[ her friends are what keeps her heart going strong.
she puts the charm away and manages to carefully scoop up a few chestnuts off the ground with the shallow basket she's got, and passes said basket over to nehan. why are these shells so evil-looking. anyway, yours now. ]
[ chestnut hulls are literally thorns and very Pointy.... i have been hit by several of these in my youth
but the actual chestnuts themselves are very smooth. he doesn't take them right away, squinting a little at them and then her. he did not ask for this. ]
I don't have any. I just move along at fate's tempo.
[ i picked so many chestnuts as a Youth.. they are violent and hateful......
his thoughts are a weird little scramble then, like a string untangling itself. what was he thinking? why? ]
What an awfully trivial thing for fate to care about.
[ but after a moment, he plucks one out of the basket, carefully, dropping it to the ground. ]
...You'll get hurt trying to open these with your hands. You step on them with your shoes and crack open the burs that way.
[ he cannot do this well because one of his legs is kind of useless, but he'll demonstrate with his good one, stepping on the spiky hull until it gives and some chestnuts fall out. ]
[ she watches as he demonstrates and then tries it herself, smiling when she successfully manages to procure some chestnuts from a second hull. ]
...That's much easier than it looks. Thanks for showing me.
[ she can crack the last couple ones open too, and refill the basket with shiny smooth chestnuts rather than spiky abominations. yaaaaaay he can't even taste these yaaaaaay ]
[ i will miss you so much cute animal crossing emoji
fate and its whimsy. he takes the basket this time with some hesitation, though these chestnuts are much nicer than the horrible burs. she can have a very brief glimpse of an unusually happy memory then: a small campfire, an erune girl with dark gray hair, slicing chestnut shells open with a little knife. it is murky, but full of fondness and warmth.
but it fades quickly enough, and he doesn't remark on it. ]
...It's fine. You should take some, since you did all the work.
[ the memory itself is unexpected, a beam of sunlight diffusing through their overcast surroundings. it isn't entirely a surprise, though, that someone like nehan would harbor such a cherished memory underneath a prickly exterior. and it's saddening to know the reasons why he does.
it's gone in only a blink, but the warmth and ache of it basks in her heart for two counts longer. she's thoughtful for a moment, and then collects a small handful of chestnuts with a smile. three's a good number. ]
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no subject
...Not exactly. [ she's quiet for a moment. ]
Neither of them are in any state to find me.
[ ven is still asleep. and terra... he's gone, too.
she shakes her head and smiles. ]
For now, I just want to make sure everyone here gets back safely. I'll find a way to return to my friends after that.
no subject
...That's true. We'll have to get you home first before you can worry about your friends.
[ he takes a last glance at the wayfinder, then back up to the tree boughs. ]
At least they can serve as motivation to make it through this. [ that's important, too. ]
no subject
Yes. Always.
[ her friends are what keeps her heart going strong.
she puts the charm away and manages to carefully scoop up a few chestnuts off the ground with the shallow basket she's got, and passes said basket over to nehan. why are these shells so evil-looking. anyway, yours now. ]
What about you? What's your motivation?
[ for whatever. going home. joining a cult... ]
no subject
but the actual chestnuts themselves are very smooth. he doesn't take them right away, squinting a little at them and then her. he did not ask for this. ]
I don't have any. I just move along at fate's tempo.
[ FRIENDSHIP IS BETTER i hate writing edgelords ]
no subject
...Not a fan?
[ she swore she'd heard him thinking about chestnuts...
also my god he really is just so much. at least she has the context now for why he's such a sourpuss. she hums softly. ]
Is that so. Maybe you're fated to have some chestnuts.
[ she's still holding the basket out to him. will isn't here yet but when he gets here he can help remove the husks. ]
no subject
his thoughts are a weird little scramble then, like a string untangling itself. what was he thinking? why? ]
What an awfully trivial thing for fate to care about.
[ but after a moment, he plucks one out of the basket, carefully, dropping it to the ground. ]
...You'll get hurt trying to open these with your hands. You step on them with your shoes and crack open the burs that way.
[ he cannot do this well because one of his legs is kind of useless, but he'll demonstrate with his good one, stepping on the spiky hull until it gives and some chestnuts fall out. ]
no subject
Fate can be whimsical too, don't you think?
[ she watches as he demonstrates and then tries it herself, smiling when she successfully manages to procure some chestnuts from a second hull.
...That's much easier than it looks. Thanks for showing me.
[ she can crack the last couple ones open too, and refill the basket with shiny smooth chestnuts rather than spiky abominations. yaaaaaay he can't even taste these yaaaaaay ]
no subject
fate and its whimsy. he takes the basket this time with some hesitation, though these chestnuts are much nicer than the horrible burs. she can have a very brief glimpse of an unusually happy memory then: a small campfire, an erune girl with dark gray hair, slicing chestnut shells open with a little knife. it is murky, but full of fondness and warmth.
but it fades quickly enough, and he doesn't remark on it. ]
...It's fine. You should take some, since you did all the work.
no subject
it's gone in only a blink, but the warmth and ache of it basks in her heart for two counts longer. she's thoughtful for a moment, and then collects a small handful of chestnuts with a smile. three's a good number. ]
...Thank you. [ for sharing with me. ]
...The rest I'll count as a tuition fee.