sixthiterationlogs | A whiskey bottle comforts me and tells me not to cry

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A whiskey bottle comforts me and tells me not to cry

WHO: Joshua Faraday
WHERE: Fountain. North Village. South Village Inn
WHEN: Middle of November
OPEN TO: Vasquez, All
WARNINGS: Will update if needed

Arrival

Last he'd known was a comfortable bed, a full belly, and a lot of nightmarish thoughts of how he and the others might die the next day. Somehow finding himself drowning rather than waking up to die is far more fear inducing.

Dragging himself out of the water and onto a bench, he lay down there in the sun for a bit, trying to dry off and buy himself time not to think about this. Whatever this is. Nothing looks right. His clothes aren't right. Hell, for all he knows this is Hell and he never made it out of Rose Creek except in a shallow hole. However it happened, he's not ready to think about it.

Also to not think about the pain he's got in his gut, his skin feeling tight and his head pounding. Drowning will do that to a man. So will being a mostly functioning alcoholic without a drink and with your body having a fit that you're running on empty.

So he lay there under the sun, not caring it is cold on his wet skin and clothes and pretends none of this is happening while he tries to clear his head.

The Inn

Finding Vasquez after Joshua gave up on ignoring how much like shit he feels hadn't done much to help in so many ways. He knows things got bad. Like he's been in a coma bad or the like. He's gotten some whiskey though, and he's been nursing the bottle for a few days to try and not get back to feeling like he did when he arrived.

Not that things are much better. Between Vasquez's attitude, the revelations that were made, and the weirdo who apparently wore a fur coat for everything - maybe even sleeping - and he just needs time to think.

So he makes the hike down to the Inn every few days, getting a meal and trying to make sense of his place and all that he seems to have lost. At least now he has a white linen shirt to wear and so he's only got on the yellow pants with the shoes they gave him. It all feels weird, but the food is familiar enough so least there's that.

He's curious about others though, settling down at tables where others are and giving them a minute or two before asking about where they came from, what they do here, or what happened to them before they got stuck here.

The House - Locked to Vasquez

It's been a few days and Joshua is still trying to work this out. He's not sure what to think about Vasquez and this Booboo fellow or whatever the hell his name is. He's not sure how to handle that Vasquez is being with others. It's all so different than what he's familiar with, especially since even having feelings like that he hasn't let them so because it's wrong and screwing that up could have caused a lot of shit in a war they had started.

Jack had been a bear in a human suit, but Joshua is pretty sure their roommate is definitely a wolf in sheep's clothing, so he's glad when he wakes up and he's apparently gone and out.

Sitting on the front porch in the chill air, sipping a bit off the little bit of whiskey he has left in the bottle and trying to not think while waiting for Vasquez to get up.

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"Mostly? They show up in a magic box," Vasquez admits bluntly, seeing as he's seen some native species, but none that are tobacco, which is unfair to people like him who have been smoking for most of his life. Sure, he sees why people might change their mind in the future about it, but that doesn't help him.

"Let's start with the animals. What do you want to rustle first?" he asks, hand going to his lasso. "We can drag it back, figure out a pen."

He's dead but not. Magic boxes. He wants to call bullshit so bad but he doesn't. If they're going to make this work, they've got to work together, but those weird things can wait.

Talking about animals, that at least makes sense.

"I'm thinking those sheep maybe. You know if anyone's tried to eat them? Mutton ain't so bad."

"I think they keep them alive for their wool so people can make clothes," Vasquez says, with a faint hint of warning that Faraday better not try and kill one of them to eat for a meal when they could stay warm for a season. "There's fish in the river, and enough wild venison to keep us with protein."

"And eggs," he adds. "Besides, if we can find enough liquor, who cares?" He should be joking, but he's not. Plenty of meals can be pushed aside for a good drink.

"Well course you want them for that, but when they get older..." Then you get mutton. He knows that much. "And you ever spun wool? I knew a girl at one of the saloons used to do this thing at the bar when things were slow with a one of those spinning things."

Yep, technical terms here.

"So chicken definitely. I've fished before," he's says, nodding. "And how are people taking down those deer?" He misses having a gun. Or even a bow and arrow.

Laughing though, shifting to nudge him with his shoulder. "Wanda, this girl I talked with, she says someone named Sam makes some, keeps it in the kitchen sometimes. Moonshine. It was ... It was rough," he says, shaking his head, though he's grinning. "Might be able to snag some of it, bleed it off and store it at the house."

They live far enough out from others it should work well for them to store it at home and no one find it.

