staymods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
staymods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
staysilent2021-09-06 08:13 pm
staymods) wrote in staysilent2021-09-06 08:13 pm
September 2021 - Power
Power
It happens early one September morning. As the sun shines onto the recently repaired solar panels, power abruptly flickers to life within the Town Hall. Given that power is only supplied for a couple hours every night normally, constant power to the building is a big change.
Mauri looks impressed by the change. "Well. I didn't expect all of you to become electricians so quickly." He says it with a touch of amusement to his voice though. Even if he's not saying direct praise, he is definitely proud of everyone for working so hard.
The addition of power full-time also means that the cold storage section of the food storage building is up and running too. And with the nip in the air at night and how the crops in the farm are close to ripe, it's not a moment too soon. Preparations for fall and winter will need to start before too long, if everyone is going to want enough food around to comfortably survive the winter.
Mauri looks impressed by the change. "Well. I didn't expect all of you to become electricians so quickly." He says it with a touch of amusement to his voice though. Even if he's not saying direct praise, he is definitely proud of everyone for working so hard.
The addition of power full-time also means that the cold storage section of the food storage building is up and running too. And with the nip in the air at night and how the crops in the farm are close to ripe, it's not a moment too soon. Preparations for fall and winter will need to start before too long, if everyone is going to want enough food around to comfortably survive the winter.
Gravekeeping
Improvements to the island have been made, but there's still a lot to do before winter arrives. Defenses need to be sured up, firewood needs to be cut, food needs to be dried and stored, and much, much more. Winters are harsh in Finland, and going into them unprepared is a surefire way to spend the winter cold and hungry. At best.
But even with everything else left to do, Mauri is going to approach the Otherworlders in early September with another task. He's been tending to the graveyard over the summer, but there is still a lot of cleaning left to do. While it's not vital to survival- he will reassure everyone that the souls of the dead have long since passed on, and that this is more to honor them than as a form of protection- cleaning up the graveyard before winter would be a good way for the Otherworlders to show that they respect those who lived here before them. He only asks once too, and won't badger the Otherworlders to do it after that one request is made.
Will you help? Or will you focus your efforts on preparing for winter?
But even with everything else left to do, Mauri is going to approach the Otherworlders in early September with another task. He's been tending to the graveyard over the summer, but there is still a lot of cleaning left to do. While it's not vital to survival- he will reassure everyone that the souls of the dead have long since passed on, and that this is more to honor them than as a form of protection- cleaning up the graveyard before winter would be a good way for the Otherworlders to show that they respect those who lived here before them. He only asks once too, and won't badger the Otherworlders to do it after that one request is made.
Will you help? Or will you focus your efforts on preparing for winter?
no subject
[Is this the medieval or whatever equivalent of getting high on cough syrup??]
no subject
.......................................
[.......]
Explain.
no subject
no subject
...If you're... addicted to something... I think we should... see someone about it... not... eat more drug plants...
no subject
It's not... [He sort of wants to say "it's not like that", but it is. That's how Jade had described it, like a drug.]
It's not that easy.
no subject
It could be... Faust has magic... he might be able... to help ease things... And... I could try and help out... however I can...
[He shouldn't volunteer Faust like that. Faust would hate being used for his magic and if this works out he's going to owe a lot of apologies. But he's not exactly sure how *else* withdrawals would been handled in teens of the post-apocalypse.]
I'm not going... to judge you... at least...
no subject
I... I made a mistake, and no one can fix it.
no subject
[That's familiar.]
Explain it then... so maybe... we can work around... whatever it is.
no subject
It isn't safe. He isn't safe. It would be better to tell them, to let them know.
To let them get rid of him before he hurts them, before the winter comes with long nights and someone stumbles on him in the dark and he---
He reaches up, grabs at the collar of his tunic.]
Do you... do you remember when I said... where I'm from there's something like trolls?
no subject
But, this doesn't go the way of a teen drug addict (as he would imagine it).
He's instead slapped with something so left field from that he almost double-checks his mask.]
... Yes...?
[Oh no... No... Could it...]
What does that...
no subject
They mindlessly eat any human souls they can see. They can only see them in the dark, or in shadows, and when a larva is in the shadows their eyes turn red. [He doesn't say it. He can't make himself say it. In the bright light of day there's nothing strange about him.]
There's the mark of the grim reaper on their necks. [He holds on to the collar of his tunic, doesn't pull it down. Doesn't show what's hiding underneath.] It looks like a spider.
And... these flowers-- something like these flowers-- only grow where something dead is buried. In my country they're flowers called lignis, they're red. These flowers are white but they still grow on graves, and they still work. [He should say it but he's had months not to say it, months to hide it, to get close to people. Nothing's happened yet. Maybe if he doesn't say it nothing will happen.]
If... if someone... becomes a larva... they can eat these instead of human souls. If they do, they don't lose their minds. They can still-- pretend to be human.
So--
[So does he understand? Does Cyan have to say it?]
no subject
Especially the more he goes on. It's too specific. It's too close to the caginess of the boy before him.
He doesn't need to breathe. Why does he feel like he's suffocating?]
...You too...
[His hand rises up again, shaking. It might look like he's going to cover his mouth in horror. But, his fingers grip the edge of the gaiter. He hesitates. Then he pulls it down.
The great tear out of his face is clear. He pushes his goggles up away from faded-out eyes.]
I thought... I thought I was... the only one...
no subject
It's you too instead of anything else. It's I thought I was... the only one... instead of screams.
And the man pulls down the wrapping around his face and he looks--- He's not a larva. He's something different. He's something that's so much harder to hide than what Cyan is.]
You're---
[And Cyan tugs down the edge of his tunic's collar, shows the black mark magically burned into his skin, a crawling spider shape inked into his neck.]
You died too.
no subject
This is not a good thing. This is a bad, terrible thing. But he can't help it. He feels himself smile. He's not alone.]
Yeah... Yeah, I did...
[He pushes the goggles back down but leaves the gaiter around his neck. It's still bright out for him.]
I've been... hunting the animals... in the woods... fishing... I can't get by... on plants... so at least we... won't need to compete... for food...
I'm sorry... I'm sure it's... still terrible... but I haven't... met anyone... who's conscious like this... until now...
no subject
There are a few people like me where I'm from, but... [but it won't last. He doesn't know how much time he has.]
I'm glad. Not that you're... like that! But that I'm not the only person here who...
who's sort of like the trolls.
no subject
He smiles wryly.]
That... kind of sucked... didn't it? I was... so hopeful... that there was another... like me... but it was just...
[Just another creature suffering, nothing conscious enough to relate to.]
Faust knows... about me... he found out... the first day... I imagine... he won't hurt you...
no subject
And he doesn't talk about the trolls, doesn't say anything about what happens when you get too hopeful.]
no subject
Maybe he's... already guessed... I wouldn't be... surprised.
Still... it'll be good to... let him know... so he can look for... the flowers too... Do the dead things... do they need to... be human...?
no subject
no subject
[Zombies helping fellow zombies. But, he has to ask.]
Do you have... plans yet... for winter...?
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject