2019-07-14 - Equilibrium Of Ecosystems

It's a clear, hot summer day in Gray Harbor, without outcast skies or rain, although a few clouds bowl and skitter, driven by winds from the coast. Gray Pond is lovely, and with school out, pretty popular. There are families picnicing on the shore, lots of people swimming, and the sounds of merriment and socializing fill the air, taking away any menace the local woods have. For the moment, anyway. Alexander doesn't quite fit in - he's overdressed, for one, in a long-sleeved flannel that has seen many better days over a t-shirt, with faded jeans and stompy workboots splattered with shore mud, and looks like he hasn't slept for a couple of days. For another, he's alone. He's over near some small bushes by the shoreline with a notebook, peering into the shrubbery with an intense, thoughtful gaze.

Man-made ponds are always fascinating. They don't usually embrace the natural structures of ecology-- in fact, some favor cement rims and not-at-all muddy bottoms. Gray Pond at least had someone with brains decide that imitating the natural world was a whole lot better than just making something look pretty and functioning. Granted, they're also pretty good at keeping the thing from becoming disgusting, which is unfortunate. Nature is awesome when it is disgusting. But, alas. Astrid is dressed for mucking around in oh-so-fashionable waders and colorful flower boots-- though the high ponytail and aviator sunglasses on that young face doesn't exactly sell the scientist-in-training look all that well. She's out to like her knees by now, holding perfectly still to let the water settle before she scoops up a sampling container full of water. She slowly screws on the tight-fitting cap before she turns, very slowly, and heads back toward the shore of the pond. Some of those swimming give her a really weird look.

Alexander reaches out to shake one of the branches that he was looking at, and a tiny green tree frog makes a panicked leap for a more stable branch. He nods, once, and makes a note in his book. He's starting to lean in again when the lapping of the water draws his attention over to the wader. He watches her, unblinking, as she moves back to shore. "I don't know you," he says, when she's just about to shore. "You stand out. What are you doing here?"

He's a polite guy. Really.

Astrid is wading herself back to the bank, and she has to put a bit of effort in getting back up onto the grass. She is pleasantly soaked from the knees down, but she is all smiles, and that smile doesn't lose its golden quality when Alexander goes for the bluntness. Look, she's in a science program dominated by males. Honestly, nothing really stumps her anymore. "Hey. Um, no, I don't think we've met." Now close, beneath the shoulder straps of her waders is a pale blue t-shirt that boldly claims HAPPY LITTLE TREES with painted trees beneath it that look remarkably Bob Ross-ian in nature. She gives a brighter smile at the 'you stand out' comment. "Thanks." Then she looks back to the pond before she brandishes her sample container for him to see. "Sampling the water."

Alexander's stare is flat and assessing. He doesn't smile. He does study the sample container. Then her t-shirt, although in a way that suggests he's reading it rather than perving. Then his gaze moves on to her face. "You're not dressed like the water company. You're not local. You're not old enough to be a researcher." His head tilts to one side. "Student on a research project?" His guess is made idly, as he scans the nearby shoreline, perhaps looking for other students or an instructor. "What are you sampling for?"

"Observant," Astrid beams. "I'm Astrid. Astrid Miller-Eriksen. I actually live here, but I'm a student over in Hoquiam." Ten minutes away. "Ecology major." She gives the water container a little jiggle. The other question has her tilting her head to one side, the ponytail canting with the motion. "We're doing a project on the ecology of man-made parks. Municipal greenspaces don't always support a good ecosystem, so I'm doing some testing."

"Astrid Miller-Eriksen. That's an acceptable number of names," Alexander mutters, looking momentarily pleased. "I'll remember that." He looks back at the water container at the jiggle. "What are you looking for? Or hoping not to find? Lead, bacteria, that sort of thing?" He actually looks rather intrigued, turning his body more fully towards her, and flipping his own notebook closed so that he can stuff it in the back pocket of his jeans.

"Is it?" Astrid beams. "That's good. How many names do you have?" It's a gentle prompting, not exactly demanding an introduction. Then she tilts her head back to the pond before she looks back to Alexander. "Certain strands of helpful bacteria that actually maintain a balanced pH. Most man-made water systems have to be massaged with various chemicals to keep up pH, but you can actually solve most of that with the right strands of bacteria. Even some algae can do a better job. I'm hoping to pitch a proposal to city hall to get Gray Pond acting more like a natural ecosystem."

"Only three. Not quite as good as some. Better than others." This is all said with utmost seriousness, like there's a scale, somewhere, and it matters. But he does catch up on the prompt, and adds, "Alexander Clayton." He even adds a, "It's nice to meet you," but it sounds a bit like he's reading from a script someone just shoved under his nose. He sticks his hands in his pockets, shoulders hunched as he listens. "And what would be the benefit of that?" He doesn't sounds skeptical, just interested, even if his expression remains rather flat.

