shatterverse | (no subject)

Toby slept most of the way from wherever it was Mr Venom picked him up until they reached the farm, and even then, he was still pretty groggy. The washroom was pointed out to him (and what a wonder that is, all shining and clean and good clean hot water right there without having to pump it or heat it on the fire or anything), and Toby did manage to scrub the mud off his face and shuck the outermost, muddiest layers of his clothes.

The kitchen seems like the best place for him, but when he finds it, he decides that it, like the washroom, is too posh for him to use much unless he has to or he's told to. Besides, there's not a proper fire going anywhere in the kitchen, and if there's one thing Toby really wants to find, it's someplace warm. A lot has happened lately-- too much to really, really take in, even-- and if he could just find somewhere warm and easy to sit for a while, to think things through... well, it can't hurt and might help.

He figures, though, that nobody's going to miss just one apple from the bowl, not if what Mr Venom told him about how many people live here is true.

If someone should wander in to tell the lad otherwise, he'll be most appropriately shamefaced-- especially since he's already taken a great big bite out of it.

((The usual note about spoilers applies-- let me know whether you want them or not or don't care.))

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Hana laughs and claps again- Mel catches Dino for her, and he's soon grabbed back.

"You're good with her," Mel explains.

Toby laughs. "Needs three hands, don't she? Thank you. She's a happy child."

"They boith are, right now,"says Mel, grinning naturally. "The farm's good for them."

It's better than anywhere they've been before.

"Plenty of room to play," Toby agrees. "Good fresh air. An' good food. Hard to be really unhappy with all that."

"Exactly," Mel agrees. "Long as we can stay here, I think it's gonna work out well."

"Mr Venom didn't make it sound like the lady of the house were in the habit of running people off," Toby offers. If he could offer more, he would, but he's sort of only met Mel, Hana, and Venom, and Venom hasn't even met Lucy.

"Don't think so either," Mel agrees. "But I meant: flash. Bang. New world to start over in."

"... Oh. Yeah. That was... sudden, wasn't it?"

Not the worst thing that could have happened to Toby, but certainly the strangest. And the one he'd've last predicted.

"Third time s'happened to me," Mel says. "That's somehting you don't get used to."

"... No, I'd think not. Third time's the charm, then. Maybe you'll have to stay put, now?" Have to at least doesn't sound like it's hoping for good luck. That never really works.

"Maybe," Mel agrees. "Gonna do what I can while I'm here, though. Guess you don't know how to work a farm?"

Worth a try, after all.

Toby just shakes his head. "Been a barber's apprentice and a baker's, and I'm more'n willing to work. And learn."

"Baking might work, though," Mel says. "I know I can't make food, and I don't wanna be relying on store-bought food too much. 'Scept I have no idea about wheat. Bet flour's easy enough for Lucy to find, though."

"I know you need to mill wheat to make flour," Toby says. "Don't know exactly how, but it's mostly just crushing it a lot. Somebody around has to have a mill, if there's other farms, right?"

It's not a list of the things Toby can bake, but it's something, he thinks, anyway. Besides, let the kid find a cookbook and figure out how to work the oven, and he'll decide cooking's easy, nowadays.

"Probably got people storng enough to crush," Mel reflects. Because she'll do it if she has to, but super strength is pretty common. "You can buy flour already. And if everyone's just eating what they find, I bet there's some left. We'll get some. Do you wanna bake for people?"

"Don't mind none," Toby says with a shrug. "If I'm to stay here, I ought to earn my keep, right?" He knows how to bake bread, and he does know how to assemble meat pies. It's the sausage-making and the big bake-oven Toby wasn't really allowed to help with.

"I mean, don't look like the place needs someone extra to help keep it swept out."

"Well, I dunno how many people are actually cleaning," Mel remarks.

"I'm gonna see about getting it organised. Fields working, people helping out. It'll be good for everyone."

She thinks big, these days.

"Then I'm at your service, mum." Maybe the smile and the salute will take some of the edge off the 'title.' "Baker of bread and meat pies once I figure out the oven and general runner of errands."

Mel smirks, which means she accepts the title this time.

"Rocketship. You wanna let me know what kinda things you'll need? I'll talk to the teleporters and flyers."

"For pies? Flour and milk and veg and meat-- anything's fine, so long as I know what it is-- and a good big pot... could make a list, be easier that way."

"That'd be cool," Mel agrees. "Check the cupboards for a pot, but yeah, we can get you stuff."

She's grinning. She likes to maek people feel useful, these days.

Useful usually means it's harder to get thrown out, right? And Toby's no stranger to hard work. "I'll do that. An' see about the oven."

It's mysterious!

"Thanks," Mel says. "Appreciate it."

It doesn't really occur to her that she shoudl check with Lucy if it's OK to be organising people like this, but Toby's now the farm's Official Baker, in her mind.

...where 'Official' means 'Mel knows about it'. Someone has entitlement issues.

At least she's awesome enough to back them up?

Toby, at least, is still planning to introduce himself to Lucy, should he ever find her, and actually ask if it's all right if he stays. (Also, she probably knows how to work the oven.) But really, if Mel's the one in charge of refugee-herding, what can making a batch or two of pies hurt? Folks got to eat, even if official isn't quite official.

"Welcome," he says, and stops himself just before adding 'mum' to it again.