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Darkest Night [DragonSong] [M]

Started by Zero, March 30, 2017, 12:12:18 PM

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Zero

Cole did his best to shrug off the awkwardness, but probably just made things even more awkward with the tension that had swiftly returned to him once they'd gotten out of bed. The drow had always hated dreaming, because dreams meant nightmares, but since Zahra had entered his life it seemed like the only place he found himself truly at ease was within those strange dreams she somehow shared with him.

"Normal? That's a loaded question, depends on what part of Adela you're in. Around here we're probably looking at a very meat-heavy breakfast. They get a lot of their food from wild game that's been hunted in the forest. Not a whole lot of farming in this area." Cole frowned softly, wondering what Zahra actually liked to eat. With the group she had little choice but gruel.

He sat down at an empty table and looked towards the bar. The girl that was wiping down the counter smiled at them. "You folks looking breakfast? We've got little wild boar sausages and fried eggs this morning."

DragonSong

"Oh gods, real food," Zahra couldn't keep herself from murmuring, gratitude and relief plain in her tone. She actually managed a quick, genuine grin in Cole's direction as she sat across from him at the table. "Perhaps I won't be so useless here then. I may know little about farming, but I can hunt."

She thought briefly of her bow, still with their other things upstairs. And of course that made her think of how he'd gone back for it, when he'd had no reason to. When it was honestly more of a risk for him than anything else.

With a sheepish sort of look in his direction, she tried to push it from her mind. She couldn't think about that without thinking about— "So...what exactly is a boar?" she asked, voice lowered and cheeks flushing slightly.

Zero

"Two of the breakfast please." Cole shot Zahra and amused look at her comment about real food. Of course he couldn't blame her, the camp food had been less than appetizing. He turned and smiled at the barmaid.

"Hunting is a useful skill, I'm not really used to hunting animals..." The drow frowned and looked down at the table, feeling the weight of those uttered words - and the ones left unspoken. Cole had hunted humans not beasts. It was a thought that twisted that knife of guilt deep in his gut. He didn't want to think about it and her question was a welcome distraction.

"A boar is a kind of wild pig. They're plentiful in the forests around here, along with deer, rabbits, squirrels, and some birds that are good eating." He shrugged his shoulders and kept his eyes on the table. Thankfully the woman brought out two plates piled with two fried eggs and three decent sized little sausages each.

"Enjoy your breakfast." She said cheerfully as she set the plates in front of them before retreating back to continue her chores.

DragonSong

Zahra stiffened just a bit at that, hearing the words unspoken as clearly as the ones said aloud. But she tried to dismiss it with a breath and nodded slowly. "Well...I could teach you. If you wanted," she offered quietly.

She nodded along as he began describing the local fauna, listening intently. He wouldn't lift his eyes from the table, which set that heaviness against her chest again, but she couldn't exactly say she was unused to it at this point.

The smell of food nearly had her perking her ears up like a dog, and she flushed as her stomach grumbled in anticipation. With a heartfelt, "Thank you," she dug in.

Zero

"Yeah, maybe." Cole wasn't sure exactly how different hunting animals was from hunting people, but he was sure that he could learn fairly easily. Being a killer of beasts was certainly better than being a killer of men, but he just felt heavy. It had to become easier, these feelings had to become easier to bear, right? He didn't really know, but only time would answer that question.

Watching Zahra from his peripheral without looking up from the table, he was glad to see how quickly and enthusiastically she dug into her meal. Neither of them had eaten great in the past weeks, this was a huge improvement.

Cole pulled his plate a little closer and started eating more slowly. The sausages were savory with mild seasonings that complimented the natural flavor of the meat, and the dash of salt and pepper on the eggs was just right. It was delicious and he couldn't help but hum approvingly with the first few bites.

"We'll have to try to keep enough coin so that we can afford to eat like this pretty often. So much better than camp food." He smeared his sausage in the yoke, wondering how many times a week they should try to stay at an inn just for the food. Beds were definitely nice, but hot meals were even better.

DragonSong

Zahra made a vehement noise of agreement around her mouthful of food, before she managed to actually swallow her bite and nod. "I have never had food like this," she proclaimed with an almost self-deprecating little smile.

It was entirely possible that gnawing hunger had something to do with it, or the occasional giddy swoop she got in her stomach whenever she remember that this was real, she was free, but something about the simple dish of sausage and eggs was simply the best thing she'd ever tasted.

But ah yes. Coin.

Her brow furrowed a bit and she ate her next few bites a little slower, both considering and trying not to make herself sick. "How are we going to make money?" she murmured, lowering her voice a bit. "I mean...I'm a healer, but I only know desert herblore. Most--if not all--of what I know is going to be next to useless out here."

Zero

"I'm sure your knowledge of desert herblore will still be a good base to start with, you can always learn about the native plants as we go." Cole didn't want her to be discouraged, she could definitely find a way to support herself outside of the desert.

"I'm sure I can pick up manual labor jobs if we stop anywhere for even a few days." He sighs and eats a few more bites, thinking over their options. "Hunting can give us food to eat and money from selling pelts and parts, if we can manage it. I'm sure between the two of us we could figure it out. After all, I'm already a decent shot with a bow."

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