Back on the Doghouse Again...

[velesdonnersen]

 [The doghouse in the backyard of 1126 Taylor Road is turning into Tarvek's personal little corner.  He sits on the roof, with just enough shade from a shade tree, and just enough sun, and the doghouse has a flat peak, so he can sit comfortably cross-legged. He's there, today, far more sober than he's been in awhile, in more senses than one.]

[The kids run back and forth, as usual.  Tarvek's got Perry mowing the lawn again.  Catherine's been on the swings, and then jumped rope for awhile, and then she sat on Tarvek's lap for a bit, and now she's kneeling on the patio drawing with sidewalk chalks, because "Daddy" is up on the doghouse roof drawing himself.  He's working in a soft drawing pencils -- wide, flat-leaded ones, slim ones with well-sharpened points.  He's drawn the children.  He's got a good eye and hand: he trained as a draftsman, of course.  Most sparks do.  But he's also semi-canonically an actual artist, both sculpture and painting. His drawings of the kids seem to race across the pages of his notebook.]

[But the big picture he's drawing is of someone who is no longer there, and who no longer exists.  She's a bland, gentle-faced, vacuous blonde with a pretty smile, a perky nose, a classic 50s wave perm, and a dress that's trim to her upper body, but floofy around the hips and legs: all petticoats and floral print.  He's drawn her as though she's just beginning to turn to leave, raising one hand to wave as she goes.]

 

[Her name was Betty.  She was his drone wife.  He wasn't in love with her, but he found her gentle, silly, sweet, well-intentioned, and likable.  Like all drones replaced by "real" people, she's disappeared without a trace.  Not even her photos in the house remain.  Her children don't remember her.  There's no sign in all of Mayfield she ever lived. Tarvek and his quick little pencils are trying to remedy that.]

 

You are walking, flying, etc. You see Tarvek, sitting on his doghouse, drawing soberly.  His kids bustle around the back yard.  Inside you can hear someone new, singing beautifully.  Tarvek looks up from his work, sees you, and waves, calling to you in friendship, whether you're a stranger or an associate.

 

What do you do?

Comments

[velesdonnersen.livejournal.com]

[Jumps, swears, blinks, and prepares to fight... then realizes it's Nall.]

Hello, Nall! It's good to see you.

[catslooklikeme.livejournal.com]

Uh, hi...

...sorry about that, I know teleportation can be kinda jarring if you're not expecting it...

[velesdonnersen.livejournal.com]

No, no! It's interesting. Is it magic, or technology?

[catslooklikeme.livejournal.com]

It's magic, one of the few tricks I've managed to regain since I showed up here...

[velesdonnersen.livejournal.com]

I wonder...

I wonder if it's possible to regain things you never originally had? Like...

I'd like to regain teleportation myself!

[Ponders] Do you know if anyone in Mayfield has tried to regain something they never owned before?

1/2

[catslooklikeme.livejournal.com]

...not that I know of... but if you'd like to experience it, I could teleport ya somewhere...

2/2

[catslooklikeme.livejournal.com]

...but darnit, I'm getting sidetracked. Did you get one of those form thingies too?

Re: 2/2

[velesdonnersen.livejournal.com]

{For a moment boyish excitement flickered, at the idea of the teleport, but the mention of the census damps that down fast. He's been involved in government in one form or another his entire life, and he knows bureaucratic BS when it shows up. And he doesn't like it forcing him to fill in the blanks.]

Yes. The last few days have handed me my first taste of the dark side of Mayfield. That census is... nasty. And Mayfield wouldn't let me fake much. The best I managed to was to tell the truth with some, er, manipulation of tone. But it's an ugly thing.

I'm told we can expect trouble, soon. But so near as I can determine, there's really no way to prepare. Is that true?

[catslooklikeme.livejournal.com]

...maybe. Depends on how original this place is. That wasn't the first stupid form that I've seen...

