Soldat is not... great at partying. Unless it's for serving food or dancing. Thankfully, both those things are available at this one.
Everyone who wants gets a turn out on the "dance floor" beside the bonfire. Everyone who wants gets plenty of food, whether from the big grilled fish Rosinante summoned through the portal or from the more vegetarian salad and pasta options, or from the wide array of desserts.
When there's no dancing to be had or people who need help with portions, they're just kind of off to one side, quietly watching the spirits as much as the lantern-bearers. Things are so up in the air now, and they're... worried. And uncertain. And, frankly, afraid of losing even more friends now.
II. Plans
In the end, Soldat has nothing to go home to, and the thought of trying to start over again anywhere else is too much. They're staying. They have no other options that feel possible. What they're going to do while they're here... they don't now. Work with Weaver and Rosinante to come up with a strategy to save the rest of the universe, maybe. Do repairs on the radio tower to try and boost the signal, see if any other pockets of life remain somewhere on the world, maybe. Read every book in the library in an attempt to learn enough to rebuild a world alone. Find Rye-Mother's farm. (At least "leave Beacon to try and map out the rest of the world" is scratched off the list early, when Stone makes his intention to do that himself public.)
They don't know what to do, and they spend time sitting out by the growing light over the lake every day with a notebook trying to list out pros and cons of every potential plan. It's not really helping much. Somebody come talk them through this? Or just make a decision for them, that's fine, too.
III. Parting
They were right: more friends are being lost. The planet is going to be empty soon, but for those few of them remaining behind with the portal. Soldat spends some time every day just making as many different origami shapes as they can for all their spirit friends. If a couple animals wind up ruined by a little salty dampness, well, there's plenty of paper, they just toss the tear-stained one in the fire and start again.
They try to visit them all daily, on their patrol, before the spirits go. The Junkyard Dog, the tech-shop bird, Handy, Flesh Horse, Rye-Mother, the Librarian. "I'll miss you," they say in the spirits' language. "Thank you for everything. You're my friend and I'll never forget you."
IV. Plowing
In the end, Rye-Mother's farm it is. Soldat looks it over with trepidation. They have no idea how to farm. They have no animals, yet, to populate it. They just have a handful of people left on the world.
But they did promise Rye-Mother, and it's... reasonable. They need to support themselves, and this is a step in the right direction. They sigh and turn to their companion. "Where do we start?"
Bucky/Soldat | OTA
Soldat is not... great at partying. Unless it's for serving food or dancing. Thankfully, both those things are available at this one.
Everyone who wants gets a turn out on the "dance floor" beside the bonfire. Everyone who wants gets plenty of food, whether from the big grilled fish Rosinante summoned through the portal or from the more vegetarian salad and pasta options, or from the wide array of desserts.
When there's no dancing to be had or people who need help with portions, they're just kind of off to one side, quietly watching the spirits as much as the lantern-bearers. Things are so up in the air now, and they're... worried. And uncertain. And, frankly, afraid of losing even more friends now.
II. Plans
In the end, Soldat has nothing to go home to, and the thought of trying to start over again anywhere else is too much. They're staying. They have no other options that feel possible. What they're going to do while they're here... they don't now. Work with Weaver and Rosinante to come up with a strategy to save the rest of the universe, maybe. Do repairs on the radio tower to try and boost the signal, see if any other pockets of life remain somewhere on the world, maybe. Read every book in the library in an attempt to learn enough to rebuild a world alone. Find Rye-Mother's farm. (At least "leave Beacon to try and map out the rest of the world" is scratched off the list early, when Stone makes his intention to do that himself public.)
They don't know what to do, and they spend time sitting out by the growing light over the lake every day with a notebook trying to list out pros and cons of every potential plan. It's not really helping much. Somebody come talk them through this? Or just make a decision for them, that's fine, too.
III. Parting
They were right: more friends are being lost. The planet is going to be empty soon, but for those few of them remaining behind with the portal. Soldat spends some time every day just making as many different origami shapes as they can for all their spirit friends. If a couple animals wind up ruined by a little salty dampness, well, there's plenty of paper, they just toss the tear-stained one in the fire and start again.
They try to visit them all daily, on their patrol, before the spirits go. The Junkyard Dog, the tech-shop bird, Handy, Flesh Horse, Rye-Mother, the Librarian. "I'll miss you," they say in the spirits' language. "Thank you for everything. You're my friend and I'll never forget you."
IV. Plowing
In the end, Rye-Mother's farm it is. Soldat looks it over with trepidation. They have no idea how to farm. They have no animals, yet, to populate it. They just have a handful of people left on the world.
But they did promise Rye-Mother, and it's... reasonable. They need to support themselves, and this is a step in the right direction. They sigh and turn to their companion. "Where do we start?"