forum Let's hope this stays alive (O/O)

Started June 03, 2025 by @Avhira-The-Eldritch-Horror group

tune

“Nice shot.” Charlie encouraged, placing her hand on Irae’s shoulder. “I don't think I have much to teach you about using a bow after all.”

Irae smiled. "Thanks- I prefer getting close in a fight, but I have an understanding of most weapons. The main thing was knowing how to remain unseen by the animals. I'm not exactly the most stealthy."

“Me too,” Charlie admitted. “Stealth isn’t a problem for me but upfront fighting is also something I’m good at.” she shrugged. “With hunting, the trick is figuring out the wind.”

Irae nodded. "That makes sense. That should be more than enough meat to make a nice dinner tonight, right?"

“I think so.” Charlie nodded, moving out from their hunting spot. “Ready to show off your first successful hunt to our companions?” she smirked.

Irae nodded, standing up and grabbing the birds, turning in the direction of the camp. "You'll have to teach me how to clean them up."

“No problem.” Charlie nodded, her tail flicking in satisfaction at their hunt as she led the way back to their camp. “How do you think the others are doing?”

Irae shrugged. "Probably fine. We haven't been long for long." She said, carrying the birds in one hand and the bow in the other.

“Yeah, that’s true.” Charlie nodded. “Plus Elric seems like he’s been on more than his fair share of adventures and Daisy’s smart, she probably knows how to stay out of trouble.”

Irae nodded again. "Daisy was getting us water, right? Think she found any?"

“She probably did.” Charlie shrugged. “I think Elric mentioned a nymph, so if there’s water nearby, the nymph would know. So, the question is if the nymph is friendly or mischievous, or even responsive.”

Irae nodded. "Nymphs are so different, person to person." She agreed, as the entered the clearing again.

“So are many people.” Charlie added, seeing Elric waiting patiently for the rest of the group to return with a fire crackling among the rocks they arranged earlier.
(I’ll leave it up to you if Daisy has returned yet or not)

Daisy sat away from the fire, glancing up as the others entered the clearing. "Found a nymph, got water." She said, turning back to the leafs and berries on the rock in front of her.
Irae nodded. "Yeah, they are. I guess that's something everyone has in common." She said, setting the birds and the bow against a rock and waiting for Charlie to show her how to clean and cook them.

Charlie nodded with a small hum as she sat down, grabbing one of the birds. “That's great, Daisy. Rae had her first successful hunt. We got two game birds for dinner.” she replied, flashing a grin back at Irae.

“Congratulations, Rae!” Elric said warmly. “Between the three of you, I’m feeling a bit superfluous.” he chuckled.

Daisy smiled. "Good job, Rae!"
To Elric, she said. "You made sure the fire didn't burn anything it wasn't supposed to. That's more important than a bit of extra water."
Irae smiled, feeling proud of herself. "Thanks. It helped that I've shot a bow before, even if I'm not as good with it as my sword."

Elric smiled softly at Daisy and nodded gratefully. “I don't know about more important but I thank you all the same.”

“I think you’re better than you think.” Charlie smirked, patting the ground next to her. “These birds aren't the easiest targets.”

Daisy nodded softly. She was getting tired, less talkative.
Irae grinned. She was getting more expressive. "Thank you. I'm glad I was able to get one. How do you prepare them?"

“Would you like a hand with that?” Elric offered, gesturing towards the berries Daisy had in front of her.

Charlie smiled, patting the ground again, hinting for Irae to take a seat. “Well, I was thinking of just roasting them but… first we gotta take the heads and the feathers off.” she admitted with a shrug.

"Nope! I found some medicinal berries on my way back, I'm just grinding them to a paste. It has to be don't carefully, cause the tiny seeds inside are poisonous, so I have to be sure not to get any in." Daisy said, watching her work carefully.
"Alright. I can get the feathers off! Or take the heads off. Or both." Irae offered.

“Ah!” Elric nodded. “Well, I’d hate to mess that up so I’ll leave the medical experience to you. All I can do in that field is a little healing touch spell.” he shrugged, stirring the fire.

Charlie raised a brow at Irae’s… was that eagerness? She wasn't sure. “Alright. Whichever works for you. They’re already dead so it doesn't really matter. Though taking the feathers off takes longer. But personally, I struggle with taking the heads off.” she admitted as she tucked her hair back.

Daisy nodded, focusing back on her work. She sperated the seeds and crushed the berries, bottling the juice and pull.
Irae wasn't eager, but she was glad to be of help. She appreciated feeling like more than a dead weight. "Which needs to be done first?"

Charlie shrugged at the question. “I don't know how much it really matters but I prefer to remove the feathers first.” she admitted. “It's a little messier doing that after decapitating.”

"Alright, I'll help with that, then I can take the heads off, if you don't want to. Show me how to get the feathers off?" Irae asked.

“Of course.” Charlie nodded. “It's actually pretty easy. Just a bit time-consuming.” she admitted as she began demonstrating how to pluck the feathers. “One time I tried just burning them off, but it still left all the little “feather bones” behind and it was harder to take those out on their own.”

"Yeah, I can see how they would be." Irae noted, copying Charlie as she plucked the feathers.
".. what do we do with the feathers afterwards?"

“Honestly, I don't do anything with them.” Charlie admitted with a shrug. “If there is anything that can be done with them, I don't know it. Nature can find good uses though. I bet plenty of animals use these for nesting.”

"Alright."
She fell quiet, focusing on the work. She moved fast, but careful.

The next couple of days on the road, before they reached the village of Sunvien, passed fairly smoothly and similarly. Charlie tried to teach Irae more about posing as a mortal when they were alone, like how certain things worked, what to expect from people, and just things that she had personally experienced in hopes of preparing her for more interactions.

Irae had picked up on some things much easier than others, and was still blunt as she spoke, but would pass as mortal. Daisy grew excited sometimes, as she found medicinal plants along the route.
At the village, Irae stayed close to Charlie, watching their surroundings closely.