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[ A hobby? Hannah blinks, as if this had never occurred to her, and... really, it hadn't. Shouldn't their priority be getting home? But, clearly, seeing Emily in this sewing shop... people are settling.

She isn't at all sure how to feel about that. ]

... Not yet. [ She answers after that pause. ] You've obviously got this going on... What are the others doing?

[ Looking for some inspiration, here. ]

[Is it really settling when you've all but given up hope of going home? It's better here, in some ways. Hannah is alive. Josh could come back. Shit, even Beth could show up, right? Even Matt.

Maybe Chris was right. Maybe the mountain is hell. Maybe this is better.]

Chris staffs the coffee cart a lot, and I think he's working on coding something for the phones here. Ash was writing up a guide for newcomers and helping me with the dyes. ['Was'. Goddamn.] Josh shitposts, mostly. I don't know what else.

[She doesn't want tod know what else.]

Coffee cart? I would've thought he'd put all his time into the tech.

[ She laughs lightly, shifting her weight, trying to put off the unease she still feels around Emily.

"Was." Her smile falls and she nods silently at the mention of Ash, now vanished. ]

Of course Josh shitposts. [ brother pls ] Well, I'll figure something out. Soon. Maybe I can help Chris out with the coffee until then.

[ She assumes Em doesn't want or need her help in the sewing shop. ]

Right? I bet he'd rather, but he made a deal with Delight for that coffee. She gave us the cart and the supplies, so long as we go around making people coffee with a smile. It's exactly as cheesy as it sounds, but Delight's okay so we just do it.

[It's not the worst thing she could've asked them to do. Hell, even just talking about it feels more normal than anything she's said to Hannah since Hannah showed up here. Emily almost forgets the weirdness between them, the guilt that will never go away.

Emily hadn't realized until now just how much she missed that.]

The coffee cart thing is the responsibility of our 'household' [with air quotes] so yeah, that's a good idea. You can come here if you want. It's mostly me and Ai here, but if you want to learn how to sew your own clothes, knock yourself out. This is the best fabric you'll find in shithole cavetown.

[And nobody deserves to have to wear shitty fabric, except Mello and Nick, they're assholes.]

I mean, it could be worse. [ Hannah submits. ] I'd rather do that and work for Delight than... doing stuff for some of the others.

[ God knows what Fear might ask of them... ]

Okay, cool. [ She's happy to take some of the coffee cart responsibility; it could even be fun, given it's strange normalcy in a place that's... about the opposite of normal. ] I'll, um... I'll stop by here sometimes, then. I'm no good at sewing, but I'd like to learn, at least a little.

[ And Emily had given her blessing, so... why not, right? ]

Yeah. [She's so not going to talk about the deal she made with Hope so long ago, the one she never could fulfill because what is inspiring hope in people.]

It's not hard. [Sewing, she means, but staffing the coffee cart isn't hard either.] I started learning from the basics. There's not a lot to do here when the gods aren't dicking around with us, so you get decent at it pretty fast. Start with something easy, like a shirt.

[Emily will teach her if she asks, but... maybe she won't offer, just yet. Not for right this moment, anyway. Maybe before Hannah leaves, or if she sticks around for a while longer. But for another day. Emily isn't up to teaching today.

And really, she does want Hannah to come back, even if only so she can keep an eye on the girl she helped get turned into a wendigo.]

I think I can handle that. [ Trying, at least. Hannah doesn't have a lot of experience with the gods 'dicking around' with them yet, so she's more optimistic about this whole thing than she might be otherwise. ] And... if stuff comes up, then I can come back to this after.

[ Assuming something Terrible hasn't happened. ]

Is this where you are most of the time?

[Hannah learns quick. Emily nods, smiling a little, even as sadness coils in her stomach. This place is going to make Hannah suffer more than Emily did on the mountain, and that's not fair.

Fine, then. Emily will take care of her in between events.] That's the best way I can think of to get by here. Find something to do, keep doing it whenever you can.

[And be smart about shit. Goddamn.]

Yeah. It's-- Sometimes people come by asking me to mend stuff for them, but mostly it's me and Ai sewing whatever we want. The clothes here are such pieces of shit, Han, it was torture not having anything good to wear.

[Never mind, you know, all the events or anything.]

I bet. [ She laughs lightly, imagining with ease the other girl complaining about the outfits of choice... or lack thereof. ] Good thing we've got you both to keep us trendy in this place, right?

[ Maybe she should be more pissed, less... amiable, but she can't help it. Hannah falls easily back into what's actually a kinder version of their old back and forth. ]

I guess you can't charge anything, though. I doubt there's a money system here.

[It's good to hear Hannah laugh, even if it's over something utterly normal, like the shitty clothes in the shops. Emily hadn't realized until all this shit happened, just how much a part of her life Hannah was. Is. They've been friends for a long time. The one good thing this place has given them is the chance to deal with their shit.]

Sometimes I ask people to get more fabric from Delight, sometimes I tell them I might call in a favor. I won't unless I like, really need something, but yeah, that's all we can really do here.

It's like a trade, I guess? Getting fabric from Delight, or... getting anything from those guys?

[ "Gods," Hannah. They're gods. ]

I think I remember hearing about the... whole emotional currency thing, actually. [ She wrinkles her nose. ] Sounds kinda fishy.

Yeah. You tell Delight a happy memory, and she gives you a bolt of good cotton in exchange. With the others-- well, yeah. They ask for something that'll feed them. [Emily shrugs.] It's like, the least weird thing to come out of this place, honestly.

Still weird, though. [ Hannah notes. ] But... you could trade stories or something for stuff? [ beat ] I guess you couldn't ask for them to bring in people, though, right?

[ Thinking of Josh, here )': ]

I feel like they say that's out of their control...

It doesn't work like that. Believe me, I've tried.

[Maybe not in so many words, but she's definitely wanted Delight to bring Matt here, and that-- well. That hasn't happened. And they keep saying they can't control the Door, can't bring them specific people.]

Just-- if you're going to ask any of them for something, go to Delight. She's the nicest.

[That merits reiterating.]

[ Hannah can only imagine Emily means Matt and nods mutely. ]

Sounds like she'd be. [ Hannah agrees. ] I mean... you know. 'Delight.'

[ It doesn't really occur to her to be suspicious of someone like that. ]

[To be fair, while Emily is suspicious of all of the gods, she's not opposed to working with what you've got to get what you need or want. Hannah will learn, though. Emily won't let her go too far astray.]

Anyway, just like, come by the shop whenever you want. We can make you a shirt or something.

[And one day, Emily will show her the dress she'd been making for Ashley.]

Okay! [ She hovers, then takes a few steps toward the door, hand on the handle. ] ... Thanks, Em. This really helps.

[ Having them be mostly okay. Getting something to focus her time and energy on. ]

[Nodding, she shoots Hannah a quick smile.] I know.

[And she won't say it now, but it helps her too, to be rebuilding her friendship with Hannah. Things are going to get better here for them, and Emily will make sure that remains true in spite of the gods' fuckery.]

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