Day 076: Water Towers And Drinking Piss
Summary: A pair of Skaikru come by NewC to discuss the water system, another injuries his ankle, the Mountain is discussed, too.
Date: 13 Aug 16
Related: None
Afaye Britt Cole Galle Kai Morgan Nathaniel Pontus Richael Wren 


New Coesbur
The building site.
Day 76

The air is oppressively humid after a light drizzle this morning, but the rain is holding off for now and the work on New Coesbur continues. Britt is one of those contributing to the building efforts. At the moment, she's hauling planks from the place where they're being cut down to the site where the warrior barracks is being constructed. The sleeveless undershirt she wears is already damp with sweat from the morning's exertion, as are her bangs.

Weather does what weather does, but work never ceases. Richael is the odd Skaikru about this morning, talking to various Trikru about water. What do they want? Water to every home? That gets a few laughs from various Trikru that consider such a thing absurd and to some wasteful. But she still asks. The prevailing idea is a community well or watering hole for everyone. And then there is Britt. The sweaty Skaikru, wearing just her tanktop for this weather, stops on seeing the busy warrior woman but sighs and heads towards her. "Good day Britt. You got a moment? Once you've put those planks where you need them?" She doesn't get in the way, but she does have things to ask.

Britt glances over when she hears the voice, a slight clench of her jaw being the only outward reaction when she sees who's there. She nods once, then finishes carrying the current plank over to the barracks. It isn't far - she was already pretty close when Richael hailed her. Her face twists in a wince when she bends over to deposit the wood carefully onto the stack with the others, and again when she picks up a waterskin from the ground nearby. She drinks from it, then steps back over toward Richael. "What is it? Come to see where the savage animals live?" Her tone is dry and cool, her expression carefully neutral.

"My leaders have told me that what was done in Mountain was Trikru justice and I may not speak any further on it. I may not like it, but I am not asked to like it, Britt. I am asked to accept it and get on with my work. Which is why I am here, to work on what Coesbur's leader asked for from Skaikru. Water from the lake." Richael's response is diplomatic and cool, the woman's gaze carefully neutral as much as Britt's. She then adds, "Most of your people seem to want the water in the middle of the village, so all can draw from it when they need. I am asking each of the Trikru I find if that is what they want or would they want to see pipes for each of the homes."

Britt makes a soft scoffing sound when Richael speaks of the Mountain. She frowns, but speaks no further on it either. She tugs a little on one of her leather work gloves, getting it situated tighter, and then shrugs at the question. "Most villages have a common river or a well, so that is what everyone's used to. It's like asking someone to choose between a fruit they've eaten all their lives and a fantastical fruit they've maybe only heard of in stories of the time before the war, or from someone who's been to the capital. How will your water system work? I know of pumps and wells and aqueducts."

As the Mountain topic is left behind, Richael remarks, "Same idea, different end methods. A pump draws water from the lake, how it is powered I could use my people's solar panels or a windmill, as people before technology did. I'd prefer the windmill because we can fix it easier if it breaks as opposed to the solar panels breaking. Water gets pumped up here where it runs into a filter on a tower to clean the water, then flows into a wooden tower, which I'll need a carpenter from your people to make. The water stays there clean and ready until a Trikru needs it and opens a tap below the tower either at a common well or at a tap in a house. Either method can work, one just takes a bit more time. But it keeps water clean and secure and no one has to go down to the lake to get it."

The frown doesn't quite leave Britt's face, but she listens and nods. "Not so very different from the way it is in Polis. I have not seen one of these wind-mill things you speak of, but something easier to fix sounds better. The tower would have to be very big, though, wouldn't it? To hold enough water for several hundred people to drink and use every day?"

Richael nods to Britt and replies, "Potentially too big, but it is likely easier for your carpenter to just make several smaller towers that will all fill simultaneously. But then so long as there is wind, the water will refill itself over the course of the day and night. Although I may make a smaller hand-pump up here in the village in case of days where the wind does not blow so easy so Trikru can still bring water up without having to go to the lake."

Britt nods, looking in the direction of the lake and then the village center as if trying to visualize things in her mind. "Can these towers and windmills be on the outskirts of the village, so they're not looming over everything? And then pipes could carry the water to the center?" She frowns thoughtfully and then shrugs. "I would think that if you set up a central tap and one or two other buildings - perhaps the kitchen and the seat or the warrior barracks -" The latter may be a bit of self-interest there. "- Then people would see the utility and want to add more pipes to the other buildings in time."

Richael considers Britt's question before she nods. "Yes, that can be done. And I see the point, I don't care for Alpha station to be looming over the Camp all the time. I feel like it might fall over some night." She looks back to the lake and says, "That is definitely a good plan. I'll give these ideas to the steheda and see what he thinks of them."

Britt nods slightly. "Yes I would not want to live in the shadow of a big metal thing like that. What does keep it tipping over?" she wonders idly, curiosity overcoming her ire for a moment.

"I'm not entirely sure myself. I'd want to move the Camp out of it's shadow or deliberately tip it over somehow away from the Camp, but so far it seems to just stay there just fine." Richael shrugs before she looks around the village and asks, "How goes the building here?"

"Mmm," Britt comments, making a mental note to steer clear of squashing distance from the ark wreckage. She shrugs a little at the question. "Well enough, I suppose. I've never built a village before so I have nothing to compare it to." There's a beat, then she adds. "Oh, in Polis the aqueducts also fed common latrines, to carry the waste away. Something to consider."

Richael raises an eyebrow at the mention of Polis before she nods to Britt. "I will. Putting in a latrine will be a definite must." She looks back to the Camp before she says, "I must go speak to steheda. So he may decide what he wants done for the village." She sighs and says, "For what was said in the Mountain, I apologize. I should have aired my disagreement with you directly and not involved the Hedas. I still disagree with what you and Rinnan did, but it should have been settled between us." She starts away, leaving Britt to think over that apology.

Britt gives a brisk nod to her agreement about the latrine. And then it's her turn to raise an eyebrow at the apology. There's a moment's consideration, then she says. "The fact that you spoke to the hedas is not the thing in need of an apology, Richael kom Skaikru," she says flatly. "But if you ever wish it to be settled, you know where to find me to speak on it." She certainly doesn't stop the other woman from going, though, turning herself to head back to the pile of planks.

