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[ She does wonder who else Gen considers his friends... In any case, Gen is Meridian as well, so it should be safe to tell him. ]

Mr. Cyrus asked me to scout the island and find some locations that might be useful. I've been making good time, so it should be okay if I help you with your job too.

[ Surely Cyrus won't complain if she takes a day off to do something else just as productive? ]

Did he ask you to do your job too?

[ 'Mr. Cyrus.' He knows full well that this is just Gray being her usual polite self, but he's still not sure how he feels about Gray being such an obedient little lackey for that guy. His consideration comes simmering through the connection for a moment, just a touch wary, before Gen opts to drop the issue for now; his little talk with Cyrus means he's willing to cooperate with Merdian in the short term, at least. ]

S'not like I can't do it without you. I can handle it fine on my own if you're gonna be taking a while. [ That feels important to say first because he's not so weak as to need her help??? ] Just figured you could use the opportunity if you were still looking for jobs.

[ (Also he's a huge tsundere so he'll never say it, but he wouldn't mind having her company out there.) ]

And mine's not for that guy. Nothing to do with Meridian. It's for a blacksmith -- something personal.

[ She's curious about the simmer that comes through, but first things first. ]

No, I want to come for your job. Mr. Cyrus's request can wait.

[ And it's felt a bit lonely lately. The last time she worked in such isolation for days on end was probably when she was still gravekeeping. ]

Do you not like him?

[ Cyrus, not the blacksmith. ]

[ 'I want to,' Gray says. And just for a moment, and very faintly, she might feel a tiny pulse of warmth through their connection. Some weird flavor of appreciation, even if Gen follows it up with a gruff, ]

Let me know when you'll be up for it, then. I'll meet you there.

[ That said, Gen frowns to himself as he considers Gray's question. (He totally almost answered with 'what, the blacksmith?' first.) ]

... he's fine. [ So he says, but his reluctant delivery makes it clear 'he's fine' just means 'he's tolerable,' not 'I like him.' ] I talked to him and he seemed -- fine. So I'll do my part for Meridian, or whatever. But I just don't want to trust him too much. People who act all friendly and nice like that can be the biggest liars. So be careful.

[ Gray seems like the type to fall for stuff like that, he thinks. Not out of naivete, but out of pressure -- letting herself get shepharded along by those too 'charismatic' and jovial to argue with. He'd rather she didn't get embroiled into that sort of bullshit. ]

Let's do it tomorrow.

[ No point in putting it off for longer than necessary. Alenroux will be the same tomorrow as it will be next week (probably).

Now Gray is the one who would be a little offended if she could hear Gen's inner thoughts... even though they're not entirely unfounded, given the kinds of people she tends to trust. But there are a number of reasons why Gray is more comfortable with people who are rough around the edges and leery of people who seem too charming. She did grow up preferring foul-mouthed Add over her adoring fellow villagers, after all.

So she actually agrees with Gen's reservations about Cyrus, finding his take logical. ]

I'll be careful. I know that people don't become powerful by being nice.

[ lookin at u, clock tower ]

Mn. Okay, good.

[ His response comes gruff and minimal, but Gray might feel the faint, warm tinge of approval behind it. He might have underestimated Gray's ability to evaluate people, but his intentions were good for once; as long as she won't go getting jerked around just because Cyrus talked to her nicely, he'll rest a little easier. ]

Tomorrow, then. Just lemme know when you get there.

[ And with that, he ends the connection. Not even, like, a 'bye' or a 'good luck with your work,' or 'travel safe'??? Rude.

At least he's there on time when Gray gets to the World's Edge the following day -- early, even. He'd been too antsy to sleep in and had gotten there pretty early in the morning, opting to look around and scope out the area first. It ends up being that there's no need for Gray to contact him, because he's skulking around the area near the Cornerstone when she arrives, taking a smoke break. ]

Hey. [ He glances over as soon as she makes her appearance, taking one last drag at his cigarette before tossing it aside as he slinks over. A pair of empty sacks are slung over his shoulder, which might serve as a little hint for what kind of work he's recruited Gray for? ] I already took a look around the area. Shouldn't be too bad, though you gotta watch your footing.

[ Gray is surprised to see him arrived before her, being an early bird herself, but she won't complain about him being serious about the job. She might have room to complain about him getting started with the exploration without her, on the other hand -- but that's probably her general anxiety speaking, seeing as how when she doesn't see someone for a while they sometimes just show up with busted ears or missing limbs or dead. Just experience making her fret for no reason at all.

