals are armed enough."

The container is made to store liquids, but a thermos is a pretty generous term for it. Hence the preservation spell. Once it's opened, the spell will disappear and it'll be an ordinary container. Which probably explains why Gaia doesn't seem to look at it as a great loss to give it up in a place like this.

She also crosses her arms and gives Taro a long look in the wake of his 'girl in trouble' comment. Needless to say she's not buying it; between having been preparing well out of danger, armed with bow and hammer and with the extra addition of a well-trained guard dog, she was undoubtedly prepared. And hadn't even had time to move forward to get into trouble.

"Setting aside how that makes it sound like I'm helpless," she says tartly. At least she's not adding the crime of 'because GIRL' to the charges. "I'm fairly sure your Omen just literally said you weren't a fighter and were after the berries. You were probably in more danger than I was, just jumping in like that."

Gaia heaves a sigh before shaking her head.

"Well whatever you get up to, keep an eye out for dangers like that one. They've started growing more common and sometimes the food isn't going to be worth it."

She's not questioning the shapeshifting thing. At all. But then she's the human girl with magic so it's probably not worth batting an eye over.

"Well since you're new here... Do you know a place called Sanctuary?" Well Gaia isn't the type to just abandon a guy to struggle on his own. And it's pretty obvious he's a fairly fresh newcomer. Or at least acting like it.

"I didn't mean to say you're helpless - I just -" Ugh, okay. Mouth shut, Taro. He's just getting himself into more trouble. He visibly stews for a moment before speaking again. He does his best to keep his tone even. "All right, all right, I was after the food. Is that what you all want me to say? And yeah, I probably was in danger."

He'd been cruising along, using a simple illusion to make himself invisible... but look, he was at least trying. "She's right, I'm not a fighter, but what was I going to do? Let you get killed by a plant? Aside from everything else that's a real embarrassing way to die."

Keep an eye out for dangers... "Yeah, I've been here a few months. I've tried to keep my distance from the monsters and all of the nonsense. Guess that means I don't really know a lot of the other Sleepers, since you all seem to get into shit all of the time. I've heard of Sanctuary but haven't been."

He's suspicious of them. But he's suspicious of anyone who offers free help, unless it's an organization he knows. Most people tend to have ulterior motives in his experience, and he doesn't know if these people do or don't. "I've mostly been exploring. But there's a limit to how far I can explore in the sky before those weird things start trying to dive-bomb me and tear me apart."

"Mmhm. I imagine you were just thinking if you made yourself look good, you could trick me into giving you some of the berries you thought I owned? Maybe flirt? If you were going to do that you should have waited until I actually attacked to jump in and save the day you know."

Gaia's memory is many things, but it doesn't make her naive about boys OR obvious cons. Well the latter when it was all but spelled out for her, thank you fox Omen.

However she doesn't look really angry. Though she does tartly note, "Yes, embarrassing. That's why you jumped in the front without any real fighting skills worth mentioning, hoping some shapeshifting would carry you through." Look, she is probably concerned for the boy but he's also digging himself a hole that she seems happy to fill with barbed words. What better way to educate someone being idiotic (in her eyes)?

But Gaia isn't going to dwell on the subject (unless Taro wants to keep fighting the good fight!) and will move on to more practical topics.

"That's not a bad way to be." Wary that is and she nods. "I will recommend you go at least long enough to form your own opinion. And if it suits you, it can provide a lot of support. At the very least I personally have only seen people being asked to volunteer some time to help take care of the grounds. And if that's too much of a price for you..." Gaia is going to shrug her shoulders here. It's not like she's trying to goad him in the pride this time.

It's just that she's been here in Trench a while and there are certainly some lowlifes. Gaia personally doesn't think Taro's that bad that he wouldn't do some fair work in exchange for the help Sanctuary provides, but she's just met the guy.

She looks up as he mentions the high soaring... whatever attacked him. Did he say flight? Gaia is no stranger to magic that can make people fly or even flying on one's own power. She's seen plenty of that. "Ugh, that sounds awful. But not surprising I suppose."

Looking at Taro again, she seems curious. "So you can do more than turn into a wolf? I suppose that's useful."

