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Post by Copper on Jul 30, 2015 0:26:31 GMT
Marco sighed, the puff of air forming a light fog on the surface of the glass. He stopped briefly, taking a second to draw two lines and a curve. A small smile, which faded away to nothing in seconds. Maybe I should take a walk. That'll get him off my mind. Maybe I'll run into Eli. He slipped out of bed, stumbling around the dimly lit room for his work pants. Once he felt the rough fabric under his fingers, he located his jacket nearby. The thick, fleecy material was standard-issue and given to every resident. His was about seven years old.
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Post by Dawnmist on Jul 30, 2015 14:17:35 GMT
Her shoulders slumped a little. Was he amused? It wasn't that she cared particularly about how he felt about her, but her pride was bruised and she was struggling to recover her nonchalant attitude. Straightening again and fixing her dark gaze on him, Luca strung together the necessary words in her head to respond. "That is where I'm supposed to be. Thank you for letting me know."
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Post by Silaluk on Jul 30, 2015 15:04:13 GMT
"Ah, what a coincidence! You might as well come along with me since there is no use stumbling around in the dark by yourself. And do not worry. The entrance to the cave you were looking for can be easy to miss." Elias continued on down the tunnel, motioning for Luca to follow. It wasn't very often he got to meet someone new, and after she'd told him where she was headed, it surprised him even more that he hadn't seen her working in the agriculture caves before. "May I ask your name, Miss?"
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Post by Dawnmist on Jul 30, 2015 16:04:44 GMT
Luca hated introductions. They always sounded so awkward and formal - it made her feel like she was being interrogated, bringing back memories of the aftermath of her parents' deaths. Regardless, she supposed they were necessary in some respect. "Luca Kovačević," she said, somewhat stiffly. Her voice echoed alongside the sound of their footsteps in the tunnel as she followed him. "And you are...?"
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Post by Silaluk on Jul 30, 2015 16:21:52 GMT
"That is a lovely name," he told her cheerily. "My name is Elias Neguse. I am the son of Neguse Abel. You might have heard of him. But many call me Eli." His words were short and fast with the excitement of having someone to talk to on his way to work. Not too many had jobs in the fields and gardens or with the animals, so he didn't usually have many people to strike up a conversation with. The dilemma often left him quite bored throughout the day. "Say, do you work with the chickens and turkeys too?"
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Post by Dawnmist on Jul 30, 2015 16:46:11 GMT
His enthusiastic disposition was beginning to get under her skin, but it would be rude to let it show, so she forced a smile in response as he started to tall. As a matter of fact, his father's name did tug at her memory, but she couldn't recall why. Perhaps he had been a friend of her parents, or her neighbours - either was plausible. Her train of thought was interrupted as he began to speak again. "I will be doing," Luca replied. "Like I said, it's only my first day."
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Post by Silaluk on Jul 30, 2015 16:54:42 GMT
This seemed to surprise Eli. Usually, people much younger than her were just starting work. Perhaps she'd requested a transfer. Whatever work she'd been doing before this, it must've been much worse, or maybe she was injured and required some time in a slightly easier job. Maybe she couldn't return to her old job at all. Whatever the case, he decided not to pry. "I guess I am your guide, then. I will be showing you the ropes, eh?"
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Post by Dawnmist on Jul 30, 2015 17:41:07 GMT
The smile on her face slipped a little, and she pursed her lips before speaking again. She wasn't particularly enamoured with the idea of being guided around. To her, it almost implied a lack of confidence in her competency. Nevertheless... "That is very kind of you. Thank you." Luca once again forced her lips to curve upwards, somewhat spurred on by the idea of finally being dependent. This is what mama would have wanted of me.
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Post by Silaluk on Jul 30, 2015 17:53:06 GMT
"It is no trouble, really," Eli assured her. "You cannot be expected to know exactly how to do your job on the first day." Soon enough, the sound of faint clucking could be heard and Eli approached the door that led to the cave. He opened it for her, gesturing inside. The walls of the cavern were lined with coops, all surrounding a large space in the middle for the birds to peck around in the dirt and grass. "Well, here we are!"
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Post by Copper on Jul 31, 2015 1:23:23 GMT
Marco shivered as he made his way out of the dormitories. The air was cold tonight, just as it always was; but tonight the chill and silence seemed to hide something a bit more sinister in their midst. Why him again? He never used to visit. Why not anyone else? Marco stopped walking, that distinctive and elegant gait coming to a pause by a scraggly rock building. This was where Eli usually came around on Tuesdays-- or was it Thursdays that he had shorter shifts? Marco drew his jacket tighter around himself, but the air still seemed to pierce the threads like needles and prick at his skin. Maybe I should go look for him.
