revivalproject | [Open] These Broken Pieces Of Life

WHO: Tommy Shepherd, Open
WHERE: Young Avengers HQ, The Diner, The Greenhouse, The Beach Cave Hot Springs
WHAT: Returning to Temba, Broken Down Home, Farming, Failing To Hide Emotional Pain.
WHEN: August 1st through 15th
WARNINGS: N/A

I. Another Ruined Home | Young Avengers HQ

Freedom. Sunlight. A sandwich made of greens and beautiful vegetables from the greenhouse. A meal that was doing nothing to make what was before him any better. Home, for the last several years... Broken.

"Fucking hell," he grumbled around his mouthful of baconroom wrap. "Because when it fucking rains..."

It fucking poured. The roof was busted open, the door fallen off, and he could already see through the opening that their shared living room space was fucked. And now Tommy had no choice but to hope that things would be fixable. That he could bring out the things that mattered until such time he could have his home and his life back.

"Fat chance that, with my luck."

II. Moving In Day | The Diner

It's only temporary, Tommy tells himself as he pushes into the Diner and puts the heavy box in his arms on the table. He's so tired after all of the work of cleaning the HQ out. Fuck, he just hadn't wanted to deal with that today.

"Tea," he decides, moving to the counter to fish out the kettle so he could fill it with water. Once he's got the thing full and his hand near it to start heating it, he looks to the door in the corner that he never really used. One of the two sets of stairs that led up into the apartment that was once Eli's. A space that hadn't been used in years.

"Home sweet home I guess. But damn, how am I supposed to get a new bed up the stairs? They're narrow!"

III. Whistle While You Work | The Greenhouse

Stressed? Frustrated by the turn of events? Need to feel accomplished in life? Have you ever considered Farming(tm)?!

Tommy groans at the voice running stupid infomercials in his head as he enters the greenhouse, grabs a basket with pruning sheers and gloves from the door, and looks around. The green, the smell of plants, the familiarity of this place... It's strangely soothing to Tommy. Like coming home. Perhaps it was, given no one had put as many years of care and attention into this place as he had.

And this? This was the place he remembers. Tommy immediately moves to the first area where he should have been harvesting already and sets into it. And he pauses only when he hears motion.

"Someone there?" he calls out, looking around. Strange. Not many people came here like he did.

IV. The Calm Is A Lie | Beach Caves Hot Spring

He didn't come here often. There was always the risk he'd turn the wrong way and end up in the crystal rich parts of the minds. Super charging his powers right now was not something Tommy was particularly keen on. It would only make all of this decidedly worse.

Caution was the watch word as he moved through the caves, hand on a wall, until he could hear the water and feel the heat. The springs. A place to soak sore muscles, and he'd been sore as hell since they'd headed underground. No amount of sauna could have helped with it. Now Tommy didn't hesitate for even a second to strip out of his clothes and slip into the almost too hot water.

"Fuck," he mumbled once he was settled into it. It felt so good. So freeing. So nice.

"Fuck," he repeated as he felt a sting in his eyes. It's just from the heat of the water. It's from how hot it is, turning his skin a little pinker. That's it. He's not crying. He's not crying.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Link visited the Greenhouse sometimes. Moreso now that Zelda was here. But it wasn't how he usually found his ingredients. He wasn't exactly a gardener, so most of the time he just foraged for what he needed.

Except there wasn't much to forage, right now. Everything was buried under dust and cooling lava. So here he was.

And when Tommy calls out, he pops up his head up above the beds of tigertubers he'd been harvesting.

"No," he says.

Okay, that's a guaranteed way to have Tommy laugh. He moves and in a flash he's by Link.

"Really? No? Not anybody? Damn, that's sassy."

"Nope," Link says. There's no hint of a change of expression, not even a twitch.

Which might be him fully committing to the bit...or just the fact that his face normally looks like that anyway. Hard to tell.

Yep, this is a snort of amusement because that line is just so good when given with such a straight face.

"You're absolutely a riot, man. Just, insanely funny."

Link's expression, of course, remains neutral. And yet there's still a sense of a pleased air about him - in the way that he hums, soft and cheerful, in response. Even if he doesn't really show it very well, Link is pretty happy to be called 'insanely funny'.

Then he looks at the tigertubers he's been harvesting, then back at Tommy. He must be here for something, surely. "You need ingredients?" he asks.

“I need a lot of things,” he admits with a shrug. “Like, we’ve got to restock, there’s got to be fresh things for Radley and you to cook with, I need to start laying in for the winter too. So much work to do.”

And he looks pleased to be able to do it. That’s something he hadn’t been expecting.

Link nods. "You need help?"

He had the tigertubers already. But Link was happy to help gather anything else that was needed. Or even help with the planting, even if he didn't have as much practice at that.

Planting wasn't really going to help them this late in the year, so it was going to be about harvest.

"Tons of it. But for right now what you're doing is pretty useful. Though I'm thinking of heading down to gather mushrooms. Don't suppose you like mushrooms."

Link stares at Tommy.

"...I like mushrooms."

Because of course he does. Link likes everything.

"I love the baconrooms. They preserve well, add flavor, and serve as some great nutrients all at once. So you know I keep them around when I can."

And since they're mushrooms he can collect some without harming the fungal collective so there will be more soon.

Link nods his head quickly - yes, baconrooms are indeed amazing.

So - gathering up the tigertubers he'd already collected - Link gets to his feet, and looks at Tommy.

He says nothing, but from his expectant look the message is clear: Link will follow Tommy's lead to the mushrooms.

"You carry a knife on you?"

tommy likes the clean cut when taking from the growths. He moves carefully toward the stairs that will guide to the darkened lower level.

Link draws the long sword on his back; the Sacred Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane, the Sword that Seals the Darkness. Looks back at Tommy.

Sure, it's a bit bigger than a knife. But hey - it still works, right?

That's not a knife.

"Dude, you can't cut mushrooms off their clusters like that."

Link glances at the Sword. Glances back at Tommy. Shrugs.

Sure he can. The Master Sword's an all-purposes tool. Link can use it for practically anything.

Seriously?

"We're getting you a work knife for the greenhouse. Geeze guy, you're going to hurt the plants if you only use something that large."

Which is going to be a mess.

"...I don't hurt the plants."

Sure, the Sword was maybe a little big for the job. Just a bit. But Link could make it work.

"Sword that big in a green house means collateral damage potential," he says with a shrug as he walks toward the stairs and starts down them.

"I can be careful."

Sometimes. Maybe. Probably.

"Yeah, I'll trust that," he says after a nod. That sounds like a reasonable thing to do until he had a reason not to.

With Link's ability to hack away at mushrooms now assured, Link falls silent. He follows, and he'll help Tommy gather as many mushrooms as he needs.

[Open] These Broken Pieces Of Life

III

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can we handwave this closed? Let them gather in quiet?

Sounds good!