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 Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 7:00 pm
It was a quiet morning. Most were finding it hard to roll out of bed after last night's party. He, however, rose with the sun, ready to get his part of the work done for the day.
Wyatt had drawn housekeeping duty, which included going around to all of the garbage bins, emptying them, and replacing the bags, cleaning the rentable cabin rooms as needed, and cleaning all the bathhouses.
Surprisingly, it was probably his preferred set of chores to draw. Less walking. Make no mistake, he enjoyed the nature trails, but physically he just couldn't handle that all the time. The injury he had incurred before returning to Destiny City left him more limited than before. That didn't mean he didn't frequently push further than he should, overworking himself and straining the now mostly-healed bones, tendons, and muscle. He already knew he'd always have some sort of pain from it. Rainstorms were the worst, and he hadn't even been through his first winter with it yet.... Though for those times he was on trail duty, he'd invested in a nice support brace for his knee and ankle. He also had his portable folding cane, although his pride kept him from using it so far. He'd rather limp back to his RV after long hours walking trails to make sure they were clear. Although he hadn't been on any of the longer, more difficult trails yet... He considered himself lucky there...
As for how it affected his patrolling as Hawara... Well, he didn't allot too much time out of his life for that. Three hours a day, maximum. If he felt like it. But even so, it seemed the magic kind of afforded him a bit of a reprieve - he didn't feel it until after he'd powered down. He could deal with that. He had some terrorizing to do, anyway, and it was hard to do that with a limp.
Anyway.
His work for this morning had ended fairly early, as there wasn't much cleaning to be done due to only one of the cabin rooms being used at the moment, and his cleaning of the bathouses a few days prior had been quite thorough.
That meant that he had ample time to relax and make lunch before he had to go in to the city for his regular job, as well as catching a shower beforehand.
Wyatt had just gotten back to his RV from the bathouse and pulled on a pair of black slacks. Then he gave his hair one more vigorous rub with his hair towel before draping it around his neck and starting to search for a shirt. This would have been easier with a closet...
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 9:23 pm
Had someone been looking around this morning, they would have noticed Lukas’ RV was gone. They would have noticed the park owner scrambling inside of his office, rapidly speaking on the phone and jotting down things on a notepad with haste and panic. And perhaps they would have noticed that the shed to the parks tools had been raided, loaded up, and taken out from where they belonged. At some point, the owner vanished for a while, cell phone still pressed to his ear, and boom in hand as he swept the unused walkway towards the fire tower nearest the RVs, eventually scrambling back inside, looking perhaps a little more pleased than before. After the stress of last night, Lukas found himself forced into a decision and gave the park owner an ultimatum. Luckily, for the both of them had they admitted it out loud, they could come to an agreement. Sometime in the afternoon, a rumbling could be heard, the sound of an older motorcycle making it’s way up the mountain, tugging behind it small cart of repaired park equipment, gasoline, and other random things. Despite everything... That pain of betrayal and the sorrows he drowned out in alcohol last night, he was going to stay. And if he were to stay, there was someone he needed to talk to. Before he made his way to his new home, Lukas stopped at his once home lot, parking the bike neatly in line with the RV there, and gave a long sigh. Apologizing always sucked, but he wasn’t here for that was he? There was no reason to, it wasn’t his own fault he had been tossed out. But compromises were made, and daddy had to get along with mommy for the betterment of all of their kids. The Analogy did seem to make him smile to himself as he walked up and knocked on the front door. ... Gods he was tired. A slight hangover and hardly no sleep at all left him more than exhausted, but there was no time for rest. There were still things to be done, starting with making up with wifey here.
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 9:34 pm
At the sound of a knock on his door Wyatt paused in his shirt search. Whoever it was, he didn't really care if they saw him shirtless. In fact, he was pretty sure at some point the residents would drag him to one of their lake parties where there would likely be skinny dipping involved. They were just a few steps away from becoming a nudist colony, really. But, those thoughts aside, he made his way from his 'bedroom' to the door on the opposite end of the RV, and opened it to see Lukas.
"Oh, hey," Wyatt said, eyes widened as he was actually somewhat surprised. A few blinks later and his expression recovered.
Shoving the door open a little more and stepping aside, he gestured for him to come in, "Come on in. I was about to make lunch."
