Adjunctive: Bedding In

[rekindledtitan]

It’s been a couple days since Steve ran into the representatives (and proprietors) of Lucina Envirotech at the fair. He hasn’t heard much since then aside from Gil texting him with a friendly ‘thanks again for your help, it was nice meeting you’. And with the excitement of the fair over, their scenic little town has settled back into its quiet routine. No word on how the would-be tech entrepreneurs are getting on with proselytising to the old farmhands of Robinwood. But he is going to get a message about mid-morning then, while the sun is shining in through the windows.

Hi, Steve. Bryn and I are planning to get some lunch at the Bluebird Grill. Would you like to join us?

And immediately after:

No pressure if you can’t make it or you don’t want to. It’s just if you were in town and felt like it.

(And then nothing, because Bryn has intervened and taken his phone away.)

Comments

[juststeverogers]

Steve's managed to pick up a fair few baskets of fruit and vegetable on offer at the fair while he was out. But he lives alone and produce spoils quickly. Steve's frozen much of the fruit to use later, but a few stir fries later most of the vegetable is used up and the rest is starting to look a little wilty. He's not too keen on Just having a salad for lunch and is futzing about the kitchen when his phone goes off.

His brow raises a little to see Gil's name at the head of the message.

Sure. What time? Best fling himself through a shower Now real quick so he's got a better chance at not making them have to wait up for him. He nearly trips on some newspaper still set out while one of his
art projects dries but manages to catch himself. When was the last time he did laundry?

There's something clean in here, surely.

It'll take me about fifteen minutes to drive into town but I can leave whenever. He finally adds to his original text once he's pulled on a fresh set of clothes.

[rekindledtitan]

"He's asking what time."

"Well, give it back then so I can answer!"

"I can type it-" Bryn plays at keeping the phone away from Gil's grabbing hands, but relents and lets him snatch it away.

About 12.30, if that's okay. We can grab a table then anyway, you don't have to rush if you're in the middle of something.

[juststeverogers]

No, I was just contemplating lunch myself. I'll see you there!

Steve feels a little awkward locking up the house and heading out to his car for fun rather than just his usual routine of heading into town for chores or doctors' appointments. It's kind of nice to be looking forward to running into someone in town. He climbs into his half-size truck and heads off into town humming along to whatever music happens to be playing on the radio.

People love to make fun of his squart little truck but by now Steve's used to it. People love to talk no matter what he does. It gets him around and has enough traction off road to be of use out here in the country and that's honestly all that matters.

The other two will have a table already by the time he makes it in. He's all smiles wandering over to their table when he's waved over.

"Nice t'see you two again."

[rekindledtitan]

They both return his smile, though there's more of a mischievous curl to Bryn's smirk as she waves to Steve.

"Hi, Steve!" She's wearing some worn-in jeans and a slightly grubby jacket today, in contrast to the smart shirt Gil is sporting. It seems to sum up their respective roles on the job, whatever they've been doing since Steve saw them.

"It's nice to see you too." Gil puts down the tea he's nursing to offer Steve a menu when the other man pulls up a chair. "How is, uh, the sketching going?"

[juststeverogers]

Steve's meeting them somewhere in the middle, sporting an illustrated tee but tan slacks underneath. Merch he'd picked up from another artist and online friend of his from back in The City. The boots he's wearing don't do much to make him look taller, but he's trying.

"Thanks." He settles in to the nearest chair before accepting the menu. "The art? It's going alright. I've got a freelance gig going for the next month or so which is--stressful, but rewarding. Couple of personal projects I hope to sell in my online store when they're finished. Settling back into a routine now that the fair's over." Just water for him when the waitress comes back now their party's full. "How about you two?"

Steve peeks up from over top of the menu. "Settling in alright?"

[rekindledtitan]

Gil nods curiously as Steve outlines the projects keeping him busy. It sounds nice, working on projects of his own alongside the freelancing. The kind of balance between career and freedom that attracted him to the idea of setting up their little company.

"All right," Bryn confirms after requesting another coffee. "We've got one trial project lined up and Gil's been discussing options with one of the small farms outside of town. Uh- Hazelwood. Does the pick-your-own-fruit thing later in the year."

