5/11 Instance: Bin Talkin'

[fourpawsonthefloor]

timeline current


Sam: Sam wiped his forehead with the back of his flannel sleeve. He'd shed his coat a while back, but he'd kept the flannel on over his plain t-shirt. It was still pretty nippy out even if the work was making him a little warm. It felt good to be working at something plain and everyday. Gave his mind time to rest.

Cessily: Cessily wandered outside through the back door of the mansion. Homework was finally done and she just needed to get out a bit. Having to sit indoors the whole day had made her restless. She hopped down the stair and turned her head, smiling as she saw Sam. "Hey, Sam!" She waved and headed over. "Wow, you look busy. Do you need any help with that?"

Sam: "Ah'm good. Got a big enough pile Ah think to make a good burn out of. Reminds me of home, the smell of it all. Though quite a bit colder. We'd still be bringin' in things from the fields at this point." He leaned on the rake a bit. "Guess you don't really get sweaty and stuff though, hey?"

Cessily: Cessily laughed a little. "No, not any more. That's quite a good thing about my mutation. No more getting sweaty and all, and I also don't fatigue any more. Or getting cold " She smiled at Sam and waved her hands. "So, it would be no problem for me to help you a little. Looks like there are still plenty of leaves left."

Sam: "Alright then. Ah guess it'd be better to get the whole lot for now, though Ah'm sure it won't stay clean long." He laughed with a nod to the trees. "Still...it'll be good." He lifted up a leaf to show Cessily a slug. "These guys are all over the place here. Ah wouldn't be jumpin' in the leaf pile if Ah were you."

Cessily: "Yeah, it's no problem, really. We're getting right into the middle of autumn, so I guess we'd have to do that a few more times. Still, it's a great season. I love all the colours." Cessily grinned and leaned over to peek at the sludge. "Awww, poor little thing." She then glanced at the pile of leaves. "You know, do we really have to burn the piles? I mean, we would also burn the animals in it then."

Sam: "Well...yeah. That's kinda the idea. Slugs eat all the plants and stuff. There may not be a vegitable garden here but there is still flowers and things." He looked at her sympathetic face. "Ah mean...Ah just look at this as just a normal part of farmin' but Ah guess it's a bit different if you're not used to it."

Cessily: Cessily chewed on her tongue and frowned. "Yeah, I'm not really used to it. I mean, I would help my Nana with gardening at home, but I always pick up the animals I find and put them into the forest nearby. And my Papa would take me hunting a few times, but I was never too fond of killing animals. Even if it's for food."

Cessily: She sighed and looked at him. "Well, if you think it's necessary to burn the leaves, we can do that. But at home we would put all of that in a compost pit. I don't know if we have such a thing here, but I guess we could easy make one."

Sam: "But...they're not really animals Cessily...they're slugs." He leaned on the rake and looked around. "Suppose you're right though. We could compost them. And the flower beds could use that too, hey?" He gave her a smile. "Want to help me find some wood and we can toss one together? The kitchen scraps can start goin' out in it then too. Environment friendly and all that."

Cessily: Cessily gave him a big grin. "Yay! That's a fantastic idea!" She nodded eagerly. "I'm sure we can find all that we need in the tool shed. There are usually some boards lying around, and if that's not enough, we could gather some larger tree branches from the woods."

Sam: "They need to be fairly flat. Ah'm sure there's lumber left over from buildin' that pen for the turtle too." He was glad to make her happy. It felt nice making people happy, but extra nice when it was a pretty girl. He walked with her to the shed, scuffing his feet through the odd leaves that were still untouched. "You know, it might be nice to plant some vegitables, but Ah guess the problem is no one is here to tend them through the summer - which is pretty much most of the work, hey?"

Cessily: Cessily smiled at Sam when they reached the shed and stepped inside. "I think that's a nice idea, too. You're right, though. Most students leave during the summer months. Even most the staff takes a break. Oh, there are some boards." She pointed at them and headed over. "Some students usually stay here, but you can't really ask them to do all the work during their break."