"No, spinning isn't for me, but I think other people here said they would," Vasquez admits, which means they'll need something to barter with, but he's sure that he could figure something out. "Some people made arrows and bows. Like Red," he supplies, thinking that if Red Harvest were here, he could take down three in one go.

"Or like Billy, knives," he adds. It's only that he and Faraday (and Goodnight, too), relied on guns, though at least Vasquez had one more avenue. He pats the lasso at his side. "I could bring them down."

"We get enough of a farm going, would give us ways of trading for them to do it," he says, thinking back to his childhood. "And need a means to shear them. Going to go through the supplies in the inn while we're down there as well. See what all they have we can borrow."

And by borrow he means bring north and maybe forget to return.

"Well that's one of us. I'm used to having a shot." He paused, considering. "Wondering if I could use a sling to take down something."

That gets an amused snort out of Vasquez, because he can just see that happening and the animal not doing anything more than taking a bit of a sting to its body. "I'd like to see you try," is his reply, amused and willing to actually want to see if in practice.

"I think it's better for me to lasso it, then you to use a knife. You didn't listen to Billy?" he teases. "He wanted very much to teach everyone how to properly use a knife."

"Course I listened to Billy, and I know how to use a knife." He rolls his eyes, making a face at Vasquez. "I think I'd rather try a bow. Though we both know I'll work with a knife more," he says, shaking his head. "This place is literally out to set me up," he says, believing that. Well only kind of.

"Okay so you've been here longer. What should I be looking at livestock wise?"

Vasquez has terrible nightmares about what Faraday with a bow will be like, but it's not like he's about to get shot in his sleep. Bobo? Well, that's another story that he doesn't want to think too much about, but he thinks if he's firm enough, he'll aviod him.

"We can find some goats and sheep. Chickens," he says. "Start there, and we have milk, eggs, and maybe enough to raise and kill for meat," he adds. "And then we can go find something for you to adopt, one of the strange animals."

"You make it sound like it'd be a pet. I don't do pets. They can't work, they're takin' food off our table," he says, shrugging.

"But we'll see. They got horses around here?"

"I wouldn't mind a dog," he admits, because that kind of steady loyalty and companionship would be good and if they do end up bringing on farm animals, he thinks it would be a good help to drive away predators.

"Not horses," he says, even if there's a strange look on his face. "Something like horses, though. It's called a kirin? They're strange, but they're close enough."

"I can see that. A real one and not one of those lizard dogs. Someone that can guard and work, and help out. That's acceptable." Not that he totally has a say in it, or that he won't get attached to it and they both know he will.

"Are they that strange?" He sees that look, Vasquez. Took it wrong, but he sees it.

"You can go see them sometime if you want, but you could run into Cael," is all he says, because it's not like he's going to go around and talk loudly about the men he's slept with, but it might come up. "I'll see if I can find us a proper dog, maybe."

"You can go meet the kirins."

There's few reasons he can imagine that Vasquez might warn him in that way, but he doesn't like them at all. Making a face, shaking his head. "I'll worry about whatever these kirin things are later," he says, not wanting to have to run into another close friend of Vasquez's. Not anything he wants. Not in the least.

Vasquez claps Faraday on the shoulder, because whenever he does go to see them, he's going to find himself faced with a bit of a surprise, but he thinks he'll be amused by that.

"For now, let's stick to goats?" he suggests, because that might be easiest.

Faraday nods, glad to stick with anything he knows. "They run wild here, or what? I've avoided cattle rustling in my day, but not sure that counts with goats," he admits, lips pursing as he tries to consider that.

"I've seen a few of them," Vasquez admits, not so sure where they can rustle one up, but he's already grinning as he thinks about the idea of watching Faraday try and tame a goat, or trick one into coming home with them. "We're going to have to just see you try, no?"

He gave Vasquez a look, nose wrinkling. "Why me? I thought this is what you did?"

Knowing it's not the same, but that isn't going to stop him from teasing Vasquez about it all. Even though he's liking this idea, the thought of starting something here that could actually last.

"Maybe I want to see you try," he says, though his hand will be at the ready with his lasso the instant that Faraday asks for help. He grins as he watches him walk, because Faraday wrestling a goat? It's better than any joke someone could tell him.

"I'm sure you do," he says, rolling his eyes. "But it's fine and I can handle it," he adds, knowing he can do it. Or planning to find any way to do it, whatever it took.

"Besides, how hard can they be?"

More dangerous words, probably never spoken. Vasquez smirks and watches as Faraday heads off, seeing as he's going to get some goats, but until then, it will be amusing to watch him try.

"Not hard at all, definitely not for a man like you," he assures with a grin.

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A whiskey bottle comforts me and tells me not to cry

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