Hey, Fern. [Martin's wearing a tired smile as he opens the door for the boy and ushers him toward the living room. There are signs of the recovery from the orc attacks earlier around the place. One of the windows near the door had been broken and there's a plastic sheet duct taped to the outside along with the boards that are still nailed across it. There are signs that other windows have had similar boards pried off around them.]
[Martin doesn't seem like the kind of person who would willingly live in a dump, so the broken windows are more than a little strange. Fern heads in, looking around, not even bothering to wipe his feet (because he isn't wearing shoes) at the door.]
Those monsters attacking. We got the barricades up, but they still smashed one of the windows. I'm... figuring out how to fix that. [He's handy enough with basic plumbing and electrical work, but replacing a window had never come up through the years.] And I... I need to sand things down and maybe re-varnish the rest where we pried the other boards off.
[Martin is away in the kitchen clattering as he speaks. A moment later, he steps out holding a cup of tea for himself and carrying something wrapped up in newspaper. The package is offered to Fern as he goes to sit down.]
That's for you. If you don't like it, you don't have to keep it. I just, um... well, I saw some things while I was out walking the other day and thought of you?
[Inside, Fern will find a wooden triangle made of sticks tied together. Fixed to each corner of the triangle with fishing line is a little animal skull. A pair of squirrels and some sort of bird by the looks of it. They all smell faintly of disinfectant.]
I know they're not monsters, but I thought... it might be cool for your collection?
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.
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i don't know about singing it
i guess i could try
see what i sound like now
[And at least if he sounds terrible he'll know to never sing again.]
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Did you want to meet up for that?
I have something I wanted to bring you, anyway.
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uh yeah sure that would be cool
want me to go over to your place?
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[He'll wait about twenty minutes before walking over, having stuffed his music box into his backpack. When he arrives he knocks on the door.]
>action
D'you want anything to drink? Just making tea.
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I'm good. What happened here?
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[Martin is away in the kitchen clattering as he speaks. A moment later, he steps out holding a cup of tea for himself and carrying something wrapped up in newspaper. The package is offered to Fern as he goes to sit down.]
That's for you. If you don't like it, you don't have to keep it. I just, um... well, I saw some things while I was out walking the other day and thought of you?
[Inside, Fern will find a wooden triangle made of sticks tied together. Fixed to each corner of the triangle with fishing line is a little animal skull. A pair of squirrels and some sort of bird by the looks of it. They all smell faintly of disinfectant.]
I know they're not monsters, but I thought... it might be cool for your collection?
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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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