The things that would have been lost on you

[fooloftheking]

WHO: Bobo Del Rey
WHERE: Butcher shop, Inn, House
WHEN: Parts of December
OPEN TO: Any
WARNINGS: PG unless otherwise noted

---

Butcher Shop - Various days

In truth, Bobo hasn't held a regular job since the latter part of the 19th century, and even since before his death then. Yet there's something to be found in keeping up with something regular that doesn't let him think about how he believes he came to be in this place, and what all he's lost before this. So long as he keeps busy, he doesn't have time to think on it all.

So instead he hunts, and he butchers, and he tends to the skins with the soaking and scraping and all the time that's needed to turn them into well cured furs and hides, as well as stretching and drying sinew for thread.

A lot of his time is spent splitting logs, trying to use a wedge to split them into planks that he can use on the smokehouse. It's coming along though, nearly done, working on filling in gaps and then using mud and other products mixed into a clay to fix the gaps in the boards.

The Inn

Throughout the week Bobo heads into the inn for meals, to drop off meat for the communal meals, and to sometimes rummage through the storerooms for items to help with ideas he has. Not to mention studying the records in ways he's never really given to such things before, mostly to see about what areas larger animals have been seen, and what kind of things he might seek out with Venom. Something to keep him busy seems the best idea and not just some deer or such.

House to the North Village

As of late Bobo has been making the walk to and from his house more often, though only in part to ensure that his roommates haven't destroyed the place, nor disappeared. He comes in, changes so he can wash his clothes of the blood and everything else that ends up on him.

Should someone check on him in the living room though, they might find him stoking the fire... and speaking to something small and brilliantly colored nestled in the ashes. The salamander seems to enjoy the attention, as well as the fire they keep stoked for Vasquez's sake above all else. Not to mention enjoying the treats and tidbits that Bobo brings it. He's never been much of one for pets, but he finds the little guy enjoyable enough.

Comments

[clouded_heart]

The butcher's inevitably draws Foggy to it.

It's the family business and it's something that Foggy knows he can do, while he trains himself up into something else. Something that will help the community and keep him busy and at worst, he can take over if there's no other skills he really picks up.

He enters slowly, looking around and fairly confidently assured. Somewhere here knows what they're doing. Knows a hell of a lot better than him what they're doing on the prepping carcass front. "Hello?"

[fooloftheking]

Everything in the room has been recently cleaned, and Bobo works hard to keep it that way. On some of the walls are hides he's prepping and there's soaps Mark has made stacked on the counter. Hanging from a nail in the wall is a fur coat. From the back there is a voice.

"Hold on."

A moment later someone is coming in the back door from where he's been working on the smokehouse boards. Dressed in jeans and a black henley, his hair starting to grow out and pulled back with a strip of cloth to keep it out of his face. There's bits of wood along his clothes and in his beard that's grown out. For a moment he frowns at the man, trying to think if he's seen him before.

"Can I help you?"

[clouded_heart]

Hides. Soaps. Giant fur coat...

Foggy blinks, pushes a hand through his hair and clears his throat. He's faced down armed gang members in a hospital, bikies with guns in their club rooms, this is nowhere near that bad.

"My name's Franklin, my family are butchers and I thought I might be able to help out here. It's not my livelihood at home, but I know more than most do about butchery and meat preparation."

[fooloftheking]

"That puts you ahead of half this place," he says with a chuckle. "The whole lot of them could probably take down the full army of a communist nation, but some of them don't even have a clue that meat comes from somewhere other than a market," he teases as he offers his hand.

"Bobo, and promise I haven't been work with animals, just trying to get the smokehouse finished so we can maybe manage to get through winter without burying a few in ice banks. If there's even ice banks."

[clouded_heart]

Foggy finds himself smiling, shaking the offered hand. "People I've met so far, that's so true. Could take on an army, but wouldn't think to clean up the blood and get a meal after it."

"Well, if you're Bobo, I'm Foggy. I don't think I've looked a Franklin a day in my life. And if we can find salts, then we can set up some kind of meat preservation in the immediate, but a smoke house is going to be pretty necessary. Luckily, it's damn cold, hm?"

[fooloftheking]

He laughs at that, a hearty sound, well amused by that. "So you've figured that out already, huh? Least it helps with them if things ever do turn in this place. They seem to all be preparing for war while I'm worrying about winter. Most of them won't handle it."

He isn't bothered by the prospect given he's lived through Purgatory winters, but it might be touch and go with some.

"I have a roommate who is one of them," he admits.

The grin holds then, giving him a long once more. "Definitely works better than Franklin, but I was going to let you have it," he admits, waving a hand at him. "Unless you know some here, you're free to be who you want." Sadly knowing people can slow that down, though he's been lucky. Wynonna hasn't torpedoed him. Maybe the truce would work.