[velesdonnersen.livejournal.com]

[He's finally got something to explore, not just word-of-mouth, or Old History. And he was not happy to see how they wiped out The Betty... for all he likes much of Mayfield, he's irked to see the place really does decide to mess with people.]

Can you tell me what they've done with forms previously? Is there a pattern to work with? A way to determine what directions an outbreak may take?

Huh. No, let's start simple. What else have you seen in forms?

[catslooklikeme.livejournal.com]

The only other form I've seen was a simple survey that was supposed to be anonymous. One question: If you had the choice to leave Mayfield and return home or stay here, which would you do? The darn thing filled itself out whether people wanted to answer or not and then up and mailed itself out.

Well a few days later, the results were announced... and some of the names of people who voted that they would rather stay in Mayfield were casually dropped.

[velesdonnersen.livejournal.com]

[Ponders, and gets a nasty sort of smile. Not that of a person who likes what he hears, but one who knows what sort of dirty trick that is.]

Yesssssss. I see. And, of course, here in Mayfield many consider it a moral obligation to hate the town.

Might I suspect that the town itself had to do very little from that point on to keep the witch-hunt going?

[catslooklikeme.livejournal.com]

No one with any "authority" stepped in, but if a witch-hunt occurred, then I didn't see it. In fact, some people spoke up to defend the people whose names had been dropped. Some people spoke up and said they'd voted the same and explained why.

Can't say for sure that there weren't people sporting pitchforks and torches, but if there were, I didn't see them.

[velesdonnersen.livejournal.com]

[Oh, now that perks him up!]

Reeeeeeally!?

Oh, now that's impressive. People keep telling me how horrible this place is, and I do understand. But I'm impressed that that particular game didn't work. It's one of the ways the canny could have turned the place into true hell, with neighbor hating neighbor and no one you could ever trust.

[Dark and brooding for a second.]

It's possible to live that way, but you have to believe in something or it wears you down.

I've been warned of people in Mayfield. Are there many here who truly torment each other? How strong are the friendships, and how stable the social bonds? Can you trust your friends?

[catslooklikeme.livejournal.com]

...I have faith in people. Humans are amazing... you can change the entire world with willpower and courage. Sometimes people fall off their course... sometimes they let their own pain and loneliness blind them to the world around them. But for every person who loses their way and happiness, there's another person who has the power to help them find it!

There are some people in Mayfield who are consumed by their own fears and personal demons... some people will betray each other and scheme for their own purposes. But there are also people here who are kind and genuinely want to help one another.

At the end of the day, I keep finding reasons to hope. I keep finding people who GIVE me hope!

[velesdonnersen.livejournal.com]

[Nods.]

I believe in the inherent dignity and worth of individuals.

But I have to admit, I also believe that a fair number of people are idiots, jackasses, pompous windbags, or black-hearted cynics... and I've spent most of my life trying not to let that lot get me dead -- by accident or on purpose.

[Scowls.]

I noticed something, Nall. When I tried to fill out the census form, it would not allow me to write answers that were not true -- and it did not limit that to answer I myself knew or did not know where true. It would not let me say that there was an oversight department to deal with we immigrants. Yet in any ordinary governed nation or community, if there were so many being brought in, in so extensive a program, there would be a department of oversight.

There is no oversight external to Mayfield, Nall. Whatever this place is, it is running in some form of isolation, without an external control, only internal controls.

Do you believe in a God, Nall? I suspect Mayfield, or whatever runs it, does not.

[catslooklikeme.livejournal.com]

[Nall laughs at Tarvek's reference of idiots and jackasses, but it's not a joyous laugh. Your life seems like it's been really rough, Tarvek, and that makes Nall sad.]

I don't think Mayfield has a very open mind. It's kind of set in its ways and doesn't seem to care about incorporating new ideas into it and evolving. ...most institutions that are so rigid end up collapsing though, so there's that...

...I don't know what deity, if any, resides in this poor town... but where I come from, Lunar, we worship the goddess Althena, goddess of creation and love. I think... no, I KNOW, Althena would take issue with whatever or whoever is running this show. She only wants happiness amongst our people, and for none to do harm to others. She rejoices when two people find love with one another, and revels in song and dance.

