Hands and Feet (IC)

[KnightDisciple]

February 19, 2011

Carson was relaxing from a long, cold week of pulling long days, juggling school and hero work. He was between mentoring positions at the moment, which was honestly fine with him. A small break seemed in order. Maybe he could check up on Stesha? It had been long enough since the wedding that he should be alright if he called her up. Thus, he dialed up her cell phone, intent to see how she was doing.

'I hope she and Derrick had a good honeymoon. I wonder how hero work is going for the two of them?'

[Electra]

It took a few rings for Stesha to pick up her cell phone, and when she did she answered on the end of a swallowed yawn. "Mm, hello?" The middle of a Saturday afternoon was a little bit of an odd time for a superpowered person to be having a nap, but from what he remembered of his time at Stesha's cottage, the diminutive heroine slept when and where her schedule allowed. And in the aftermath of Valentine's Day, she was probably a little bit worn down.

[KnightDisciple]

Carson quirked an eyebrow for a moment. Why was she tired now? Then he remembered timing.

"Tired from last weekend, Stesha? I suppose you were a bit busy giving desperate guys last-minute flower arrangements."

He only chuckled a little bit. Then he moved on to his reason for calling.

"So, is everything alright otherwise? I'm guessing you and Derrick had a good honeymoon. Was wondering if there was anything you needed help with? Or that he did? I know he stays really busy a lot; if I can help him out somewhere, maybe it'll be good for both of you. Call it a hunch, but I figure I can do something to lend you guys a hand. I felt bad about how small my wedding gift was, but...paychecks were slim because of the holidays. Economy and all that."

[Electra]

"Oh no, don't feel bad at all!" Stesha hastened to assure him. "Just having you at the wedding was more than gift enough. I've been slammed with other weddings and slow on getting my thank you notes out, but you should be getting yours soon. Derrick's been keeping busy with all sorts of projects, but we spent all of the day after Valentine's Day together, which was great. I'm still recovering from the first part of the month, really."

Her voice brightened as she remembered something to tell him about. "Oh, but this might interest you. It turns out that my world isn't as empty as I originally thought it was! I've picked up a coterie of a couple dozen survivors, and they're living in the civilian enclosure now. They've had a very hard life, this is the first time they've ever lived above ground. You should come out and meet them."

[KnightDisciple]

Carson smiled as Stesha proved to be her normal self.

"I suppose I'll console myself with the fact I did help out a bit with the ceremony. My compliments to the other musicians, by the way, if you know them personally.

Glad to hear the two of you are getting time with each other. I've taken to understand that can be important. If you ever need to really get away, I could always call my folks up and see if there are any little retreats around home that have space. Might do you two good. Probably want to wait a couple months, though."

At her mention of survivors on her world, he grew a bit apprehensive.

"They're not giant ice-breathing mice, are they?"

[Electra]

Stesha chortled at the suggestion. "Very funny. No, they're actual human beings, the third and fourth and fifth generation survivors of the extinction events here. Apparently there were shelters, but the damage was so pervasive and everything was so thoroughly destroyed that most survivors didn't survive. I haven't had as much time to talk with them as I would like, but I've been trying to help them. Having someone very reassuring and personable like you talk to them might give them a boost as well."

[KnightDisciple]

Carson relaxes.

"Sorry, but after meeting giant fire-breathing bees last time, I'm a bit wary of natives to your planet. Still, I'm glad to hear at least some people survived...Makes me wonder the details of what went on, though."

He tapped his chin in thought.

"I can do "people skills", for sure. Do you think I should dress casual, or hero?"

[Electra]

"Casual," she told him. "They don't understand "hero," at least not the way we do it. I don't think they had any at the time the world was destroyed, which could explain why things were so bad. There was, possibly anyway, some kind of advanced science. Like I said, I haven't learned too much." Stesha sighed a little. "Anyway, even if you're only wearing clean warm clothes and good shoes, that'll be enough to mark you as very different. They haven't got much."

[KnightDisciple]

Carson nodded, then spoke up when he remembered Stesha couldn't see him.