Cessily: "Still, I like the idea of a little garden. Perhaps we could think of a way to tend for one. "She picked up a large stack of boards, securely taking a hold of them by wrapping her arms around them. "Do you think that's enough?"

Sam: "Yeah. And it isn't like Xavier doesn't buy lots of things to eat anyways. Guess Ah'm just lookin' to bring a small part of home here." He blinked at the large load. "Yeah. Ah'd say it should be. Just let me grab some nails and screws and tools and we'll build that together, alright?"

Sam: Gathering the things they needed and a shovel besides he walked off to an area not too far away. "This should be good here. Close enough to the house that it won't be too much of a job to haul out cuttin's from the kitchen, but outta the way so the smell and look don't stick out in all these pretty gardens." He nodded to the nearby flower bed. "And we can build a couple around here Ah guess, but ones good to start." He dug the shovel into the dirt, leveling it as good as he could.

Cessily: "Yep, this looks like a good place. And you're right, I think one is enough for most of the compost we could generate here." She put the boards down on the ground a little to the side and stepped over to join Sam. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with bringing a bit of home with you. After all, we spent a great deal of our time at this place. Wait, let me help you with the ground."

Cessily: "It's probably easier for me to adjust since Maine isn't that different from this place." Cessily took her jacket off and tossed it aside into the grass, then stretched her upper body and her arms, shaping them into shovels. "See, I'm the perfect tool for any kind of hard labour. I guess I'd always get a job in construction work."

Sam: "Wow. You really are a handy girl. Ah can think of all sorts of things you could do...hell pullin' weeds must be easy as pie." He watched her work for a minute and then started postitioning the wood. "Well this will do for starters. To have a real nice one you'd want to set posts in the ground with cement, but this'll do." He put a few nails in his pocket. "What's your hobbies then? You seem good with the dirt. You like plantin'?"

Cessily: Cessily chuckled. "Thank you. It is a really handy mutation, that's true. I'm still figuring out the more creative ways to make use of it. I guess I'm still too focused on the 'two hands, two feet' thing that I was limited to before." She shifted back and helped him with the planks. "And yeah, I like gardening. Or doing stuff outside in the nature in general."

Cessily: She gave him a smile. "I spent lots of time out in the woods near our home as a child. And my grandparents always encourage me to live 'close to nature', as well."

Sam: "That sounds nice. We used to cut through the woods and stuff as kids, but we pretty much lived in nature Ah suppose. Not like the woods, but you are out in the fields and covered in dirt and stuff on a farm pretty much all day. Long hours. But it's a good life. Expect after Ah learn what Ah need to here, Ah'll get right back to it."

Sam: "It's been good bein' here though. At first Ah was really homesick and had a hard time fittin' in, but Ah'm a lot more used to it now. And Ah've even flown a few times and not broke anythin'." He gave her a lop sided smile. "Well...messed the lawn up a bit, but its much better than Ah used to be."

Cessily: Cessily laughed while she arranged the boards and held them in place so Sam could hammer the nails through them. "Sounds like you have a really nice home. That's a wonderful thing to have. I love being at my grandparents' place, as well." She nodded and gave him a smile. "Yeah, I've heard that you're able to fly. That must be pretty awesome, no?"

Sam: His face lit up as he hammered the nails, the sharp stattico beats of it echoing oddly in the crisp air. "Yeah. It's a blast." He chuckled. "Literally. Ah don't know. It's just so freein' you know? You're up there and nothin' can stop you." He turned back to hammering. "Ah don't think it's got much for practicality about it, but Ah like to do it."

Cessily: "Yeah, I bet." She gave him a smile and a slightly preoccupied look. "I mean, practicability or not, it must be a wonderful feeling." She smiled sheepishly and tilted her head to the side. "You know, sometimes I wonder if I'd be able to fly. Or glide, at least. Like, if I shifted my shape enough." She shrugged. "But I'm probably too heavy to fly."

