[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

-He Knows I'm Gonna Stay-

[restingslasherface]

Sally, meet Jean. Specifically, meet Jean at high speeds. Meet Jean running into your store like a fucking Looney Tunes character. Meet Jean's inadvisable impact with your counter, palms down on it, practically fucking vibrating, eyes wide and slasher smile bordering on the edge of complete derangement.

Also, meet Jean's inability to say this sentence in more than one breath: "Canyoudomaintainanceonbioaugmentationstothecentralnervoussystemandbrainstem?"

[sunshinesally]

Oh good lord.

"Woah--- Hello--- Slow down, what? I caught--- maybe half of that."

[restingslasherface]

"Artificial organic modifications to the central nervous system and brain stem, can you maintain them?"

It took Herculean effort to say that slowly.

[sunshinesally]

Sally pauses, processing that.

All of that sounds a bit high tech to her (being that she comes from a retro-futuristic 1960s alternate history) but it can't hurt to take a crack at it if it gains her a new client.

"I don't have any experience with that specifically, but I'm quick on the uptake," she says honestly. "If I can't do it now, I can probably figure it out. Show me what I'm to be working with, if you would?" She gestures to her clinic room.

[restingslasherface]

Jean obeys quickly and without hesitation, admittedly in no small part because their options are this or nothing. They'll make their best attempt to explain as they go:

"I had my nerves ripped out and replaced for my job, but it's been years since I've been able to see my doctor and the system needs regular touch-ups or, hahahaha, ha, hahahaha, ha, death will be! A sweet release! Was the words he used, I believe, and I can't be having that! There's people counting on me here. I'm already seeing initial symptoms outside the usual - insomnia, plummeting blood sugar, warning signs of deterioration."

"The hyper-vigilance is normal, that's a feature."

[sunshinesally]

"I see!" Sally shuts the door behind herself once both of them are in, waiting for Jean to take a seat on the exam table. "Okay, couple of questions. How much do you know about what procedures your doctor took to maintain the system? And is there a specific... access point I ought to be looking at?"

[restingslasherface]

"Access point? Hahahaha, hahahaha, ha, HA!"

"No."

Jean takes the seat on the exam table with a decidedly thousand-mile kinda stare. "I go under every time and get hacked open! It hurts for days! But as for the procedures -"

What follows is a memorized list of procedures and ideas, very clearly memorized faithfully from informed consent forms and consultations. Jean is not a doctor, but they didn't get their nerves ripped out without doing their research.

[sunshinesally]

"...Yeah, I'm not a surgeon. I would definitely kill you." A hand to the chin. There's gotta be something she can do, right? Something... more up her alley? "I'm a chemist, mostly. A pharmaceutical developer. And I can definitely treat your symptoms, but that's not productive long term."

Birds of a Feather Forage Together

[mister_morgan]

[ From the comfort of his little cabin on his farm, Arthur had gotten used to a few sights. Fellow farmers milling about their work, creatures in the woods, occasional hikers, researchers, and the occasional thing he couldn't explain (that he would then drink to forget).

Among all these things, though, none of them included a woman with a tiny baby strapped to her chest, foraging in a spot near home he'd come to do the very same in. In the woods with a baby, despite all the warnings - either this was a strange manifestation trying to catch his guard down, or, perhaps, someone who ought to be a little more careful with where they take babies.

Best to assume the latter, and be ready for the former. A courteous tip of his hat was given at the decidedly-British greeting, and a nod of acknowledgement was shared. ]

Mornin', miss. Find anything decent out here?

I've Been For a Walk

[batteryacid]

Well, someone in town noticed Sally's march back to the beach (a lady who works at Hemsworth). Word got to Eddie, and he took the opportunity to put some hot tea in a Dewar flash and head to the beach himself. (Missy won't mind that he's taking a couple sugar cubes along... as long as she doesn't know about it.)

It's easy to tell who he's looking for -- the new arrival linen clothing, the distant, processing look in her eyes.

Eddie sits down in the sand as well -- close enough to pass her the flask, but far enough to give her space. He holds it out in offer. "Tea?"

cw: slut shaming (she's just making fun of herself lol)

[sunshinesally]

[ Oh my god.

A cowboy.

Just like in the movies Sally watched as a kid on Sunday afternoons. Be still, her beating heart!

She smiled, playing it cool. Don't just jump the bones of the first interesting man you see, Sally, you whore. ]

I have! There is a lot of yarrow. Thank God, too, it's good for everything. Do you use herbs much?