"We have some salt, though beware. The red salt is a bit more than most can handle," he says, insinuating that it doesn't bother him with a shrug. "I've tried it for fish, but haven't scraped it off and tried it yet."

[clouded_heart]

"I know a certain number of them from home." Which answers multiple things. Yes, he knows people, he can't really be someone else, even if he's inclined to be (he's not). And yes, he knows what they're like. "My ex-partner is here. And his girlfriend. And one of my dearest friends."

And Frank, who is... Frank.

"I'm game to try the red salt. I have a fairly good tolerance for hot food, so we'll see how I take it and what it tastes like. Sound fair?"

House

[alittlelonger]

While Rinoa knew she could visit Bobo in the butcher, she wasn't super into the actual skinning and blood of animals. A little squeamish, so sue her! She had been mostly staying to herself lately, past the numbness at least but still with overhanging weight of sadness. She was walking to get out of the house and breathing fresh (cold) air, and spotted Bobo from a distance. She didn't realize he was heading home until she was walking in the same direction.

In any other situation, she would be maybe too shy to simply walk up to someone's door, but she felt like the older man and her really bonded. And she sort of needed a break from the people from her world, even though she cared for them deeply. It was too much of a reminder. She knocked on the door and found it unlocked so opened it just a little, poking her dark head in. She wouldn't actually walk into it without permission. She still had some of her manners left.

"Bobo? Are you there?" She did see him come in but it was from a fair distance. He might not stick around long and went out the back door. Rinoa was in her usual blue, and around her neck newly hung a pair of rings on a necklace. They felt like 100 pounds each these days, but she couldn't find it in her to lock them away somewhere. It was a torment having them nearby, but she still kept them.

[fooloftheking]

His coat is flung over the arm of the couch, a pieced together coffee table in the middle of the room, and the man himself is coming back in from the kitchen with a small mug in hand. A mug holding some of his roommate's whiskey that he'd watered down a bit. Vasquez's boyfriend or whatever he is will just have to deal with it.

Glancing up, he blinks and then smiles. "Well hello there," he says, giving her a nod of his head. "Welcome to our humble abode. Can I get you something? Not that we have much. Fresh water, whiskey, my experiments in preserving meat..."

He's never had a chance to be very social in over a century, but the mannerisms are there. In a way.

His smile fades a bit. "You don't live up this way, do you?"

[alittlelonger]

Rinoa waits for the nod and only then she came in. She makes certain to check her shoes to be certain she won't track anything inside, but she is always very clean and careful. Otherwise she might have left her shoes outside, but they're all set. She glances around at the house curiously; she loves seeing the indoors of these houses. They're really nothing like what she's used to. There's a simplicity to it, and she likes that.

"Oh, no, I'm good, thank you." In other situations she might feel awkward, but he puts her at ease fairly easily. She's not aware that it is different for him and other people. Rinoa is used to meeting very different people where she's from, in extraordinary situations, so this is something she's slightly better at than a lot of people. Also, she has a naive tendency to take people as they present themselves, and Bobo's been honest and friendly so far.

She plays with her necklace and shrugs, but shakes her head. "No, I don't. I was just walking and ended up here." She realizes now that it's not nearly as populated as the other area. "Actually, I wasn't even aware people lived over here." Rinoa clearly needs to walk out to new places. "Did you pick to be out here because it was far from that person you don't like?"

[fooloftheking]

They don't have electricity as he knows some do, but there's a fire in the fireplace, with a pot on a makeshift rack that Bobo has put together from things he's picked up along the way. The result is letting them keep something cooking on the fire for dinner for most of the day. At least with that the house smells like meat and some spice, though nothing distinguishable. There's a few of the Snuggies tossed onto the couch for comfort, and the biggest homey touch in the living room.

"Come on in. Make yourself at home. Get by the fire," he says, waving his hand. "Be careful about the salamander though. He's made a home there among the ashes." He's been thee enough days that Bobo likes having the little guy about.

"I'm not sure anyone else does live up here," he admits with a chuckle. "Just me, Vasquez and now Faraday," he says, cocking his head, listening for a minute. "Don't think they're around though. Maybe?" He shrugs, figuring they'll let themselves be known if they are. "Honestly? I'm used to being away from others, by choice or otherwise, so it seemed better. That was before I started actually doing work things here and the weather turning. Small as this place is, I've done pretty well avoiding her. Or maybe she's avoiding me."