Sam: Stopping hammering for a moment his brows drew together as he puzzled through it. "Ah don't know. Planes are real heavy, but they fly. Ah think it depends more on what shape you make yourself and how thin maybe? And then there's the matter of how to get you goin'." He studied her. "Jumpin' off the roof or somethin' to see if you glide is kinda risky, hey?"

Cessily: Cessily gave him a look in return and pondered what he had said. "Yeah, that's true. I guess it's a matter of lift, so I'd have to shift into a large, flat shape. You know, like a kite." She smiled and shrugged. "Actually, that's not such a bad idea. And it would only be risky for anything beneath me. The worst that could happen to me is that I go splat on the ground."

Sam: His forehead twisted up. "That wouldn't hurt you? Like goin' splat?" Shaking his head he went back to the boards. "Wow. Well, Ah guess if you don't have to worry about gettin' hurt maybe you could jump off of the roof. Do somethin' like a flyin' squirrel maybe? Takes some practice though, to fly. But if you go at it, Ah'm sure you'll do great. You're a real determined lady. But real nice in gettin' your way still."

Cessily: "Nope, I'm like modeling clay. I don't break." Cessily giggled a bit and smiled. "Thanks. I guess that's true. And perhaps I'll just try it sometime. I mean, even if it turned out that I couldn't pull it off to fly, seeing a huge silver flying squirrel leap from the rood would at least be a fantastic show for all the other students." She held another board in place and waited for Sam to hammer in the nails.

Sam: Done that corner he moved to the other, waiting till she'd adjusted to hold other boards to it. "Yeah, but you'd better warn them or they'd be sure that you'd hurt yourself. People really care a lot for you here." He gave her a smile. "And for good reason. You're real kind. A lot of people here are."

Sam: That brought other things to mind. "You think that Rogue'll ever come back here? It's been a long while, hey?"

Cessily: She smiled again. "Thank you. You're a very sweet boy, too. People here will be caring for you just the same in no time, you'll see." Cessily chuckled a bit. "I guess it's because I always tend to worry a lot. Like, worrying that I might hurt or neglect people. So I'm extra careful to make them happy."

Cessily: Cessily paused, then let out a small sigh. "Yes, I think she'll come back." She gave a determined nod. "Actually, I'm sure she will. Simply because... this place is home for so many of us, you know? And it's been her home, too. She doesn't have another one, and I think she liked to be around us just as much as we like to have her around."

Cessily: She nodded again. "Yes, one day she'll remember that and then she'll be back."

Sam: "Well, thank you too. Ah think Ah've got a few friends here...and Ah get along with people. Get some ribbin' from mah roommate and all, but that's to be expected. And it would be good to see Rogue again. She was so kind to make me feel welcome when Ah first came here. Ah'd like to say thank you or help her the same as she did me. Ah do think she could use friends now - Ah just feel bad that she's not back so that everyone here can help her too."

Cessily: "Ah, no worries, you'll do great here." Cessily grinned and gave him a gently nudge into the side. Then she paused again. "Yeah, I wish she'd just come back now so I could give her a hug. It's just that... I think she needs some time on her own. All the complications caused by her powers, I think it was just too much for her to stay around us all the time."

Sam: "Yeah..." They moved to the final corner and cobbled it together fairly quickly. "Well, things have been a lot tougher for a lot of people than it has for me. Ah'm glad that Ah didn't have to face a lot of that." He set his hammer down. "Ah know everyone in the town. And when it all came out...Ah guess some won't talk to me or feel comfortable no more, but Ah don't think anyone's gonna lift a hand to me or anythin'."

Cessily: Cessily gave him an encouraging smile and a nod. "That's true. Some of us have an easier time, some of us, not so much. Having an understanding family and good friends in such a situation is a wonderful thing." She paused, and after a moment shrugged. "It's good that people can't spot that you're a mutant. And hey, if anyone gives you trouble about it, you could just fly off."

