orange and lemons, say the bells of st. clements

[kindofbroken]

It's almost a routine now. Every week or so, Charlie picks some of the oranges in the mini-orchard behind his hut, and he brings them up to the Compound. (He knows he can't eat all of them, so why not, really. He can't be the only one on the island with a fondness for fruit.)

He's dressed simply today: a white t-shirt and jeans, along with a pair of

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[dinnerfor1_girl]

Sally often spent her time in the orange grove extracting citrus to make her own homemade shampoo and she'd often noticed the red-headed bloke that came around. And yes, so she had a boyfriend, but she wasn't dead (or married, yet).

"Oi!" she called after him, aware she'd lost some of her polish, but again, boyfriend. She wasn't trying to reel in men so much as get their attention. "Do you want some help?"

[kindofbroken]

Almost immediately after he heard himself being called (albeit not by name), Charlie turned around, a small measure of surprise apparent on his face under the smile that flickered across his face.

"If you're offering," he said, tone pleasant. "I could hardly turn down company."

[dinnerfor1_girl]

Sally descended from the ladder she'd been perched on with an orange in hand and crossed the distance to fall into step with the man, flashing him a brief smile. "So what is it that you do with all those oranges?"

[kindofbroken]

"I just bring them up to the Compound," he said, with a slight nod. "There're probably people assigned to stuff like this, but it can't do any harm. I like oranges. They're like -"

He paused, expression thoughtful, before deciding on a word.

"- sunshine."

[quileutejacob]

Jacob had liked Charlie the last time they'd met and, well, anyone who provided food was always going to end up high on his list so when he saw him headed toward the compound he fell into step, grinning a little.

"Need any help carrying those? I could help, for a small, tiny fee."

[kindofbroken]

Charlie mirrored the slight grin, looking over at Jacob as he kept walking. He'd enjoyed their last conversation, and the fact that the kid always seemed cheerful certainly didn't hurt.

"And what might that fee be?"

[quileutejacob]

"Some of the oranges? I bet my girlfriend would like them," Jacob said, failing to mention the fact that he would like them. Food was food. "See? Completely microscopic fee right there. Hardly noticeable."

[kindofbroken]

"Anything for the cause of love," he said amiably. "Microscopic indeed. I never know how to feel about those things. Microscopes. So much detail, you know? I just wouldn't like to be on the inspected end."

[sallyslingshot]

"Hey," Alex greeted, having been walking up the path in the same direction as the man. She didn't know him, and wasn't usually prone to striking up conversations with strangers for no reason, but there was no reason not to, and his hands looked pretty full. Gesturing with her chin towards the fruit he held, she asked, "You alright with those?"

[kindofbroken]

"I'll take a hand if you're offering," he said, pausing in his tracks and shifting the bundle in his arms. Hers wasn't a face that he thought he'd seen before, but that was no matter. People on the island had (so far, at least) been nothing but courteous.

[sallyslingshot]

"I'd be glad to," Alex offered, hands held out so she could take a few of the oranges. It wasn't as if she had anything better to be doing; too often, there was just too little to keep occupied with. Helping a stranger seemed as good an option as any. "Where are you headed with these?"

[kindofbroken]

"Kitchen," Crews replied cheerfully, a beat passing before he added (for clarification): "Up in the Compound." Carefully, he opened his arms a little, using one hand to fold over the top bit of cloth to reveal the oranges wrapped underneath.