"Fair enough. I'll get ready, then give you a call again, and you can come pick me up. Just a couple hops and we'll be there, right? Talk to you in a couple."

He was already up and moving towards his room. Though tempted to at least wear the coat typically paired with the rest of his costume, he finally set it aside. Not in the spirit of what Stesha had asked.

It was just a short time later that he was bundled up in a couple layers of warm clothing that he called up his plant-controlling friend once more.

"Okay, I'm ready to rock and roll. Or at least plant-teleport a couple of times."

He looked over at the hardy houseplants in his windowsill, given to him by Stesha herself, "just in case" she ever needed to rush over and drag his injured carcass elsewhere after a bad night of patrolling.

[Electra]

Stesha took a few minutes to clean herself up before going to pick up Carson. Afternoon naps were one of life's greatest pleasures for her right now, but they did leave her rumpled and disoriented. She tucked a few more pins in her long green hair to tame the flyaway strands, then slipped on a clean tunic. Being in maternity smocks at twenty-five weeks was depressing, but her mother had just laughed and told her it was the curse of having a short torso. There was nowhere for the baby to grow but out! Since she wasn't expecting to spend much time outside and she couldn't afford to give her coat away, for once she didn't even bother with a coat before popping over to Carson's apartment. "Hello, Carson! Shall we?"

[KnightDisciple]

Carson was idly whistling when Stesha arrived. He turned to greet her...and was speechless for a moment. His eyebrows rose a good distance towards his hairline, but he gave himself a moment before speaking.

"Um. Yes, let's shall."

He gestured vaguely at her belly.

"I...hrm. How to ask this?"

He's clearly at a bit of a loss.

[Electra]

Stesha sighed theatrically. "I'm sorry, Carson," she said, unable to hide the grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I hate to have to admit it to you but... I'm afraid Derrick and I did have sex before we were married. It's shocking, I know." Unable to maintain even that much of a deadpan any longer, she dissolved into a chuckle. "It's a little girl, and we're due in June," she added, to forestall the other inevitable questions. "We're over the moon about it, but I didn't want to make a big deal of it before the wedding and all."

[KnightDisciple]

Carson's face was impassive as he spoke.

"Well. I can see why you wouldn't want to raise a fuss during the wedding; that's not really what it's about and all. For what it's worth, I couldn't tell. And it was a wonderful wedding."

He sighed and shook his head.

"I think I'll just refrain from comment on the subject, and let your humor slide."

He quirked a smile.

"That said...congratulations. A girl, you say? Well then. May she not bring you any gray hairs until she's 40."

He gives Stesha a wink, then gestures at the plants.

"Let's head out. I'll think up a better blessing later on."

[Electra]

"I don't think gray hair would look good on me," Stesha agreed, "and I have no idea how I would touch up the roots on this stuff..." Taking his hand, she touched the flowers braided into her hair. Suddenly, the world was full of green light and the pungent smell of pine needles. They popped out in what Carson recognized as the civilian enclosure with the great crystal ceiling he'd seen on his last visit, but it was much changed now. Instead of one giant open space, they now stood in some sort of front vestibule, where a wooden door led out through the foliage wall to outside, and a thick curtain of vines blocked the inner passage.

"We have to conserve heat," Stesha explained to Corbin, "because the generator is overtaxed as it is. The plants and the crystal roof are surprisingly good insulators, and there's warmth when we get sun as well, but blocking the doors and dividing things into rooms helps as well. If you want, you can take off your coat and I'll tuck it away before we go in," she offered. It was not precisely cozy warm in the building, but it was much warmer than outside.

[KnightDisciple]

Carson handed her his coat almost immediately. To his sensibilities, it was rather toasty in here. Thankfully, just removing the coat helped.

"Pretty intelligent way to go about it. So."

His expression turned serious as he regarded the door.

"What sorts of numbers and age spread are we talking? Anything specific I should know before heading in there?"