A short while later..

Cole needed to get out of Camp Jaha for a bit. In part because he has no idea what to do or who to report to. Secondly, he owes it to say thank you to someone that he didn't really get a chance to speak to and hasn't seen in awhile. Probably has something to do with the odd-looking Trikru sword he carries. But no, no rifle, mostly the sword is just for self-defense. Because his hands are currently occupied with a sketchpad and paper and he's seen walking up from the edge of the lake. There's a particular cautiousness to how he walks, like he's intending, or at least trying, not to offend anyone with his presence. But the question he asks to the first Trikru he sees, one of the log butters taking a break is simple. "I don't suppose you've seen Que around?" Cole asks. The Trikru shakes his head. The mechanic frowns. He'll just have to keep looking.

A skaiboy with a sword - that's something you don't see every day. And so it catches Britt's eye, drawing a curious stare for a moment as she carries another plank over. There's a thoughtful frown as she tries to recall his name and fails.

The sword is of a strange make. Not like any Trikru sword, but it's clearly one made by a Trikru. About 54 inches long, which would make it quite a large blade for one of his size. But it's not, rather the handle is about as long as the blade is, making it some kind of bastardization between a spear and a sword. There's a word engraved on it, but it might be too far to be seen. "Uh, hey. Have you seen Que?" he asks another Trikru, this time a woman, and she too shakes her head. "Alight. Thanks." Idly, he taps his pencil against his sketchpad, pondering. Then he sees Britt, some he at least recognizes. "Er, hey. Miss Britt?" he says, walking towards her, but staying out of her way with those planks. "Have you seen Que around?"

Britt smothers a wince when she bends over to carefully set the plank in the pile with some others by the barracks. She looks over at Cole, shaking her head. "No. He might have gone back to Tondc for supplies." Or even to Old Coesbur - who knows. "Why? Do you need something?" Her tone is measured and guarded, not friendly but neither overtly hostile.

"Shit." Cole sighs, rubbing against the back of his head. "No, I just wanted to thank him, really. I owe him personally for a lot, and I wanted to tell him as much. I had heard that your bossman…um, steheda I mean, wanted to get a water purification system put int the village. Had to build one for my the old dropship camp, so I figure with better supplies and tools, I could do something a helluva lot better than what I did there. Been designing ideas. Something that's easy to maintain, though water purificiation doesn't really invovle a lot of parts. The problem is that," he points towards the lake and then the upwards incline of the hill that leads from it. "Getting the water there to here is the larger problem."

"Er, I mean," Cole adds. "If he even wants my help. Just want to help, that's all."

Britt offers a simple nod. "If I see him, I will tell him you were asking. You should talk to Richael kom Skaikru, though. She was just here not long ago talking about the water system. Towers and wind-mills and pipes to get the water from the lake to here. I think she went over to talk to the steheda about it."

Pontus was not seen in a full week having gone directly from the healer's house to the new building site like competitive homesteading was a new thing. There was no war to be doing and he didn't fancy himself an adjudicator. Rain, however, was hot on his heels to go with him and he told their surrogate mother to let her come along interested in watching the kiddo pull her own weight. After all she was almost eleven, oh let her tell the child tell you how she's not a child. It was hot and foundations were dug and mid day break meant food and a swim before going back to feeling tired, hot, and awful. His shirt was soaked and on his head rather than on his body which seemed to be in no worse for wear shape. Britt got a nod. The Skaikid got a look with no words exchanged.

"I would appreciate it. I think he was the only one that understood." Understand what, Cole doesn't say. "Yeah, I figured others would be here, working on the same stuff. Wind mill, huh. Maybe. I was thinking a solar-generated pump since you can't always rely on wind but…" he lets the thought drag away from him, leaving it as is. He looks a Britt a moment, then he's flipping through it's pages, looking for something in particular. Finding a particular page, he tears it out. "Here. Sorry, dunno if you're into these kind of things but…" The page is offered to her, once she has her hands free.

It's a drawing of her. Must've been during the Mountain battle, though there's no drawn background. Just a drawing of her, drawing her bow. An action sort of pose. But it's clear that Cole missed his calling as an artist because it's something of a talent he's honed over years. But drawing doesn't keep people alive, fixing stuff does. Still, it's a rather lifelike rendering, from the strands of hair, to the visible scars, the fletchings of the arrow that she's pulled back, to the stitches in her armor. There are only two parts he's colored. He colored her hair and her eyes, red and green appropriately. "Sometimes…an image gets stuck in my head. Have to put it down." he says by way of explanation.

"She said the so-lar panels may break more easily," Britt replies with a shrug. "I think the simpler it is, the better, but it isn't up to me." When Cole starts flipping through his pages, Britt gives him an odd look. She strips off one of her work gloves, not wanting to get his thing dirty, then takes the offered page cautiously. Beware skaiboys bearing gifts. But then she sees what it is, and she's really confused. "You drew me?" Confused wariness turns to a guardedly pleased amusement. "Heya Pontus. Look at this." She holds the page up for him to see.

"She said that?" Cole looks blankly. "They're not that fragile or anything. She's talking out her ass if she thinks that things designed to survive in space can't do so here. Shit that takes a beating from radiation, spacial debris and torque from the…eh, not important. I'm sure she an I will talk it over." But that strange look has him shrugging sheepishly. "I…er…yeah? You're pretty badass, Miss Britt. And I like to draw. I'm good at it, it helps me think. I see something worth drawing, it sticks in my head and I can't get it out until I put the image to paper." Then finally, a shrug. "And hey, you're hot to boot, so why not?" At least a woman in her 40s can still turn an 18-year old's head. "Er…that's to say…I got a girlfriend, but a man can still look." But then she's showing it off to Pontus. Oh great, now his art is on display. At least it's really good art.

Pontus furrowed his brow at the beckoning. He waded over but touched nothing being damp head to toe. He asked, "What kind of weather is in space?" Hell he didn't know. It was like being underwater as much as he knew. His grey eyes, one still bearing decent scar that's healed but different, squint at the page. He stared without expression for a right long time being near implacable to read. He glanced with a pan of his eyes from teh page Britt was holding to Cole. "You did this? You put Britt on paper?"

