sixthiterationlogs | [MINGLE] Great Shakes

[MINGLE] Great Shakes

WHO: EVERYBODY
WHERE: EVERYWHERE
WHEN: 13 July (afternoon, main quake) - 14 July (morning, last aftershocks)
OPEN TO: ALL - MINGLE
WARNINGS: Potential injuries, PTSD, and anxiety

The sun is still high when the earth begins its initial, almost benign sway, but seasoned villagers know well enough that what follows will be far from gentle. Vibrations ramp up swiftly, exponentially, until within the space of a few seconds, the whole world is shaking — Dishes pinging down from shelves, young trees sifting free of the earth, shingles dislodging and tumbling like rain.

After 20 seconds, the worst is done, and after 30 the shaking has ebbed completely. Some will have escaped relatively unscathed, but others will not have been so lucky...

...and the aftershocks are still to come.

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It was easier to focus on something other than herself. If she let herself remain idle and alone with her thoughts, she would break down. There was no other safeguard against her hysteria. With Robb gone, she felt less steady and her footing was not as sure. She had released herself from feeling nothing, but now there was no one to help her guide those emotions. She had to learn herself, but this wasn't the moment she wanted to begin.

She watched him as he calmed her sheep, feeling a bit of relief at his tenderness with her animals. Few understood her connection with her flock and it was gratifying to see someone else offer such tenderness, especially when she felt void of tenderness as well. She couldn't summon the warmth needed to calm them, not when the last of it went to calm her.

Her eyes scanned the animals, counting in her head. The calves were there along with the lambs and kids, those having concerned her the most. "They're all here. Be careful with the bulls. Garth is more aggressive when he is afraid." She gestured to the bull with a garland wound around his horns.

Danny flashed Margaery a cocky smile. "Don't worry. I can handle it." This wasn't the first time that Danny had calmed an aggressive or scared animal that was naturally dangerous. He had a talent for it and with that talent came an understanding that everything was connected.

If he ever thought about it he might find it strange, given his own anger issues, but Danny had never put that much thought into it.

He jogged back to the flock and smiled at the herding dog. "Hey, want to help me round everyone up and move them towards the barn?" Danny was pretty sure that it was called a barn... that's where animals lived. "I'll get the stragglers."

The dog couldn't understand him but that didn't stop Danny from slowly guiding the animals towards their home. He took his time and didn't rush them until he was sure that they were going in the correct direction.

She met his confident smile with a quirk of her brow, a challenge to see if he could manage as he claimed. Her animals had only been cared for by her or by Ned and Robb Stark. Few others took to her flock in the same way. Garth was naturally aggressive, as a bull should be, but he almost seemed to want to compensate for his garlands. But if he could manage, he'd earn her respect.

"The jail," she called out the gentle correction. "We have no barn." Not yet. It was something Robb had suggested building, but they had never started the project. She would have to begin again next year on her own.

She followed him into the field, watching Gilbert and Danny. As soon as the man started moving, the dog started chasing at his heels, barking at each of the animals. Any stragglers, he would round up himself. "I will open the door for you."

Danny connected his thumb and forefinger together as he approached Garth. His steps were slow and steady but also confident. It wasn't magic or the use of his chi but a mixture of respect and strength. The natural give and take of nature and the understanding that animals and earth are interlinked. His eyes never wavered from the large bull and after a moment, Garth snorted and sat down on the grass.

"Good boy. Now that you're calm will you come inside. It's safe." He reached out his hand and Garth rose, heading towards the jail where Gilbert was herding all of the animals. Danny let him go without a guide and looked around to make sure that no one was missed. A sheep strayed a little to far for Danny's comfort so he jogged over to it, gently directing it the same way that Gilbert had.

This wasn't the first time that he'd corralled animals though he never really took care of animals.

She stood to the side, observing him as he approached Garth without fear. While she was concerned for his safety, she wanted to see whether he managed to calm the bull without difficulty. As soon as he submitted, resting in the grass, Margaery felt her chest loosen. The breath she didn't realize she was holding was finally let out. She might actually have someone to help her, someone her animals took to.