[Electra]

"There's thirty-two of them total, twenty-four adults and teens, and eight children under 12," Stesha told him, pausing in front of the green curtain and tucking Gabriel's coat into a flower. "The oldest of them claims sixty-three, but he looks closer to eighty. Most of them aren't in great condition health-wise, but we're working on that. I've been stopping by as often as I can and doing what healing I can, mostly illnesses from lung damage and prolonged malnutrition, as far as I can tell." She spread her arms. "I'm not a real doctor. I just hope that I can make things better for them, because they've had a very hard time of it." Pushing the curtain of vines aside, she led the way into the camp.

The "room" they walked into had plant walls and was open to the crystal roof, creating a feeling something like a very sheltered forest clearing. An indoor orchard and garden took up one side of the area, with fruit-laden trees and bushes along the wall, and ground covered with vegetables. This was a very popular area, with half a dozen kids and teenagers picking produce. Some of the kids were eating what they picked, but most of it was obviously going into the large communal pots along the opposite wall, which stood over fires that vented out the top of the wall. Even so, the whole place smelled strongly of wood smoke. Adults were tending the fires and mending clothes, while others rested or stacked wood in piles.

"Fleur de Joie!" called one of the younger children, abandoning the orange he was peeling to run over and hug Stesha's legs. The arrival of their benefactor drew the attention of all the refugees, and soon a crowd was assembling. Stesha laughed and hugged her small friend, then turned to address the crowd.

"Hello, everyone! I'd like to introduce you all to my good friend Gabriel. He comes from far away, like I do. He wants to meet you and learn more about how you live and what you need. If anyone is sick today, please let me know. Otherwise, just go ahead and do what you've been doing, and answer Gabriel's questions," she asked them all politely. Gabriel was suddenly the focus of lots of attention.

[KnightDisciple]

Carson's first reaction was sadness. Quite a bit of it.

'So few? With so little? And poor Stesha's probably barely keeping up, especially with that baby on the way!'

Then, he felt pride in his fellow hero. She'd done so much for these people!

And when he saw the smiling faces of children clustering about, he felt a strong dose of joy.

'At least the children can smile. I suppose that makes things a lot better...'

He cleared his throat a bit as he gazed out at the crowd.

"Greetings everyone. As she said, you may call me Gabriel. I'm not a medical whiz like Fleur de Joie, but I'd like to know if there are other ways to help. Perhaps critical items that are needed, like clothing? I don't have any extras on my person, but I could definitely arrange for some. As well, I'm not certified as a counselor, but I'm willing to lend an ear with a promise to keep things private, unless someone's life is on the line.

Could you perhaps tell me a bit about yourselves?"

[Electra]

Some of the refugees went off a little way with Stesha, presumably to take advantage of her healing talents, while the rest of them looked at each other as though trying to decide on a spokesman. Finally a man who looked to be a hard-used thirty or so stepped forward. "We need some more clothes," he said, after clearing his throat awkwardly. "And shoes. The little 'uns, they got no shoes." From the looks of it, most of the people didn't have much in the way of shoes, but the children were all wearing oversized sweat socks that looked new in lieu of shoes at all. "And, uh, blankets and stuff. Miss Fleur, her place is nice, but it still gets cold when the power goes out. We kin trade," he added, half-defiantly, "We have stuff. Artifacts, 'n folks with skills, can make stuff for you, or dig up good stuff in the ruins." Despite their reduced circumstances, it was obvious that the ragtag group had some pride.

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel shook his head at the offer.

"While I respect your desire to provide trade, I'm going to politely decline "compensation". I'm going to be operating with one or two larger groups in the...faraway land that Fleur spoke of. Questions might be raised by such barter. Besides. It's a core part of both my beliefs, and the beliefs of those I will be getting the clothes and such from, that giving to those in need isn't just a joyful opportunity, it's a basic obligation. You people need help, and I will see that you get it. Perhaps in time we'll look to set up trade or the like, but for now, consider it a gift from me. After all, I've missed so many holidays around here, I'll have to make up for it."

He smiles as he crouches down to bring himself closer to eye level with the children. He ruffles the hair of a couple of them before standing straight again, giving the spokesman a serious look.

