Rebuild (concurrent with hospital thread)

[teh-rest.livejournal.com]

He peered into the fridge.

Even food was getting scarce since the island had moved. The government - the Commons and the Council - had officially announced it a few hours ago: the entire island of Newfoundland had ceased to exist in one reality and had sprung up in another. The mainland suddenly treated the arrival of a half-million people on a rock as though they'd been there the entire time, but the shipping lanes and boat docks had been well and thoroughly trashed by the fight. Shipping was coming in slowly from Corner Brook, but things wouldn't be back to the way they were until a ferry route was established.

And as such, food, gas, and other essentials were scarce and highly priced. He found himself being thankful for the fact that Sal was a bit of a pack rat; the back pantry was stuffed to the brim with canned goods and preserves, and the freezer was full of bread. But the fresher items were in demand with not enough supply.

Ven closed the door with a sigh and looked down at his daughter. "It's going to have to be Kraft Dinner," he said with a frown.

Shae looked elated. "But you hate that stuff."

"Yes, but it's all we've got. Unless you want baked beans...."

"Ew." She wrinkled up her nose and shook her head back and forth emphatically. "No thanks."

He let himself grin and grabbed Shae like a sack of potatoes and went off to the back pantry. "We'll go visit Mom after, okay?"

Shae's excitement grew. "Okay!" Sadri's condition worried Ven, but he'd been reassured that his wife's days in the hospital were numbered. Even if she never walked properly again she'd be home.

And then they could work on repairing the hole that had been blown into the living room.

They spent a few minutes fetching the items for their lunch from the pantry and returned into the kitchen. Shae ambled into the living room and sat on the couch next to the somber Atin, and pulled on his pant leg to get his attention.

Ven grinned.

Comments

[random_xtras]

John paused to look down at himself, but then decided that other than a little blood he didn't look much different than he always did after a day of clearing rubble.

Thinking of the blood made him scowl as he pushed the door open and walked inside, kicking off his boots and booting them onto the mat as he came out of the hall and into the kitchen.

Atin looked up from where he'd bent to pick Shae up and blinked at the signs of battle on the older man. One of John's eyes was swelling shut, he had a good welt along the left side of his jaw, and there were blood, dirt, and rips on his jacket and jeans.

[teh-rest.livejournal.com]

"I thought we were done with fighting for awhile," Ven noted carefully as he, too, caught sight of John. "What'd you get up to?"

[random_xtras]

John paused, then put cautious fingers to his face. -Whoops.-

"Henry Aucoin tried to convince me to leave. I convinced him to leave me alone," he said grimly.

[teh-rest.livejournal.com]

Ven sighed.

"I don't mean to play the part of a nattering mother," he said, "but do you really think that beating the snot out of an Elder's child is gonna serve you well?"

[random_xtras]

"It served me better than letting him beat the snot out of me would have." He scowled absently and went to the fridge to look for ice, then looked over his shoulder at the largely empty living room. "Where are Kurt and Sal?"

[random_xtras]

"I'm sorry, I couldn't see past the cabbages!" said a deep but young voice in tones of huge embarrassment and slight distress.

"We are in the right place," said a more familiar one with relief.

[teh-rest.livejournal.com]

Ven squinted. "...Cabbages?"

Then he recognized the other voice. "And what are you doin' here?" He put his hands on his hips and tried to look as though he was disappointed at the fact that Scrat had shown up. "How'd you get here?"

[random_xtras]

"Teleporter." His brother got out of the tangle of shovels and rakes and such and stepped toward the light in the doorway, arms full of bulging parcels and dangling bags. Behind him Josh and a much shorter boy worked to quietly free themselves as well from the tangle of tools.

[teh-rest.livejournal.com]

"Yeah but..." Ven sighed and moved to help with the packages. "Nothin' like that's been working on our end..."

[random_xtras]

Scrat took a deep breath and put his free hand on his brother's shoulder. "I dreamed you needed vegetables."

"Dude, they need Peace Corps volunteers," muttered Zach, still shaking his head.

[teh-rest.livejournal.com]

"We do," Ven said. "Most of the vegetable patches we have in town were torn up. We lost a ferry in the fight and the docks are pieces of @#$%# right now. Everything's coming in from Corner Brook, but slowly...." He shook his head and started up the stairs.

"We just need time," he said firmly.

[random_xtras]

"Were things planted already?" Scrat scanned the area as he followed, then froze and went wide-eyed with surprise as he came into the house and wound up face to chest with a huge scaly man.

-Sorry,- said Hunter absently, stepping around him and going back outside after his drink of water.

[teh-rest.livejournal.com]

"We were starting," he said. "But the soil's being decontaminated. We won't be able to plant anything 'til next year."

[random_xtras]

"Four," protested Atin as Scrat looked over his shoulder to see if Ven was coming to get his wife.

[teh-rest.livejournal.com]

Ven managed to save the Kraft Dinner and walked over to where Sadri was sitting with Shae in her lap. "Can you stand?" he asked quietly.

Sadri nodded and Shae climbed off, and he hoisted his wife to her feet and took her into his arms. She was a little unsteady and leaned all her weight on him, but grinned like nothing was wrong.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

Then he kissed her. Shae stared. "Ew."

[random_xtras]

Scrat chuckled and thought of Mykayla as he whispered, "Don't look."

"Shae, do you like carrots and sugar peas?" called John from where he was doing the safe part of lunch preparation.

Meanwhile Hunter had settled Vic on the couch and Jav was now straightening him out and getting him comfortable.

[teh-rest.livejournal.com]

Shae switched gears almost instantly and bounded over to where John was. "Yep," she said, deciding that attempting a handstand at the table counter was a good venture.

Precocious and intelligent as she may be, the reality travel had only accelerated her aging a little bit, so now she was just a very active three-year-old.

The handstand failed and she toppled over, then decided it'd be a good idea to sit in the chair.

Ven maneuvered Sadri to the table counter as well, seating her beside their daughter. "Do you need anything?" he asked her.

Her green eyes glowed softly. "I'm fine."

[random_xtras]

"She's not upstairs in her room?" He looked up from Vic with a frown of concern.

Jav looked up too, his hand clenching on the corner of a throw pillow. Then he blinked as he noticed John for the first time.

[teh-rest.livejournal.com]

"No," Ven said carefully. "She's not. She, Kurt and the kids are gone. But wherever they are, they're doing fine."

[random_xtras]

"You don't know where she's at?" Jav's voice sounded just a little strained. "Then how do you know how she's doin'?"

[teh-rest.livejournal.com]

"Our sentry on the roof," Ven said, feeling a little more amused than he should, "knows where they are. They're safe."

[sadri.livejournal.com]

"I'd suggest simply avoiding anyone directly involved with the Elders. Or you could simply just walk away, and, you know, get their behinds reported to the police."

And the police weren't corrupt; they were just calling it like they saw it.

"And if that proves to be too much of a chore for you I suppose you could appeal to whatever sent Sal away and leave this place."

[random_xtras]

He nodded and got to his feet, setting his empty plate in the sink. "I don't know when I'll be back, if Sam asks."

-You knew better, you idiot. And military training's no excuse.-

Then he stopped. "Um... where's the police station?"

[teh-rest.livejournal.com]

"Out near Grand Bay, just off the highway," Ven said. "I can drive you there if you'd like, if your car isn't working."

[random_xtras]

"My car's not here," John reminded him.

"Oh." Aoife stopped. "Funny, there's a lot of guys looking like that today."

John just sighed and slipped past her to the door.

"What did I say?" She frowned.