[SEASONAL EVENT] Prepping the Clinic

Phoebe When you need some shelter from the rain, when you need a healer for your pain, I will be there time and time again Phoebe was rather anxious – though she couldn’t quite put her finger on why – knowing that Emmett was going to be coming to her clinic. After speaking in the market it had become apparent to him that she had no clue how to prepare for Long Night. Having seen it many times before, he had kindly offered to help her prepare her little clinic and home for the week of darkness. She wouldn’t be there of course, she would be at the infirmary with Isla, but she still wanted to make sure it would be safe while she was gone. Frankly, she still didn’t really know what to expect of this Long Night. The whole thing sounded ominous and it worried her that it would be far more dangerous than any of the Outlanders were expecting. While she waited for Emmett to arrive, she watched the stew she had going over her little stove. Cooking would at least keep her preoccupied from her thoughts about the Long Night and her anxiousness over Emmett’s arrival. Seriously though, why was that bothering her so much? Other people had been over after all. Why was he so different?

Emmett There's always more to do, Good thing I want to do it You going to see the market girl? Emmett's siblings jostled him as he left out the door, each having heard at least one dinner time story about his meeting Phoebe. He left their questions unanswered, but the basket in his arms and smile on his lips gave the game away. As much as it was embarrassed to go ga-ga over the first nice girl his age he'd met, he supposed it was natural as well. He wanted to impress. He was worried he would struggle to find the clinic, but he smelled sweet perfumes and herbs and saw the comfy looking building and just knew. It seemed, from what he knew of her, like the kind of place Phoebe might make. He wasn't anxious as he approached the door, not quite; more like a slightly nauseating kind of happy which was adjacent to nerves. With a simple knock of two raps on the door, he waited for it to be opened. When it was Emmett smiled and waved even though he was barely two feet away. "Hey, Phoebe. I hope I'm not late. I brought some stuff from the farm over for you, though. And you've got me all day!"

Phoebe When you need some shelter from the rain, when you need a healer for your pain, I will be there time and time again At the sound of the rap-a-tap-tap on her door, she sighed. When would people learn to just come in? Never probably. Or at least not until someone was having a baby. Maybe she should make a sign that said come in or open or something to indicate that such formalities weren't needed. Oh well. For now she took the pot off the stove so it wouldn't burn and headed over to the door. It was a subconcious action but she tugged at her dress to straighten it and tousled her hair so it would look a little nicer...wait why? Ugh! These nerves were making her act weird. Phoebe opened the door and smiled to see Emmett standing there. "Oh good, you found me!" she said, stepping aside so he could come in. "I really appreciate you coming all this way to help me. I...really have no idea what I am supposed to do to prepare the building for Long Night." she said. Brown eyes glanced to the basket as he mentioned having brought things from the farm. "What did you bring?" she asked curiously.

Emmett There's always more to do, Good thing I want to do it Emmett stepped in, looking about at the inside of the clinic. It was a lot nicer than his house, that was for sure; the cottage his family lived in was a building far more concerned with practicality than comfort or beauty. He felt suddenly conscious of himself, as if it were painfully obvious his home was only shades of grey and brown. "...Uhh...we usually put moss under t'floorboards and get some Luxere. Turn out the big candles, block up the windows...my Ma likes to paint pig's blood over the door but I think that's an old superstition." He shrugged. "Y'can probably get away with just the moss 'n some boards on the windows." "Oh, this?" Emmett held up the basket and opened it to Phoebe so she could see the vegetables inside, as well as some wool and a little bottle of milk. The wool was for any blankets she could make (he didn't know if she was crafty, but there had to be a use for warm wool in a midwifery in Deepfrost) and the milk for the babies, or just for her to drink herself. "Just some stuff I could get. Everything I gathered myself, not from the stuff for market. I got you the good potatoes this time, Phoebe." He promised with an amused smirk.

Phoebe When you need some shelter from the rain, when you need a healer for your pain, I will be there time and time again ”Why?” Phoebe asked as Emmett quickly listed off all of the things they had to do to prep the clinic for Long Night. But even as she waited for his answer, she moved to a little storage chest, pulling out all of the moss she and Rexanna had gathered while getting food. Now she knew why Rexanna had kept picking it up! ”Wouldn’t you want the big candles on if it is that dark? Why board everything up?” A hint of nervousness creeped into her voice. What was there to hide from during Long Night that no one had mentioned to her until now? Phoebe glanced in the basket and her eyes widened at everything that was in it. ”Oh my goodness, Emmett!! What did you have to do to get all of this??” she said in total shock. And he had gone through all the trouble of procuring these items for her? Her cheeks turned a pale shade of pink, both embarrassed and feeling a little guilty. His family must think he went off to visit some inept, incapable idiot…which…well compared to the Naturals she supposed she was. She didn’t know what Long Night was, she had nothing to trade…okay maybe that view would be warranted. {i]”I got you the good potatoes this time, Phoebe.”[/say} That broke the tension a little and she laughed lightly. ”As ugly as the other potatoes were, they still tasted good.” she said with a smile. ”You’re very generous, and I really appreciate it. I don’t know what I did to deserve your kindness.” she said.

