Ursa Major Campfire; Early Wednesday Evening.

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

While the weather was a bit tempermental, Adah decided that she really needed to get out of the cabin for a bit. The dream that snuck up on her Monday had her a little wary about spending too much time in her alcove. She rather easily got a fire started, even with just the use of her good hand, throwing out a bag of marshmallows, some chocolate bars, and a box of graham crackers to satiate the hungry masses and hopefully distract them from bothering her too much if they thought to be social, and settled nearby with some light reading to finish before the last of the daylight hours faded away.

She couldn't wait until summer finished and she could start getting into something a little meatier. Pride, also quite against the idea of staying cooped up all day long, was enjoying the little bout of freedom by hopping lightly around in the grass. Adah wasn't to concerned about the little brown rabbit hopping off, because she felt the two of them had reached an understanding that if he did bounce off, she wasn't going to go bouncing off after him to ensure his safety.

[[ open campfire is open, of course ]]

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[withoutverona]

Romeo spotted the fire first, then the food, then the rabbit, then the girl. He glanced from one to the other, taking in the scene.

Finally he ventured: "You have an interesting way to feed your pet."

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

Adah blinked her way out of the world of viral and molecular theory a moment, glancing up at Romeo with a bit of confusion as her mind made the slow transition. Viruses turned into concepts of reality and slowly burned together into fulfilling a full picture of his meaning and she grinned a little, glancing toward Pride, who was much more concerned with the grass that practically engulfed his little form than the people food that awaited eventual consumption or decomposition. She then looked toward Romeo again and shrugged her good shoulder. It worked well. The rabbit could keep at least some of his natural wild instincts honed by rooting through the grass and didn't grow too dependent the oppressive influence of a domesticated hand, and she got her reading done. Very symbiotic, for the most part, this method.

She gave a nod toward the materials for s'mores. A clever mind would connect that her method of feeding her rabbit existed on the same plane of feeding her classmates. It was there, they could take it and serve themselves, and she'd be damned if she was going to lift a finger beyond introducing the set-up.

[withoutverona]

The rabbit remained part of the natural order of things and got some air, and Adah got some air and didn't have to trouble herself too much about the rabbit's care. Romeo thought the arrangement was beautiful.

As were the s'mores ingredients; he took a marshmallow and put it on a stick carefully. He could have switched to speaking French, but he suspected Adah would find that too easy, as they were in France anyhow. So, he'd stay with English this time.

"I always worry a bit about the graduate cabin," he mused aloud. "You know, is it all right for those of us with more high school yet to complete to avail ourselves of our resources. But I suppose I shall find that out tonight."

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

Lowering her book a little more, Adah met Romeo's musings with a bit of a wry smirk. It was an interesting conundrum, to consider that one would be wary of a situation that she didn't exactly even want to be in. Either way, for the most part, she knew she didn't mind; Romeo was one of the few she felt she liked well enough that she could be bothered to divide her attention between book and bloke, and she shrugged, with a small nod of her head to inform him that he at least had this senior's grace to partake in graduated s'more, and, with a casting glance around their surroundings, reminded him that it wasn't as if they weren't in an open space. In Kilanga, once something left the hut, that something became everyone's.

Hell, even if someone wanted to take Pride, she'd probably let them. She might even be a little grateful.

[withoutverona]

Romeo managed to follow her glances well enough. "You've a point," he agreed. "Finders, keepers, is the saying, even if sometimes the reality depends on who the finder and loser are."

"Though anyone careless enough to lose chocolate and marshmallows wouldn't deserve them to start with."

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

Adah set her book in her lap, marking it carefully before she closed it, thus freeing up her hand to place her fingertip against her nose. Bingo.

Then, with a crooked smirk, she gave her head a sharp jerk toward her rabbit, adding a small roll of her eyes to indicate that, be that as it may, she still couldn't seem to get that to work with that guy.

Part of her was, of course, secretly glad for that, but it wasn't a part of her that she'd ever let out if she could help it.

