the frost, it looks like dust, settled on the world —

[misshuang]

Who: Miss Huang + YOU!
What: general arrival catchall / event-related threads to be added in later.
When: December - January.
Where: Milton for now, may add more later.
Content Warnings: None explicitly, but themes of her canon content warnings may make an appearance in my introspection for her.

Note: I did have Miss Huang on a previous TDM; however, I've apped her in now from a later canonpoint. For that reason, I'll be clean-slating that TDM arrival and bringing her in fresh for new interactions!

Comments

general store

[pacificator]

[ Why is there a fucking child wandering around the store. Is this like whatever it was that happened to Kate a while back? But this kid isn't anything like Kate-the-child, who let Wynonna dress her snugly in snow pants and warm mittens and boots that would have made Waverly at four years old deeply jealous. She's wandering with purpose through the shelves as Wynonna comes in with a basket full of jars, each one filled to the top with moonshine.

They make a loose sloshing sound, jars clinking lightly together as she heads into the store, peering around for Louis before heading straight to the collection of canned fruits. She's checking over a slightly banged up can of pears when the girl walks by, and Wynonna half-turns to follow her with her gaze. ]

Sorry, kid. Looks like the place is all out of Kraft Dinner.

[misshuang]

[ The girl immediately perks up into attention when the woman addresses her, turning her head fully to the side first, before her body follows suit. Being called "kid" as though she's a mere child (Miss Huang, you are a mere child) is mildly insulting, but she's not so unused to it. Helly R. had a similar disposition towards her... ]

Good day. I'm not looking for dinner crafts right now. [ She answers earnestly and with great misunderstanding of what Wynonna actually meant. ]

I was actually looking for tools. [ She, um, needs an axe... Miss Huang's brows lift with curiosity as her eyes flit down to the basket in the woman's hands, and she asks, cheerfully: ]

Did you bring something in to trade?

[pacificator]

[ Wynonna's brows drag together in a bemused frown before she shrugs it away; maybe the kid just isn't from a place with boxed mac and cheese. ]

Uh, yeah. Moonshine. Homemade hooch. I trade a few jars for some cans of fruit to make more. Boom, everyone wins.

[ Except whoever might have wanted that fruit to eat, she guesses. She turns a little more to face the girl, curious. ]

What kinda tools you looking for? I've got a bunch I can loan you.

[misshuang]

[ The girl stares with a look that's polite but empty, devoid of any real understanding. Moonshine? Hooch? If it's made out of fruit, then— ]

It's like fruit juice?

[ At once her smile brightens abruptly, enthused by the idea of the woman having what she might need to borrow. ]

I really need an axe. For manual labour, like chopping wood, and getting more kindling. [ She has only recently learned what "kindling" is, and she's very proud to use the word that Dorian taught her... ]

[pacificator]

Uh–

[ Wynonna glances down at the jars in her basket, their neat lids labeled, filled with gently sloshing clear liquid. ]

A lot stronger than fruit juice. Do you...

[ Her eyes narrow thoughtfully as she considers the kid, those neat pigtails and her unfazed calm. Maybe that's what somebody needs to make it in this place without falling apart.

Or maybe she's a tiny sociopath. Who knows? ]

Have you, uh, ever chopped wood before?

[misshuang]

[ Stronger? Now that has her attention. Probably the woman means it has some sort of special vitamins, some kind of boost, and Miss Huang is very interested in becoming as strong as she can while she's here for further training in this frigid world. (Or at least, that's what she believes she's doing here...) ]

In that case, I'd most certainly be interested in trading for some. I'm trying to improve my stamina to become a more productive worker.

[ Child no.... ]

I haven't, but I'm looking forward to learning. I think I could even offer that to people for trading, since everyone needs firewood.

[pacificator]

[ Look, Wynonna herself had been drinking when she was this kid's age, but even she knows that's not a good thing for a growing child, even an uncannily well-spoken one like this. She grimaces, nose scrunching up, and shakes her head. ]

It's alcohol, kid. Not a green smoothie. This stuff'll do the opposite of improving your stamina.

[ For her, anyway. She still maintains it only improves Edward – and a bunch of the others here.

The girl is so slight, though, and if she's never chopped wood before she might easily find herself in over her head, and quickly. It's none of her business, but... ]

Probably should learn how to do it first before you start offering to help other people with it. And you're going to want to build up the calluses on your hands so you don't rip up your palms and fingers by doing a lot more chopping than you're ready for.

[ It's none of her business. It's none of her business! ]

...I can show you, if you want.

[misshuang]

[ She may not know the words moonshine or hooch, but she knows this one. Alcohol. The woman is making and trading alcohol?

The girl's expression changes in seconds. The cheerful, polite, (too-practiced) smile vanishes, and in its place is a more severe stare. Still, Miss Huang is careful not to jump to assumptions, as she's been taught. Alcohol isn't necessarily bad, as long as someone's responsible about it. (You are responsible about it, right Wynonna? Right??)

While she's marinating over how to reply about that, the woman's offer is an unexpected distraction, and admittedly the girl finds herself intrigued by the insights of things she'd never considered. Build up callouses, prepare so she can be more efficient at this task — this is the sort of help she needs. So she's still staring at the woman for a long moment, before she finally replies, and she is grateful. ]

That's a very benevolent offer. I would appreciate the opportunity to learn from you.

[ But then, in the next beat— ]

You are making and trading alcohol... responsibly, right? I mean, following the correct.. procedures and everything? Making sure of who has access to it? [ She doesn't really know what all is involved with such a thing, only that she's certain there should be procedure. And it's probably not a good idea for any innies around here to get ahold of alcohol... so is the woman taking care about that, too?? ]

[pacificator]

[ ...Fuck. Edward is really rubbing off on her, which she guesses was only to be expected — payback for all the changes she's encouraged in him, maybe. But this kid accepts right away, of course, which means Wynonna is locked into helping yet another child try not to die here.

(Not that Kate's much of a child anymore. She's got to be almost Waverly's age now, after two and half years here.)

This girl isn't much like Kate, aside from sharing a certain amount of youth, but Wynonna's weathered enough of Kate's disappointed looks to let those next questions slide right off. ]

We're stuck in a frozen hellscape that's always trying to kill us. Nobody here gives a shit about my procedures as long as I keep the liquor coming.

[ Which is a long way to say: fuck no, she's not responsible about it. Warning a kid what it is before they drink it is as far as she goes. ]

Look, I've been camped out in the old post office, turned it into a saloon. If you come with me, I'll show you how to use an axe and give you some hot food, and in return you can get some practice chopping wood for me. Deal?

[misshuang]

[ Sorry Wynonna, she is definitely not like Kate. Historically, there has been at least one adult who probably wanted to throw hands with her and resisted only through sheer force of will (here's looking to you, Mr. Milchick).

The woman's language also definitely registers as offensive — even worse than that, unprofessional! While Miss Huang appreciates the help she's offering, she also can't refrain from lifting her chin, eyebrows shooting upwards. ]

Procedures are always important. Otherwise, the workplace falls into chaos and despair.

[ The world she comes from is weird as fuck, okay. ]

If you're going to offer goods and services to customers, then you definitely need to follow procedures, [ she adds, bossily. And, to the woman's offer, what she focuses on first is— ]

Did you get the right permits and everything when you converted the post office? What about the safety codes?