Britt nods to what Pontus said. "I thought space was pretty empty. But it matters not to me. If our makers can make it, and fix it, and it will work even when there's no wind…" she lets that thought trail off with a shrug. But then she's busy lifting her eyebrows to Cole. "Well. Thank you," she says, with as much dignity as a woman being complimented by a Skaikru young enough to be her son can muster. She still looks amused, at least, which is a better reaction than most of his people get. "You have a talent." She hands the page back to him. Then a glance to Pontus. "How is your head?"

Oh boy. "The same water that's down here. ….kinda." Cole knows this isn't the most pleasant conversation, but he'll try. "Okay so, water doesn't exist in space. In fact, nothing exists in space naturally. It's vacuum. No air. When there's no light, things can freeze solid in a matter of minutes. Cold enough that they shatter. So, space is a very hostile environment. But on the Ark, water came from a a couple sources. Machines we called 'condensation collectors' which collected the natural water in the air. This made the air we breathed pretty dry, but you want dry air in space. But the majority of it was…recycled urine. Because our urine is about 95 percent water. It's gone through a filtration and sterilization process before it can be used again." There's other art in his sketchbook from the looks of it, but he flips through to the pages where he's been designing water systems for Coesbur. "My people would call it a useless talent, but thank you. Drawing pictures doesn't keep things fixed. Or keep people alive. Or grows food. Still it's something I can do. Something I can enjoy. It's enough."

Pontus noted to Britt, "Remember that Azgeda woman I met in the pub couple years back? Sounds familiar." Because that did not end well. Or maybe it did. Knives are often splitting tables in half over a pint right? What's a dislocated shoulder when making new friends? The scarred meat puppet just blinked as the science started to fly and in truth he was taking it on faith that space was dry, they didn't dehydrate to death. Got it. He looked back to the page and asked curiously, "How long did this take you?"

Britt stares at Cole, some of the words being unfamiliar to her. But she squints. "Wait. You save and drink piss?" Yeah, all that nice helpful science-y explanation and that's what she took away from it. Space is cold and the Skaikru drink piss. Pontus gets an only slightly less confused look when he mentions the Azgeda woman, and a blank little headshake.

Pontus noted to Britt, "<In Trigedasleng> They also drink dishwater. This surprises you?"

"A couple hours. The more clear the image, the faster I can do it. But there has to be a kind of want to have to draw it. An event or moment that needs to be, or deserves to be, frozen in time." Cole replies. "If I wasn't a mechanic, I'd be an artist, but again, being an artist doesn't do anyone any good." But he does nod a little resigned at Britt, sighing. "Pretty much, yeah. Like I said, our piss is 95 percent water. And it's not like we're just keeping them around in jars, waiting to get thirsty." He gives a shiver at that. "But yeah, once it's been processed, it's perfectly drinkable. Used it for showers, growing crops. I mean, there were other methods at creating water beyond just moisture collectors and recycled piss."

"Someone's drinking piss?" Afaye chimes in, having stepped out of the half-finished stables in time to pick up on this interesting tidbit. Nevermind all of the great science behind Cole's explanations; drinking pee is pretty much where the Trikru seem to draw the line.

Sweaty and disheveled from manual labor, Afaye's tired steps drag her far enough to stand beside Pontus where she idly slaps her palms against her thighs in a half-hearted attempt to clean them. "Luther lose a bet?" The question is murmured quietly, rhetorically, as she leans over to peer at the paper in Britt's hand. "Is that—what?" Her gaze flicks up to Britt, then to Cole, and then back to the paper. "Huh."

"<In Trigedasleng> Nothing surprises me about them any more," Britt deadpans back to Pontus, before explaining to Afaye. "He was explaining how the Skaikru live in space." Though Cole's explanation doesn't really help that look on her face. They shower in it too? Eeew. "Well. I suppose there are no rivers up in space." Yeah. That's about as diplomatic of a response as she can muster for the Skaikru and their strange habits. "Anyway, thank you for showing me the picture. If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work." She once again tries to hand the paper with the sketch on it back to Cole.

Pontus had an idle comment not seemingly surprised by this at all. To Sfaye, perhaps as way of greeting noted, "I hear that happens from time to time." To Cole he seemed confused. "Why? My father did. To preserve history. Your people don't do that?" A strange glance was given to britt and then he went about pulling his shirt off his head to hang on a branch to dry.

"Keep it. Once I tear it out of the book, I cannot put it back. It's a gift." Cole states to Britt simply. Pontus gets a shrug, now having thoroughly embarrassed himself. "There's other things for that. Preserving history is something different from the usefulness of art. Of which, there isn't. There is only work. There will only ever be work. Having hobbies on the Ark that wasn't reading is well, there's not a lot of time for it."

Afaye lifts the hem of her shirt up and uses it to wipe her forehead. She glances briefly to Pontus and then to Cole, eyeing up the Skaikru for a moment. "You drew it? It looks like her. Very nice. And what is it you do? Or did. Or—stuff and things and mumblemumble…" Her voice trails off as she struggles to make polite conversation, standing awkwardly and glancing around for inspiration. She rubs her palms on her pants again. "We're not going to have to drink our piss, are we? Since you Skaikru are helping us with a water system…thing."

Keep it? There's a moment where Britt's brows knit together and she looks at Cole with the most pricelessly confused expression on her face. What in the world is she going to do with a sketch of herself? But she doesn't want to be rude to the earnest kid, so she just nods. "Thank you." Afaye's question gets a brief smirk, and then she's moving off, heading back to work in another part of the village. She pauses briefly to tuck the sketch away somewhere with the rest of her stuff for safekeeping.