"Read me for filth why don't you." Geez, all right. "And yeah, yeah, I shouldn't have gotten involved." But he would have felt bad if she got hurt and he didn't help. He also didn't realize just how young she was until he got closer, and he's not that sort of guy, thanks. Even if he looks young he's still well over a hundred and while he's not sure how long his species lives for he's definitely an adult and she is not.

Anyway. Other topics. "I've done groundskeeping before. It's not that difficult. I'm just the kind who doesn't tend to rely on other people that much. I've... ah. Had issues. But everyone here seems to have their own issues, even more than back home. So, whatever." He's not opposed to honest work... especially here, where no one asks for paperwork or a resume with verifiable work history. Stealing's more of a hobby here than anything else, since he doesn't really need anything.

"Yes, I can turn into pretty much whatever living thing I want. And a few nonliving things too. Wolves are just handy because they're hardy and fast. I don't get magic powers by turning into stuff but I can get whatever natural physical weapons a creature has. So if I turned into you I could punch someone, but I couldn't teleport the way you did."

Gaia just sets her hands to her hips and waits for him to finish. She doesn't look like she's expecting an apology nor is she about to give one any time soon. Yup, definitely moving on.

And once the subject shifts to more practical matters, Gaia also softens her attitude.

"I can sort of understand what you're getting at. This is the last place anyone wants to take something at face value. But if it turns out Sanctuary is someplace you feel is reasonably possible to get involved with, you could just treat it like barter."

She raises a hand to gesture over to the now-dead plant. "You do something, you get paid in services." Somberly, Gaia crosses her arms. "Corruption isn't something you want to brush off. You might not understand how bad it can get. And it will build up in you. It's unavoidable. If you don't want to take my word for it, at least look into it more."

She takes in a deep breath and expresses a sigh. While she seems to have been earnest, Gaia is trying to pull herself back a bit. "Sorry, I'm not trying to be pushy. So I'm just going to say I've said what I needed to say about it."

She tilts her head for a second, absorbing Taro's explanation about shapeshifting. "Well," Gaia says after a second. "Some of that sounds useful at least."

In a 'it's a good thing you are not going to be inclined to shapeshift into me RIGHT TARO?!' sort of way, in any case.

"Hm, come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself have I?" The fox Omen had mentioned Taro's name but she can't recall if she's spoken about hers yet. So.

"I'm Gaia."

"I treat a lot of things like barter." Those that he doesn't steal, at least. "And I know corruption is a problem here. I've been trying to avoid highly corrupted areas. I... uh. Don't really like the idea of a shapeshifter going feral. It's probably bad for everyone." 'Looking into it' is probably going to require talking to people rather than reading books... he's not much of a reader outside of his genre interests.

Excuse you, it's all useful. Aside from the not copying powers. "It's handy when I don't want to be found." He's never tried shapeshifting into anything smaller than a mouse or rat, but he's good at disappearing when he wants to. "Gaia, huh?" He's make a joke about it, but she might not even get it - different worlds, and all. "I'm Taro. I've been here a couple months... mostly kept to myself where I can though."

He knows that people here rely on each other, but... over a hundred years of wariness towards humans and other people in general doesn't go away overnight. "The locals are mostly fine, but some of the Sleepers seem... dangerous. At least from how they talk on the network, anyway."

As long as he knows. And has something to relate to inasfar as how serious the matter might be. Though Gaia's brow scrunches a little in concern. And she does offer a brief warning.

"Right. Just... keep in mind it's not just going feral. It's.... You'll see if you haven't already." Witnessing it all that is.

But he's right that she probably wouldn't get the joke. On the positive side it wouldn't be so egregious a comment that Gaia would blow up at him about trying to make her into something she's not. Even for her that'd be a bit too excessive a reaction to his words.

"Hn, it might seem that way. But the only difference between the locals and Sleepers really, is that when the locals die it's generally permanent." But 'mostly fine' vs Sleepers as 'dangerous'?

Well Gaia is going to scoff when Taro mentions the network. "Talk is one thing. And that method of communicating seems to bring out the worst in people, like there's no consequence I've noticed."

That isn't to say the people aren't as bad as they sound or there aren't good folk that are a bit too bold. "And maybe the natives seem fine because they can't get on the Omnis. So you're not getting as much of a view on how they act."

