Earth Alone

Marco trudged on, smiling to himself as he wondered about Eli's whereabouts. Who knows? Maybe he's obsessing over his chickens again. Guy won't shut up about them usually. He shoved his hands into his pockets, whistling a soft tune into the still, chilled air. Not that he had even heard music in a long while; the old musical records were now strictly reserved for historical research and preservation-- something about keeping later generations with some sort of memory of a life before the caves. All of the instruments had died with the sun as well, and so had all the musicians. But this was a lullaby that his mother used to sing to him, back when they walked the surface, and he knew it like he knew his own body. I guess some music was never meant to die.

Eli set the hen down, thinking for a moment. "You could feed the turkeys. That would be helpful," he said. "I am nearly finished collecting eggs and cleaning the coops, so by the time you are finished, I will be too." He made his way back through the chickens, who were starting to disperse, pointing to the far side of the cave. "They are over there. And do not worry, the turkeys are friendly too."

Eli finished up with the last chicken coop quickly, heading towards the couple turkey pens. These ones thankfully didn't require much maintenance as there was no real bedding, just grass. He carried with him two baskets of eggs that were to be delivered to the kitchens later on. "The turkeys..." Eli said as he passed by Luca to refill the birds' water, "They look scary, and sometimes they are loud. They take longer than chickens to get used to you." Carefully, he refilled the tub that fed the watering system, continuing once he was finished. "But if you work here for a while, they will love you just as much and will prove themselves just as friendly."

"Alright, well... I must take these to the kitchens," Eli told Luca, picking up the baskets of eggs. "You can tag along, if you like. The kitchens are certainly fun to visit. Otherwise, I will see you tomorrow."

Eli nodded, giving her one last smile. "I understand. Goodbye then, Miss Luca!" he said, raising one of the egg baskets in a farewell. He headed to the exit, turning to push the button that opened it with his hip. As he began his trip to the kitchens, he realized he wouldn't exactly be able to carry his lantern, so Eli took to whistling a simple tune to keep him company in the darkness.

Marco popped in from the back entrance just as Eli left. He frowned, staring around the small cave. Chickens, turkeys, some girl he hadn't seen before... no sign of the Nigerian. He certainly hadn't been prepared for the smell, and it made his eyes water. Still, the Mexican remained at the door, as much as his nostrils complained. "Hey, you," he told the girl, leaning against the doorframe. "You seen a guy working around here? Tall, dark skin, speaks with kind of an accent."

Luca cast a critical eye over the newcomer, rolling up her sleeves as he spoke. He was about her height, perhaps a little shorter although he looked older than her. "Wide-eyed, excited as a small child," she continued his list, counting the items off on her fingers. "You have just missed him. I think he said he was going to the kitchen. Are you a friend of his?"

She shrugged, watching his hand. "He seems like... how do you say it, faliti po dvije daske." As usual, her mother tongue came easier to her; she had yet to grasp most of the English idioms, although away with the fairies was possibly the most comparable of those she did know. She was confused about the context, in any case.

Luca frowned, affronted. "It was nice meeting you too, sir," she said with a mock bow. As she watched him leave, she felt herself hoping that he didn't work anywhere near her; he seemed like the sort of unpleasant person she would be best avoiding.