"Yeah, I did. I draw a lot of things. People. Places. Events. It helps me think, or when there's a problem I just can't solve right away and I need to focus on something else. It's relaxing. Cathartic, even." Cole tries to explain. "I was with Britt in the mountain. And she killed this guy with one arrow. It was pretty badass, like a moment frozen in time. It was worth drawing. To me, at least." But the matter of drinking your own pee, he shakes his head, making a face. "Oh fuck no. Never going back to that. It was bad enough having to do it on the Ark. I mean, you eventually just accepted that it was apart of things, but no, not down here. No, I know how to build a filtration system for Coesbur. It's really just a matter of getting the water from there," he points at the lake. "To here. It doesn't help that we're uphill from the lake. Some kind of pumping system, I'm thinking. A shame there's not river nearby, otherwise it wouldn't be an issue. But a lake, with no real flow of water, going to have to produce the energy needed to pump water a different way."

Pontus had, apparently no interest in polite conversation. He was widely accused of being fair, but polite? He wasn't one's first choice for diplomatic endeavors. "That's messed up." Grey eyes blinked at Cole and couldn't grasp that concept. He pulled off one boot and then the other (one repaired from a slash at his ankle long ago and now fixed). "Without being able to draw how would you be able to show people where things are? Remember your dead? Tell their stories to those after? Well… I suppose like I do but it'd help." No he was stuck on that point that it was a highly functional battle tool. "If nothing else it tells us who to hit."

"They write, Pontus," Afaye supplies by way of explanation, offering the aforementioned Trikru a toothy grin. "And read what they write, too. Don't you?" She turns a squint on Cole as if trying to decide whether or not being literate were an obvious talent, like maybe Skaikru who can read are forced to wear badges. Nothing in his appearance jumps out at her, however, and she shrugs one shoulder. "I don't think there were many battles up there." She jams a thumb skyward before settling onto one of the stumps scattered about the half-birthed village and yanks off a boot. Using a stick and a jagged rock, she begins cleaning muck from the sole.

It's not difficult to spot Morgan approaching since many of the trees have been cleared. In addition to his usual sword, he's got a bow and quiver with him. "Heya." he calls as he gets within earshot.

"Most just write it down into a dataslate to be read. I mean, it's not like we don't record our own history." Cole says, nodding and perhaps thankfully, agreeing with Afaye. "But drawing just for the sake of it? As a hobby? There was never a real use for it. It didn't help anyone, didn't help anyone survive. But yes, Miss…" he doesn't know Afaye's name. "Yes, we read and write. Most of that sort of stuff gets put down into our histories. Art isn't really…well, it's not really needed. I just took it up because I was good at drawing out schematics for machine repairs. And no, no battles." he adds, but he pauses. "No, there was one. A long time ago. The thirteenth station. It was destroyed. I'm not sure you'd call that a battle. Twelve stations against one? Wasn't much of a fight. Not when you're throwing large ordinance at each other."
It is a summer day. The weather is hot and overcast.

Kai's been taking her turn being bossed around by the makers to lift and fetch, but released for at least a few precious moments the overheated and grimy Second is mopping her face as she makes her way in the vague direction of the lake, and people.

Pontus pulled off his socks, and wrung them out hanging them next to his shirt on the branch. "Keeps the… Afaye?" He looked to the mistress of horses and asked "<In Trigedasleng> The being of the people. We know if they have a word for that?" he didn't have a word for essence or spirit of community but he looked for one. The jigsaw man shook his head. He went to try again but shook his head and fell silent working on laundry. Kai got a nod now that she caught up from their project. Morgan? Morgan actually managed to get a half grin out of the stern faced human-quilt.

Yet another day, yet another few hours Nathaniel spends helping with the trees. The 6'4 man is in a grey tank top and shorts, with work boots taken from Mount Weather as he brings over pieces of a log one at a time. It's fairly obvious he's worked for a few hours now out in the forest. For a man on duty in six hours or so, the Guard sergeant is certainly becoming a fixture among the treefelling crews.

Afaye looks up from her boot and blinks at Pontus, frowning. Her expression grows puzzled, and she lifts her shoulders in a shrug. "<In Trigedasleng> Why ask me? My gonasleng is terrible." She manages to excavate a clod of mixed dirt and manure, and it thuds to the ground by her feet. "Soul?" she offers, weighing the word on her tongue and offering it to Pontus for evaluation. Afaye offers Kai a nod in greeting, lifting her chin and grinning briefly; the look on her face fades into a hard mask when she spots Nathaniel approaching. Still, the man is given a respectful bob and a "Heya" before she looses the waterskin from her belt and tosses it in his direction. "Stay hydrated."

Kai upnods in Pontus' direction, and a brief, fierce grin in Afaye direction before she offers in the direction of Cole and Morgan,"Hei Cole, Morgan.. how's it going?" her old filthy shirt with the rifle grease still fouling it is the one that gets to be her work wear. Because tree sap and dirt are hardly going to make it look worse than it already does, ambling over to find a spot near the puzzle man to drop down into for the moment to rub at her arms,"<In Trigedasleng> What are we talking about?"

<FS3> Nathaniel rolls Finesse+finesse: Failure. (5 5 4 4 3 4)

<FS3> Nathaniel rolls Dodge: Success. (7 5 3 1 4 6 2 2 4)

"Hey Kai. Not bad." Morgan answers and gives Pontus a smile in return. Cole he looks over quick, making sure the techie is okay. Since Kai asked the question he was going to, he just stays quiet for the moment.

While Pontus and Afaye discuss the inner meaning of potential meaning of words, Cole will just busy himself, clearly not wanting or needing to get in anyone's way. So he starts to scribble in his sketchpad, staring what might be considered a blank one at the lake, eyes then trailing up the hill. "Huh." is the grunt, before starting at it again. "Hey Kai." he says, almost a little distracted as he sketches.

Pontus shook his head and wasn't satisfied with the word. "<In Trigedasleng> I dunno. Because I never use mine either/ I figure you can figure out how to stay on a horse you can figure out anything." Deadpan he said in conclusion to Afaye, "I just hit things." They were building and breaking ground hard in the last week. Nothing like mid-laundry day on a hot day. Oh boy. It was to Kai he answered, "Cole was explaining how skai people were forced to drink piss to survive. I dunno if that or being frozen to death is worse. Skai might win that one." He didn't seem to have feelings on it either way.

No one could have predicted it, but Afaye set in motion a series of unfortunate events when she tossed that waterskin.

