[Seasonal Event]Heavy Lifting

phoebe Can anybody find me somebody to love With Long Night approaching, Phoebe recognized the need to prepare. Hence why she bundled up and trudged out to the woodlands with a little sledge and hatchet she had borrowed from the woodworker in town in exchange for some freshly made muffins. Between the new people in town and the demand for baked goods, she was starting to wonder if she should also open up an inn and bakery! Though it would be best to wait and see if the demand for her services picked up in the spring. If they did, she probably wouldn't have time to tend to other businesses like she ought. Either way, for now she found herself marching through the snow, out to the woods, to collect firewood. Some of it she would keep whole. Other pieces she would turn into charcoal, which didn't burn as nicely but would burn longer than the plain old wood - something she figured would be a necessity in the week of Long Night. Once surrounded by trees though, she felt very out of her element. But she didn't have much choice. She was girl alone in the world, and so that meant she had to be self sufficient! With a little 'hmph!' of determination she set to the task of cutting downed trees into manageable sized logs. After only a few minutes her breath was short and sweat bead on her forehead. Quickly she removed her cloak and hat, knowing that sweating would get her in trouble. Besides, with the work she was doing, her tunic top and leggings were fine enough, and she didn't mind that her braided hair was a bit messed up from her hat - no one was around to see her right? So she continued her work, stopping after about 30 minutes for a break. This wood gathering thing was hard! She could already feel her arms hurting. Maybe she should have asked Remi or Roana to come help... no! She was a grown woman, she could do it herself...in about five minutes. Phew! Seiji

Seiji

Once again, Seiji found himself back under the trees. Strange, how they no longer held the same air of menace they once had. Now it was just a forest like any other. One covered in snow and unwholesomely gripped by a ferocious winter, but a forest, nonetheless. Seiji had a good fur coat courtesy of his new friend Kiada, and a better understanding of the state of things thanks to some of the others he'd met, so he even felt a little cheerful as he went along between the trunks, pausing every now and then to pick up whatever pieces of kindling he could find. The idea of such rural living was certainly new for him — he doubted he had gathered much firewood in his previous life — but he didn't mind it. He enjoyed stretching his legs, and any opportunity to see more of the area was also an opportunity to learn.

He had assembled a very pitiful collection of firewood, indeed, when a rhythmic noise reached his ears through the snow-laden trees. Chop, chop, chop. He didn't place it immediately as the sound of wood being cut, though maybe he should have. Instead, he merely felt the familiar pull of curiosity, and headed in that direction, humming quietly to himself all the while. In due time, he spied an unfamiliar figure in the distance: a tall woman with a crown of pale hair, slightly red-faced either with the cold or with exertion. She held an axe, and nearby a little sledge which already carried some rough firewood. Well, she was much better prepared than he! But she did look a little tired.

With a wave, Seiji called, "Hello!" He had no desire to startle her. He approached quickly enough, his long legs eating up the distance. Despite the cold, he was smiling, happy to find another person out in the forest, and perhaps to be of some use, as well. "Can I help you? It looks like hard work."

phoebe Can anybody find me somebody to love He may not have intended to startle her but she most certainly did startle. She looked up, eyes wide and alert, trying to place a voice with a face. Wide brown eyes found Seiji approaching and she watched curiously. She certainly had never seen him around before. Was he a native? Or an outlander like herself? "Hello!" She called back, smiling brightly. He didn't seem to be a threat to her so she decided to not worry. Besides, he was shorter than her. She had the advantage or something like that right? Then again she was taller that Roana and the ex-captain could definitely destroy her. Maybe this was a bad assessment. Oh well. Too late now. He offered to help as she set another roughly hewn log on her sledge with a sigh. "It is hard work... I think I may have bit off more than I can chew." she said with a light laugh. "My name is Phoebe, what's yours? I would definitely appreciate the help if you wouldn't mind..." Her arms were already on the verge of trembling from the unusual exercise. She was going to be feeling this for a few days so it was in her best interest to take the help. It would be awfully difficult to do anything if she couldn't lift her arms after all.

Seiji

A pang of unease runs through him as Seiji notes the alarmed expression in her eyes. Soon enough, though, she returns his smile. At least she doesn’t seem to hold it against him — he has always been good at moving a little too quietly for anyone’s comfort, though never (rarely) on purpose. He pauses  some paces out from her, still, as she returns his greeting and places yet another split log onto her little sledge.

“Hard work goes faster with more hands to do it,” Seiji responds cheerfully. She does appear to be more than a little out of breath, and all alone. “I don’t mind. This is for Longnight?” he asks, gesturing at the wood. “Have you seen it before?” Though her features are young — probably even younger than he — Seiji considers she may have been born in this place. Though he's met few people who have. He's eager to collect as much information about what awaits him as he can.

He steps forward, now, and extends a hand for the axe. He may be small, but he isn’t quite as pathetic as his stature makes him look. There’s ropy muscle over his bones, hidden now under layers of clothes. “Seiji,” he says in answer to her question. "What should I call you?"

phoebe Can anybody find me somebody to love Phoebe smiled a little, the expression emphasized by the rosy tint to the apples of her cheeks. "That is very true." Or many hands make light work, as her father used to say. "Yes this is for Long Night. I am collecting it for fuel to keep the infirmary where I will be staying warm." she said with a smile. She took a moment then to assess the state of the pile of wood on the little sledge. Pretty pitiful frankly. But she was just one girl who only kind of knew what she was doing when it came to collecting firewood! It was pretty good considering that! And now she had this fellow here offering to help. Talk about good luck! "Me? No I haven't experienced Long Night but I have heard about it. Will this be your first Long Night too?" she asked. He didn't seem like the other Naturals who were much more standoffish with Outlanders like herself. "It is good to meet you, Seiji. You can call me Phoebe." she said. That was a little odd. Had he not heard her the first time when she said what her name was in greeting? Oh well. "Would you mind helping me get these chopped logs onto the sledge?"

