02 | Video

[maddeninghatter]

[ Baaa Baa-aa-aaaaaa Baaaaaaaaaaa! ]

I say, hello, hel-looooo! I have a question for you all--

[ The grime-smeared face of Xerxes Break appears onscreen. His white hair is discolored with dust and stuck together. There's a semicircular wound under his right cheekbone, and the shoulder of his jacket looks chewed. Despite all of this, he seems terribly pleased with himself. ]

Does anyone here have qualifications in animal husbandry?

[ More angry bleating and a yelp! Break turns. Visible in the background is another (also dirty and disheveled) man, desperately fending off a sheep. It’s not going at all according to plan; with a single headbutt he’s out of the camera’s line of sight, followed by a thud and worrisome tinkling noises. ]

Why, Gilbert. I think she likes you! ♥

[ Moving right along... ]

Anyway - yes. I'm looking specifically for people with experience or interest in shepherding, as well as shearing, spinning, knitting, cheese-making--

[ Another CRASH! and a voice yelling, “Break, look out!" ]

--and hand-to-hand combat! Kindly respond to this post, or apply in person to the botanical gar--

[ Break’s face suddenly disappears. The last image visible onscreen is… this. ]

Comments

[retraced]

None of this is my choice, but there's nothing else I can do about it now.

[Nothing but accept it.]

[strategic_guile]

Wow, that's kinda... [Morbid? Defeatist?] Masochistic?

[retraced]

H-huh?!

[As offended as a man with sheep bite marks on his arms can possibly sound.]

It's not at all!

[strategic_guile]

I mean, if you're going to just lay down an accept it... take it like a man, I guess?

[retraced]

Do you have to put it that way...

[strategic_guile]

What way? [Innocent. So innocent. If this was video he might even bat his eyelashes.]

1/2

[retraced]

Never mind.

[The lineface is obvious in his voice.]

[retraced]

Taking responsibility is only a selfish act on my part. If anything terrible happened, at least if I take care of it myself I know it'll get dealt with. It's less of a burden on me later.

[strategic_guile]

If it goes side-ways later, you'd still have to take care of it? Sounds like a shit deal to me.

[retraced]

...It's just how things are.

[Which is a cheap answer, but at least it's an honest one.]

I'm used to it.

[strategic_guile]

Yeeaah. Taking it like a man. Good for you, I guess?

If they ever stop being rabid, I wouldn't mind giving you a hand with them.

[retraced]

You wouldn't mind helping?

[There's a chance they might fix the rabid thing! Maybe...with sedation...or something.]

[strategic_guile]

Nah, I don't mind. It'd give me something to do that isn't construction.

[retraced]

In that case, they're being taken to a farm now. The owner's name is Thassarian. Thank you for offering to help us.

[There will be a warm winter wool scarf in the deal here for you, Blaine.]

[strategic_guile]

As long as I don't get rabies, you're more than welcome.

[retraced]

You probably won't, but apparently the doctors here can cure it...

[#useful things he just learned]

[strategic_guile]

Huh. Good to know. I wonder what else they've cured...

[retraced]

From the sound of it, the doctors here are capable of curing most things, or at least treating them. Though...I guess it's to be expected, with so many different people coming together in one place like this.

[strategic_guile]

I hope they just had these things cured before we got here. Don't like the idea of experimental testing for cures.