[alittlelonger]

Rinoa's house has electricity and she's not entirely sure how it happened, but she's grateful for it. They have a stove and a fridge, so they've been able to stock some food for the three of them. She's already put a lot of touches into it to make it feel more homey, and the three of them have each made their own mark. It's nice. Nicer, she'd say, than the Garden, which is blasphemy, but the Garden had tiny quarters and so many people there. It was very uniform, not personal. She loves homes that have a personal feeling to them, and she can tell this one is getting there.

"Oh hello!" She tells the salamander as she sits nearby but not so close to scare him off. She knows better than to try to touch strange animals, especially ones in this place. "I have one of the peakittens, she is so cute. I named her Julia after my mother." Her mother also had a bit of a flair to her, colorful and interesting. "I'm pretty sure the boys are scared of her." Rinoa laughs. "I got everyone gloves for the house if she tries to sit on them, but they just jump around. Which of course makes her more interested in them." Rinoa thought it was pretty cute honestly. "Their skin makes you drunk. Or drugged. Something like it. A lot of endorphins." She only accidentally did it once so far, and wow.

Rinoa's head picks up to see if she can try to hear anyone else, but no, sounds quiet. "I haven't met them yet. Maybe because you're all out here!" If he doesn't want to join the village though she gets that. He doesn't seem like a very extroverted person, so some quiet must be nice for him. A lot of quiet to think, hopefully not too much sadness, about what he said happened to him. "It's good then, if you're both avoiding each other successfully. We can't really change that we're stuck here. I am really glad the sorceress isn't here though, I don't know what I'd do."

[fooloftheking]

There's marks in the ashes showing that the salamander has been moving about, creating it's own space there. Given they keep the fire going constantly for Vasquez's sake, if nothing else, it's likely to always find contentment there.

"Heard about those. Odd little bird cats, aren't they?" He asks, having not seen them, though he smiles at that description. "That's sweet of you. Nice name too," he says, laughing as she goes on. "The claws are bad then? We're working on cutting hooves for the kirin we inherited when Cael left," he says, giving a nod to the back of the house. "Got them out there, tethered. Working on a place for them come winter though."

He moves to sit down, arching a brow. "They drug you? Heh. No wonder so many in this village want them," he says, shaking his head.

"I've spent a lot of years separated from other people," he admits. "Nature of what all I've been through, and my kind not really being wanted. Not that I blame most people in Purgatory, but they never want to learn the truth about all of us. So it's easier keeping us separated. Guess it was just a thing when I got here. Then Wynonna showed up, and I knew it was for the better."

He needs that distance from her, whether she needs it or not.

"As for the boys, Vasquez gets around. He's been here longer than I have. The other one's new, and I think he's adjusting to the time shift. Only the late eighteen hundreds for him, and trust me it's a huge difference until even this time is, which is behind what I knew."

north village

[quinientos]

Vasquez is still fucking frigid all the time, but at least now he has coats to wear and he has something to do. He's been outside working on the shoes for the kirin, fighting back his hatred of the cold so that he could get measurements of the creatures, making sure to kept them fed and happy.

When he comes inside, there's a strange creature inside the fireplace and Vasquez isn't so sure that he knows what's happening. "Why is there something in there and what are you doing to it?" he asks. "You're not abusing it, are you?"

[fooloftheking]

Bobo looks up from where he's kneeling by the fire and frowns. "I don't know why it's there. It's living there, I guess," he admits, still glaring a bit at Vasquez.

"And I'm feeding him." He sits back on his heels, trying not to look hurt. "Okay, I get it. You know what I am and all, and you know what I do here, but why accuse me of that?"

He holds his hands up, away from the salamander, revealing bits of different kinds of food along the hearth. "I don't know what it eats," he admits. "So I'm trying." Still hurt but trying to act casual. He's a monster, he knows that, but he's been working hard to be kind to the animals he slaughters.

[quinientos]

Vasquez isn't sure he cares when he figures out that being close to Bobo, the fire, and this creature is actually much warmer than anywhere else, deciding that's his new favourite chair to be in. He drags himself in closer, still wearing his full coat. "I just didn't think being a butcher extended to poking at little salamander bellies," he deadpans.

"Are you tickling it?" He doesn't really give a shit if he's flaying it, honestly, not if that warmth is the result. Maybe sometimes, a little abuse is worth it for the end, if it's a tiny animal and it gets warm.

[fooloftheking]

"You only one person?" Looking up at him, arching a brow before barely stroking his finger along the salamader's back, fighting not to jerk his hand back from the burning heat.

"They're fiery, and you have to be careful," he admits, poking some of the tidbits he'd brought it from the butcher's shop closer to him. "I checked the books at the inn. They stay as long as there's heat. Given how much we're stoking the fires here, he may never leave," he admits. "You guys have your pets. I have mine."

