spellbinders | Orchard Clean Up Log

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Orchard Clean Up Log

[Yuuko sends out a message letting everyone know that she's checked all the trees and is ready to proceed with taking down the dead ones and growing new ones! She actually has a whole list of things that need to be done:

- Dead trees need to be taken down. The dead wood might be able to be crafted into something.
- All living trees are marked with a ribbon and need to be healed by those that can.
- Still living trees should have their sick branches removed and be pruned properly, to avoid further sickness
- Stone pathing is needed!
- Simple signage directing where certain fruit trees are growing. The orchard isn't big yet but it may be some day!
-Anything else that you'd like to add to the orchard. Small gardens for vegetables/berries and other things would be lovely and it'd be nice to keep everything in one place.

If your character collected seeds from the previous world Yuuko can make them grow instantly. Trees she can't make fully grown just yet, but she can get pretty close. Maybe by the time they've left for the new world/returned there will be fruit on these new trees.]

A - Cutting Down Dead Trees

[The orchard doesn't look super great. Even the still living trees are hard to ascertain from the dead ones. Yuuko has gone ahead and checked them out with some helpful hands and claws so you can figure out which ones to take down because they don't have a ribbon. These trees need to be pulled from the root and completely removed.
All this dead wood must be good for something though. If not fire wood maybe someone can make something out of it!]

B - Healing the Sick Trees

[First things first when it comes to the healthy trees: you make sure those ribbons get back to Yuuko. Otherwise, if you have powers to help them out please try! There are a few on the island that have already said they can save the trees. Hopefully they grow something tasty!]

C - Healing the Earth

[Before growing can commence the dirt leaves little to be desired. The earth isn't in great shape and perhaps it's the reason all the trees started to die? Yuuko's no tree doctor so she couldn't tell you... but before she risks planting any trees in the ground she hopes that someone with some kind of healing magic can revitalize the dirt. Healthy trees need a healthy ground first and foremost.]

D - Planting Delicious Delicious Fruits

[It's time! Yuuko doesn't have a lot of seeds but it's enough to get started. There's apple, oranges, lemons and two pear tree seeds! (Impressive!)

With all the sick trees removed and the dirt revitalized Yuuko has carefully planned where each tree and future tree should go. But maybe her and Waver weren't the only ones to collect seeds. If you also managed to gather something from the previous world hopefully you're inclined to share and pass the seeds over to the rest of the group. Yuuko can make instantly grow any small/medium sized plant. Berries and flora may take a day or two to actually bloom but it won't be a long wait.

As for the trees... well, she now experiences her limits. She can get them pretty grown but not to their full potential or size. Oops. Shoulda maybe been practicing, huh? Oh well. There will probably be plants and apples when they return from their next world.]

E - Pathing/Signage/Build Your Own Thing!

[There is still so much that can be done for the orchard. Pathing will make it easy to get around and not get lost in what will hopefully be a sea of trees. The signage makes things easier to find. But what about making things aesthetically pleasing? Yuuko is all about that. Making a koi pond or a fresh water source will be helpful in keeping things watered.

Smaller gardens to grow different things like vegetables and herbs would be splendid. Are there bumblebees here? Maybe some bee friendly plants that will keep the trees and the rest of the things here growing. There's so much that can be done and while Yuuko has planned out the tree part there's still lots more that can be done and crafted to make life here a little bit better.]

(OOC: Please interact with each other and spam this post all you like to make the orchard super great! And really, do whatever you like and build whatever you please if you're able!)

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A

[A canine with limited patience, limitless stamina, and a woodcutting axe! What could possibly go wrong?... well, actually, it wasn't going too badly so far. It was his first time doing all of this on foot and without a giant metal mech to do all the heavy lifting, sure, but 'whack-it-'till-it-breaks' wasn't a tall order.

But they were tall trees, and cutting them down was only the first part of the task. The second was, of course, making sure they didn't land anywhere dangerous.

That part he still needed some work on. Which may be why one passerby might suddenly hear a whack, a crack, a shuffle of leaves... and hurried footsteps.]

GETOUTTATHERE--

[...Followed by a certain canine colliding with them at high velocity and tackling them out of the path of a falling tree trunk. Hey, at least he's making up for his own mistakes, right?...]

E

[Well. This was delightful.

It wasn't long after he'd finally finished chopping down a few old trees and piling up the wood that he got yet another visit from the island's wildlife... and they were pretty fast on the draw, at that. He wasn't expecting anything to come of a pile of dead wood that had only been there a few hours.

But life, apparently, finds a way. And bees, apparently, have ways of telling that way to their friends.