"That's the one," Gil confirms. "We'll go out and see it tomorrow. I don't think they'll want to make any big investments until this season's tourists are gone, though."

[juststeverogers]

Living in a time where he can work from home has done Steve a lot of good. He misses New York, certainly, but the cost of living out here in the country is much lower. The air's cleaner. With a good internet connection he's still able to show up to projects he's hired on for via video call. Still able to run a few streams and put up videos as a content creator. It's not anywhere close to perfect, and money can get tight sometimes when steady work dries up.

But it's his life, not some hand out.

It's that sort of determination that makes his smile come easier. He raises his glass of water to them in congratulations of their first potential clients. "Glad to hear you're making progress with the locals then. Knowing folks is half the struggle out here. You do right by those you get and they'll definitely talk."

[rekindledtitan]

Gil smiles at his support, proud but also grateful to have someone in their corner here even if he's not a potential client. "Well, first we have to make sure to do right by them. That's going to be hard work, but we can do it with a bit of luck. Though I trust you on what it's going to take to succeed out here. I'm sure you've been through a lot of the same challenges."

(Don't mind Bryn, she's just humming over the menu as she whittles down the amount of tasty carbs and protein she can pack into one meal to something just shy of 'coma-inducing'.)

[juststeverogers]

"Not really. I'd be up shit creek without a paddle if I didn't work online. Not a lot of need for my skillset in a town this small. Not a lot of money to 'waste' on things like art, either." It still stings to think about. The few freelance jobs he gets around town wouldn't pay for his bills more than a month or two out of the year.

"I get by riding the line of burnout by saturating the internet with content creation."

[rekindledtitan]

"It's tough going," Bryn comments understandingly. She lowers the menu to join in the conversation again. "There used to be a lot of artists working in the village back home, but I don't know how many of them really made a living out of it. Some of them had money to start with. How about the tourist trade here?"

[juststeverogers]

"Yeah? Money makes a lot of passion work more feasible." Not overly bitter. Just....honest. "If I'm feeling well I can make decent income at the state fair in the summer. The nearest Renn-Fest is too far away to be worth the money I'd have to spend in gas though, so I haven't branched out much."

Conventions likewise would be nice to set up in artist's alley but travel isn't easy for him.

"I make a few seasonal things I sell in an online shop and that can be an alright bump to my income. Otherwise I just...live frugally as I can."

[rekindledtitan]

Bryn perks up while Gil's nodding sympathetically. "There's a Renn-Fest around here? I've always wanted to go to one of those." She nudges Gil. "We should go sometime! I could be a knight and you could come as my squire."

"I... don't think tights are really my look," Gil says, hoping he isn't blushing too obviously as his eyes dart towards Steve.

"Uh-huh. Well, I guess you're more of a wizard anyway." She nods to Steve while her friend is trying to work out a retort. "Hey, we should all go, if you feel like it. You'd save gas money and we could help you set up."

[juststeverogers]

Two seconds past learning such a place exists and Bryn's already planning on dressing up. Steve can't help but to chuckle slightly, a smile curling his lips. He's never gone anywhere and dressed up like a fool for the fun of it. It wasn't the sort of thing that he and old friends had done. His health never allowed for much adventure.

It's a wistful thought but then they're looking at him. Steve's eyes widen.
"You want...to go?" He points to himself. "What would I go as?"

[rekindledtitan]

"Whoever you like! Maybe like... a court painter?" Bryn leans on the table, frowning briefly as she questions that idea herself.

"What would you like to be?" Gil asks, giving him a smile. "Maybe you should go as a warrior too."

[juststeverogers]

"I'm sure we could find instructions online for creating costumes, though I've never tried my hand at it before." Steve hums thoughtfully. He likes the sound of a warrior, though he's well aware he'd be the most pathetic looking example of one anyone would ever see. So long as no one mistakes him for Bryn's child Steve thinks he can live with the looks.

"Guess I've got time to think about it, in any case. I'll start saving up with a trip like that in mind."

[rekindledtitan]

"Really?" He likes the idea? Gil's giving him a pleased, hopeful look. "I mean- yes, we'd better look into it too. I've never made anything like that either, but... you did some metalworking before, right, Bryn?"