"I won't sleep until these children have shoes. And I will work as hard as I can to arrange for everything else you need. This I promise you."

He smiled at everyone, now trying to ease their minds a bit.

"Was there anything else? Perhaps questions for me?"

[Electra]

It looked like some of the refugees were having a hard time following what Gabriel was saying, so perhaps there had been some linguistic drift or at least simplification in the past decades of suffering. But they got the gist of it, and he could tell by the hope in their faces when he promised to help them that they understood the most important part. "Are you a angel?" one of the bolder children, who looked to be maybe six or seven, asked him. "Mom says Miss Fleur is a angel helping us, are you one too?"

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel was struck by the question. For several moments, he was silent, contemplating the child's words. Then, with another smile, he knelt down to be as close to eye level as possible with the boy.

"Am I an angel? Not quite. I was visited by a real angel once upon a time. He said I was meant to help people. So he gave me a few special gifts, kind of like how Fleur has special gifts. But I'm a man like anyone else here. I'm just trying my hardest to help you all."

He leans in and stage-whispers (so everyone can still hear).

"If you're a good boy, though, maybe I can see about getting a real angel to come visit, though. I'm good friends with one."

[Electra]

The boy's eyes were saucer-round as he regarded Gabriel. "That'd be fun!" he decided, looking around at his companions, who seemed to think so too. "Does angels have candy?" he asked Gabriel coyly. "We like candy."

Stesha saved Gabriel from the risk of disappointing the children by choosing that moment to rejoin the group. "I'm sure we'll find some candy for you as we go along," she promised, "but in the meantime, you can try these." She passed around the armload of red fruits she was carrying, to the children first, and then to the adults as well. "They're called pomegranates," she told them, holding the last one in her hands and demonstrating how to open it. "You peel the skin off them, and you can eat the little berries inside. They're very much like candy." Soon everyone was getting into the messy treats with greater or lesser enthusiasm. Stesha broke off a segment of hers and offered it to Gabriel. "Would you like some? Pomegranate is very good for you."

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel gave a belly laugh at the boy's question.

"You'll have to ask him when he stops by."

He stands as Stesha is handing out the fruit, watching the crowd, trying to take in everything. Even when faced with such hardship, it seemed there was life and happiness still.

He turned and smiled as Stesha offered him some fruit.

"Yes, thank you."

He took it and began to eat thoughtfully. As he finished, Stesha would hear his voice in her ear, but from the non-reactions of everyone else, it was clear he was using his power to speak to her. That, and the fact his lips were barely moving.

"So, they've mentioned clothing. Looks like food is taken care of, as is medicine by and large. I'll see if I can get some camping gear or something. Maybe...hm. It sounds like you guys have power troubles. Do you need help getting a hold of some more power gathering/generating equipment?"

[Electra]

Since Stesha had no way to reply to him quietly, she drew Carson back and away from the group a little. "Clothes are the most urgent need," she agreed, rubbing her forehead as though smoothing away a headache. "Their hygiene leaves a little something to be desired, but as long as they're not coming into contact with a lot of vulnerable populations, they're okay for now, I think. We definitely need another generator, but Derrick is leaning on his bosses out at Lonely Point to see what they can do. I need to talk to Gaian Knight about another well and some more shelters, he's a specialist at that sort of thing. I need to bring in some milk and cheese and vitamins, things to cover the vitamins you can't get easily from fruits and vegetables. Do you know anyone who might give me a line on getting some farm animals?" she asked.

[KnightDisciple]

Carson nods as Stesha goes through the list.

"Clothes, hygiene items, and vitamin supplements are easy; I just need to talk to a couple of the charities I know. Shouldn't take more than a day, especially for the kid-sized stuff."

He taps his chin in thought.

"I might have a couple leads on farm animals. Though...we'd need to ask these people if they know how to take care of them. Wouldn't be as much use, otherwise.

Let me know if Derrick needs some help leaning on them. I might have a couple favors I can call in to put a bit more pressure on some of the staff out there."