JW (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
goldeneyeball) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
theattic2015-08-13 03:59 pm
goldeneyeball) wrote in theattic2015-08-13 03:59 pm
It was raining in Nowhere, Japan.
JW did not account for their time periods having differing weather, so when the tall man ducked through the passage he was met with a downpour. His sunhat drooped on either side of his head and his backpack grew heavier as it got soaked.
"Serves me right."
He pressed onward through the dead riverbed which was trying very hard to become a creek. Once he climbed up the other side and came into the town, he was pleased to see less people on the streets. Sure, some lingered on porches, but the town was more or less empty. That would make his quarry easier to spot.
JW did not account for their time periods having differing weather, so when the tall man ducked through the passage he was met with a downpour. His sunhat drooped on either side of his head and his backpack grew heavier as it got soaked.
"Serves me right."
He pressed onward through the dead riverbed which was trying very hard to become a creek. Once he climbed up the other side and came into the town, he was pleased to see less people on the streets. Sure, some lingered on porches, but the town was more or less empty. That would make his quarry easier to spot.
It wouldn't take too long for Ginko to become visible. After a few last words with the village elder - going over preventative measures, promising to come back in a few months to see if the wells were safe yet - he stepped out of from under the shelter of the house.
Ginko glanced up at the sky, frowning slightly and pulling his coat further over his head, the fabric draping over the box strapped to his back. He could only hope this didn't keep up all day.
Distracted as he was, he didn't even notice JW at first.
Ginko glanced up at the sky, frowning slightly and pulling his coat further over his head, the fabric draping over the box strapped to his back. He could only hope this didn't keep up all day.
Distracted as he was, he didn't even notice JW at first.
Aha!
He'd only seen one person in this place with a big square backpack. It looked uncomfortable to wear and suddenly he wasn't so sorry about his canvas one being soggy. James squelched through the muddy street and blew a whistle Ginko's way.
He'd only seen one person in this place with a big square backpack. It looked uncomfortable to wear and suddenly he wasn't so sorry about his canvas one being soggy. James squelched through the muddy street and blew a whistle Ginko's way.
Ginko blinked in surprise, turning around and immediately catching sight of the antlered man standing in the street. He gave a slight smile, raising one hand long enough to wave at JW before shoving his hands back in his pockets and making his way over.
"Hey. Hadn't expected to see you again so soon."
"Hey. Hadn't expected to see you again so soon."
"I wanted to catch you before you shipped out." Internal fist pump. He caught up with Ginko quickly enough, returning the wave. "Brought a few things from home I thought you'd wanna see..." His grin faded for a moment and he wheeled around. Two men who were smoking on their porch quickly pretended to look elsewhere.
Following JW's gaze to the porch, Ginko frowned slightly.
"...C'mon. Let's get outside of town; easier to talk there."
"...C'mon. Let's get outside of town; easier to talk there."
"Took the words right outta my mouth." He hefted his backpack and trudged onward. With the buildings sinking below the hill behind them, JW finally allowed himself to stand up straight again. "Need t'find somewhere dry. Don't wanna ruin these magazines. How'd the night treat you? Has it been a night? I haven't figured out how time works for this particular tree."
Bla bla bla bla.
Bla bla bla bla.
Ginko, of course, was as quiet as ever, just replying with a few words when it seems necessary.
"It has. Are there other trees that work differently?"
Curiosity is one hundred percent a reason for talking to be necessary.
"It has. Are there other trees that work differently?"
Curiosity is one hundred percent a reason for talking to be necessary.
"They're all a little different," JW said, being vague on purpose. A grand old maple loomed ahead and JW sped up, eager to get out of the rain. He was going to have a cold before he got home, he just knew it.
He dropped his bag to the roots with a loud plop and paused to look out at the rainy road. It sure was easier to find a place to stop without ditches to worry about. He made swift work of tugging things out. He'd spent at least an hour under Deuteronomy's curious gaze assembling his supplies.
