andhiswife: (resolved)
As far as Darrow antics go, this one might top the list for bloody eeriness. At the cottage, they can almost pretend nothing's happened. Between the garden, the chickens, and the staples she always keeps well-stocked, there's no immediate threat of starvation. The power hasn't failed yet, but even if it does, she thinks they'll be able to work around it — neither she nor Anne are exactly accustomed to being without it anymore, but that doesn't mean they've forgotten how to get by.

And surely things will go back to normal sooner or later. They always do, and she refuses to believe that—that whatever this is might be special in that regard.

But it's still unsettling. Even though it only seems to be the locals who have vanished, there were always far more of them than anyone else, and never has she felt the difference so keenly. Whole blocks are abandoned, shops either permanently shuttered or, more often, left unmanned mid-shift: the lights still on, but no one at home. But what she hates most are the littler signs of lives abruptly interrupted. A lone briefcase sitting at a bus stop; half-drunk beverages glued to their coasters by dried condensation; shopping carts left idle halfway down an aisle.

Regan is taking it especially hard, and no wonder.

It would be easier to avoid town entirely, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't tempted. But she can't abide the thought of hiding out in the countryside when there are still plenty of people who need help. Not when her hands still remember how to feed a Village.

So she's stolen a bakery. Or, well... borrowed. She's borrowing a bakery.

It hadn't been hard to find. Even cleaning it up hadn't been too much of a challenge: people had already made off with the displays' contents, so there was little rotten food to be dealt with. Obviously there were no fresh ingredients worth salvaging, but things like flour, baking soda, and spices don't go bad overnight. There's plenty to start with, at least.

Getting the word out had been the bigger challenge. She's texted everyone she can, and Saoirse has made some very colorful signage to post in the bakery windows and in other places around the city, letting people know that there are fresh-baked goods available. She can't imagine charging for any of it, but after the first few hours (and some discussion with Anne), she'd added some signage suggesting that she wouldn't question where any raw ingredients might have come from, if people wanted to bring some.

It's mid-afternoon when she slides two more trays of muffins into the oven, sets a timer on her phone, and then steps out of the kitchen for some slightly cooler air. Her hair is falling out of its bun and she's probably a mess, but it's satisfying to see people eating something she made: something fresh and good that hasn't come from a bloody can.

[ooc: a mini-gathering for the vanishing NPC plot! If your pup knows Greta, you can assume they've received a text; otherwise, there's plenty of signage letting people know there's still one functioning bakery in town.]

NFWMB

Mar. 21st, 2021 07:08 pm
andhiswife: (what was that)
September 15, 2020

One of the nice things about being friends with Anne (besides the persistent, quiet thrill of having an honest-to-goodness pirate favor you with their company) is that they're from similar enough times that it's easy to make an outing out of something that most might find a bit simple or boring, like browsing the outdoor farmer's markets. If she has to shop anyway, she might as well make it more fun than the average grocery run, and indulge herself with a bit of company.

Honestly, she's a little suspicious of some of what's on offer — Darrow has a long enough growing season, but that doesn't mean everything is in season now, so the same mystery of where the grocers get their produce might just as easily be applied to the people selling heaps of blueberries in mid-September. But the weather is nice, the prices are decent, and there's a variety of things you don't find as easily at a typical grocer's, like freshly roasted nuts or beeswax candles.

More than that, there's just the comforting familiarity of an open-air market, stalls run by individuals instead everything stacked impersonally on shelves. It feels like a bit of home, and she fancies that for Anne, it might be much the same.

Greta's just hefted something apparently called dragon fruit and is midway through asking Anne if she has any idea what it's like when she's interrupted by a pair of strange voices: "Greta?" and "Oh my god, Greta?" hitting her with enough unanticipated force that she starts with a quiet squawk, mindlessly clutching the strange fruit to her chest and nearly bumping Anne's shoulder as she pivots to face the speakers: a man and a woman rushing over from a neighboring stall.

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The Baker's Wife

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