Seiji

Were Caido a kinder place, it might have sent the girl someone well-versed in the necessary skills to help her. But there was only Seiji, slim as a sapling himself and still wondering what, exactly, Longnight even entailed. He was uncomfortably aware of this fact — the two of them alone in the woods and ill-equipped for whatever the future might bring — as Phoebe answered his questions. Phoebe; she had said that before, hadn’t she? But he’d been too busy wondering to properly pay attention. He considers apologizing, but she says nothing of it, so Seiji feels quietly grateful, instead. He is still out of sorts here. Still one foot left behind in wherever he came from.

“My first, yes.” Seiji nods, both in response to her question and to her request. He steps forward to begin gathering her split logs and stacking them up on the sledge, placing each one carefully so it seems least likely to roll off again when they begin to move. He isn’t sure he’s ever done anything like this before, but at least it is fairly intuitive. Nothing like gathering food or building fires. Or communing with luxere.

Once he falls into the rhythm of the work, Seiji glances up at her again. “You said you are from the infirmary?” he inquired. “Is it very busy?” A part of him suspected yes, but he also hoped no. It would make sense for a young woman to help with patching up minor injuries, and not more lethal things, wouldn’t it? Unless, of course, that was why she was out here gathering firewood rather than remaining inside the walls. All the same, Seiji thought infirmary implied a smaller ward than a full-scale hospital. So perhaps Caido was rudimentary, but only the mysterious spire was truly dangerous. He found it all too easy to let his thoughts run while his hands worked. Perhaps Phoebe would find the same, though, and be happy to pass the time in conversation.

phoebe Can anybody find me somebody to love "Well you're not alone. Many of us are going to experience Long Night for the first time." she said with a smile. The Outlanders outnumbered the Naturals at this point so it was likely to be a very odd Long Night indeed. "Obviously we need to stockpile food and fuel before it comes. But there are these deer called Luxere with glowy horns. You should try and befriend them too." she advised with a friendly smile. With the two of them working in tandem, the sledge was filled with good wood in no time at all it seemed. Phoebe was still exhausted but it was a good feeling to have the first half of the work done. "Oh, I don't work at the infirmary. I am a midwife with my own clinic. I am just staying at the infirmary for Long Night." she explained, sighing as she looked at their haul...because now they needed to literally haul it back. "Could you help me bring this back to town?" she asked.

Seiji

Seiji listened politely to the information she gave him, though he was a little cheered to find he knew most of these things already. That must mean he was adapting well enough. "I have met luxere," he told her, smiling. "I am trying to do these other things, too." He had so much to catch up on! What a bad season to be a newcomer. But he would continue to learn, and hopefully one day repay the kindness everyone here had shown him so far.

He was pleased to see their efforts quickly amounted to a good pile of wood on the sledge. The physical activity warmed his blood as well, keeping off the worst of the winter chill. Something about working made him feel more cheerful, though the same effect didn't seem to spread to his companion, who only sighed as she stepped back to consider their handiwork.

Seiji blinked up at her, smiling as she asked him to help bring it back. "Yes!" he nodded. Did she really think him rude enough to help her load the sled and then to abandon her as soon as that work was done? If she was staying at the infirmary, anyway, this particular load of wood had somewhere very important to be. "It isn't so far," Seiji told her, trying to raise her spirits. "It won't take long." He was already short of breath, but he found he enjoyed the exertion. "Both together is probably easier," he mused as he stepped around to the front of the sled. "Or, we could take turns." He glanced at her again. It was her endeavor, so he would wait for her to lead.

phoebe Can anybody find me somebody to love Phoebe smiled a little at Seiji. "There is quite the steep learning curve here in Caido, isn't there?" she said with a light laugh. Since arriving, it had been quite the whirlwind of events. Deities. Demons. Monsters. It was a lot to take in and learn about all at once while still coping with the fact that most everyone she had known was gone for good. She sympathized with Seiji's position. Being fresh to Caido was not a pleasant experience. But he seemed very optimistic, which would undoubtedly work in his favor. At least in regards to his experience adjusting. Outwardly she tended to be more chipper, but inside she was always a mess of worry. Case and point, his bright attitude in regards to having to haul all this wood back into town. She laughed a little and grinned. "Your energy is admirable." she said. Phoebe walked up next to him and grabbed the pull rope on the opposite side of him. This way the load could be evenly distributed between them as they dragged it back towards the town.

Seiji

Happy to see her smile, Seiji reflects the expression back at Phoebe. "I will be tired later," he assures her, his voice light. Something about working out here in the chilly air is pleasant. And the camaraderie of it — feeling as though he's helped someone after all the help he has accepted. Seiji takes his half of the weight, breath puffing. He keeps an eye on Phoebe to direct their efforts. Between the two of them, the sled is not too much, and if they keep an even pace, they should be at the infirmary before too long.

Next year, Seiji thinks, he might even be ready for Longnight's arrival. He should certainly put some work into becoming stronger, but he knows things now. As they draw nearer the buildings, Seiji feels the strain of their job in his legs and arms both, in the thin pull of his lungs, but he dares not give up.