There was a plastic zip bag (empty) two different National Geographic magazines, an unopened can of Dr. Pepper, a handful of rubber bands, bread ties, and paperclips he'd grabbed from the junk drawer, a single key that came with the house and last, but not least, a wrapped twinkie.
JW crouched over the spread like a dragon above its hoard.
He dropped his bag to the roots with a loud plop and paused to look out at the rainy road. It sure was easier to find a place to stop without ditches to worry about. He made swift work of tugging things out. He'd spent at least an hour under Deuteronomy's curious gaze assembling his supplies.
There was a plastic zip bag (empty) two different National Geographic magazines, an unopened can of Dr. Pepper, a handful of rubber bands, bread ties, and paperclips he'd grabbed from the junk drawer, a single key that came with the house and last, but not least, a wrapped twinkie.
JW crouched over the spread like a dragon above its hoard.
Ginko sat down carefully on a protruding root, staring in silence as JW laid everything out.
Then he kept staring.
He had literally no idea what most of this stuff was.
"...wow. What is all this?"
Then he kept staring.
He had literally no idea what most of this stuff was.
"...wow. What is all this?"
JW...hadn't gotten this far in his plan. He had failed to construct an informative talk about each and every one of the items he may or may not have dragged out of the hallway closet.
"Aah...thingssss." He grabbed up the bag and pulled it open before handing it over. "You can keep stuff in this and it'll never get wet. Ever."
"Aah...thingssss." He grabbed up the bag and pulled it open before handing it over. "You can keep stuff in this and it'll never get wet. Ever."
Turning the bag over in his hands, Ginko examined it like one would some kind of archaeological artifact, which might have been appropriate. Or ironic.
"How do you--" He presses the two halves of the top together experimentally, raising his eyebrows when they snap together. "--like that. Alright."
"How do you--" He presses the two halves of the top together experimentally, raising his eyebrows when they snap together. "--like that. Alright."
JW beamed as Ginko inspected the ziploc. He leaned forward, hands on his knees, and couldn't wait to see what the white-haired man would pick up next. His ego was eating well tonight and this right here made trudging all the way out of town in the rain worth it.
It also felt nice to bring a little wonder into somebody's day. Ginko gave off a sort of vibe that suggested he'd seen most things already.
"You can buy fifty of those for less than it costs to buy a sandwich."
It also felt nice to bring a little wonder into somebody's day. Ginko gave off a sort of vibe that suggested he'd seen most things already.
"You can buy fifty of those for less than it costs to buy a sandwich."
"Huh... that must come in handy."
After a few more moments of messing around with the bag, Ginko caught sight of something else. He reached out to carefully pick up one of the magazines, flipping it open. "These... wait, how do they get these pictures? Are these photographs?"
They didn't look like paintings, that was for sure. But he didn't sound entirely certain about his guess, either; they were too detailed, not to mention the colors. All the same, he couldn't help thinking of the image on JW's phone last time.
After a few more moments of messing around with the bag, Ginko caught sight of something else. He reached out to carefully pick up one of the magazines, flipping it open. "These... wait, how do they get these pictures? Are these photographs?"
They didn't look like paintings, that was for sure. But he didn't sound entirely certain about his guess, either; they were too detailed, not to mention the colors. All the same, he couldn't help thinking of the image on JW's phone last time.
"Yup. From all across the globe. That one's Egypt." He stretched an arm across the treasure pile to point at a page. "Egypt...Africa...that's the Amazon river." He dared to scoot closer. "And that...that's just an advertisement for some sort of hair gel. Ignore that. Yours is fine."
Smooth.
Smooth.
JW's attempt at flirting went so far over Ginko's head that it probably smacked into a (now presumably very flattered) bird. Ginko kept flipping through the pages, not seeming to notice or mind the decrease in distance between them.