[Nall's expression changes slightly. He seems to grow a bit older, possibly a bit sad.]

Althena's not here... but I am, and I believe in her. So I'm gonna do whatever I can to help people here be happy. And I'm gonna find happiness where I can...

I'm not gonna let this place break me. And I'm not gonna let it break anyone I care about either!

[velesdonnersen.livejournal.com]

[Nall, however, makes Tarvek seem a bit younger, and possibly a bit happy. He hasn't had much Nall in his life. But he worries.]

Be careful who you care about, then. And be careful for them...if you can.

[He glances at the sketch he'd set aside.]

In my world there are many philosophies and religions. I...

I think there's no God, in the sense people usually mean. Of if there was, he or she is gone away, or dead, or not interested any more. But I believe there are powers, Divine Sparks, who found reality and are trying to improve it -- to repair it...make it a better place, and we can help.

Or maybe we're the Divine Sparks. I don't know. But I believe we can all help make it better. Or not.

I... find I wonder what would be needed to make to repair Mayfield, and make it a better place. It's obviously broken in some way.

[catslooklikeme.livejournal.com]

Heh... don't worry, I will.

[Oo, sketch. Tarvek's glance catches Nall's attention and he cranes his neck to check it out. What is it? Ooo, mebbe a bromide?]

Well, I'm not exactly sure what it would take to do that... but you're a smart guy. If you think of something, I say go for it! I'll help you in any way I can!

[velesdonnersen.livejournal.com]

I don't know if there's anything that can help or not. I've just gotten here, and I'm only just beginning to get a sense of what the place is like, besides providing a decent home, decent meals, good company, a nice bed, clean clothes, and so on. [Shrugs] You know, in a lot of ways it's a nice place. Just...

I'm just beginning to see the ways it could be crazy.

[Sees Nall trying to sneak a peek at the picture, and considerately turns it so Nall can see.]

It's the drone wife they assigned me when I came. They... wiped her out the other evening, to bring in a new prisoner. I know no one here thinks they're worth even being polite to. But to me, they're like nice, if dumb robots. It bothers me they just destroyed who she was that easily. Even her kids don't remember her. That's sad.

[catslooklikeme.livejournal.com]

Yea, it's a nicely presented prison, til ya don't do what they tell you to and then they send out those hazmat things.

That's a really nice bromide, Tarvek. Heh, you really are a man of many talents!

[velesdonnersen.livejournal.com]

Being droned does scare me. Mind control, that scares me. Dying, though, when it just goes away? It's hard to see what's so scary about that. It's almost like the stupid town wants to play, but has no idea how.

I'm glad you like it. Why do you call it a "bromide?" Where I come from it's called a sketch, or a drawing.

[catslooklikeme.livejournal.com]

I've never been droned before, so I'm not sure what that's like... [Being killed, yea, Nall's been through that. Twice. And he didn't like it at all (to put it MILDLY), and hopes you manage to avoid it, Tarvek. In fact, he'll do his best to see that you DO avoid it.]

Huh, bromide seems to be a term that only pops up back on Lunar. No one I've talked to in Mayfield seems familiar with it... but back home, bromides are collectibles, and sometimes very rare! Artists draw or paint them when they found people who inspired them... I used to have a whole collection of them.

[velesdonnersen.livejournal.com]

Huh. Never heard them called that, before. But I'm glad you like the drawing. Would you like me to draw you, Nall-not-cat? [Grins]

[He's died at least once, too. Sparks tend to take dying in stride. It's the coming back from death that can get showy. He's quite admiring the fact that Mayfield brings people back with so little fuss and bother, and no going crazy and turning into a monster and killing people. He got to skip that the one time his mun knows he died... but it was still showy and unpleasant and scary and too close for comfort.]

[catslooklikeme.livejournal.com]

Ha ha, sure! That'd be great! One of my kids made me a bromide a while ago! Wish I had it here to show you...