The full seasonal event can be read here! Below are the main seasonal items for quick reference:
1. A thread reacting to the season's weather in some ways.
2. A thread in the part of the city your character doesn't live in!
3. A thread relating to your vocation.
Of The Season
Quote
"Tell Dr. Nate that Gale sent you, and he still owes me for the mushrooms. Except that it takes you a while to reach the clinic, and by the time you do your fever is spiking, and so instead of the requisite message you instead tell the poor soul who greets you that 'A gale'a m'shrooms sent me cus'a my hands.'" - Zephyr in Oh help me, please doctor, I'm damaged
it's bad enough to see the sunlight through your seams the thread of you and hem of me it's bad enough in between
She says it’s understandable and he believes her when she says it, even if her mask doesn’t drop. He does his best to keep his own up as well, nodding and taking the pen when she brings it and tells him he needs to sign. He leans over the counter, signing a quick signature that’s more curvy and less sharp than his father’s own signature, but all together not that much different.
He signs both as requested and slides the papers and the pen back over toward her side before he draws himself up again — not entirely to his full height, respecting Eleonora for who she is being both an incredible seamstress and her being older than he.
He doesn’t expect her question, though, his brows pinch a moment and he’s half tempted to tell her that his fathers motives are right, knowing that he could be punished if it got back to his father. There were spies everywhere here these days. But instead, he offers her a polite smile.
“I would say that we need to be checking security logs and cameras and the shift workers of that day and see if anything is amiss. Spreading out from there in case everything there works out.” He’d investigate it equally — rather than placing the blame solely on the Drench. Check with the workers and the surrounding area to see if any clues come up. “But it is not my place to assume to know how these investigations work. I’m just an enforcer right now.” He gestures to the half of the uniform he’s still wearing.
Her eyes remain on Sunjata, ever observing somehow without turning it into a stare, while he signs the papers. It isn't until he is done and pushes everything back that she moves her gaze away. She takes the time to looks over the signature, placing one of the copies on the garment for him to take with him and she files the other away in another drawer. She then moves on to pack up the archive box, keeping her eyes away from him while she waits for a reply to her question.
For a second, it looks as if she had not expected more of an answer than something along the lines of just "not my place to tell." She stores the box away and finally turns back to him while he speaks, nodding along slightly while listening. Until he does continue with that it is not his place to talk much about it and she lets out a small sigh. "I can only hope that they have done something like that already." Saints help them all if the house leaders had not checked logs and cameras already. Surely they could not be that incompetent and passive?
No, what Sunjata was suggesting is a reasonable course of action that most likely had happened already. The Drenchers were just stubbornly hiding each other. "But you enforcers are down there every night, are you not? Why not start bringing people up for interrogations? Put some pressure on the Drenchers to start talking." She leaves the details unsaid, but she would see nothing wrong if they started to take in Drenchers at random for harsher treatment until someone down there starts feeling guilty enough over their friends getting punished for what someone else did. In her mind, the Plates were already getting punished for what the Drenchers had done in form of the lockdown being over the entire city.
Because of course it was the Drench that was responsible for the attack. Anything else was simply unbelievable.
it's bad enough to see the sunlight through your seams the thread of you and hem of me it's bad enough in between
“I hope so too.” He responds with a soft, resigned sigh. One that remains as Eleonora continues the conversation, shifting it toward what he does as an Enforcer and what she thought that they should be doing. Realistically, it wasn’t a good way to handle things, but he takes a few moments to gather the words to keep from revealing any hints that he might favor the Drenchers.
“I’m not a part of that enforcer group. I just make sure there aren’t Drenchers running around during lockdown. We tell them to get inside and check the doors, and move on.” He works his jaw slightly, shrugging a shoulder. “But I imagine they’re trying to be tactful about it, given the Drenchers outnumber us. If they were organized it would be possible for them to try a revolution.” He offers the information in a nonchalant way, but he does use his mask to make a slight sneer at the idea of the revolution, playing the game every noble does.
She listens and nods along again with what is being said. If it is genuine interest, or just part of the polite game is difficult to say. While understanding the risks of retaliation, she is close to fully be of the opinion that it is worth the risk. Just for something to be done against the Drenchers. Perhaps it is just the mix of business running slow, her husband growing more and more irritated by each day and the whole situation just seemingly standing still with no progression in either direction that made her turn towards the more drastic solutions so easily.
"I suppose there is always that risk if them reacting that way." She admits and works her jaws ever so slightly. Refraining from voicing any suggestion that if they did a fast enough sweep, maybe there would not be any time for the Drenchers to gather enough force. "So is the risk of them eventually deciding to break the lockdown themselves as well." She picks some particles of dust off the garment bag on the counter, then decides to sweep the discussion and her own opinions aside. For all she knows, Sunjata could just as well share her complaints with the wrong people, just as well as she could tell on him if she was to learn about certain things.
"Regardless, I trust that the Heads do whatever it is in their power to solve this the optimal way. Even if it is not for all of us to know what is going on behind the scenes." That tiny hint of a polite smile is back on her face when she looks up at Sunjata once more. She does trust the leaders to actually be working on a solution, but she could not help to feel a faint bit of doubt from time to time still. It is perhaps only natural for the patience of most to slowly be grinding down to nothing at this point.
it's bad enough to see the sunlight through your seams the thread of you and hem of me it's bad enough in between
“Unfortunately.” Sunjata keeps up that carefully crafted mask, that twist of his demeanor that seems to suggest he’d loathe an uprising from below, until she brings up another good point — the breaking of lockdown itself. Which is yet another thing they could do, and the only thing truly stopping them is the fact of the weapons the enforcers carry, making up for the lack of bodies to out number.
