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Post by Emery on Apr 5, 2024 14:10:33 GMT -6
Emery walked over to the paved area and tossed the branch onto it. To an outside observer it might look like she was just making another mess in an area that was already somewhat clean, but Emery had a method to her madness. Her intention was to pile all of these branches up and keep them in this nonflammable area away from the other plants. And then, she'd have Moxie set them alight. Problem solved, and any ashes left over would be washed away in the next rain storm, hopefully to re-fertilize the surrounding plants. Stray embers weren't likely to set further fires. It was April, so everything was very wet. It would likely take Moxie a lot of effort just to get the branch pile to light up, but as a creature so well-acquainted with fire, that shouldn't be an issue for him. Which meant all Emery had to do was collect the branches.
Emery 6 Moxie 61.1/61.1
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Post by Emery on Apr 5, 2024 14:14:19 GMT -6
That wasn't a difficult thing for her luckily. Most "wild" areas tended to butt up against her disabilities, but the park was nice and easy for her. The ground was flat and there was usually plenty of space between the trees and other plants. It didn't take a lot of strength for her to muscle through it. The trees were small in comparison to some of the more wild spaces of the world, and so the branches they dumped on the bushes below weren't so heavy she couldn't move them. Emery allowed herself to take it easy, moving the branches back and forth one at a time rather than risk overexerting herself. Moxie of course followed after her doggedly, getting his exercise in as well as he paced back and forth with her. Every so often she was even able to get him to help carry a branch, pushing it against his mouth until he opened it enough that she could get it between his teeth.
Emery 7 Moxie 61.2/61.2
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Post by Emery on Apr 5, 2024 14:23:55 GMT -6
Of course, he wasn't trained to know what to do with the stick, so he instantly crunched it in half once she managed to wriggle it in there. "...Ah." Emery said to herself, and made the strenuous effort to bend down and pick the pieces up. Well, it was a good idea. She returned the pieces to the pile, tossing them in with the others. It was nearly two feet tall now. Most of that was empty space, but she still felt like she was making pretty good progress. Emery looked up at the sky. In classic April fashion, it looked like it was going to rain soon. She might need to pick up the pace- or simply accept the progress she had made and end the exercise. For now though, she decided to keep it up, and returned to the wooded area to collect more branches. She had to go further afield to find any now.
Emery 8 Moxie 61.3/61.3
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Post by Emery on Apr 5, 2024 14:29:16 GMT -6
The tinier sticks that could fall through the bushes she left where they were. They'd decompose back into the soil eventually. The rest she piled high on her pile of branches. On some level she was glad there was no one else here. She'd look like a lunatic with her massive pile of branches, or even worse, a child. She started hearing a distinctive tapping sound though- the sound of rain against her helm. She was losing her shot at getting rid of these branches, so she supposed she should call it quits for the day. She turned to Moxie, waving to get his attention. He trotted over to her dutifully, happy to finally be properly noticed. "Moxie. Burn." She said before pointing at the pile she had accumulated. She stepped back as Moxie eagerly threw his head back over his shoulders, always happy to get to use his fire.
Emery 9 Moxie 61.4/61.4
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Post by Emery on Apr 5, 2024 14:35:50 GMT -6
He threw his head forward and out came a gout of flame through his teeth, rushing onto the branches. It took a few bursts to get them to light, but soon the branches were crackling merrily. Moxie sat down on the ground comfortably to watch them burn, and Emery took the opportunity to lean up against him and open her umbrella. They were indeed pretty, and the warmth from the fire helped to counteract the cold from the rain coming from above. With Moxie's help in keeping it going, the fire had soon burned to mere embers, and even those were quickly put out by the rain. The job was done. The park was cleaner, the pavement was already being washed off, and Moxie got to set something on fire. All in all, a very successful day. Emery put Moxie's muzzle back on and left through the front gate with her pet, pleased with what they had managed to accomplish.
Emery 10 Moxie 62.0/62.0
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Ramal
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Posts: 110
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Post by Ramal on Apr 15, 2024 17:13:08 GMT -6
Ramal was a bit relieved to find that there was no person-eating monster lurking in the garden. At least not one they had found yet. That was a fear he didn't even know he was supposed to have 20 minutes ago. He was learning a lot from his new friend, indeed.
It was hard to see exactly what Zenjesi was up to from where he was standing, so he tossed the wayward gloves aside and squatted down next to them. He put his face awkwardly close to their elbow and nearly got smashed in the nose as they yanked on the root. Unfortunately none of that was conducive to him learning anything about plant roots. Before he could ask another question, Zenjesi went flying with the root in hand.
"Oi! You alright?" Ramal asked, leaning forward to help them up. He wanted to offer them a hand, but instead he was presented with the remains of the stubborn root.
"Oh," he said, tilting his head. "I like the fur." To him, the thinner tendrils growing from the root resembled the fur of an animal.