Emmett There's always more to do, Good thing I want to do it Emmett frowned when he was asked why they prepared so thoroughly for Longnight. Had no one told the Outlanders of the danger involved? "Well, you want little ones so the monsters can' see, and the boards... just in case they smash through. You wanna be safe. Moss goes in t'floorboards. " He had never seen one of the monsters,  but he'd heard the rattle of the windows and seen the wind move past the candles. She seemed...surprised at the basket. Emmett had never seen someone so amazed by a few things from the farm. "I didn' have to do much,  Miss. Just pull it outta the ground, some from the wool bin, n' the milk is from my milkin' this mornin'." He placed the basket down and patted it with a smile. "I'm just doin' what I can to help out a nice lady. My Ma raised me to help. " With his hands on his hips he nodded towards her. "I'm all yours. Tell me what to do. "

Phoebe When you need some shelter from the rain, when you need a healer for your pain, I will be there time and time again Phoebe's eyes widened, her expression unmistakably that of fear. "M-monsters?" she said in total surprise. "Monsters attack the houses??" Yep. Count her downright terrified now. And to think she was going to try to survive Long Night alone!! That only made the realization all the more scary. "I-i guess it's good I am not going to be alone like I had planned...I wonder if Isla knows about the monsters..." she mumbled, feeling a bit shook up now. Well when you didn't have much to trade with, and you kept using what little you had to feed the newcomers, the items in that basket turned into a true bounty. "Oh! But....doesn't your family need these things?" she said in concern. Slowly it would come to light that Phoebe had a bit of a martyr complex, putting others before her own needs repeatedly. Her cheeks flushed a little and she smiled. "Well I am greatful for it. She did well." she said softly. Phoebe glanced around, unsure where to start and a bit overwhelmed still by this news of monsters. "U-uhm...I guess we should put the moss in the floorboards...but I don't know how to get under them." she admitted, a bit embarrassed.

Emmett There's always more to do, Good thing I want to do it "Don' be alone. That's a surefire way to do yourself a nasty." Emmett agreed, wondering if he needed to run through the streets yelling about monsters so all the Outlanders would know. "You'll be fine though, long as you're with folk who know what they're doin'." He shook his head. "If that was all our farm made, we wouldn' be right good." With a smile he touched the edge of the basket. "It's not much in the grand scheme a things." He was certain his family wouldn't even notice they were missing, since he and his brother did most of the farmwork nowadays. Right, she didn't know how to lift the floorboards. That he could help with. Emmett took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves, revealing well toned arms. Walking about the clinic, he looked around for a corner or edge where there might be a gap. Eventally he found one and began to shift it up, revealing the floor underneath. "Y'got the moss for under here? I could always run n' get you some."

Phoebe When you need some shelter from the rain, when you need a healer for your pain, I will be there time and time again As long as she was with folk who knew what they were doing? Oh boy. "Well...Isla is an Outlander like me...she is an ascended so I am sure she could fight monsters if needed and I am sure she knows more than me...but I am not certain any of us really know what we are doing." she said quietly. Now she was really nervous. They were all just trying to survive but...this place was much more dangerous than they had anticipated it seemed. "It is more than what I had though...so thank you." she said with a warm smile. It was nice being cared about and cared for. The thought that he had thought about her and what she could use made her cheeks flush a little and her heart seemed to beat a little faster. Why? Her blush only darkened when she saw his arms, actually rather surprised and impressed by how muscular he obviously was. She shouldn't have been surprised, he worked a farm, but he seemed more slight than she was used to as her pa and brother had been big burly fellows. "I have that!" she said, bringing it over to him. She would watch his process and try to remember it. "I didn't know why I was supposed to gather this, but I got a lot of it." she said and sighed a little. "You must think I'm awfully stupid.. " she said quietly.

