expiationlogs | [03] a farmer's life?

Who: Mizuki and anyone [open]
Where: Astralin's farm in the meadowlands, and the new botanical gardens.
What: Just a day in her life, apparently.
Warnings: ~*~ vandalism ~*~ possibly, will add as anything comes up.

👁️ i. Astralin's Farm

[ If you asked her six months ago where she thought she'd be now, a farm would've never been it. Mizuki is a modern girl, accustomed to certain luxuries, wont to complain like a brat when she doesn't have them, but who cares about the small shit when your world's turned upside down? Day by day, she finds herself learning a little more about how they lived Back Then. Maybe she doesn't hate it all the time.

The heavy lifting continues. By now, Astralin's farm is complete, and the girl spends a lot of her time here as of late. ]

a.) [ She can be seen feeding the animals. If she's not hauling water over to their pens, then she's making rounds, making sure everyone everyone's gotten their fill to eat. In particular, she seems to favor two little piglets in the playpen. Once they've had their fill with the rest of them, she can be seen bathing them, washing off the mud they've accumulated on their coats from playtime. ]

Sure, a dog or a cat, maybe, but I never thought it'd be pigs.

[ Just talking to them. ]

Guess I should give you better names than Thing 1 and Thing 2.

- - -

b.) Baaa, baaa. [ Mizuki mimics the sheep she has in front of her, her tone mocking yet somehow affectionate. She's never done this before, but she has some shears in one hand, and the other grips onto its wool. ] Come on, hold still. I'm not trying to hurt you here.

[ Maybe she's hoping to use it at some tailor shops to finally get some new clothes made, as she seems to be collecting the wool in a large basket. The sheep seems calm after a while. ]

See? It's not so bad.

- - -

c.) [ When she's not helping Astralin tend to the animals, maybe she's stepped away to tend to her bike. Near the shed they built for it, she can be seen with a large bucket of water at her feet and a rag, wiping the face where she has her Adorabbit sticker, and the center console where Aiba belongs.

Well, the rag is kinda torn up, definitely not perfect, but it gets the job done. ]

👁️ ii. A Respite

[ During the hottest part of the day, Mizuki finds herself stepping away from the farm and back into town to find something to eat. As she thinks back on their collective trip to Rumpitur, she feels a sudden chill that travels down the back of her spine, despite the agreeable weather. An echo of the nightmares that occasionally plague her, mostly about those who went missing.

Just as she wonders whether she should spend another night at Astralin's farm, she passes through the new botanical garden, surrounded by the Chosen's statues. They've been in construction for a while, but this is the first time she's seen them all complete. ]

Heh, they work fast.

[ ...She passes by her own [statue], talking to no one in particular. ]

Even got my pipe right.

[ Then she'll walk over to the statue and mimic its pose. Silly. ]

👁️ iii. Wildcard & Notes

[ If you want to do something else, feel free to hit me with your own prompt or plot with me on plurk @

yammdere, PM, or @ me on the game discord!

One other thing I wanted to note that I couldn't seem to fit anywhere is that Mizuki's left eye is missing. She wore a "fake" eye towards the beginning of the game, but no longer does (it's a long story). If you'd like your character to take notice, feel free; if not, just be OOCly aware, since I probably won't go out of my way to mention it unless it's particularly relevant.

....Thanks! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Why a pipe, though? I mean, why not a baseball bat, or a crowbar, or somethin'?

[ He's not even shocked that she carries a weapon. She probably should. ]

[ She also has a gun! But without Aiba, she seems far more comfortable with hand-to-hand. She kind of shrugs, like she hadn't thought about it before. ]

Nothing wrong with those. I'm just used to it... It's mine.

But I guess you don't strike me as the kind of guy to get attached.

Not to weapons. Not to things. Things get lost, or taken. They're useful, but it does no good to get sentimental about 'em.

[ Except, maybe, the goddamn wristwatch he always wears, the one that's clearly broken. So it's obviously not useful, in any way. ]

[ Does the wristwatch stand out in any way? Mizuki certainly won't catch on to the fact that it's broken at first glance, though maybe she does linger on it for a moment. The moment passes, and she finds herself stretching casually.

She can't really help having attachments. She hasn't quite lived through an apocalypse to learn to be that jaded, but this place is doing a pretty good job. ]

So if not things, then what? People? They just stab you in the back, or straight up ghost you for six years... but there must be something that keeps you going.

You gotta find the right people. The ones you can trust.

[ It's both as simple and as complicated as that. ]

[ Hah. Mizuki is smiling bitterly, holding back a laugh that threatens to escape. The truth is, she can count on one hand the number of people she trusts on Expiation, and maybe that's enough—

But it stills like there's a wall though that she hasn't been able to climb over yet. Even the one she lives with.

She doesn't realize that in some cases, the wall is her own. ]

Still looking, then.

Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't.

[ He's not judging - he can't blame anyone for not being willing to trust. He just knows what his own experience has been - one, maybe two people he cares enough about to keep going for them. ]

You don't have anyone back home?

[ Mizuki actually nods after a brief moment of hesitation, almost like she doesn't know the answer. ]

Can't lie and say I don't. Some friends. Some coworkers. Some both.

But it really matter here. Feels kind of like a dick move to wish they were here with me.

It's not about wishing they were here. It's about knowing they're waiting for you, so you have a reason to get back to them.

I... dunno who's waiting for me.

[ They could be dead like Ryuki, but it's also been months. Maybe they gave up on her, thinking she abandoned them. ]

I bet you do. Even I do.

[ Joel understands that he's generally an unlovable asshole, and yet even he has a couple of people who give enough of a shit about him that they'll be worried he's disappeared. ]

Yeah?

[ That's enough about Mizuki! With the same genuine, innocent curiosity that hopefully pisses Joel off a little less this time, she tilts her head. She really doesn't know that much about this guy. ]

Who's that?

[ Heavy sigh. He did kinda walk into that one. Well, if he's going to pester her about stuff like this, he probably does owe her some basic info. ]

I got a brother. And a kid - a girl I look after.

[ Something about that sigh. He just seems so tired all the time. Honestly, that's a mood, but she got an answer, so she won't complain. She just falls silent for a moment, as if trying to imagine what this girl and his brother might be like.

Mizuki nods. Sometimes a family is just—that. ]

I've got a twin. [ That countds. There is a pause, like she either wants to say more, or wants to ask him more about his family, but for now, she struggles to find any words. ]

[ If there is one thing Joel pretty much always is, it's tired, yeah. And sad. Sad, and tired. ]

See, there you go. You got someone. So, when we get out of here, they'll be waiting.

[ Mizuki lets out a bit of laugh, but doesn't argue. Even though Bibi always talked about how she was the "inferior" Mizuki, she never liked her thinking like that, and always saw her as the older one.

If anything, it feels like she is the one waiting for her, or Boss, or anyone else to come bail her out. Mizuki will never admit that, though. ]

I'm probably going to get an earful. At least I hope so.

[ First time she's ever looked forward to scolding. ]

How 'bout you?

Oh, Ellie'll kick my ass into next week for makin' her worry.

[ He says that with an affection that it's doubtful anyone here has ever heard in his voice. He's definitely looking forward to it. ]

[ Despite him revealing little, she still feels some sort of connection. Or maybe she is just desperate for it to be so. Or maybe she's just imagining it. ...Either way, there's a hesitant, cautious sort of laugh. ]

I like her already.

[03] a farmer's life?

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sorry for the wait! i was out of town for a few days :')