falling like a snow in july;

[obscurissime]

Who: Scratch and MAYBE YOU??
What: A catch-all for July, some event stuff, some day-to-day stuff.
When: Throughout the month!
Where: All around (primarily in Milton).

Content Warnings: TBD.

(( This will have open and closed prompts. Feel free to hit me up on Discord, via PM, or at blackspire if you'd like to do some things. July Event plotting comment is HERE. ))

Comments

closed to billy;

[obscurissime]

( While it's not the most ideal situation, Scratch supposes that having Billy come give him some sort of trim is better than nothing. It's not like they can operate any electrical razors, after all, and while Scratch can certainly take a sharp knife to his beard ... Well. It'll be good to have it trimmed, first.

Milton hasn't destroyed his vanity yet. He'll take what he can get to maintain something that doesn't scream "post-apocalyptic-chic".

Because a deal is a deal (and Scratch is willing to act like he cares about fairness right now), he pulls the bag of beef jerky out of its cupboard. At least this way Billy will know he's not bullshitting about it. Through the large picture window, Scratch can see the man coming up to the cabin. He moves to greet Billy at the door, slapping a smile on his face. )

Hi. Thanks again for doing this. I have the stoves going so it should be pretty comfortable inside.

[notarat]

[ Some people might have had second thoughts about this, given how things had gone down during the last town meeting. It wasn't too hard to notice a certain hostility to people whose acts had been deemed as going too far, after all. But given Billy's own close proximity with one of those people, it's not like he's going to mind any other one of them. Yes, his initial brief talk with the other does have him thinking that Scratch is pretty odd, if not maybe dangerous, but--

Well, when has that ever stopped Billy.

Hence why he's here, like this is just a normal appointment. It might as well be. Billy seems entirely calm, after all. Perhaps a touch withdrawn, but that's more a personality thing than a reaction to the other man in particular. ]

It's very little trouble to me, Mr. Wake, though I appreciate your thoughtfulness. [ He replies, shaking his head a little. ] While we are all stuck here together, we might as well put our own abilities to work. And it so happens that I could certainly use that reward you promised.

[obscurissime]

I'm glad to give it away if it means I can have some semblance of normalcy.

( He steps aside so Billy can come in. The cabin is, indeed, warming up nicely thanks to the large stove that sits in the main room. Scratch has pulled a chair out and set it in the middle, so he has a place to sit while Billy does what he can. )

And it's nice to see everyone moving on from ... Well. You know.

( All that stuff with the murdering of people and all that. )

[notarat]

[ There's a slight hum, like Billy knows very well what the other man is talking about. He's been thinking about it plenty himself - though almost more about the meeting afterwards than what happened during the month itself.

At first that's the only reaction though. Maybe since he seems busy putting the equipment he brought along on a nearby table, so he can reach it while standing near the chair.

It's apparently lingering in his mind though, since after a moment of doing so he can't help but ask: ]

Has anyone said anything to you regarding it after the town meeting was over?

[obscurissime]

( Truth be told, he wouldn't mind if they just did this in silence. He makes small talk because it's expected, because people are supposed to do that or whatever, but if no words were exchanged then it wouldn't be terrible.

But he's not annoyed by the conversation starter, either. People are useful if you play your cards right with them. )

Hmm? Oh. No. I guess I see why they wouldn't.

( He smiles, just a little, and there's something convincingly self-deprecating about it. As if he, as Alan Wake, is used to being in contention with people or as if he would be the same way if the roles were reversed. )

I've never been great at making friends. I was a shy kid, now I prefer to sit in a room with my typewriter.

( He doesn't say it out loud, but the implication is clear. The people with friends in this town were viewed less harshly than those on the fringes. )

[notarat]

[ He catches the implication. It's not like it's a very difficult idea to plant in Billy's mind when he has definitely thought the same - among a whole slew of other things - ever since the meeting. ]

I understand the sentiment, Mr. Wake. I cannot claim to be the most sociable person in town myself. [ Far from it, really. Billy is surprised that he even holds his connections with a few people very close here - it's more than he's ever really had back home.

But considering how beloved some people seem to be in the community-- It's nothing in comparison to that.

Even as he's talking, Billy is slowly starting to get to work here too. It makes the way he's talking a little slower, like he is focused on what he's doing here, but he still goes on to say: ] But someone did speak up in your favor, didn't he?