Emmett There's always more to do, Good thing I want to do it The person who was staying with her...was also an Outlander? Emmett sighed and frowned, loudly blowing air from his cheeks. His first instinct was to offer to help,  but his family did need hands around this time. He stayed quiet for the moment but the thought stayed in his mind. He took the moss and began to pack it under the boards with practiced hands. "Nah, you're not stupid for not knowin' stuff 'bout a whole new world. If you ask me,  settin' up somethin' like this in such short time shows that you're real smart n' resourceful." Emmett was sure if he was dropped in a new place,  he'd spend the first months running around like a headless chicken. "It's for makin' the floor quieter. When it's all in there, you can' hear steps as much... so neither can t'monsters." He pointed out, tapping his nose... then sighing. "Phoebe...do y'want me to stay? For LongNight? Frank can deal by himself with everyone, n' it sounds like ya need the help."

Phoebe When you need some shelter from the rain, when you need a healer for your pain, I will be there time and time again The way he sighed, the frown on his lips, how he fell silent...well she was interpreting that as disapproval. Brown eyes glanced down, looking at the floor between her feet. She was doing the best she could in this new environment, but it was embarrassing to once again be smacked in the face with how little she knew or understood. Phoebe internally chastised herself for being so burdensome. Emmett had come all this way to help her, given her food and supplies for free, twice now, and now he was having to explain basics to her like she was a child. Her heart fluttered, but it an uncomfortable, anxious manner. Maybe this was what the Naturals didn't like them much. They were dead weight. Phoebe made sure he had a steady supply of moss to stuff under the floor so he wasn't waiting while he worked. It was the least she could do. Seeing under the floor now, she noticed the signs of old preparations, long dead and decaying foliage of some sort from long before she ever inhabited this place. But instead of an insult, he complimented her, and so she looked at him in surprise. "Ah...thank you. It's not been the easiest adjustment." she admitted with a small smile. When he explained the use of the moss she nodded, making a small 'o' shape with her lips. Duh. That seemed obvious now that he said it. "Makes sense." she said nodding, filing away the information for later. If she survived the monsters of course. But his offer...well she hadn't been expecting that. Her eyes widened and she hesitated in responding, though obviously because she was so taken off guard. "Stay with me...here or at the infirmary?" she said. "Won't your family worry about you?"

Emmett There's always more to do, Good thing I want to do it Phoebe kept handing him moss, so Emmett kept packing the floorboards. They came up easy enough once he had the first one out, and he worked his way around the room, pushing furniture out of the way when he needed to with an easy strength. "Yer welcome." He smiled at her, a truly meant compliment never something he minded giving out. "I'd tell 'em where I'd gone. Last year my sister spent it drinkin' with her friends, so I should be able to get out for a good cause." Emmett scooted past Phoebe on the floor to get past to the floorboards on the other side, just gently touching the side of her leg to get her to move. "I'll go wherever you need me. "

Phoebe When you need some shelter from the rain, when you need a healer for your pain, I will be there time and time again She didn't know why, but her cheeks reddened when he smiled at her. He was...awfully cute when he smiled she thought. That thought of course did nothing to lessen the pink color of her flush. Phoebe smiled back, glancing down, suddenly feeling a bit bashful. Her usually shy nature had not been particularly strong recently. She had needed to be more assertive to get by here. But suddenly it was coming back to the forefront all at once. Great. What perfect timing. When he touched her leg she was surprised, enough so that she instinctively did what he had intended and moved around to the side so he could get passed her. But why had he insisted on moving around her so close? The room was very wide and there was more than enough room for two people to maneuver without coming even close to each other. She blushed again, mumbling an apology for being in his way. "Out drinking with her friends? Wasn't everyone worried because of the monsters?" she said in surprise. If there were monsters out and about she knew her pa wouldn't have let a single one of her sisters or herself out of his sight until they were gone. But he seemed confident that his family wouldn't worry too much if he was away...and if she was being honest with herself she would feel better if he was around. He knew everything about what to expect or what to do if things went wrong probably. Everyone would be safer with Emmett close at hand. "If...if you wouldn't mind I think it would be nice if you could come to the clinic. I think it would help everyone, including me."

Emmett There's always more to do, Good thing I want to do it "Well it isn' too much of a worry if you're with people somewhere inside. She went down t'Atheneum, I think. Bunch of 'em packed into a room there and drank the week through. I spent it sortin' things out at home." He tried to not let the bitterness get into his voice about this, but he had been pretty sore for a while. It seemed like all the responsibility always fell on him, just because he was the one willing to do it. Phoebe wanted him to come. The situation was serious, so he tried to dampen it down, but Emmett couldn't help the wide smile on his face. "Right then. I'll come down the first night before. You got a bed for me? S'alright if not, I can stay on the floor. I'll just bring a blanket." With the last of the most likely-to-be-stepped on floorboards packed, he stood up and stretched, then looked about at the windows. "Hm. We could maybe just push furniture up in fronta these. Is your door strong, do ya think?"