The Gremmie Veggie Patch

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Bifrost Janger
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The Gremmie Veggie Patch

Postby Bifrost Janger » Sun Apr 23, 2017 4:36 pm

It is shortly after dawn when Bif treads quickly into Milltown's soup kitchen. Caritas doesn't even look up from her first mug of honeyed tea as the tawny-haired boy bounds in.

"Yesterturn's leftovers are over there," she says with a gesture of her gnarled hand to the soup canisters in the corner. Bif offers a bright smile and a quick word of thanks before gathering up his supplies and departing just as quickly as he arrived.

"Bring them back to me washed, mind you!" The old woman raises her voice to call after the eager young Enchanter, before lowering it once again to mutter to nobody in particular, "Eee, love. To think our savings are going on feeding blummin' Gremlins." Caritas huffs a small laugh, blowing on her tea before taking a sip, "Just so long as he doesn't bring any of the blighters in here..."

***

After handing out his spoils at the Hollowed Tree, Bif leaves only to quickly return again with his second bundles of the turn. Over one skinny shoulder he carries a variety of rusted, old garden tools, all bound together in a dirty farmer's smock. While in his free hand, he swings a beaten up bucket.

"Right, chaps," announces Bif to the small gathering of uninterested Gremlins that linger outside slurping soup. "I've been hanging about too much, and I really ought to get down to business this turn." He nods quite seriously before bending to set down his bundles and unwrap his tools. A few of the Gremlins pause in eating and lift their muddy brown eyes to the strange and pointy implements as they are carefully laid out on the grass.

"First thing to do is pick a good spot. We can't plant too close to the tree, see?" rambles Bif to the Gremlins, who, as ever, don't reply. "The Hollowed Tree is still alive, so it'd sap all of the good stuff out of the soil and our little veggies wouldn't stand a chance. And it's awful big and will block out the 'rifter." The young Enchanter nods sagely before producing a few wooden stakes bound with string from his bucket and holding them up for the Gremlins' inspection. "These are to mark out our plot," he explains. Their attention at least seems to be piqued by the appearance of string...

Bif squints at the horizon, taking a moment to locate the 'rifter in the sky before taking a few calculated paces and pushing in his first stake. He marks out a large rectangular plot in the grass, stomping in the final stake with the heel of his boot. By the time Bif starts digging through the tough top turf, the warm spring 'rifter has risen fully and most of the Gremlins have returned to the cool of the Hollowed Tree's innards. All save for one scrappy looking specimen, who dozes on one of the shady branches outside, one skinny leg dangling and swaying languidly in the warm breeze.
Fear is a strange soil. It grows obedience like corn, which grow in straight lines to make weeding easier. But sometimes it grows the potatoes of defiance, which flourish underground. - Terry Pratchett

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Bifrost Janger
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Re: The Gremmie Veggie Patch

Postby Bifrost Janger » Fri Apr 28, 2017 10:55 am

By the time evening arrives, Bif has only managed to turn over a quarter of his marked plot. The turf of the plains is tough, knotted with roots and hard to break through. But the soil beneath is loamy, brown and rich with many fat worms. It should be decent for planting - when Bif actually manages to get to that point.

The weary young Enchanter wraps his tools back up in a bundle and leaves them by the plot. Turning to the lone Gremlin that still loiters in the branches of the tree, he wags a muddy finder, "Don't you go thieving these while I'm away!" He warns before adding quietly, "If you knew the bother I had getting them..."

Bif wipes his muddy hands down his trousers and gathers up Caritas's soup canisters before heading off for the turn.

***

The Gremlin remains in his tree until the strange, orange-headed human is safely out of view. After that, he waits a moment longer. When he is sure that the coast is clear, he plops down from the tree and hurrys over to the veggie patch, bypassing the bundle of foreign, pointy implements and going straight for the freshly earthed mud. With keen eyes and clever fingers he quickly picks and gobbles up several fat, juicy worms.

***

After stopping to wash the soup canisters at the Fountain Spring, a muddy and weary Bif is continuing on his way back to Milltown when three familiar figures standing in the road cause him to give pause.

The setting 'rifter catches light on the tawny hair of the men, all dressed in worn farm clothes, all standing at different statures and heights. The stockiest and in the middle, recognised from afar by stance and gait, even after so many cycles of being apart, stands Bif's own father. The other two; his brothers, Evan and Kit. Reluctance slows Bif's pace to a crawl.

His father's voice raises to greet him as he nears, tinged with underlying barbs of anger, "So it's you, is it? Caritas said someone had been taking the leftovers to feed bloody Gremlins. Came out here to see who the bugger was that was leaving naught but peelings for our pigs. And it's bloody you!!!"

