[01] [closed] she's drax strong

[usarinpa]

Who: Mizuki and Saito (closed log)
Where: Starting off at the inn, then out into the wilds.
What: Backdated (?) after this whole mess, Mizuki finds out the locals will pay them for bringing them meat, and they also get dinner out of it. She's like, "I can do that."
Warnings: Saito is a walking spoiler for AI, also maybe depictions of animal death. There's some hunting expected.


[ After "Date" leaves their shared room at the inn, Mizuki spends a couple hours by herself and feels like it is first time she's been able to relax since waking up here. To be clear: it is still strange. Nothing makes sense, but as the festivities continue, Mizuki has slowly come to accept it, simply because she feels there is no other choice.

Without any distraction, she finds herself thinking even more about what happened at home and the life she left behind. About Ryuki, and about Bibi, and what she and Boss would say if they were here.

The sun hangs low in the sky, and Mizuki finds her hands on that curious little charm once more. ]

Hey, you there?

[ There's a pause, and Mizuki continues fiddling until the speech function brings up a hologram. ]

I know they're letting us stay for free, but apparently they could use some more meat. They gotta make sure there's enough to make it through dinner.

[ There's a pause, and her hologram can be seen looking out of the window of their rather spacious room. ]

I was thinking of heading out there to see what I could find before it gets dark.

Comments

[parasaito]

[Well, she may speak for herself. For Saito, that moment just now was the absolute best since waking up in this strange place. He wishes he could openly disagree with her, but ah, the things he's sacrificing for the sake of this plan he decided on a whim...]

It was your idea, remember?

[But he doubts she even bothered with actually devising a plan, considering she followed his ideas and orders. Still, one question remains: how should they proceed with this, now? As far as domestic pork goes, almost the entirety of the pig's body can be consumed, so maybe the same applies to boars? Perhaps they should just bring these two corpses back to the inn and call it a day.

Before he can suggest that, however, another unseen animal makes its presence known with its meek cries. Distinctive, high-pitched cries of a young piglet.

Saito looks up at Mizuki, expectantly.]

There's more of them nearby.

1/2

[usarinpa]

[ The locals would probably know more about what can be used and what can't, so Mizuki is definitely okay with leaving that to them. For now, she is mentally bracing herself to do the physical labor of hauling the carcasses back to town when she perks up at the same time that Saito regards her with those demanding eyes.

Aiba would've known, she thinks. Aiba would've told me.

Other things she misses about Aiba right about now are her thermo mode. Without that as an option, however, Mizuki seeks the source of the noise the hard way. She appears on her guard and picks up her pipe along the way, taking gentle, slow steps in the dirt and grass. ]

[usarinpa]

Wha...

[ She can literally air leaving her lungs. When she sees there is no threat, however, her guarded posture visibly relaxes, though she has to move away some underbrush to get to the clearing where the sound is loudest.

In the clearing, squirming innocently, two piglets see Mizuki and instinctively back away and try to hide. ]

[parasaito]

[Saito lets her take the front-line again, half expecting this new presence to be inoffensive, given the characteristic babyish squeal from just a moment ago. Her startled sound has him getting up and striding over quickly to her side. Unlike her, though, he doesn't utter a single sound when he sees the tiny creatures.

Orphans, he thinks with some humor, they made these piglets orphans. Naturally, knowing the consequences beforehand wouldn't have changed Saito's mind either way, but...

He glances at Mizuki, gauging her reaction.]

... What do you wanna do with them?

[He can imagine what her response will be, but it doesn't hurt to ask — to pretend to care.]

[usarinpa]

[ How the hell is she supposed to know? They're not going to kill them, that's what. Yet she doesn't feel like anything good will come of taking them back to town. She frowns, though ultimately scoops both of them up with ease. She tucks them both underneath her arm like she's holding a couple of plushies. ]

Don't know. I'm gonna find a place for them, for now. I'll... I'll come back later after we deliver.

[ What are the chances of them staying in one place, or even surviving without help? Not likely. But she's going to give them a chance.

They're small enough that she could probably hide them in the trunk of a particular large tree. Failing that, perhaps there's a cave in the mountains nearby. Either way, the parents clearly aren't going anywhere. ]

[parasaito]

[In her attempt at giving them a chance to survive; she will also give him a different kind of chance.

This is probably the part where any decent person would offer to go with her because it's too dangerous to go out in the woods alone at night, but Saito has more important business to take care of later.]

You're in no condition to be wandering out here. Especially not at night. You can always come back early tomorrow after resting up.

[It's totally his fault she's hurt, but oh well. Just stay in the inn and sleep, so he can slip out quietly without her noticing, dammit!]

[usarinpa]

[ Man. He really does not know how to mind his own business. He doesn't just get to ghost for six years, suddenly gain back his memory and expect everything to be okay again. Pursuing Tearer, she needed him, but now...

She really doesn't have the energy to fight. She has to keep moving, else she could well collapse. ]

Come on. [ After making sure she's got her pipe and Evolver back on her person, walks toward the heavier-looking of the two boar carcasses, the male. ] Just because you don't have superstrength doesn't mean you can't help.

[ Ignoring his "concern," it's a quiet walk back into Aldrip. ]