Which is how Red wound up where he was: arms full of freshly-chopped wood, a somewhat nervous look on his face, and the pile of wood he was supposed to have set aside for future projects now being used as a lovely little home for a slowly-increasing mass of bees.

...nnnnnnnow what.]

[There's not much that she can actually do till all the trees are cut down and moved out of the way. But things are going swimmingly thus far. It won't be long till it's time to plant and do the gardening part of all this.

For now she's content with watching. Oh... but that buzzing... that's not something you can just ignore.]

I hope those are bumbles and not anything angrier and meaner~ [And on this island? Who could possibly say. She certainly can't.]

If I were you, I'd slowly and carefully put down all that wood.

You're not helpin'!!

[But his indignation became a hush stifled in his throat as one such paused for a glance right in front of his face. His additions to the woodpile rattled in his hands in his efforts to suddenly hold still.

And then it landed on his nose.

By then, Red was practically sighing, whispering tensely.] my hands're full get it offa me

[She's offering advice, that's absolutely helping. But now that the bee is on his nose she supposes it doesn't do well to just sit and laugh.

All the same she's slow to rise and make her way over and of course takes time to inspect the bee before doing anything about it.

Well. It sure is a stripped specimen of what one can only assume is the bee family but the exact kind...? Maybe like the crabs and such it's a type that they may be unfamiliar with.]

Ahhh... I was really hoping I'd be able to tell if it was a bumblebee. We could have started harvesting honey... [She pouts just a bit still doing nothing about the bee on snout situation.]

—Jesus—

[He slams into the ground from the tackle, grunting in surprise at the sudden charge. He’s about to flip over and grouse at the hound when the deep resounding bellow of the tree striking the ground (shake of the earth include) follows. He instead flips over and backs up further.]

—fuck—

[He winces, eyeing the tree that had silently fallen in his direction that could have easily crushed him. Well unless he figured out how to phase through it quickly enough, but chances where, the tree’s trunk would have just dunked him into the soil and then he would have been trapped in dirt up to his shoulders while trying not to sink down further.]

Holy shit.

[Holy shit indeed.]

[By the time all the dust and splinters had settled a scant few inches from their frantic two-man dogpile, Red couldn't help but peek back somewhat sheepishly at what was- by all rights- his own handiwork, complements of gravity.

And twice as much so when he finally looked back to 'James.']

...You, uh, break anything?

[He stares back at Red incredulously. If he had, he probably wouldn't have been looking at the log so calmly. But. Also. He didn't just chop down a tree and tackle someone hard to keep them from getting squished.]

Maybe I should be asking you that question, pal. You okay?

Nothin' hurt but my pride.

[Then it's just a matter of getting back up to his feet before offering James a hand for the same.]

Sorry you nearly got... log-rolled. Usually when I do this kinda thing I can pick up the tree afterwards.

[He’s about to climb up on his own when he notices the offered hand and reaches to take it, muttering a dry thanks as he moves back upright. To the latter remark, he tilts his head to the side, looking back to the log laying sadly like a dead weight near them.]

What, with that machine of yours that you showed me? Cause I’m not even sure on how y’plan on getting this baby anywhere else as it is.

[Not that James doesn’t mind offering help now that he’s aware of what his new friend’s trying to do, but. Well, yeah. Logging is pretty tough shit, really.]

[Okay Red play it cool don't make this weird, you're helping this guy up after you nearly dropped a tree on him, now is not a good time to get all excited over touching his awesome metallic arm. At least, he's able to contain himself enough to get James back upright.]

Yeah. That could'a lifted this no problem. But now, I'm probably gonna spend the rest of the afternoon just choppin' this thing apart.

[A somewhat hopeful glance over at said metal arm.]

That thing doesn't turn into a chainsaw, does it?

[His brows raise in amusement, him being not the least bit surprised that Red would bring up his arm so casually again after the clear interest he’d shown in their first interaction. It’s only unfortunate that he has to disappoint the guy.]

I imagine it could if the right person messed with it, but I’m gonna have to let you down on that one, buddy. [He chuckles and smiles easily.] That said, it can definitely handle a lot. For that matter, I can handle a lot. So I dunno if you’ll actually need to spend so much time hacking that tree to bits.

...cause I can also tell you now that it’d take more than the whole afternoon for you to chop it all up and lug it all anywhere useful once it’s all hacked to pieces.

Well, gee, if you're going to twist my arm.

[It's a relieved grin and a click of the bone between his teeth.] And here I thought you'd take me nearly droppin' a tree on you a little bit worse than this. I took a second axe in case the first one broke; I can go grab it by the stump.

