betterplace | Log 1

"...Yup."

Lucas sets his head snugly against Margot's shoulder without even looking up, his arms still wrapped tightly around the dog patiently settled on its haunches in front of him. Boney glances towards Margot and pants good-naturedly.

"Boney says hi. ...He also says you smell like ketchup." A brief pause. "I think that means he thinks you smell nice."

A slightly longer pause after that non-sequitur. "...Do you remember the drawings I used to do, Miss Margot?" The ones that were probably really awful, but that no one had the heart to tell him were awful. At least the ones back at the beginning. "I think I did one like this once. Just... relaxing. I don't think we've had peace in a long time."

"I..." Margot started to crack up, reaching out to scritch the dog behind the ears. Leave it to Lucas' dog to be weird. "Thank you very much, Boney. You smell nice as well. Like mustard."

At least she hoped that was a compliment in dog speak.

"'Course I remember," she said as she reached into her coat and pulled out a carefully folded up piece of paper. It was the drawing he had submitted to the newspaper ages ago of the the two of them drinking a malt; she had cut it out and kept it with her to the end. "We get to have peace now, though, and you can do more drawings. You can do whatever you want now."

"Oh!"

Lucas flushes slightly as Margot brings out the drawing, and he half-reaches out a hand towards it. "You kept that? Aha... I didn't know what Luke wanted from me that one time; I didn't think he would actually print any of it. We didn't have newspapers back home..." He glances up towards Margot with a shy smile.

"I wanted to go home, you know, because... there were people who needed me." He nods slowly to himself. "Dad and... Kumatora and Duster. Everyone who might still be left. But now... I think... this is the best thing that could have happened. They have me with them - and... I can still have all of you."

He glances away slightly. "Do you think that's a selfish thing to think, Miss Margot?"

"I'm glad he did. Sometimes we all need a reminder of what we're fighting for and I couldn't think of anything better." She smiles fondly down at him, letting him take the drawing if he wants. "I think when we build up a home, I'd like to hang it up."

Margot gives his shoulders a quick squeeze, looking back out at the empty pasture. "It's selfish, yes, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Knowing that I'm still back home to help the people I care about and that I get to be here with everyone too? I wouldn't trade that for anything."

Lucas glances back up with a quick smile before he returns his gaze towards the open field as well.

"I... I'm going to miss my dad. And my friends. But... I did everything I needed to back home, too. So I think... I'm happy this way."

Lucas is silent for a few moments.

"You're alright with being here, too, Miss Margot?"

Margot lapses into silence as well, drawing knees up to her chest. There were so many things she would miss -- the end of the war, the kids growing up, being able to go wherever she wanted whenever she wanted.

But here she could see Lucas grow up, make places to go or things to fight. It wouldn't be so bad. She hesitates as she responds, "I think in time I'll get used to it. It's going to take a while, but... it's home now, yeah?"

"Mm."

Lucas agrees with a firm nod.

"There's... a lot to be done here! It's almost exciting - It's... a world filled with opportunity. We can be whoever or whatever we want..." He raises up his hands slightly as if to outline the plans he has within his mind.

"I want to build a farm here. ...The ground is right and it's fertile and... we're going to need a way to be self-sustaining. It might not be enough for everyone, but I think every little bit will count. ...And it will be nice to go back to the way things used to be."

"With the sheep and everything, you mean?" She looks out over the landscape, seeing it all in her mind. A nice house there, a fenced in pasture over there... There could be chickens, things could be grown... Margot likes the idea and smiles.

"If you want help, well... I'm not much of a green-thumb, but I can do what I can."

The grin on her face spreads though as she's struck with a sudden giddiness. 'Be whoever or whatever we want.' "...I've always wanted to sail the world, you know. I can't here, but I can try making my own ship."

"Definitely with sheep." He glances up with a embarrassed smile as he wraps his arms back around Boney. "That's what I did at home - raise sheep. ...We had a lot of trouble with lightning, but I don't think that's going to be much of a problem here."