Anyway, when Gray shows up, the only sign that she's been spending more time in nature of late is a faint wear and dustiness to her boots and cloak, though that could easily be attributed to a slight lapse in her daily maintenance. She's otherwise untouched by silly phenomena like tanning (or sunburn) after days in the unfettered sun; quite the opposite, she sports the more ashen hue that's become popular among Meris of late. She comes prepared with a practical, nondescript satchel that comes predictably in a drab gray.

Gen's empty sacks make her wonder if they're going to catch a loose chicken or something... but regardless of whatever nonsense he has in store for her, she foregoes a greeting in favor of a warm smile. It really is nice to see him again. (It hasn't been that long, but still.) ]

I'll be careful.

[ She did grow up a steep mountainside, so it's tough to surprise her with rough footing, but she thinks that if it makes him feel better to look out for her, then she won't argue. ]

What are those bags for?

To take back when we gather. It's a mining job.

[ Gen gives her a nod to indicate she should follow, then turns to start making his way back towards the drop-off; if Gray needs any proof that he's serious about the contents of his job, there's a pickaxe tucked into the loop at the back of his belt, jostling against his tail with each pace. ]

There's this sparkly green stuff in the rocks around the bottom over there. [ A jerk of the chin to indicate the drop-off just ahead. ] My job's to get a bunch of the stuff. But apparently blacksmiths'll pay pretty well for it. Should be good if you can also get some for yourself.

[ As tough as he acts, his heart does still skip a beat once he steps up to the edge of the cliff. It's almost a complete vertical drop, with only sporadic bits of jagged rocks to break any fall on the way down. It'd be pretty much guaranteed death, huh. His tail briefly tucks itself against his leg at that grim thought, and dirt grits underfoot as he turns back to look to Gray once more. ]

I'm going first.

[ And then, without giving Gray a chance to wonder how the hell he's planning on climbing down the cliff wall with those sacks hampering his movements and just one arm, Gen --

sinks into the ground.

It happens practically in an instant, leaving Gray to just, like, look at the empty spot before her where he was standing??? I'm so sorry he's like this Gray, you don't deserve this. ]

[ Mining sounds like a simple enough job, harmless and honest good work. So Gray is especially happy to tag along... though she starts to feel a bit doubtful when Gen pauses at the cliffside. He's savvy when it comes to certain things, but when it comes to navigating the wilderness, she's come to be skeptical of the abilities of city-slickers (or town-slickers, in Gen's case). As a model country bumpkin, she knows when modern living is too complicated for her and wouldn't pretend otherwise — so she wonders why people who aren't used to the great outdoors are too proud to admit it.

When Gen says he'll go first, a little alarm bell rings in her head. When he suddenly disappears into the ground, the bell turns into a nuclear siren. ]

Gen!

[ She wastes no time dropping onto her belly and fishing her hand into the space he's disappeared into. If she's able to grab onto anything, she'll haul it out with all her strength... and if there's nothing to feel, she'll jump in too in a bid to rescue him. No time for second guesses!! ]

Edited 2023-02-14 04:34 (UTC)

[ Unfortunately, when Gray pats at the ground into which Gen has vanished, she'll find it's just ... solid ground. Hard earth with some dirt and grit laid over, with barely any give beneath her palms, no matter where she scrabbles at. It's like he was never there in the first place???

Though a moment afterward, she might hear Gen's voice piping from just past the cliff's edge and a few feet down: ]

Hey.

[ A quick glance over the edge reveals Gen standing on a little ledge some five feet down, looking back up towards her. A pointy ear flicks as he cants his head at her, like he's not sure what she's waiting for? Did something happen to delay her??? What's the problem? ]

You coming or not?

[ Well then, Gray has half her arm punched into the hard ground when Gens' voice pops up nearby. She quickly digs her fist out and scurries over to the edge of the cliff, where lo and behold, there he is. She stares at him, clearly confused, her poor little neurons sputtering. ]

H... How did you get there?

[ Did she black out for five seconds, is that what happened!! ]

Haa? [ His head tilts the other way, and the other ear flicks before Gen realizes ] -- oh, I didn't tell you.

[ Then he casually holds his hand up, letting her see him flexing his fingers, before plunging it into the sheer surface of the cliff before him, straight up to the elbow. There's no digging noise, no displacement of dirt, nothing. His hand slides in smoothly, like through water, then pops out just as easily when he withdraws his hand to show her again. ]

Some weird new ability I got when I came to this side. I can move through the ground.

