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[notsonewbie]

derringers

derringers#1225

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ABOUT ME

Meryl Stryfe, at your service!

NOTE

(Unless it's about something Vash did)

Message @username

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[notsonewbie]

[Well, that warning would have been appreciated, certainly. Now she's here and staring, but trying not to stare? Covering her eyes, but also trying to look so that she doesn't stumble over any stray plants or anything like that. And of course, stealing the occasional glance just to tuck into her memory.

Wait- she shouldn't do that - ]

Uh - Night Sky? Um, am I bothering you?

[wildwarden]

( Whoops.

Night Sky snapped to attention, bright green eyes honing in on the woman that had entered the garden. She stood up, smiled and tilted her head quizzically. )

Of course not, beautiful. I invited you. ( She chuckled. ) Why are you covering your face - oh. Wait. Is that my fault?

[prontissimo]

YEAH he's cool! We skipped rocks together the first time we met! I skipped my best rocks ever!

[ ...That tracks, doesn't it. ]

I'm learning how to cook, maybe I'll do the same thing for me and Luca! What counts as fancy food? Pasta is fancy right?

So where are you from? and what's Old Earth?
I'm from just earth...

[dedoink]

Oh yeah?? [ A brief clearing of the throat, and he tries again, less obviously enthusiastic this time. ]

I mean, oh. Yes. That would make sense, givin' that yer all journalistical and such.

[ A journalist is someone who writes in a journal, right? So it would make sense that Meryl would want one. ]

[notsonewbie]

Sorry, sorry! I just didn't know if you wanted me to see or not! Or if I was interrupting! I could have been early, or -

[Unfortunately, it was not the abruptness of Vaeros's party, or the intimacy of their time shared together that made Meryl nervous. She just works herself up over nothing all of the time.]

It's fine! As long as you're comfortable i-it's. Fine!

[notsonewbie]

Oh! Good, you know him!

[Meryl can't tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Alberto doesn't need the encouragement. Neither does Vash, for that matter. And she's pretty sure the two would only enable each other. And yet...]

You know, if you need a place to go, the castle here is pretty big. And I don't really mind cooking. We could always... celebrate together?

Me? I'm from a place called No Man's Land.
We're uh... a bit of a ways into the future from most people, as far as I can tell. Most humans left Earth to try and find a better place to live. Old Earth is the same thing, just... a better frame of reference for some folks, I guess? The home we used to have.

[wildwarden]

Oh, I don't mind you seeing. ( Reel it back a little, Night Sky. ) And you're just on time, not that I was timing you or anything.

( She flicked her wrist, more vines and leaves twisting and shifting until she was a touch more covered - now adorned in what looked like a leafy tubetop and shorts for just a little more modesty. She stepped toward Meryl after. ) There, I'm decent-ish. Let me see your face - I didn't get to fully appreciate you at the party.

[notsonewbie]

[You know what...? She's not going to argue.]

Yeah. Yeah that's... pretty much exactly it!

1/2

[prontissimo]

Yeah! I don't know him that well, but I like him. 0:)
is Vash your best friend?

[ hrsfkj 0:) is still at play apparently... So maybe Meryl's hands aren't exactly clean, here, either, to be fair... ]

Can Luca come? I want my first holidays to be with Luca. We do all our «first stuff» together! Because this will be his first holidays too. If Luca's also invited, then we accept your invitazion! (:

[ The more they talk, it's almost as if Alberto isn't aware there are... other holidays...? Not just this holiday? Relentlessly odd kid... ]

2/2

[prontissimo]

Anyway about where your from!:

So your saying humans leave earth in the future? ONLY humans? What about everyone else?
And when you say THE FUTURE exactly how future are we talking?
(say, for reference, I know I was born in 1945... and I'm 14. so when I left it was 1959 I think?)
Is everyone still gonna be there when I go back home? 9_9

text un: LtTayrey

[astrogator]

Peace and prosperity! I saw your advertisement.

What are your rates for this service, or your starting point for negotiation?

un: derringers

[notsonewbie]

No charge!
I want to bolster my name and good work in the community going forward is all.

Who can I help you with?

[astrogator]

Ah. I misunderstood. I'm not a charity case. Sorry to have troubled you.

[Sorry Meryl, contract-obsessed capitalist Tayrey here is touchy about such things.]

[notsonewbie]

[Well. It's a good thing that eye rolls don't translate to text, otherwise Meryl would have some explaining to do.]

