(hugs)
"Naw, not in the war. None of us kids saw any action until Dad started the mercenary thing when we were teens. And we really only worked for ourselves, so it didn't count." He gave a slightly bittersweet smile. "I remember our very first job. My little brother Hank almost got himself killed by some guy with a railroad spike. He was lucky to walk out of that tussle with only an eye missin'. Dad near went berserk when he saw what had happened. He took the guy who did it and–" Rick broke off and cleared his throat. "Well. It weren't pretty. But it sorta set the tone for our line of work. I guess it wasn't much different from actually fightin' in the war, at the end of the day."
(I got too into my acting facepalm)
"Doesn't sound like it." The way he phrased it made it seem like he was younger than she was… but she didn't ask. "I said it once, I'll say it again: parents are right idiots."
(Oh jeez lol I strive every day to get that deep into character XD All I do is casual rp tho so there's not much point)
"Heh. They sure can be. Our ma was real sweet though. Ruled the house with an iron fist, but made sure everybody was fed and happy every day. I miss her a lot more than Dad, if I'm bein' honest."
(The song I was acting to though is excellent, so it's easier to relate)
"My mother was naive and weak," Charlotte said bluntly. "The only honourable member of my family is probably my father."
(ah yeah I'll bet that helped)
Rick raised his eyebrows just slightly as he absorbed her words. "Well, that's too bad. Folks without honor sure seem common these days." He glanced at her, his expression not at all confrontational, but oddly piercing even so. "And you, Miss Charlotte? Would you say you're an honorable person?"
Charlotte avoided looking at him, staring at her feet as she stepped, stepped, stepped again. "No."
Rick considered her for a moment longer before nodding and facing forward again. "An honest answer deserves respect. That's what dad always used to say. I certainly can't cast any judgement on you in my current situation. Besides, I don't think there's anybody out there who's perfect anymore." He shrugged, watching the sun set.
"Do you?" she asked after a moment, genuinely curious. Rick was strangely hard to read, and she wanted to have more insight on who he was.
"Well, not really. Times like these, you gotta do things to survive that you can't help but regret. And those that had the privilege to avoid that struggle–they never got a chance to sympathize with the people below 'em, so in the end they do the same twisted stuff but without the guilt. I used to think there was some way to know right from wrong, but the truth is, it just depends on where you're standin'. There's not any good or bad…just living and dying, loving and hating. You can choose how you wanna act, but you can't change anybody else." He shrugged again, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess I'm startin' to ramble, huh? That's just my way of looking at things, you don't have to agree with me."
Definitely smarter than he looks. "But there is an ethic. There is an elementary difference between right and wrong or good and bad, no matter the emotion behind it. It isn't fair to think that the lines are blurred just because of a viewpoint."
(oof I gtg to supper)
"No, you gotta point. I mean, I ain't saying that killin' puppies is something a good person would do. But I have come to understand that people won't do anything if they can't justify it. It don't matter what anyone else thinks. If someone can tell themselves a story that makes killing baby animals the right thing to do, they'll do it. Maybe they gotta feed their family. Maybe the puppies lost their mother and woulda died anyway. There's always more goin' on under the surface than you'd think, and personally, I don't feel like I have the wisdom to decide what's right or wrong. But like I said, that's just my opinion."
Charlotte raised her eyebrow at his example, but moved on. "Alright, well I see your argument."
They walked along a snaking dirt road, scuffling along in the falling daylight.
After a while, Rick broke the silence again. "I s'pose we should find a place to camp before it gets too dark to see, huh?"
(wooh exam 1 is over with)
Charlotte nodded, already scanning the surroundings. "Do you know a place?" she asked distractedly.
(hurrah XD How many are there in all?)
Rick paused, trying to remember where he'd camped on the way here. "Mmm, not really, I took a different route so I ain't too familiar with this road. Looks like there might be some good spots up ahead, though." He nodded to where the river wound back to follow the road. A line of trees stood along the banks, the only decent cover for miles.
(seven)
"Looks convincing," Charlotte nodded, making for the treeline indicated by Rick. "How hungry are you?" she asked Rick as they approached cover.
(ooofff)
"Oh, I'm always hungry," Rick replied ruefully. "What about you?"
With a nostalgic smile Charlotte shook her head. "I rarely eat, actually."
Rick did a double-take. "You what now? Ma'am, I ain't here to cast doubt on your personal choices, but eatin's one of life's simple joys! You at least brought somethin' for the road, didn't you?"
"Of course!" she quickly answered. "I eat to survive is all, not a crumb more."
She gave a small shrug. "I'm not used to anything else."
Rick nodded, looking genuinely heart-broken by her remark, as if she'd just told him about some great tragedy. "Well…to each their own, I s'pose." He walked a little further into the trees and found a sandy space that was free of brush. "Here looks like a good spot, wouldn't you say?"
"Fine by me," she replied, slightly guilty at his crestfallen expression.
She dropped her bag on the ground and sat on the ground with a sigh, laying down and looking up at the dark sky. "It's a warm night."
"Sure is." Rick set down his own bag and went looking for firewood. "Very different from yesterday. If it weren't for the high water on the river I'd say there hadn't been a storm at all."
Charlotte sat up and assisted in firewood, also gathering stones and bark. "Do you do far trekks like this one a lot in your, ah, line of work.?"
"Pretty much a none-stop lifestyle fer me at this point." Rick put the firewood in a neat stack and started trying to make a spark with his flint and steel. "Back when I was part of the group, we had a certain route we took every summer to get to all our usual clients. Nowadays I try to avoid it, though. Don't want any unpleasantness from my brother. Lately I've just been bouncin' around from one rough neighborhood to another since that's where the most work is. I've camped in just about every terrain you can think of." He took out a small frying pan from his backpack and tossed some dried roots and a sprinkle of water into it, holding it over the fire to warm it up. "It's kinda tough sometimes, but I like it."
Setting down a generous handful of birch bark, Charlotte watched him cook. "I've got some protein of you like," she offered after a minute.
"Why, thank-you, don't mind if I do. What kind of protein?"
Reaching into her bag, she pulled out two containers: one bag of pistachios and another plastic box of a dark coloured stew.
Lifting the box, she said, "White fish and black beans."
Rick grinned. "Sounds quite wholesome, thank-you! You're welcome to some of these fried greens, if you'd like to trade."
(how would you like to critique an Axel x Charlotte I've just written)
"Sounds like a deal," she said with a calm contentedness. She handed him the box and tugged open the bag of pistachios, popping a couple into her mouth.
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