songerein | [Catch-All]

Entry tags:

[Catch-All]

Who: Old Man Nier and YOU
Which: Open Log + Interactive Dream
Where: Reverein fields, the town itself, Nier's home village
What: Catch-All for March 2022. Old Man tends fields and mends fences. Old Man picks up orange hate feathers. Old Man picks herbs for Jude and co clinic. Old Man dreams of his home town where no one there seems to know him at all.
Warnings: Probably nothing worth mentioning. Will update as necessary

01. 'Spring'ing into Action

[Just the thought of working in the fields makes him think of older, more simpler days. Although he supposes in retrospect, there was nothing simple about them. Yonah had once asked him to grow her watermelons and somehow, he'd managed to accomplish it. Never does he consider himself an accomplished man of gardens and growing, but when he thinks about the amount of time he spent trying to cultivate a Lunar Tear, then he supposes he might be underestimating himself.

It's provided him a great reason to busy himself. To busy his thoughts. To think less about what happens when he leaves. If he leaves. If the others leave. He wants none of this. Instead, he's focused on the situation at hand. Or at least, he pretends he is. Honestly, he's more caught up in his thoughts than he'd like to be.

Fences are where he's chosen to begin. A decent number of them were damaged and before any planting can begin, they'll need to be tended to. He's in the process of covering some breaks, knelt down, pensive and probably up until the next few moments, has likely been a little quiet. Whether it's approaching footsteps or those being led elsewhere, he's not shy about speaking up.]

Get me that hammer, would you? I left it back there somewhere.

[He jerks his right hand over his shoulder indicatively. Help an old man out?]

02. I'm Not Angry; You're Angry!

[There's no shortage of things to be done in Reverein and Nier is usually more than happy to keep himself occupied by taking on any number of requests from the locals, which seem to be growing in number as the days go by. Gathering feathers seems like a relatively monotonous and unexciting task, which means it ought to be something he can get done in short order.

He's wandering around the town and along its outskirts to gather them, looking high and low. By this point, he's already managed to collect a few, which he has tucked into his somewhat barbaric-looking garb. Nier's a man with a lot of heart, though more than once he's lost his cool in the face of the circumstance. Where he'd normally be a rather patient man, it seems said patience is in absent supply today.]

Hey. You just gonna stand there, or do you feel like moving?

[He's had days where he was nicer.]

03. Go Green or Go Home

[When Jude announced the opening of the clinic, Nier was very quick to jump onto the idea of being able to supply him regularly with useful herbs, plants, and other like things in the forest. It reminds him of the times he's done something of the same for Popola. The names might change, but the situation always seems to be the same. In that respect, it's kind of nice. Something familiar. Just the thought leaves him comforted.

Whatever reason you might have for being out there, it won't be hard to spot him. Nier doesn't blend in well with the surroundings. On the contrary, he kind of stands out. And if he finds you, there's a very good chance he'll be nosy and want to figure out what you're up to. Why not lend him a temporary travelling partner?

Don't mind him as he's huddled down close to the ground, trying to get up a plant without destroying it completely.]

04. Home is Where the Heart Is (Unless You're Nier) - Interactive Dream

[...What is this place? It's a seemingly quiet and laid-back village, many of the structures appearing rundown and touched by the elements of time. There are people by the fountain not far from a dilapidated house.

Up the hill, along a variety of wooden steps that are in slight disrepair, there's a library with no shortage of books and a room that doesn't seem to make much sense.

Gates exist in different cardinal directions that lead outside of the village, each guarded for the safety of the village inhabitants.

Down in the market plaza, there's no shortage of item shops, and a plethora of relatively friendly villagers, who are ever willing to ask for assistance with their daily errands. A tavern, where a pretty girl named Devola plays music and sings a song. And on the docks behind, a little boat willing to take you to places called Seafront and some other main settlements that exist outside of the village.

It's a nice place, if not a little bit sparse. But it's the place that he calls home. He can easily be found wandering through the town, into the library, but spends the most amount of his time at his house, perhaps with his face in a very particular diary. His daughter, Yonah, is also here, and she may seem a little perplexed about what you're doing in her house, but she'll be very polite.

It's no real big surprise to him personally, but it seems like no one in this town knows a Nier. Not even Yonah. Who could this mysterious man be?]

[OOC: Please feel free to wander around the village by yourself, with a friend, or visit Nier. Character thoughts and feelings may affect the surroundings and the things witnessed, or experienced in this place.
Please also forgive how small these images seemed to be. Evidently larger images from Gestalt are difficult to come by. I may update these at a later point.
There is no restricted access to the town and its inhabitants. Do note that given this is also Brother Nier's home village, he has the same influences that Old Man Nier has here.]