Sam: He looked at her, and sat on the edge of the new bin. "Yeah. Ah guess Ah really am. Ah didn't realize how different mutants could look. And it did take a while to get used to it all, but when you do, it's just like anything else. Guess you ain't got it so lucky."

Cessily: Cessily sightly smiled at him for a moment before answering. "No, not really. At first it was pretty awful. People thought that I'm some kind of alien or that I'm poisonous or contagious or something similarly terrible. I guess a lot of them still do. My family couldn't deal with all the stress and pressure and being shunned in our town for having a freaky daughter."

Cessily: "So I got shoved off to my grandparents, who live in the middle of nowhere. But they're wonderful people. And then I ended up here, which was awesome." Her smile returned. "I got used to it. People still stare, but I don't care as much as I did before. And hey, some even think that I'm looking really cool."

Sam: "You do...you sparkle a lot. Look real futuristic you know? But it's more who you are as a person than what you look like. Though Ah suppose just about anyone looks at how you look before they look at who you are." He hopped up. "And Ah think people here like you a lot. As a friend...and as other things Ah suppose." He pinked a little at that. "Wanna get the leaves then?"

Cessily: "Sure, let's get them in. I could try to shape rake-hands." She grinned at Sam. "And that's what always say, too. It's all about personality. Sadly, a lot of people judge based on looks." Her grin widened a bit and she gave him a wink. "Yeah, I think I've plenty of friends. And some lovers, too, that's right."

Cessily: She giggled. "There's no need to feel ashamed about that. I'm very open about such things, as you'll probably have heard already."

Sam: "Ah don't feel ashamed about it at all. Ah'm not judgin' you at all either. Ah hope Ah've not made you feel like that." They got to the leaf pile and he started picking heaps up and dumping them into the wheelbarrow. "It's just...Ah guess Ah was raised a bit old fashioned. Ah realize people make other choices than findin' someone and gettin' married before they...you know...but Ah was raised that way."

Sam: He was getting progressively pinker but he blamed it on the heat of exurtion. "As such, if Ah was gonna put a label on it at all, Ah'd say Ah'm just a bit shy." Not something he'd admit as readily to one of the guys, but Cessily had this sort of comforting mothery bit about her, while still having the other very not mothery side to her. Odd mix, but it worked well for her.

Cessily: She grinned at him all the time while helping him haul the leaves. "There's nothing wrong with doing things differently, as long as you're happy with it. So if people want to wait with sex until marriage because it's what they really want, that that's perfectly fine. Doing what makes you happy is what it's most important, after all." She chuckled. "But I guess I've always seen things in my own way."

Cessily: "You know, I always had trouble with committing to an exclusive relationship, and usually shied away from them all together because of that. Then I changed, and became even more shy. I thought no one in their right mind would want to touch me. And then... well, I came here, met a nice boy, and here I am. I guess it really helped my self-esteem."

Cessily: She gave him a wink. "So, there's nothing wrong with being a bit shy. What about you? Did you have a girlfriend at home?"

Sam: He gave her a small grateful smile, glad that she was so accepting. "Well Ah think you get a sort of mental picture from what people tell you about girls who...well." He pulled a face. "But you aren't anythin' like that. So Ah guess you just need to have an open mind like you said, hey?"

Sam: "Ah don't anymore. Ah have had a girlfriend...Kendra. Ah was a bit popular - not hugely popular like some of the guys, but Ah guess the girls thought Ah looked nice. But things change a bit, don't they?" He shrugged. "Ah hid the flyin' for a couple of years. Ah guess Ah wouldn't have had the problem at all if Ah just hadn't flown at all. But then Ah went through the barn and word spread around and that was it."

Cessily: "Girls who are promiscuous, you mean," she asked with a sly grin. "There's nothing wrong with enjoying each others' company, you know? It's a wonderful part of life, and should be cherished." Her smile faded a little. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Sounds like things didn't go so smooth, yes? What happened, if I may ask? Did you two break up?"

Cessily: She helped him dump the leaves in the new compost bin, then turned her head to give him a smirk. "And I can totally see why you'd be popular among the girls."

