[IC] The Two Sides

[Fionraella]

Destin follows her out of camp, a lot less concerned. He figured he was a healer, no one would mess with him. And if they tried, he was fast enough. They would get away and Sacha would punish whoever attacked them. "So I'm thinking east. There should be some large broken branches or something that way. But I mean wherever you think is best!"

[xiaomiau]

Misha looked from side to side, taking in what she could of the differences of landscape from east to west. There wasn't much she could tell from their position. The trees were fairly uniform, creating a thick barrier on each side - thin enough to push through in the winding trails they had created, but not so to actually see. "I'll take you for your word, kid. East it is."

[Fionraella]

Destin rolls his eyes slightly. "I'm not that much younger than you, you know." He pulls out his pocket flashlight and waves it ahead a bit. "Do me a favor and keep an eye out for herbs. I'm running low and things will start dying as frost hits."

[xiaomiau]

"Noo," she cooed mockingly. "You're just a baby!" She lightened up her step as she continued on, occasionally taking a moment to bend down and inspect odd clumps of decaying leaves to judge their viability as healing items. Most of the clumps, she found, didn't look anything like the arrays of dried.. things she had seen Destin tossing around on the numerous occasions she had dragged her sorry ass into his tent for help.

[Fionraella]

Destin huffs. "I'm no baby." He watches her check the clumps of leaves, sigjing a bit. "Hopefully there is something out here." He comments softly as he runs his hand across a mossy tree, feeling the small waterdroplets that had accumulated through the day. He shines his light across the base of the tree and bends down. He finds a few leaves and plucks them, setting them in his pouch.

[xiaomiau]

Misha snorted, running a hand idly through her hair. "What are you, 12? 13? I could practically be your mom." She gave a bit of a distant glance as he began pawing at the tree. The leaves he collected certainly looked like something, but she was a stranger to the myriad of stalks and fronds and roots that constituted the boy's practice. Her days in a bustling city, popping ibuprofen and hoping for the best, had lent more to her knowledge than her experience in holistic matters. She narrowed her eyes at the small collection he pocketed, hoping to absorb some secret knowledge.

[Fionraella]

Destin sighs. "I'm 13..." he then notices her watching him. "These are lavender leaves. I use them in some of my teas and they calm patients down and can be used for poultices for infections. And it smells good." He laughs a bit before getting back to his feet.

[xiaomiau]

Misha nodded slowly and then laughed. "Right. I've definitely heard of them... that. Those leaves." Most of the forest's foliage looked the same to her. She had learned to discern what was poisonous and what she could safe trample through, but beyond that she left it to "the experts." She kept her eyes halfway between the safety of the path in front of her to bar her from tripping over a stray root and the edges of the path in case she came across a plant that resembles Destin's catch.

[Fionraella]

Misha nodded slowly and then laughed. "Right. I've definitely heard of them... that. Those leaves." Most of the forest's foliage looked the same to her. She had learned to discern what was poisonous and what she could safe trample through, but beyond that she left it to "the experts." She kept her eyes halfway between the safety of the path in front of her to bar her from tripping over a stray root and the edges of the path in case she came across a plant that resembles Destin's catch.

@xiaomiau

Destin walks more confidently, stopping now and again to check patches of grass and leaves. He doesn't find much else, and let's put a frustrated sigh. "Hopefully we can at least find good pieces of wood..." he comments half to himself, half to Misha.

[xiaomiau]

Misha raised the axe with one hand and flexed with the other arm, though her motion was fairly imperceptible under her thick jacket. "No problem! We'll just chop something down if we can't find anything." She smirked, though she felt the same dread at the thought of finding no wood. Realistically, it would soon grow too dark to gather anything, and she wasn't fond of the idea of chopping at the physical manifestation of an impossible task that would be hefty and likely too fresh to burn.

[Fionraella]

Destin smiles dryly at the joke. It made him worry. This was a forest! Wood should be everywhere, but they hadn't even found a measly stick at this point. He groans loudly. "We're all going to freeze to death now!" He says dramatically then sighs. "We should head back soon...''

