Peony Min (blackmagicks) wrote in emillion, @ 2013-08-27 22:08:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !log, penelope abbernack, peony min |
Who: Peony & Penny
What: Grocery shopping
Where: Harvey's Greengrocery
When: Early Tuesday morning
Rating: PG
Status: Complete
An early morning errand to the Bazaar showed construction efforts underway, a sight which warmed Peony’s heart. She had been quite sad to see the destruction the district had suffered not even a month prior, and many of her favorite vendors had had to close their doors, some temporarily, others not. She had had the most difficult time finding acceptable lotus root since Master Xi had chosen to leave Emillion some weeks back. Fortunately, Harvey and his mother had at last reopened their doors, and if not lotus root, there were many other necessities which she was running quite low on, and this was the only morning all week she had available to complete her shopping. Perhaps if she finished early enough, she might have time to put together bento lunches and send them to the boys. She thought this as she examined eggplants. Turning to the woman next to her, her companion for this errand, she smiled and said, “These may be the best I have seen in weeks. It is fortunate that business seems to be returning to normal at long last.” "Between the undead, riots, and the sea creatures, I'm surprised anyone’s getting any business done." That wasn't completely true. After a thoughtful pause she added, "Or that the dregs haven't pulled themselves up from the shadows to take advantage of the lack of goods." It was a sour way to start the response, but she did smile at the eggplants as they were presented to her. "I'm happy the people of Emillion have shown themselves to be stronger than all these things combined." The store re-opening was a sure sign of that. Peony had a strange calming effect on Penny. She was genuinely just at peace with everything. That kind of sincerity made it easy for her to forget that she had to be normal. Being normal was work and at times she found herself comfortable enough to say what she really meant and how she really felt, but not without curving it about into something pleasant. She was genuinely pleased that the city had picked itself up. It kept her from having to try and talk Cid into moving. Talking Cid into anything that he didn't want to do was hard. Penny didn't mention it, but she was actually worried that the next bout of excitement was going to spill into the Commoner's District. It'd come this far. “By Faram’s grace, we are stronger than we realize,” Peony said, her expression tranquil as she selected her eggplants, moved on to tomatoes. “The city’s wounds will heal, in time.” And if another attack came, they would stand against it and protect their home. She could not doubt it. “Still, it is comforting to see tangible signs of this healing.” She held up tomatoes still on the vine, breathed in their fresh scent. A positive sign indeed. “I worry,” she said softly, having put the tomatoes into her basket and continuing to the next vegetables on display, “about the violence our fellow citizens have shown more than I worry over the attacks of beasts large and small.” It was far simpler to quell the beasts than to calm the populace. "You'd be surprised at what people can do when they're forced into impossible situations." Many people had risen to the challenge of survival during the attacks. There were many setbacks and instead of laying down, they'd banded together and started to pick up the pieces of their lives and move back to how it was before. Not that everyone was having that same experience as Peony had pointed out. The thought of the riots made Penny actually frown. "I don't know why they did it, but I think it's stupid to attack your own when you've already got threats coming from not only outside as well as within your home. If their plan is their own destruction, I will say they're doing an excellent job of it." “People do foolish things when they are frightened, hungry, and angered,” Peony said. Bok choy, green leaf lettuce, and fresh spinach joined the other vegetables in her basket. “They do not think of it as destruction, I think, though it is the end result regardless.” The frown was noted, a sympathetic look given. “However, as you say, people are also capable of great things when they must be. I hope that this latter reaction continues to be more common than the former. I do believe,” she added with quiet resolve, “that the citizens of this city will rally.” "We can surely treat one of those three," Penny said as Peony listed off the recipe for riots. Much like the woman before her, she was casually plucking up fresh vegetables to saute for dinner. It was much nicer than having to obtain dried foods to soak or stew. "Perhaps build a kitchen to feed those who can't feed themselves? Or some sort of rationing system?" The city had already attempted to double its guard, but the threats were coming at a ridiculous rate. "Maybe offer classes on basic safety and protective measures to make people feel safer?" If anything, she was surprised there weren't more people signing up to join the EKP. It took awhile to get there, yes, but there was safety in numbers. While Penny understood she was one woman, Peony was a person in a position of power. She could grab the ears of others as a councilwoman. If Penny needed to be summoned to a meeting to present these suggestions, she would, but for now they were just passing thoughts for discussion. It always felt better to do things than to not do things. “Actionable suggestions, all,” Peony said approvingly. Penelope often had good ideas, and Peony was glad to hear them and weigh them to consider whether some or all could be put into action. “There are a number of soup kitchens in the poorer districts, and a few church friends and I have done what little we can in particular areas, but until prices fall back to their natural levels, I fear hunger remains a concern,” she said with a sigh. “I have considered,” she admitted, “suggesting that a portion of the larger parks be given over to gardens. If some food can be grown inside the city, supply disruptions may become less troublesome. Something to think on,” she mused. It was a defense tactic for sieges. A sad thought, but she was beginning to suspect not inapplicable. “I shall, perhaps, work with my peers in the Fighters’ Guild to see what may be done regarding self defense. Within our own guild, there are few with the skills necessary to properly instruct civilians.” She finished selecting her fruit -- peaches and plums and early apples -- as she admitted, “I myself am quite hopeless with a weapon, and such skills are not commonly taught in most of our programs. The bards do it, I believe,” she said, thinking she had heard something of that nature from Rose, some years ago. Thinking of the girl still saddened her, and Peony silently wished her well. Some glossy black grapes joined the other produce in her basket, which as becoming quite heavy, and she changed the subject easily: “I believe this may be all I need from produce, at least for now. I am contemplating a trip to the docks next, for fresh fish, and to observe the status of the reconstruction.” "While the gardens will take time," Penny said pressing her lips together, before adding, "it's a good way to give the community something to do." There was something about idle hands to be referenced there, but she let it go. There was a small basket of strawberries picked along with a few canary melons. They were much easier to store and manage than the large green ones. "I'm sure Cid would love to help in any way that he can," she offered. He did enjoy being useful almost as much as he enjoyed showing off. She couldn't offer much help in the way of the FG like Peony could. She mostly sat inside of Cid's eccentric circles. "I think a trip to the docks is an excellent idea. It's been quite some time since we've had any seafood." There was a moment where she thought perhaps Cid might attempt to crossbreed dinner with the flan, but she'd make it very clear that it wasn't an option. They'd be dead anyway. |