“It’s like… the sky is the most welcoming part of the world. Always beautiful and always interesting. I’m never disappointed with what the sky has to offer me.” Charlotte’s voice had taken on a soft, dreamlike quality, as she stared up at the dark sky with the stars echoed in her eyes. “I often forget that the world can actually be beautiful.”
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"It sure can be." Rick glanced over at her, realizing how content and peaceful she looked. It warmed his heart to see her this way, and for a minute he just silently admired her, not wanting to disturb the tranquil moment.
Slash eyed the two of them, slowly gnawing on a bone, then coughed loudly and stood up. "I'm gonna go keep watch."
Rick jumped, hurriedly looking away from Charlotte. "Uh, sure son, thanks." He returned his gaze to the stars, hoping no one had noticed him staring at his friend like a fool.
Undisturbed by the exchange, Charlotte kept staring at the sky as Jessie slowly started drifting off to sleep next to Rick.
Charlotte was freefalling into her spiral of thoughts. They started poetic and mainly unintelligible, but soon morphed into an analysis of her current situation. She was calmly sat by a fire with one of the only two people in the world that she loved, letting her fall asleep only a mile out from one of the most dangerous places Charlotte had ever set foot in. She didn’t quite understand what she becoming, this trusting happy person, and she didn’t know how to react to herself. If she was honest with herself, Rick was a very special person. He’d earned her trust in only… about a week. That had never, ever happened before… she’d never let it happen before. What about Rick had been the exception?
Though this bothered her, she knew her instinct was reliable. And if her subconscious had allowed for such a connection to develop then she’d let it, for once.
She smiled to herself and, zoning back in, she looked over at Rick. He was staring up at the sky as well, looking troubled.
“You alright?” she asked him quietly, still with a trace of a smile.
"Hm? Oh, yeah. Just…..thinkin', is all." Rick shrugged a little, not sure what to say. He understood that his favorable status in Charlotte's eyes was very new and tentative, and the last thing he wanted was to disrespect that by saying or doing the wrong thing. "Just thinkin' about…..the plan for tomorrow, I guess. I feel like I'm as ready as I can be at this point."
She nodded, letting her gaze linger on Rick's face. "I understand. And… I have to thank you for coming all the way here with us. I wouldn't be here, with Jessie, without you. So, thank you." It felt liberating to swallow her pride, and tell Rick what she was thinking. Or at least, a part of it.
Rick looked over and smiled, his discomfort vanishing. "It's no trouble, don't you worry. I'm just glad I can help. I actually have to thank you for giving me the chance. I know you didn't think much of me when we first met, and I can understand why."
"I–" Was she going to keep talking? "I'm hard to read. You'd be surprised what I thought," she teased.
"I guess," he chuckled back. "But I could tell from the start you were a good person, and that's what matters. I'd always rather spend my time with good folks, even if the bad ones think they can offer me more."
Charlotte blinked. "Really? You think I'm a good person?"
Her heart stopped. She hadn't heard that said to her… ever. The most basic of compliments, and yet one of the rarest.
"Well….'course I do." Rick tilted his head. "You care about your family, and the well-being of strangers, and you don't do somethin' if you think it's wrong. Heck, you even made friends with a Deorn, and that ain't common. In my book, those all add up to a good moral character. Don't you agree?"
"I… haven't really thought about it that way. But if I'm a good person, then you're a damn angel, Rick," Charlotte said forcefully.
Rick laughed at that, but quietly so he didn't wake Jessie. "If you say so. I've made some pretty bad mistakes in my life, but I guess we all do sometimes. I think what's important is that we always keep tryin' to be better." Rick sighed, then shook his head. "Sorry, didn't mean to get all philosophical. Looks like supper's ready." Taking the kettle off the fire, he started dishing out the stew inside. "Hungry?"
"It's okay, it always makes for a quality conversation." She reached out her hand for a bowl. "I am, yes, please. And you?"
"Me? Very." Rick handed Charlotte a serving of stew and ladled himself a healthy portion as well. "You think we should wake Jessie too, or let her sleep and give her some of this for breakfast?"