A slight nod as Margot offers her assistance. "Of course! You're welcome to come do whatever you want... I can teach you; my dad and grandpa taught me and my brother how to do all of this when we were really young." It was because of that that he had been able to keep the farm running on his own for three years.

"Oh, you should! And... have it with white sails and everything like that, like in the stories. ...Do you think we can make a lake here? There might be enough room..."

"And if there is trouble with lightning, well... I've still got my wind magic." She twirls a finger through the air with a grin, a slight breeze kicking up for a moment.

"I'd really like that. I know a lot of work goes into it, so you'd definitely need the help, yeah? Just show me what to do and I'll do it. And I want to hear more about your farm at home one day, you know." And while farm life isn't the most enchanting thought -- here? Margot can do it.

"I'm sure we can and even if it's a small lake, it's not like the ship has to be huge. It'd still have the sails of course. I can teach you, too, if you'd like. How to work a boat?"

"Oh, I've never been in a boat! I've gone swimming before, though, so I'll be OK if I fall out."

As he has before from several hundred feet up in the air.

"I'll teach you how to till the land if you teach me how to steer. ...Mine isn't very exciting, but you can have first pick on whatever we grow if you want."

They could conjure food into existence now but that was just plain cheating.

"Good! You might have to help me with the swimming part. Jecht tried to teach me... Saints, ages ago, I think it was, but I'll be damned if I'm any good at it." She smiles sheepishly.

Look, when you have water magic, swimming is pretty much a non-issue okay.

"Oh nonsense -- yours is exciting too. I like working with my hands."

She places her chin in a hand, thinking. "Mmm... What if we grew something tropical to start out with? Mangoes or something?"

Lucas suddenly regrets what he had just said, though he quickly thinks of a suitable response. Hopefully in a manner that doesn't sound as if he thinks her idea is horrible.

"Ah, I think... the climate here wouldn't be appropriate for tropical fruits." He tries to speak delicately. "It might be better if we started off with something a little more sustainable. Just so we know we can keep things alive."

Lucas why do you have to crush all of her dreams?

Margot doesn't really look put out, though. Heck if she knows anything about farming beyond put seeds in the ground, watch them grow, and reap rewards. After a moment's pause, she offers up, "Um... What about apples or oranges? Would those be better for this climate?"

Citrus fruit trees required a temperate climate, too, Margot... Lucas bites his tongue for a moment.

"Apple! We could do apples in an orchard. I've never done fruit trees before, but I think the principles are about the same... I know you've got to protect them from insects and from frost."

Farming, how does it work? But she looks happy enough at the apple part, so all is well!

"Apples it is! And anything else, really. Whatever you think would be good." She is making a mental note to herself to actually go look this stuff up later, though. "Other than sheep, what other animals were you think of? Horses, cows, chickens..?"

"Um... Chickens will be good for eggs and cows will be good for milk and cream. ...I've always wanted a horse, but I think it's not as urgent right now since I have the table and the, um, ship..."

A brief pause.

"...Let's just do all of it! It's our farm now, right?"

"We should probably try to find someone that knows how to drive something like that, too... The ship, I mean."

She thinks his driving skills are worse than hers, and that's a feat.

"...Right! Anything we want, we can do. So... Let's do it."

Lucas has the rest of his life to learn, OK. His brows furrow just the tiniest bit as he contemplates that thought.

"Hm... I'm not too sure anyone will. Mr. Saturn technology is a little bit..."

Well. She had seen how bizarre it all was.

"I'm not sure I'm ready to wish a whole building into existence yet, but... maybe we can start small."

Lucas glances down at the ground and slowly begins to collect some dirt and mud together to form a small mound. At the top, he leaves a small depression for something to go.

"Here."

And he carefully plants a seed that hadn't been in his hand a moment earlier.

Log 1

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