[cleaning intensifies]

[lightlessfuture]

Who: The Knight, Edward, Legion, Guzma and the Hollow Knight
What: Barn, windmill and silo maintenance
When: November 20th
Where: All over Nuidan
Warnings: Probably nothing? I AM SO SORRY THIS IS REALLY LATE



The Knight knows most people here, and in truth, that's enough for them to basically entrust their sibling, even partially, to these people.

Besides, it'll be a good opportunity for...socialising. And menial work to get their mind off things. And introducing their sibling, very gently, to the concept of an entire orange season, if all goes well.

Who knows if it'll go well. They're...trying their best, at any rate.

Comments

OTA

[lightlessfuture]

[ The Knight is incredibly busy, compensating for being the smallest of their companions with an almost manic energy, like they're working in exchange for trying not to think about anything that's happened in the past few months especially.

They may be trying to do that. Whether it works is another thing entirely.

Still, drowning their problems in work or not, it certainly means that their cleaning fervour is at an all-time high. They scrub and patch and follow instructions as needed, putting themselves in some frankly dangerous positions to just get things done that have a tangible effect on the environment.

It's fine. They're fine. Everything is fine. ]

[yallstupid]

[Honestly? Guzma is doing much the same. He's working to keep his mind and his hands busy, lest the former control the latter to do harmful things to himself and to others. Guzma doesn't trust himself enough to not lose control when left to his own devices, and the last few months were...well. They were. Thankfully, with hard work and exercise does come the blissful endorphins that fuel a good mood, and Guzma has enough wit to see when someone is overworking themself for a purpose.

He approaches the Knight after a period of simply watching them work so feverishly, and squats down to offer them his canteen for a drink. He's not...sure how it is they eat and drink, but if a Magnemite can eat a pokebean with its fucking eye, then who's he to judge how this little thing will absorb water?]

Hey, Lil Bro, how 'bout you take a break for a while, yeah? Y'must be thirsty and hungry after all'a that hard work. You n' me can sit a while and relax a bit 'fore we get to it again, a'ight?

[lightlessfuture]

[ They go from All Movement to basically no movement when Guzma pushes a canteen in front of them, like they've forgotten what it was like to take a break. There's the sense that they might have blinked, if they were capable of doing so.

They lift the canteen to their mask, and it lightens just a little. They don't need to drink much, but it's nice. (The kindness of not being forgotten is nicer, but the water helps.)

Then, as instructed, they sit right there. They're covered in dirt and scuff marks from all their work, and keeping themselves clean has fallen to the wayside a little; moving like someone in a slight daze, they scrub at their mask gently, beginning to clean it.

They've neglected themselves, just a little. ]

[yallstupid]

[Getting dirty and scuffed up during work is definitely a trait of labor like this, but Guzma's not stupid, and he's very observant. He watches the Knight closely as they drink, then begin to clean themself. Taking a rag from a back pocket, he drips some water onto it, wrings it out, then begins to gently wipe the small creature's face and horns. The act feels so...normal, and he doesn't hesitate or pause.

It's almost like grooming his own Pokemon, back home. Something familiar. Something Guzma remembers doing a long time ago. A nicer time, back when so many things didn't happen so fast. Back when things were simpler, easier to go by day in and day out. The smile that tugs at the corners of his mouth is gentler than normal, and he pats the Knight's head, palm laying between their two horns.]

That's better, yeah?