cold resilient

⌈  jessica chastain,  she/her,  cis female  ⌋  have  you  seen  WILLOW  GROVES  walking  around  recently  ??  you  know,  the  44  year  old  WORKER  ??  i  have  a  question  i  wanted  to  ask  but  i  haven’t  seen  WILL  around.  have  you  noticed  they  tend  to  be  STUBBORN  and  QUICK-TEMPERED  ??  but  i  guess  they  make  up  for  it  by  being  COMPASSIONATE  and  RESOURCEFUL.    i’ve  heard  they’re  often  found  TRYING  TO  KEEP  HER GARDEN  ALIVE.  anyways,  if  you  see  them  let  them  know  to  come  find  me.  ————  g,  24,  cst,  no triggers.

Who: closed ! @willowgrovesrp​​ Where: Groves residence

Bastian had ended up working in the mines mostly because it was one of the positions most in demand - it was how Jericho even existed in the first place, if you really thought about it. Truth be told, he didn’t mind the work all that much. It kept him busy. But after long hours in the mines there was often very little he wanted to put his mind to. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

When Willow had offered to host him for a meal after his shift, he’d been quick to accept. As much as he loved to cook for people himself, it was nice to have the favor returned. Plus, he was always more than happy to spend time with the kids. Jericho wasn’t full of them, but the younger generations gave him some hope that there may be a future in this world.

He could only hope it would be better for them a few years down the line.

“Buenas noches, Willow,” Bastian greeted as Willow opened the door for him, giving her a warm but tired smile. He’d done his best to clean up after his shift, but it seemed as if soot had a pesky tendency to cling to every inch of skin and clothing.

She was not the best cook. It wasn’t the most important skill for survival when they could consume the raw materials and save time. But once the immediate danger passed and there was time for frivolous activities such as a garden and intricate woodworking, the elders were available to pass down their knowledge from before ice took over the world. One of those was cooking. Just a simple stew cooked over the fire was infinitely better than eating cold soups from the slowly expiring cans they scavenged. Willow was teaching her boys what she knew but it was all very basic. Still, no one complained and some even volunteered to come back for seconds. 

“Buenas noches!” Willow beamed, embracing Bastian immediately. Even if he was covered in coal dust, he would still get a hug. She stepped aside to allow him in then closed the door. “The boys are over at Noah’s house but they’ll be home for dinner. Come and get warm! We’re having potatoes, vegetables, and chicken. I thought about attempting a pot pie but that still seems a bit beyond my wheelhouse.” Willow shrugged. “How are you? How’s your week been? Can I get you some water?”

& closed starter. for @willowgrovesrp location: the tannery bc our boi is a certified yak murderer <3

"Whoa, whoa, Willow, slow down," Shakti puts his hands out towards his friend, palms facing the earth, his face twisted in great concern as he takes in the panic on his dear friend's face. He'd been found in the midst of working on a yak hide, and had quickly forgotten about it when Willow arrived-- normally, he would carry on a conversation without ever looking up from his work, but the strain of urgency in her voice was quick to yank him from his task. "Well, it's a city surrounded by walls, Will, I'm sure he hasn't gone too far," Shakti offered a meek smile beneath his unkempt beard, tentatively landing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Come on, lets go, we're only an hour from sunset. I'm sure we can find him in no time." With that, he moved his hand between Willow's shoulder blades and gently led her out of the tannery, and towards the sharper edges of the city, where the older kids tended to wander off to, in search of mischief. Truthfully, Shakti was more worried than his steady voice let on. He had always had a penchant for hiding his true emotions, sure, but he was purposeful in not steeping Willow's own panic. He knew that she loved her boys more than anything in this frostbitten world, and the least he could do, as her friend, would be to allow her the grace of hope. Besides, everyone knew everyone in Jericho, right? Surely someone in their right mind would have spotted Willow's son by now, and be escorting him back to his mother's arms in no time. "When was the last time you saw him, Will?"