05. Wildcard

[If the above don't strike your fancy, please select this option for whatever something special we might be doing. You can plot with me via PMs, discord (available upon request), and by contacting me via ofthesky.]

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[She lets out a low, frustrated noise in response. She's really going to have to spell it out, isn't she? Of course she is, he's not a mind-reader and she can't expect him to be, but it's—

It's the kind of mushy shit she just doesn't say. It's the kind of thing he would say to her if she were at a particularly low point.

She sighs heavily, brows drawing inward as she levels her gaze on him again.]

You do that shit because you love the people around you. Your family, your friends, your goddamn neighbors. Try to get that feeling back. Really think about it— because whatever these things are doing to you, I don't like it, and I don't think you do, either. You know this isn't you. And we both know what's really in your heart.

[His stupid, stupid heart.]

I don't think you've ever met anyone you wouldn't show kindness to, because that's the kind of person you are. You're better than me. Better than anyone else I've ever known.

[It isn't him. They both know it. It's so amazingly out of character for him to be anything but understanding and helpful. He can't remember exactly when he went from himself into...

Well. Whatever he is now. But what is he supposed to do about that? He can't just stop a job in the middle of things. That's not like him at all either. Nier is a man of his word. At least, he tries to be. No one's perfect, after all, but if he's committed himself to something, he's damn well going to do it.

He finds himself looking down to the feathers that remain tucked beneath a strap of leather and he's idly fingering the frayed edge where the ridges aren't lining up entirely proper.]

Yeah. You might be right about that. About most of that. Probably shouldn't assume I have infinite patience, though. No one does.

[Nier shakes his head.] This is still a job, Kainé. So if it's this stuff I'm carrying or what, it's gotta be done first. And we'll see how much of an asshole I am when I'm done. Unless you've got some other idea.

[It's not that he doesn't agree with her. He just has no idea what she wants him to do about it. He knows if she keeps pressing him, he's very likely just to keep pressing right back.]

I'd never be dumb enough to assume that.

[She snorts, only the barest hint of a laugh that fades in the face of the current situation. As for the rest, she can hardly argue with him.

It's a job. It needs to get done.]

So you finish it— and you let me help.

[She'd come out here for the same reason, anyway.]

I don't care about the credit. It's all yours. But let me carry some of them. It'll... it'll make things easier on you.

[Or so she's hoping.]

I get this feeling even if I refuse, you're not gonna accept it.

[He breathes out a scoff. She's determined. She always has been and that's something he's always appreciated about her. Even in this moment where he's not exactly himself and more like some alternate version of the man he could have grown to be.

At her request, which he figures is really less request and probably more demand on her part, he draws up his hands. He doesn't have time to go around and around with her, fun as that ordinarily might be.

So he offers her the ones he's had tucked in his leathers. If she's brave enough to take them.]

Whatever. Do what you want, Kainé. We don't have time for this cute little fight we're having.

You always were a fast learner.

[It's a good thing one of them knows how to pick their battles— she sure as hell doesn't.

She is, in fact, as determined as ever, and she doesn't flinch or hesitate as she reaches out to take the feathers from him, her lips set into a hard line even as she lets her fingers brush against the back of his hand in the process, ghosting against his knuckles. Honestly, she's not sure if she'd meant to do it or not, but it makes something tighten in her stomach all the same— a feeling she quickly shoves aside in favor of taking those feathers and tucking them into the belt of the shorts she's wearing.

She exhales, centering herself as she looks up at him with a cool and steady gaze, one with a great deal of weight behind it.]

You're the one always telling me I don't have to do things alone. Seems like the solution here, too. Share the load. We'll get it done.

[Because seeing him like this... it's more than just worrying. It's wrong.]

[He scowls, finding it a particularly agitating moment. It's an argument with her that won't simply go away unless he lets her have her way. Despite how imposing he might be in how he looms over her, he makes no move to otherwise stop her when she plucks the feathers from him. On the contrary, there's a touch of fingers against his own that births just the smallest flame of hesitance in him. It's as if it's simply a reminder.

Who she is. Who he is. Who they are together and who they are when they're apart. Not that he's feeling inclined to shower her with the kind words he tends to drown her in. Not at present. If what she says is true, however, then it seems the regular Nier, the one they all know and love, will return in short time.]

