Rats Nest walkabout

Sunday, 6th December 2071

Dear Lola,

yay!, got keycard for my 'tainer today. Kinda Saint Nicolas for me. Is good feelin' to boss own lock, no collar nomore, guess. Rusty, member of Scrappers, who guarded me and brought soup and stuff showed me around. Told me keep near not randomstrollin' all over place yet. People staring me when outwent. So I better do, guess.

Still having white uniform of Pica wearing, was not touching clothes he given cause having Scrappers colors gray and rust. Me no Scrapper an' if wear I'm walking ex, could also stab 'n hardcore myself. Me no touch things even if think I'm walking ex in Pica colors white and black too. Wearing no black nomore cause de'colored but ld ya ready know, Lola.

Village of scrappers is couple 'tainers both sides of old bridgeroad. Seen old western flicks an' have common, guess. Just lot mo' fucked 'n pissed an' bags with trash 'n cyclestuff all over. Road is muddy 'n wet, churned by passing bikes 'n vans 'n that, so me sunk in 'n almost splat in mud. Some people were funnyfacing me, an' I almost went ballistic, but Rusty said is 'kay, there's a girl in town who was worse. She's got name Splash from them. Was fuckn cold cause runnin' in no shoes is no fun. Almost got to freezetemp tonight so was bluelippin when Rusty tow me into 'tainer where 'Magicmachine' was funnyfaceingly.

Magicmachine is recycler. Showed me how to put in stuff in feeder, which started shredding, then on console ya have buttons what it shall spit, combining some o' them was going to do things that were'nt supposed and then its spitting stuff on other side. Like shirt, trousers, shoes(!), cups, pots an' all stuff ya need. Said one o' the local hackers was pimping magic machine so it's doing more 'n better than default. But no much o'cause. Magicmachine is no changing stuff so if ya put in wool an' press cup ya get wool'n cups. But if ya no deadhead stuff working fine. Old man me helpin' making new clothes and people given me some mats. Like wool, synthleather, pvc, hemp and as a special present I got sheet of ragged silk for feeder which was lot joying me. Get now why Scrapper color gray 'n rust-brown, check? But needed lots o' time to find good mats. Were allowed scrabbling in heaps of mats, hills of stuff try finding perfect colors and mat. Got some black, some red, some green an' white which look good but not look Scrapper, neither Pica. Was doin' that hours must have. Commlink can tell time o'cause.

More later the day, Lola. Rusty showed me vietnamese people snack counter bit back at main road, called it restaurant. Better not touching meat me think. No trust that not rats. Must earn stuff 'morrow Rusty said will work at "field". "Field"? I asked. "Landfill", and pointed down south where most people gone. "Or if ya wanna ya can do mining, but more dangerous", he said. Means below earth. Earth funny here, soft 'n warm. Guess "earth" is all garbage like hills all around. Told me people cycle more than ninety percent nowadays. Back old times it was ten, that's why mining is so profitable, he said. But gas and collapse and things happen, so guess I chose fields. Soup gettin' cold, later later, Lola…

Belly feelin' fullstomach now. Given Daniel to Liz in clinic, said she'll eyeing him long as I walkabouting Rusty. Liz looking sleepmooding guess work too much. Doc not seen since hours, Liz told me Doc not sleep for days. Walking mainroadwise afternoon with Rusty gain. Watched recycling biostuff by chinese people downroad. Having hogs and 'roaches eating biocycle from garbage trucks. Having carts they pull by hand, bicycle, vespas, small pickups from main landfill to local storage heaps. People do foresorting at entry to landfill from 203, Rusty said all very professional and people do since generation. Main village must be a few hundred people but many more come from Barrens every day. Funny Rusty calls Barrens people on other side of Snoqualmie river that's between village and part of Barrens where I come from. River is coming down from cascades somewhere don't know. Looking very cold and about fifty meters wide, so it's like natural border. People here call it border to badlands. Picas see it border to ratland. Only bridge controlled by scrappers, sitting on rigged lookout towers with juryrigged weapons like crossbows and things. Rusty say crossbows no noising and police no caring 'bout them too much. But sadmooding 'bout autofire from near barrens. Said traded automatic to get Whistler out alive from Pica. Looks very worried about that for some time and didn't talk. Picas no had automatics. Nobody willing give automatic to Pica since year I was with them.

After seen hogs and roachfarm at chinese guess next time try chickensoup and things. Makes me hungry to see them. Was taken down backyard vietquarter where washing center is. Vietpeople have bathhouse running down here. Say in spring highwater from snoqualmie often floods lowland here but water easier to get up down here. So that's deal guess. Got recycling marker from Rusty as currency. Sort of money they trade. Are markers that put out by recycler when it's putting stuff to storage as pay. Rusty plained Magicmachine keeps part of mats you feed even if you make things with them or if you exchange for markers. Maggie totally checks system. Tax!

Bathing was great. Vietgirls said Maggie stinkin' but I didn't ballistic cause they right. Last days messy special last nights were bad. Was thinking 'bout coldwatered but water warm. Say pipes running in garbage got heated. Put on new clothes, will recycle old things later. Old Pica stuff no future here anyway and mats are white and good fabric vietgirls say. Will think what I make of them. Maybe jacket, maybe cloth for Daniel. Guess cloth for Daniel will be. Have new, really cool PVC longcoat now, like real trenchcoat in movies but looking bit like big garbagebag made off and shoes that keep out mud, gloves to work, gloves against cold from wool but wool was not enough to fingers sticking out on end. Guess that's tax percent. Rusty say me looking good and funnyfaced me. But think he no meant respectless so me no ballistic. Put most wool in stuff for Daniel. Me wearing silk on skin. Never had silk in life! Feeling warm and same time cool. Feeling like rich chick now but better no show to others. Still people give me angryface around here so me better hide how lucky a bit.

Small school around Rusty showed me where kids kept during work. Ms Patterson have Viet halve Kaukas, I guess. Blonde with asian eyes looking funny. But kids homestrolling when showing up with Rusty. Had small school terminal here where learning. Said all much work and if I like test. No better to do so firmed testing. Got trodes and did test on terminal. Patterson very much exited on some sults and very sadmooding on others. Mostly language but wonder why. Maggie talking lot makes sense. Said 'nonono that's bad, that's waste, have talk to Doc', and stuff. Was very friendly. Guess is good teacher but don't know if time for sitting around when Daniel hungry. Maggie working fields guess cause no need for Calco here. No future in conworld anyway. Very tired now, Lola, going outcheck Daniel clinicwise get some stuff done like eat. Rusty said have pay for electric and means pay for heating so no choice but work. But lucky cause seems me no slave to Scrappers. Which I find funny but no complain. Morrow Rusty said, morrow I show you irish settle. Where pub is where he's strolling off. Cursing something 'bout damn Growler, me think barowner of Rusty Barrel, and 'bout retro ethics and that he's seventeen and has right to drink whiskey. Don't think moonshine stuff 'round here can be called whiskey anyway, but so what? Have no seen druggies no chippies either lying round in backstreets which funny thing. Wonder if they're eating them? Or if rats eat them that are all around where no dogs hunt them. Lot's of dogs and rats 'round here. Guess have to chose which of them I wanna.

If Ruffy, little dog I own an follow me all round happyrunning, has to say thing bout that, I gonna be dog, guess.

More 'morrow. Night night Lola!