[ And then a brief pause before he frowns. ]

I can't take you with me, though. Living things are hard.

Oh...

[ As Gray watches his demonstration, she slowly relaxes. If it was something of his volition and not some man-eating magic island thing, then she supposes all is well. Though as the adrenaline fades, it leaves a little speck of rare disgruntlement in its wake. Gray frowns a little, her brow sighing downard. ]

You worried me.

[ More than that little speck of disgruntlement in her voice (sorry not sorry), it's her words that elicit a small frown and a pause. 'You worried me.' Even if he knows on a rational level that some individuals here are like that, it still catches him off-guard every time he remembers that some people actually worry about him.

So after a moment of grudging silence, Gen huffs out a hard breath and looks away. ]

Fine, fine. ... my bad.

[ Congrats, Gray! That might be the closest he's come to actually apologizing to anyone here???

Too bad it's followed by Gen giving a petulant shrug. ]

Just figured it'd be obvious. Did you think I could climb down a wall like this? [ He waves his left arm along with those words; the empty lower half of his sleeve flops limply from the movement. ]

[ Even if it's a sorry apology, it goes a long way toward unruffling Gray's feathers. It's the thought that counts, probably, and she can see how he has to drag it out of himself.

Thus appeased, she finally slips over the edge of the cliff to land lightly beside him. In a milder tone of voice, she says, ]

I don't think anyone could call melting through the earth common sense. I thought the island ate you.

[ Which isn't really common sense either, but it's some kind of Fate/ sense. Anyway. ]

If you'd like to keep moving down that way, I'll follow.

[ How does getting eaten by an island feel more sensible to her than people having weird abilities. Gen just gives her a Look for a moment before snorting. ]

I ain't dying in such a lame way. [ Then he starts melting back into the dirt below them, pausing while he's halfway phased into it (it looks very weird and lame) to add: ] Meet me down there. Shout if you need a foothold or anything, I can do stuff like that again too, now.

[ Aaaaand off he goes. There's not a trace of him left in the ground when he melts into it, and a few moments later, he pops his head out of another flat surface a few feet down to look around. Presumably gauging his progress, though he does also look around to make sure of Gray's position before melting out of sight once more.

He makes steady progress all the way down, finally emerging out of the ground and shaking his head (his ears flop) to dislodge a few specks of dirt and rock from his hair. Then, looking over to Gray, he gives a cant of the head: ]

-- did you get any weird new abilities when you went Meridian? Or do you already have enough stuff that you don't need anything else.

[ She supposes it's normal for people to think they'll die a meaningful death... especially when they're still young like Gen is. She watches him phase back into the ground curiously, thinking about how much he's changed since she first met him. But it's a good thing that he has something to protect himself with now other than brute force.

She turns to her own task of descending the cliff. She peeks over the edge before beginning to hop her way down, landing lightly from precarious ledge to precarious ledge like a hooded mountain goat, and when there are none, she simply skips and skids her way down until more appear. Traversing a cliff is easier than moving up and down the bare sides of buildings, and it's her natural habitat besides. As she descends, she wonders idly if Gen's power extends to upward movement as well, or if she'll need to carry him back up.

When she touches down to level ground, she perks up as Gen suddenly emerges from the cliffside. She finds the way he shakes the dirt off cutely doglike.

When he makes his comment, she pauses. Does she "already have enough stuff"...??? She is desensitized to people who can do 10000 magicky things. ]

Ah... I did learn how to talk to animals. And I can produce a little light... and mend broken things. But I'm not that good at it.

[ Mental things are hard... ]

[ That earns a raised eyebrow and a flick of the ears. (Guess who hasn't learned anything about the spells he's learned from Harmonization just yet.) ]

Kind of a random collection of stuff. [ Still, he gives a thoughtful hum as he turns away, nodding to indicate that Gray should follow. ] Well, that last one sounds handy, though. Just being able to fix things. Might be good if you practice that one.

[ At least, it sounds more generally useful than being able to talk to animals or act as a flashlight?

Anyway.

It's a short distance away that Gen jerks his head to direct Gray's attention towards what appears to be the remains of a rockslide; boulders and rocks of various sizes litter the ground, piled up before a deeper crack that furrows into the cliff wall behind it. One of the larger rocks lying on the ground has been split in two, revealing chunks of gleaming, green minerals within. ]

That's the stuff we're looking for. [ Gen crouches down to pick up one of the fragments, then hands it over for Gray to inspect. ] Think I should be able to get the amount I was requested in a day or two ... probably. Though for you, even if you don't grab that much, if you sell it, you should be able to get some good money for it.