[xiaomiau]

She narrowed her eyes and gave a cheeky grin. "We could always cuddle for warmth." Shrugging off laughter, she bent out into the the bushes that lined the trail and parted the branches. "Blegh. It's pretty bleak, but - y'know, I do this all the time. We always find wood!*" She lowered her voice to a condescending coo. "Since the olden days, before you were born."

[ITS ONLY BEEN LIKE 2 YEARS HASNT IT?]

*except after that one time in the future that is now retconned that the entire forest burnt down

[Fionraella]

(Something like that xD)

Destin rolls his eyes. "You'd think we were siblings with how much you tease me!" He shakes his head. "I feel like this year is going to be bad...I don't think we're going to survive unless we get enough wood." He shines his flashlight around with a sigh. "I wish people were smarter and realize how dangerous it is without fire."

[xiaomiau]

Misha crossed her arms and sighed. "That's gettin' pretty dark, kiddo." She silently wished those same thoughts hadn't crossed her mind. The brisk wind and swallowing grey of the forest did little to lighten her mood as she fumbled through the dying foliage in search of even a temporary fix for the dark and frigid camp. She was able to scrounge up a few small logs, but certainly not enough to do away with Destin's chilling thought. 'I don't think we're going to survive unless we get enough wood.' Definitely not. "We outta tell some of the jerks laying around camp that they're going to freeze to death if they don't stop making out instead of getting wood."

[Fionraella]

"Someone has to be realistic here. Why not the person who actually has to deal with it?" He asks dryly. He nods slowly. "Though it's hard to tell our leader to stop being lazy and help..." he says softly, before smiling slightly. "He's going to get fat, that'll be quite the sight to see. Right?"

[xiaomiau]

Misha covered her mouth to hide a choking laughter. "Stick it to the man!" she said, raising her hand into the air. Sobering slightly, she shrugged. "I mean, we could always petition his pretty boy ass. Gotta have some democracy." She thought for a second, then smirked. "We could say, 'A lil' bird tells me Sacha gets off her throne and gathers wood every day.' "

[Fionraella]

Destin's eyes widen. "What if...crazy idea...we voted for a new leader!" He grins. "I bet Sacha does gather wood. She's always struck me as a more...leading leader, you know?" he sighs heavily. "I dunno...I'm just not seeing anything!" He looks slightly panicked. "What happens if e missed all the wood and herbs? How will we survive the winter?"

[xiaomiau]

She gasped in mock shock. "We have a little traitor on our hands." She reached towards him to give a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Don't freak out. We can head out tomorrow and check out the western territory instead - or maybe closer to the river. There's gotta be something around here." And if not, she thought sardonically, we can open a GoFundMe and crowdfund through the winter.

[Fionraella]

She gasped in mock shock. "We have a little traitor on our hands." She reached towards him to give a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Don't freak out. We can head out tomorrow and check out the western territory instead - or maybe closer to the river. There's gotta be something around here." And if not, she thought sardonically, we can open a GoFundMe and crowdfund through the winter.

@xiaomiau

Destin's eyes widen at her accusation. Did she know about him and Aya?? He then sighs in relief as she doesn't push it. He then nods a bit. "Tomorrow might be better too. It might not rain, so anything we find will be a little drier. I wish we had a place set up for the wood to sit and dry, rather than just sit out in the elements..." He says softly.

[xiaomiau]

<Snipped quote by xiaomiau>

Destin's eyes widen at her accusation. Did she know about him and Aya?? He then sighs in relief as she doesn't push it. He then nods a bit. "Tomorrow might be better too. It might not rain, so anything we find will be a little drier. I wish we had a place set up for the wood to sit and dry, rather than just sit out in the elements..." He says softly.

@Fionraella

Misha stroked her imaginary beard. "That's--" She paused, then snapped her fingers. "No, you're a damn innovator! We should build a wood shed." She lowered her arms to her sides and looked around with a growing sense of loss. "How do we do that?" she mumbled, mostly to herself. The grim saplings and towering but crackling giants that lined the forest path looked less like clean lumber and more like an untamed death trap. She was content to live among those trees in peace, but it was a different matter entirely to saw them up - or worse, be forced to scrounge money, then purchase and haul refined boards from the town to the camp. That sounded like a job from wayward 14-year-old newcomers, not seasoned and decidedly lazy woodsmen like herself.