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Who: Everyone lending a hand for part of Many Man's Trash
When: All through November
Where: Western Residential District.
What: Sorting through the Arisotract's dumped crap so it can be given to people who really need it.
Warnings: None, should be.

The end of Samuin leaves... a lot more disaster than Yuya expected from a massive spring cleaning holiday. Namely in the slums, where some of the streets have been used as a dumping ground, and Yuya's a little surprised by the notice board's clean up call. Even more so when he sees how bad it is.

It's waste everywhere, but not all it's in bad enough shape to be trash. He spends maybe five minutes sorting the pile before an idea dawns on him: the people who live over here, locals and refugees alike, could use a lot of this stuff.

It's a couple calls around and a lot of word spreading from person to person, getting a few more hands to pitch in and help with organizing, cataloging, carrying, and encouraging the needy to come and take--whether they be locals or Mirrorbound, as long as they're kind enough to lend a hand.

At the end of the harbor, there's an empty row house that they're given clearance to store things in, and that's where helpers will be directed. And anything too broken to be used still... just goes in the trash.

((The main log for this event! It's a completely open mingle for everyone to use for the quest over the month. Feel free to make up whatever rich people's stuff has been trashed, NPC characters as needed, etc!

Yuya isn't exactly running it IC, but he's heavily involved in pulling it off, spreading word, and answering questions if anyone has any for what's going on. Anyone can assume they've heard about what's being done through him.))

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[In the Streets]

[Yuya's got his sleeves rolled back to sort through the... well, it really is kind of ominous to sort through, but he feels confident with all the help there is.

He grabs for one end of something sticking out of the pile and pulls--only to find it doesn't move.

Huh. He looks over and waves to the nearest person.] Hey, can you help me get this out?

[Row House]

[When Yuya needs a break, he decides to sit back at the empty house they're basing their operations in, watching people mill about to catalog, carry, refugees lighting up with the things they're being given, experiencing some of their first possessions...

It's watching that that makes him smile as he shoves half a sandwich straight into his mouth.]

[Hiccup hasn't bothered with any of the heavy lifting (plenty of other hands for that, ones that don't belong to tall, skinny vikings) and has dived right in to what he's good at - fixing up things that are broken to make them useful again. This cause is pretty close to home, literally, considering he lives out just past the Slums and sees those people nearly every day on his way to and from the city, and considering all the things his Bonded has done for the refugees. Volunteering for this was a no-brainer.

Currently he's sitting off to the side, out of the way, working on a lightly-broken foot-operated home sewing machine that he thinks someone will get some use out of. It just needs a few small parts bent back into shape and some screws tightened, some moving parts oiled, not worth throwing out at all, but he's decided to stop wondering how the rich in this city think.]

It's nice to see some good coming out of all of this.

[ Garbage has been Peridot's true element for some time now, ever since she acquired a taste for it from Amethyst. To be clear, it's not the filth that she likes, so much as she enjoys going through people's cluttered and forgotten junk in search of peculiar treasures. It's part of the persisting thrill of being free from Homeworld. No matter how much time passes since she left, being able to actually have her own belongings is amazing.

Now, dumpster diving for the benefit of strangers is a bit outside her wheelhouse, but she's still down to assist. Besides, this is a good opportunity to show off her dragon strength in front of an audience by hefting large objects, and she absolutely cannot get enough of that shit. Takes the sting off of not being able to keep some of the stuff she finds that she really wants for herself.

When Yuya addresses her, she beams and strides over with her chest puffed out, literally rolling up her sleeves as she approaches. ]

Why yes Yuya! I absolutely can! Kehehehehhh...

[ She grabs the Thing and gives it a tug to test and see exactly how stuck it is, and pauses to give it a frown. It's wedged in there pretty tight. ]

Huh. What is this thing...?

Edited 2019-11-10 17:27 (UTC)

[It's consumerism at its worst.

Yuya shifts over to watch his work, nodding.] Just throwing everything out like this is so wasteful. You know, your things can last a really long time when they're taken care of, and when you don't need them it's better if they go somewhere they can still be used.

[The other half of the sandwich goes right into his mouth.] I'm glad so many people are helping! Thanks a lot.

I think it's a lamp. [It's a long, gilded pole anyway. If it's a lamp, that means the shape is probably stuck in there.

While she pulls, Yuya tries to push up the things piled on top--but they've gotten locked together.]

Hmm... Alright then. Prepare to be AMAZED!

[ ...She says like she hasn't done this a hundred times today already. Peridot grabs the pole with both hands and gives it a MIGHTY HEAVE.

What they both should probably be considering, is what effect viciously yanking out the lynch-pin of a precariously assembled pile of trash is going to have. Like, say, whether or not it might destabilize the whole thing and cause some kind of trashvalanche while Yuya is still sitting on it. ]

[That trash pile trembles as the center of it is thrown off balance, tumbling forward and knocking Yuya down as it caves over.

It also breaks the glass lampshade that was stuck.]

