[open/mingle] a light in the darkness

[orphne]

Who: any and everyone!
Where: astralin's farmhouse
What: mingle log for post-blackout!
Warnings: y'all tell me, please be good and don't break the house :(

If she hadn't been at the party, Kotone wouldn't have even known about the extent of the blackout. Sure, it's inconvenient, considering a lot of the lights are electric, and the fridge is, of course, powered by electricity as well, but the farmhouse she'd taken over from Astralin is an older and more traditional building. The main heat sources are the fireplaces strategically placed throughout the building -- a large one in the living space, a smaller one in the kitchen along with a wood-burning stove, and another large central one upstairs to help heat the bedrooms -- and the geothermal hot springs on the land. With the cold weather and snow on the ground, it's easy to take the food from the fridge and leave it outside in a locked box away from wild animals, but aside from the inconvenience of resorting to the candles and lanterns that were stockpiled in the basement, the farmhouse itself survives relatively unscathed!

Therefore, not long after the blast, Kotone sends a video message over the (charm) network inviting anyone who wants to take shelter from the cold, or even just cook some food, to come to Astralin's farmhouse on the edge of town for as long as they want or need.

She won't even make anyone help out on the farm. Probably!

1. Rural Snapshot
Power might go out, but life on the farm doesn't stop for something like that! The old wood stoves in the barn need to be cleaned up and made ready for use to keep the animals warm, and the animals still need to be taken care of. Goats, sheep, cows, chickens (a particularly big and brave one has the tiniest leather collar and a tag that says her name is "Scramble," and her friends Benedict and Sunny aren't far behind. They are Not For Eating (though their eggs are!))

Kotone won't make anyone help her with the farm chores of cleaning the barn, feeding the animals, or generally keeping things up and running, but she definitely won't turn down the help, either, giving pointers so the new folk don't completely muck it up (sometimes literally).

With the snow and general chill, there's not much to do with the crops themselves. Everyone is safe from the fields for now!

2. Potluck and BYOB (chef's recommendation: hot cocoa)
The farmhouse is not the inn -- Kotone has some food prepped and stored, with preserves from the fall harvest one of the key features, but it's not meant to feed the whole town. Thus, Kotone's going to request that anyone coming to stay at the farmhouse bring either raw ingredients or something they've made to share with any other hapless souls. Feel free to use the kitchen to cook, or get some help from someone else with cooking!

The wood-burning stove in the kitchen is perfect for heating up cocoa or wine, and there's room to get close with someone in front of any of the fireplaces. Like, it's encouraged to get close. It's a big farmhouse, but not that big. Make a friend! Share some warmth! The couches are cozy and comfortable, and if someone dozes off, well, Kotone won't be the one waking anyone up.

If someone would prefer to sleep in a bed, there are some bedrooms upstairs! One is, of course, sharing the room with plants. They're benign, normal plants, from potted flowers to hanging vines, but they are everywhere. Kotone herself doesn't have much of a green thumb other than keeping the plants watered and in view of sunlight, but the plants themselves seem to be flourishing throughout the farmhouse either way. It's almost as if someone (Astralin) had used magic to keep them growing strong and healthy, even indoors.

Oh, and speaking of sharing, again, the farmhouse isn't the inn. Expect to be sharing a space with someone else. Maybe a few people! Cozy up and make a new friend. It's better than freezing to death, right?

3. Hot Springs Episode
There are natural hot springs on the farmland that have been developed to mimic a Japanese onsen in places. The air might be cold and dark, but there are candles and lanterns around the springs to light it, and the water is nice and warm, perfect for those chill nights.

There are rules posted -- namely, clean yourself before going to soak -- and while there are separate bathing spaces for genders, Kotone doesn't really care too much about mixed bathing as long as everyone is respectful about it. Others may not be so casual about it, though, so one has to venture across at their own risk!

[ooc: This is a mingle! Feel free to use these prompts as inspiration or make your own. The only request I have is not to completely destroy the farmhouse or harm the animals -- anything else, go wild!]

Comments

[izanagis]

Mhm, [oooone last pat on the good boi's head--] he's been with me since I got here.

[So has Rangda, of course, but...he decides not to mention that for now. And keeps her far, far in the back of his mind. Look, sometimes you just need an evil witch demon, even if she and Barong have beef.

Anyway, for now, he moves closer to where Minato is working, watching the chickens cluck merrily, if a bit impatiently, watching the feed in his hands like the apex predator dinosaur descendants they are.]

Looks like you've got some fans.

[memori3s]

[ Yu's rewarded with even more tail wags, and Barong even stamps one paw in delight. He loves headpats. He is the goodest boi.

Minato considers that new information. Both of them Wild Cards, both arriving with Barong -- truly, the similarities seemed to stretch rather far. ]

Mm. That must be why Barong likes you.

[ It's... nice to see the Persona getting along with someone else. Perhaps it's even insight into Minato that, despite his subdued demeanor, there still existed a part of him that wanted to connect with others.

Speaking of connecting with others --

Minato shifts his attention back to the chickens plucking food from his hand. He reaches into the bucket of bird feed to grab another handful, allowing a tiny smile slip past him. Yu's presence isn't bad at all, but he's always liked hanging out with animals. ]

They're hungry, that's all. They'd do the same if you gave them food too.

[izanagis]

[It's the same feeling of kinship he felt with Kotone, with Akira, and another warm reminder that he's not the only one. Not that Yu went through anything alone --far from it-- but there's something so different about someone else being able to understand the intricacies of his own situation.

It's been nice. Really nice.

He makes a small, thoughtful sound at the mention of the chickens, picking out a few pieces of food to scatter for the nearest ones. One of them curiously pecks at it and then walks off, either disinterested or wary.]

Maybe my hands still smell like cat.