[ Gray has been getting the most use out of talking to animals, but that's probably more of an enjoyment thing than a practical thing. She might say that it's practical in regards to owning a little chicken, but her little chicken probably wouldn't be too hard to decipher either way.

Anyway.

Gray looks curiously at the gleaming green bit that Gen passes her way. She's no minerologist, so her best guess is that it's something like an emerald... because it's the only green gem she can think of. ]

This is for a blacksmith? What is it used for?

Hell if I know.

[ Wow. Incredible. So helpful.

With his explanation done, Gen gets to work. Crouched down before the pile of rocks, he unhooks the pickaxe from his belt to starts whacking at them one at a time. Any that split open to reveal glimmers of that green are tossed into an empty sack; those that don't are chucked aside.

For all his usual griping and bitching, Gen seems comfortable enough once he settles into the rhythm of manual labor. ]

The guy just told me to bring him a sackful, so I'm doing it. [ There's the crack of his next rock splitting open to reveal veins of green inside, followed by the click of it getting thrown into his sack. Gen picks up another rock before adding a little more seriously: ] ... the guy makes prosthetics. It's to help pay for one.

[ Gray watches Gen at work carefully so that she can learn by example. As he explains, her mouth forms a little 'o' of sudden understanding. ]

I didn't know there were people capable of that here...

[ Though it shouldn't be surprising. There were people who made automatons in her home world, but she always thought of it as a very specialized magic. Either way, the motive behind the job makes it that much more important. Gen's been without an arm for so long; he must be aching for a replacement. Now pumped up, she quickly crouches to help with the work.

Lacking a pickaxe, she picks up a rock and works her little brain for a few seconds before simply picking up a second rock and Hulk Smashing the two of them together. They crumble in her hands, and she sifts through the bits before studiously drizzling the green bits into the sack. Veering into speedrun mode, she begins to rapidly crack rocks together with the intent to kill every rock this side of the island if that's what it takes to GoFundGen. ]

I didn't know either. [ Gen squints at the rock in his hand, turning it one way then another as he tries to tell if that little glimmer there is green or not. In the end, he breaks it in half once more to make sure -- it is -- before chucking it in the sack. ] But it's a thing. He told me I can choose whether I want it mechanical or magical, too, so I have to think about it.

[ Then the sudden sound of Gray smashing two rocks together has him jumping and glancing over his shoulder, clearly startled. Geez, every time he starts forgetting that Gray is a superhuman freak, she provides him with a convenient little reminder.

... then Gen realizes her sudden ramp-up in enthusiasm made itself clear only once he spoke about the prosthetic.

Gen huffs quietly to himself before saying, loudly, so she'll hear it over the din of crumbling rocks: ] Well, that's just my problem though. [ And, as he tosses the other empty sack her way, ] -- here. You carry what you're gonna sell.

[ Gray's hulking pauses as she glances over at the sack thrown her way. She isn't really interested in making money... so she'll find a way to sneak the good bits from her sack into Gen's sack later. ]

Isn't it better if it's magical?

[ It seems pretty cut-and-dry to her, but she is a little biased as superhuman freak. ]

[ He hates that that was his exact thought at first, too. ]

S'not that simple. [ Though he does heave a brief sigh, Gen's following explanation is (perhaps surprisingly) even-handed. Turns out he can actually just talk neutrally like a normal person from time to time. ] If it's magic, it gets attached quicker and they can upgrade it more easily, yeah. But -- you know the types of bullshit we'll probably have to deal with, fighting for those Oracles. If we end up anywhere where magic doesn't work, I'd have a big load of deadweight stuck to my arm. That's worse than not having one at all. [ He pauses only to split open another rock; this one's a dud. ] Mechanical will hurt to attach, but it's more failsafe. Apparently.

[ He's leaning towards the latter, as a result, but it's not an easy decision. Gen frowns to himself, quiet for a moment before drawling, ]

I'll figure it out.

[ Gray makes a quiet noise of understanding as she thoughtfully kills some more rocks. It sounds like a tough decision. For herself, it would boil down to the practical matter of which type of limb would be able to channel magical energy... which in all likelihood would be the magical arm. That isn't applicable to Gen, though. ]

A mechanical one would probably suit you better.

[ That's just her impression, lightly voiced as she focuses on their work. ]

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