Right, that's- Where I come from, we don't waste much of anything. You can't, when you don't know when the next batch of traders will be through. You make as much as you can, and you make it last. [It's senseless, the lavish way those people in the Aristocratic District, and even the nicer parts of the Residential District, live. He fiddles a cog back into place, delicately straightening it out.]

I can't think of a more worthwhile way to spend my time. Better this doesn't all go into a junkheap out past the Wall. [He tucks his screwdriver behind his ear, tapping the foot pedal a couple of times to see how the needle moves. Still a little jerky.] Did you organize all this? It was a good idea.

[Right, just outside the wall--since it's not like they can go much further out with the Cwyld. Can't be great for the people living out there, either.]

Uh--I guess! I mean, I asked around for some help, and we were really lucky this house was open... [He rubs the back of his neck. He's not sure he'd take all the credit for organizing it.] Thanks, I'm glad so many people agree with me.

[ Peridot's busy frowning with confusion at the broken lamp for a split second after it's pulled free, but the creaking of junk coming from above draws her attention back upwards.

With a squawk, she drops the lamp. ]

D-don't worry, I've got you--!

[ ...and she tosses her hands out in front of her, instinctively moving to hold the cascade of garbage back and stabilize Yuya using... The metal powers which she hasn't had access to for months now. ]

[Definitely isn't. Hiccup knows a lot of them, living out there. He'll help move things around as much as possible but he's going to have to how much can even be done. It's a sad thought.]

Well, it was a great idea. Really, I think they're all going to appreciate it a lot. [Maybe he's not the organizer, but he's done a lot - and Hiccup likes to give credit where credit is due.] The refugees especially don't have much. It's nice to see- you know, people caring. Not- not just about the refugees, but the people of the Outer City too. They may even be worse off in some ways.

[Nothing happens.

Well, except Yuya being knocked into his back and both of them getting smacked with the leaning tower of trash. One of those fancy smooth orbs clatters against the ground and rolls away.

Yuya groans.]

[Even so!! He's flattered, though, soaking in the praise until the rest of the conversation sobers him up.]

Since they're out in the Cwyld, right? [On top of everything else about their living conditions. Yuya's seen it.] It's been around a really long time... has the outer city always been like that?

It's been like that as long as I've been here. It's- You know, it's not all Cwyld out there, I live just past the Outer City at the edge of the woods, but the people there are usually people that have been... [He chews on his words for a moment, fiddling again with the parts that make the needle of the sewing machine move.]

Some of them have been made to live there, because they're infected and they don't want to be treated anymore, or they choose to live out there instead of deal with people trying to cure them. Or they're so poor they can't go anywhere else, and then they can wind up infected anyway because they don't have the same protections.

At least they found housing inside the Wall for the refugees.

[It's not all, but it's a huge risk. Yuya bites the inside of his lip.] The Cwyld is really contagious, right?

[He can't imagine not wanting to be cured, unless they've given up all hope they will be.] I'm grateful for what they've done for us the the refugees, but... if people have to move out there because of money, they should be doing more for them, too.

[Their presence is kind of tight on everyone in the city, but where else can they really go?] You don't worry about it where you live, getting infected?

[He thinks that's it, in a lot of cases - they're tired of trying, and resigned to going mad and dying. It's a horrible fate to wish on anyone.] Yeah, it is. They... I wish they'd do more out there too. I know there are relief efforts to, to keep shades away and provide some aid to the people living out there, but it's a small patch on a gaping wound. Letting people dump their trash out there won't help either.

[Hiccup shrugs.] I worry about my dragon, more. But there's just not enough room in the city for a Night Fury to be comfortable living here full time, and I hate the thought of living in a house that was taken from someone else, even a rich person. I'm really careful, though! I, uh, I do controlled burns around the path and the property whenever I spot something that might be Cwyld trying to get a foothold.

... You have a dragon? Not like a person dragon--[He he waves his hand.] But a dragon?

[He doesn't really... know how else to clarify it. But Hiccup probably gets the point.]

[Hiccup has to look down and stifle a laugh at the questions. He's used to it by now, but he'll always think it's a little funny how they always land on the 'dragon' part like it's something so unusual. (For them it must be, but for him, it's daily life.)]

Yeah, Toothless. He, uh, came through the mirror with me. And yes, he's a- a dragon, dragon, not a person-dragon.

I'm gonna guess you, uh, don't come from a place with dragons.

Not real ones. [Spirits that take the forms of ones... isn't quite the same thing, nor can most people interact with them anyway.] Does he ever come into the city with you?

Stories, then? [Or... fake dragons? But he's not sure what a fake dragon would be. A lizard?] Yeah, all the time. He's pretty good in crowds. Right now he's just at the barracks, at my- my, uh, Bonded's place, with his creatures.

So he's big. [Or at least, big enough to stay in the barracks instead of around here.] That's really cool.

[ It's with some mild degree of enthusiasm that he agrees with Yuya's plan to donate what the rich people deem useless garbage to the people who are mostly in need, namely the refugees that came to down just recently. He's well acquainted with a lot of them, along with the orphans, and he felt bad that he couldn't share the little he had around. This is a great alternative that will make everyone happy. ]

i;

[ He can be found around the streets, trying to already separate what could be useful with everything else and shoving them in two different bags. It's a slower process than his job should require, but maybe things can accelerate if someone helps along!

