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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

E-eh? I mean, most people have been very kind, and you don't have to do anything for someone like me when you've already been this nice--

[ All she's done for him is hold chunks of wood for him to hammer? She hasn't proven herself at all???? ]

You're right. I don't have to do anything, but I didn't say that because I felt I had to.

[He thinks for some moments before he continues. He really does try to avoid travelling down the path of discussing his family, because there's so much more to him than that, but sometimes he just can't help it.]

I've got a little girl, you see. No, you don't look like her or sound like her. I don't know you well enough to say you're anything like her, but let's just assume that most of the kids here make me think of her. It's a little hard for me to put my 'father' behaviours away.

[But he does try not to absolutely baby every younger person he finds.]

[ She blinks at him, mulling this new information over. Honestly, she's... a little surprised. Not that she doesn't think good fathers are out there, but it's one thing to logically know that and another to see it for herself. ]

... Um, my... father died when I was too young to remember anything about him. And my stepfather disowned me, so I don't really know what fatherly behavior is supposed to be.

But I do think your daughter must be lucky to have someone like you.

Edited 2022-03-28 05:17 (UTC)

[This girl has... lost not one father, but two. Nier, transparently, looks befuddled by this discovery. He doesn't even begin to know how to approach that, let alone address it. Maybe Yonah has felt something somewhat similar. A sense of abandonment. He's always hard on himself, however. Maybe she's more understanding that he's thought. Even if she is, though, it's not as though that ever gets through to him.]

Disowned, huh... [Nier looses a soft sigh and shakes his head.] A guy like that? Not worthy of being called a dad. Doesn't know what he's missing. [There's a breath of hesitation lingering in him. He can't just offer to be her dad. That's not right. It's not fair. But he can look after her and protect her when she needs it, if she should need it. All without saying as much. Maybe that's the right way to go about it.]

I think it's really me who's lucky to have her.

He has two sons he's very proud of, so I'm not entirely sure he's missing out on anything. I think-- mm, I know they're definitely happy without me.

[ She'd gone missing for a month and they'd assumed she'd followed their rule to not engage with them and just placed meals outside her door. It's not even a bitter statement, just a quietly tired acknowledgment. ]

... But I'm glad that your daughter has someone like you. Just because you do think you're lucky to have her... and maybe you're right. Or maybe you could say it's the same for both of you. If you're this nice to someone you barely know, surely as a father... she must love you very much.

I don't see a reason to not be nice. Everyone of us here like you and me, we're all in the same position. Many of us are alone, probably. I don't need to be making things more difficult.

[Honestly, he's still boggling over the nature of her relationship with her stepfather. And her stepbrothers, evidently. If he knew any of them, he'd have some strong words to share. At the very least.

He tries his best to be dismissive. Given what she doesn't have, it'd be poor form to speak overmuch of Yonah.]

We probably both feel the same for one another. It's the way any parent should feel about their child. Do you have anyone looking out for you here? If not, I know some people who can help keep an eye on things.

[Besides him. Of course he can. Of course he's willing.]

Any parent...

[ She. Really doesn't want to have to talk about her mother because he already seems to be disapproving of the rest of her family, and it's not as though her mother treated her any differently than her stepfather.

Well.

It's also true that she's never going back there, so she moves on, gaze uncertainly flitting up to Nier's face. ]

I... not exactly, but I don't want to give anyone additional work... I-I can manage.

[ She hasn't brought her treehouse down on top of her head yet. ]

You aren't work.

[Nier feels a certain anger brimming inside of him. Not at her, of course, but at what appears to be a plethora of people who were in positions to care for her and seem to have done the opposite. How can anyone do that to another person? What kind of parent would... even have a kid they didn't seem to want? It's extremely hard for him not to go hunting these people down and really giving a piece of his mind.

Instead, he looses a breath as he shakes his head.]

Listen, if you need anything, you tell me. Food. Clothes. A place to stay. I'm not gonna let you just wander around and survive on the bare minimum. I like to keep myself busy and I end up doing all kinds of stuff for the locals, so it's not like I'm hurting on survival tools. Got it?

[ She wasn't worth work in the first place. It's difficult to forget, what had happened when she'd tried to improve herself and they'd deemed her not worth the effort to help. Probability, maybe. Odds had been low that if her stepbrother had helped her with homework, she would have immediately understood and gotten straight A's like either of her siblings.

