Chapter Text
“I’ve had it, I just can’t do this anymore” River thought to herself as she curled up on a chair in Temerity’s tiny apartment whilst music played in the next room. It was past two in the morning, and she needed to get an early start. She was done, Julian had neatly destroyed her peaceful life in a matter of hours. Whilst she was absolutely certain she had done the right thing, her fury had left her both jobless and homeless. So here she was, crashing with someone she barely knew who had been playing loud music and partying every night for the week she had been here.
She couldn’t stay here in Walnut Groove, that bridge was apparently beyond burnt. Julian’s father had made sure any employment opportunities were poor. Lucien and Atara weren’t good options, or anywhere else that might know Julian’s family. She didn’t want to run home to her parents, they would be supportive as always, but they would drive her crazy with their gentle parenting trying to fix things that couldn't be fixed. She needed to do this herself. If she let them comfort her, she really would fall apart and that would mean another point scored in his favour. She also couldn’t face Nia yet, Nia had told her not to overreact and let it slide but she hadn’t.
She wanted her belongings back but the scant information she had gleaned via Temerity made that seem entirely unlikely. It was all but guaranteed her things had already been disposed of like trash. "It was only stuff, it can be replaced" had become a mantra over the last few days. Most of it would remind her of him anyway, except she did want her tools but those would have been the first things to go. She'd had no idea how vindictive he could be when cornered, he had spent much of their relationship convincing her she was wrong, too naïve or just misunderstanding things. She needed to calm down, she was still far too angry to sleep.
On the coffee table was a newspaper with a Builders Wanted advert, River’s heart dropped when she saw it was for Sandrock, it was no secret that place was declining. Portia would have been better, albeit a bit too close to here, at least it was green there and there was a coastline. Then again, would they even hire her in Portia? She had a builder licence but no viable references. Moving to the desert would be hard but the chances of Julian or his family having connections there were next to none. She could practically disappear there and figure out what she wanted to do when the dust finally settled. Although with her recent luck, choosing to move to the middle of the Eufaula desert, was possibly not going to be as settling as she hoped, just a whole lot of dust.
The next morning River telegraphed about the job; the first position had been filled the week before, but they were still looking to hire a second. The work was going to be more physically demanding than anything she had previously done but they weren’t asking too many questions and honestly neither was she. She just wanted out of where she was to a place where there was zero chance anyone would follow her there.
She telegraphed her parents about the job move. She felt crap making out this was a fantastic opportunity to do something with real meaning and she would be a lot closer to home to visit. In the right location, builders were the backbone of a community. With that out of the way, River packed her bag and ran from Walnut Groove. It was going to take several days to get to Sandrock. Anger, sadness and more than a little fear over the extent of Julian's reach had threatened to overwhelm her over the last few days. She had just about overstayed her welcome at Temerity’s and the last of her money was almost gone. Taking a deep breath, she forced her emotions to settle, burying them as deeply as she could. There would be time for all of that later, she needed to get her shit together.
Stepping off the train a few days later, her stomach grumbled noisily. River was starving, just after boarding the train to Sandrock she found she had been pickpocketed at some point between Walnut Groove and Atara, it had only been about two hundred gols but she'd been relying on it. A change of clothes and this potentially sketchy work contract were all she had to her name right now. Looking around, it was almost worse than she’d imagined, sod all she could do about it now. She was committed to be here, for now at least, and she was going to make the best out of a shitty situation.
A young woman who introduced herself as Mi-an escorted her to the commerce guild and her new boss, Yan. Yan was a thin, nasally man, next to him was a weary, older man named Mason whose workshop she had been given the use of. Yan rambled on about about not cutting down trees but that scrap metal and drift wood were plentiful once she had crafted a pickhammer. River thought of her craft tools, perfectly molded for her after lots of use and sighed inwardly. Mi-an offered to show her where the workshop was and help her have a look around. Mason seemed more interested in getting drunk in the saloon on whatever Yakmel milk was despite it only being about ten in the morning.