First, Nathaniel reached out a hand to grab it, and ended up tripping on a root, sending the log on his shoulder flying… getting him further off balance.

Then, said log bounced off the tree he was passing, and Nathaniel only barely dodges it hitting his torso, instead getting tripped up yet *again* as it sweeps him off his feet. So it comes to be that he lands square on his ass among the bushes.

"…. "Ow."

Afaye laughs quietly as she drops one boot, now cleaned, and tugs the other from her left foot. "Re-purposed piss, Pontus, re-purposed. Cleaned piss. How one does that is beyond me, but they're alive, so I'm going to believe it works." She digs the sharp end of a stone into the sole of her boot and begins prying out the dried muck. Her gaze flicks up to Kai and Morgan and Nathaniel. "Still cutting down trees? How many more today, hmm? Someone find Luther and tell him—" She stops mid-sentence to watch as - almost in slow-motion - Nathaniel trips, stumbles and pirouettes his way into a bush. Her head cranes as she half-rises from her stump to survey him from this distance. "Anything broken, Nathaniel kom Skaikru?"

Kai finds a spot to dip in her rag that should mostly be safe from Pontus so she can wring it out and wipe over her face,"<In Trigedasleng> Like lake water isn't fish piss?" the Second offers with a sly smirk to the puzzle man,"When I arrived, I was glad to be out of the saddle, now I think that a few more days trying to do that hung over was merciful compared to that Maker." it's the noise that draws Kai's attention towards Nathaniel, crunch, trip, thunk, thud.. the grey-eyed girl looks over out of concern that they might be about to meet a trunk the hard way. To her credit, she does endeavor to stifle a laugh, but it still takes a little while to actually muster the energy to get up, drape her rag about her neck and lurch in the direction of Nathaniel, leaving Afaye to ask the questions for all that she goes to offer a hand up.

<FS3> Nathaniel rolls Brawn+brawn: Good Success. (7 2 2 1 2 8 4 3)

Morgan's brows rise as he looks over at Pontus. "No we weren't. While all liquid was recycled, everything was filtered so the useful chemicals can be reused and the water can be drunk. It was more cleaner and pure than anything you can find down here. Also more flavorless." The noise makes him look around and he frowns at Nathaniel on the ground. "You okay?" What are you doing down there is left unasked.

"A series of filters." Cole says, offhandedly to Afaye. "Then it's heated and boiled to kill any possible contamination." But he's onto something from the way his pencil moves. "If it can be put at least fifteen feet below the water line…" he mutters to himself, walking away far enough to have a direct line of sight from the lake to his feet, and he's drawing some more. "That would give enough differential pressure to move the water uphill without the risk of backflow, and then…." he turns looking something that likely isn't there. "Some kind of boiler….or at least a large charcoal, sand and rock filtration…but they're going to heat their own water for the baths anyways so…" A lot of muttering and a lot of drawing. Pencil taps against the side. "A hydraulic ram pump. No power needed, little moving parts, easy to fix. That…that could work."

Cough, cough. Well, he doesn't seem to have any broken in the rib area by his lack of pain, but he does groan just a bit. "I think my everything hurts right now, but nothing broken." Nathaniel strains out in a pained tone. "I couldn't watch my *cough *cough* footing and the waterskin at the same time." Kai comes over to give him a hand though, and he takes it after a moment once his balance is restored… but then he limps just a bit as he gets to his feet. "Ow, ow, ow. Ok, I think my foot hates me right now." Nathaniel starts to use his left leg to hop over to the nearest table. "Ow. I think I'm done with logs for the day, and I'm going to have to explain this to the Lt now." Nathaniel sighs. Offhandedly, he says to Cole. "Are you working with the hydro-techs, Mr. Menge?"

Pontus seemed unphased by the whole of the situation and simply shrugged. He looked over to Morgan's explaination and just waited for the man to be done. Not that he was trying to be rude but that it was all entirely over his paygrade. What he had he shared with Kai for now and just let Nathaniel's unfortunate turn of events take his interest quietly watching the man like a cat watches paper move. Maybe to assess if there was something to swat at or maybe if he was just alright. Seeming to be alive he went back to minding his own business. "Kai, you know Rain is making a spot for ehr trophies now? She's out getting wood to build shelves so yours can go on top."

"Well, fortunately there's a med-tech right here who can look at you." Kai nods in the direction of Morgan. She's not inclined to give him more help than he looks like he needs getting over to one of the rough tables with a flourish, stepping back with an eye for that log.. nah, it can stay there for the moment, it's enough out of the way. She laughs for Pontus' words,"I think it's going to be a very small collection at this rate. I didn't bring her back anything from Polis, to be honest I was too busy staring at the Heda's tower. Next time, though. You'll have to tell her that I managed to ride from Tondc to Polis.. hungover as hell, and didn't fall off once." granted, it was a narrow thing a couple of times, but she leaves that out aside from the brief grimace that passes over her face.

"Mr. Menge is the old man. I'm Cole." Cole remarks at Nathaniel, though he doesn't remark on the fact that his dad is dead, and he's happier for that particular fact. Though saying 'the old man' and not just 'the sperm donor' is probably giving him a bit more respect than the mechanic wanted to. "Define working with. I'm just coming up ideas. If the people working on it want to ask for my opinion, I'm happy to help them. Nobodies asked me to be on their team. I owe a debt, so I'm doing my part." But something is on his mind now. "I need to go do some mather and see how deep this lake goes. YOu guys have fun." That said, he starts to rove down towards the lake.

"Need me to look it over Breen?" Morgan's not rushing over though, letting the Guard decide. He's a big boy and can make his own decisions. "Trophies? You win something, Kai?" Hopefully they're not talking about heads or something. As Cole heads out, he looks after the tech then over toward the lake. "I wonder if something wind powered would work. As a supplement anyway."

Pontus actually noted to Morgan, "I have something to talk to you about later." Now that he remembered but his attention passively went back to Kai and said simply, "You're off the hook. We don't hunt Polis." Eeh Morgan might have been onto something. It was to the Doctor he considered shaking his head. His common tongue was shit but he tried. Grey was a bad influence in this apparently. "Victory over one's enemies? Sometimes tribute is taken." Still sounded like hands and ears. "When we hunted the Mountain," …yup, still sounding gooey… "Kai took a carving from the desk of the Maunonheda for her. Rain sees this and knows nothing lives to threaten us that we cannot take down. Now she sleeps without the Mountain's shadow. This is a good thing."