Don't suppose you're also secretly a lumberjack?

[The last bit makes him laugh in surprise before he manages to reply to any of the rest of it.]

No, no, no, God, no. Not that I probably couldn’t make an honest living off of a life like that, but geezus, as much as I love nature, I don’t know if I could ever be a professional literal tree hugger. Or lugger.

[Walking over to the fallen log, he starts to assess the length of breadth of it for maneuvering as he continues speaking.]

Honestly, I can tell it was an accident. Not much gonna come out of it if I stay mad over it, right? I mean. I coulda died, sure, but I didn’t. And I’ve been through enough harrowing things to be more than grateful for surviving the not-dying part, so. I mean, maybe it’s not so good being that used to it, but I’ll gladly take not being dead over being dead.

Besides, you did save my ass regardless.

--You're tellin' me you've seen so much that nearly gettin' crushed by a tree doesn't even register? What, is this just another thursday for you?

[He rummages by the stump for a moment before hefting another axe. Chopping down a tree with an axe's long wooden handle... just seemed kinda mean to think about.

Oh well. Red forks it over to his chopping buddy, and even has the presence of mind to do it handle-first.]

What did you do back home, anyway?

Well— [It would be a lie to say that nearly getting crushed by a tree wasn’t something completely new and devastatingly terrifying in a way he’d never considered before. He’s been near death plenty of times, in battle and happenstance. But getting taken out by a tree? Watching it fall down on you before it crushes you to death? Or worse in his case, where it wouldn’t really crush him to death, and he’d like just be injured gravely and suffer through the injuries for several months.] —the tree is definitely new. In a. Hopefully won’t happen again sort of way.

I’m a soldier though. [Yeah, keep it simple, Barnes. This guy doesn’t need to know all the details.] Or was, I guess. Still feel like one, but not employed as one. Survived the worst war to befall the planet I’m from though, so. Not really a stranger to danger.

Oh. Hey, that rhymed. [And he laughs because it genuinely caught him off guard.]

[A soldier... if by 'planet' he meant 'Earth,' then this was becoming both intriguing and a little bit troubling. Red knew that back in the human ages Earth had a troubled, storied history, but never the nitty-gritty details.

He leans against his axe for a moment, trying not to look too curious about so grim a topic.]

...Which war was that? I heard there were some big ones.

[He pauses, uncertain of it saying it would make any sense. As far as he knows, dogs aren’t people on Earth, so frankly, his uncertainty comes from a fairly reasonable place.

Still, there’s probably no harm and saying it even if the guy has no clue, right? And at least then it would establish better comprehension of what Red’s even heard of in the way of wars.]

World War 2. Or so it’s called. It’s the worst that’s happened so far for me anyway.

[there's a young man and his dragon stopping by the orchard, though it's actually to check on an earlier thing done there; there's a couple of shrubby trees from Aimintas strapped to Geir's back, their roots still covered in a fine film of sand, but they're not meant for here.

Vern paces the border of the orchard, toeing the recently dug ground there; at one point he actually digs down with his hands, exposing part of the bark sheets he and Shiro lined the area with previously to have a look at it.]

Good...it hasn't broken down at all. Hopefully these filters last a while...

[Geir leans down to sniff at the bark sheets, backing off with a tiny snort when Vern moves to cover them back up. they certainly appear to be doing their job... he casts a dubious eye over the other trees in the orchard. now that Yuuko's instructed him a bit more in tree management, he can see that they're no worse off, at least.]

Do you really think that filtering the water that comes in will make them better? Or is there some other reason you put that stuff in there...?

[he'll try to give the living trees a little extra boost with his enlivening ability for now, just in case it will still help. they do seem to perk up further afterwards.]

It was a guess, since I don't really know how to tell what's wrong with them specifically...if it's some kind of bug or sickness coming in through the water in the ground, the bark might help with that? I figured it wouldn't hurt.

[smiles a little, absently, watching the subtle straightening of the drooping branches out of the corner of his eye]

I don't think anyone really understands what the illness is. It's too bad... I like the trees. I hope they get well.

[he pauses to nose at one and scratch lightly at the bark the way he was taught, making sure it's still healthy. it is! he slumps a bit in relief; oh, good.]

Mm, me too.

[watching him, head tilted slightly, as he finishes reburying the bark lining]

Did you actually want to help here, or--?

Could we, just a little?

[he's hopeful...]

I know you wanted to go plant these, but I like this orchard, too.

I'll stay if you want to do something.

