projectroxas | (no subject)

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[ it had been five days full of nothing but silently following robert along, knowing their path yet allowing the younger boy to take the lead due to his mood. who could blame him, though? he was already well aware of robert and annabelle having a close-knit relationship, one that nobody (not even himself) could wiggle their way into. despite being quite inept to the full extent of the bond the two siblings had, he was perceptive enough to realize that their parting had been quite different than their usual. this is why he ceased the typical banter he always initiated, whether it be with good intent or not.

when robert had finally spoken and begun to say more than a discussion of their plans, he knew that his neighboring prince had begun to settle back into place. dare he say it was a comfort of sorts, despite being the one that needed to be extra strong and encouraging. and with that hurtle behind them, the elder of the two moved to his rightful position once more: on robert's left side, striding next to him as if they're simply taking a walk and nothing more. he subtly kept his pace slower than usual as to not pass the boy, using the map robert had previously pilfered from the archives as a silent excuse to keep their position leveled and even, as they had finally reached territory that both of them weren't completely familiar with.

keeps to their comfortable silent for a while longer. stops in his tracks when a thought hits him and pauses. face is rather straight as he says: ]

I'm hungry.

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[ sighs underneath his breath, handing robert his dagger. ]

Perhaps we should have brought a woman along.

[ accepts the blade without complaint. ]

Or better yet, a chef.

[ nods sadly in agreement. ]

A chef would have been nice.

[ stares down at the deer in further silence, then heaves out an exasperated breath. ]

. . . Indeed. [ bends down, resting a hand on the animal. draws the dagger back out. ] Gather firewood. I have, at least, skinned before.

[ makes a face, unable to refuse the order, though he can't help but mutter underneath his breath as he disappears elsewhere: ]

Here's to rations of only jerky in the future.

[ gives the deer another long look, then also murmurs some words under his breath. gets to work shortly afterward, methodologically working through the steps. leans back with a soft sigh when he's finished, handling the pound of meat he's freed away from the rest of the mess. wipes the blood off the dagger on the grass next to him & continues to stare down at their supposed meal-to-be with a blank expression.

... all the while wishing he had paid a little closer attention to the survival classes his tutors had attempted to drill into him. ]

[ does his own work a little sluggishly, able to finally drag his feet a little without having to keep up appearances for the sake of his pride. when he's had his fill of both groaning childishly and gathering the firewood he turns to stroll back to robert, placing what he could find to the side in silence. ]

[ looks up at the other prince when riku returns, not moving from his crouched position. ]

We may as well camp here tonight.

[ squats down next to him, side-glancing robert after another moment to himself to repeat: ]

May as well indeed.

[ then starts to situate the firewood, careful to place it into a spot that would not result in burning down the entire forest. ]

[ while he helps himself to one of the longer & sturdier looking sticks to begin impaling the cut meat. once he's finished, he finally gets to his feet while holding onto the meat-on-a-stick with both hands. ]

If we can successfully prepare this, I will consider tonight a victory.

[ looks at robert's awkward hold on that meat, opening his mouth to say something to that. promptly shuts it as he decides that it's just not worth the time and effort (and pain) involved. just begins to light the fire instead. ]

And if we shall fail?

[ grunts & adjusts the weight a little while peering down impatiently at riku's progress with that fire. ]

We've a choice between dried bread, dry crackers, dried fruit, and jerky.

[ lights the fire half-way through robert's previously stated speech. looks defeated as he says: ]

I take it back. That is a feast for none.

[ shifts again. ]

It will be a feast for one if you do not cease your complaints.

[ gestures to the slowly growing fire. ]

Oh, pay no mind to me. After you.

[ stares at the fire for a moment, then sets his jaw. marches on over to... awkwardly hold the meat over the flames, his hands positioned at the furthest end of the stick to prevent them from overheating too quickly. ]

[ plants his hands behind himself, leaning his weight on them as he watches robert quietly. after a moment of complete silence he speaks, as if he were not involved in these shenanigans at all. ]

Looks tough.

[ his concentration broken, he looks up. stares blankly to take in riku's position for a moment, his comprehension slow. but eventually, he scowls & snarls: ]

Yes. Quite. Would you like to lend a hand?

[ would make some more of his typical jabs if not for the fact that he feels like his face is going to be best friends with that meat soon. just sighs and stands, stepping around the fire to take the item in question from robert without another word. ]

[ gladly releases the load off into riku's hands, stepping back to roll & massage at his shoulders some. glances down at the state of his hands afterward & exhales quietly. ]

During your search for firewood. Have you seen, or heard, a stream nearby?

[ wordlessly points in the direction he had previously came from without looking up, too busy concentrating on his (difficult, apparently) task. ]

[ ignores the ache in his stomach as he marches off in that direction, shaking off whatever blood he still can. flexes his fingers & frowns at the rapidly drying blood. glances around with more purpose after that, listening for the trickle of water -- finds it after another solid minute of searching, whereupon he scrubs roughly at his hands to free themselves of the animal gore & blood.

once finished, he's trekking back to their makeshift campsite, making a beeline for the fire, meat & riku. peers at it. ]

Well?

[ when he hears that "well" he doesn't say anything for a while. lifts it up away from the fire when he feels ready enough to, examining the meat with a weary eye. another pause, and then: ]

... I cannot say for sure.

[ gives the meat another long look, then settles himself down on the grass. reaching for his pack, he draws out some crackers, munching on them woefully while waiting for this disaster to complete itself. ]

[ and he just goes back to his work, shifting the meat a little when he notices that one side was beginning to look a little more black than he had planned. it is only when the edges are either some shade of dark brown or charcoal that he pulls it away, yet again making a face at it. turns to robert, pointing at a side that looks a little less burnt than the rest. ]

Perhaps this side is safe to eat.

[ though he sounds highly unsure of himself despite the straight face. ]