06 Coconuts & Surprises [OPEN]

[chosenbytheocean]

WHO: MOANA
WHERE: INN/VILLAGE/EVERYWHERE
WHEN: APRIL 7-9th
OPEN TO: OPEN TO ALL
WARNINGS: ADORABLENESS
STATUS: CLOSED
NOTE: Moana was gone for a little over 24 Hours. Anyone at the Inn probably noticed since she lives there and is there a lot. You are welcome to run into her at any point during any post.

---

APRIL 7TH RETURNS TO THE VILLAGE – MID-DAY

Moana didn’t expect to be pulling herself from the fountain wearing the same navy blue scrubs that she had found herself in on day one. She pressed her palm against the fountain’s basin, making sure that her fingers didn’t slip on the wet stone that surrounded the familiar landmark. Moana pulled herself free of the waters grasps and tumbled forward until she was lying face up, her limbs sprawled at her sides. She watched the clouds roll by and while the ground beneath her was chilly, the air brushing over her damp skin felt nice.

She took a minute to lay there, her dark hair heavy with water and matted to her cheeks and neck. She hadn’t had the backpack this time. It was good in a practical sense but she hoped that her things were still in her room. Moana didn’t know how long she’d been gone. Her chest heaved with each unsteady breath and while remaining in her prone state she picked apart her memories of this strange village. It took her a moment for everything to catch up to her and in a rush she was on her feet, running through the town.

"I made it past the reef!"

Moana shouted happily at the top of her lungs. She’d run past people on the streets; pause and then backtrack; running over to them to share her excitement.

APRIL 7TH TALKING TO HERSELF – JUST AFTER HER RETURN

Moana’s excitement was fleeting. At her core, she wasn’t happy to be back in the small foreboding village, not after making it past the reef and then finding Maui. She had something to do, something that only she could do; the ocean had chosen her… … … … … … …

…

Moana stopped mid-step, her palm quickly pressing to her clavicle moving over her chest and then down her sides.

"I lost the heart." Her voice was high pitched and frantic. She turned on her heel and ran back to the fountain. Her hands continued to search her clothing but it wasn’t on her. Her abdomen crashed against the edge of the fountain as she peered over its edge, searching its depths for the small shimmering green stone.

"Give me back the heart!" She yelled at the water. Moana had spent days talking to the ocean, it was her friend, but the water didn’t respond to her now.

APRIL 8TH INN – MORNING

Moana woke with the sun and rolled out of bed. The morning air uncomfortably pricked at her skin as she moved about the small room. Her room was the place she slept, kept her things and a bunny. She didn’t spend a lot of time in her room that wasn’t dedicated to sleeping.

She tugged her fingers through her messy black hair and then headed towards her door, hoping that there might be something small she can eat in the kitchen. As Moana stepped from her room she tripped over a small box that had been perfectly placed to obstruct her path. A loud grunt echoed down the hall as Moana found herself upside down, her feet rather spectacularly positioned in the air and a box resting on her head. She heard the faint clamor of a squealing pig inside the box enticing her to move quickly and release the startled animal.

She hadn’t meant to trip over it.

As Moana opened the box she saw a small baby pig running in very small circles around a coconut. "Hey there. Calm down. It’s okay." She wasn’t going to let the pig out of the box until it was calm.

A half hour later Moana had sorted through the box. There hadn’t been a lot outside of the pig in it but she had gotten two coconuts and two sticks from a tree that she recognized. It was exciting to have coconuts again and given that there were a few people who’ve never eaten a coconut before, Moana set to cutting and cooking one to share with those in the Inn. She hoped that she could spot Credence since she’d told him specifically about coconuts a month or so before.

APRIL 8TH INN – EVENING

With the appearance of the box, Moana had a new project. She sat in the inn’s common room, positioned close to the fire, her feet were bare and her hair was tied in a not on the top of her head. She had the two sticks from a mulberry tree in front of her, both were a little under a foot in length, and a baby pig asleep next to her thigh. The fire had clearly been too much for it.

As carefully as she could, Moana cut a thin line down the sticks, splitting the bark. It was layered inside and with this opening she was able to pull the curled long strip of plant matter from its center. She was very careful while doing this, knowing that she wouldn’t get a second chance if she mess up.

Her dark eyes occasionally flicked to the young pork bun at her side making sure that she didn’t wake him from his sleep. It had been a tiring day for them both.

Comments

[oncewasroman]

Rory nodded, making a mental not to grab some food from his pantry before getting the box of jewels. Moana likely remembered the way to his house, but he took the lead anyway, keeping pace with her as they chatted. "I'm sorry you had to wind up back here. You actually couldn't have been gone for long though -- I mean, unless I have gotten that bad at taking breaks from the hospital," Rory said.

When they reached his house he opened the door for her, "Let me get you something to eat and then we can check out the practical treasure chest my wife received."

[chosenbytheocean]

Moana trailed behind him, her arms swinging at her sides. She knew the way but it was nice to be able to let her mind wander and simply follow Rory. She nodded absently wishing, more than knowing, that Rory was right.

"I'll ask Jyn. She was in my room when I left." They sometimes had sleep overs. Usually when Jyn was looking sad and Moana stubbornly insisted that she not be left alone.

"I don't want to be a bother." She spoke as she stepped inside, her lips twisting in a frown.