"I know it's not... the same, it's just..." Well, he's never met anyone who had turned into a beast, he's just glad that he's avoided beasts for the most part. And he definitely hasn't seen someone go beast mode.

Hm. Permanent death, huh? "It's like arguing on the internet though, nothing gets done and everyone gets mad. And I guess that's true - some people are only stupid when they can't get punched for it. But the locals also don't have superpowers that can blow up places or whatever else Sleepers can do."

His own powers are limited - in a way - and he's not the super strength kind of person. He's just got shapeshifting. And illusions, but he hasn't used them around Gaia yet. There's been no need to. "Though apparently I've got 'blood powers' and no idea where to start with them. Couldn't come with an instruction manual, no. That'd be too easy."

From the way Gaia speaks, it's safe to say Taro knows more what he's talking about than Gaia does on subjects like the internet. 'That method of communication'. Still she's not going to really back up comments that sort of trivialize death even when it comes to Sleepers. Even when it's a pretty accurate assessment in many cases.

She huffs a sigh when he insists on thinking Sleepers are more dangerous than natives. "Well don't say I didn't warn you."

It's not like natives don't have blood magic and whatnot after all. And they can turn into Beasts just like anyone else. But speaking of blood, Gaia takes on a wry expression while crossing her arms again.

"That's because even with the same sort, people can manifest things differently. Or with Sleepers, if their previous world's abilities are present, they can overshadow what you'd gain from your blood." Gaia gives a shrug which makes it clear she hasn't looked much into the specifics and theories. The girl's definitely not a scholarly type.

"They may have warned you but you want to be careful about first blood drawing. Things like that. And of course spilling blood. Not just yours, but any blood. If you feel up to it, you can also go over to Lumenwood and get an idea about what your blood type is and what it might manifest with. There are some universal traits."

"I guess it makes sense that there's no real rhyme or reason with how these things seem to manifest. I know what blood type I am - palebloods don't seem to do anything flashy like coldbloods do, but I don't mind. Flashy isn't usually my style."

He sighs and lets his shoulders drop, looking a little frustrated. "I just don't want to have to deal with this beasthood stuff... I guess I kind of have to though. I don't really want to turn into a monster." Or a different kind of monster, at least. "I try to avoid spilling blood as a general rule anyway. My - hm." No, no telling her that he's a thief.

"I think it's kind of gross and disgusting anyway. Bodily fluids need to stay on the inside, y'know?"

"I hope no one wants to deal with Beasts or the idea of turning into one. But as long as you keep in mind you have to..." Well it's a start. The rest will hopefully come in time. Gaia isn't really sure what to make of Taro's chances. But if he's a Sleeper, at least making a fatal mistake won't be... er, fatal.

At least not permanently.

"I'd agree with you in general about spilling blood." Gaia admits. She's no fan of dealing with it. "But it extends even to the smallest things you know. Like hunting for food or dealing with livestock."

And of course defending oneself against monsters and animals, much less humans.

"Yeah, I know. Blood is bad. Or at least spilled blood is. I don't normally hunt for my food but I saw a chance and took it. At least it's not a lot of blood. I've seen much worse." He's had much worse, left an apartment with way too much of it at one point. But still...

"Beasts aren't really my wheelhouse. I can scout and report but fighting them? Nah. I thought I could take that plant. Guess I couldn't." He's really not cut out for fights. "Still I'll keep that sh - stuff in mind." He's too used to swearing up a storm, he forgets occasionally that most people don't casually swear.

At least he doesn't look any worse for the wear. "You're pretty good with that hammer. Where'd you learn how to do that?"

"There's nothing wrong with being able to scout and bring back information. I wish more people would think to do that instead of running off at the first sighting." Gaia sighs and readily concedes. "Though sometimes there just isn't time, I know."

Swearing wouldn't really get to her. Probably. By now she's mostly gotten used to all sorts of people, blended in as they are in Trench. There's far worse to deal with than a little swearing. Crazy, obsessed cultists, just to give one example. People torturing you to death because they think it will heal their god.

What makes the girl flinch is the question about where she learned to use her weapon. Her grip on it tightens as if she's recollecting that she's still holding it. And her expression looks a mix of troubled and exasperated.

