[open] Normal guy, forest guy, just like normal forest guy~

[poaceae]

WHO: Fern Mertens (The Grass Boy)
WHERE: Outdoors, etc
WHEN: Mar 10ish
OPEN TO: All, Diego Hargreeves
WARNINGS: Random violence possible

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Village Perimeter

OTA

Fern's been feeling more like himself since a week spent on a mysterious quest, fighting monsters and hunting down rare plants. The warm clothes may have helped some too... He's still not good at not being essentially invulnerable, as evidenced by a number of scratches the color of bruised grass on his arms and face. Today he's opted to change his grass shirt and shorts for real fabric pants and t-shirt as well as a blue hooded cloak he found in the store room that he thought looked cool. The hood stays down so as not to interfere with his own (maybe a?) bear hood.

He patrols the village perimeter, marching along like a toy soldier with his wooden sword and waving it at any animal he sees while yelling "yeah, that's right, you'd better run!"

For once, he actually seems kinda pretty happy.

Village Edge

Diego

But one can only patrol an unthreatened perimeter for so long before getting bored. And when he does, Fern turns to pretend-fighting an evergreen bush.

"You think you can just walk in here and attack this here village? You think you can take me?" he demands of the bush, pointing his sword at it. "I'm Fern Mertens, ya heard? Yeah, you're in for it now!"

He then proceeds to throw himself at the bush, attempting to cut it six different ways. It being a bush, and his sword being made of sharpened wood, he manages only to break a whole lot of twigs and cut some leaves off the thing.

"You're not so big now, are ya?"

Outer edges/outside the village, around the bunker, etc

OTA

He definitely loses focus after a while, forgetting altogether that he was trying to patrol the village and make sure everything is safe, hero-style. Instead he takes to wandering, tugging on the occasional branch, moving the occasional rock with his bare, two-toed foot, generally behaving as one does when looking for a hidden door one is certain is nearby. He keeps this up for hours, days, weeks. He may wear the same white shirt and blue pants every day, but he never does seem to bother with shoes or socks.

Comments

[clouded_heart]

"See, so now you focus on good stuff. People always need raw food ingredients, so if you're any good at hunting, you can do that. Some people are making furniture, so you could help cut up wood with an axe or learn how to use the tools to make stuff. I've been doing that. I'm not amazing at it, but I keep trying, because I'm getting better. That first step to being good at something? Is sucking at it and trying anyway."

[poaceae]

People keep telling him that, that he should hunt or cut wood or something. Don't they get how boring that would be after the first hour or so?

But that last sentiment has Fern slumping, his eyes returning to normal as he blinks. 'Sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something,' that's what Jake said. Man, he really misses his brother.

"I guess so. Whatever."

[clouded_heart]

"I know sucking at stuff isn't a lot of fun. But sadly, life isn't all fun. Or fair." It's a hard lesson to have to learn. "What do you like to do for fun?"

[poaceae]

No, it isn’t fair. And it makes him want to destroy things. But Finn wouldn’t destroy things, and how can he take Finn’s place if he can’t even fake it?

"I like fighting evil..."

[clouded_heart]

"I bet you do, buddy. You know, I know a few other people who like fighting evil, who live here. Maybe you and them can get together and teach each other some tricks? There's a dojo, people do combat training there, I believe..."

[poaceae]

He considers that with much the same reluctant expression as someone trying to decide on a topic for a school assignment.

"Maybe... I guess teaching isn't totally lame."

[clouded_heart]

"And learning new fighting moves from other people," Foggy reminds him.