"Nice to meet you, Alexander." Astrid would offer a hand, but she's got a good sense not to. For one, she's still wearing her gloves, and for another, Alexander shoving his hands into his pockets is a good clue not to push it. She offers up another apple-cheeked smile. "Well, you get the ecosystem balanced and it pretty much does its own maintenance. Would cost less, would provide a better habitat. Most things are amazing at self-regulation if you just let them do their thing, but in man-made environments you really gotta make sure it's set up to do that. Otherwise, it's like keeping a fish tank. Lots of cleaning, lots of work, lots of artifical."

Alexander doesn't seem inclined to offer his own hand, and he does relax - just fractionally - when she doesn't offer one he has to refuse. "That makes sense." He nods, briefly. "You should talk to a man named Byron Thorne. He's been trying to promote the town of late, and has a fair amount of money. Presumably political pull. Pitch it from a tourism investment angle, and he might be able to get you appointments with the people you need to talk to." His eyes narrow as he studies her. "You said you live here. When did you move here? Why? Why not Hoquiam?"

"Byron Thorne?" Astrid tilts her head slightly with an almost birdish quality. Then she bobs her head with a thoughtful nod. "Yeah, I can reach out. I mean, even a good scientist knows how to twist a politician around to get what she needs." But then she's smiling brighter at the other question. "So, I actually lived in Seattle most of my life. Well, Ballard, but most people think of Seattle. And I could have lived in Hoquiam, but I kinda feel more comfortable here. Like, really comfortable. Like, I'm supposed to be here. You know?"

"Yeah. I know." Alexander's voice is soft - not in the happy, nostalgic way, but in that resigned, well-now-you're-fucked-and-there's-not-much-to-be-done sort of way. "You should find a place in Hoquiam," he says, bluntly, but without any apparent expectation that she'll listen. "Otherwise, stay out of the woods, don't get lost." He rubs at his tired face. "Mm. Good luck with Thorne. Don't mention my name. Just tell him you heard he's interested in the development of the town. Probably get better results." He studies her for a moment longer. "Are there better places to collect samples than others? I know the area fairly well."

Astrid tilts her head slightly at that, frowning. "Well, I don't usually get lost in the woods." It's kind of a matter-of-fact statement. "I'm kind of an outdoorsy type." If that's not obvious by the fact she just hangs out in the water. But then she frowns a bit-- an uncommon expression. She hesitates, and does her best to smother out her questions. She's not terribly good at that. She's temporarily distracted by his question. "Oh, um. For this project, any man-made greenspace, but would be good to get some baselines from natural, unkempt areas." Then she can't help it. "Why should I leave?"

"Sometimes the woods aren't the same woods," Alexander says, with a shrug. He pivots, studying the nearby treeline with a frown. But, honestly, he tends to take his own advice and stay the hell /out/ of the woods unless he's got business there. So he frowns. "There's a natural spring back there that feeds into a small pond, somewhere. I don't remember where. It wasn't there when I buried me." He shakes his head, and turns back to her at the question. "Because it's not a very good place, Gray Harbor. And it seems to be attracting people who stand out. Like you. I'm pretty sure it means to eat us alive, one of these days. You should leave while you're still mostly uneaten." He says it like it's a perfectly rational thing to say.

"How can the woods not be the same woods?" Astrid sounds incredulous then, almost laughing. It isn't a mirthful laugh though. Then she listens to his feedback, and she's reaching into her back pocket to tug out one of those yellow Rite in the Rain notebooks and a pencil. She scribbles down some of the directions, nodding her head. But then something has her stop, and blink. She looks up at him. "I... buried?" Nope, nope. She shakes her head. She probably misheard him. Her frown redoubles. "Well, um... thanks for the info. I'll check it out. Shouldn't be too hard to find that location." She's got access to a lot of maps. "I'll, um, keep your warnings in mind, but... we got a good house we're renting and jobs, and nothing has tried to eat me so far, so I think maybe I'm good."

Alexander does not react well to the laughter. He flinches back, his expression going blank. "Because they're not always the same woods. Nowhere here is always the same, and you will get hurt if you don't realize it." It's odd, how his voice can be so toneless, and so intense, at the same time. Maybe it's the reptilian quality of his stare, unblinking and dark as it rests on her more directly than is polite. Then he looks away, shakes his head. "Try not to die, Miss Miller-Erisken." And then he's walking away, or sort of slouching away, his head flicking from side to side, like he expects someone to leap out of the shadow of a tree and attack him.

Astrid doesn't get it. In fact, she looks confused. How can woods be anything but the same woods? That question is written clear on her face, but she just shakes her head. Then she frowns deeper still, feeling a bit odd now. "Um, okay, well. I'll be careful out there, then." She watches him walk away, her expression confused. She glances down at her notes in her notebook, and then back up to Alexander to see him continue to vanish from sight. "What... the hell was that." No one is there to answer.