Uhh... No one said anything about charity. Like I said, you're doing me a favor. I'm trying to open a business, and having folks that can vouch for me and my work is going to go a long way for community goodwill.

[astrogator]

[Sounds like a fancy way to say charity to her.]

Alright. I'm sure you'll get a lot of takers for that in this place, but I deal in clear mutually beneficial contract, not community goodwill.

I can offer shards, or goods, or local business advice. I run Sidra.

[Meryl may or may not have seen the Sidra banners around - there's a stall selling candles and firelighting supplies, and a vegetarian food cart, and a lot of decoration-slash-advertising signs.]

[dedoink]

Great. Bye!

[ Aaaaand then he hangs up. Guess that conversation's over.


And then, a few days later, an oddly-shaped package haphazardly stuffed into a gift bag with some crumpled up tissue paper shows up outside Meryl's castle with a note in what looks like a child's handwriting reading: FOR MERREL, FRUM GROG. Inside the bag is some stationery supplies that Grog purchased at one of the shops in town, including a fuzzy journal for all her journalist-ing, and several clicky pens with funny-looking heads on top, that all write in colorful glitter ink. There's a little note card included (which Grog asked someone else to help him write) advising that all the supplies came highly recommended by the wizard who co-owns the shop, and that if Meryl ever needs more, she should go there and ask for Jimothy.

(He may have gotten Elias and his kookaburra familiar Jimothy confused.) ]

[notsonewbie]

[Part of Meryl gets it! Unfortunately, the other part, well -]

You realize you came to me, right? And that I don't have to help you if you're going to make me jump through hoops?

[astrogator]

[She's absolutely bewildered because she can't comprehend how insisting on paying someone fairly for their work is making them jump through hoops.

Time to cut your losses with this one, Tayrey.]

Then I withdraw the request. Thank you for your time.

[Definitely no goodwill here, but it costs nothing to be polite.]

[notsonewbie]

[Meryl isn't going to feel bad about this! Nope! She's going to go back to what she was doing and -]

... Look. I'm sorry.
I really just don't want to ask for anything when I don't have a notable track record. It's about integrity! And if I can't prove that I have it then I have to earn it.
You said you run Sidra, right? How about you put together a basket of fresh, vegetarian food the next time a group of new folks comes around. Find a random one and shove it at 'em.
And you can call that equivalent payment.

[notsonewbie]

[Meryl does breathe a little easier, now that a bit more skin is covered up. The likelihood of her having a heart attack from just staring at Night Sky has been reduced significantly. Still not zero, especially now that Night Sky wants to look? at her of all people? Somehow, she finds the will to do so, even as she fusses with the bottom of her jacket.]

I'm - pretty sure we did a lot of appreciating of each other.

[wildwarden]

( Night Sky took a moment to truly appreciate her. Meryl was undoubtedly beautiful when with a mask covering half her face - and now, she had just proven it to be true. The dryad smiled, gently- almost tentatively, like she wasn't sure how much she was allowed to do now without any odd magics or masks hiding either of them. For all she knew, Meryl didn't want her touching her - brushed her fingertips under the other woman's chin. )

We did, but I can't pass up the opportunity to see you completely now, can I? ( Clearly, she didn't need magic for lines like that still. ) Your eyes are as gorgeous as I thought they were. I almost thought it was a trick of the light in the castle.

[notsonewbie]

It's a deal. You and Luca both.
I'll pick a day soon and let you know. All you two have to do is bring yourselves, okay? Although, if there's a specific dish you both really like, tell me and I'll see what I can do!

[She'll have to do a little more digging at a later date, just to figure out what holidays these kids know. Then again, she's not exactly an expert, given No Man's Land's... everything.]

1945? That's a pretty long ways back.
I'm almost certain you have nothing to worry about. I don't think humans left until nearly 200 years after that!
I'm really sorry, though! I didn't mean to make you worry about it!
I promise, all your friends and family are gonna be waiting for you!

Text | un: hello_willow

[anything_grows]

Hi! My name is Willow, and I saw your post on the Oraclenet. Can you really find information about people?

[astrogator]

[It is a valiant effort, but Tayrey's principles are very inflexible.]

I'm going to make the assumption that's a good-faith suggestion and our values are just incredibly different.

No, I'm not going to approach a total stranger and present them with a food parcel as if I think they're a beggar. I'd be very insulted if someone did that to me, so I won't treat others that way. That's integrity on my part.

I wish you every success with your future business. Safe skies!

[notsonewbie]

Fine. If you don't want to repay a gesture of good will with one of your own, that's your decision.
Best of luck to you.