March Catch-All

[wapples]

Who: Fat Billie (wapples) and you!
What: Catch-All
When: March!
Where: Throughout Trench and at Trenchwood Farm

Content Warnings: Grief, violence potentially




1. It comes and goes in waves.

[Warm rain pelts down on the beach, helping to melt away the ice and snow from the storms earlier in the month. The skies are grey, and the ocean seems angry as white capped waves crash against the rocks where the sand meets the rocky shoreline.

There's a small boy, no more than two and a half feet high that can be found perched on top of one of the larger stones, with a pile of rocks big enough to clutch in one tiny fist at his feet. One after another, he reaches down, grabs a rock, and flings it into the depths of the sea. It might look like a game at first, although perhaps a dangerous one with the waves that threaten to wash up around his feet. Anyone who gets closer will hear him shouting as he flings stone after stone into the waves.]

WHO WANTS TO BE A STUPID SQUID ANYWAY? STUPID OCEAN! YOU SPIT HIM OUT RIGHT NOW! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I'LL FIGHT YOU!

2. Memories of a stolen place

[Like most of the city, Trenchwood farm is not immune to the overgrowth of plants that are plaguing the city. Armed with his knife, Billie does his best to help keep them cut back from blocking the doors, and spends his time hacking away at the root system that tries to overtake the teleportation lamp, even though the lamp friends seem to have their own way to defend themselves.

There's one that sprouts up behind the greenhouse that talks, and pleads for food, and it does make him pause. It's hard for him to deny anyone - anything that's just hungry. Everything needs food to survive after all, and he hates being hungry.

Still, once the plant reveals what it wants for food, he balks, and decides the best course of action is to just stay away from it. He tries to keep their animals away from it too, just in case it decides its desperate enough for something other than Sleeper blood.

He still ventures down to the Guardian Tree to sit leaned against its trunk to try to relax.

Once it begins to whisper, that's when he decides he ought to take action. Warnings that he is not immune from consequences feels like a vague threat towards either himself, or maybe even his family, and he is unwilling to tolerate it, or leave any of them at risk.

Anyone visiting the farm can find Billie either trying to attack the whispering plant, or angrily hacking away at the roots that try to overtake the property.]

This is our home, and you can't have it!

Comments

1

[eudaimonikos]

Geez, man!

[Just ignore Michael walking up out of the ocean, fully clothed like he was just sitting around down there. It's fine it's normal.]

What're you throwing rocks for?

[wapples]

[Billie's eyes widen a little when he sees Michael just walk up out of the ocean like it's the most normal thing in the world. Was Michael just a squid? More importantly, DID THE OCEAN JUST THROW HIM BACK OUT?

He flings another rock into the waves just in case his efforts are paying off.]

Because throwing knives into the ocean would be dumb!

[eudaimonikos]

What're we throwing anything for?

[Michael idly sets himself on fire to dry off!]

[wapples]

[With Vyng's ability to take on elemental forms, it comes as a bit of a surprise when Michael sets himself on fire to dry off, but it's not alarming. Especially since Michael himself doesn't seem to be alarmed at all.]

Because it took Tuck!

[eudaimonikos]

[It only takes a second or two, and then the fires flicker out again. Or, at least, withdraw back into his skin; it all looks about the same from the outside.]

Tuck's gone?

[wapples]

[It starts to sink in a little bit as Michael repeats him that Tuck really is gone from Trench, and it's an effort to bury his grief in anger. Billie scoops up another stone and flings it hard into the waves with a splash before answering quietly:]

Yeah... he, I dunno. Got called back to the ocean to be a squid or something.

[eudaimonikos]

Oh, I'm sorry.

[He genuinely is! Michael trudges up the beach to stand by Billie, turning about to look out to the sea as well. Not that he'll see anything. He remembers when Orpheus left, and he had to carry his little squid-shape down to the water himself...

wait that sucked did billie just do that]

Not...not literally just now?

1

[jadedlynx]

[ Ash has a strict policy of 'not my business' that usually stops most approaches he might make toward strangers, but for a few minutes, he watches from the side. It's not the boy's size that catches his attention... at least not alone. It's true he's never seen anyone so small, but the bigger issue is the size of the waves. He'd be so easily swept away.

