eyesforward | let's demeleier

let's demeleier

[Sadie's been in this miserable hole for only a couple of days. All things considered, she thinks, it could be a lot worse—she has a croft all to herself, which is certainly better than nothing. Makes things a lot easier. And people are really helpful. A lot of people have already reached out to her a bit, making sure she's got what she needs. She's familiar enough with how to use her mirror, which she's left back in her bed, under her pillow. She even has a ball of iron in her pants pocket.

That's not to say that she isn't carrying around an idle sense of dread in the back of her mind, of course. There's lots of violent attacks by monsters, which, you know, even if Sadie is a pretty capable and independent person, is still a frightening and stressful prospect. That besides, Sadie's learned that the time spent in this place, while it at least isn't forever, is indeterminate; she doesn't know when next she'll see her friends, or her mom.

She knows it's useless to dwell on that too much, though—so she's trying to focus on something more productive. So right now, she's just focusing on splitting logs on top a tree stump—she doesn't need a ton of firewood for herself personally, but extra doesn't hurt. She'd like to have some resources to share in return for the kindness that these fellow captive inhabitants have shown her...

She's been at it a while. Splitting another small log in half cleanly with a well-centered, heavy chop, Sadie deflates with a heavy exhale, wiping sweat off her brow. She was a little chilly earlier, but now she's honestly a little over-warm, and a little winded. Maybe she'd gone a little too hard. She decides it's time for a break. She rests the hatchet atop the splintered stump.]

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[Eniko, meanwhile, hasn't done anything today that you could call hard work. In fact, she's spent most of it at the library, and is emerging for a snack now that the sun is past its highest point in the sky—even though it's more cloudy than sunny anyway.]

[she's got a somewhat worse-for-wear woven wicker basket looped over one arm, with a couple apples and a borrowed book in it, and is strolling across the grass in the vague direction of the Truffula grove: one of the safest places outside of her own croft to sit and read for a bit, thanks to the Queen's deal with the Once-ler. She's got another apple in her free hand, and tosses it into the air, feeling good—and promptly misses it as it falls back down.]

Haha, woops!

[she picks it up off the ground and starts rubbing it against her front to clean it. As she straightens, though, she hears something nearby: the sound of a brave oyster cracker chopping logs.]

...Hello? Hey!

[she rounds the nearest cottage and lo and behold, there is a Sadie—or, at least, from Eniko's perspective, the shape of a short blonde person leaning against an axe on a tree stump, with a bunch of chopped wood nearby. She grins and waves her apple.]

What's up?

[Sadie's hands lift a little with surprise, curling near her chest, and she turns to catch glance of Eniko.

Oh, good. Sadie was afraid she might have to be alone with her brain now that she was reaching momentary physical exhaustion.

Sadie's expression brightens with friendliness, though it's a little shy—it reflects somewhat in her voice.]

O-oh, hello!

Just, um—chopping wood, [she laughs out, then rests the axe's head in the dirt, the handle against the side of the stump. Sadie lifts herself to sit on the split stump, the denim of her jeans protecting her butt well.] Trying to keep busy.

My name's Sadie, by the way. I'm new around here. Probably obvious.

Edited 2015-04-13 00:08 (UTC)

[oh no, she's cute. Eniko can't help but grin as she listens to Sadie, and she nods understandingly, trying to slip into the role of the Wise Mentor. She takes a big bite out of her apple and wipes some juice off her cheek with the back of her hand, not bothering to finish chewing before replying:]

Oohh, yeah! I don't think we've met. I'm Eniko!

[she holds out her hand for a shake, remembers that there's an apple in it, and salutes Sadie with the apple instead.]

My best friend and I got nabbed almost a couple years ago, so I'm pretty solid on how things go around here. You got your iron, right?

[she lifts her apple hand and wiggles it, showing off the wrought-iron bracelet around her skinny wrist.]

A couple years ago?!

[Sadie can't help but balk, her fingers curling near her chin. That's a little... super... rattling...]

Oh—um, yeah, I do, [She answers distractedly, kind of turning as if to check her butt pocket. She looks back at Eniko.] It was pretty much the first piece of advice I got, and that...demon guy, Ezekiel, was nice enough to take me to the forge.

It's nice to meet you, Eniko.