River looked at the yard, calling it a workshop was a complete stretch, it was a small, dilapidated cabin, a basic workbench, a bunch of junk scattered around and, an assembly station that had most definitely seen better days. Mason must have sold everything else, there is no way this had been a functioning yard the state it was in currently.
Mi-an gulped a little as she looked from the workshop to River, a little wide-eyed and obviously trying to cheer her up about it “Slim pickings but hey, at least he left you a worktable, that’s all you need to get started!” River wondered briefly what Mi-an’s workshop was like, it couldn’t be as bad as this, surely? She had taken a liking to Mi-an, unlike their boss Yan, she radiated light and optimism in this truly wholesome way. Some might have thought it too wholesome but after the company she'd kept for the last few seasons it was refreshing to see someone so earnest about doing a good thing rather than looking down their noses at people who wanted to work for a living.
After Mi-an left, she pushed her hunger to one side and got started. Digging in trash was not exactly fun, however, it reminded her of time spent beachcombing in her teens. If you were lucky you could find some hidden treasures, like a beautiful piece of wood or stone that just wanted to become something special. Not today though, basic tools were the first priority. Pickhammer in hand she talked to Yan. His smug, whiny voice grated on her nerves, but she was grateful for the diagrams he passed to her. Thankfully he seemed to want to be rid of her as quickly as possible so she did not have to endure him for long and he directed to her city hall to officially register the workshop in her name.
River had been on her way to city hall when she had been accosted by Pen, a Church Enforcer and self-proclaimed Protector of Sandrock who offered her a combat lesson that she stupidly agreed to thinking it would be helpful. It was, in fact, a thinly veiled excuse for him to get off on beating the crap out of her whilst insulting her thin frame. She’d always been a fast healer but that was going to leave bruising. She looked down at herself, she was skinny these days but Pen was still a dick. If she hadn't been so worn down from travelling and lack of decent food and sleep, she might have put up a better fight but there was no use dwelling on it now.
Minister Matilda seemed almost motherly by comparison to Pen. Softer in her stance than some of the other members of the Church of Light she had met, Matilda's kind words were encouraging and for the first time in weeks River felt like she might be shaking off her run of bad luck. She went back to the commerce guild with the intention of picking up a commission she could handle given the limited resources available to her. The most important thing for the rest of the day was getting enough gols to get some food before she fell over.
Events within the commerce guild had escalated quickly after she and Mi-an encountered Rocky, a no-nonsense, very solid if somewhat angry guy, threatening to beatdown Yan for failing to construct a pair of crane lifts that had been commissioned months ago. Honestly, seeing Rocky call Yan a mopstick and almost making him pee his pants had been the highlight of her day. This was quickly tempered by the realisation she had a big job to complete and hardly any of the machinery she needed to do it.
She spent the next few hours sorting through the yard and crafting a recycler. She hadn’t realised quite how scarce finished resources were. When she had originally trained to be a builder back in Highwind and gotten her licence, commonplace materials such as ore and wood had been freely available. Building had been her backup plan; she had moved to Walnut Groove a few years ago and had been slowly getting established as an artisanal furniture crafter. She had made some good friends and had an interesting social circle of artists from various walks of life. Life in Walnut Groove was diverse, lively and creative with fun festivals, good food and plenty of local customs to indulge in. Then she had met Julian and her social circle had morphed to being mostly his friends, they were the kind who bought art rather than created it and she had lost touch with her artist friends. Julian had disliked her friends and insisted they did what he wanted and not wanting to argue she had gone along with it.
Night had fallen and it was a lot colder than River expected for a summer night. She had tried the local saloon to get a bar meal with the money she’d earned that day. The special of the day looked interesting and, more importantly, cheap but she tagged on some Highwind Fried Rice as comfort food. She needed to write to her parents soon and let them know she had arrived safely and hope they didn’t press her for too many details about her sudden change of direction. A beautiful blonde woman who introduced herself as Grace brought out her food and said she hoped it was at least 'edible' but that Owen had made the rice so that should be fine which had made River laugh. Honestly, she was so hungry she barely noticed that the omelette was a bit crunchier than she expected.