Speaking of fur, he realized that he hadn't seen Pashmina in a while. He assumed she would be fine, as he was recently assured there were no plants about to eat her, but he glanced up into the sky to catch her landing gently on top of the greenhouse.
[8.2, 3.6]
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Post by Zenjesi on Apr 17, 2024 9:46:00 GMT -6
A small degree of self-confidence began to return to Zenjesi. Everything surrounding the Labs and the City was so foreign to them that it seemed they were always struggling to catch up, or were being caught unaware. To be certain, that was part of the charm. Still, there was something reassuring about returning to a familiar task, and something thrilling about being able to share knowledge of it with an actual Friend.
"I am alright," they assured Ramal, brushing some of the entangling vines off of their head. His next words made their heart skip a beat. They had not just unearthed some beast as they had feared, had they? They yanked the root away from him, turning it quickly to inspect -- Oh. Zenjesi let out a breath. "It is the little roots."
"This is a weed. A weed spreads like disease. It chokes the garden and takes all the food for itself." To demonstrate this point, they began to extract the plant from the foliage. It had woven its way in between and around several others, some of which were other weeds and some of which were the husky remains of once very intentional and decorative plants.
"It seems the weeds have the strongest defenses," they mused aloud as they did so. Meanwhile, Marian had evidently reached her limit of time spent without destruction. For lack of anything better, she now sank her teeth into the vines that were tickling her in the face, and began to rip and snap them off. She shook them violently before tossing them aside. In an unexpected way, Zenjesi realized, she was helping with the clean-up.
Zenjesi: 0.1 Marian: 4.2, 2.1
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Ramal
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Posts: 110
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Post by Ramal on Apr 24, 2024 18:38:01 GMT -6
He watched with confused awe as Zenjesi yanked the plant away from him again. Was the fur a bad thing? This was turning out to be quite a complicated topic indeed.
Ramal listened carefully to what they said, as if he thought this information may one day save his life. He nodded along and thought about what was being said before coming up with a question. "How do you know which one is weed and which one is... good plant?" Was there a word for 'not a weed'? If there was, he didn't know it.
Notably, though he asked many questions and offered moral support, Ramal did not reach in to grab any wayward vines for himself. He was not a very strong fellow, see, and he just wouldn't know what to do on his own. It was best to leave that kind of work to the professionals, and he had hastily decided Zenjesi was qualified.
Ramal had nearly forgotten about Marian, as she had not tried to kill him any time recently. When she aggressively chomped into the vines, he couldn't help but to grin at her. Perhaps she was not all bad after all. Though Pashmina clearly had a different view, as she watched from her high perch and looked distinctly uncomfortable about her favorite person not being willing to join her.
[8.3, 3.8]
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Post by Zenjesi on May 1, 2024 22:37:46 GMT -6
The question, while fair, did give Zenjesi momentary pause. Marian did not respect this hesitation, and continued to shred the vines within her reach. It seemed to be enriching to her. But Ramal's curiosity and their subsequent musings did lead Zenjesi to wax philosophical. "A weed is a wild thing. It is a wild thing that a gardener did not plant. It is... like Zenjesi," they concluded, in an even softer whisper than usual. "A garden is to be nice to the senses - sight and smell and touch. A weed only survives. It does not please anyone."
Zenjesi sat there for another quiet moment then, the thorny vines strewn about them, feeling as if perhaps they had crossed another boundary and a bit as if their own roots had been exposed. Yet at the same time, there was something somewhat cathartic about voicing those words. They looked to Ramal with their milky eyes. What had he asked them? "Also, you can learn from books," they added as an afterthought, a bit absently as they reeled in the tendrils of vine. "There is a brochure at my campground."
Zenjesi: 0.2 Marian: 4.4, 2.2
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Ramal
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Posts: 110
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Post by Ramal on Jun 20, 2024 21:00:59 GMT -6
A weed was a plant one did not intend to plant. That made a lot of sense, actually. Though he did find the phenomenon quite strange in and of itself. As evidenced by this place, any unkept space would soon be full of weeds. They sure had a way of getting around. He really hoped he would not have to read even more books to get this place in working order. It was much faster to just ask Zenjesi, he thought.
The consecutive statements of Zenjesi comparing themselves to a weed and saying that a weed 'does not please anyone' gave Ramal pause. His new friend was usually sparing with their words and rarely took the opportunity to speak about themselves. It seemed far too deliberate to ignore.
"I want to ask," Ramal said before pausing for a moment. What did he want to ask? "Where you are coming from? I mean, where you did grow up? I would like to know what it is like there."
[8.4, 4]
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Post by Zenjesi on Jun 22, 2024 19:07:20 GMT -6
These thoughts quite often passed through Zenjesi's mind. They did not often become vocalizations. True though it may be, it was naught but a curious and passing comment that would be dismissed for exiting Zenjesi's lips. They thought no more of it. Leaving the tangle of vine with Marian, the satyr leaned back in to the garden, brushing leaves away until the stem of another weed's root was revealed. Carefully, they began to work at extracting -- But Ramal did not let it lie.