[Eniko's face brightens like the sun, and she beams at Sadie.]

Ooh, you met Ezekiel! That's awesome! Isn't he cute? Whew, man, it's way better that you met him first, rather than some of our other fellow villagers I could name, I'll tell you what...

[she chuckles, but then Sadie's whole nervous demeanor finally registers, and Eniko's smile fades into an expression of wide-eyed concern. She steps up closer, leaning down a bit to squint at Sadie's face. Gently: ]

Hey... hey, are you doing okay? It's a... pretty big shock, and stuff, isn't it...

Yeah, [Sadie laughs vaguely, her cheeks pinkening a little as she glances away. She'll just say she's confirming she met Ezekiel, if pressed.

She suddenly leans back a bit when Eniko comes in to inspect her, her eyes widening. This lady is really forward. Of course, it doesn't occur to Sadie that Eniko might be hard of sight.]

Er... Oh, yeah... [Her gaze falls a little, and she looks back up at Eniko.] I mean, it is a lot to take in, and I'm trying not to get overwhelmed... But, you know, freaking out just won't really solve anything, or even make me feel better.

Thanks for checking on me, though. That's really nice of you.

No prob! I like helping people.

[Eniko smiles again and straightens up, now a little less far inside Sadie's personal bubble.]

I guess you're right—hey, that's a really sensible way of thinking about stuff! Freaking out doesn't help make anything better. [she pauses, contemplating this wise statement, then shrugs a bit sheepishly.] Heh, I still freak out all the time, though. I guess it's just in me. You're doing way better than I was, when I first got here.

[Sadie feels like she gets that sort of compliment a lot.]

Well, I'm sure I can't keep it up forever, [Sadie sheepishly concedes, biting her lip.] I wouldn't blame anyone for flipping out when they got here, or just... periodically, in general. It's a pretty understandable reaction to have.

[Eniko nods, and takes another bite out of her apple.]

Mm-hmm. Definitely... it's not something that's normal for most people, this whole kidnapped-to-another-world thing. Wasn't for me.

But hey—if you ever want to talk about how you're feeling, and let it out and stuff, I'm here for you. I'm really good at talking about feelings.

Heh, okay. I mean, I guess the same applies. I'm a good listener.

[Sadie presses her palms against her knees, crossing her ankles.]

So—people come and go pretty often, huh? That sounds...kind of potentially rough.

[Eniko's smile dims again, and she plops down onto the grass next to the stump, setting her basket down next to her and straightening her knees. She puts her apple down and smooths her dress out over her legs to keep the slightly-chilly breeze from hitting her bare skin. She sighs.]

Yeah... you make friends, and then one day, poof—[she makes a fist in the air and flicks open her fingers in a "poof" gesture]—one day they're gone. I've lost a lot of good friends like that... going to visit 'em, and nobody answers the door. Once you rule out them getting kidnapped by fae or something, it's like... yeah, the Queen sent 'em back.

[she turns to smile up at Sadie.]

But hey—that's good, though! It hurts losing people, but it's good that they get to go home.

[Sadie looks increasingly down through Eniko's accounting of her personal experiences, but she seems to snap out of it with her optimistic conclusion there.]

Oh! That's true. That probably makes it a lot easier.

I guess the idea of that kind of lack of stability's a little spooky. I get kinda attached to people...

[Eniko nods.]

Mm-hmm... no, you're right. I do, too—like, it's awful losing friends without warning all the time like this, even if it means they get to go home. If I didn't have my best friend here with me, I'd probably go nuts.

[she takes a melancholy, yet enormous, bite of apple.]

Yeah, [Sadie agrees, her tone kind of wilting. And her posture.]

That's understandable...

[How can Sadie already be feeling lonely, when she's only been here for a couple of days? Sheesh.]

[OH NO SMALL NEW FRIEND IS SAD. FUCK. Eniko puts her apple in her lap and grabs a whole one from her basket, holding it aloft for Sadie to grab. Her aim is a bit off thanks to no depth perception, so she might bump Sadie's knee accidentally.]

Hey—but making friends is still worth it! I'm not gonna stop, or anything. Want an apple? I've got enough to share.

[She does bump Sadie's knee, but Sadie either is completely unoffended by it or doesn't even notice. Sadie takes the apple, blinking.]

Oh—thanks...

