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"Bluuhhhh..." Elara's groan was not the first today, and it probably wouldn't be the last. She stared at the wall of an abandoned beach-front shop, her hair blown in her face by the oceanic breeze. The lonesome writer had spent about an hour scouring the message system, finally re-reading all that stuff about the Earth and her class. It all seemed like nonsense still, but whether she was dead or not didn't really matter, because she hadn't woken up from this dream. It just kept going, from New York and the shenanigans there, all the way here. She was alone for the time being, but it was the easiest way to get a hold of her current reality. After reading about eating "Sin" and such, Eels had spent at least another hour just staring at that aforementioned wall, drifting between dissociation and the absolute dregs of depressive tendency. "So is the Earth possessed or something?" she spoke to nobody in particular. A seagull nearby squawked, not in response, but the timing was strange nonetheless. A beep startled Elara.



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A window hovered in the air in front of her, immaterial in nature but still at the forefront of her vision, like some kind of overly-official hallucination. "Help Wanted, No Experience Needed." For no reason besides curiousity Elara palmed at an indicator reading "Accept", assuming there was of course no obligation or consequence to her actions- she was in purgatory after all. Another window replaced the first, detailing an address and a set of instructions, complete with a little map showing the exact route from Eel's location there. Someone named Gus needed help with plants. "Mmm." Elara wanted to just drop it, a quest she'd neglected to think about and didn't want, but something stuck out in the back of her mind. That time she'd talked about starting a garden in her and Wendy's backyard, growing their own herbs and some vegetables. It was never going to be fully sustainable, but it had seemed like a nice way to spend some time, peaceful even. Maybe that's just what Eel needed now, some peace among all this anguish.



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Elara found herself outside a small town-home, two stories but skinny, with planters hung along the outer patio railing and some assorted potted saplings. Lemons and oranges, by the looks of it. She knocked on the door and flinched a little when it swung open. "Did I break it?..." She'd spoken quietly enough that she herself had barely heard it, but a response came from inside the naturally lit room, startling her further. "No child, come on in. I'd unlocked it." An elderly man in a full set of bandages, one limb short and red from wound. A fellow seemingly back from a battle or something. He caught her appraising eye. "Don't worry, it'll grow back." He waggled an arm and then unfocused from her, leaning over to sip from a cup of water. "Glad you took the job, was afraid nobody would want to water plants, but then there's always someone needing points or what have you." Eel just scanned the room around her, noting the menagerie of green. "I just got here. I mean, I woke up recently. I..." He patiently let her finish her thought, nodding, before realizing she'd gotten lost on the way.



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"Yeah." There was a finality of understanding to his agreement. He looked around the room himself. "Well, should be easy enough. Cans're over there. Just fill 'em up at the tap, then water. Most of these'uns aren't too sensitive. If you see the water start to pool up, s'too much. Some of 'em may be a little hydr'a-phobic." Elara didn't know what that last bit was supposed to mean, but context clues were simple enough. She went to the sink and grabbed the watering can before wordlessly setting to work.

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