[Open] All the Leaves are Brown

[sunshinesally]

Who: Sally Boyle and you!
What: Arrival, opening up shop, a few odds and ends.
When: From now until it is no longer useful!
Where: Jack's Marina and around town.
Warning(s): Illicit substances, references to the death of a child, possibly more. Will update as needed!




-I've Been for a Walk-

To Yorick's credit, he did his best to lead Sally through the motions of getting settled in Pumpkin Hollow. He was kind and patient and a silly old thing. And yes, the town is cursed, room at the inn, work options, food vouchers, blah blah, that's all well and good but the whole time Sally had only one thing on her mind.

Where is Gwen?

The very minute that Yorick and Mayor Poe turn her loose again, she forgoes the tavern entirely and makes a beeline straight for the beach. Huddled in the sand, she sits and watches the docks with her rail-thin legs hugged tightly to her chest, hoping to see the ferryman return with her infant daughter.

Part of her hopes he doesn't. Because that would mean...

But if she isn't here, then what happened to her? If Sally didn't survive the crash, where does that leave Gwen? At least if she was here, they wouldn't have to be apart. Sally could find a way back... for both of them. Or maybe make a new life for the pair of them here. But what if little Gwen didn't get that chance?

It will be a while before the ferryman returns, but he will bring Guinevere Boyle with him. However, Sally doesn't know that. So she will wait here on the beach even as night falls.


-He Knows I'm Gonna Stay-

It takes a few days, but once Gwen arrives and Sally signs up for work as a physician, the pair are finally settled in. (Sally makes it clear to Mayor Poe that her expertise is in pharmaceuticals and she is, first and foremost, a chemist, but that she's got a lot of experience with first aid as well.) It's a small place, but it's theirs. A small drugstore and simple clinic with a small apartment on the upper floor. It has a study, but Sally converts it to a nursery.

Thus, the Blackberry Apothecary is born.

Basic clinic services and injury treatment is available here, along with all manner of helpful medicines made from local herbs.

And maybe some more interesting things if you ask the right questions. She does, after all, remember the recipe for Joy.


-California Dreamin'-

With Gwen strapped to her chest and a bag slung over her back, Sally ventures out into the woodlands to collect necessary herbs and flowers for her apothecary before the chill kills them off. Sage and rosemary, ginseng and yarrow, foxglove and poppy. If anyone approaches her while she's out foraging, she'll spit out a customary Wellington Wells greeting like a reflex.

"Lovely day for it!"


-Wildcard-
Always open to ideas!

Comments

[sunshinesally]

"Oh!"

Sally takes it, gently passing it behind her to the baby strapped to her back. Gwen, wide-eyed and utterly baffled by everything she sees 24/7, gawks at the toy and pinches it gently with chubby fingers as if she can't figure out what it's for. Then, she gently inserts an ear into her mouth.

"I can't see her, but she didn't drop it so that means she likes it. That's very kind of you, neighbor! Thank you very much! I don't believe I got your name.

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"My name is Chris Freeman. I just go by Chris, and I'm one of those they/thems," quick little smile -- Chris has learned to move that fact into the opening statements.

"I'm glad Gwen likes her toy. At least my sewing skills come in handy in other ways..." To explain, Chris says, "I worked as a coroner before coming here, but you can imagine there's no demand for that on the island."

[sunshinesally]

"One of those what...?" Sorry, Chris, she's from the 1960's. Non-binary people exist, obviously, but pronouns aren't spoken of that way just yet.

"Well, thank you. I definitely was lacking in proper toys. I have a few odds and ends but nothing cuddly."

[thelatechrisfreeman]

The question doesn't bother Chris, who goes on to elaborate, "Sorry, I mean rather than saying 'she' or 'her' when talking about me, you'd want to replace that with 'they' or 'them'. There are a few people here who prefer being called 'they'!"

"You're welcome." Chris smiles. "I haven't had a lot of direct experience with babies, but everybody needs a cuddle now and then." Then they laugh and give a little wave at the baby. "She's staring at me like she's trying to figure me out! Gwen is a cutie."

[sunshinesally]

"Oh! Right-o," she agrees. That's easy enough. That's just what you call someone whose gender you don't know, right?

"Gwen's always been curious, but moreso now than ever. We weren't able to get out of the house much before we came here, so everything is all brand new!" Sally grins brightly. "Do you want to hold her?"

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"If you don't mind showing me how to hold her properly, I'd love to try," Chris replies honestly.

They might be a little stiff when Sally is repositioning them, but once Chris looks down at Gwen in their arms, they relax a little. And they address Gwen in a soft voice, "Hello, sweetie. This is going to be a much nicer place for you. You can look around all you want, no hiding necessary!"

[sunshinesally]

Gwen continues to stare, looking up at Chris with round blue eyes while nibbling toothlessly on the ear of her toy bear. She seems calm, though--- just taking in the sights, trying to figure out who this new person is. She hasn't been held by many others besides her mama, after all.

"I think it's a fine place to grow up, despite the danger," Sally remarks. "Better than where I was from, anyway. It's far from a normal upbringing, but it's a cozy place. And she'll have Lou as a playmate, and the handful of other children that were already here."

[thelatechrisfreeman]

She's such a cute little baby. Chris is captivated, and a little surprised that Gwen is so calm.

"Normal isn't all it's cracked up to be," Chris comments. "It's better that she knows she's loved and lots of people care about her, even if it's not a family like... you know, mom and dad, two kids and a picket fence."

[sunshinesally]

Sally breathes a laugh at that. "I wouldn't know what that's like, anyway. She'll have good people in her life. Like Eddie, and Sam... and now you!"

[thelatechrisfreeman]

Chris grins at her. "As one of the kids in that kind of setup, it kinda sucked. But you seem like the sort of parent who'll roll with what life throws at you, which is good."

Their cheeks flush a little pink at being included in the list of good people. "Thank you. I do my best. And those of us with medical experience should probably work together anyway."

[sunshinesally]

"Oh! You're the one training under Agnes, right? She's such a peach." Sally chuckles. "Do you have prior experience from before coming here?"

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"A little bit," Chris says. "I started out studying to be a general surgeon, but... I wasn't suited for that job. Part of the curriculum that I was able to get through included a gap year where I worked as a medical assistant for a general practitioner. And two years of pre-clinical study for a medical degree."

They sway a little, for Gwen's benefit, and glance down at her again with a warm look. Then they look back up at Sally. "It's not as strong a base as it could be, but Dr. Winterbottom is a good teacher. Took me a bit to translate her crabbiness, though!"