Doesn't sound like you're giving me much of an option otherwise. As much as I want to tangle with a wild beast, work first. Play afterwards.

[Although he has to wonder if the feathers will change her at all. Maybe they won't. Maybe she'll simply be more of the same. Kainé doesn't let herself get touched by anything she doesn't want to be touched by in some way.]

Well, at least that part of you hasn't changed.

[Still irritatingly responsible.]

Think I'll take 'wild beast' as a compliment. Has a nice ring to it.

[Maybe he can spread it around, see what it'll do for her rep. For now, she continues forward with the feathers tucked away securely, unflinching. If they're going to change her— and she's prepared for them to try— she's guessing it will be a slow and steady build. If they get this done quickly enough, maybe they can finish the job before either of them is too far gone. That would definitely be nice, if something were to turn out in their favor for once.

The feathers themselves stick out like a sore thumb, bright as they are, and she slows her pace only slightly when she spots a couple on the path ahead, bending down on one knee to scoop them up easily.]

In the meantime, try to— I dunno. Think some happy thoughts. Something like that. That bullshit is supposed to work real well here.

You're taking it as a good thing. Somehow I'm unsurprised.

[No, really. What was he expecting? He starts to shake his head and thinks better of it. If he's confident about knowing anything, it's Kainé. Even when he's feeling unlike himself, it doesn't change what he knows of her. Her likes. Dislikes. The things that move her. The things that provoke her ire.

He watches her tuck the feathers away, considering that maybe they won't change her at all. Kainé is already full of so much animosity, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps unexpected for anyone who doesn't know her. Following after, he breathes a sigh of something that must be closely related to disdain.]

Happy thoughts.

[As if he doesn't know what that means. He does, of course.]

I take it you mean to combat the uh. [He motions to the feathers.] Those things. If you were gonna think happy thoughts, Kainé, what would they be? [Or could it be that nothing makes her happy? He'd buy that.]

[It's an easier question to answer than she might have thought, once. If she were talking to anyone else, she might be hesitant, might try to blow it off— but she knows better with Nier.

Even when he's acting like this, he still knows her well enough to know better. He can tell when she's being avoidant without batting an eye.]

Stories around the campfire with Emil.

[Roasting marshmallows, when they'd been able to get ahold of them, which wasn't often— but a favorite of their 'young' friend.]

If you didn't have such a stick up your ass, this would probably count, too.

[Walking with him, heading out on a job, just talking— his company has always made her happy, even when she says otherwise.]

[He knows that every once in a while, he's been there when those stories have come up. But he also knows there are many times in which she and Emil have not come to the Village, easily turned away by people who were judgemental and discriminating in their fears and nomadic uncertainties. Kainé and Emil have likely had many nights around the fire exchanging stories. Dreams. Passions. Discussions about who they each wanted to be. Where they wanted to be. How things might be different if they were given different lots in life.

It's not necessarily his own memory. Maybe a little in part. Either way, it still presents him with just a touch of warmth at the thought alone. Maybe because it involves two people he has cared for deeply. No amount of hatred in his veins can ever stop that from going away.

Kainé ruins whatever reverie he's created in those moments and he outright scowls.]

Listen to you. You'd know all about sticks in the ass, wouldn't you. You've got one there all the damned time, Kainé. Even when you're smiling, you just follow it up with more bitching. I don't think you're ever happy unless you have something to whine about.

[But you know what? That's valid. It's not like there weren't a lot of great things for either them back home. They had to hold onto what was great and cling, they did.]

[Right for the throat, claws bared— it's not a good look on him, Kainé decides, but she can sympathize with it. She knows full well how it feels to have that anger and hatred constantly simmering beneath the surface, ready to lunge at anyone who dares to look at her the wrong way. She's less reactive these days, she thinks; the more time she spends here, the easier it is to give people a little benefit of the doubt.

That anger of hers will never vanish entirely, she's sure— and it's been a part of her for so long that she thinks she can imagine exactly how Nier is feeling in the moment, or something close to it.

She shrugs easily as they walk. Reactive as she can be at times, it's been a long while since she's felt compelled to bite back at him the way she once might have.]

Just means I know what the fuck I'm talking about, right?

[She's not going to pretend he doesn't have a point.]

I'm not here to defend myself. Say whatever the fuck you want, get it off your chest. Maybe it'll help you unclench.

[Decisively, it's not as fun when Kainé just agrees with him. In fact, it kind of takes the wind out of his sails. Maybe there's a part of him who actually enjoyed trying to get under her skin in a little more of a mean way. The upside to it, however, is that it does keep him from immediately going in for another unkind thing to say.