Snap.
The plant had broken, well above the root, and now dangled sadly from Zenjesi's hand. They sat very still for a moment, as one might when confronted by a predator. He wanted to know... about them. How did they answer a question such as that? Ought they? Behind them, Marian shook her head violently and a spray of leaves flew from her jaws. "Ah... it..." They hesitated. "It is small... secluded, deep in the trees. A fearful place. It is full of humans. I was the only... Other." The root peeked out at them from the dirt. Brow furrowing, they fixated their nervous energy upon it. It needed to be removed.
Zenjesi: 0.3 Marian: 4.6, 2.3
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Ramal
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Post by Ramal on Jun 25, 2024 3:55:08 GMT -6
It would seem that Zenjesi could speak more freely and openly when talking about plants and creatures with many teeth, but as soon as the topic turned to them, they were visibly shaken by it. Ramal was sincerely curious and hoped that an opportunity to learn more about them had presented itself. By their reaction to the question, he was clearly wrong.
While he was of the opinion that Zenjesi might answer more questions if pressed, he figured it was probably a bad idea. In his travels so far, he found that most people were quite interested in talking about their homeland, but there were always exceptions to every assumption. The fact that Zenjesi was an outlier only strengthened his conviction to be friends with them.
"Tell me about the trees," Ramal said, seemingly ignoring all the other things Zenjesi said. "There is no trees where I come from. I was very surprised to see so many big things, and even more when someone tells me they are not made, but grown. Can you believe it? I thought someone built all the trees."
[8.5]
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Post by Zenjesi on Jun 30, 2024 19:49:19 GMT -6
They knew how to extract a root; this was a simple task. Yet somehow all strategy and experience had fled from their mind. All they could see was the root. Their gloved, clumsy fingers fumbled around it, digging a moat and accomplishing nothing else. Ramal's voice drifted through this preoccupation, and slowly came into focus. His words, so unexpected, were enough to force a sudden exhalation of a hissing laugh from them. Marian responded by hissing in return. "Built the trees?" they repeated, not as a mockery, but out of delight at how preposterous it was.
They, too, had many questions about Ramal and from where he came. This comment from him only inspired more, but their friend understood how to appeal to them. "The trees are very tall and thin. The branches cover the sky. There is moss on the bark. Mushrooms on the dead things. Ferns. There is little sun, but often fog - thick fog. Itc is easy to... get... ...lost." They trailed off at this point, having walked themselves into this uncomfortable topic. Their Bulldozer had completed her destruction and now approached for more material. They stroked her back once and received a low growl in return.
Finally, they managed a good enough grasp on the root, and it slid out of the earth. But this topic had unearthed another seemingly unrelated question. "Who is in your family?"
Zenjesi: 0.4 Marian: 4.8, 2.4
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Ramal
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Post by Ramal on Jul 4, 2024 21:33:27 GMT -6
"Ya," Ramal nodded, leaning in to the absurdity of the statement. Now that he had lived here for a while, he could laugh at how weird and naive his first views of the surface were.
"Sounds beautiful," Ramal said, noticing the wistful way Zenjesi spoke about their homeland and the nature there. "I think it would smell nice," he said. He liked the way rotting old stumps covered in mushrooms smelled. Pure nature. He would associate that smell with Zenjesi from now on, though thankfully he knew better than to tell them that.
It was Ramal's turn to pause awkwardly before saying anything. His large, toothy smile stretched across his face as he remembered his family back home. It was clear that he was eager to talk about them from his cheerful tone and the light in his dark eyes. "My family is 4 mothers, 6 fathers, and only 11 siblings. We were not for laboring, so we had a small family. When I left, there were twins in the nest, so I guess that's at least 13 now!"
[8.6]
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Post by Zenjesi on Jul 21, 2024 18:45:54 GMT -6
The extraction of the root brought only temporary satisfaction. Zenjesi considered it for a moment, then sighed and relegated it to Marian to utilize as she saw fit. It was not difficult to predict what the outcome would be. Her teeth sank in, but the root was not instantly severed; it was a more worthy opponent. To Ramal's first words, the satyr offered a small smile and a nod. It was strange, recalling it now, while they were so far from home. Did they miss it? Their friend's momentary silence gave them time to ponder this question.
But, as always, Ramal's enthusiasm was infectious, and it dredged Zenjesi from the darker places as he responded. If his demeanor alone would not have saved them, their own confusion at his answer would have. Zenjesi's brow furrowed. They attempted to piece this information together into something they were familiar with, but failed. "This is a small family?" they asked, unable to fathom even knowing so many individuals, let alone living with them. "In the forest, there was only me and... my mother." They still had many questions, but this led naturally into one: "Why did you leave?"
Zenjesi: 0.5 Marian: 5.0, 2.5
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