Inside of Wyatt's RV was actually quite neat and tidy. One could consider it to be somewhat spacious, as far as RVs went. There was little personalization to denote any of Wyatt's personality, aside from the many, many, succulents lining the back of the counters, the multitude of pillows on his bed that would make a Disney princess jealous, and perhaps the covered plate of cinnamon rolls on the take of the kitchen dinette. Leftovers from breakfast. Nothing special, just that tubed stuff from the grocery store.
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 9:56 pm
There was the slightest of twitches to Lukas’ smile when the door opened.
Of course he was shirtless. This was the man who probably seduced his way onto the park owner’s good side after all. A judgement thought crossed his mind, betting that he probably did this every time someone knocked on his door. This whole community was loving and open after all... More than a few would be willing for a ‘good time’.
Wyatt was attractive after all. Pretty rosy eyes, that silvery hair which betrayed his age.. A decent, if thin physique and mysterious scars that held a story he didn’t quite know just yet.
Yeah, no doubt he was someone good looking, but the interest in him was passing, at best.
There was no real liking of someone who stole his job, after all. And his parking space.
“Thank you. I don’t plan on being in your hair for long.” A quick glance around gave him little info, except for plants. Lots and lots of plants. How did they stay up right when he drove? Maybe some putty on the bottom of the pots? And then the sweet rolls.... Lukas could just imagine that was another one of his seduction points. Sweets and half naked men. A dangerous combination he was determined to ignore.
“I wanted to let you know I’ll be sticking around. Even if I don’t feel so welcome anymore, it’s still my home. And I’m still technically on payroll. So maybe it’d be best for us to talk out a bit. Unofficially, just between the two of us. You know, mommy and daddy getting along and all. Just think of this as... Prenuptials before we fully seek the deal, as it were.”
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 10:11 pm
Oh, you sweet maple syrup man, how wrong you were. Wyatt was probably the least promiscuous person in this whole park. In fact, with as open as everyone was, he was practically a prude. Which given his sense of humor was an oddly hilarious thought. "Sure. Take a seat, help yourself to the rolls. Want some milk to go with them?" Wyatt was already grabbing a small glass in preparation to pour up some milk before Lukas could even reply. He was a good mum. Then some words that actually relieved Wyatt to hear. So, he was staying in the park. Good. He didn't want to be a homewrecker. Well, I guess that was shot, so... complete homewrecker? Either way, it was never intended. "Well, honestly, I'm glad you are sticking around," he gave a bit of an awkward smile, "I really mean it." Regardless of Lukas' reply about the milk, Wyatt sat the now filled glass on the table for him, and replied. "So, prenups~" he ran a hand through his damp hair, brushing back the strands that were trying to fall in his face, "Gee, I didn't even get one of those when I was married," oh hey, that kinda just slipped out there offhandedly, and certainly more to himself than his company here. He cleared his throat and shook that off mentally, "Sure. Sounds like you already have some topics in mind. Shoot, and I'll work on some lunch."
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2020 10:16 am
Before he could even decline, the milk was set down before him. What was the word for a person like Wyatt? A busy body? Annoying? Aggravatingly nurturing? Either way, Lukas wasn't about to turn away free food, even if it was from someone he didn't especially like. Food wasted was a sin, after all. "Huh... You were married once? I can't imagine what happened there." Only he could, and his mind started to quickly fill with unnecessary remarks that he kept to himself. This time. Partially because he wanted to try to get along, and partially because he had stuffed a roll into his mouth and couldn't quite speak just yet. When he could, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the list of daily things that the park needed to have done. Various colors of highlighter was used to separate things into categories, some for himself, some for various rotating shifts of the people who lived there. "Don't worry about me for lunch, I'm going to head on out as soon as we're done here. But anyway, first off, I'll be removing anything from your list of work you've done that's specifically labeled under park duties. Legal reasons, of course. If you got hurt using a chain saw to break down a fallen tree in a path, the company is liable for that. Same with cleaning trails, moving kayaks and other rentals, plumbing issues, vehicle issues, manning the firewood supply, etcetera etcetera. As helpful as you've been, you understand why you can't do anything as much as you've done before, right? Not as long as you're just a civilian living here, rather than being employed by the park."
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2020 6:08 pm
A pot was boiling with water soon enough, and a hefty portion of linguini noodles tossed in.
"Yeah~ 'was'," Wyatt repeated while placing a pan on the oven a bit more...forcefully than was probably necessary, a bit of...not so positive emotion in his tone, "Apparently asking for loyalty is a bit too much these days."