In fact, fellow moonbounds will be approached with a smile when he sets his eyes on them. ]

Would you like to help me with categorizing all those items still laying around?

ii;

[ And then he'll be at the row house when his already terrible stamina forces him to give up for the moment. He's drinking fresh water and catching his breath, watching Kivat pick the lighter trash and storing it where it's going to be hopefully burned out. Sure it's weird, seeing a small talking bat going to and fro places like a diligent worker.

Watch along with Wataru, or help the bat along, your choice. ]

iii;

[ Wildcard! Tag me with a different prompt if you'd like! ]

Edited 2019-11-17 06:05 (UTC)

Oh, you've already got bags. [He's already making Yuya's job easier, so he drops to his knees beside Wataru to help sort through the looser odds and ends.] I'm not even sure what some of this stuff is...

Two thousand pounds of useless reptile. [Hiccup laughs. The way he says 'useless' speaks of an inside joke and nothing but fondness for his dragon.] He's a novelty around here. Sometimes the natives still expect him to talk.

I guess that's the only kind of dragon they know. [Versus one that might be more like... a pet, or something.

He stuffs the rest of his sandwich in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. He got a little distracted, there.] Anyway... maybe the best way to do more is just keep doing smaller things like this, so they build up to a bigger difference. Like relief for the Cwyld and getting people their houses back.

Me neither. Just looking at some of those things isn't enough to determine how useful they still are.

[ And in which bag they should go. Cultural clash is such a bad beast here. ]

If you have doubts, though, ask me and I'll help.

I guess if it doesn't look broken, it's probably fine? [He picks up an engraved compact mirror and flips it open to inspect it.] We'll identify all of it when we get back to the row house. First things first is clearing up the road...

[He peeks into the bags to make sure he can tell which one is which before he starts sorting two piles to put into them.]

I wanted to facilitate the work for us, but I suppose you're right. We don't have all day, huh?

[ Without looking further into the discarded item in his hand, he drops it into one of the bags. ]

There seems to be a lot to clean up yet... just how much did they toss out so carelessly...

More than last year, I guess, which is still too much. [Haven't these people every learned to take care of their city?]

How irresponsible of them... it's almost like they waited for us to do all the work they should have done.

[ He sighs, shaking his head. ]

But complaining about it wouldn't solve the situation...

They'd get fined for doing this back home. [It'd be better if they could just be courteous to other people and their city, but sometimes you gotta have a backup for Those Assholes.

He carefully drags a radio out of the pile, turning it over.] I hope this still works...

Seems like the best way to go forward. This- it's not our world, no matter how long we've been here, so we can't expect to... you know, to make major changes, but this? Helping people live a little more normally, a little... better? This we can do. [He smiles, warm.] I like that thought.

It would be the same for my home, too. [ Japan's sense of duty and hardwork makes it so the streets are not as dirty as one would think. ]

Hm... [ He peers over. ] Does it still have batteries inside?

[Yuya tugs the rest of the cord free, so he can turn it over on more sides to inspect the paneling.] I don't see a place for batteries, just to plug it in... I guess we'll test this when we get back, too.

[He leans over, stretching to set it by the salvage bag.]

What's it like? Where you come from.

[ Moving on, he picks what seems to look like a discarded match between a lamp and a deflated ball... obviously broken, so he easily dumps it in the expendable group. ]

Definitely better than here. People had more respect for their surroundings, even the rich ones. You wouldn't find trash scattered around like this.

[ He easily feels like that doesn't answer the question entirely, so he keeps piling up the discarded items as thinks what else he can say about Japan that would seem relevant. ]

Of course there are serious issues over there, too, and I used to hate it so much, but I no longer feel that way.

[ Pretty sure he shouldn't unload his old emotional "I was allergic to the world" baggage on a kid, so he stops there. ]

Eh... really? [Yuya pauses for a moment, before remember he should really sort and talk and jump starts himself.]

What kinds of things did you hate about it?

[ Pressing his lips together, Wataru stays quiet as he keeps working, and it's a good thing he can multitask. ]

I thought everything about it was... evil. The places, the people... just, everything.

[ He shrugs, dumping another broken toy in the bags to dispose of. ]

All I had were irrational thoughts, and no one around me to prove the contrary. I didn't really live the life of a normal teenager, because of that fear.

[Ah, anxiety. Really... intense anxiety. Yuya nods in understanding, his expression easing.]

What made you change your mind?

[ He snorts a little. It's a bit fun to recall now that he mostly discharged his old self. ]

I met a really strong-willed girl who kind of shaped me up ever since.

[ Megumi's methods weren't orthodox at all, and looking back, they didn't exactly help him get out of his shell, but they still started the entire process of himself getting better. ]

Ah. [Yuya smiles a little himself.] She's your friend, now?

[ A nod. ]

We've been friends for almost a year. She's often busy with her work, but her presence was still nice to have around.

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Yuya | OTA

row house

In the streets!

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Wataru Kurenai | OTA

I

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