[sunshinesally]

Eddie, you've just offered tea to a woman from Wellington Wells, England, in the 1960's. You might has well have offered water to a man in a desert.

"Oh, thank fuck, yes please." Sally takes it with something nearing desperation and takes a forcibly-polite swig. There's not even any drugs in it! This man is a hero. "Ah, tastes like civilization. Thank you so much, Mr.---?"

[mister_morgan]

Surely do! I been plantin' anything back that I take parts of, so its lookin' like its startin' to overrun the place.

[ Okay, her likelihood of being some sort of monster illusion is going down. There's hope! He still keeps his distance, though, kneeling down to pick at some herbs at the other edge of the small clearing. ]

Got some ginseng and burdock root a little ways back, too, if'n that's somethin' you're after. Makin' medicine for you or the little one, or just keepin' it on hand in case?

[batteryacid]

"Kaspbrak," he replies. And then he holds up a folded handkerchief, "I've got sugar cubes, too. If you'd like."

Eddie smiles, just a little. "We're a closed economy here, thanks to the curse. So everything is home-grown. There's plenty of folks here hoping for more coffee growing, but I prefer the tea."

[sunshinesally]

Oooh, perfect. I'll take a look! Andddd I actually am the owner of the new apothecary in town. I'm making it to sell and use in medical practice.

[restingslasherface]

"..."

".............."

"...................................."

"FUCK."

[mister_morgan]

That so? Well, that's awfully appreciated, I imagine. The doctor in town is an old gal, and I think she's just workin' herself to death, gettin' right back up, and doin' it all over again.

...Now, I hope you don't mind my askin', but what's got you bringin' the little one with you out here? These woods ain't exactly safe.

[ Not that he has much room to talk, considering the young boy that was housed with the gang, but that was neither here nor there. ]

[sunshinesally]

"I know, I'm sorry." Damn. This poor thing. Plus, a repeat client would've been nice... If only Faraday was here. That woman knew all sorts of mad things. "If you can think of any... non-surgical things I can do to help, don't be a stranger?"

[sunshinesally]

"Well, chicory root always works in a pinch for coffee. I just came from an isolated archipelago, similar situation, and that's what we did. But tea's better." Putting the sugar in, she gives the flask a swirl and takes another sip. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Kaspbrack. Sally Boyle."

[sunshinesally]

Oh, ah--- Well, sadly I don't have anyone else to watch her. I'm new, so I don't know anyone. I figure she's safer with me than all alone...

[mister_morgan]

[ Oh, what a familiar situation that was. Not that this one was his problem, of course. And he needed to make as few things his problem here as--- ]

I understand that, miss, I do. I ain't been here long, myself. ...If you need someone to watch 'er while you go lookin', you're just about in my backyard, and I been told I'm decent with mindin' folks' kids. Though I ain't against just lendin' some intimidation against anything that might come hasslin' you.

[ ...Possible. He couldn't help himself, really - even in life, when stakes were so high, it was hard to avoid lending a hand wherever he could. And here, without a gang to ride with to dangerous lengths, and a community that seemingly wanted him to be a part of it... his altruistic streak didn't seem any easier to shake. ]

[sunshinesally]

[ She laughed sheepishly. He's too kind. Which means he's either a complete bleeding heart, trying to get into her pants, or both. Probably both. Men, eh? ]

I'll tell you what. You use a lot of these herbs as well, so... maybe we should just forage together. Then if anything spooky comes jumping out of the trees to eat me, you can... I don't know, wrestle it or shoot it or whatever it is you big strong American men do.

[mister_morgan]

{ this man fucks astonishingly little for how much he can get it. so sorry miss sally 💔 }

[ That got a bark of a laugh out of him, clearly catching him off guard. ]

Well, I don't know 'bout all that, but I can surely try to do somethin'. Just don't want to see neither of you gettin' ate, is all. Death ain't... permanent, here, I'm sure you heard, but that don't make it any more pleasant.

[restingslasherface]

Jean looks defeated, and manages to barely mumble, "Something to help with the insomnia might help, if...I've been avoiding, hahahaha, a lot of...I need to be able to wake at a moment's notice. Which. Rather. Limits my options, hahahahaha...ha...haaaaa....fuck my life."

[sunshinesally]

Yes, I remember! I had to do it once already just to get here. Can't say it was too much fun. But... thank you. I do try to look after myself, and I'm a fast runner, even with a baby in hand! But a little backup never hurt anyone.

[ She offered a handshake. ]

Sally Boyle. And my plus-one, Gwen Boyle.