"I don't really remember, to be honest." Gaia admits. Even if it does appear she's telling the truth, her eyes look anywhere but Taro while she speaks. As if she has a reasonable idea of how, even if it's true she doesn't remember personally. "Even before some events that happened while I've been living here, I didn't have a lot of memories about my past. Even if using it comes fairly naturally to me."

"That's true. Information gathering can also sometimes be just as dangerous as fighting." He would know firsthand. But at least he does his best to keep the injuries to a minimum... at least on his side. It's not like he inflicts much to the other side anyway.

He hesitates at that flinch. Should he not have asked? ... But then the answer comes, and he understands a little better. "Ah. Well, that's not your fault." He's pretty sure, at least. "And you shouldn't worry about it that much in my opinion. I mean you can, but the past is the past. You can't change it, even if you do remember it. What you can change is the future."

Sure, the past is important. It can also be painful. Some days he wishes he didn't remember his own. But he tries to keep his eyes on the prize, whatever the prize of the moment is.

Sharon is quick to take up Gaia's call for assistance, glad she was free to help. It's only after working together for a few hours, gathering up all they can, that Sharon starts to pick up on the way Gaia is pushing herself. After filling a basket with strawberries (god, there are so many), she tosses a single, mishapen berry at the younger teen to grab her attention.

"Hey, wanna take a break and grab something to eat?" even as she speaks, she pops one of the strawberries into her mouth (she's been munching on them all day), "I'm kind of craving a pastry from a shop in Willful Machine. It'll be my treat?"

There's definitely signs. Collecting, talking to people, trying to convince them to donate or allow them access to some variation that's not yet been collected in exchange for some other goods. Gaia has a firm understanding of fair trade when a request for donation is instead met with barter; she's certainly not trying to con anyone.

She also seems the sort to write down everything pretty meticulously. Constantly pulling a journal from her bag and noting promises, supply and reminders to herself. The dog that's often been seen in the backdrop of her videos tags along; obviously bequeathed from Dog Keeper as it has the training and endurance typical of his canines. Her Omen is an additional scout; the crowntail betta keeping a secondary watch over their surroundings. It's safe for now but that's completely beside the point.

Gaia doesn't rely completely on the watchfulness of her companions either. She's able to react to the sudden assault of strawberry and catch it after only a brief fumble brought on by surprise. The teenager blinks once or twice.

"Huh?" This is met with a pause almost like she wasn't expecting to stop this early. (It's been a while, Gaia.) Or maybe it was her mind catching up to the fact that the strawberry bushes hadn't come to life and started pelting them with produce. She looks at the strawberry in her hand, then to Sharon, then back.

It's almost on her lips, that 'surely we can get a bit more'. But Gaia's mind catches up, she looks at herself and grimaces. Then she offers a wry smile. "I suppose it's best to stop for a bit. Just... let me think where we can store these strawberries in the meantime."

It isn't so much that they need to be put up; they can be taken with. Her mind's probably still on 'go go go'.

There's a moment where Sharon thinks Gaia might protest, urge them to continue on for just a little bit longer, and she was ready to argue. Even sacrifice a few more strawberries to prove her point. Or threaten to eat them all because she's ravenous.

"Oh, come on," she waves off the idea, "We can just bring them with us. Maybe even stop at a few of the shops on the way back and see if they want to trade."

They can knock out two birds with one, delicious stone. With Gaia, it feels wiser to make a good argument for something than to just pressure her along.

Not the strawberries! Anything but that! Gaia seems to startle out of her thoughts as she really was trying to think of ways to store the fruit.

"Oh, that... that's a good plan, actually." There is a smile and this time it's a little sheepish. "I guess I'm a bit hungry." It might be a bit of a relief to see she's now taking more sensible steps; securing the berries and tucking a cloth around them so they don't easily spill from the baskets they've been harvesting into and whistling to call the dog over from the protective watch.

"Uri!" Well the canine might not be let into the shop but it's obviously trained enough to wait patiently outside while the two take a break. There shouldn't be any problem with that.

"Shall we get going then?" ...Like she hadn't just been the one delaying them.

