Fern goes and takes a seat in the living room, pulling his backpack off so he can get the music box out and wind it. When Martin reappears he blinks at the package but takes it, tearing the newspaper off (and leaving shredded newspaper on the couch and floor, sorry Martin).
Oh, this is cool. This is insanely cool. Fern looks delighted as he holds the triangle and skulls up.]
[Martin is definitely considering what else they could do to fortify the place. Traps directly around the house might hurt anyone visiting, unfortunately, and he's not going to live in a house without windows. That would be maddening.]
Um... yeah? I grew up in the country. Sort of. I mean there was a town, but it- there was a forest where I'd walk sometimes and I'd collect things. When I found animal skeletons, I'd clean them up and use fishing wire to make them into toys sort of?
[A pause.]
Okay, saying that out loud sounds a lot more creepy than it- We didn't have much money. So, I... made my toys.
[Someone needs to talk to Varian about setting up a non-deadly home defense system!]
That's not weird, dude. I scavenged stuff all the time back home. I still do it here, too. There's a junkyard at the edge of town, y'know? A three-headed dog guards it.
[No. No, that's probably not the question to be asking. Martin's looking down at the music player, as well, now, and that is very strange, but incredibly adorable.]
I have to meet her! Oh, gosh! I love dogs. I've always wanted one.
[Maybe not... a three-headed dog, but a dog.]
Jon's really more of a cat-person, though, so we'd probably get one of them, if anything. [But he will forever long for a dog.] I see your family were dog-people?
[That. Okay. He'd sort of meant they were dog-loving people. But... Fern was raised by dogs. That's fine. This is fine. It's not the weirdest thing he's heard from the boy.]
Like a good lullaby, personally. Although, I'd be impressed if you could get heavy metal in a music box form.
[He's teasing because Fern seems so self-conscious.]
[Fern gives Martin a small grin at that. A heavy metal music box would be pretty weird.]
Okay, uh.
[He'll get the music box to start playing, and after a few awkward beats start singing the lullaby. It is absolutely, one hundred percent for literal dogs.
He isn't a bad singer, though he's self-conscious and the entire time thinking he's nowhere near as good as Finn.]
[It's sweet. It's very silly, but sweet, and most lullabies don't make sense. The song itself is also almost hypnotically soothing. By the end, Martin is almost drifting off, but snaps back awake when he nearly spills his tea in his lap.]
W-woah! That's... well, it's really effective. God, that must have had you out like a light.
[It's definitely soothing. Fern's the one singing it and even by the end he looks like he's about to nod off. What stops him is nearly dropping the music box.]
Uh - [Geez, good job Fern, way to nearly break the thing.] - yeah, one hundred percent guaranteed to put rowdy puppies to sleep.
[The memories that are coming back to him make Fern relax a little, and he looks down at the music box.]
Hah, yeah. It was only for a little while, though. Dogs grow up a lot faster than humans, so Jake grew out of it real quick. Jermaine was always a lot quieter. And then mom and dad died when I was still too young to get into any real trouble. I could barely even use a toy sword right, I mostly just bonked stuff with it.
[He offers a little wave and an attempt at a friendly smile. He really shouldn't have said anything at all. Excellent work, Mr. Blackwood. Now the nice grass kid thinks you're a weirdo and a creep. Wonderful.
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[Maybe some stone walls, or a moat.
Fern goes and takes a seat in the living room, pulling his backpack off so he can get the music box out and wind it. When Martin reappears he blinks at the package but takes it, tearing the newspaper off (and leaving shredded newspaper on the couch and floor, sorry Martin).
Oh, this is cool. This is insanely cool. Fern looks delighted as he holds the triangle and skulls up.]
Oh, wow. They're rad! You made this??
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Um... yeah? I grew up in the country. Sort of. I mean there was a town, but it- there was a forest where I'd walk sometimes and I'd collect things. When I found animal skeletons, I'd clean them up and use fishing wire to make them into toys sort of?
[A pause.]
Okay, saying that out loud sounds a lot more creepy than it- We didn't have much money. So, I... made my toys.
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[Someone needs to talk to Varian about setting up a non-deadly home defense system!]
That's not weird, dude. I scavenged stuff all the time back home. I still do it here, too. There's a junkyard at the edge of town, y'know? A three-headed dog guards it.
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[No. No, that's probably not the question to be asking. Martin's looking down at the music player, as well, now, and that is very strange, but incredibly adorable.]
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She's a girl, and yeah, she's a really good girl. Her name's Annie.
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[Maybe not... a three-headed dog, but a dog.]
Jon's really more of a cat-person, though, so we'd probably get one of them, if anything. [But he will forever long for a dog.] I see your family were dog-people?
[He motions to the music player.]
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[He's going to go ahead and wind the music box up.]
Fair warning, this is a lullaby for puppies. [So don't laugh.]
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Like a good lullaby, personally. Although, I'd be impressed if you could get heavy metal in a music box form.
[He's teasing because Fern seems so self-conscious.]
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Okay, uh.
[He'll get the music box to start playing, and after a few awkward beats start singing the lullaby. It is absolutely, one hundred percent for literal dogs.
He isn't a bad singer, though he's self-conscious and the entire time thinking he's nowhere near as good as Finn.]
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W-woah! That's... well, it's really effective. God, that must have had you out like a light.
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Uh - [Geez, good job Fern, way to nearly break the thing.] - yeah, one hundred percent guaranteed to put rowdy puppies to sleep.
[And adult humans, apparently.]
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Were you and your brother rowdy growing up? I can imagine that made things hard sometimes. Driving your parents up the walls, I mean.
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Hah, yeah. It was only for a little while, though. Dogs grow up a lot faster than humans, so Jake grew out of it real quick. Jermaine was always a lot quieter. And then mom and dad died when I was still too young to get into any real trouble. I could barely even use a toy sword right, I mostly just bonked stuff with it.
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Your- you lost both sets of your parents when you were still just a toddler? But... did your brothers raise- Oh, god! They're still alive, right?
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Wh... of course they are. Jake and I moved out to the Tree Fort after mom and dad died. Jermaine did his own thing.
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Jake took good care of you, right?
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Of course he did. He did a great job.
[Fern is going to shove the music box back into his bag.]
I think I'm gonna go.
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O-oh. Right. Sorry, um. Yeah. It-it seems like he did a really good job raising you. You're... a good kid, Fern. Thanks for coming.
[Is he, though? Martin knows vanishingly few children from home.]
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[He offers a little wave and an attempt at a friendly smile. He really shouldn't have said anything at all. Excellent work, Mr. Blackwood. Now the nice grass kid thinks you're a weirdo and a creep. Wonderful.
Maybe he'll drown his sorrows in tea.]