(no subject)

[starfelled]

[ It's been a few days since the first arrivals trickled in to this iteration of the monastery, and there's been some improvement to the area, at least.

Which is fortunate, really, because the clouds have finally decided to open up and let out a torrential downpour.

The grass out in the courtyard almost immediately becomes saturated with water, squishing beneath people's feet as they step through it. Drainage in the monastery is a real problem in some parts, particularly near the marketplace area. Slowly, as time passes, pools begin to form, though some of the remaining debris serves as a decent buffer between the water and whatever crates merchants may have left behind. It may be a good idea to salvage some of that, though it's not likely to be ruined thanks to said debris. In general, it's likely a rude awakening for any new arrivals.

Of course, some would say that rainy days are the best when it comes to fishing; some would even say they're right, given how the fish seem to be out in droves at the lake. If one didn't mind potentially getting soaked, they could bring in a real haul during this rainstorm. The dining hall is not nearly as well stocked as it had been in its heyday, so this could potentially be beneficial for the community.

For some, it's likely best to stay inside and find shelter from the rain. Thankfully, most of the monastery roofing seems to be intact, save for a few sizeable holes in the cathedral. Still, that doesn't mean there isn't a leak here and there, so watch your step, particularly in the dining hall and the second floor of the dormitories as well. It might not be a bad idea to put a few buckets out to catch all that water . . . ]


[[ MORE HOUSEKEEPING, hey what's up guys:

• please PM this journal if there are more setting changes you'd like to be noted! i.e. if your character did some sprucing up in the greenhouse, just let me know and I will update the setting page accordingly.
• as noted on the "mod" plurk, I'll try putting up open posts roughly once a week going forward. it'll depend on how things are going, no big. ]]

Comments

[failnoughts]

( dining hall )

[ oof. it is a bit frustrating to be set back by nature, especially since claude distinctly recalls fixing the roof. ah, the cruelty of time. or whatever this is. he sighs as he pulls up the ladder and a few planks of wood. climbing up, he starts to work on the roof, nailing it tightly against the broken roof. when he accidentally drops his hammer, claude restrains the urge to curse, glancing down at whoever is near. ]

Give me a hand with that?

( courtyard )

[ he's not sure why he found it so captivating. watching rainfall. fodlan was so rich and green for the most part that it still takes his breath away. and yes, he misses the wide open spaces, the heat of the desert sun. but it's not a terrible bargain, having the sound of rain against the stone roofs, pattering their melody.

he raises a hand out, letting it pelt his hand, a soft smile playing on his lips. ]

dining hall

[axepectations]

[ Hilda steps in carrying a stack of towels just as the hammer clatters to the ground. She glances up, pausing briefly as she squints up at him curiously before shrugging her shoulders. After setting the stack down on a table nearby, Hilda kneels down, picking the hammer up, and holds it up towards him to hand it back to him. ]

Okay, okay. But just this once—!

[ She gives him a small, playful smile at that. ]

[failnoughts]

[ he shoots her a wink. ]

My hero.

[axepectations]

[ She considers him quietly for a moment, like she's internally debating something, before speaking again as she reaches up, standing on her tippy-toes. ]

So, what, do you just need the hammer, or is there something else you're planning on roping me into?

[failnoughts]

[ claude glances at her, a single strand falling over his face. ]

Why, are you volunteering?

[axepectations]

Ugh, no way! You have me doing enough around here as it is . . . !

[failnoughts]

Oh? And what is it that you've been doing, Hilda?

[axepectations]

Your little "tally."

[failnoughts]

[ it's hard to divert his attention to the floorboard he's pressing against the roof and hilda, but claude tries his best. ]

Yes. How's that been going? I'm guessing you saw a few people you never expected to see.

courtyard, coughs

[outsideer]

[ It's strange, no getting around it. No mirror, but his face, with an expression he feels, that he thinks he understands. Sidelong his observation, but Claude(2) doesn't need a closer look to know himself. Or, for that matter, the effect of the rain. His hand's firm on his wrist, but for a moment, watching Claude(1) lift his hand into the rain, it's a little like having a ghost limb. How he might imagine the sensation.

