Star 41

[grand-gaia.livejournal.com]

[Been awhile, hasn't it?  Isaac is parked in a booth in a bar, bent over a half-finished map. To one side are what look to be a dozen 'roughs,' which he's working from.

It's pretty obvious he's been living rough again - the general dishevelment of his hair, perhaps the grit around his fingernails or the rougher stitching on his clothes. There's even a tiny bit of pale blond stubble growing in under his chin. On the other hand, he does seem a bit more relaxed and generally a whole lot more confident.

Somebody hasn't been home in awhile.]


With some luck, this won't need to change for awhile.

Comments

[anoblesavage.livejournal.com]

Hello, Isaac.

[Leela approached him carefully, but, in the end, her desire to speak to him proved to be stronger than her unwillingness to disturb him.]

May I join you?

[grand-gaia.livejournal.com]

[Isaac looks up and blinks, surprised.]

Leela! Long time no see! Come sit!

[And to punctuate, he moves a few things in closer, so as to make some room for her on the table.]

[anoblesavage.livejournal.com]

[She felt her way towards him, careful not to disturb anything as she sat down.]

Have you been busy?

[grand-gaia.livejournal.com]

That's one way to put it, yeah. I've been remapping the area. The earthquakes have mostly died down now, so we think it's safe to start on this.

[anoblesavage.livejournal.com]

Now. Why map something that will change again soon?

[grand-gaia.livejournal.com]

Because we don't know if or when it will change. Besides, Felix, my dad and I all agree that the earth feels a lot calmer, so even if there is another earthquake, it probably won't be a huge thing.

[anoblesavage.livejournal.com]

You cannot live your life in fear of the unknown. You have made a wise decision.

[grand-gaia.livejournal.com]

Never have been afraid of that! ...I'm just afraid of this map needing to be changed again in a year or two...not that it's likely it will, but the possibility remains.

[anoblesavage.livejournal.com]

There are many who are. They are too afraid of the uncertainty of the future.

[grand-gaia.livejournal.com]

I think they'd be crazy not to, but being afraid of something is different from letting that fear stop you.

[anoblesavage.livejournal.com]

I have seen too many people chained by fear to let that happen to me.

[guyexplains.livejournal.com]

What're you working on?

[General friendly question as Guy sits himself down nearby, picking up one of the roughs and looking it over. Not to be intrusive, but just curiosity.]

[grand-gaia.livejournal.com]

Huh? Oh! Remapping the area I live in.

[guyexplains.livejournal.com]

Did it change recently, or just going for a cleaner draft?

[Cartography isn't his strong suit, but he always likes to learn new things.]

[grand-gaia.livejournal.com]

It's changed. A lot.

[guyexplains.livejournal.com]

Really? How so?

[grand-gaia.livejournal.com]

A few weeks worth of earthquakes. The entire area has changed!

[guyexplains.livejournal.com]

Jeez, is everyone alright?

[World-shifting earthquakes sound dangerous.]

[grand-gaia.livejournal.com]

Everyone in my village and those immediately around it are. We have no way of knowing anything more than a few days walk around us though.

[guyexplains.livejournal.com]

I'm glad at least your village is safe. Hopefully anyone else in the area is.

[Though with earthquakes that damaging, that's probably unlikely.]

[grand-gaia.livejournal.com]

A lot of villages themselves are pretty trashed, but the people were sensible enough not to get killed. According to Felix and Piers, the overall death toll is pretty low in our area. Survivors are flooding to Kalay, like we did, or Bilibin which is to the east.

[stillshinigami]

You got your work cut out for you if you're gonna keep doin' all this by hand.

[Duo's clearly impressed as he grabs a beer, his rottweiler dog sitting contently at his feet.]

[grand-gaia.livejournal.com]

No other way to do it!

[Isaac looks up and says that with a smile, then turns back to the work and cocks his head, studying what he's done so far.]

Not too bad. Shouldn't take too much longer, I think.