Exhausted and feeling bruised and beaten she went back to the cabin that was now home for the foreseeable. Inside was a lumpy single mattress on a metal bedframe. No sign of the ‘heart’ Mason had assured her was there. There wasn’t even a sink or a basin to wash with, just a bucket that she threw out as she couldn’t tell what it had been used for and had no intention of investigating further. Everything else was future River’s problem.
The next morning River woke with a start and it took her a moment to realise where she was, happily she was feeling far less battered than the night before. She did need to sort a new bed if she wanted a decent sleep without being utterly exhausted first. Without the dubious bucket she had thrown out yesterday she was wondering how on earth she was going to manage. She raced over to the Blue Moon hoping they would get her use their facilities. Grace directed her to the restroom and told her it was fine and to come back for a chat once she was done. Owen the barkeep was out on a stroll around the oasis, but it wouldn’t be an issue.
As she washed up, River realised her list of things to do was rapidly expanding. She needed to sort some basic facilities in the cabin, find out about the rent situation as that hadn’t been covered in the brief talk with Yan. He had been far more focused on her completing commissions and getting him out of the crap with Rocky. She needed to build a furnace which meant more quarrying, find out what was safe to forage on in the local area and attend the local fireside later that evening. Promising to come back to the saloon later for brunch she went back to the yard and found Jasmine delivering her mail and the local newspaper. Jasmine’s ‘Hey New Builder!” was adorable and with her super high energy, took River on a whistlestop tour of the town.
As Jasmine ran off to the Golden Goose, River spotted an older gentleman with an average build wearing a Church of the Light uniform. ‘Pastor? Do you have a moment please? I’m.. ’ she began. ‘No need for introductions. I know who you are. I'm Pastor Miguel. I guess you could say I'm the brains behind this little operation. Ahem... I trust you'll be bringing telesis to Sandrock and beyond. What can I do for you Builder?’ Miguel had a seriousness about him, his deep cultured voice commanded a certain level of respect and conveyed his impatience at being detained.
‘I’ll be quick, it is about the workshop rent and what the position is regarding making improvements to the cabin. I’m not even sure who the landowner is?’ said River wondering if she should have just gone to Heidi or the Minister about this but she had been told the Pastor handled the finances of the town, so he seemed like a logical choice. The Pastor regarded her thoughtfully, River could see him considering her query and taking stock of her. After a few moments pause he replied ‘Mason sold the land and most of the workshop contents in preparation to leave for greener pastures. The rent for yourself has been waived until after the Winter Solstice. At which point it shall be reviewed based on your performance and contribution to the town. You have until then to become appropriately situated. In answer to your other question, additional land may be available to purchase, at which point the workshop and the existing land would also be open to purchase. Any significant structural changes to the building will need to go via Heidi and the associated costs will include any necessary building permits’. He looked at her intently, silently gauging her reaction. ‘Thank you, Pastor. I’ll not take up more of your time’. Spying Pen strolling towards them she darted off in the other direction, she was still a little bruised from his beatdown lesson the day before. She pretended to ignore his cry of "Skinny! Wait up, your Protector wants you" she leaped over the wall and ran down the temple steps.
She headed back to the workshop and collected her mail, did some busy work around the yard restocking the recycler and checking water levels before heading out to collect the necessary resources for her commissions. She picked a few orange berries from outside the front of her yard but still wasn’t sure if they were edible or not. Her plan was to get lunch to go and then head back to the salvage yard to survey the crane lift location and gather more scrap. Finally, she would take the additional data discs to Director Qi for a Processor diagram before heading to the fireside meeting to officially welcome her and Mi-an.
The fireside meeting had been a disaster for River, Mi-an had been prepared and given a truly lovely, heartfelt speech about telesis. River, not so much “I want to be a great builder”. As soon as the words left her mouth she wanted to crawl into a hole, could she be any more socially awkward? Not, “Thank you for the opportunity, it’s fantastic to meet you all.” No, she’d said the dorkiest thing possible. Afterwards she just grabbed an omelette and ran home to hide before she could embarrass herself further.