Not. Bitter. At. All.
The pan started to heat up and soon the smell of olive oil, garlic, and other spices filled the air. Wyatt listened to Lukas speak while he retrieved the bag of shrimp that had been defrosting all morning in the sink, and a loud crackle sound joined the smells as the shrimp hit the hot pan.
"Sounds like the only thing mother-dearest is allowed to do is the cleaning and the cooking. How sweet of you," Wyatt replied with a joking tone before following up, in a more normal tone, "No, I get it. I don't mind being responsible for the housekeeping. There will be plenty more of it than just the current cabins and bath houses soon enough anyway. I wouldn't trust me with power tools either," He laughed a bit.
It would take a while for plans to be completely drawn up for the new cabins and activity center, and still some yet to get contractors and construction workers, plumbers, electricians. He was helping to field those as well but...
"But make sure you aren't taking too much on yourself. I know I'm pretty bad at delegation myself, but I am here to help. I might be paying to stay, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let everyone else have to pick up after me."
Normally, Wyatt may have argued, but given he knew he had certain limits now... Yeah. He hadn't told anyone about that, but if it saved his pride, he could go along with it.
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2020 9:13 pm
Ah. That made it pretty clear what caused the end of that marriage. Love was... Complicated. Uncomfortable to think about, and for someone he spent the better part of last night loathing, a topic Lukas didn’t exactly want to talk about. Sharing meant just that, sharing, and in his opinion Wyatt only needed to know the very minimal about him. “Well, no. You still get to host your events and organize those things. You... I’m good with people, yes, but unless it’s mechanical or deals with something that needs to be fixed, I’m not exactly the most creative person out there. If you can keep planning things to make my people happy, I’m happy to have you around.” When it came to parties, festivals, or any sort of gathering, Lukas was always a participant, never truly an organizer. Life was far too distracting, and there were way too many fires to put out to think about a social life that he actively worked for. Things that fell into his lap came way easier. “I’m surprised though, I would have thought I could have found everything spick and span when I came back with you in charge. Guess some of the dirty work were beyond your city-boy hands?”
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2020 9:53 pm
"Well, that all sounds fair enough. Very 50's housewife, but so long as there are no Tupperware parties, I can deal with that." He was good at coming up with ideas and how to put them in motion. He wasn't a social butterfly himself, though. Luckily a lot of the people here were more than happy to assist in the social part. The shrimp was done, he turned off that stove eye and put it on one of the back burners. "Oh, I know you are not talking about the bath houses." So much power washing, scrubbing, thorough scrubbing so that he didn't feel dirty washing in them.... The pasta was done - he dumped it in to a large strainer bowl, the steam assaulting his face. "If you mean the trails though, I actually haven't had the opportunity to walk most of them yet." He had been very busy. And oh, if he knew what those hands were capable of.... So many lives drained , starseeds stolen, death. I bet at the start of that you were thinking something dirty though. And there was that too. But....
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Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2020 7:49 pm
“I hope you know I’m not saying you’re incapable of doing anything. It’s simply the fact that I’m paid to do that. And yes, while I’d be happy to do so for free, it’s best to let me do that to protect the park. I’m sure you’re able to do anything you set your mind to But.... Please let me just keep what’s in my job description at least.” It wasn’t quite begging, no, but his voice did seem to get softer as he spoke, thumbing the edge of the milk glass without taking a sip. He hadn’t been gone that long, right? They still needed him, but even with that being the case, he still lost so much. His home-space, the closeness of the people he thought were his friends. In order to come home, he had to compromise, over and over and over again... In a way it was quickly making him miserable, and reminding him just why he left his home state of Montana to begin with. “You get me, right? You know the people here. We’re all lookin’ for something. Maybe some place to belong, maybe freedom from judgement, maybe just a good time, but we’re all here for a reason. We all have our place, our responsibilities. I’ll say it plain. After last night I just... I realized I don’t want to lose anything more that was once mine. I hope you can understand that.”
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Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2020 8:09 pm
"I'm not trying to take anything away, just...share in the load so that I actually feel a part of everything." Wyatt explained as he mixed both pasta and shrimp/sauce, adding in some cheese to melt together with the two. Like the separate ingredients, there were his things, and, apparently, the parks things. He...didn't like how it made him an outsider, even while within the community. He wanted to be a part of it, to come together to make something better. A complete, singular, dish. "Old habits die hard - I've had to fight and even manipulate to get anything I needed, let alone wanted. I've been trying to turn over a new leaf though - be a better person than I had been in the past. And now I just want a place to call home, with people who actually want me around." Wyatt reached up in to some of the overhead storage to retrieve a stack of uniform containers and lids, and started dishing the shrimp scampi he had just made in to them. Meal prepping. It served a dual purpose - to eat after work before patrol, and he had some ready to go containers for anyone in the park in need a quick meal. By now, they knew where to come for food, and Wyatt was happy to oblige. "So yeah, I get you." He had always strong-armed his way in to anything he went after - position, relationships, jobs, lifestyles. Passiveness didn't come easy to him, and he was trying hard to let it, conceding where he would normally bullheadedly fight.
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Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2020 8:26 pm
“If your food keeps tasting like it did last night, I’m sure you’ll never need to roam again. I heard people still talkin’ about it this morning.” It was fascinating, watching Wyatt work so smoothly in his little kitchen. with how he moved so expertly, one could easily imagine him in a proper house, with a properly large kitchen. Lukas hardly knew anything about cooking, that was for sure, but eve he could tell there was some care put into it. “You don’t need to manipulate anyone around here. Or fight, really. I say that, but just ignore what I was doing last night. I was all riled up and angry and hurt, so I’m sorry about that. I gotta say, you treated me much more nicely than I really deserved. I’m feeling pretty confident that our little relationship here will work out just fine. All of our kids are going to have full bellies, clean bathrooms, and a comfortable, cozy place to call home.” It made him smile. Wyatt made him smile. Perhaps they were more similar than he wanted to give credit for. “Well, that’s all for now. Everything else is just written on this paper, so I can leave that here. It’s still pretty early in the day, so I should start moving my stuff into my new space. Hopefully no one will try to take it from me this time.”
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Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2020 8:47 pm
"People are easier to win over with a full belly," Wyatt said with a bit of a half-smile. Wyatt had become quite domestic back when he shared a house with his ex. Plenty of food network and all that. Now empty post and pans were placed in the sink, and lids clicked on to little plastic containers. Picking up one of the containers, Wyatt turned around to the dinette, took a seat across from Lukas, and passed to container over to him. "Not that it was right of the owner to withhold information, but last night's little spat was actually a little fun," Wyatt's slight smile turned in to a more lopsided grin. At least they both knew, from lats night's spat, that they could easily hold their ground. A strong parental unit for this soft little family. And they would figure each other out more as they worked to build secure the future of this park. New place? Well, fun times. "Oh, if they try, we both know I've got more balls than the owner - I'll tell them to git," he replied, dragging the paper over to his side of the table.
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Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2020 8:56 pm
“Fun? What, you’re one of those folks who likes to argue? I’ll keep that in mind the next time I’m feeling feisty.” How could he not give his own cheeky little grin at that? If he could get past how angry he was, Lukas could probably, maybe admit that he liked talking to Wyatt back and forth. The teasing, the jokes, seeing just how many buttons could be pressed before one of them snapped. It was likely to be even better if he was going at it without some goal in mind. The container was taken and cracked open just a smidge, enough so he could slip some fingers in and pull out a shrimp, popping it into his mouth and licking them clean. To his surprise... He liked it. The food maybe tasted even better than last night, now that it wasn’t tainted completely with agitation. “You know, if you’re free right now, I wouldn’t mind a little help getting set up. Have you been up into the fire watch towers yet? Since summer’s here, it’s high time for people to be up there, and I may have negotiated living up there instead of finding another place to park the RV. It meant downsizing a whole hella lot, but it’s nothing new. I’d love your company a bit more. Nothing wrong with getting to know my knew partner, as it were.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2020 10:46 am
"Sadly, I have work to go to in a little bit," Wyatt replied. So, the tower, eh? Well, one he was kinda glad to have an excuse to save his knees from all those steps, but two, it was a shame to miss the opportunity to help out, after he went on about how he wanted to. "I use my mornings to work around here though, so if you still need a hand tomorrow, you've got me from 6 till 11. Sundays I'm available all day," he explained. He had a pretty detailed schedule all parsed out, and his Sunday plans this week included starting work on that little projection theater, but he was sure in the time it would take for the bench posts to cure in their ground and concrete homes he could lend a hand.
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