Not a word or sight since last summer, and this was to be Bif's first greeting? The boy hunched up beneath his father's words, in typical Bif fashion, keeping his mismatched eyes lowered to the dusty ground.

"Why can't you just be normal, Bifrost? The heck did we ever do to make you like... Like, this!?" The older man's nose wrinkled with distaste as he gestured to his middle son, huddled in the road beneath his wrath.

Not to be deterred by Bif's silence, he continued, nodding to the skinny youth by his side, "Our Evan seen you. You're living with another man." He stated matter-of-factly.

At that, Bif's gaze lifts at last to the slender boy's frame of his younger brother. But Evan wasn't looking. He was staring off at something beyond the fence post at the side of the road. His silent prayer was almost audible: the boy didn't want to be here. He'd come looking for a pig-feed thief. He hadn't anticipated this. He didn't want to be here.

"Don't look at him!" Snapped his father, taking dangerous steps closer, "Don't ever think you're coming home, neither!"

"I don't want to come home!!!" retorted Bif at last.

Apparently that was all of the cause Bif's father needed to slam his fist into his mouth. The old man had shoulders like a bos and the skinny Enchanter was knocked dazedly into the dirt, sending the soup canisters clattering down the road. The disorientating shouts and hollers of his brothers clouded the air, along with the scrambling of their boots, "Let's just go home, dad! Let's just go home!"

The metallic tang of blood filled Bif's mouth, accompanied by the salty taste of impending tears as he pawed blindly in the dust to retrieve Caritas's now freshly dirtied soup canisters. He would have to rewash them. And think of a way to explain to the man that he lived with who had been hitting him in the face again.
Fear is a strange soil. It grows obedience like corn, which grow in straight lines to make weeding easier. But sometimes it grows the potatoes of defiance, which flourish underground. - Terry Pratchett

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Bifrost Janger
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Re: The Gremmie Veggie Patch

Postby Bifrost Janger » Sun May 07, 2017 10:57 am

Bif returns to the veggie patch later the following turn. No Gremlins linger outside and none come out to greet him (likely due to the lack of clanking soup canisters announcing his arrival).

Empty handed and with a cut lip, Bif's luck at least improves when he sees the veggie patch and his bundle of tools untouched. He unwraps his bundle before setting back to work, breaking through the tough turf of the plains and forking through the loamy soil.
Fear is a strange soil. It grows obedience like corn, which grow in straight lines to make weeding easier. But sometimes it grows the potatoes of defiance, which flourish underground. - Terry Pratchett

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Brisingr Blaze
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Re: The Gremmie Veggie Patch

Postby Brisingr Blaze » Sat May 13, 2017 10:13 pm

*Tacks up a note, "Bif, I thought this might be a better way to reach you as I know you've been busying yourself as of late with this project. With recent turn of events... I have ended up rather... bright blue. Literally. So I had a thought, perhaps I might could pass for a Dweller? Maybe we could get some info from them as such. Feel free to leave me a note back here.

Signed, Bright Blue Brisingr Blaze"*
Image

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Bifrost Janger
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Re: The Gremmie Veggie Patch

Postby Bifrost Janger » Sun May 14, 2017 7:12 pm

Bif ceases digging to unfold Bris's note with muddy fingers. He pulls his spectacles from his tangled hair and pushes them up his nose to read, leaving a smear of brown upon his freckled skin in their wake.

He snorts a small laugh before penning his response.

Bris,

It seems a shame not to put your 'blueness' to good use. I am yet to approach all of the Sea Dweller colonies, are they all blue? I have been trying to locate a female Sea Dweller (or at least an individual who appears to be so), perhaps you could help me locate one?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Bif
Fear is a strange soil. It grows obedience like corn, which grow in straight lines to make weeding easier. But sometimes it grows the potatoes of defiance, which flourish underground. - Terry Pratchett

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Brisingr Blaze
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Re: The Gremmie Veggie Patch

Postby Brisingr Blaze » Sun May 14, 2017 7:55 pm

Bifrost Janger wrote:Bif ceases digging to unfold Bris's note with muddy fingers. He pulls his spectacles from his tangled hair and pushes them up his nose to read, leaving a smear of brown upon his freckled skin in their wake.

He snorts a small laugh before penning his response.

Bris,

It seems a shame not to put your 'blueness' to good use. I am yet to approach all of the Sea Dweller colonies, are they all blue? I have been trying to locate a female Sea Dweller (or at least an individual who appears to be so), perhaps you could help me locate one?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Bif


Approaches later in the eve and looks over the note before pinning his own.

Bif,

They all appear to have a blueish tone to them. I think I might be a few shades brighter than they are but maybe they'll take that as a sign of... something. As for female dwellers, I've never... noticed any gender difference like you see in us humans.

I'm not sure how long this will last but might be worth planning soon before it fades.

Bris


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