Margaery joined his side, slowly trailing behind her dog and Danny. They didn't seem to care that it was a stranger herding them. He was some sort of animal charmer, something she wouldn't have expected or seen before. There was a pang of jealousy, as it had taken her time to gain her herd's trust. Now it seemed so easy for him. But more than anything, it was a relief to have someone that could help.

"You are good with them."

"Huh?"

Danny glanced back at Margaery and then at the herd as they filed into the re-purposed jail. "I guess so. I've run into a lot of animals in the wild. They're not impossible to talk too but you have to know how to communicate with them." At times it took a show of dominance, other times it took understanding, but animals were keen the listen if you could speak a language that they understood.

Language barriers were tricky between people as well as animals; being yelled at in another language was confusing for everyone.

It was odd. When Danny had been a kid, he's fairly sure that he had killed his goldfish. It's been a long time since he was that young boy though Danny had a habit of comparing his life now with the life he had before the plan crash.

It wasn't the response that she expected from him, but still brought out a look of admiration. "The wild is a bit different from farm animals, but you seem to have found a way to bridge the gap." The dominance, the authority that they required. Sometimes it seemed only as simple as having no sign of fear. Confidence was admired by both animals and people.

"You ran into animals in the wild?" There was a story there and she was curious enough to ask to hear more.

Once the animals were secured in their cell, Margaery knelt before each of her animals, pouring food into their troughs. They ate eagerly, though Garth kept watch on Danny, interested and confused by him. "The others thought I was mad for being so attached to my animals."

Animals were animals, no matter where they lived. "Yeah. I trained in the mountains and it'd happen from time to time. It was there homes and we were guests. It wouldn't have been right to hurt them." Which mean that he had to find away around hurting the animals that didn't involve getting hurt in the process.

Danny's brow furrowed. "Mad?" That sounded like a really weird thing to be mad at someone about. Then again, he didn't know if there was a custom about animals here that he knew nothing about.

His gaze looked over at the other animals before landing on Garth. He flashed the large creature a smile before looking back at their keeper.

"A figure of speech." She said in response. She certainly felt mad at times, given how much her animals had come to mean to her. They were creatures and so far separate from the life she had lived before. But they had given her meaning and a simplicity that hadn't existed for her before. This was a quiet life and one that allowed her to rest and find herself.

"Would you consider assisting me in caring for them?" She asked, wrapping her arms across her chest. "I had others to help as my herd started to grow and expand, but they were pulled from the village." The loss of their help and presence would be an infected wound on her heart.

"I have no means to repay you, unless you would like clothes or blankets?"

Danny didn't think that it was mad, figuratively or literally, everyone had something that they were passionate about. He was passionate about fighting and she was passionate about her animals. It was admirable, even if it wasn't the kind of passion that Danny was able to understand.

"You want my help?" He didn't mean to sound surprised but he was. He'd been in the village for a few weeks but not one had asked for his help. "Ah, yeah. I can help." He wasn't sure what all she needed help but he could figure it out.

"I'm Danny. Danny Rand." He shook out his hand and held it out for her to take. "I wouldn't say no to clothes. I'll probably end up destroying what was given to me." Which was why he often rained without a shirt on, he didn't want to rip the few clothes he had.

"I would." She answered, wiping her hands on the spare cloth she always left in the jail. "If my bull listens to you, then I think you would help a great deal. They don't always take to others. I think that indicates that you're the right person to assist me."

And she needed the help. Her spirit didn't feel as bright as it used to. Having someone else, some company and assistance would let her feel strong again. It wouldn't seem that everything was resting on her shoulders. These weren't just animals, they were living creatures that depended on her.

"I'm Margaery Tyrell." She accepted his hand and gave a small shake. "I can mend them as well. I have a spinning wheel and loom. Anything you need made, I can help."

"That enough for me." Danny wasn't really picky about what he wore and since he wasn't in New York he didn't have to worry about his appearance anymore. "Just let me know when you need me to swing by. I train in the early mornings but I'm free any time after that."

He might have a handful of stupid questions starting out, just because he was good with animals didn't mean he knew how to take care of them, but Danny was a quick and persistent learner. When he wanted to do something, he did it. There wasn't room for maybes or questioning thoughts and he'd already commit to the idea as he accepted to help her.

Danny's hand fell back down to his side as he smiled. "And let me know what you need me to do." That was also kind of important.

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[MINGLE] Great Shakes

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