[Geir nuzzles Vern thankfully and takes a few moments to inspect the trees again; it looks like there haven't been any other huge die-offs since the last time he was here, and a couple trees have perked up significantly. he's pleased about it, and after he conscientiously fells a few of the trees that have died off, he walks back over to Vern with a bounce in his step.]

Everybody's doing a great job here...

You're helping.

[skritches his chin...]

[purrs unexpectedly, startled by the gesture, and shoves his face into Vern's hand more.]

--I'm trying to! I like them. You are too, aren't you?

[wrinkles his nose]

Well, a little.

[when there's only one or two people around, preferably.]

Shall we go?

All right. You picked out the place, right? Lead the way.

[he follows along behind Vern amiably. he's noticed for a while now that Vern isn't as ready to jump into the coven's activities whole hog as he is, and he's fine with that; Vern is shy, and does things for different reasons than Geir does. in situations like this, it's enough that he can follow along behind Vern, watching him to see what he does and what he cares about.]

[it's a bit of a walk to the lagoon and its accompanying sandy area on foot instead of wing, but since it's also a break in the continual rains it's actually cool and pleasant . . .]

[Geir breathes in the damp air with deep, easy lungfuls. the humidity here has a different quality than it did in Aimintas, with the forest around them and the cooler air. he didn't mind Aimintas, but he likes this much better.]

I wonder how much colder it's going to get.

[they've not survived a winter together yet.]

[makes a bit of a face]

I hope it doesn't snow. Snow means so much digging.

Do you think it might?

[his eyes go huge.]

I want it to snow... as long as we have someplace to go out of it! You can roll around in it, and it crunches!

[maybe...maybe snow isn't so bad if it makes Geir look like that, Vern thinks]

I don't know, it might? I don't see any snow-shelter on this island, but there's plenty we haven't explored, and it's strange and in the sky already anyway.

We have a snow-shelter! Our cave is fine, especially with the little tunnel at the entrance. If it gets really bad, I can find a rock to block it up.

[Geir's enthusiasm for the idea of snow is growing.]

And we can get a bunch of stuff while we're waiting. Warm clothes and blankets and things to put on the floor. Just in case...!

You're like a little kid . . .

[he's wearing a crooked one-sided smile, though. it's sweet to see.]

It'll be fun, Vern!

[he grins back at Vern, exhilarated. new weather, new sights and smells to share with Vern -- what could be better?]

--let's get a bunch of reeds to make into floor coverings when we're done planting the little trees. That can be our start for today.

Oh yeah, that's a good idea.

[they've gotten most of the death-smell out of their cave, but not all; reeds or rushes would help absorb what's left.]

It shouldn't take long to plant the trees, anyway. We were only able to pack a couple.

I think we need to clean and smoke out the cave one more time before any cold weather, so we'll need a lot of reeds first...

[they're almost at the lagoon by now; Geir looks around with interest to see where Vern is going to lead them to plant their little filter bark bushes.]

I bet more will grow once they've been here a season or two.

Maybe...we should put a tarp up, though. Aimintas didn't have an awful lot of rain, so...

Hmmmmmm...

We might want to plant them under something, actually. If we could find a little stone ledge or something... Aimintas didn't have a lot of direct sun, either.

[what with the ocean in the way.]

Maybe...there?

[up near the outer edges of the beach, furthest away from the actual seawater; there's a likely spot or two with the right shading]

That'd take care of the rain and the sun! I'm sure they'll live there!

[now that Geir is invested in the fate of these little shrubs, he really does want them to survive.]

[they've done a lot of planting since coming to the coven; how weirdly symbolic]

Here, I think...help me dig?

Sure thing, Vern.

[with a huge dragon to help with the digging part, planting isn't a particularly laborious task. Geir's sharp talons can pierce and break up the earth like a child grabbing a handful of sand from their sandbox.]

[the shrubs don't need to be planted terribly deep either, and sandsoil isn't too hard to shift anyway, especially up here where the heavy wet underlayers are deeper down. Vern pats Geir's neck in approval when the holes are deep enough, then plants the shrubs, taking care of shoveling the soil back around their more delicate roots.

a decent bit of teamwork]

I see why you like this.

[Geir stares at the shrubs in satisfaction and imagines their thirsty roots stretching down further and further into the ground; perhaps to the center of the world. he knows they won't go down that far and most plants aren't like the Tree, but it's a fanciful thought.]

You want to head back to the place with all the reeds? We can at least get started...

Mmhm. Let's have lunch when we get there, then do some gathering.

[vern suggesting food before geir does! progress!]

I'll scare all the frogs off for you first.

[teasing, but gently; they can head that way.]

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Orchard Clean Up Log

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