"Some, yeah. Stitched a few things before, too. How hard can it be?" She shrugs, trying to hide her smug smile by looking back down at her menu. "We'll figure it out together."

[juststeverogers]

"Didn't peg you for much of an arts and crafts type." Steve can't help but to grin a little brighter when his new friend admits to her hobbies. Especially ones he's never tried before. More physical arts were never really much of an option when space and physical limitations were getting in the way.

"When you're not planning roadtrips what do you two do for fun? I spend a lot of time online for work and off, but I like watching baseball now and again. The fairs. Just driving out in the countryside, when I can find a reason for it."

[rekindledtitan]

Bryn looks up to shoot him a grin. "Had to make our own field repairs back in the army. Before that- my dad works for the local theater back home. The two of us used to help with staging and props after school - well, I was on props, Gil used to be holed up in back fixing the sound and lights."

"It was safer back there," Gil half-grumbles. Steve's smile is really cute and he can't help noticing. "Um. We've been getting back into hiking, too. I suppose I'm more of the type to curl up by the fire with a good book - Bryn's usually the one who rousts me out to get some fresh air.

"Don't listen to him," his friend advises Steve. "He loves exploring new places, you just have to get the laptop out of his hands first."

[juststeverogers]

"You were in the army?" And again Steve's interest is piqued. "My best friend used to be too. Did they have you do a tour or just...you know. Local stuff? There was no way I'd ever have gotten in, though I did try when he enlisted."

He lets the topic slide right by when Bryn talks about theater and helping there. His smile regains some of the luster that was lost when talking about the military. Even if he'd been interested, it was a bittersweet memory.

"I don't mind going outside here and there but my asthma hates the pollen seasons. Otherwise..." Steve gives a slow nod here. "It's been nice. Different to home, but still nice."

[rekindledtitan]

"A few tours, yeah. Didn't quite finish out the last one- medical discharge," she adds, compelled to be honest about how long she actually served but also not wanting to give the wrong impression about why she had to leave. It's still a raw subject, though. She's glad to shrug it off, but her glance does linger - catching that past tense description of his friend.

Gil's definitely taking it in - he gives Steve a sympathetic smile, thinking of how often he worried about his best friend while she was gone. How much he still worries since she came back.

"Oh- yes, I can imagine the pollen levels get... more intense than in the city." So many pretty fields and flowers here. "Do you go to a bar to watch baseball games, like with football?"

[juststeverogers]

Steve drops his gaze. He nods once. "You made it out though." He murmurs so quiet he probably can't be well heard in the moment. Like Bryn, Steve is well glad enough to move on.

"Well, in the city you deal with pollution that time of year, so it's really just a 'pick your poison' kind of thing." He shrugs but the rest has him considering. "Ah, I...don't actually have many local friends here. Sometimes, if my neighbor invites me over I go to her house and watch with her and her husband. But usually I just have a game up while I'm working on my art."

[rekindledtitan]

Bryn must catch it, from the half smile she quirks at Steve. She came back all right, one way or another. It doesn't sound like his friend was so lucky. That must have hurt. She doesn't like to think how Gil would have taken it if she'd gone off without him and then failed to come back.

Maybe that's why he's also so willing to change the subject. "Ah. That sounds nice too, honestly. I've never actually watched a baseball game, but Bryn used to drag us out to watch football sometimes. Staying in to watch it was a lot more... peaceful."

[juststeverogers]

If Steve wasn't immediately interrupted for thinking by the waitress coming back to take their orders he might have considered that these two are from across the pond. As it stands though, he does put his foot in his Yank mouth by nodding along once they've given over their menus.

"I gotta admit I don't know much about football. I'll follow the Bills now and again if they make it to playoffs but both Jets and Giants fans are a pain in the..ah. Aha." At least one politely blank look is being thrown his way.

"Football. Right. The uh, the other one. Soccer." Steve glances aside. "I know even less about that. Not a lot of exposure."

[rekindledtitan]

"Oh! Yes, I see." Gil chuckles at his own moment of confusion, while Bryn's smiling at the waitress. "I know it's not as, um, all-pervasive over here. But I mean.. we're in America now. Maybe you could teach us how baseball works sometime so we can follow along."

