Scooter 6.1 - Passing Through

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HELLOOOO everyone and welcome back to the Scooters! After a wee break to brace for the impact of the new year (2021 at the time of writing...) I am ready to jump back in.
Last we left off, newest (shotgun) heir Damián was chosen last-minute to tackle the highs and lows of the Eco Lifestyle EP (which was also a last minute choice). Today, we take a look and see what disaster their life is headed towards now.

 

 

Port Promise, Evergreen Harbour
 

--Cargo barge honking; seabirds squawking--

--Errant breeze sounds; distant water dripping--

Unnamed vagabond: (yawning) Good morning, cold dark warehouse.

...

Vagabond: Oh, you know me. Slumming it as always.

--Rats squeaking--

Vagabond: (sniffing) Mmm. That's a new smell. Smells kinda...like soup. Great!

Vagabond: Hey, Scott. Good morning.

Random man: Hey, little man. How are you today?

Vagabond: Oh, pretty good--I got to take a shower last night when it rained.

Random man: Man, were you the one who used the last of the reserve stuff? I didn't get to take a shower.

Vagabond: Ah, I'm sorry, bossman. It'd been a few days for me...

Random man: Eh, it's okay. We gotta cycle what we got. Forecast says rain tonight anyway. You have a good day, little man.

Vagabond: Hey! Why are you guys throwing your garbage away here?!

Random citizens: 'Cause the dump's on the other side of town, duh. Why does it matter to you?

Vagabond: Have you looked around? This place is a dumpster because people like you litter!

Random citizens: (groan) Give it a rest, Greta Slumberg. Didn't I see you picketing at the Quickie last week? Ugh, get a life.

Vagabond: (sigh)

"Ibu, ayah.

"Finally made it here in Canada. Things are going so good lah. Found a nice apartment by the water, good view of the water. MUCH cleaner than in KL lol. Don't know if I'll be home for Hari Raya. Got so much to do at work. Hope we can still FT that day! Miss u lots.

Hari."

*＊✿❀　❀✿＊*
 

Conifer Station, on the other end of town

Dami: Well...here's Evergreen Harbour. Man, if these houses don't all look the exact same. Post-war suburbia. A dream right out of a Sears catalogue.

Should be easy enough. How much planning I gotta do for a city that`s already been planned?

--Ringing...--

Bree, over the phone: Hello?

Dami: Hey, gremlin. You awake?

Bree: I guess I am now. Are you in your new house yet?

Dami: Hell yeah, man. Cold as hell, but the ocean views are insane. You want me to facetime you the port when I go next?

Bree: Um, absolutely! Show me something besides this shitty desert!

Hi friends, and welcome to Greenwashing: the Expansion.

Evergreen Harbour is in bad shape, apparently. I feel like it's one of those cities that seriously fell by the wayside when it comes to development and budgeting from the federal government. Which is sadly the case for a lot of Canadian towns. No I will not stop until I've assigned every TS4 world to a real life location thank you and goodbye.

Time to do good at your new city job, Dami! No I will not elaborate on how an American citizen got a job in the municipal sector in Canada.

Dami: Ok thank you because neither did I.

It looks like there are lots of directions this old, dilapidated train station could possibly take, based on the needs of the community; all of them sounded pretty interesting. Dami shall look into them.

Dami, to themself: Is that...person going through...the trash...?

Is it seriously that bad out here or what?

--Excited chattering going on nearby--

Dami: Hmm?

Hari: ...hate to see you like this, man. I'd offer you my place but...

Random man: It's fine, Hari. I understand. And you don't gotta worry; you do enough for me...

Dami found himself face-to-face with the chatty person before he could turn away.

Hari: Hey! Hey! You're new in town, yeah?

Dami: Yeah. Keen eye. How do you know?

Hari: I know just about everyone in town by face at least. You must've just got here! So hey, you got a minute? You wanna see Evergreen Harbour in all her beauty?

Dami: Yeeeeeaaaah I was just stopping by on my way...to somewhere else. I'll uh, see you around.

Hari: Wait...!

Dami, typing: "...Transplant Living at its Coldest.

"For a person who grew up in the sun-baked desert of the American southwest, moving to Newfoundland--by the ocean, facing the unending blue horizon--is a gigantic swap-out. I am currently expecting my first actual winter (really, my first season besides summer) and I am dreading it greatly...."