[oncewasroman]

Rory smiled, "It won't be. Amy will just be glad I'm doing something outside of the hospital for once with someone who isn't a patient or fellow hospital worker." At least, he figured Amy would be. She certainly let him know often enough that he was spending too much time there, not getting to know the villagers outside of the next tragedy or emergency.

He led her into the kitchen. True, he wasn't a cook like some of the people at the inn and honestly most of their meals were taken there. But Amy and Rory did what they could to have a few things around the house. In this case it was usually left overs of some kind, no way to heat them up, but most of the stuff they brought to the house wouldn't last long anyway.

[chosenbytheocean]

Moana laughed at that. "Are you really there all the time?" She didn't know for sure since she so rarely saw Rory during the day. She sometimes saw him when he was walking but she realized as she thought back to it that he was usually walking to or from the hospital.

She took a seat at the table and watched as Rory moved. She didn't know where anything around his kitchen was and she didn't want to be in the way.

"Are you guys going to get married here?"

[oncewasroman]

"Not all the time...but certainly more often than is probably good for me," Rory said. He knew it was certainly effecting his social life. Not that there was much socializing here, but he found more often than not that he didn't know the names of many of the villagers if they hadn't passed through the hospital at one point. He didn't go to the fountain or the inn much, so he wasn't greeting new arrivals like many others had taken to doing.

Rory sets a plate of jerky and some fritters on the table, picking up one piece of jerky for himself. He never really cared for it before, but it was a decent source of protein and they didn't have many other options.

Rory chuckled, "No. We did that awhile ago back home. Amy's still pretty upset that whoever brought us here took our wedding bands though. I'm not looking forward to the day she gets her hands on whoever or whatever brought us here...but I thought in the meantime I could make us a second pair." He paused, tilting his head thoughtfully, "Actually...we might be approaching our anniversary soon. It's a little difficult to keep up with exact dates, but it's starting to feel like summer and we were married in June. I imagine it must be close."

[chosenbytheocean]

Moana began to pick at the plate. She didn't know what the fritters were but she wanted to try it. She ate in silence and listened before breaking into a bright grin. "Your anniversary! You should do something for her." Getting something to replace their wedding bands was a start but Moana thought that Rory should do something else here. For both of them while they're stuck here.

"Are you? Going to do anything?" She asked, separating the question into two as she plucked a piece of jerky from the plate.

[oncewasroman]

"Well...that was sort of the plan with the jewelry and the attempt at replacement wedding bands. But, I suppose I could try coming up with other ideas as well," he mused, thinking aloud. He had a feeling he wouldn't have to ask for much help if Moana was involved. Though, knowing Amy, she was probably planning something of her own.

"I'll have to figure something else out I suppose..."

[chosenbytheocean]

Moana smiled. "If I can help then let me know." Rory had always been nice to her and she'd like to repay him for that kindness.

"Can I see the stones?"

[oncewasroman]

Rory blinked, "Ah...yes."

He turned and went to go fetch the box Amy had kept the jewels in. It was weird thinking they had just a crate of jewels laying around. He returned a few minutes later, setting the box on the table, "Help yourself," he said. Seeing it on the table he was reminded of his time with the pirates, it really was like something out of a movie.

[chosenbytheocean]

Moana took the box and began to shift through it. She was poking at the stones lightly before she found a pearl that looked very beautiful. She knew how to work with those.

"I can use this." She lifted it up for Rory to see, pinched between two of her fingers. "If that's okay."

[oncewasroman]

Rory couldn't help himself, he looked over Moana's shoulder and watched her go through the gems. It really was weird to think they just had a box of gemstones sitting on the kitchen table like it was a box of cookies or something. He could tell them apart by color and cut, but other than that he really didn't know what to do with them.

"You can? Great. Do you need anything else?" If this would be even a start to an anniversary gift Rory was pleased.

[chosenbytheocean]

Moana shook her head. "Nope. Um..." She looked around the room and then focused her attention back on Rory. "Should I bring it here when I'm done? It's a surprise right?" She didn't want to accidentally ruin a surprise.

She wasn't that great at keeping secrets.

"If not you can just stop by my room at the inn in a week. It should be done by then."

[oncewasroman]

He thought about it. Usually he didn't like to keep secrets from Amy. She was good at sniffing them out. He nodded, "Let's try to keep it a secret if we can. It might be easier for you to drop it off at the hospital. Amy only comes there when she needs to drag me out." It was easier for her to do that here since it wasn't like he was actually working a job. He was getting better at not spending ALL of his time there though, now that it was more or less cleaned and fixed up.

"Oh, or I could come to the inn...that would work too," he said.

[chosenbytheocean]

Moana wasn't the best at keeping secrets but she didn't see Amy all that often. She didn't think it would be very hard for her to do this. With a quick nod of her head she flashed Rory a warm smile.

"Stop by the inn in seven days." She'd make sure it was done by then and it'd be easier to hide the final product in her room since she didn't use her pockets. She wasn't used to them and usually forgot that her pants even had pockets.

[oncewasroman]

Rory usually doesn't pay attention to the passage of time like that, he knows some people mark the days in notebooks or on walls. He hadn't been motivated before, but now he has a reason to do so. He'll have to keep it from Amy, but he should have no problem just marking the days until then. He'd also need to start thinking of what else he could do for his wife.

"Okay. I'll come by then. Are you sure there's nothing else I can do to help or pay you back for this?"

[chosenbytheocean]

Moana shook her head. "I don't need anything. Besides, you've already been so nice to me." She smiled brightly at him before taking the pearl and turning to leave.

"See you in a week!"