[withoutverona]

Romeo wasn't quite sure what she was saying, there; he took a moment to assemble his s'more while he thought about it. "Maybe you need to try differently," he finally said. "That is, if you really wish to rid yourself of the rabbit. Though letting a pet loose in the preserve seems cruel. He might get hunted there."

Which Romeo still couldn't believe Worf had actually done, but no matter.

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

Adah agreed to this point vaguely with a shrug and a light nod of her head, then cleared her throat before commenting, "My Father released our pet bird in a similar matter; he couldn't fly and barely left the parameter of the hut for the longest time, and yet, alas, we still woke up one morning to little more than bones and a few red feathers drifting in the wind." She tilted her head back slightly and blew a light stream of air out between pursed lips, as if to mimic that breeze.

[withoutverona]

That was ... several words. At once. In English. Which Romeo managed not to comment on only through sheer force of will, and because the story in itself was much more worthy of comment. "Your father was cruel, to do that," he said. "What else would happen to a bird that could not fly?"

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

The story itself, Adah felt, was worthy of several words. At once. In English. Which was why she decided to lend herself to the rare art of conversation in this moment, and, really, a part of her was starting to feel that the whole writing thing was droll and childish. She'd still save her words, but the novelty of never talking was wearing thin, especially as she approached the formidable age of eighteen.

"I do not believe," she stated simply, "that he cared. He rarely did."

[withoutverona]

"Then I am sorry," he returned, equally simply, wondering why so many fathers were bastards. He noticed her tense. "Is he living, still?"

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

Adah closed her eyes a moment, letting out a near-sigh of a breath. Her head shook lightly. "We're not sure," she admitted. Bastard was probably stubborn enough to survive the jungle, though, she'd imagine.

[withoutverona]

Not sure? Romeo imagined this father in limbo, half-dead, half-alive. "Gone and dead are not so different in the end," he told her. "No, perhaps dead is easier. With dead one knows."

"My mother," he added, almost apologetically, "died last summer."

[stupid-toasters.livejournal.com]

Since Lee couldn't sneak into her cabin, he thought he'd just go and see her. So, he wandered over to the bigger cabin and took a seat beside her.

"Hi."

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

Adah shifted her eyes over toward the Eel now beside her and smirked a little.

"Hello."

[stupid-toasters.livejournal.com]

"Since I can't sneak into your cabin, I came over here," he told her. "In plain sight. No funny business."

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

"Good," Adah said, with a small nod. "Besides, I'd be a little confused if you were still trying to sneak into my cabin when I was sitting right outside of it. I do believe it would not be one of your more logical plots."

[stupid-toasters.livejournal.com]

"I could be really tired and just wanted to sleep in your bed," Lee pointed out before sneaking a quick kiss on the cheek.

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

Adah's smile warmed a little; she really did love those pecks on the cheek more than she'd like to ever admit.

"I know our cabin is all bigger and fancier and everything," she told him, "but I assure you, my bed is not any more comfortable than yours."

[stupid-toasters.livejournal.com]

"Well, it'd be sentimental," he explained. "Getting to sleep where you slept."

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

And, damn it, she wasn't supposed to like sentimental.

"You think that'd make a difference?" Adah asked, arching an eyebrow and infusing her drawl with extra sarcasm to make up for the fact that she was kind of thinking that that was sweet.

[stupid-toasters.livejournal.com]

"I think it would," he said. "People would think me all sweet and caring."

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

Adah eyed him for a moment. "Or," she proposed, "they would wonder what the hell you were doing in my bed while I was outside."

[stupid-toasters.livejournal.com]

"And I'd tell them that I was feeling sentimental and somewhat tired and that I wanted a nap," he supplied.

[ecirpnellehada.livejournal.com]

Adah bit her lower lip slightly, eying the Eel as she considered his logic. She imagined that, if any of these people didn't know her, they'd think it sweet. If they did know her, she imagined they'd laugh their asses off. That's how she would have responded, anyway. To hide the fact that she thought it sweet.

"Good point," she allowed, reluctantly. "And it might be good for the bed, as not a lot of sleeping has been going on in it lately. And to add to it, I might take you up on the offer to sneak into yours tonight..." She trailed off a bit quietly there, shifting her eyes over to the other side, a bit downward.