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Post by Dawnmist on Aug 1, 2015 10:58:44 GMT
Luca followed, only halting when he opened the door. She took a few cautious steps into the cavern, the multitudinous clucking sounds and the smell of the chickens assaulting her senses. It was fairly underwhelming, she observed. Really, she shouldn't have held the job in such high esteem; it only led to disappointment now as she saw it for what it really was. Life isn't a fairytale, love. Her father had spoken those words to her numerous times before his death, and they hit her again as she turned back to Elias. "It's smaller than I imagined."
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Post by Silaluk on Aug 1, 2015 13:01:36 GMT
"Well, yes..." Eli hesitated for a moment before smiling again and following her inside. "It does not have to be big since there are no crops to grow. It is a private little home for all of the birds here," he chuckled, grabbing a bag of feed from a crude shelf that was really just a hollowed-out space in the wall. "I must clean the coops and collect the eggs. Can you feed them, please? Just put it all in that trough thing." Eli pointed to it as he took a knife and cut open a corner of the bag, leaving some of the mash to dribble out. "I will just be over here." With that, he patted her shoulder a couple times and strolled over to the first coop.
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Post by Copper on Aug 1, 2015 14:37:29 GMT
Marco muttered to himself as he began to make his way down the rocky, uneven road. It was frequently used by workers moving to and from their shifts, so tinny yellow light flooded every inch of the walkway. It was somewhat nerve-wracking, only being able to hear the sounds of gravel crunching under his feet and the buzzing of the generators, but after so many years it was easy to stop thinking about the suffocating silence. Instead, Marco focused on trying to remember where Eli went on Tuesdays and whether or not it was worth walking a long way for.
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Post by Silaluk on Aug 1, 2015 15:43:10 GMT
As he worked, Eli vaguely wondered if he'd ever told Marco that he'd offered to take this shift for a coworker whose wife was expecting her baby today. He sighed when he realized he hadn't and now he felt guilty, wondering if Marco was wandering around trying to look for him. But he couldn't just up and leave. So instead, he tried fo work faster in the hopes that he might even finish up before Marco was even awake.
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Post by Copper on Aug 2, 2015 3:26:23 GMT
Marco stepped inside one of the nearer caves, where the cattle were kept. The workers looked up, one or two giving him a small nod but the others sending him dirty looks. Marco sent back a cheeky grin before stepping out again. Not on cow duty today, then. Reluctant to continue walking in the sharp cold, he stopped for a moment. The frosty air felt tight and painful in his lungs and throat. Maybe I should just wait for him back at the dorms...
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Post by Dawnmist on Aug 3, 2015 16:37:30 GMT
Luca watched, vaguely amused as the chickens pecked at the ground around her feet. The noises they made brought a rare half-smile to her lips, and she resisted the urge to reach down and touch the silky feathers on their heads. Really, she thought grudgingly, it wasn't so bad. The smell, on the other hand... Well, she'd be needing a shower once she got back.
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Post by Silaluk on Aug 3, 2015 16:47:55 GMT
"How are the hens treating you?" Eli asked as he gathered eggs into a basket. He turned and smiled at Luca briefly before going back to his work. "You can pick them up, you know. They are very friendly." Most of the chickens that occupied the American football field-sized space had surrounded Luca. Even a few turkeys had come over to investigate. It wasn't a very large number number of birds, perhaps fifty or sixty, but it was still a funny thing to watch.
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Post by Dawnmist on Aug 3, 2015 17:12:25 GMT
She shook her head, the smile quickly fading as she realised that he'd seen it. Now is not the time. "I'm here to work," she said, a little stiffly, and folded her arms across her chest. "If everyone did nothing but mess around, we'd all be dead within a week." She eyed the turkeys with a little more caution as they approached; they were larger, and the sounds they were making were harsher than the gentle clucking of the hens. Don't be foolish. They're just birds.
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Post by Silaluk on Aug 3, 2015 17:23:57 GMT
Eli set the basket of eggs aside and waded through the small sea of chickens towards Luca. He reached down and picked one of the hens up, cradling the bird in his arms. "Go on, you can pet her. If you say you are here to work, then you must say hello to the chickens. The chickens will not like you much if you don't get to know them. That makes your job harder."
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Post by Dawnmist on Aug 3, 2015 18:02:50 GMT
Luca stared at him, one eyebrow raised, unsure if he was joking or not. After a few moments of defeated silence, she took a small step closer to give the chicken a tentative stroke with the tips of her fingers. "Hello..." feeling infinitely more foolish by each passing second, she glanced up at Elias. "Does the chicken have a name?"
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