She seems to realize her mistake as well as his own, however, and he hums a low sound of agreement, straightening out his back and his posture as soon as it begins to ache. “I believe the Heads have our best interests at heart and that they are working incredibly hard to get somewhere with this.” The praise is recited, even though he knows his father hasn’t been staying up every night working on this. No, instead it became Sunjat’s job to stay up and work twenty hours a day, with boring and menial positions that made it almost impossible for him to stay awake.
Which starts the cycle of punishment for falling asleep. But, so long as he’s here, it eats into his current next shift, and he’s content to wait just a few more moments before having to go back.
She bows her head in a deeper nod of agreement at his statement. It is the safest thing to do in most of these cases; just smile and nod. She had hoped to get a bit more out of Sunjata about what is going on, but he either truly did not know or chose not to tell and she is not about to try and push it too much. Knowledge being like a double-edged sword most of the time. Sitting on the right kind and you could keep yourself safe, while knowing other things could get you into way too much trouble.
"Perhaps this heat will do some good and help keeping things calm for a while longer, at least." She hums and moves around the counter to walk over to a nearby mannequin to readjust the clothing on it. The bag and paper lying on the counter for whenever Sunjata wants to take them and depart. It does not bother her if he wants to linger for any reason he might have.
"It has been unusually warm this season, has it not?" Switching to the safer, regular small talk about the weather just to keep the silence at bay. "I hope Drenak will be kinder." She lies well, not saying out loud how she would prefer it if the flood could kindly wash away some of the problems down below. She can live through her dislike of the rain for that outcome.
it's bad enough to see the sunlight through your seams the thread of you and hem of me it's bad enough in between
Even if Eleonora pushed and prodded, it isn’t like Sunjata has the benefit of being able to tell anyone. If it was anyone but him telling his father about it, it might be received with better results, but for him? The equivalent of a hearsay these days. So he takes the slip of paper as the receipt and tucks it into a pocket, listening as she comments about the heat.
“It is incredibly hot this year.” The Drench is uncomfortable at best, though he doesn’t dare voice that. “I’m hoping the reservoir drains have been looked after a bit more. Last year POD had a small leak and ended up trying to flood half the Plate.” He doesn’t know if it was common knowledge, but back then he didn’t have to be in the Drench for lockdowns. He had the comfortable job, on the Plates, safe, protecting people in their day to days.
She throws some glances towards him while she continues readjusting how the outfit is displayed, even if one could claim that it is already being as perfect as it could. For Nora, there were always some tiny details that could be adjusted indefinitely. There is a brief pause when Sunjata mentions the leak, as if she is trying to remember if she had heard something about it back then.
"It would be highly unfortunate if that happens again. I too shall hope it has been worked on since then, so we do not have to add flooded Plates to the list of issues." She briefly looks towards the glaring sunlight showing through one of the windows, perhaps silently wishing for some clouds at least. Maybe one should not complain too much about the sun. They had built the Plates to be closer to it, after all.
"Perhaps the Saints will be kind and only give us some overcast and light rain at most. Enough to refill the reservoirs without causing any damage." If only the rain clouds could form beneath the Plates.
She seems to finally be satisfied with the dress on display and slowly makes her way back to the counter, stopping on the same side as Sunjata this time. She studies him again for a couple of seconds, as if trying to find a crack in his mask to see through, but then her gaze switches to just looking at him in a more regular fashion. "I do hope she will like the dress. You will have to let me know if there is anything that needs to be done with it." She makes a small nod at the garment bag on the counter.
it's bad enough to see the sunlight through your seams the thread of you and hem of me it's bad enough in between
The ease of the common statement have Sunjata bobbing his head slightly, reaching for the bag holding the garment. A quick glance to his watch on his wrist tells him he’s certainly going to be late, but he isn’t about to try and rush out of there just yet. Of course, being late had its own repercussions, yet he hopes the fact that he’s been here might give him enough of a witness to prove that he wasn’t simply fucking off.
“That sounds like a perfect Drenak to me.” Sunjata murmurs, offering her a gentler smile. He takes the bag and drapes it over his arm, his steel gaze (softer than his father’s) meets her fully this time as she stands beside him. “I will let you know. Thank you again, Mrs. Kusund.” He takes a half step away from her, offering a departing half bow out of pure politeness, before retreating toward the door, waiting to see if there’s anything else she has to add before he makes his departure.
He takes the bag and checks his watch, and it gives her enough indications that he is planning to depart. Leaving her to get back to all her work, but at least his company had been pleasant so she can't complain about that. He is given one of her polite smiles again as their gray eyes meet and she bows her head in a small nod. "You are welcome and thank you as well." She responds and watches him as he heads towards the door, then adds. "Give my best to the family."
She waits until the door closes behind him before slowly walking over to watch him through the window for a moment. Then, she finally moves deeper into the store to get back to what she was working on before Sunjata showed up. While she did not have much more news about anything, at least she could tell Trina one of her favourite people had been visiting. At least someone would be happy at the end of the day