She was a stress crier, an anger crier, even a happy crier. Any overwhelming emotion and the tears began to run down her cheeks. It was frustrating but usually she was able to get them under control quickly. This time, the tears were freezing to her skin as they continued to spill and there was no sign of it ending. The four bedroom home they took over was usually full of noise. Yelling, playing, even making noise while sleeping somehow. It was a level of background noise that she grew to expect whenever they were all home. But the house had been much quieter than it should have been when she returned home after a quick trip back to the lumberyard for something she forgot. Maybe it was something in the air of her dark house that caused the hair to stand up on the back of her neck. Twenty minutes later, August was sleepy-eyed and already falling asleep on their neighbor’s couch after she employed him to search the entire house for his brother. Rowan was gone. 

Adam sighed at the change in temperature once he stepped inside, taking off his gloves with a quiet huff and glancing up to return the smile once he looked at Willow. “Thanks for the consideration,” he replied with a slight chuckle. He moved closer to look at the paper covering the desk and tilted his head as he examined it; so much for waiting for him to thaw a bit, though he didn’t mind helping out. Never did. 

He scanned the drawing and its notes to understand as best he could and nodded a few times. “You’re right that it’s not gonna work, that’s for sure.” Adam’s expertise laid with smaller structures and more finely crafted projects, but he’d spent enough time with Willow to pick up on some of the bigger things and right now he could tell the design could use some improvement. “You try making it not so… narrow? Why’s it so narrow? He trying to fit a building somewhere there isn’t much room?” he questioned curiously. 

“It’s what I do. I’m considerate.” She peered over his shoulder as he looked at the drawings. It was so helpful to have someone that wasn’t her to look at her drawings. Sometimes she got so caught up in her head that the obvious was impossible to decipher. But Adam caught the things that she missed which was desperately needed for things as important as homes. “Narrow?” She repeated. Willow stepped forward and traced the outside of the roof. “Ah...” Her voice trailed off as her brain worked. “That’s it! The supports, the too close together. Which means the roof is too steep. Brilliant. I’m so glad to have the reminder of why I keep you around. I was just wondering why I let you muddy my doorstep.”

Nodding eagerly, he wandered over to the empty chair, taking a seat. The list of suggestions that Willow gave made him pause to think, but gave an earnest answer after. “Ah, well, is it overdoing it if I say all of it?” Amari asked, giving an uncertain smile before letting out a soft burst of laughter. “And I swear I’m not just saying that! Like… really, I’m down for anything,” he promised and then his eyes lit up at the mention of the roof. “Oh, yeah! I heard about Mr. Carson’s roof. I could help with that if you want? I’m free. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

A playful smile settled on her features. “Oh yes, Willow, you’re always right.” The sarcasm that dripped from her voice was unmistakable, but it was cushioned by the fondness as well that softened any edges to it. Her fingers ran along the side of a slab of cut wood, feeling the roughness of it, though she was mindful to not let herself get a splinter. That would’ve been embarrassing. Being a councilperson meant she hardly got to see the outside world much anymore, not that the world beyond Jericho was a whole lot different. Winter was everywhere no matter where anyone went, but that didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy the certain level of solitude and quiet that came with it when she did get the rare opportunity to walk along the perimeter along the walls.

“I’ll be sure to get you some homebrew. Perhaps later this week? Or a different time, if that’s preferable.” She gave a resolute nod, laughing. There truly was little else better than sharing it with good company. There were times where she had been left with a babysitter and her parents were all dressed up in nice clothes saying they were going out for drinks. Of course, at such a young age, she didn’t know what that meant but Esperanza had a vivid memory of one such moment in her life and it made her realize when she got older that some things remained the same as they had been in the Old World.

“And yes, you may of course always ask for my help with your sons. You don’t have to do anything in return for it, I hope you know that.” She gave Willow a friendly nudge with her shoulder. “And that I most certainly do advocate for your ideas at meetings. Getting the others to listen is another task, but I think – I hope, I should say – I’m making headway.” Why did people not like looking at the bigger picture when the image wasn’t a pretty one? It only ever caused more headache later on.

She did do her best to make sure everyone who wished to be heard was, even if their ideas weren’t necessarily ones she’d deem good, but that way no one could say she didn’t bring them up and that they weren’t discussed. Even if ‘discussed’ meant they were shot down by the other council members, but she’d still have something to report back if the person with the suggestion hadn’t been present.