With a silent sigh, he finally closes the distance between them, the issue obvious when Ash hears the shouted words. ]

I doubt you're going to beat the waves into giving him back, but if you could, I'm sure you'd be hitting just the right places.

[ The tone in his voice is more humorous than tolerant. The guy's small, but Ash assumes this is grief more than any kind of real plan and, should it be a real plan, he needs to know it isn't going to work more than he needs to pretend. Instead, and because he might be a kid?, he'll make it a joke instead of just telling him to knock it off. ]

[wapples]

[Billie turns slowly to face the stranger, and there's a long moment of silence where there's nothing but the sound of the waves and pelting rain. He knows. Deep down, he knows Tuck isn't going to wash back up on shore just because he demands it, and throws rocks into the water, but he is angry and it feels like a good release of that fury.]

Well, I have to do something.

[jadedlynx]

It'll be the same amount of something if you do it further back.

[ Far be it for Ash to play the role of overprotective mother, but he has a soft spot for kids. ]

You can still be pissed about it back here. If he's worth attacking the ocean for, he'd probably not want you washed away.

[wapples]

[Billie considers this, and it hits him that it's not just Tuck who wouldn't want him to be washed out to sea. Vyng is still here in Trench, and he does not want to leave his friend here alone.

He doesn't get down off the rock he's perched on, but he does take a step back so he's not quite so close to the edge of it.]

His name's Tuck. He's one of my dads.

[After half a beat, he scoops up another rock and flings it into the water.]

[jadedlynx]

[ Now that the kid, he definitely looks like a kid, is further back, Ash approaches. With more distance between the boy and the water, it's likely safe now, but it should be fine to be a little closer just in case. ]

Yeah?

[ One of, huh? That means there's more here. That's good. ]

What's Tuck like?

[ There's a softer side being offered to Billie that Ash doesn't offer to most adults, but kids should have that support. ]

[wapples]

[Billie softens a little as Ash asks what Tuck is like, and he plunks himself down into a sitting position on the rock.]

He's really big, and strong, and brave, and nice. I tried to steal a jackalope from him before I knew him, because I was hungry, and he caught me, but he shared it with me and when he found out I was alone, he asked if I wanted to come with him.

1

[strikefirster]

[Johnny was out for a run by the ocean, old hits from the 80's playing on his cassette player as he got in his exercise.

He catches sight of Billie throwing rocks at the ocean and at first he does think it's a game. Until he pulls off his head phones and hears the shouting.

Shit.

He slows down his pace to a walk as he gets closer to Billie.]

Hey Runt.

Who the fuck did the asshole ocean take away from you?

[wapples]

[Billie turns as he hears Johnny call him by his nickname, and he kicks at a wave that washes up over his feet as though it's something he can actually hurt or, at the very least, kick away from him.]

Stupid ocean! Stupid waves!

[He is not going to cry.]

Tuck's gone!

2.

[ezra_of_lothal]

[Ezra has continued to come by the farm regularly to do work, although sometimes he's there extremely early and doesn't always stick around to socialize.

He notices the plants getting out of hand around town and goes up to check on the farm.

Doesn't take him long to spot Billie hacking away.]

Hey Billie. If you back up a bit, I can cut through that faster with a lightsaber.

[wapples]

[Billie is one of the last people in Trench who will ever deny that lightsabers are extremely cool, so when Ezra turns up and offers assistance with one, it's not really a hard sell as much as he doesn't mind at all throwing himself into destroying the roots that are threatening to overrun the farm.]

Hi Ezra!

[The boy scampers back to give him space to work.]

These stupid plants are everywhere!

1

[miyagimagic]

[ .. well, this isn't something you see every day, right.

But it does set off all sorts of alarm bells for Daniel - you know, as Billie tends to do. Sure, this is still a little bit safer than some other things he's heard the little thing talk about, but someone who looks like a small child sitting there perched on a big rock? So close to the ocean, when the ocean has seemed particularly dangerous this month so far?

Yeah, there's no way Daniel can ignore that. It sets off every single bit of Dad Sense within him.

So he's already running closer, despite only having planned on passing by the beach, until he's close enough that Billie can hear him over the sound of the violent waves. ]

Hey, are you being careful up there?!