[quinientos]

Vasquez settles close enough to not get singed, but to enjoy the warmth, tugging his coat a little tighter and settling in with his head against the sofa, snorting. "You can have the kirin to help too. They have names, also." Brindle and Oughts, which had been Cael's choice, but Vasquez intends to honour him in this.

"How did you even trap it in here?" he asks, a bit marvelling because it seems like a very dangerous thing. "Did it not burn you?"

[fooloftheking]

"I didn't trap him, I found him," he admits, settling back beside the fire, looking up at Vasquez as they talked. "And yeah, kind of," he says, holding up his hand. There's a bit of blistering on his finger tips. "He seems to like it though so..." He shrugs.

"And your boyfriend seems content with the kirin, so letting him have at it. Doubt he'd like me horning in on his territory... again."

Inn - Kitchen with Meat Prep

[minus1twin]

It was just after the daily lunch that Wanda found herself at the inn's kitchen. She was here every day at the same time, cleaning and then setting to her task of preserving the meats and fish that others had caught during the day.

Jon Stark had taught her how to preserve and handle a recent kill and as Wanda recalled the lessons, she realized that had been almost two years ago. This had become part of her daily routine and it was as much a part of her as anything else. She frowned briefly at the deer that had been skinned and was sitting on the table in front of her. "Should I be used to this?" Wanda wasn't asking anyone in particular but it was a strange situation when she thought backwards. She'd never imagined herself doing something like this.

It wasn't a pleasant activity, smell or sight, and she didn't blame anyone who walked into and then directly out of the kitchen as she worked. Bobo, who Wanda had seen in passing, walked in and didn't leave. She looked up from her work and raised an eyebrow in a delicate arc. "Can I help you with something?"

She was wearing a pair of light khaki pants with her long hair tied up at the back of her head in a ponytail. Her shirt was black but a dark apron had been tied around her thin waist to keep her mostly clean.

[fooloftheking]

Still working on trying to preserve things, and the smokehouse nearly finished, Bobo had a few things extra after his experiments, and so he grabs up the line of fish from the trap that had apparently worked, and heads for the kitchen.

Walking in on Wanda there with a full carcass and working on dismantling it, he just stands there for a long time, watching her. At least until he's spoken to.

"I think the question might be more if there's something I can help you with," he offers, taking a few steps closer. "Do you know if it's been fully gutted? Is the head intact? Do you use the bones for the marrow, or stocks?" He's never thought much into where the meals come from, except to provide meat for them. Now he's curious.

[minus1twin]

Wanda continued to press the blade against the dead creature, biting into sinew and bone as she tore pieces away. She pointed to the bucket to her left where she had placed the internal pieces of the deer. "It's there. If no one claims it then it usually gets fed to the animals." Jon had taught Wanda not to waste any part of a creature.

"The bones will be used once I get the meat off them." She still had a couple of hours of work ahead of her though Wanda tried to move quickly so that nothing would spoil.

"Do you want to help?" It'll go faster with two people.

[fooloftheking]

"I wouldn't mind snagging it," he admits, giving her a bright look that is nearly a smile but likely not comforting in any way. "And anything else you're not all using," he says, moving to the counter and picking up a knife.

"I figured whoever was doing the meals would see to that but had to ask," he admits. "Margaery seemed to be the same way when I was up here." It's weird to him to feel this way, to feel that he should contribute and that he can. Odd though it is, none of that slows him down, wanting to keep with this momentum he's found. It's been a lot of years since he's feel that kind of energy to help instead of just hanging onto things so that all Hell doesn't literally break loose.

"You do a lot of things like this before this place?"

[minus1twin]

"Then it's yours." Wanda tried to use every piece of every animal that came through the kitchen but she knew that it wasn't always possible. If Bobo wanted to come and use bits and pieces of things then he was more than welcome too, at least nothing was going to waste.

"No." She admitted honestly before once more tearing into the sinew with a thin sharp blade. "But I've been here for nearly two years. You get used to things like this and you learn." You learn or you die. It had been an ever lasting fact of Wanda's life and she wasn't about to roll over and die now.

"If you help, you can have any piece you like. Most of this will go towards the winter stores but some of it doesn't keep as well as the meat of the animal." Wanda was very pragmatic with this sort of thing.

[fooloftheking]

"Appreciate it. If there's anything you need made from the parts? I'm working on learning how to process it all. Drying out the sinew for laces, working on bone cutters and such. I've used them but never had to fashion them myself. Too much of a fop and a gentleman to have learned that entirely."

Knowing the hows is one thing. Another having practical experience, but he's learning.

"I'm working on finishing the smoke house, so hopefully more of the meat will be savable. Also, we have root cellars. It gets cold enough, we might be able to put in ice to make them an ice box. Would last until spring then."

His original home had one, and ice in Canada had been easy to come by.