“Please. I just deal with paperwork and socializing with everyone, you all do the heavy lifting – the real backbone of the community.” Esperanza shook her head. “Oh, what about this?” She stopped at a plain oak. It was somewhat light in color, not quite the same hue as the rest of her bed frame, but matching colors wasn’t exactly a priority for Esperanza. “And this for the desk?” She pointed to another piece of wood.

“I’m going to quote you on that, Ranza. And your tone will not be noted in the record.” Willow laughed. She often found herself cursed by her own brilliance, mostly when it came to her telling her kids not to do things and then reaping their own consequences. As long as it wasn’t life-threatening, she found it amusing. “Your schedule is usually much busier than mine. Whenever works for you, I’ll make it happen. We haven’t had a night out in forever.” Out or just without their responsibilities as heavy on their shoulders. It was hard to ever forget about the problems they both faced. Willow had a near constant stone in her gut that never fully disappeared. It was filled with her worried for her children primarily, then with additional room for all of the other people in her life. It wasn’t a kind world and it scared her. 

“I know and that’s why I keep you around. For your connections. And for reminding me that I’m always right.” She spent a lot of time laughing when she was with Ranza. It was one of the things she appreciated most about their friendship. Her stance on trying to remain eternally positive only became difficult when there weren’t people to make her smile.

Willow flexed, although with the layers on there wasn’t much to see. “I do a lot of the lifting, it’s true. But I get help when it’s too heavy. How do you like that metaphor? Maybe I’ll force the kids to listen to that one, just to hear the groans.” She moved around the other woman to look at the oak and nodded. “Good choice, this is a nice and sturdy one.” She made a note of the pieces chosen. “So I do need to come and measure your bed which is not a line, I promise you.” Chuckling, she gestured for Esperanza to follow her back towards her office with the piece of oak under her arm. “So the desk will take a little bit but the bed we can get done today. I just need to grab my tools and I can fix it at your place. Save us both some time and back and forth in the cold.”

Willow took a few steps back from the large piece of paper, tapping the pencil on her lips. The roof was a simple design like all of her work. Perhaps it would be described as utilitarian in the old days, or maybe modern if she had more time, material, equipment, and training. And if they weren’t surviving day to day. The former owners of the business taught her how to do rudimentary architecture drawings and she found it was essential to build anything. But this one wasn’t right and she couldn’t figure out what it was. When the door opened and a wave of chilled air rushed in from the hallway, Willow looked up and smiled. 

realizing she may have overstepped kosa shrugged nervously, women in power made her nervous (though she would never admit that) as she was retorted with another question to her own. being that she was one of two that inventoried the medical supplies every week, it was a fair question of willow to ask. “well, touché,” the girl cocked her head to the side⸻ “technically speaking, we’re fine but there’s definitely some common things we could use more of.” 

as willow began to explain more of the technical side of resources it was becoming more and more apparent why she was in the position that she was. she didn’t talk down to kosa but rather educated her further on the scarcity of all of their resources. it was nearly enlightening. “i guess i didn’t really think about it that way… do you think there is anything more i should be doing to help?” jericho was her home, she wanted to help preserve it, and them, as long as possible. 

“Technically speaking, we’re fine.” She echoed the statement. “But interestingly, there are ways to treat people without the medicine that modern world relied on. Not as effectively, I assume, but it seems possible.” Willow shifted and tapped her pencil on one of the binders. “But trees? We can’t grow trees how they were grown before. We’re going to run out of paper in less than a decade depending on how much we use. Everything from the old world is going to run out eventually. I find that very stressful. But I am sure that the innate curiosity of humanity will discover solutions to our current problems.”

“The environment always seems to take a backseat in politics, doesn’t it,” she lamented. “I’ll work towards changing that. Anyhow, I wouldn’t be any sort of ideal apprentice and I’ll still work to find you a suitable one, but I’d be happy to learn some basics if you were willing to teach me a little.” Esperanza felt a twinge of guilt thinking of how the brunt of the construction labor was currently falling on the other woman’s shoulders. Was she trying to do too much? Debatable, but Esperanza didn’t see the harm in picking up more useful skills either. What good was she really to the community if all she would be able to do is string together nice words to placate people’s concerns, but not be able to contribute anything that the people could do something with? Esperanza refused to let herself be the type to sit around and be all talk and no substance.