[ Look. He'll address everything else about this in a moment, it's just-- s-safety first, okay?! ]

[wapples]

[Billie pelts one of his stones right into the white cap of a wave as Daniel runs towards him. Moments later, the wave crashes against the rock he's standing on, and distracted by Daniel's approach, nearly washes him right off his feet.

He manages to recover without actually falling, even if he flails a little to catch his balance, and immediately grabs another stone and furiously flings it into the retreating water.]

Yeah! You better run!

[Finally, he turns to face Daniel properly.]

Yeah. I'm being careful.

[miyagimagic]

[ See, this is the exact thing Daniel was worried about..!! Even if Billie didn't quite fully fall off that rock, it was just a little too close for comfort, and Daniel definitely felt his heart skipping a beat out of sheer worry there.

At least he's here now, so that's.. something. Daniel knows he can't prevent anything, but surely a kid not being alone in a situation like this is an improvement. ]

Alright-- hold on a sec.

[ He's making an executive decision here, since a moment later Daniel is already approaching and climbing up that rock. Not exactly the most nimble, since he's getting up there in age at this point, but he still manages to pull it off way better than most men his age.

Especially since he actually gets to the top, moving to sit down on top of the rock next to where Billie is standing. There's not too much room, and it's a little slippery from all the water, but.. well, balance is Daniel's thing. It doesn't even look like it takes him much effort to remain seated there. ]

You mind sitting down for a bit?

[ Because that ought to at least be a bit safer than Billie standing there.. and moving.. and potentially slipping again.. ]

I'd like to talk for a moment, if that's alright with you.

[wapples]

[Billie doesn't really want to stop his attack on the ocean. What if he's close to winning? Still, he can't help but watch as Daniel scales the rock where he is perched without a peep. He doesn't want to cause a distraction that could lead to a fall.

At the question, he glances back towards the water, hesitating. He supposes a little break maybe can't hurt. He glances over his shoulder, and calls out to the sea.]

I'm not done with you yet!

[Slowly, he sits down on the rock, facing Daniel.]

Yeah. I guess we can talk for a minute.

[miyagimagic]

[ Honestly, Daniel is already grateful enough that the boy doesn't insist on continuing hurling rocks at the sea - since it'd make the conversation a little harder to have. Not impossible, sure, but Daniel prefers the calm of sitting down here together for a moment.

.. even if the crashing of the waves is kind of a distraction, as loud as they can be out here. But Daniel doesn't let it distract him for now, instead looking at Billie as he joins Daniel. ]

I guess I just.. wanted to ask what's going on, bud.

[ Yes, Billie is getting the 'bud' treatment. It's what happens when you look like a young kid.

At least the usage sounds amicable more than anything, Daniel's expression gentle. ]

It's not every day you see someone out here trying to fight the sea. [ And he's pretty sure he does know what's up here, given what Billie said earlier.. But rather than assuming anything, he'd rather give the other a chance to talk about it. ]

[wapples]

[As soon as Daniel says it, it hits Billie how dumb it is to try to fight the sea. Didn't he call out John - more than once - for doing the exact same thing? The gentleness in Daniel's expression does nothing to help him hold onto his fury either.]

Tuck - that's one of my dads. He's gone. Back to the sea, I guess. We can't find him anywhere.

1

[spiritwalks]

[He doesn’t want to believe it. But Vyng and Billie need to face the music. Tuck returned to the sea. They can’t call him back, and nothing here — no communing with the local spirits, offerings to Mariana, or stones at Mariana — will give any timetable of when (or if) he’ll return to them in this lifetime.

Vyng approaches Billie from behind, until he’s standing beside him. Staring into the horizon that awaits them all.

Calmly, he says:]

Hey. Billo...

[He plops down onto the dark sand. Extends an arm out. Offering his boy a hug.]

[wapples]

[He doesn't hear Vyng's approach at first, he's too set on unleashing his fury on the ocean with his collection of stones. He knows the odds of pelting the sea with rocks has about a snowball's chance in Makaal of actually bringing Tuck back, but it's all he can think to do in the moment.

The rock drops from his hand when he hears Vyng call out to him, and he turns and flings himself into his open arms.]

Stupid Mariana! I'm gonna hit her right between her stupid eyes with a rock if she shows her face!