"A debt? Hmm." Nathaniel just stares as Cole leaves, then looks to Morgan as he sits. "Checking it would be a good idea. I'd like to know if I need to ask for medical leave for a couple days or not." Then he goes quiet as the group talks of Polis, before he speaks up again. "Windmills would be easy for their people to maintain too."

"I promised my little cousin that I would bring her back a trophy from the Maunon.. so I brought her back the paperweight from Cage's desk." Kai grunts for Morgan as she wanders back towards the water to settle down again, adding in a dry drawl,"Complete with my own blood. Of course, she wanted a flashbang.. but we're agreed that's.. not safe in the hands of an eleven year old." there's a wry smirk as she settles back next to Pontus and tries to ignore the protest of muscles that have definitely had more relaxing days.

Morgan heads over to Nathaniel. "Boot off, shirt up." he says as he nods his understanding to what Pontus says. "Trophy." he agrees. "A souvenir of a battle and proof of victory." He grins a bit as he adds "Suppose Cam's my trophy by those definitions. Wouldn't have him back if we lost." And it wouldn't be a victory if he'd been killed. "It would work for us too, Breen. Easy way to generate power to supplement the solar panels. Very low tech and simple to keep going."

Pontus let Kai do all the talking. Really he was grateful for the translator. Culture presented unique language barriers all its own. Objectively he noted, "Well I don't think you or your niron have a habit of disappearing for long periods of time. Sometimes we do it cause I'll take off for a couple of years. Not easy when you're raising a child, but the village works together at this."

Nathaniel takes off the tank top with no complaint, though the boots is gingerly taken off with gritted teeth. "Makes me miss the smoothed ground of the Camp. This was my last day this week out here, too," Nathaniel notes, before he looks to Pontus. "Quite a bit of looting that day. Your people called him Maunonheda? Heda is a word used a lot it seems."

Pontus considered Nathaniel's observation and though he was generally at arm's length with the Skaikru in the past he looked to Kai and then waved his hand in a circle, "Heda The um… A person who is in charge of a thing. We have Heda of our village, then Trikruheda in charge of all Trikru in the coalition. Lexa who is Kruheda. All krus answer to Kruheda. The man with the Pay Perweight? He heda of Maunon. So? Maunonheda." He waited to see if that did well enough explaining things. He wasn't used to explaining culture outside of his first tongue.

"Exactly." Kai nods for Morgan before glancing at Pontus with a dip of her head by acknowledgment,"I'm still just like.. not sure that I'm up to trying to help Peake with the baby when the time comes.. but I guess that's gonna be one of those trial by fire things." she grins wolfishly at the puzzle man before remarking, largely for Morgan,"Sadly for Rain I don't think she's going to be getting any more trophies in the near future. Granted, when she becomes a Second she'll have the chance to start hunting her own, too." she wrings out her rag and soaks it again to drape about her,"I hardly call that looting. Obviously you haven't seen what's going on up there right now if you think taking a fucking paperweight is looting." she can't help the eyeroll she gives, even if it's mostly directed at the water,"But yes.. like Pontus explained.. heda is a chief, commander. Steheda.. village chief.. kruheda.. clan chief.. Heda by itself? Lexa kom Trikru, head of the Coalition. Technically Kane is the Skaikruheda."

Morgan feels Nathaniel's ribs where they got hit by the log before moving on to the ankle, first examining it by feel then carefully manipulating the foot. "You're good. Clumsy but it's nothing more than a sprain. Alternate cold and heat and stay off of it as much as possible." Reclaiming the bow he set aside to do the exam, he leans on it. "The mountain is full of shit we should take before it gets sealed away for years. Minor shit people should be able to just take."

"Looting is looting, no matter the scale. There was looting on the assault and now there's more looting." Nathaniel notes neutrally, before he nods to Morgan. "Moving around in forests can be difficult at times." Then Pontus excuses himself, "I suppose it's as decent a title as any. He was their president, and I assume that was a holdover title from the old United States, given what we saw in there." As Morgan finishes his diagnosis, he grunts, keeping the boot off for now. "I'll get an ice pack when I get back to the Camp."

"That's what they're up there doing right now." Kai notes for Morgan,"On my way back from Polis I joined one of the teams going out there, but well.. I knew there was work to be done here so I headed out the next morning." she leans back to look at Nathaniel as neutrally as possible,"You like being insulting just to be insulting, don't you? The definition of looting is to steal. What's happening at the mountain is re-purposing shit that there's no point wasting. Otherwise.. you better go and try to arrest Kane and pretty much everyone else on the acquisition teams Alpha-side because hate to tell you but there's a whole lot of legally sanctioned looting going on.

"I'd go take a piece of art for Cam but it would get destroyed quickly. He'd hate watching that happen." Morgan notes and shrugs. "There's no way to keep them safe outside the mountain. But without power, they'll probably start to disintegrate in it too. There's too much stuff in there to just lock it up, powerless, forever. Or even just for years."

"I'm perfectly well aware of what looting is, Kai Kom Trikru. The supplies in Mount Weather belonged to the residents of Mount Weather, and now we're looting them because we killed most of the fanatics who wouldn't surrender, with the Chancellor feeling as you do that there's no point to wasting what's in there since it's unlikely the people in there will be allowed to stay in the bunker forever. I'm pretty sure Mr. Wallace didn't tell the people in there we would allow them to surrender though, so I'm not surprised. I didn't like killing any of the people in there anymore than I've liked the idea of killing anyone else so far." Nathaniel shrugs at this, "it's a very morally grey situation, and one that I am not making the decisions over." Then he looks to Morgan, "aren't we working to preserve them somehow? I haven't talked to the Engineers lately about any of the bunker stuff."