But even Sana knows better than to say anything now. Or rather, she's still used to not saying anything.

And now Nier has gone and rendered her speechless; she quietly gapes up at him, remembering a bit belatedly to shut her mouth before it turns into outright gawking. How is he so kind? Is this truly what a father is like? ]

I--

[ No good, it's barely a whisper. She tries again. ]

... I understand. Thank you... very much.

[The break in her voice, quiet as it is, meek as she is in entirety, rewards her with a pause from him. Has he pushed too hard? Probably. Nier is a gruff man. Some would call him barbaric. Sometimes well intentions don't mean anything, when they aren't delivered properly.

Maybe... he should be a little kinder.]

That's not something you should feel you need to thank me for.

[Reaching down, he ruffles her hair as carefully as he can. For such a big, burly man, Nier can be surprisingly gentle when he attempts to be.]

Things are better when we stick together.

... I just... think it's important to let someone know when you're grateful.

[ She's a little unsure when he reaches a hand down, but the way he ruffles her hair is impossibly gentle. Fatherly, she wonders. She's not brave enough to ask. ]

But I also think you're right-- that it's better not to do things alone. When you don't have to.

[His smile grows. She's endearing. He would have taught Yonah the same thing, so he's not going to fault her for it. Sometimes it can be easy for a kid to get a little complacent. Just assume parents will bail them out. With good reason. They normally do when they're younger. He already knows he would for Sana. Doesn't even really have to think much about it, so if she ever did get complacent, he wouldn't care.

At the next fence, he's bending back down, which he predicts he'll do another few times at least before they manage to finish.]

So with that said, if you ever need help with something, don't be afraid to call on me. And like I said, I know some others who'd likely be extending the same offer. If you don't have to do something alone, don't.

[ Sana joins him after a short pause, automatically reaching to hold what she'll need to. ]

... I'll do my best to remember that. I promise.

[ She will have difficulties, absolutely. She'll probably talk herself out of it more than she should. But then she'll try to talk herself back into it this time. ]

[The moment he takes a hold, he uses his fingertips to countdown for her. Five down to one. Just to give her that warning before he brings forth hammer again. Just like the first one, his taps are firm, but not at all excessive. As gentle as he can manage, considering the state of what they're trying to do.]

No worries. That's all you have to do—your best.

[As he drops his gaze onto the fence, he continues.] So don't mind my curiosity, but you obviously weren't here originally to help with the fences. What were you out here for?

Oh, the... seeds.

[ She's been following his instructions carefully, eyes resting on his hand to check the countdown, but they're making progress. Much to her relief, she hasn't messed it up gloriously. ]

I was helping to make the rows and plant them, but I was almost finished with my current handful...

The seeds, eh?

[He nods along as he makes the finishing touches on hammering the fence back together. Just about as good as new. Maybe not pristine, but all that matters is that it works out. That it does what it's meant to.

At her explanation, he drapes an arm over the now-mended fence, and draws his attention back onto her.]

Well. I can help you with that. I grew flowers and other vegetation back home. Wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I've got experience, at least.

Eh? Nier-san, did you have a garden?

[ He. He doesn't look like the type, but she knows she shouldn't assume, so she just looks both curious and a little impressed, seeming a little braver when it comes to meeting his eye. ]

['Nier-san.' That's cute.]

Well, I'm not sure I'd call it a garden. [He wonders how to put it, though the smile he wears is fond. Nostalgic. In the face of all he'd been through, that little field had been a slice of tranquillity.]

There was a very small field right outside of my house. Nothing impressive, but I used to grow things for my daughter in it. Probably could have had a garden if I was there to tend to it often enough, but honestly, circumstances didn't allow for that. I was kind of back and forth a lot.

... Oh... it sounds like you had a lot to do. Did you have to work often?

[ He doesn't strike her as a man capable of sitting still, for as patient and gentle as he's been with her for all of this. ]

...Something like that?

[Was it really work? He's not really sure he'd ever perceived it like that, but he was literally taking jobs and requests from everywhere he could.]

My daughter was sick. I was trying to find a cure for her. It involved a lot of research and travelling to places she couldn't go. I definitely kept myself busy, but maybe it wasn't really work. Just circumstance. That's all.

[Nier makes it sound so simple. It was, truthfully, anything but that.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Catch-All]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject