ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇ ᴏꜰ ɢᴜᴛᴛᴇʀ ʀᴀᴛꜱ 𓂀 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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sixthiterationlogs2016-09-07 08:24 pm
booklegging) wrote in sixthiterationlogs2016-09-07 08:24 pm
002 ♙ open
WHO: Jess Brightwell.
WHERE: The inn.
WHEN: Sept. 7th.
OPEN TO: Anyone!
WARNINGS: Doomsday prepping because rude, mother nature.
STATUS: Open.
Jess wasn't normally one to spend time idling around when he had a canyon to comb through, but the growing ferocity of the earthquakes had shifted his priorities in an abrupt. Getting caught in the forest during yesterday's quake and nearly pitching forward into some brambles on account of the buckling earth had made it abundantly clear these things were getting worse--and the next one could do actual damage.
To think he'd brushed off last week's as an overactive imagination. Hindsight was 20/20.
He really didn't care to find out how bad their living situation would get if the buildings caved in on their already meager stores, and to that end Jess was determinedly preparing the inn in case of the worst case scenario. Being a pessimist had its advantages.
Jess spent the better part of the morning lugging around water and filling up whatever would hold it, then moved on to the unoccupied rooms in the inn, going through each one and making it less of a potential deathtrap taking down mirrors and moving heavy or breakable objects off shelves. His own room had already gotten a makeover: he'd pushed his bed far from the window, moving the rest of the furniture out of the way so he wouldn't be likely to get crushed by a shelf in the middle of the night.
Better. Not great, but better.
WHERE: The inn.
WHEN: Sept. 7th.
OPEN TO: Anyone!
WARNINGS: Doomsday prepping because rude, mother nature.
STATUS: Open.
Jess wasn't normally one to spend time idling around when he had a canyon to comb through, but the growing ferocity of the earthquakes had shifted his priorities in an abrupt. Getting caught in the forest during yesterday's quake and nearly pitching forward into some brambles on account of the buckling earth had made it abundantly clear these things were getting worse--and the next one could do actual damage.
To think he'd brushed off last week's as an overactive imagination. Hindsight was 20/20.
He really didn't care to find out how bad their living situation would get if the buildings caved in on their already meager stores, and to that end Jess was determinedly preparing the inn in case of the worst case scenario. Being a pessimist had its advantages.
Jess spent the better part of the morning lugging around water and filling up whatever would hold it, then moved on to the unoccupied rooms in the inn, going through each one and making it less of a potential deathtrap taking down mirrors and moving heavy or breakable objects off shelves. His own room had already gotten a makeover: he'd pushed his bed far from the window, moving the rest of the furniture out of the way so he wouldn't be likely to get crushed by a shelf in the middle of the night.
Better. Not great, but better.
no subject
Being able to predict the threat you faced was paramount in staging a defense--Jess knew that with the same basic understanding as he knew his ABCs. How could you predict an earthquake (short of expensive equipment they didn't have)? How could you defend against an earthquake, or people who controlled this place who never showed their faces?
They might as well have been passengers along for the ride for all the control they had. Damn right it was madness.
"You'll get no argument from me. It'd almost be a pleasant change of pace to have a kill squad walk out of the trees armed and ready. Better than an earthquake. You can outmaneuver one, but not the other."
no subject
It worried him, honestly, and he was glad that at least one other person shared his concerns.
no subject
Realistically, of course, it wasn't humanly possible to guard against every potential kick in the teeth. It was the thought that mattered, which Jess expounded on with a shrug.
"We work with what we've got. We already know what they're planning--to keep us here as long as possible--so we can expect more quiet days at best, and more interference at worst. We keep the patrols going and do our best to secure the buildings and get an emergency plan in place for these earthquakes. Then I say prepare for colder weather when we can. Handle each disaster as it comes. Baby steps."
Jess had also been letting the unknowns eat away at him and he felt acutely how poorly he was practicing what he preached. All the more reason to say it.
The next words out of his mouth came with a firm, decided jut to his chin, though he still smiled. If he was going down, he was going down swinging. "Whatever comes, we'll deal with it. That's as simple as plans get."
no subject
At least Jess seemed to understand that to some extent. They would prepare for the worst and hope for the best; Jon could do nothing less and it seemed that Jess was the type of person who would do the same. He was a valuable asset.