Her mouth curved into a warm smile at the thought of beverages. “Oh! I could get us some of that. I know just the homebrews you’re talking about.” They always warmed her up from the inside, and she had to limit herself when she drank them otherwise she’d drink too much without meaning to. That could only lead to an embarrassing end for her.

“I-…” There was no irrefutable answer that she could come up with to Willow’s challenge. “That’s why there’s more than one councilperson, but I would never rely on them to fix my mistakes.” Not that she didn’t think they could, but Esperanza refused to be the one to make blunders. She wanted that to be as rare an occurrence as possible. “But you’re right,” Esperanza relented with a sigh. “I should probably – definitely – sleep more. But-” She shook her head again. “Well, there is no ‘but’ that excuses it, I suppose.”

An airy laugh bubbled up and escaped between parted lips. “No, I’m not going to twist your arm for maple. Save it for something better than a broken bed frame.” She mirrored Willow’s smirk albeit more of the kind of someone who was caught red-handed. “Ooh, oak with a darker stain would be nice. Wait, no, save that too for something more important. Just oak is good, but I may just have to commission you for a desk. Maybe I should keep around fewer books and binders too…” She mused, thinking of what she could offer in return. “I could always watch your boys if you wanted, not just for this instance, but in general if you ever needed and I was available. And, of course, I can get you those homebrews you mentioned. I do tend to circle around the compound a lot looking for ways to get more involved, so I can spend more time here trying to help you out. But I should also ask, is there anything specific you want? So I’m not only assuming or restricting you to certain options.”

“It could be what caused all of this. From what the elders told me, politics were the cause of great conflict. Ii would not be totally surprised if there was inaction then, just like we see now. But you,” she poked the other’s arm gently. “Can change all that!” Willow laughed. “If you advocate for me at those council meetings, I can’t ask for anything else. Trying to keep August and Ro occupied during those is like trying to manage a herd of huskies. Not having to be there but knowing that my thoughts are being heard is such a gift.” 

“Perfect! I’ll get Ava to watch the house and make sure nothing gets burnt down and we’ll have a nice night off from all of our responsibilities.” Especially since August found and was understanding an ancient chemistry textbook. Why did her kids have to learn things?

“Just repeat that one more time.” She laughed. “I am right, I never get to hear that often enough.” As her laughter faded, she nodded. “This world is terrible and scary but it’s also beautiful and full of love. You need to make sure you’re open to all sides of it and not carrying all responsibility on your shoulders. And sleep is essential. Your brain won’t work on no sleep. I leaned that when the boys were babies and at one point, I was so sleep deprived that I couldn’t read. I almost forgot how to walk.” She absentmindedly straightened up some of the things on her desk as she spoke, her hands not able to remain still. “But I’m done lecturing you. You’ve already admitted that I’m right and that’s enough for me.”

Willow contemplated the question for a moment. “I understand the barter system but as of right now, I’m set. Would it be bad to request that you just remember me helping you out when one of my sons inevitably blows something up? You do so much for me and for everyone, you really deserve a gift.” There were people who gave their whole selves and expected nothing in return and Esperanza was one. And what she was asking for wasn’t even selfish. It was just to keep helping the community. “Let’s go find something nice for you. Although I’m not saying no to more of the homebrew. We’ll pick out the bed wood and then a really nice one for the desk. You need an imposing and sturdy desk to support all of your important work.”

It wasn’t as though she had to micromanage her boys. At 11, they knew how to put themselves to bed and keep entertained. But they were also so mischievous and Willow wasn’t keen on any more loss. Giving them as much freedom as possible while also making sure they didn’t get hurt was essential. Then there was Ava. Fun enough that the boys felt like they had a friend but responsible enough for her to feel comfortable. Was 11 too old for a babysitter? Perhaps. But they weren’t complaining yet.

There was a hesitation as Amari stopped at the doorway, as if hoping he wasn’t intruding. Raising a hand, he nearly knocked on the wood before Willow noticed his presence. “Hey, Ms. Groves,” Amari greeted with a smile but shook his head quickly. “Oh, nah, just got here.” He took a few steps further inside the office, looking around for a moment before his focus returned to her. “Uh, I was actually wondering if any new projects are in the works? Cause I was thinking that maybe I could help out? Even if it’s like a part time thing.”