"I didn't make it by the art collection, didn't see a point when.. yeh, it wouldn't survive here." Kai nods for Morgan before looking towards Nathaniel. She doesn't endeavor to keep the expression of 'really?' off of her face, though she does lean forward in order to start removing her boots,"Given the threat the Maunon posed and the number of people they've killed over decades, I do not feel guilty about any of the people in there that I killed. I do think that him sticking kids in the firing line was a pretty shitty thing.. but for all I know they felt that was their only choice for survival. That's the only part I find morally grey. I don't hold with killing kids and non-coms. Doctor Kirschenfeld feels like because she did not actively stop what was happening that she deserves to die. I disagree with her. I have faith that the medtechs will work out how to give them a life outside of the mountain without having to kill people in the process, and someone like her is going to be necessary to help the survivors to work through shit and adjust. What concerns me with regards to the mountain is where the children will go. To the point that I've actually considered adopting one of them myself."

Morgan shrugs at the question. "I don't know. It's not my field. I'm pretty sure they won't last out here and it'll take leaving power on in the mountain, minimal but something, to keep them preserved in it. Really, it's going to depend on what the Heda agrees to. There's a lot there we can't just bring out in the next week or two but is valuable." He shrugs, not having an answer. "Oh, we know how to do it now. Problem is, it's risky for the donor. We just don't have the antibiotics and equipment to make sure it's reasonably safe and they won't become infected. Still thinking it over."

"I don't like killing anyone. Snuffing out lives is very final, and means their potential can't be realized. I felt the same way on the Ark about floating, but I could see the need for it at the time. Thankfully, we never have to do that ever again. Sometimes, you need to put down someone who can't be reasoned with… but even Mr. Kholmin seems to be trying to integrate himself into the community, and despite his past activities, might be able to contribute now." Nathaniel is clearly a but dubious about that, but never let it be said he isn't a fair man when it comes to the law… but then Kai gets a curious frown. "Adopting them into the Trikru? Would the rest of the clan even allow that?"

And where has Afaye been all this time? Bathing. Now she looks clean and fit for company in clothes that only smell faintly of hay and horses. She carries her boots in her hands, walking deftly over the uneven ground. The soles of her feet have got to be as tough as leather at this point. The trio is still present - something that causes her eyebrows to arch upward - but she makes her way over toward them. "Heya, thought you would've left by now." She glances over Nathaniel appraisingly; the look is hardly lascivious but much more along the line of calculating and inquisitive. "Didn't mean to knock you on your ass, Nathaniel kom Skaikru. All in one piece? Or do you need a ride back to your camp?"

"Really, Morgan? Huh.. well, I hope you guys can work that out." Kai nods for him as she rolls her pant legs up so she can stick her feet in the water like that might help,"Yes, killing people is very final, and when the choice is them or you, I'm a big proponent of it being them. The world isn't less harsh down here than it was in the Ark, just that it's difficulties are different. They wouldn't have an easy path, but no matter what path comes in the future it's not going to be an easy one. But it would not be the first instance of one clan being adopted into another, and I understand there's at least one that would make a fine Second in future according to my uncle.. so I do consider it viable."

Morgan nods a greeting to Afaye when she returns but he's mostly listening to the others. "There could be people on the Ark who'd be willing too. Couples who always wanted a second child and are maybe too old now to have one or those who had one but he died. I'm not sure exactly how many Maunon there are still alive and how many are kids."

"I'll take earths difficulties over the Arks difficulties any day. I myself barely survived the dropship crippling us, and saw my parents killed from a relay explosion. Being told you're going to run out of air to breath in two days and slowly die is something I'm glad I'll never repeat as well." Nathaniel sighs, before he looks to Afaye, "I… have no idea how to ride those." Is that caution in Nathaniels voice. "I have a sprain, can I get on there still?" Nathaniel starts to limp over to the horse.

Kai nods,"About.. thirty of them, I want to say? More than twenty.. most of them children." she grunts for Morgan,"I figured I owed it to our friends that if I was there I should at least see them not at sword point." she shrugs her shoulders, smirking wryly at Nathaniel even if she doesn't elect to comment to him directly but just glances at Afaye like 'this should be amusing'. Granted, a few months ago not like she didn't have a much similar problem without the sprained ankle.

Afaye blinks owlishly at Nathaniel for a moment before dropping her boots onto the ground. She steps into them and then treads toward the stables, disappearing for several minutes as she gets a horse saddled and ready to go. The quiet clip of hooves on packed dirt accompanies her as she leads Lin out and toward the Skaikru man, cooing and chatting to the animal all the while. "I will ride with you there, hmm? Will be easier, and I've to return to Tondc." She mounts smoothly, brooking no argument, and gestures Nathaniel over. "Put your good foot in the stirrup and give me your hand. You can sit in front of me, and I will show you what to do."

<FS3> Nathaniel rolls Riding+2: Good Success. (7 1 8 6 5)

"Oh, just toss him over the horse's rear like a pair of saddlebags." Morgan suggests with a grin before nodding to Kai. "I know of three adults. Cam's friend Scarlett, Reno's friend Truman, and some doctor. A psychiatrist who wasn't part of their medical research." For certain definitions of research. "Not sure if there's more than that. Maybe a couple more at most? It'll take five donors to donate enough to treat two of them. So if there's thirty, that means seventy five of us."

"Man, the first time I rode, it was behind Wren, on Roach.. and let me tell you, that was all kinds of nauseating, that horse could qualify as a biological weapon all by himself. And Wren's so damned.. tall.. that all I could see was his back and farting horse ass." she wrinkles her nose,"Then Rain got the unenviable job of trying to teach me how to actually ride before the first time we went out to old Coesbur.. and the horse decides to walk off right as I tried to actually swing up, and landed me on my ass in front of everyone. By the time we got there, my thighs were jello and I'd almost cut a strip into my left palm trying to stay on the damned thing and not embarrass myself." she laughs and shakes her head,"Now? Mostly it's.. okay, but the ride to Polis was pretty bad. Eight odd hours straight.. and Britt wanted to leave at oh-god o'clock so I wasn't even just hungover I was still drunk from playing Break the Table. By time we reached the capital I just kind of crashed in the barracks.. I didn't even notice the Heda's tower until we went out in the morning and let me tell you, that is impressive. It has an elevator.. a human powered elevator. I just.. yeh. It's bigger than Tondc. I want to go back, when I can, but y'know.." other priorities. She grunts,"I only spoke to the doctor, Sarah Kirschenfeld.. she's actually Jewish. And knows about history.. World War two history, at least. But yeh, there wasn't a lot of adults, mostly kids. And if a way to do it safely is found.. I'm willing to help. For the record. Not that you guys don't have plenty of people in Alpha, but just in case."