"That's... incredible." He paused on a picture of an alarmingly brightly-colored tropical bird, glancing briefly at the article it accompanied. "How do they get these pictures? Is that what the thing you were pretending was a weapon yesterday was for?"
"That's... incredible." He paused on a picture of an alarmingly brightly-colored tropical bird, glancing briefly at the article it accompanied. "How do they get these pictures? Is that what the thing you were pretending was a weapon yesterday was for?"
"Oh--we--sort of!" Now the questions were coming and he had to be ready. "They used something called a camera. My phone--the thing I was...threatening you with..." Cough. "Has a camera built into it. It doesn't take pictures as good as those though. They're little and blurry."
Hoo boy, he was kind of glad he hadn't brought up video. That would have to wait for another time.
Hoo boy, he was kind of glad he hadn't brought up video. That would have to wait for another time.
Ginko nodded thoughtfully. "We've got cameras already... much larger than your phone, though. And the pictures look nothing like this." Sounded like they improved quite a bit in the next hundred years or so.
JW's grin suddenly swapped for a frown--but not one directed at Ginko. "Do you have the ones you have to sit in front of for ages? My grandfather got it in his head once that he needed a photo of us made with one of those. It was the middle of July and we were at the fair. I thought I was going to die."
"Uh-- yes? It takes a few minutes for them to work, I think. I take it the process is faster in the future?"
"Oh, hell yes. They've got somethin' called a Polaroid." He pantomimed holding a camera to his eye. "Snap the picture, it spits it out the front and in a few minutes it's developed. They're expensive though, I don't have the cash to for ten pictures just because they're faster. I spend five bucks on disposable cameras like God and everybody else...only downside is the people that develop them always give you this look when you go to pick 'em up. Like they're judging you. Fuck you, lady, you work at the Walmart photo center you can't judge me."
JW momentarily left Ginko in favor of his own little world.
JW momentarily left Ginko in favor of his own little world.
Ginko sat in silence, the still holding the magazine open in front of him as JW ranted.
Finally, he closed it and set it back down, shifting his attention to the dark red can on the ground. Might as well try and distract him from this particular topic. "What's in here?"
Finally, he closed it and set it back down, shifting his attention to the dark red can on the ground. Might as well try and distract him from this particular topic. "What's in here?"
"They have the--hm?"
Oh, right. Reality. He wasn't at Walmart. He was in Nowhere, Japan. He put his showboat face back on and picked up the can. God only knew how much the thing had been shaken during the hike and he did not want this conversation to end with Ginko getting blasted in his remaining eye. So he opened it facing away from them both before handing it over. It only fizzed a little bit.
"A drink!"
Oh, right. Reality. He wasn't at Walmart. He was in Nowhere, Japan. He put his showboat face back on and picked up the can. God only knew how much the thing had been shaken during the hike and he did not want this conversation to end with Ginko getting blasted in his remaining eye. So he opened it facing away from them both before handing it over. It only fizzed a little bit.
"A drink!"
He stared at it for another moment, quietly wondering if it was alcoholic or what. Only explanation he could think of for the fizzing.
He took a gulp of soda - and then jumped slightly, spluttering and lifting his free hand to cover his mouth so he wouldn't end up spraying soda all over JW. The texture was totally different from beer or sake, and he turned to James with a look of disbelief. "Is it supposed to do that?!"
He took a gulp of soda - and then jumped slightly, spluttering and lifting his free hand to cover his mouth so he wouldn't end up spraying soda all over JW. The texture was totally different from beer or sake, and he turned to James with a look of disbelief. "Is it supposed to do that?!"
For a single horrifying moment, JW was afraid that Ginko might have been allergic to it. He didn't know what all they put in soda these days, just that they'd changed it. Why else would Mountain Dew Throwback exist?
"It's carbonated...it shouldn't hurt you." Shouldn't. "How's it taste?"
"It's carbonated...it shouldn't hurt you." Shouldn't. "How's it taste?"
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