*****
Owen saw the new builder as she entered the saloon, he’d seen her at the fireside the night before and found her stumbled welcome speech endearing, he had meant to say hello properly, but she had run off before he’d had the chance. She was tiny with a lean but still feminine frame, large violet eyes, very fair skin and dark, almost black hair tied back into pigtails. She also looked like she hadn’t slept well or eaten properly in a while. “Hey, did you get my letter? I’m glad you’re here, I just wanted to say ‘Howdy’ and see how you are settling in. Do you have time to stay for lunch? My treat.” River looked at him uncertainly for a long moment. Owen felt as if he was being measured up against something or someone but then she broke out a small smile and nodded.
He directed her to the most comfortable booth closest to the kitchen. Grace had told him of River’s situation this morning and he wanted to do right by her. Especially as he had been most vocal about offering to sponsor more than one builder to replace Mason. Heidi had been in agreement with him for obvious reasons, but he hadn’t thought in detail about the logistics beyond the concept of more sustainable development being better for the town. He'd also been too busy with the Blue Moon to fully realise the state Mason had left the place in when it had been sold back to him. He should have checked and offered a room at the Blue Moon but they were currently full. He had also assumed waiving the rent for a while as he had done for Mi-an would have been enough but it seems it was far from as equitable as he would have liked.
As he watched her eat her food carefully, almost daintily, he talked about the townsfolk, the civil corps, Logan and the Geeglers. Justice had already caught her straying too close to the bridge and mentioned it to him earlier. Her silence made him ramble and he found himself talking about the lovely Amirah for far too long. He’d been planning to ask Amirah out on a real date for a while but the timing had always been off and she’d never given him a hint that she returned his feelings beyond polite friendship. Embarrassed, he tried to change the subject. “Sorry, I’ve been hogging the conversation, tell me about yourself. You’re from Highwind right? Except your accent is a little different from usual for that area?” River was immediately conflicted, she glanced down at the food spread before them and back to him. He clearly came from money, he had a smooth rich voice, he was also very well proportioned, presented in clothing that would be considered well to do anywhere outside of Walnut Groove. Sparkling blue eyes, a well-kept beard and hair almost as dark as hers, he smiled at her warmly, it felt like he was genuinely wanting to know her more. She couldn’t afford to mess this up, not so soon after her arrival.
“I’ve moved around a lot. I lived in an orphanage on the outskirts of Meidi until I was eleven. I’m very lucky my parents adopted me as old as I was but my accent never truly localised to Highwind. I’ve also spent time in Atara and Walnut Groove.” She looked down at her hands, wondering what his reaction would be, if he would judge her or not. Orphans and abandoned children were more commonplace the closer you got to the Peripheries and Duvos but not everywhere in the free cities.
“Can I ask how you came to be orphaned?” Still looking at her hands, River shrugged responded “I've no idea, I was picked up close to where the Meidi border meets Duvos and the Peripheries.”
“Foundling huh? We have a few like that around these parts. The sandstorms can come in something fierce, more than a few folk have been swept away never to be seen again. The storms get worse every year it feels like.” His voice was even and his eyes were warm, his accent seemed a little stronger as he spoke of the sandstorms and it relaxed her. “I think so, I barely remember the time before the orphanage now, I don't have any memories of my birth parents at all. I think I was four, maybe five when I was found wandering the road on my own. I’ve always been small so no-one is certain and I didn’t tell them much at the time. The Church of Light named me River and my foundling day is considered my birthday. My parents chose to honour that and well .. sorry, sorry.” She blinked rapidly, her cheeks and tips of her ears reddening.
“Can we change the subject please? I didn’t mean to just dump my past on to you five minutes after meeting you. I don’t typically do that, I rarely talk to new people at all and it’s showing.”