[juststeverogers]

"It's definitely gotten more fans in recent years, especially outside of the South. But my family and friends were never all that interested outside of the Olympics and I sure as hell wasn't going to be playing even in school." Back when Steve's health was even worse off than it is now.

"I'd trade you though. I know a fair bit about baseball, and you both seem to know a lot about football, so. Educational all around. Though I've been told some people find baseball to be a little...well. Boring by comparison to other big name sports."

[rekindledtitan]

"It sounds like a change of pace from a pub full of roaring supporters. Not that the atmosphere can't be fun, but... I'd give it a shot."

"If there are team shirts and someone to cheer for, I'm there," Bryn agrees cheerfully. "Plus beer, obviously. Don't worry, we'll give you the rundown. Explain why the Guardians are the best team..."

At least until she needs to make an excuse to leave, she suspects. These two seem like they're getting on pretty well. Hell, they all are. Steve's a likable guy. Maybe this move to a place they never heard of a few months ago could pan out after all.

[juststeverogers]

"You can either pay for an overpriced jersey or we get some fabric paints and a bag of teeshirts to make our own." That is a fan past time Steve has done before. It's been a long time though. "Lucky for you two, craft beers Have penetrated this far into the country finally. So there's a chance of getting something that isn't just water."

[rekindledtitan]

"Making our own sounds like more fun, anyway. And I'm sure we can get our hands on the supplies easily enough..."

"Sounds good to me, on both counts." Bryn folds her arms on the table. "Just let us know when there's a game coming up and we can get together ahead of time to gear up. You live pretty close to the v- uh, the town, right?"

[juststeverogers]

"Oh yeah. Nothing an online shop can't supply if the local craft store doesn't carry what we want." That's a place Steve avoids stepping foot into if he can help it. He's got a bad habit of buying way too much if he does shop there.

"Sure." Steve's gone back to sipping at his water. He looks up again at the question. "I live closer to the fairgrounds actually. About fifteen minutes or so outside of town. It's not too far to drive in for things, but definitely not a 'walk to anywhere' kind of place."

Cheaper to live in the middle of nowhere.

[rekindledtitan]

"It sounds nice and quiet." Maybe a bit lonely. "It's good that you found a place, either way. There aren't a lot of options for renting around here from what we've seen."

"Not if you don't want to take up farming," Bryn adds. She taps her chin. "I mean, I'm sure I could handle a pitchfork, but..."

[juststeverogers]

"A far cry from the apartment I used to have in Brooklyn, that's for damn sure." Steve's become rather fond of the animal neighbors he's seemed to accumulate. Critters that drift in and about his yard chewing on all kinds of plants. "Though if I can ever get my stamina up for spring, I could have a garden if I wanted, and that's a tempting thought."

Didn't really happen this year, but maybe next.

"Yeah, most of the options for renting are...not great, from what I've heard. I take it you two didn't much care for the place you'd scoped out?"

[rekindledtitan]

Gil's eyes light up at mention of a garden, and he nods enthusiastically until Steve reminds him of their viewings; then he grimaces.

"No... not really. We weren't expecting anywhere too spacious but the kitchen facilities weren't, uh, ideal and Bryn didn't like the look of the weatherproofing. And I think the landlord got the wrong idea about the two of us. I tried saying we were foster siblings but I don't think he believed me."

"Should've," Bryn comments. "It's practically true."

[juststeverogers]

The wrong idea, huh. Meaning potentially only one bedroom. Steve can't help but to wince.

"The only reason I was able to afford a house out here was because my late great-aunt owned it, and her daughter agreed to sell it to me at below-market price. Even still, I'll be paying it off until I'm damn near dead. It needs renovations too, but I'm pretty slow at DIY projects. Only one of me, and my great-aunt raised her kids and grandkids in that place." Not a lot of free time, even less energy.

"T'd been looking at rental properties in this general area before, but couldn't ever find anything that looked worth the price." Steve gets it, he does. But what he's describing sounds like a house too big for one person with too many projects needing done that Steve can't really do himself.