Near the Main Campfire - Wednesday afternoon - 5/20

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

As there was a lovely grassy area between the main campfire and the gym and the weather was reasonably comfortable, Fiona brought out the blanket Robert had gotten for her during their trip and spread it on the ground for a bit of very mild sunbathing. It was more just to enjoy the grass and the light breeze and her book than to actually tan her skin, but all and all, it was a comfortable set up and it seemed, to her, a lovely way to spend the partially sunny afternoon.

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[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

"Maybe?" she said, tilting her head up at the sky. "I didn't get everyone's names at the shuttle--was he on the shuttle? Do you know?"

Then, in Japanese: "It's a very pretty language, I always think. I suppose that's national pride?"

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"I've always thought the written form was beautiful."

It had skirted dangerously close to 'art', which according to Rule 11 was a strict no no, which was why she'd gotten so interested in the first place. There were, of course, some of the more interesting medical texts and more than a few discussions on working metal in the language, but it was the writing that she'd mostly enjoyed.

"He was on the shuttle, though. Long red hair, always looks half annoyed, half nervous?"

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

Maron searched her memory. "Oh!" she said. "And doesn't talk much? I asked him about Fandom High and he said he was there to 'learn... something' which I thought was rather vague all things considered."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She shook her head and marked her place to close the book, finally.

"No, he doesn't talk much, though we get along rather well at the salle."

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

"At the salle?" Maron wanted to know, stretching and reaching her hands for the sky. "Is that a fighting place? Did you know there's a club for that?"

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"I go to that too, but the salle is good for practicing, especially if you're using weapons," she explained. To be fair, everything was a weapon for Fiona, but she wasn't about to say that.

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

"Everyone fights but me," Maron complained half-heartedly, with a grin at her. "I know very basic ways to defend myself, but that's about it."

Sort of. Well. Jeanne knew more than Maron did.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

Fiona was quiet for a moment, considering what to say.

"I used to hate fighting," she admitted, "like, I didn't even tussle with my brother much. We raced and things, but nothing like that.

"Then I had to fight and it kind of became second nature."

She shrugged.

"As long as you can take care of yourself, that's the important thing."

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

Maron sighed, leaning back. "I don't think I'll ever like fighting," she said. "There's different ways to go about things, at least as far as I've encountered."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

I wish I could say the same.

"I made friends with a giant crocodile," she said, which was a lot more on topic than it might have seemed at first.

"We were supposed to 'vanquish' him, according to how they put it, but we just helped him and made him our... friend."

Which wasn't the right word, but 'temporary ally' didn't quite have the same ring and the circumstances were a bit hard to explain.

"It still counted because we'd gotten rid of an enemy. So I know what you mean."

It was easier to agree right now, to be hopeful. Sometimes she forgot to do that.

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

Maron grinned. "That's the way I'd like to do things," she admitted. "I'd rather make friends than enemies any day."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"My family wasn't very pleased, but my Uncle Aaron was proud of us. He told us," and she tucked a curl behind her ear, "that it took a hundred times more courage to 'vanquish' him like that than the other way."

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

"I think I like the way he thinks," Maron said, grinning over at her. "Even if it means more work to do it that way."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She privately was reasonably sure he was more proud of the bravery shone than the peaceable solution, considering that Aaron had been the one to land the spear in Souhk in the first place, but she didn't say that.

"It was pretty scary, though. If Eliot hadn't figured out how to take care of the rats, I don't think we'd have been able to do it."

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

"Maybe!" Maron said. "But, I mean, why would you think that when it turned out okay?"

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"We had to pull a spear from Souhk's body," she explained with a slight wince.

"And the jaws were really really close."

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

Maron shifted, blinking at the sky as she considered that.

"I think you've lead a very interesting life! More than I have!"

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She shook her head.

"Only in the last month or so. Everything before that was more boring than anything else."

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

"Are you enjoying the break then?" Maron wondered. "Or do you find it boring?"

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"I'm enjoying the break," she said quickly, "and it's not boring because everything's so different. I've never actually gotten to spend time with so many people before."

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

"The people here are pretty exciting," she admitted, laughing. "Though I don't think I am." At least, she didn't want to be, other than cheerful.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"You're kind," she said, and there was an emphasis on the word that said she valued that quite a lot. The only person she knew who'd ever matched that was her Great-grandmother Cee, and Cee was so important to her. She'd not have made it through her childhood if she hadn't had Cee's warmth.

"That's important."

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

She sat up, hair tumbling around her shoulders. "I'm not that kind," Maron laughed, "I just do what anyone could, if they wanted to!"

Watch Maron completely miss how rare that was.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"But you want to. That's rare."

Fiona was entirely aware of how rare it was. And how easily that desire could be crushed.

[gods-gymnast.livejournal.com]

She shrugged a bit.

"I don't know why," Maron said, "since it's a good way of making everyone feel good, including yourself."