« Let her sleep for now, she’s a bit of an insomniac, » Charlotte told him. She started on her dinner, staring into the fire. « This is good, actually, » she noted. « The soup . »
(I'll be working all day today so I won't be on much after this, fair warning)
"Sure is," Rick agreed. "We owe a lot to that Deorn kid now that he's doing the hunting. I think we coulda managed without him, but his methods are a lot quieter than using a gun, and faster than settin' a trap."
« That’s definitely true. They really aren’t the dangerous creatures people think, you know? I still remember when there was peace between us and them, » she reminisced. « It was a nice place to live back then. » She clicked her tongue.
"Yep. I mean, sure didn't hurt that most humans back then didn't even know Deorns existed, but there you go." He shook his head. "Seems like some people just can't figure out how to be tolerant of folks that are different from 'em. Yeah, they destroyed homes and ruined livelihoods, but it was us that forced 'em to go to war in the first place."
« There’s always a peaceful way to deal with things, » Charlotte said through a mouthful. « Learned that the hard way. »
She finished eating, and set her bowl down on the grass.
"It ain't an easy lesson to learn," Rick replied. "'Specially for young people. And I guess I'm one to talk…..bein' a mercenary and all…..but I'm only really in this line of work because it's what I know. That's why I perked up so much when we started talkin' about a farm." He put a lid on the remaining stew and set it over the fire again to keep it warm. Now that Jessie was asleep, he ventured to ask again. "Were you being serious when you said you'd like that, Charlotte? I understand if you were just goin' along with it for Jessie's sake…"
Charlotte kept her stare trained on the flickering firelight, intent on being honest now matter how much of an effort it’d take. « I haven’t had a family in nearly 20 years. A few days changed that. I don’t know if you realize how much that took, for me. So yes. I was being completely serious. »
Rick was silent for a minute as he absorbed her words. He could tell she wasn't speaking lightly. "I am honored to be a part of it," he said softly. "This family, I mean. I promise I'll do everything I can to keep us safe and happy." Even if it means leaving someday. The unwanted thought broke into his head as he spoke, bringing memories of his old family down south and their bitter arguing. He fell silent, trying to convince himself that what happened before wouldn't happen again, not with these people. But the nasty, unfamiliar murmur of doubt still lingered in the back of his mind, and his gaze dropped from Charlotte to the slumbering fire.
He fell silent, and she wondered why. Maybe he wanted the conversation to end? She let it, unsure about what to say.
"Okay, well we've got to be in shape tomorrow so I'm going to sleep now." Is that okay? Do you want me to stay up? Do you want to talk?
Rick glanced up again with his usual good-natured expression. "Sounds like a good plan. I think I'll sleep too." He was still a bit upset by the intrusive thoughts nagging him, but figured that he was just tired, and that his mood would lighten again by morning. Using his backpack as a pillow, he laid down in the long prairie grass nearby. "G'night, Charlotte."
« Goodnight, Rick. »
Charlotte shut her eyes against her anxious thoughts, and went to sleep quickly enough.
Rick closed his eyes as well, and sleep came for him just as swiftly.
One they were both quiet, Slash–who'd been sitting in the darkness just across the creek–now raised his head and eyed the humans silently. He could easily tell that Rick and Charlotte were becoming closer friends every day, and it made him restless. The instinct to give them space was growing stronger as well, and the more primitive part of his brain warned that they might attack if Slash got between them. But the other part of him didn't want to leave. He liked having friends, and feeling useful to them. He had a feeling that if he returned to solitude again, that solitude would remain for far too long.
So, he did nothing, just let out a slightly bitter breath and went back to watching the moon rise.
(I guess we can skip to the morning next, unless you have other plans)
(no morning is fine)
Charlotte woke to Jessie stoking a fire.
The girl was sat cross legged, tongue sticking out, her ponytail dangling dangerously close to the flame.
Charlotte yawned, and sat up.
"Your hair, Jess."
The girl jumped and looked up, her hair flicking aside.
Rick heard Charlotte speak and drifted into consciousness, sitting up sleepily. Slash was already out hunting, it seeemed, despite the early hour. Rick yawned and put on his hat, which had fallen off in the night. "Mornin'. We left some stew for you last night, Jessie, did you find it?"
She nodded and intently returned to the fire.
« Good morning there Rick. Good sleep? » Charlotte murmured, crawling closer to the fire to warm up.