Sharon doesn't take near as much care with her own baskets, filled to near to the brim with lustrous reds and greens, but she does take note of the care Gaia herself displays with them and, after a thought, follows suit, tucking them in with a cloth.

The moment Uri comes bounding to them, Sharon begins to lead the way. It would be a bit of a walk but it'll give them ample time to check the shops and take note of which ones would be most beneficial to them.

"Let me know if I'm way off base or stepping out of line but..." she hesitates, licking her lips before she continues, "You seem really focused. Are you normally like this or is it more like a coping mechanism?"

The question comes from a place of both curiosity and concern. It would've been difficult not to notice how lost in the work Gaia's been.

Walking is no problem. Uri- whom Sharon will no doubt know by this time is a friendly dog when not working- remains alert to their surroundings and Gaia's omen floats in lazy circles that largely look like it's showing off his large fins but is another layer of watchfulness.

But it's true Gaia seems preoccupied, her head filled with ways to maximize her time. The journal, which she seems to be almost pedantic at writing down memos and important information in, remains out and there's at least one time before Sharon clears her throat that Gaia keeps walking while taking out a pen to write in it.

Fortunately it's not at a time where the question interrupts her. Gaia focuses back on the present, her stride faltering for just a second. She crosses her arms and looks like she's about to fire out a tart response, but checks herself at the last minute.

"I suppose not. The last month..." February. "I've just been restless." A pressing need to be helpful because of her blood, though she isn't aware of the reason. So Gaia sighs and opens up a little about what she believes may be the cause.

"Like I mentioned on the Omni network, I arrived here in the middle of winter last year. Even though I had help, I was definitely stubborn about learning things on my own." Unfolding her arms she briskly starts moving forward again as if speed will make up for pace and how she's feeling a trifle embarrassed about admitting her feelings.

"I probably made things harder on myself than they could have been." Definitely did. "And I want to help someone like the friends who helped me then. If that means getting together enough food to help them recover from the winter, or teaching them how to preserve their own, I guess it's a start."

The pressure of being helpful because of Gaia's blood should have ended at the beginning of March. But maybe there's some clues here; like she's embarrassed to admit how desperate she'd felt and this is just covering that up. Or what started out as an impulse snowballed into something bigger that she feels stubborn enough to see it through and not just... drop it.

Sharon listens intently to Gaia as she leads them through the streets, humming low in the back of her throat every now and again in wordless acknowledgment. Her own first winter had been simple to get through; she hadn't needed to worry about food or shelter because her mother had it all taken care of by the time she'd arrived. This winter hadn't been as easy but she'd had plenty of time to prepare.

"You're saving people from going through what you did," she summarizes, something akin to admiration leaking into her voice. Even if Gaia was doing it to distract or busy herself, she was helping others, "Winter here is tough as hell. Even knowing what I needed to do to prepare, I still messed up along the way."

She has no problem admitting when she makes mistakes. She's not so prideful. The grin she shoots at Gaia is a touch embarrassed, "My first time preserving, I did it wrong. All of them went bad. Every single jar." It had pissed her off and discouraged her from trying again for a time. Luckily, not for too long.

"But I figured it out the second time around. I made more than enough for the winter and was even able to give some away to newbies. I know people help out a lot at the boardwalk at the beginning of the month but there's always so much information to give to people that certain things get left out. Too many people end up have to figure some of the important shit out on their own."

Gaia looks a little embarrassed. She's not the type of person to put touchy-feely feelings on her shoulder. So having someone spell it out in such an admiring way does cause her to be flustered.

"It's better than doing nothing. Though it'll probably be buried under so much other stuff in a few months anyway," Gaia grumbles. What she's doing and the videos she plans to make on canning and such.

As Sharon reminisces over her first vain attempts, Gaia winces in sympathy. "I didn't have as bad luck." She was fortunate enough to make friends with some of the people in Feed and have them all but hold her hand through the process. "But I didn't really know anything." A rock on the road will be kicked off to the side, just because.

"It's not like I had to do any of this stuff until just a little while before I ended up here, I think." Or so she's been told, kind of feels? It's generally better to just let these little bubbles of information spill from her lips without thinking about where they came from. Even before Trench had its way with her memories, she hadn't really been in a great relationship with them.

