deernet | [VIDEO]; UN: [USERNAME NOT SET]

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[VIDEO]; UN: [USERNAME NOT SET]

((ooc: CW for a brief mention of recreational drugs.))

[For two months, more or less, she's been in mourning. She hasn't shown her face much. And there's been a lot of crying.

But sentimental though Ariadne can be, she's also practical. Which means she recognizes when it's time to try moving forward.

So behold. Not Padmé, not Jane. Just a sad Ariadne, her hair in a loose braid, with a few tendrils curling around her face.]

I've decided it's time to clean through the rubble that was the Winchester cottage. The ground needs to be cleared so someone else can build there. And I'm sure a few things survived the fire which need to be sorted and placed.

I guess...I mean, I'll do it myself. But if anyone would like to help I would...appreciate it. I can pay you in fruit or herbs from the orchard.

[Her face is like porcelain. She's not letting a single crack show, even though it still hurts.]

I'll be there for the next week or so. Please let me know if you'd be willing to join me. At the very least, I think some of his--some of Dean's--marijuana plants survived. I'd like to try to replant them in my garden.

I can pay you with that, if you like.

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I'm sorry about your friend. [ Because he had seen Ariadne's prior network message about not believing in revenge, and Winchester's disappearance. He's just so far removed from the situation he hadn't felt his input would be useful or welcome. But now— ]

Sure, I can help you clear the area and salvage things. [ An uncertain pause. ] You didn't live there, did you?

[ So she hopefully has somewhere to stay? ]

[She bows her head. The man's face is familiar. She's seen him around, probably as far back as Deerington.

It's reassuring when people she doesn't know very well offer to help.

Reminds her of the goodness in people's souls.]

No, sir. I didn't. Although I spent so much time there...well, I almost felt like it, sometimes.

[ He'd already suspected this is more than a clean-up project for her, and that more or less confirms it. ]

I know how hard it can be, losing someone close. [ It's a solemn acknowledgement. He's become so used to losing everyone he's ever been close with that he has to wonder if people are doomed to vanish the moment he begins to care deeply for them. Realistically, he knows it's just bad luck. But that doesn't lessen the pain. ] I didn't know him personally, but I enjoyed visiting his arcade. He'd made it a nice place. [ Which really isn't much, but — he knew of her lost friend, at least. ]

[Ariadne smiles in spite of herself. Or maybe because of herself.

It's getting easier to remember Dean for more than just his sudden exit from her life. And the arcade was certainly something.]

He was very proud of it.

[ Which was ultimately his goal: inviting her to reminisce about her lost friend if she wants to, maybe remember happier times. It has certainly helped him before when it comes to those he's lost. ]

It did seem like a labour of love. [ Which isn't to say the arcade wasn't popular. And now he's curious about what happened to it — if it's even still there. ] Did you ever go there, yourself?

[She nods.]

A few times. Although I didn't really understand any of the games.

[A pause.]

I liked the mozzarella sticks.

Video games can be something of an acquired taste, I think. Maybe you just haven't found the right genre yet.

[ He can't help but be reminded of TB and the games he'd made for all of Deerington to enjoy on their Fluids. The thought has K smiling to himself, though it's a little sad as he glances downward. ]

Did you ever try the flower growing game, "Grow", back in Deerington? It's one of my favourites. I knew the creator. [ And he's absolutely biased, of course, but it really is a charming little gardening sim. ]

[She winces.]

I tried to play it. I really, really liked the idea of it. I used to work in the flower shop in Deerington, you know.

[At least she's confirmed that that's how she recognizes his face. It's hard to forget Deerington. Even in passing.]

I'm afraid the Fluid was always a little too complicated for me. There's nothing like it where I come from.

Ring Around the Rosies? I remember. I bought flowers from there. [ It's also possibly the reason why he'd thought to bring up the game. Time never softens or fades his memories, the way it does for so many beings; for androids like him, experiences remain as vivid in his mind as when they first occurred. He isn't capable of forgetting.

But. Oh. Maybe it's down to not understanding the technology, then. That might also explain— ] Is that why you haven't set a network username for yourself? [ It's asked with a slight smile, more curious than amused. He doesn't want to make her feel bad about what may simply be a lack of knowledge.

... But maybe some light teasing: ] Or you enjoy being mysterious?

[Ariadne wrinkles her nose.]