Sam: Flushing hard at the compliment he hid it by heaping the leaves in, back half to her. "Ah guess Ah've always been a bit shy - even at home. It's just people are so frank here there's more time for me to get embarrassed."

Sam: "As for the rest of it - it wasn't so bad. Not like people here have had to deal with. Just some people didn't feel so comfortable with me no more and didn't want to hang out with me - and yeah, Kendra was one of them. Her folks were worried too that Ah'd hurt her or do somethin' weird."

Cessily: "I'm so sorry to hear that." Cessily gave Sam a compassionate look. "I know how that feels. I lost all of my old friends when I changed." They dumped the last few leaves in and gathered the rest from the ground. Cessily stepped over to Sam and gently squeezed his shoulder. "And let me tell you that many girls like shy guys. Because usually they're always the kinder ones."

Cessily: She grinned. "And believe me, you'll get used to people being frank here. It's actually not so bad, and quite fun, in fact."

Sam: "Well, Ah guess so. Ah can say Ah see the good in people just speakin' their mind rather than bein' all sly about it. Ah'm kinda the kid around here though. Most people are a lot older." He smiled at her. "And Ah did keep a lot of mah friends. Mah best friend stood by me. He's been great - thinks it's real cool that Ah get to go up here and Ah get to fly and all that. So...it wasn't all that bad."

Cessily: "That's sweet. Well, I was really lucky to find that many new and wonderful friends here." She shrugged. "So, I'm really fine now. You're the kid, really? How old are you now? Mind you, I just turned nineteen a few days ago, so I guess I'm one of the younger ones myself."

Sam: He rolled his eyes slightly. "Ah'm only Seventeen. Well...and a half Ah guess you could say. Mah birthday's in Feburary." He scraped out the rest of the wheelbarrow. "So definately the kid."

Cessily: Cessily giggled. "Oh yes, I'm afraid you're the kid then. I'm sorry." She winked at him. "No worries, though. We'll take good care of you and make sure that you'll learn everything that you have to."

Sam: Tossing a small handful of leaves at her he laughed. "Yeah, that's exactly what Ah mean. When you're the 'kid' people are all about that. And Ah get it, cause Ah do the same thing to kids younger than me. It's just...how serious is anyone gonna take me, hey? Not that people'd ever be unkind."

Cessily: Cessily laughed at grabbed a handful of leaves to toss them right back at him. "Hey, tossing plants at people will not make them treat you like a grown up. And really, don't worry too much about it. It's not like we're all that far apart. Sure, people will have their fun, but then they'll forget about the age difference."

Sam: "Yeah, people treat me fair here. Ah'd never say otherwise. As Ah said, Ah get a bit of chaffin' from Andreas, but Ah think he's kinda like that with everyone." Brushing a stray leaf from his head he leaned in and gave her a small hug. "Thanks for listenin' t' me yap on. It was kind of you."

Cessily: "Hey, anytime." She smiled and returned the hug. "You can repay me to listen to my ramblings when I'm feeling down again. And oh yeah, don't worry about Andy. That's just the way he is. I guess he's like that to everyone."

Sam: "Ah'd be happy to. In the meantime, we've got the compostin' bin and Ah feel like Ah've accomplished somethin' today." He looked at their work. "We'll have to let everyone know and get a small bucket for the kitchen. And speakin' of the kitchen, Ah could eat mah shirt right about now."

Cessily: "Kitchen sounds like a wonderful idea." She gave an admiring look at their composting bin and nodded. "We definitely earned ourselves a delicious meal, don't you think so, too?"

Sam: "Ah do. Mind you Ah think Ah could eat just about anytime." He laughed again and walked with her back to the house.

[Elfdame]

This was a very enjoyable read.

profound wisdom: Though Ah suppose just about anyone looks at how you look before they look at who you are."

a bit o' truth: "And let me tell you that many girls like shy guys. Because usually they're always the kinder ones."

fun shenanigans: "Hey, tossing plants at people will not make them treat you like a grown up."