Yeah, I guess I'm probably a little hungry. I've been working all morning. Since Ezekiel does a lot of cooking, I thought I'd bring him some split logs. You're welcome to take any you need too, for your croft.

[Sadie takes a bite from the apple.]

Edited 2015-04-13 02:01 (UTC)

Wow; thanks!

[Eniko sits up straighter, perking up right away again, and turns to look up at Sadie better.]

That's really nice of you! You know, I could use some more firewood, actually... I was just gonna ask Ezekiel or somebody to chop some more up for me, but this works out perfectly! I can stick some in my basket. [she snorts:] —Ha! Get it; "stick?"

Haha! [Sadie laughs, covering her mouth a little, waiting until her giggles pass before she swallows.] Yeah. Jeez.

Well, I mean, you just offered to be a shoulder and gave me an apple. Fair's fair.

[Sadie shrugs. Not that Sadie doesn't totally kind of pride herself on being nice........ it's the best way to be, okay]

[Sadie giggling made Eniko giggle harder, so her giggles taper off a little after Sadie's do. She takes a deep breath.]

Thanks a bunch! And... I mean, it's not like I couldn't chop up some logs myself if I could, or anything—I've gotten pretty good at the whole manual labor thing, and I'm totally strong enough—but I kind of... can't. [she waves a hand in front of her eyes, grinning.] I'm almost blind, so I just shouldn't be swinging around an axe; that's all.

Oh! Yeah, I mean—um, I'm sorry to hear that, by the way—but even if you had perfect vision, I'd chop you some logs anyway.

I like being helpful too! And this kinda stuff is actually kinda relaxing for me. Even though my hands are a little sore. [Taking another bite of the apple, Sadie observes the redness of her other palm.] Eh, it'll callouss, though.

[whoa, chopping wood until her hands are sore is relaxing? This new girl must be pretty hardcore. Eniko is impressed.]

Yeah! Hey, if you like it, chop away! —Ooh, you're getting callouses? Want to see mine?

[she puts down her apple again and holds out both hands so that Sadie can see the lil baby callouses on her fingers and palms. Even with those, her hands look delicate and small.]

I helped this grouchy guy spin flax into linen for, like, three whole months, back when I first got here—that's when I got my first ones! I've built up the others here and there, you know: lifting stuff. Farming.

[she sounds Extremely Proud. LIFTING STUFF. WEEDING. Wow.]

[Well, Sadie's no farm hand herself (shockingly), and she lives with a bunch of people who are pretty spoiled by modern comforts... So really, Sadie isn't judging her. She observes Eniko's hands, and indeed, Sadie vaguely decides they're quite dainty. They kind of remind her of—ew, no, anyway.]

That's great! I'm pretty inconsistent with like... physical activity, so my hands normally stay pretty soft.

Uh—how do you spin flax into linen?

[Sadie feels like she's gonna learn a lot of stuff, here...]

[Eniko groans surprisingly loudly and slumps back against the stump, covering her eyes with her hands dramatically.]

Ooh, it's the worst! You've got to comb out the flax to split it up, and then you pick out all the little hard bits you can't spin, and your hands get all cut up—if I ever have to use a spinning wheel again, it'll be too soon. Trust me, you don't want to do it.

[she moves her hands so she can fluff her hair]

Fortunately, you don't have to! We've got a few professional weavers and tailors here now to handle all that stuff.

Yikes. Well, that's good. I'm not really that good with crafty sort of stuff, anyway.

[Sadie watches Eniko's hair bounce, stars in her eyes... That hair looks close to something out of Sadie's gene pool, even though Eniko isn't white. Not a lot of curly haired blonds, out there. She has another bite of her apple.]

Probably better to leave me to hunting, beating up evil faeries or whatever, and... chopping logs, I guess.

Haha, yeah! Sure thing. —Whoa; hey, you can hunt, too? I, uh... I might actually hit you up for that, too! I can't really hunt, either. Or fish. Although my eyesight's only part of the "why not".

[oblivious to Sadie's starry eyes, she scoops her hair over one shoulder and starts separating it into sections to braid it. She pauses to gently work a little tangle out of a couple curls with her fingertips.]

Heh, Ezekiel's been keeping me fed, too—just like he's taking care of you! What a guy, right?

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