"I wonder." Sharons words do have her thinking. Gaia appears lost in thought as she continues. "Would it be better just to... make a basic guide and get the Wakers to hand them out?" Then she scowls. "Though I don't know if that'd help if the people can't read."

Sharon picks up on a few things as Gaia speaks, namely that she seems to have a few memory issues prior to her arrival in Trench if her 'I think' is anything to go by. Sharon can relate. Her own memories had been woefully incomplete for 18 years before she got them back and it took months and months to really come to terms with them. It's something she still struggles with. That, and identity, which she may never fully adjust to.

At the question, she hums thoughtfully, brows pinching together, "I think a basic guide would be good for the Wakers to pass out but I think videos that we can link to once a month might be useful as well. Even if you post these lessons on the network and they get lost, we can always link back to them."

No matter what, what Gaia is doing will not be done in vain. It will help someone at some point and that's what's important here, "By doing both, you won't have to worry about people who can read missing out on it. Everyone wins."

The two may have a lot in common in a sense even if they don't fully realize it yet. Memories and identity both.

"Oh, that's a good idea. And the guide with a lot of pictures perhaps? For the people who might not know how to read." Does that happen? It wasn't something Gaia ever had to worry about when arriving but she is at least aware that the magic that lets them all understand one another might not extend to literacy.

"I wonder if there's anyone who might be capable of drawing. Or those...cameras? I think that's the name." Gaia largely focused on technology and conveniences that will improve her home and living conditions. At the end of the day, it means her knowledge on things not familiar is a mishmash of trivia. But at least it's enough that Gaia feels confident in adding a remark.

"Well I suppose there must be a convenient way somewhere of making multiple guides without scribing by hand." She smiles at Sharon. "I think you're right. That would work." Gaia might have been getting lost in the effort, but it doesn't mean she won't welcome ideas that will make things easier. And maybe a little self aware of it for she then grimaces.

"Ugh, but it probably won't be good to think about it too much right now." She's drawing out her journal to write a note to herself so she might check on it later. "Because this is our break time, isn't it? Do you think the shop we're going to has biscuits?" The cookie kind, not the bread kind.

"Cameras, yeah. We should be able to use them to get photos for the guide, maybe include your username in case anyone decides to message you for more information. Or mine, too, if you don't want to deal with all of that on your own," Sharon's here to help, after all, regardless of how unsocial she often is, "And I bet there's a printing press somewhere in town. If not, a Darkblood might be able to conjure up copies for us."

But then she laughs when Gaia points out that they are taking a break and she nods her head in agreement, "Yeah, you're right. Sorry, I get caught up a little in ideas. But, yeah, the shop has biscuits."

She's thinking American-style biscuits but, luckily for Gaia, they have both sweet and savory where she's taking her. And it's not long before they come to a tight alley. Most people would miss this little shop just because it's so off the beaten path, "This place doesn't get a lot of traffic but it's worth the walk. They're the place that got me into mushrooms."

She walks backward as she speaks, only glancing behind herself every now and again until they reach the shop, "But you can't go wrong with their tarts. The owner is a god when it comes to baking, I swear." The shop itself is small and situated tightly between the space of two other buildings. The sign is hand-carved wood that says Crumbs & All. She opens the door for Gaia to enter.

Camera, yes. But Gaia perks up with all the classic signs of a teenager who has been reminded of the obvious solution.

"Of course, I can do that. Conjure copies, I mean." Having a camera and a photo will be a good reference even though she could probably just make it from scratch as it were.

And she is also not one to pass up an offer of help. "Honestly I'd be relieved to have someone else helping to answer questions. I know I'm not always the best at dealing with people," she offers ruefully. Sharon isn't the only one that has trouble with social skills. At least they're both somewhat self-aware of it.

Gaia starts to look around as their journey begins to take turns into more obscure backstreets. She's certainly looking forward to biscuits (whatever the kind in the end) and perhaps something refreshing to drink along with it. Though Sharon gets a look and a wrinkling of the nose when she mentions how she came to patron this shop.

"Sorry, mushrooms? Not that I'm against them but how do mushrooms and pastries go together?"

But apparently she's soon to find out as they arrive. The shop is given a sharp look just out of habit (Gaia's not going to judge its small and cramped locale now that she realizes she's rather looking forward to something to eat), and she walks on in. Automatically she takes that first, expectant breath one has upon entering such businesses.

