[he counts off on his fingers] I've been workin' since I was, like, 8. I paid all my bills. Did all my own shoppin'. Had a pet that I took real good care of. And get praised all the time at my job for being super good at following instructions.
[he stands up and wanders over, pointing out the parts]
Little rubber button to prime it first. Pull the cord as hard as you can until the engine starts. Once it kicks on, pull the trigger halfway to rev, then all the way when you wanna cut. Watch your legs—it kicks.
[gives a thumbs up and goes to stand on the fallen tree so it doesn't move while she cuts it]
[she follows those instructions more or less accurately. she wavers slightly when it starts, but takes a moment to steady her grip before she starts cutting.
and she slices through the trunk! it's not the best cut, but at least nothing goes terribly wrong.]
[when she's made the first cut and hasn't maimed herself, Denji wanders over and points out the lengths to cut it with his foot, also indicating branches to chop off
it cuts through everything like a noisy, disconcertingly powerful knife through butter, and when she's done he flips the switch to cut its power and the grove is incredibly quiet]
[she'll let him take it back, and she'll make a half-assed effort at brushing sawdust off of herself. good, now she can make the spring dorm even dirtier.]
It wouldn't be too hard to achieve the same with magic... but it takes years of study to get to that point.
This was really... [putting her goggles back up and checking out the cuts.] easy.
So what, were you a wood-cutter back home or something? [she seems to recall him mentioning a very different profession?]
Used to do lotsa stuff to get money. Had a buncha debt to pay off so did whatever was around I could get cash for. Not a lotta work for kids, though, y'know?
[he picks up the chainsaw and looks at for a moment before kinda tucking it under his arm]
Cuttin' wood was pretty easy, but Devil Huntin' paid way more. In a good week I ate every day.
[she's starting to understand why he's such a weird gremlin about food, maybe...]
... Hate to admit it, but we might actually have something in common. I've been on my own since I was little, so I kinda know what it's like to have to take care of yourself.
They're... sort of like devices used to perform magic. Their cores look like gemstones. Like this. [she gestures to the red-jeweled choker on her neck.]
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[he counts off on his fingers] I've been workin' since I was, like, 8. I paid all my bills. Did all my own shoppin'. Had a pet that I took real good care of. And get praised all the time at my job for being super good at following instructions.
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and is struggling to come up with something to say to that]
That's not what I...
... Oh, forget it!
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You wanna give it a go? Someone's gotta chop this up into smaller bits for carrying.
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HELL YES SHE DOES wait but she doesn't want to look too eager]
You're gonna bring it back? What for?
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[seems to be as much as he'll explain, but he raises his eyebrows at Rita and scooches the chainsaw closer to her with his foot]
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[goggles are back on, and she's going to take that chainsaw and see if she can work out the right way to hold it.]
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Little rubber button to prime it first. Pull the cord as hard as you can until the engine starts. Once it kicks on, pull the trigger halfway to rev, then all the way when you wanna cut. Watch your legs—it kicks.
[gives a thumbs up and goes to stand on the fallen tree so it doesn't move while she cuts it]
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and she slices through the trunk! it's not the best cut, but at least nothing goes terribly wrong.]
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it cuts through everything like a noisy, disconcertingly powerful knife through butter, and when she's done he flips the switch to cut its power and the grove is incredibly quiet]
See? Even a kid can do it. I did, anyway.
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It wouldn't be too hard to achieve the same with magic... but it takes years of study to get to that point.
This was really... [putting her goggles back up and checking out the cuts.] easy.
So what, were you a wood-cutter back home or something? [she seems to recall him mentioning a very different profession?]
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[he picks up the chainsaw and looks at for a moment before kinda tucking it under his arm]
Cuttin' wood was pretty easy, but Devil Huntin' paid way more. In a good week I ate every day.
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So even while getting paid more, you can barely afford to eat every day? That's screwed up.
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That stuff was just when I was a kid. [so it's fine!]
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[she's starting to understand why he's such a weird gremlin about food, maybe...]
... Hate to admit it, but we might actually have something in common. I've been on my own since I was little, so I kinda know what it's like to have to take care of yourself.
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So when'd you start livin' on your own? [he's arranging the cut pieces of fallen tree into a nice stack and the branches into another]
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Most of the people who paid attention to me afterward wanted to make me do crap for 'em. Woulda rather've just been me and Pochita on our own.
You have a buddy like that?
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...the blastia.
[it comes out as a mutter.]
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[yeah, rita's childhood friends are rocks.]
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[Denji leans in to takes a look at it]
It's pretty. Better'n nothin', right? [and sometimes even nothing is better than the alternative]
Help me carry these back to the apartments. [he scoops up an armful of log pieces]
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