It doesn't help that the subject matter is trying to soften him. It's a weird experience to feel something that he can only describe as 'churning conflict' within him. A stirring of animosity and gentleness, two things that really have no place to be holding hands with one another. It's like two voices that he's desperately trying to listen to, but one keeps trying to talk over the other and as a result, he's having difficulty trying to grapple onto one over the other.]

Gonna be real honest here.

[He begins as he shakes his head.]

Kind of like it when you bite back more.

[Who is this new Kainé without the barbed counters?]

[Of course he likes it when she's raring to pick a fight— especially now, she's guessing, but if he didn't like her the way she was, she knows Nier as he usually is wouldn't have bothered to keep her around, either.

Honestly, it takes effort not to snipe back at him, but given that those feathers have stirred up enough hostility on their own, she knows it's a bad idea. If she wants their effect on him to be lessened, then she needs to remind him of who he really is.

Maybe. Well. Worth a shot, anyway.]

Can't say that surprises me— masochist.

[But she gives him a sidelong glance along with a wry, knowing smile.]

Maybe you shouldn't have spent all that time tryin' to soften me up.

Yeah. I'm starting to regret that myself.

[He says it and even though he hears it come from him, he knows he also doesn't believe it. Doesn't mean it. He'll look back on it later, along with the rest of this, and just kick himself. Inwardly.

He casts her a look for some moments before he motions for her to follow along. She might as well if she's going to take on the burden of the feathers in his stead. When he's feeling like himself again, he'll have to do something nice for her. Even if he doesn't quite know what that is. It's not as though Kainé has ever been particularly keen on him doing kind things for her.]

It's fine. You'll make up for all of that later, I'm sure. You were soft all along. You just didn't have the right people to showcase that around. I just got to be a lucky someone. That's all.

[Because even in his current short-tempered state, Nier understands that he can simply downplay his role in her life without embarrassing her too much.]

[She feels like it’s a little bit of the Nier she knows showing through in that moment— enough that she thinks she might be on the right track about the feathers. A reminder, perhaps, to read job descriptions more carefully in the future; nothing here has been as simple as ‘go out and kill it,’ which was her default back home.]

Well, gotta say, when you’re all pissy like this, you don’t get anywhere near as mushy as you usually do.

[A silver lining, maybe? Nier might not typically be ‘mushy’ by other people’s standards, but her own are decidedly skewed. A wry smile pulls at her lips as she keeps up with him easily, spotting a few bright orange feathers among the greenery up ahead and pushing herself forward. The sooner they get this done, the sooner they get their reward, and hopefully, the sooner he goes back to normal.]

Maybe if you behave yourself the rest of the way, I’ll pick a fight with you when we’re all done, as a treat. Sounds like you’d like that right about now.

You tellin' me you don't like me more like this?

[He shakes his head. Honestly, if he were less mushy, maybe the two of them would just butt heads more often. He could see it. He can see in some other alternate universe, a version of himself a little more like Weiss in nature, and a never-ending feud of words that would linger between him and Kainé in just such a circumstance. Entertaining, sure, but exhausting.

He might prefer some of the mushiness himself, even if she's not necessarily into it.]

I'm not a dog, Kainé. [He scowls at the patronising way she addresses him, looking perfectly unamused when he pauses in his footing just long enough to give her a look.] But you're not wrong. Could probably stand to have a round or two with you. But are you going to make it worth my while? I could wrestle you and win in my sleep.

I'm saying it's got its upsides.

[She will forever insist that his being mushy gets under her skin, even if they both know full well there's something more to it that they're not saying aloud. Too much to unpack, to dig into— but this Nier doesn't bring any of that to the table at all.

Eh. Still the inferior specimen, as far as she's concerned. Without that stupidly big heart of his, he's barely recognizable.

When he pauses to glare at her, she lets out a bark of laughter— they really have swapped places in their way, haven't they?]

Shit, I'd love to see you try. We've gone toe-to-toe before, and I was holding back.

[He'd won, but not easily, at least the way she remembers it.]

You know what I can do.

You were holding back? I don't believe that for a moment.

[The incredulous expression is transparent. There's no doubting that Kainé is absolutely capable. She's never needed him to come to her rescue and he's never treated her as though she has. Well, never when it wasn't warranted. Early in the days of their meeting, she was content to lie down and die, say goodbye to the world, and just give up, wallowing about in her resignation.

Who knows, maybe a sliver of her still feels that way now. He knows better than to ask, regardless of where his mental faculties may lie.