Owen blinked back at her, blew out his breath and then gave her his most welcoming smile. “Of course, River, whatever you need. Actually, Grace mentioned Mason left you in a bit of a bind with the state of the workshop. You’re welcome to pop in here whenever you need to, no need to ask.”
River blushed even deeper “Shit, sorry. Erm, thank you but I can’t just do that when I have so little to offer in return. It could be a little while before I’m sorted, I’m at the bottom of the guild standing and that’ll impact pretty much everything in the future. I can’t take advantage of you, Owen, it’s not right, so thank you kindly, but no, I’ll make do.” Owen felt bad, almost guilty, but he recognised she wanted to stand on her own, he liked that. Too many people in his past had treated him like their personal loan service, these days he didn't mind so much. He didn't mind helping the locals when they needed it, they all strived to make the town better for everyone.
“Ok, let’s make a deal, how about you do some part time work for me when I need it?” Her eyes darted to his, “What kind of work?” “Nothin' too bad, I’m in need of ingredients on a regular basis for the saloon, sandcarp is always in demand and you should be able to fit it in around your builder duties, or you could help in the kitchen washing up and such when you have the time, keeping this place clear of sand is a constant battle.”
River pulled the orange berries and red mushrooms from her belt pouch “What about these? I wasn’t sure if they were safe to eat or not, are these useful to you?” Owen laughed softly at her, his smile crinkling around his eyes. “Sandberries and Desert Mushrooms are both fine to eat. The berries make excellent juice and preserve well if you dry them. The mushrooms are quite versatile too but need prepping first. If you forage enough near your workshop you’ll find a bunch of good resources, plenty of herbs and flowers, cactus fruit if you kick the trees and the wildlife is a good source of leather. Plant fibres from bushes are good for thread and cloth amongst other things. Plus, the view you’ll have whilst you do it is the best part of it.”
River smiled at him and shook her head. “Ok, I’ll sweeten the pot, promise to work for me and prioritise my commissions, if you’re able to of course, and you can take a bath and do laundry at my place. Say, whilst I’m at the temple on Sunday mornings. You’ll have the place to yourself, just clean up after yourself and we can renegotiate when you’re sorted at your place?”
River was torn, she really did not want to be indebted to any one person if she could help it. She hadn't bathed properly since leaving Walnut Groove, making do with standing washes over a basin gifted by Amirah and a washcloth she had bought from Vivi’s shop. Owen saw the point at which she relented. He wasn't certain why he was pushing so hard to help her like this, except her story and gentle demeanour had touched him.
“Okay, yes it was the offer of a bath that made me cave. Right now, a proper bath is worth more to me than diamonds, I know conserve water and all that but being a scrapper is filthy work and it’ll only get worse once we finish the lifts and can get into the ruins. Sorting out the bathroom at the cabin is really high on my list but so is everything else. Part-time work, your commissions and your bathroom will sparkle when I’m done. Is that equitable to you?” Owen felt like punching the air but tempered it, it wasn’t often he had to work so hard to win someone over to his way of thinking. He felt more than a little like he had manipulated her into accepting, but he looked at her closely. The hollows under her eyes and pale skin spoke of more recent hardships than her childhood. She reminded him of a small bird fluttering, scared to land anywhere for too long. It was far too soon to press for more detail, but she clearly needed a friend or two to help her and he wanted to be that if she would let him.
“Sorry, I really need to dash now, sorry to eat and run, especially after you have been such a kind, and excellent host. I need to get my lift done, Mi-an has almost finished hers and I’m so behind, Yan will keep badgering me until this 'newbie' gets her part done.” She stacked her dishes almost out of habit whilst he went back to the kitchen. He returned with a takeout bag for later and took the sandberries she insisted on giving him. “See you later Owen, thanks again, it really does mean a lot”. River ran out of the door to find Mi-an and tell her the news. Owen stared after her, more interested in learning more about her than he cared to admit.
Notes
I added in the non-canon bit about Owen being a significant landowner in Sandrock as it might play into future angst. Being given even a crappy workshop as part of the job felt a bit odd and I wanted to call out the huge differences between Mi-an's workshop and the builder.