missiondeterminant | [IC Inbox

Hey, dude.

1) Can you get to the east island? 2) How are you with plants?

[Well this is unexpected, but Rose is one of the few people he has a positive impression of from his post, so he's curious more than anything else.]

1) Yes, I can reach the east island. 2) I haven't tried caring for plants. What kind are they?

Edited (I jus tnoticed this abomination of code) 2018-07-30 23:57 (UTC)

[ Score. ]

The orchard is mostly fruit trees but there's a handful of other people's stuff growing here.

Personally, I'm growing Rosa rugosas and marijuana.

[ So, like. That's a thing. A thing that is, in fact, happening. ]

There's a whole project over here too to like build docks and help out though so. Figured I'd ask if you were interested.

[He'd seen the Orchard in his exploration of the different islands, but hadn't looked extremely closely; since he doesn't need to eat it wasn't super important to figure out what was edible, and as he--truthfully--told Rose he's never really had experience taking care of plants. Still, he knows where it is, and he's a bit curious.

Less so on the dock building project, but eh. He might take a look, but he's not made for manual labor and also just isn't super interested in being social with many of the people here. It doesn't help that construction is inherently dangerous, which wouldn't be a problem except that if he scratches himself and bleeds blue where people can see it he'll be in trouble.]

I'll look into it. Did you need any help with your plants?

[ Too bad, socialization is coming at him whether he likes it or not. ]

The weed isn't doing so well but it's finicky to begin with.
This is actually the perfect climate for Rosas though so I was hoping to try and plant more.

[Connor isn't sure how much help he'll be, but maybe he can at least figure out what's wrong with the plants. He could try sampling the soil, or even a little bit of a crushed leaf, and see if he can identify any sort of deficiencies or chemical imbalances in what is needed; he's pretty sure he has a database that includes information on marijuana, even if he's probably be useless on the roses. One is relevant to his work, the other is not.

But he can't quite tell if Rose is offering an invitation or not, so--]

Would you like help with that?

[ It'll be better than whatever she's doing now, which clearly isn't working. As gatekeeper of the weed, she's actually pretty disappointed in herself. She can't let the people down like this, Connor. ]

Yeah, I would.
If you don't mind and it isn't too much trouble to get over here.
I can figure out a way to make it worth your time too.

[ She doesn't know a lot about him, what he likes or... anything, really. Maybe a good chance to try and figure that out. ]

I don't mind and it isn't too much trouble. I'll be there in approximately forty minutes.

[He remembers to round it instead of giving an exact number, as well as to allow for a decent amount of time by calculating based on walking instead of a more efficient means of travel. Good job, Connor, you nailed it.

As promised, he shows up in the orchard about forty minutes later, a combination of curious and cautious as he looks for Rosie. He's in new clothes--or at least, new to him, thanks to Maeve dragging him to the shops--consisting of a hoodie and jeans, his beanie still pulled down carefully to hide his LED. The hoodie has text on it which hadn't been the defining reason for picking it up, but Connor found he didn't disagree with.

Spotting Rose is easy enough since he knows what she looks like from the conversation on his network post, and he flicks his coin from hand to hand as he approaches.]

Hello, Rose?

[ That

sure is some fashion sense. Not like she's one to judge in her obscure band T-shirt (this one reads Howlers in a supposed to be gruesome font) and ripped up jean shorts. It's unclear whether that's for aesthetics or just because she's worn them for so long. Probably a little bit of both.

Her hair's pulled back - it's gotten pretty long, she realizes - and she smiles soon as she sees him. ] 'Sup, dude.

Glad you could make it.

[He doesn't think twice about her clothes other than to commit 'Howlers' to memory in case it's useful later, and to note that it's slightly odd attire for the weather. But she seems fine with it so he doesn't comment, and although he doesn't return the smile his expression is on the lighter side of neutral.]

I'm getting used to traveling from island to island. It isn't as bad as it seems.

[So, basically, of course he could make it.]

Where are your plants?

[ Slightly odd attire is pretty much her thing, so. At least she's consistent. ]

Must be nice. I've been stuck here since the shift, but- I got the orchard. Can harass Sorrow whenever I want. It's not so bad.

[ Even if sometimes she does miss her house and her friends and... a lot. It's fine. ]

They're over here, [ she answers, leading the way to a little grove of her own that she's made. There's a handful of bushes of pink Rosa rugoas on one side and to the other, there are some very sad, drooping marijuana plants. ]

You're stuck here?

[Maybe she can't swim, or hasn't been able to find a boat? But it seems odd, and he follows after her to the area she's maintaining.

The roses are nice, considering they're an entirely different kind than the ones Amanda tended to, and they look pretty happy. The marijuana plants, on the other hand...]

They do seem unwell. When did they begin declining?

Yeah. Can't swim and so boats are just like terrifying floating death contraptions.

[ It's more than just being unable to swim but she's not about to get into that. Taako turned her into a bird so she could fly away but she still panicked too much when over the water to get very far. ]

A couple weeks after the shift. I thought with some care they'd be alright but... I don't know. They're not wilting, at least, just. Not healthy.

Many of these boats are not suited to these waters even if you can swim.

[Which is surely totally reassuring, but at least her fears aren't unfounded?]

Still, I could help you get to one of the other islands if you ever need it.