"I will, however, prepare for the winter. That's something we know must be coming. It grows cooler every day. We must be prepared to endure it."
no subject
In truth, he didn't sense any doubt from Jon over said convictions. He believed what he was saying. It was a little curious to Jess, used to self-serving motives and double-speak. Jess was making preparations to protect the members of their group, too, but he didn't advertise it as such. Brightwells weren't known for grand displays of selflessness; it wasn't a terribly desirable trait when survival of the fittest ruled the day.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were an idealist," he said. "We'll endure. Don't have much of a choice." For emphasis, Jess gave the waterskin a little shake. In all their time speaking, it hadn't leaked. "Not bad for my first attempt, right? What we don't know, we'll learn."
no subject
"You remind me of a friend of mine, someone in the Watch. He liked to be creative too, loved to read and learn."
no subject
For Jess' part, it's maybe more of a case of a young dog learning new tricks, but considering that waterproofing animal hide isn't something he's ever had to put into practice before this, he thinks getting this far is a sign that those of them here less experienced can grow the skills they need to keep up with the weather. That said, Jess is still grateful he's a fast learner. Very grateful indeed.
Jon's observation was surprisingly on point and unconsciously Jess' eyes flared with interest. "Oh yeah?" He didn't often think of himself as a transparent person, easy to know with his passions on his sleeve, but then didn't everyone think of themselves as more mysterious than they actually were? It was true, either way. Books and the endless troves of ideas contained within them had called to him from the first day his father had put an original book in his chubby infant hands.
"I don't think I know the term. What's the Watch?"
no subject
"We defend the realms of men from Wildlings and Giants and gods know what else."
no subject
One thing did stand out. "So you're a soldier of a kind?" he asked.
A soldier that was part of a company fighting... giants. Actual, bloody giants. And the insane part is, that wasn't even the strangest thing he'd heard out of someone's mouth in this town.
no subject
"It's strange being here. I haven't had to fight or command anyone. I've only had to be myself, which isn't something I've had to be in a long time."
no subject
Time spent here made him feel like he knew a lot less than he'd thought.
"Six years isn't chump change. Is it true what they say, you can take the soldier out of the fight, but you can't take the fight out of the soldier?" he said, lifting his eyebrows. How was someone like Jon finding the adjustment? Saying it was ten shades of strange was probably still a bit of an understatement when the town itself was strange as all hell.
no subject
"It's hard to not be fighting constantly," Jon agreed. "It's hard not to always be on alert from a threat I know how to fight. This place is completely different than anything I've ever known."
He felt it was the same for many people here, all told, but he felt the differences very keenly; this place was as far from Westeros as he could imagine.
no subject
But Jess couldn't say the same about letting go of old threats. They were never very far from his mind, those things he'd been outrunning and the people he'd been outrunning them with. Some days it was like he was looking for an excuse to blame the Library for this, when it was at fault for so much already.
At least then he would be dealing with a familiar enemy.
"But you seem like you're doing all right for yourself. I've seen you coming back from hunting."
no subject
"I know how to keep us fed," Jon agreed. "I know how to survive. It seems that you do as well, judging by that waterskin."
It was a different sort of survival, ingenuity versus brute strength, but Jon could respect it. It was something that would take him far in the world. They needed minds like his as much as they needed bows like Jon's own.
no subject
"Fixing a leak? Sure, that I can do," he said, chuckling faintly, swinging the waterskin again so that the water sloshes. Didn't take a mechanic like Raven to patch a seam. "But if I had to make one of these from scratch I might be on your doorstep asking for tips. I was in training for the army before I wound up here. Basic bush training is a requirement, but I'd never so much as been hunting before I got here. Not even camping in the woods for fun. Put me in the city and I can find you the best price for a loaf of bread, but out here, surrounded by all this nature and quiet..."
It was about as far as you could get from the boom and hiss of steam engines, of crowds and the commotion of morning traffic. Made Jess wish his father had been the outdoorsy type. The only way Jess could picture Callum Brightwell holding an axe in one of his silk waistcoats was if the man was intending to put it in someone's neck.