"Well, plenty of people willing to donate is needed, not just numbers." Morgan points out. "So we're going to need to figure out how to get the risk down to a negligible number. Losing even one of our own is not worth thirty kids." Not if the one is Cam, of course. "So no idea, really. We'll just have to see." In addition to his normal sword, he's got a bow and quiver full of arrows with him.

Kai's settled at the edge of the water, relaxing from having helped haul logs and that sort of thing. Morgan nearby at one of the makeshift tables,"Yeh, well, I'm willing to help, I doubt I'll hear about them calling for donors out here. Just putting it out there."

Galle kom Trikru arrives from the lake — specifically from the mountain path that leads up into the southern mountains. Her pouch is bulging with gathered herbs, and she has some flowers poking out as well — perhaps medicinal, but definitely pretty. She takes note first to Kai and Wren, but when she spots Morgan, her gaze lingers there curiously.

"If we're low on people willing to risk their lives for the Maunon, I'll be sure to let you know." Morgan assures Kai. "Right after all the others I'd rather take the chance of killing first." Doesn't he say the sweetest things? "Unfortunately, Cam is dead set on making sure Scarlett stays alive so…"

Wren is seated on a stump, having just recently taken some time to not be doing whatever it was that he was doing. Probably cutting down more trees, and you can only do so much of that before requiring a break. So he's sitting a cut tree stump, legs crossed under him, enjoying the light breeze. And if his eyes are closed and he's not moving, he's most likely meditating or whatever zen thing that he happens to be doing.

Kai raises a hand in acknowledgment, slowly electing to pull her feet from the water and roll up onto her feet and meander over towards the table with a glance at the meditating Wren,"Aw that's so sweet of you. Probably best anyways, but.. yeh." she shrugs,"How is he doing, anyways?"

Galle adjusts her steps from the Healers' tent toward the small gathering of Kai, Wren, and Morgan. She glances slightly toward the meditative Wren, and a small smile quirks her lips. "<In Trigedasleng> Be lucky Luther is not here to prank you, Wren…" Then she nods to Kai. "Strik Sora," she says fondly to the Second.

"Coping. Wondering what he wants to do now that no one's trying to kill us." Morgan answers. "He's not the only one. I never imagined being part of the Arkers once they came down. But I never imagined the Maunon kidnapping half of us, some of the Ark actually landing, and Kane actually doing what needed to be done to save them and being the better choice for Chancellor." Hearing Galle, he looks over to give her a nod. "Heya."

A sword is splayed on Wren's lap. There's probably a reason for it, one that only makes sense to him. So if Wren really hears Galle or not, he makes no indication that he honestly does. Rather, he's simply quiet, because that's his current thing right now. And people should know better than to bother someone getting some mental rest.

Kai dips her head to Galle with a smile,"Galle, how are you?" she asks of the healer before looking towards Morgan with a dip of her head,"Yeh.. I imagine it's going to be an adjustment for all of them. It's.. been good to have our friends back though. It's.. nice."

"Heya," Galle says in return to Morgan, but then looks to Kai. Her nose wrinkles slightly at the quest of how she is. "I am.. decent… the mountain trails here are hard on my feet… I may need to seek new shoes when I am in Tondc next." Then she crosses her arms slightly. "I do not wish to interrupt…"

Morgan nods his agreement. "Very good. I ran into Tink not long ago. She discovered the ability to play the keyboards in there and is going to keep it up. She broke up with Reno though so he's not doing too good I hear." Some things never change and gossip is one of them. He motions to the table. "Not interrupting at all, Galle. Sit if you want."

Kai nods her agreement with Morgan regarding interrupting, eyeing Wren thoughtfully because she knows eventually she's going to have to get back to work, but for the sake of her aching muscles taking the opportunity to loiter just a little longer,"Yes, she mentioned how she composes music in her mind, it's good. And now she's dating Cole.." pause,"again. I don't know Reno terribly well, to be honest.. engineering nerds.. they start talking schematics and I want to go take a nap." she clears her throat,"But Tink's always been smart like that, and it's.. good that you know.. there's people that share that with her. She never really was.. meant to be a delinquent. Though, you know.. I still deserve points.." she raises her voice just slightly,"For not beating the crap out of her friend that got her Boxed in the first place." from the look she directs Wren's way she's totally saying that for his benefit.

"None of us deserved to be a delinquent." Morgan states dryly. Except for, of course, those who totally did. "But the Ark never worried about that. Anyway, I should get going. I want to get a rabbit or two for dinner. Or squirrel since there's more of those around and I suck at sneaking up on things. Anything but soy."

Galle is just about to make herself comfortable and listen in on Skaikru gossip before there's a young laborer limping toward the tent. She scowls slightly, standing again. "<In Trigedasleng> Excuse me," she says simply, starting forward so she can see to whatever injury the man is sporting.

"You say that like it's something that should be rewarded." Wren says after his bout of silence. "When it is something that should just be." Hands glide over the flat of the sword before it's set aside, and he rises up to his feet, giving a stretch. A mild grunt, taking a look back at the fell tree line.

"Oh I did." Kai's got no qualms about admitting, her attention flicking off after Galle briefly as she excuses herself before she recommends,"Snares, man, snares. Come by in the morning like.. tomorrow or something? And I'll show you how I set mine up. I have trouble trying to bring down deer still, but rabbits? Yeh.. those I'm good at." she raises a hand by way of parting, turning towards Wren as he speaks,"Hey.. you've met my Tink, she was innocent. I don't hold with letting someone just get away with that kind of crap. But I was good, like I promised I would be, and I didn't smash her face in."

"Snares, awesome. I'll do that." Morgan assures Kai. "If you're around, I'll stop by on the way back after I've spent a couple hours wasting my time and missing my target." Giving them both a nod, he sets off into the woods.

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