[And okay, as for the plants, he wanders a little closer and looks them over. If they're not wilting, and surely aren't wanting for water in a place like this, a mineral deficiency in the soil is probably the culprit, right? He's... Absolutely not made for taking care of plants, but it seems like a logical guess.

But how to test that? He could sample the soil, which would probably help, but it would also draw questions. Then again, from their previous conversation Rose is very low on the list of people Connor would be concerned about knowing that he isn't human. He weighs options for a moment, but even considering the choices in this case means that really, he's already made up his mind.]

Most likely the soil composition is the problem, especially if the decline in condition occurred after the change in location. I can analyze the chemical makeup of the soil, but the process may seem... Strange.

[He'll just see how she reacts to that before continuing.]

Yeah. Hard pass. I mean, thanks for the offer but- I'm fine here.

[ She actually appreciates the honesty. ]

You think so? I didn't imagine the soil changed all that much but maybe... The Rosas started doing better, after all, since they're made for waterfronts.

[ She tilts her head a little at the word 'analyze' but doesn't seem opposed to the notion. ] Do what you gotta' do, dude.

[Well that's a suspicious response, but Connor decides to let it go for now. The offer's there, and he might've pressed further if he weren't hoping to rely on her goodwill concerning the very nonhuman feature he's about to demonstrate.

So he just nods, kneeling next to one of the sad plants and picking up a pinch of soil, rubbing his fingers together to let most of it filter out before touching the remaining sample to his tongue. A readout comes up immediately, and he relays the soil's chemical makeup to Rose.]

I'm not entirely familiar with what these plants require to thrive, but perhaps someone else can use the information to tell you if there's something lacking.

[ Did he just

lick the dirt. Yeah, he. That's totally a thing that just happened. While it's a little odd, she doesn't seem too put off by it. Just a quirk of a brow in interest and slight upturn of one side of her mouth. ]

Hey, thanks. I can maybe ask Carlisle. He'd probably know better than me.

[ Okay, she's. She's gotta' ask. Sorry, Connor. ]

That's a pretty neat party trick. Is it just on soil, or...?

[Well, that's a pretty mild response, all things considered.]

Liquids and powdered substances, mostly. The soil is fine enough to be usable.

[And he gives her an appraising look for a moment.]

You don't seem bothered by this.

[ She's seen a lot stranger in the last four years. A lot stranger even before then, really... ]

Am I supposed to be? I think it's kind of cool.

[ It's also ridiculously difficult to resist the temptation to ask him if it gets in the way of making out or anything but pretty sure they're not at that level yet.

Someday. Someday, she'll have enough friendship points to know. ]

I won't, like, tell anyone either if you're worried about that.

I get yelled at a lot for it.

[It's... Maybe just slightly petulant, because he can be and also because geez, it is a useful feature! Why can't other people--besides Rose, apparently--see that? But Rose is definitely scoring more points on Connor's scale of worthwhile people.

As for her last offer--]

I would appreciate that, thank you.

That's dumb, [ she just outright says. ] But I guess people do get kind of weird about stuff that's not 'normal.'

[ It sounds like she has a little personal experience there, hm. ]

So I get it, not wanting others to know. Most people here are pretty cool since we're from all over though.

That's what they've been claiming.

[He rises back to his feet, clearly not super convinced about Rose's last statement, although he is pretty sure she's speaking honestly from a personal perspective.]

It does seem there's little outright aggression, but I've only been here a short time and have already seen things that... Concern me.

[ Claiming. He's right, in a way. People make a lot of claims at what they're okay with but there's a reason she didn't tell anyone what she was for so long still. Even fewer know the depths that she'd sunk.

People can say they're 'okay' with things but are they really? ]

Concern you how?

They way they talk about the Null that's still here, referring to it as a 'synthetic' rather then as a Null, despite the Null being specifically who they have issues with. Discussions of the Door and whether it's alive enough to give orders, as though that's all that matters. The fact that few people can come up with an actual reason for siding with the gods, and those that have often based their decision on information provided to them by the gods themselves. Some people couldn't even keep their own stories straight in their attempts to explain their objectivity.

[And then, suddenly, he realizes he's kind of gone into a small rant despite his voice remaining pretty much calm the whole time. But it's frustrating, and he's really not impressed with most of the people he's met here, let alone convinced they wouldn't suddenly turn on anyone they might in the future decide are potentially too like the Null.

He also really doesn't like the discussion of potentially living beings only being worth what they can be useful for, and that's an entirely separate issue but just as important of one.]

I just call it Name, [ she says, after giving his words a moment to sink in. She'd listened to it all quietly, stopping what she was doing to give him her attention. His voice didn't change at all but she could tell it was clearly something he needed to get off his chest.

Also, she's kind of honored that he told her at all. All things considered. ] That's what it wants to be called, so. It is a Null though, just like I'm a yokai even if I hardly act like one.

As for The Door, I don't know. I'm curious about it - if it is another god, mostly. I'm not planning to go home though so I don't care about trying to figure out if we can tell it what to do. I guess it would seem kind of shitty though, yeah, that that's all some people are focused on. I'd rather work with it if possible.

With the gods, I dunno. I'm subjective as hell about it and I know it. I like them for my own reasons and kind of in the minority there.

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