Nier shakes his head at her.]

If you want to put all of that to the test, we can make that happen. If you really have been holding back, I can't help being curious over what you're like when you're fully capable and giving it your all. Besides, I want to see your face when I still win. I'm old, but that doesn't mean I'm slowing down for you or anyone else.

You don't believe it, huh? Maybe I was taking it easy on you because I didn't want to send you off in a body bag when we first met.

[Would've been a real shame, if she had. Mostly, she'd just wanted him off her property at the time— what small scrap of land she'd had to call her own. She'd always been a private sort of person, and he'd been trespassing. It was feasible enough, right?

Truth is, she's thought a lot about what it would be like for the both of them to square off against one another without any limitations, but probably not the way he's thinking. He's already seen her completely unhinged and out of control once, as far as she knows, and he and Emil had brought her down, but barely.]

If it's a contest you want, old man, you're on.

[Even if he's being an ass, she can never say no to a challenge.]

I can't wait to see the look on your face when I show you a close-up of your own ass.

[She laughs, and reaches out to slug him in the arm, like this was any other day. It's one of the only ways she knows how to show affection, though she isn't thinking about it that way in the moment— but maybe it will help to remind him of how things are supposed to be between them.]

[He can't help it. For all of the weird, lingering animosity that still hasn't completely faded from him, Nier barks out a sharp laugh of gravel. It's not that he doesn't think she's incapable of doing precisely that—body bags and all. It's that he's almost positive she wouldn't. Maybe back when they first met, when she didn't know a damn thing about him that would have been more feasible. After all they've gone through together? There's no way.

Almost. Maybe. Unless he's really pissed her off to some extreme, or some other extenuating circumstance. A Kainé in her right state of mind? Unlikely.

She gets him in the arm and he even feigns a little hurt, lifting opposing hand to cross over where she's slugged him. Even he can play around a little with her. What comes around goes around, right? Although he understands he'd never outright hit her. Weapons are different and there's a limit to what he's willing to unleash on her. Truthfully, he suspects he might always be the one going easy on her.

Although, who knows what Tyrann is capable of.]

You're assuming I can twist myself in such a way that I'd be able to see my own ass.

[Yet it's all in good fun. Mostly. Somehow he suspects them squaring off really will happen. But work first and play later.]

[That's more like it— she recognizes that laugh, close enough to the one she's become so accustomed to that he seems just a little more like himself, and she grins broadly as he rubs at the spot where she'd hit him. For just a moment, it's something like normalcy. Maybe she's onto something, here.]

Well— maybe not at your age. Bet your joints creak when it's quiet. I'd be happy to help, though; rearrange shit to help you get that real choice view.

[She laughs again, and while she knows better than to ask if he's feeling any lighter now that she's taken on some of the load, she swears she can see the difference. He's not fully back yet, but getting closer.]

I'll leave the 'how' as a surprise for later. For now, let's get this shit done and get back. Can't have you wearing yourself out if we drag on too long.

[Her pace quickens, and she raises a hand to beckon for him to follow as she continues down the path.]

Come on, old man, keep up!

You mean you're going to break all of my bones to force me into that position.

[He shakes his head at her, almost as if it's in disbelief. She means it, though. And she could probably throttle him if he gave her that opportunity. He's not planning on making it that easy for her, however.

He doesn't get an opportunity to have much more thought on that before her voice breaks right back into the space between his ears. She's beckoning for him to keep up. Another little competition? Yeah. He's ready for that. He lets her have a head start, but only because he's not expecting it.]

You keep calling me 'old,' but I don't even know how old you are.

[Not that it stops him from following after in hot pursuit. Well, as hot as an old man can muster.]

[Really, for an 'old' man, he's pretty damn spry. As for his observation—

Well, he's not wrong. She's never really given him a number, has she? Honestly, the way the last few years have been, the best she can give anyone is a rough estimate, but instead of offering him an answer, she shoots a knowing smirk back over his shoulder, just in time to see him closing the distance between them.

He really is pretty spry.]

Eh. I like to keep the mystery alive. Younger than you, just going by looks!

[Which means she won't be clarifying that one any further today, at least.]

Let's get this over and done with, huh?

[And so they shall, though she'll be making more gentle prods at him throughout their efforts to see if she can keep nudging him back towards his usual self— everyone's favorite friendly neighborhood barbarian.]

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we could possibly have this one fade out in the next tag or two as they go about their feathering?

This sounds good!

wrapped! 🎀