expiationlogs | open; May catch-all;

[ Joel does lots of odd jobs, manual labor and hunting during the day - the locals have, over time, come to see him as a decent worker who does whatever he's asked (within reason), doesn't bitch or gripe and takes his pay without comment, so he's pretty highly-sought after.

And at the end of every day, he returns to the Inn where he's been staying, and sits at the same table in a corner, with his back to the wall and all exits in his sightlines, and buys himself several beers.

That's where you'll find him, a couple of beers in, a handful of nails laid out on the table in front of him as he roots around in the ratty old backpack he always carries with him. ]

( She's still getting her bearings here, and in many ways, she misses Jigokucho's structure. It was much easier to get a foothold in the world when there was a faction invested in making sure she had a job and a purpose.

Here, Kate feels aimless, alone, and worst of all: bored. Skulking around the city, trying to find work was part of what she was trying to avoid when she applied for the army back home, and here she is doing just that.

It's been another unsuccessful day when Kate returns to the inn, irritable and squeezing her way through the increasing crowd, just passing the table where Joel rummages in his backpack when someone backs into her and makes her stumble. She throws a hand out blindly, trying to regain her balance and succeeds in that.

Unfortunately, she also succeeds in knocking the nails, scratching her palm against the point of one. )

--Fuck.

Whoa, there -

[ Joel's head pops up as the table gets knocked into, threatening to scatter his nails to the floor. He catches them, his reflexes quick and long-honed. Then glances up at the stranger. ]

You okay? These nails ain't exactly sterilized.

( Kate's immediate reaction is to flex her hand, testing the pain, checking her palm and finding nothing but a long, white scrape across it.

That's a small blessing, at least. )

Fine. Didn't break skin. ( Half-heartedly mumbled, dark eyes scanning for the jackass who knocked into her, but unable to pick them out among the crowd.

They dully coloured, wholly normal seeming crowd. She can't summon up that ability, even when she tries, and isn't it fucking weird to feel frustrated about that? Finally, her vision is normal again, but instead of retaining Jigokucho's control over her sight, it seems to have vanished completely.

Leaving her adrift, without information she sorely desires in this unfamiliar place. How many people here possess some kind of ability? Something she'd do well to know? )

...What's with the DIY?

( But her attention, eventually, returns to those nails, and the guy in the bar apparently just wanting to get his IKEA on or something. If she can't find out what powers people have here, maybe she can just kill some time instead. )

Mm.

[ That's the closest he'll get to an apology, or whatever. He's not sending her away, at least. ]

It's not an art project.

[ He rolls his shoulders slightly, then goes back to fixing up the nail bomb. ]

I don't have many bullets, and I have to borrow a bow for patrols and hunting.

( Oh, she's just fine with no apology. That's her language, and the only person she wants reparations from is the dickhead who knocked her into the table anyway.

Head tilting, Kate takes a closer look at what he's making, and the function of it slides into place. Nothing she's ever used, but Jigokucho's kind of warfare necessitated at least seeing the damn things if you spent any time in a faction armoury.

Well, she's in this conversation now, so she slides down onto the chair opposite and rolls one of the nails between her fingers, watching the movement idly as she mulls over the meaning of that. She didn't exactly come here holding anything that would make worthwhile weaponry herself, and who knows when it'll be necessary. )

Not patrollin' with you, then.

( Not that she's patrolling in general... yet. )

This ain't for patrols. Like I said, I get a bow for those.

[ It's for when shit hits the fan. ]

This is for emergencies only.

( Being prepared is all well and good, something that adds a few notches of respect to the mental yardstick Kate is using to measure this stranger. Still, she doesn't plan on getting caught in any explosions.

Not again.

But rather than let that particular memory take control of her tongue, Kate asks the rather more pertinent question he raises in her mind; )

... Y'seen many emergencies here?

( She's arrived here bracing for shit to hit the fan regardless, but better to get information where she can. )

Here? Not yet.

[ He tucks the nail bomb into his bag, then flags someone down who nods at him, because the staff all knows what he drinks. He's in here every day. ]

We're due for it.

