[prologue]

[murphy_pendleton]

There aren't a lot of places Murphy expected to end up - prison, most likely. Some shitty apartment back in Baltimore, maybe, if he's lucky. The general handyman/groundskeeper of a wilderness resort...thing? Not so much. It hadn't been an interview he expected to get much out of. Just some gasoline wasted on a pretty drive.

He's not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, though. Hartfield's nice. Decent weather. Tiny town nearby. A nice lake and some rivers off in the forest, probably with some decent fishing. He hasn't gone fishing in a long time. He's looking forward to that, when he gets a chance.

Murphy's considerably less excited about the apparent onslaught of tourists coming out to watch the leaves all change. Tourists. Lovely. He's already hoping that he doesn't actually have to deal with most of them, though that's likely to be mostly in vain. Customer service might not be the main parts of his job description, but the summer staff is packing up and leaving. He'll have to pick up the slack.

For now, though, he's got a few things to keep him busy before this round of guests shows up. He still needs to build up the firewood stores considerably before winter hits - that's a big fucking task, because apparently his predecessors never replenished what they used. It's also one he can only do some much of in a day. Eventually, he's just got to give up and wander down to the lake with what amounts to his lunch, axe in hand still. He never know when he'll need something like that.

Comments

[vicsage]

Vic knows exactly how big the lake is, of course. Not that he'll say so. "Really? That's good to know." He bounces on the balls of his feet a little. "Thanks."

He stuffs his hands in his pockets and looks out over the lake briefly before looking back at the man in front of him. "Oh hey, there's maps in the lobby aren't there." As if he didn't already have one of those and another of his own.

[murphy_pendleton]

"Uh-huh. Er, welcome." Murphy might need to work on those approachability skills. And general politeness. He wasn't hired for that though so really his employers shouldn't be surprised. "There's supplies, too. And a guide schedule if you'd rather do that sort of thing."

[vicsage]

"Guide? Oh yeah. I saw something about that. To look at the leaves, right?" Vic could probably be more inane than this, but it would take effort. More effort than he's caffeinated for at the moment. He pauses to think. About the lake more than whether he'd like a guided tour, but this guy has no way of knowing. "I dunno. Sounds an awful lot like a field trip to me. More being herded around than getting to look at anything."

[murphy_pendleton]

"It's the season for it," Murphy answers with very little enthusiasm. They're leaves. They're everywhere. And he's probably going to see a lot of them when he has to rake.

He mostly just shrugs at the next comment. "Field trip, huh? Hope you remembered to bring your parents' permission slip." A couple ducks waddle towards the shore not far. Murphy tears off some bread to toss to them, but they seem mostly unimpressed with the groundskeeper's meager offerings. "The leaf thing is the standard seasonal tour that most of the tourists go for. Our guide does private hikes all over the property and surroundings, though."

Which from what he understands is generally to keep people from getting lost constantly.

[vicsage]

Vic chuckles. "I did, but I forgot my sack lunch. It's too bad, I had Fruit Rollups and everything." He pauses to watch the ducks turn their bills up at bread crust and then waddle on down to the water. He hadn't even known ducks could be snooty, but maybe he shouldn't be surprised. They're not that different from geese, and geese are known to be the devil in feathered form.

"Really?" He perks up a little. "That sounds more exciting. I might have to see about scheduling one of those." The groundskeeper isn't being very helpful, not for Vic's purposes at least. He can't tell whether it's intentional or not, though. Oh well. He made small talk, laid the foundations for more informative conversation later. Now if only...

"Well," he says finally, "I'd better go back and look for those maps. Nice talkin' to ya. I'm Vic." He could have faked an identity for this investigation, but he didn't think it was necessary.

[murphy_pendleton]

"What a tragedy," Murph lets out a quick laugh, twisting half is mouth down in an amused semi-frown.

"Uh-huh. We haven't hit season peak yet, so they should have plenty of time slots available." That sounds... professional, right? Right. Nailed it. He smiles in a way that he hopes doesn't look as awkward as it feels; this has never been his forte. "Have fun. Uh, tell 'em Murphy sent you."

Maybe he can finish his lunch in peace after Vic here's wandered off.

[vicsage]

Murphy, huh? Well, it's a start. "I'll do that." Vic nods at Murphy and ambles back the way he came. He's willing to bet the tour guide will be chattier. He pauses in the lobby long enough to schedule a private hike and then heads back to his room. Time to see what he has on that lake.