Today we weed the park all SANTA BABYYYYYY

[ourearth]

Date: 1.12.2018
Characters: Open!
Note: Like all welcome mingles, this is a SoL free-for-all mingle meant to get new characters involved by centering around something relevant to them. Without further ado, please welcome Runar!

---

While the poppies were significantly less creepy than the spiders, they still posed a problem - namely, that there were way too many of them. So after a few weeks of having discussed what to do about them, everyone living in the Mossgate Council area has been requested to help with cleaning up the environment and helping prepare things for the winter. A community clean-up day has been announced for the first Saturday of December, and everyone is requested to volunteer.

Mostly, this means weeding poppies down to a reasonable amount, but it also involves general clean-up and some raking of fallen leaves.

Volunteers are equipped with baskets and tools and sent out into the Greens, onto the beach, and into all other public areas the poppies have sprung up in. The zoo and the Manor house are also happy about anyone who wants to help with clearing their grounds.

And in the evening, the Christmas illuminations at the High Street light up. As is traditional, a children's choir sings for this occasion, and the Mayor takes one of the choir children with him to switch the lights on. At the same time, the Christmas market - really just a few food stalls and a handful of arts and crafts stalls, as well as a little stage where singer-songwriters and childrens' entertainers perform on weekends - opens.

Comments

[iamnotgod]

Not far from where Sadie's picking (and then sneezing), Walter pauses at the crackling noise.

And then utterly freezes in place because did she just set that on fire?

"Sadie," he eventually pipes up, voice mostly flat.

"I can guess you didn't mean to do that?" He barely inflects it into a question, such is his deadpan.

[dragoonrouge]

Sadie drops the charred remains of the poppy to the ground and turns to Walter, pale-faced and eyes wide.

"No!" She squeaks. "I haven't had any Echoes since Halloween"

[iamnotgod]

He'd caught what seemed like a faint spark of blue, but - no, checking the memory in a split-second, there wasn't much to go off of at all. Sadie might catch him flinch at the mention of Echoes on Halloween, though it's very quick.

"Perhaps this is a result of one of those, then... and perhaps you've reached your limit on flower time, today," he adds.

This seemed a poor time to be struck by allergies - and just plain unfortunate that she could set something on fire by sneezing.

[dragoonrouge]

Sadie sniffs and reaches into her pocket for a tissue to blow her nose, missing Walter's flinch. "Maybe. This is going to be hard to hide." She wilts before sneezing again, the cracks and pops as the blue aether bursts to life.

"This is going to be a nightmare to hide." Sadie whines as she drops the cut poppies. "And I'm getting a bloody cold."

[iamnotgod]

Sadie's self-correction kicks in before Walter can add what would have been much the same thing.

"Something we'd better warn James about, then. And Mary-Ann."

Both for obvious reasons.

"Here, let me take those flowers, okay?"

And he kneels to pick up those poppies.

[dragoonrouge]

She sniffs, pulling a tissue out of her pocket and blowing her nose.

"Thanks, Walter." She hovers as Walter deals with her mess, "I'll text James about it...I think I may have to come clean to my parents soon..." Sadie confides quietly, "My changes are only going to get more noticeable as time goes on."

[iamnotgod]

The mess is dealt with swiftly, and he puts any further weed-pulling on pause to deal with this.

"If you need someone else to vouch for you, you can count on me. I suspect Jacob Petty and Mary-Ann would be willing, as well. And Ben, of course."

There's a wisp of a smile as he adds that.

[dragoonrouge]

Sadie nods, "I know..." She blushes and smiles happily, "I'm lucky to have you all to help me."

"Although speaking of Ben, you know his growth-spurt?" She starts giggling, "Well, the second time he came over after it happened, Mum sat him down at the dinner table and gave him a very long talk about the dangers of steroids." Sadie's giggles quickly transition to laughter as she recalls the incident. "His face was an absolute picture! I don't think I've ever seen him that embarrassed before!"

[iamnotgod]

"The feeling's mutual," Walter assures.

When she launches into the story, he's first concerned at the idea Ben might have been found out... but then the humor comes through, and he grins broadly, coming just short of laughing out loud.

"Oh dear. That's certainly one way to misinterpret an Echo!"

[dragoonrouge]

Sadie continues to laugh, "Bless my Mum, I wish I could tell her about it because she is genuinely concerned about him. Both Mum and Dad actually. James knows so he just spent the rest of the evening teasing Ben once Mum and Dad went out for dinner." Sadie rolls her eyes fondly at the mention of her brother's reaction to the steroids talk.

[iamnotgod]

Walter shakes his head, bemused - though the grin is briefly dashed off his face after an aside glance at the closest workers.

"Better get back to work. And you'd better get away from the allergens, at least for a while."

That is, the flammable allergens.

[dragoonrouge]

Sadie glances down at the poppies and at the other volunteers who are slowly working their way closer towards them.

"That is probably a good idea... Home, a cup of tea, and then wrapping myself up before the Christmas market may be for the best." Standing up, she brushes down her trousers for any plant matter before hugging Walter. "Thank you, Walter. I'll see you soon?"

Thread wrap?

[iamnotgod]

"Without a doubt," he confirms.

Just maybe not at the Christmas market.

He returns the hug with all due strength.