UGH vomit. I'm so glad I'm getting paid by the word.

Not terribly long after Dami's arrival, an unsuspecting Knox Greenburg came and knocked on his door. A mistake, he would later surmise.

Knox Greenburg: ...guess nobody's home.

Dami: Can I help you?

Knox: AAHH! You scared me, man. My name's Knox. Looks like you're new in town.

Dami: Uh-huh. Which is why I was getting groceries to put in my fridge, and you can leave now.

Knox: Wait! Have you got a minute to talk about some green energy initiatives?

Dami: No. What part of "you can leave" didn't you get?

Knox: (sigh) Wait. You're "Day-me-in" Scooter, aren't you? And you're the one city just hired for urban planning? Jeez, we sure are in good hands.

Dami: Uh-huh. Take it up with your councillor, babes. And also...that's Damián.

{A/N: I hate Knox Greenburg.}

Dami's inaugural solo adult dinner consisted of chicky nuggy.

Dami: (sigh) I cannot believe I didn't inherit a single iota of my father's cooking ability. Shocked and appalled.

...

--Distant shuffling sounds--

Dami: What the fuck is that.

--Cans clattering--

Dami: Is someone in my fucking backyard?!

Vagabond: (grumbling) Fuck, come on, give me something....

Dami: HEY! What the fuck are you doing?!

Vagabond: Shit. Heeeeyyyy bossman! Hey. So this is a weird situation, huh?

Dami: You're that little trash gremlin from earlier, aren't you? The hell are you going my garbage for? What's wrong with you?!

Vagabond: I'm just really hungry, man...! Please, if you can spare anything...

Dami: ... (grunt) Okay! Fine. Come inside.

Dami: ...So let me see if I follow you. You lost your job and got evicted last month. You sleep in the community centres around town...and you follow home people who go there?

Vagabond: I didn't follow you home! I didn't even know you lived here. Honest!

Dami: Jeez. So you just...indiscriminately rifle through people's trash, huh.

Vagabond: It's just...! You gotta understand, new guy. This town is dying. Investors are gone. There are so many foreclosures on homes and many people are moving out. It's hard to keep a job, even one bagging groceries at a store. Don't judge us too harshly.

Dami: I'm not! I... (sigh) Shit. Okay, sorry. I didn't realise this place was down that bad.

Dami: Finish your ramen. I'll show you where you can take a shower.

Vagabond: Thanks, bossman. Sorry--what's your actual name?

Dami: Damián.

Hari: Da-mi-yahn. I like that! Damián. I'm Hari.

Dami: Nice...to meet you, Hari.

Setting a new record for introducing goals later and later in the chapter lol. I'm setting a different kind of goal this gen because, at the time, I had just gotten Eco Lifestyle, and I wanted to learn about this EP through the legacy save. So, these two have a shared goal instead of individual ones.

Damián Torreo Delgado Scooter
Eco Innovator ~ Collector, self assured, dance machine, squeamish

Matahari Nurallah Rotan
Master Maker ~ Muser, childish, green fiend, loves outdoors

Shared goal: Turn all districts of Evergreen Harbour simultaneously Green.

To start fabricating, one must have bits and bobs. Apparently you can get them by throwing straight up garbage into one of these bad boys.

Hari: Seems dangerous! I like it!

Dami's trying their first dive into an open dumpster. For the culture, of course.

Dami: Aaaaaaauugghh I hate myself I hate myself I hate myself.

Random woman: You'll get used to it, sis.

Are there really people FUCKIN in a DUMPSTER? I can't. I can not. That is so unsanitary, I... Y'all... I need the lord. I need the lord to blast me off of the face of this earth.

Pity is a powerful emotion. It's what led to Dami having restless nights...

...and Hari taking up residence on Dami's couch. For now. Just for now.

Dami: So? Have you set out to find a job?

Hari: Even better, bossman...

Dami: Don't call me that.

Hari: ...I'm starting a business selling homemade wood crafts! For the tourists! It'll be great. I'm salvaging all the wood from my last apartment's furniture right now!

Dami: You're wh--what?! Oh my god. Oh my god.

Hari: It'll work out! Trust me! We'll see our first dollar real soon, bossman.

*＊✿❀　❀✿＊*