[He doesn't look dismayed, though. More like amused.]

Been settling in alright?

[memori3s]

[ That's right. The farmhouse isn't just home to creatures like chickens, goats, sheep, and cows. Minato spotted some cats earlier and assumed they were part of a group simply passing by. But if those cats were friendly enough for Yu to pet them, maybe they actually lived here too.

A couple other chickens swarm Minato's hand, plucking some food from his palm. ]

Yeah. It's not so bad.

[ Fortunately, he's resilient and the sort of person who'll adapt to any situation he's flung into. There is, however, one aspect that's been a little difficult to adjust to. ]

...there are some things that're tough though.

[ He glances down with a troubled expression at the dead music player hanging around his neck. It seems the electronics throughout Aldrip stopped working shortly after his arrival, and whatever was going on affected his own technology.

Now he's stuck having to hear the world all the time. Man. ]

[izanagis]

[For now, Yu contents himself just to watch the chickens cluck about; he's already had plenty of animal bonding with the cats. Why doesn't he get one of his own? That is a mystery. We're just going with it. Anyway, he went into that question sort of guessing that Minato might say something like that, just because he, too, had found the adjustment pretty simple. Maybe there's something to that -- the fact that all of them made big transitions just at the start of their journey. Igor would probably have something cryptic to say about that symbolism.]

I'm glad to hear it. It gets hectic sometimes, but it's really not so bad, overall.

[With some exceptions -- hopefully ones that won't be repeated.

He pauses at Minato's addition, following his gaze down to the music player. Now there's something they don't share: music is more Yosuke's thing than his, and he doesn't get into it in the same way. But he sympathizes.]

... We'll all be better off once we get the power working again. Maybe someone will be able to fix that, too.

[memori3s]

[ Moving frequently does help with adjusting to new places no matter how weird they might be. Minato's used to muddling through moves alone, so this is no different. Aldrip may as well be the home of another distant relative he barely knew.

"Maybe," says Yu, which means there's no guarantee of it coming back. Oh well. Minato nods despite his cynicism. ]

...yeah.

[ It feels a little weird to be without the music player, his ever-present companion no matter what new place he ended up. His surroundings might change, but at least the music playing in his ears remained a constant.

Now that he thinks about it though... what was that Yu said about smelling like cats? ]

Did you say cats?

[ Minato might be a dog person, but cats are cool too.

Meanwhile, Barong sits at their feet, staring up at Yu. Hey, man, what happened to all those headpats -- ]

[izanagis]

[He feels a little bad, not being able to give a more concrete assurance or solution...the pitfalls of being a chronic people-pleaser. Alas. But it's true there's little more any of them can do, at least for now.

He brightens a bit at the question, nodding.]

There are a few strays that live around here. I used to feed the strays back home, too, so I just sort of kept it up once I got here.

[Yu "always has a cat treat in his pocket" Narukami, ladies and gents. The sheer anticipation and hope on Barong's face is enough to have Yu patting him again, though. Yes, yes, you are a very good protector of mankind. The goodest.]

[memori3s]

[ He hasn't seen too many cats today, but maybe it's because there's a bigger crowd than usual at the farmhouse. Minato supposes if he were a cat and a bunch of strangers suddenly turned up at his home, he'd also hole up somewhere away from all the commotion too. ]

I used to feed a stray cat too. Just one though.

[ He glances down at Barong who's panting happily at getting headpats once again. ]

...I wonder how that cat's doing.

[ It was a feeble little thing, though it eventually regained its strength thanks to Minato dropping by to feed it each day. Eventually, it was strong enough to find its own food, so Minato hadn't come across it as frequently as before. ]

[izanagis]

[He hums softly; a little wistfully, even.] Hopefully they don't miss us too much.

[Not that they can't usually take care of themselves, in his experience...but it's still a little sad to think about. Yu can't help but wonder if someone else would start feeding them. Maybe a neighbor, maybe Nanako or one of his friends...who knows.

Barong nuzzles his hand as another pang of homesickness hits and then subsides. There are some ways in which Aldrip really reminds him of Inaba, even in all its strangeness.]

[memori3s]

...yeah. They'll be okay.

[ He doesn't say that to make Yu feel any better. Rather, it's something that Minato truly believes. After all, living creatures are resilient.

Though, perhaps sensing Yu's homesickness, Minato does pipe up with: ]

Introduce me to them sometime.

[ And he specifies that he needs to be introduced to them as opposed to the other way around. Cats have their own way of doing things, their own lives they insist on leading.

While Yu allows Barong to nuzzle at his hand, the Persona also takes the opportunity to offer the teen a friendly lick of the palm. It's easy to forget that the creature hanging out with them is the manifestation of someone's soul as opposed to another farm animal. ]

[izanagis]

[A small smile works its way into his expression at Minato's words. It sounds so much like something he'd say to someone else...are all of them this way? So focused on other people? ...either way, he nods. Minato's right. They'll be fine.]

Sure thing. Next time.

[He's sure the majority of them have scattered to do...whatever cats do when they're not eating. For now--]

I'm gonna go get some more firewood. I'll talk to you later, alright? [One last fond headpat for Barong.] You, too.

we can end it here!!

[memori3s]

[ Looks like it's a date promise. ]

Okay.

[ While Yu goes off to get more firewood, Minato's got chickens to feed. He tosses another handful of bird seed out to them, reassuring the birds he hasn't forgotten about them at all. The chickens scatter in a mass of clucking and fathers to chase after the food.

Barong gives Yu's hand one final headbutt as the teen offers one more headpat. Now that Yu's offered him attention for days, the Person's content to return to Minato's side. He sits there, alert as a watchdog.

Seems like Minato will have to stop by the farmhouse frequently enough to roll a chance at visiting while all the cats were settled down. ]