( There's a wary regard for the bomb as he tucks it away, a lingering glance which Kate tries to hide by asking for a glass of water (because she can't fucking afford anything else right now) when the staff member looks over. A desire to be talking anything but emergencies twists her stomach, but this is the conversation she picked, a conversation that needs to be had.

She won't let herself be seen wavering over something as dumb as a memory. )

...Great. ( Just her luck, but what else should she really expect? ) Where can I pick up some of them weapons?

( For her own peace of mind. )

Nail bombs? Nowhere. I make 'em myself. And no, I'm not about to go handin' any out to random people I just met.

[ He's not, as a general rule, an idiot. ]

As for other weapons, the locals got some swords, and bows and arrows. No guns.

( While that's a smart philosophy to have, compliments will have to be pushed to the side in favour of a bitchy tone of voice and a roll of the eyes. )

I don't want one.

( She's had quite enough of bombs for the moment, thanks. )

Shops, then? Or do they hand 'em out for talkin' to them?

( Yes, that was sarcasm. )

[ Joel rolls his eyes at her attitude. Not worth getting bothered by it, though. ]

The locals're more trusting than me. Join up with a hunting crew, or a patrol group, and you can get a weapon.

[ Joel isn't a fan of the statues that the locals put up. In fact, he avoids the part of the garden that has the statue of himself in it altogether - he won't even go near it.

But the garden itself is... nice? Peaceful. He's slightly less likely to be harangued here if he's eating his lunch. Though, maybe today will be different. He's on a bench, eating a sandwich, not looking at any of the statues, just focusing on his food. ]

You got something to say?

[ Oops, you've been spotted! ]

[Scott's not entirely sure why he's been hanging out in the gardens so much, well okay, it's mostly teenage boredom because there's no mall or movie theater or anything exciting to go to. Maybe he should do the responsible thing and learn how to control his powers better, but sometimes he feels too frustrated trying something like that.

Which has led him here, giving attitude to a grumpy ~~old~~ man instead.]

Memorizing your face, I guess.

[He only stared for a little bit!! But guess the few seconds was long enough for him to react and after being called out, Scott had to react in some manner. Unfortunately, he had to react with the first thought that came to mind.]

[ Joel snorts faintly. ]

I know there's better lookin' faces than mine around.

[ Unfazed, he takes another bite of his sandwich. ]

You see them around now?

[Scott makes a sweeping motion with his arm, as if emphasizing there's no one around this part of the garden except for the two of them. Guess he can always leave him alone and go somewhere else, but whatever, guess he feels like talking to some random dude. Crushing loneliness or something like that, being far from home?? Feelings are dumb.]

Unless you're counting some of these statues and yeah, that one over there looks better. [He doesn't bother to really point out a statue, choosing to shove his hands in the pockets of his jacket.]

[ Joel does sometimes wonder if he has a "please pester me" sign somewhere around his person that he just can't see. For better or worse, though, he's gotten used to this kind of thing here. People here just don't know how to leave well enough alone, so he sighs and resigns himself. ]

I'm sure it does. You just get here?

Yeah.

[Scott answers with a small shrug, and he briefly wonders if this guy is one of the people that responded to him when he was angry about everything, but that's not a question he wants to lead with. He's still sort of embarrassed over it and he's trying not to call himself a freak in front of others anymore.]

Am I that obvious?

[At least wearing sunglasses right now isn't too out of the ordinary, but Scott still finds himself raising a hand to them, just... sort of making sure they aren't suddenly gonna fall from his face. Which. Is a stupid thought, but he can't help it.]

[ Joel shrugs. Scott is lucky, at least, in one thing - he's talking to the one guy who has just never used the little gemstone network thingy. So whatever he got upset about, Joel is clueless. ]

I know most of the Chosen by sight. I was in the first group that got dumped here.

[ He's quiet, but he pays attention. ]

So, you're used to this place and everything.

[As used to this place as one can be anyway. Scott takes that into consideration, almost like he's evaluating something, before nodding at Joel.]