Oh. That. Well, I was going to set a name. Sam was going to...

[Right. Sam. Dean's brother. Also gone now. At least he didn't suffer whatever Dean went through...

She clears her throat.]

My friend was going to teach me how to set it, but he never got the chance before returning to the sea.

[ Oh... another friend who's gone. K offers an apologetic look. ]

I'm sorry you've lost him, too. [ It almost seems like they might be in the same proverbial boat in Trench, in terms of losing people. He's sorry that anyone else should have to experience it; it's so lonely. ] I could show you, if you want.

[ Thinking on that, he amends: ] Or make a guide so you'll always have it for reference. In case you ever want to change usernames.

Actually, I think that's a wonderful idea.

[She offers a small smile.]

Not just for me. But for everyone unfamiliar with this kind of technology. In simple words, it could do a lot of people a lot of good.

A guide will be easier than trying to explain over the network, too. [ Though the video feed remains on, K's watching something just off screen as he gets to work. The projection function of Omnis has always been useful for multitasking. ]

I was a teacher in Deerington — among other things. Guess we'll see how out of practise I am.

[ But this is, thankfully, less complicated than the subjects he taught. It's just a matter of writing out the process step by step and editing the accompanying screenshots to clearly show it.

It takes a few minutes, then Ariadne will receive a notification that a file has been sent to her Omni. Clicking the notification automatically opens the file: a basic, screenshot-illustrated guide that covers registering a username, changing a username, and how to use the anonymous function (including a description of what exactly that is). ]

Tell me what you think?

Oh! Oh! I think I've seen this before. I touch the name right?

[And she does just that, lucking into opening the file. Her eyes widen, gaze flicking back and forth as she examines what he's written.]

Oh! This is great!

I love the pictures! That's so useful!

Hey, you catch on quick. [ It's said with a smile; it isn't sarcasm. Sometimes all people need is someone taking the time to help them out a little, and he's happy to do it. ]

If you have other questions about functions of the Omni or technology in general, I could probably help with those too.

[ Because, well. Who better to do it than someone who's himself a form a living technology? He's yet to encounter any technology in Trench that's more advanced than what his home universe has. ]

I always have questions about technology.

[She laughs softly.]

You may regret making that offer. I might talk you into madness.

That's a risk I'm willing to accept.

[ Especially if they might end up making a trade of it. Knowledge for knowledge, or perhaps knowledge for some fruit and herbs. And to that end: ]

That orchard you mentioned — it's yours?

Yes. Serenity Garden. Just on the border of the Willful Machine.

[She grins. Ariadne knows that no one can own trees, of course. But that doesn't mean her chest doesn't swell with a bit of pride, thinking about them.

That orchard means the world to her.]

Perhaps you can visit sometime? The pears are just coming into season.

Sure, I'd like that. Fresh fruit can be hard to come by here, I've noticed. I've been monitoring the soil throughout Trench over the last year. Originally to help a friend, a boy who's made of grass—...

[ He trails off for a moment. Another lost Sleeper and one that's particularly sad for him. Fern was the first person he'd properly met in the dream, all those years ago; he still feels the kid's absence. ]

It's become more of a pet project now. Would you mind if I took some samples from your orchard?

[She bites her lips together.]

Fern and Varian had just taken a few samples to study before they...

[It's easier with them. She knows where they are. Or has a better sense of it. And it brings her peace to imagine the two of them swimming around together as squids.

They're not dead.]

I think they would like it if you continued the work they started. They thought there was something special about the soil.

[ Fern and Varian. Always a pair. As much as K misses them both, that thought brings him some comfort, knowing that at least they'll hopefully always have each other, since they chose to return to the sea together... wherever that ends up taking them. ]

Knowing Varian, he was probably an expert on these things. [ Because the kid was an expert on keeping his plant boyfriend alive. ] It's a shame they're no longer around to consult. But I'll do my best. Your trees came from Deerington, right? I wonder if that grants them resistance to the corruption of this world. [ The corruption that seems to permeate the very earth. It's an intriguing thought. ] Does the fruit seem to help with corruption at all when consumed?

[A little line forms between her eyes.]

You know, I don't know that anyone's ever thought of that. It might be an interesting theory to test.

But...yes. They did come with me from Deerington.

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[VIDEO]; UN: [USERNAME NOT SET]

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