"Oh, you're a Darkblood?" She says it with a grin and a nod, "Good to know." That will make their job a little bit easier and means she won't have to reach out to some of the Darkbloods she does know.

The shop is a tiny little place. There are only two small tables to their left, up against the wall, and the rest of the shop is taken up by a glass cabinet of freshly baked goods. Rows of berry pastries and cinnamon rolls and tarts take up most of the cabinet but, at the top, there's a small row of savory goods; mushroom and vegetable hand pies and even ones full of mincemeat. The whole place smells of fresh bread; yeast and berries and the underlying woodiness from the ovens in the bake.

Sharon orders herself a hand pie, lets Gaia choose her own order, and then pays for them both with a bloodstone before leading them to one of the small tables to eat. She holds her little hand pie close, grin wide, "You see how it all goes together now?"

"Yes, though I don't tend to bring it up it much." Which probably means to suggest to not spread it around. Except Gaia's next words suggests she has other reasons not to speak about it.

"I mean ugh, do you realize how odd it feels to see your blood come out as glitter?" There's a distinct grimace and brief shudder. "I don't like to think about it much," she mutters.

The place smells lovely as expected. And well... yes, mushroom in pies makes far more sense but it's clear Gaia had her mind on the sweets side of a bakery, shown by her muttering and final decision to choose something akin to a blueberry turnover.

While Gaia rolls her eyes at Sharon's assertion, there's a hint of a smile crinkling the corners of her mouth at the same time. She's more amused than put out. "Yes, I admit I forgot that you can put anything between two bits of dough and call it a pie."

While Gaia has learned a bit of 'how to be rough around the edges' in her time at trench, some of her rich girl manners seem to still be engrained. Hence when she has obtained a small fork and knife for her pastry and begins to cut into it with prim manners. Though she'll no less savor the first bite.

"I'll admit this is very good. How did you find this place?"

A fork and knife? Sharon's brows shoot up under those frizzy bangs of hers but she doesn't say a single damn thing as she just holds hers in her hand and takes a bite. She didn't think Gaia would be little Miss Fancy but here she is.

It's cute.

"I saved the baker from a beast attack last November," she explained between bites, "She insisted I come by so she can repay me and I've been visiting almost weekly ever since."

"I now try to drag everyone I know here," it's one of those hole-in-the-wall places that Sharon firmly believed needed more foot traffic. The food was cheap but delicious. The owners, kind. Sharon just wanted to widen their customer base a little.

"Canning is a good idea," D agrees. "I have a few extra jars."

He doesn't need them for the most part, after all. So whenever he receives something in them they usually just get cleaned and set aside.

"Do you know how to pickle or powder eggs? Those are useful preserved foods, too."

"Great. I'll make sure to set those aside for the Outpost then." A note in her journal will be made, just to make sure things are kept straight. When D asks her about canning options, Gaia tilts her head to one side to think about it.

"Yes, I do." Don't ask her whether it's something from D's memories or what she's picked up in Trench. She probably couldn't tell him anymore for sure. Gaia furrows her brow.

"Though I don't really have a good way to dehydrate eggs properly. It'll certainly be something I'd like to look into to prepare for next winter, since you can do it with milk as well."

"An oven if you can keep the temperature at the correct range, or a freeze dryer with the help of a cold blood should work," D says. There are multiple ways to go about it. "The difficult part here will be storing them in containers without too much moisture."

"If it comes to that, I can use the same spells I use on other containers." Gaia says, her mind definitely focused on the possibilities of an oven or this freeze dryer concept.

"I know a man, if he's still around, that might be able to build something. And I did want to get one of those lunar powered stoves this year, now that the house is wired for such things."

Gaia does love her modern conveniences when she can arrange for them. Though she definitely had prioritized heating, cooling and electric lights in the beginning.

"As for containers, I will keep my eyes open for something suitable. You'll let me know if you find spot something as well?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Harvest Party! [Prompt from the TDM, OTA ]

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shouldn't that be two birds with one delicious SCONE?

lmfao damn i really missed an punny opportunity!!

When I see the missed opportunity, I can't help myself. :D

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