Got any great knowledge to impart? [He briefly wonders if this guy has powers, but Scott figures asking that question to everyone he meets is probably not a great idea. Not right away at least.]

Not really. Except I'd expect something to go wrong again soon.

[ Because something went wrong once already, and as the days pass - and he spends time in the statue garden - the more he's convinced it was a test. ]

Geez, you sure are a fountain of knowledge.

[Scott's actually pretty uncomfortable with the thought of something 'go wrong again soon,' but might as well hide that behind some forceful sarcasm. He folds his arms across his chest and does his best not to fidget, succeeding only slightly in that endeavor.]

Y-you're pretty calm despite knowing that. Just eating your sandwich and shit.

What should I be doing instead? Panicking? Preppin', for something I don't even know what?

[ Joel takes another bite of his sandwich. Chews and swallows - because it's rude to talk with your mouth full. ]

I'm as ready as I can be, for whatever happens next.

No, but...

[Plan for something they have no idea about? As he pointed out? That sounds dumb even in Scott's mind.]

I don't know. Doing more than just pretending everything is normal. [Which on a regular day, Scott likes to pretend that things are normal or that he can be normal again, but right now, he's not in that sort of mood. Worry and responsibility and all that.]

Do you got a power or something? Is that why you're calm?

[GUESS HE'S ASKING ABOUT ABILTIES ALREADY...]

I've been here for three months. This is normal.

[ Kids, honestly. Joel lost all ability to panic twenty years ago when the world ended. ]

When somethin' happens, I'll deal with it. That's life.

[Scott sort of stares at Joel for a few seconds, his expression mostly unreadable behind his shades, before his shoulders sort of slump, his posture betraying any sort of stoicism. Whatever retort or come back he had is gone, and instead the mutant just sits down next to the older man with a defeated groan.

Hopefully he doesn't mind a sullen teenager taking a spot near him.]

So, that's what I should do? [......] Just deal with whatever life throws at me?

[Is he taking general life advice from this? Maybe.] How do you deal with uh, life, anyway.

How?

[ Joel is used to teenagers. Well, one teenager. He's not super great with sullenness, though. He just looks kind of baffled by the question. ]

You just do. Or you don't, I guess, and then you have a nervous breakdown every time somethin' goes wrong, which is most of the time.

[.......

He's going to take back any criticism he's held against Professor McCoy or Xavier after this. Scott feels like they had at least some sort of answer or suggestion that wasn't this. Of course, they're in charge of a school full of mutant kids and thus is required to deal with this sort of crap. This guy is probably just a... sandwich maker for all he knows.

Doesn't stop him from blurting out his next comment though.]

You kind of suck at this, don't you?

If you wanted a shrink, you shouldn't have asked a random stranger your questions.

[ He sighs, and sits back on his bench, glancing up at the sky. ]

We're all stuck here, and it sucks for us all. When shit happens - I focus on what I can control. Right now, that's my lunch. And not panicking.

I wasn't asking for one!

[He's totally not defensive what are you talking about.]

...But I guess I get it. [He can't control his optic blasts right now, can't control the fact that he's here in the first place, nor can he control the crime he's been accused of. That doesn't leave much for him, but no point focusing on that.]

I should make a sandwich too. [Guess sulking and being angry has made him sort of hungry.]

Edited 2023-05-23 13:40 (UTC)

Most things we can't control. We can control how we react to them.

[ Simple as that. And maybe Joel has just seen too much shit in his life to bother getting upset about most things. ]

You'd best get some food in your stomach. Easier to think.

And hopefully not have a nervous breakdown, as you put it.

[Is that what he had when he first got here?? Who knows. Scott's not going to bring it up because they're talking about sandwiches now and how to handle situations. Sort of.]

Yeah, guess so. [Scott finally manages a small smile and maybe this old man won't care, but he's going to start talking about his new plan.] Thinking of making a monster of a sandwich just because I can. Like beyond what I used to pack back home.

[A sandwich full of meat and probably too much sauce.]