A little creepy, a lot interesting. Claude(2) approaches, stopping a half step from his side. ]

Hey Claude.

<3

[failnoughts]

[ despite hilda's words, the reality of it still hits him in the chest. it wasn't like looking in a mirror, far from it. but it felt like looking down at one's shadow and not quite recognizing the contours, the shape it takes.

it. that's callous of him. claude lets out the breath that was trapped in his chest. ]

And hello to you too, Claude.

[ his gaze drifts back to the rain. ]

Quite a sight, isn't it?

[outsideer]

[ Huh. So that's what his voice sounds like, out of his head. His lips quirk to hear his name in his voice, holding to the humor in the bizarre. Even identical twins have their differences — but then, so have they. Beginning from at least the moment Teach chose the house they would instruct, their paths deviated. Different lessons, different missions, different battles.

Different scars.

Same mannerisms, same catch and release.

Simpler to look to the rain. Might as well share the view. He diverts his eyes. ]

So it is. One I can't imagine tiring of.

[ Beat. ]

Uh, should I say we? No, that's worse...

[ So comes his hand, bracing to his forehead. ]

Let's skip the sober side-stepping and get right to it: this is weird.

[failnoughts]

[ claude's voice comes out rueful, even his expression doesn't quite match it. ]

You're breaking character. But you're not wrong. I wasn't prepared for how strange this would be.

[outsideer]

Am I? Sorry for that.

[ Not sounding all that sorry, really. ]

I'm not sure even— we— could prepare for this.

[failnoughts]

[ are they ever? still, claude shakes his head, bemused. ]

No. Though that may not be a bad thing. I could certainly pick your brains over the mystery of Garreg Mach.

Though — [ a trace of melancholy fills his expression. ] — You never came back here, did you?

[outsideer]

Right. Put our heads together, navigate the resulting swamp, gain some traction on this.

[ Jokes aside, the thought had occurred to him. Who better with whom to confront this situation, than... himself?

The perspective granted by differing experiences could only help. ]

Nope.

[ easy in it— it isn't as though he'd made any promises. ]

To my mind, it's the Empire's efforts that have gone to waste with the monastery returned to rubble.

[failnoughts]

[ so no promise. no teacher. he wonders what that must have felt like. no worse than usual, to have the odds so stacked against you. the odds have always been unfair to the point of cruelty.

still. it surprises him how much it hurt to think about. it never hurt before. ]

Were you . . . alone?

Dining Hall

[cethflayn]

[Hah! Success! Flayn's three fish have been hauled in, and she is slowly removing the shambles of wet rags and fabrics that she layered over herself to serve as a makeshift rain coat. It...was an idea? It was definitely an idea that happened, and she is satisfied that it seems to have sort of, maybe worked? There's still a distinct dampness to her whole person, but that's fine, right? Totally. Yes.

It's just her luck that the hammer that falls into the dining hall lands on her discarded mound of fabrics.]

Oh my! I did not realize the saying about rain hammering on the roof could be so literal!

[Hm? That voice, though...she looks up.]

...Claude? Is that you?

[failnoughts]

[ claude has to visibly pause before looking down. ]

Oh, Flayn! Didn't expect to see you here.

[cethflayn]

[She could say the same about you! And would, in fact, before she remembers that Claude is a clever man, and he'd begin to ask why she didn't expect him.

We don't need to worry about that, right? Not when, you know...rain, ruined monastery, food? Pressing matters. They're here.]

Well, I am here regardless! Are you not soaked to the bone up there?

[failnoughts]

[ a small grimace. ]

Getting there, but the sooner I get this roof fixed, the sooner I can dry off.

[cethflayn]

This is very true! Should I see about returning this hammer to you?

[Flayn no don't...do not climb up on the roof...in the rain...]

[failnoughts]

[ claude starts. that's dangerous. ]

No, no, just extend your arm and I'll grab it.

[cethflayn]

[That she can do! On her tiptoes, Flayn reaches up with the hammer held right at its head, so Claude can grasp the handle.]

Like this?

[Hopefully it reaches far enough...]

[failnoughts]

[ thankfully, claude's reach is far enough that he can grab the hammer, closing his fingers around it and pulling it. ]

Thanks, Flayn. You're a saint.