%20pngg.png)
(yeah it's fine! I guess I should warn you that wild Deorns will naturally behave a lot differently than those in captivity–generally twice as stubborn, aggressive, and brave–but yeah, she can be a handler ^^ I'll probably give you more tips as necessary when we meet one)
"Now that's cool. My folks always said Deorns were something to be admired. We've actually got a couple back home. They're like part of the family."
"I have to say I agree. They protected the kids, more than once. They're honourable creatures," she reminisced, shouldering her duffel further up her back.
(I've got an extra spot in an rp if you want to join?)
(In the wake of the loss of his wife, lonely clockmaker Abraham attempts to build himself an automaton companion.
The finished project comes to life— with full movement and cognitive memory. Better than he'd have thought possible. But will the secret of his Constance be kept in the small town of Spindlewood?
That's the premise)
(yeet that sounds really cool but I'm unfortunately pretty busy lately and I'd probably better try to curb my rp obsession before it gets me in trouble ^^; Thanks for the offer though! I hope it goes well!)
"Accurate. They may be a little tetchy around most people, but I ain't never heard of a Deorn that would hurt a kid. Once you understand that they value strength and close family over everything else, it's pretty easy to reason with 'em. But I guess you probably already knew that."
"You learn new things everyday, right?" Charlotte told him. "But yeah. I learned a lot in their company." She cast her eyes down, the shame of Jodie's role tainting the conversation.
Rick was not the most sensitive person and didn't quite notice her shift in mood. "My parents always said that humans could learn a whole lot from Deorns and their ways. That's not a very popular opinion these days, but I think it's true. Deorns ain't monsters, they're just not as sociable as we are, and it was us humans that thought it would be a good idea to try and weaponize 'em. Now there's all this prejudice against them because they did the natural thing and fought back." He shrugged. "I gotta say, we may be more intelligent than them, but sometimes I think they're the ones with more common sense."
Caught off guard, Charlotte let out a snicker and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Shaking it off, she nodded. "Agreed."
Even without knowing she was hurting, he'd cheered her up.
Rick was surprised and happy to hear her laugh, and his smile widened. "Ayhoo, I'm glad we're on the same page when it comes to Deorns. I was a little worried you'd take a dim view on 'em….I heard that the further west you go, the less likely a person will be to tolerate non-humans. There are even people up north that run some kind of Deorn extermination business, or somethin' like that. At least, that's what the traders told us."
Charlotte shook her head in disgust. "Sounds familiar," she muttered. That's probably where she went.
((HECK remind me later and we can make a subplot outta that if you want))
"Yeah, I s'pose they get good business in some places." He sighed. "I thought about joining 'em once, you know, back when I first got kicked out. They were in the area doin' some work and told me they were always hiring. But I didn't much like the looks of their leader. He didn't really seem like a fun guy to work for…..and anyway, I couldn't much agree with that they were up to."
"For what it's worth… I appreciate that you didn't."
"Yeah…me too." Rick paused at a crossroads, then went right. "It woulda been nice to have some company, but I'm not sure they're the company I'd like to keep. This here is much better, if you'll pardon my sayin' so, ma'am."
"Well… I have a history with people being hired to hurt. So I was sceptical." She paused as Rick turned right, then followed. "But you seem alright."
"Well, it's an honor to hear you say that, it really is. I'll do my best to keep your opinion of me favorable."
He was about to say more, but then fell silent and squinted at the road ahead. "Well…shucks. Looks like the bridge is down."
A few yards up the road, it crossed the river. Normally, there was a wooden bridge spanning the water, but the storm must have washed it away because now there were only a few splinters of wood left. Rick reached the bank and scratched his head, eyeing the problem with a frown. "Current looks too strong to cross here….maybe we can find a shallower spot nearby."
Tactful. Charlotte nodded, looking up and down the river for any indication of shallow water. A few yards up, there was a muddy patch. "Maybe there?" she suggested, pointing.
Rick nodded. "Might work. Let's check it out." He hiked through the grass to investigate, testing the ground to make sure it was safe. "Doesn't seem very swampy here, so we shouldn't have to worry about quicksand. That's one thing about this area that's better than back home." He started forward, carefully finding the highest path across.
Charlotte followed. "Quicksand, really?" she questioned.
"Oh yeah, it's everywhere down south," he replied casually, hopping a rivulet of water. "Quicksand, snakes, gators, skeeters, Carburetor Flu–we've got everything but snow back home. It's not so bad, though, once you get used to it."
Skeeters. More slang. "We had snow before the war," Charlotte reminisced. "I think the radioactive imprint is keeping it away."
Rick glanced back in surprise. "Shoot, you mean this area's radioactive? Is it very nasty, or not so bad?"
Charlotte looked up again. "No, don't worry, it isn't bad. Just some unstable weather is all."
"Oh, I see. Yeah, we get that too, but ours is floodin'. We've permanently lost almost all of Florida by now, although I'm not sure how much it has to do with the war. Apparently it was a problem even before then, so I don't know. Folks down there just switched to boathouses and kept right on workin."
Charlotte whistled, impressed. "Great adapting right there. Are Floridians smart?"
"Smart when it comes to runnin' a side hustle. There's a clan down there, the River Runners, that have complete control over the south bay and most of the Mississippi. Nobody gets in or out without paying something hefty." Rick made it to the far bank and hopped up, offering Charlotte his hand. "They're good people. Just don't trust 'em with your money, is all."