[ When he's not lifting heavy objects for the local merchants, Joel is often joining patrols or hunting parties. One of the other things he's pretty good at, that the locals have discovered, is killing animals for food. So he didn't stop doing it after the fridges got fixed, because a couple of the merchants in town give him good deals for it, and he takes a share of the meat, too.

So here he is, a brace of something that looks like rabbits slung over his shoulder and a bow slung over the other as he makes his way through the woods - then pauses, listening, ever on alert. ]

Sh. Somethin's coming.

[ Are you his hunting partner? Or are you trying to sneak up on the paranoid apocalypse survivor? ]

[Not a hunting partner, just an idiot in the woods alone while people are hunting. Ven can't help it, he's a nature spirit, so when he's not gathering information from town, he's been either helping Astralin's farm, or just...spending time in the trees.

One of these days he'll wander farther.

As for today, he approaches cautiously, hands in the air as to not alarm Joel. He remembers him from before, from when he first arrived.]

Hope I didn't startle you. I didn't expect to see anyone out here today. [He nods towards the rabbits slung over Joel's shoulder.] Hunting?

[ Joel is tense, ready to jump into action at a moment's notice - but then it's just this guy, and he relaxes a bit, shoulders dropping slightly and his hand dropping away from the gun at his waist. He hasn't had to use it yet, and that's lucky, because he's only got a few bullets for it. Hence, the bow for hunting. ]

Someone's out here at least a couple times a week. We got hunting parties, and regular patrols. People gotta eat.

Ah, yes. That makes sense. [Vincent isn't the most fond of meat, but he understands why it's sustenance is important to humans. Honestly, he really doesn't need to eat, but it is enjoyable and seems very cultural to a lot of humans.]

I can help, if you'd like. I know my way around woods. [Not "these" woods, but any woods, really. Being a nature spirit is quite helpful with things like that.]

Anyone's welcome, on patrol or in the hunting parties. We usually organize at the inn, since most of the Chosen live there.

[ Joel shifts the brace of rabbits a little, then nods back in the direction of Aldrip. ]

I was just headin' back.

I'll have to check that out, then. [It would give him the chance to meet new people, explore the forests more. Learn more about their situation. But also help with feeding the humans there. He had been helping with Astralin's farm ever since he stumbled across it, as well.

Whether Joel notices or not, Ven puts his hand on a nearby tree, sending his energy through it, soaking in the information the earth tells him.]

Actually, now that I think about it-- Earlier, I saw some deer herding to the west of here. Shall we detour and I'll assist? [a little white lie. He didn't actually see anything, but being one with nature can tell him a lot about what's around him.]

[ Joel hesitates a moment, considering. Eh, at worst, this guy will show he's incompetent and chase the deer away. Best case, they come back with more meat for the town. ]

Sure, lead the way.

[ He's got plenty of arrows, anyway. ]

[Ven's not much for a bow and arrow. Even in all his years, he was mainly adept with a sword. He has it-- magically connected to him at all times -- but that's hardly helpful with hunting.

It's his nature magic that he's going to rely on for this.

He guides Joel for a bit, periodically touching trees to get a scene of the groundings again. After a short walk, Ven holds his hand up to stop Joel, then points to a few deer meandering in the trees further away.]

I'll catch them for you if you want to take them out? [No he's absolutely not going to elaborate.]

[ To be fair, Joel isn't amazing with a bow - merely competent. He'd be much more comfortable with a modern hunting rifle, but there are no guns to be had in Aldrip that he's seen, and his pistol isn't sufficient for bringing down a full-grown deer, even if he had more than a few bullets for it.

But, what he definitely can do, is be almost preternaturally silent when he needs to be. Ven certainly won't know this, but it's a big part of how he's survived for as long as he has. So he crouches down expertly behind some brush, nocking an arrow. ]

Shh.

[ He has no idea what Ven means when he talks about "catching" a deer - and he's not asking for elaboration. The deer are there, and he's silently taking aim at the one he deems easiest to hit. ]

open; May catch-all;

The Inn - nearly any evening!

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An afternoon in the garden

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On the hunt - possible violence cw

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