04th Anomaly . spam

[dinosize]

[ Stephen never quite relaxes. Even though he's in his element, even though it gives him a thrill every time breathing in the thick, pure air. Even as he finds himself smiling at the sun trickling down through the leaves. He can't quite stop expecting a monster to break the spell.

Find him:

At night, he makes campfire. Flickering light and shifting shadow. Follow the sight of the flames, the smell of wood smoke and cooking fish and meat. He will be close by his pack, rifle within easy reach, curled up in a hollow or against a log.

During the day: fishing. Careful hunting, making sure the shots he takes are to animals, not the little sentient bears or people from the Barge. (Try not to get in the way of a bullet, please, everyone.)

He pushes out and explores the forest.

Wades in the streams.

Swims in the pools, not particularly worried about nakedness. (This is probably the only time the rifle ends up away from his hands.)

Once, early on, he finds he's being followed by a group of creatures like little bears rustling the leaves around him. He calls out hello, and they burst out of their cover, brandishing spears. He raises his hands, slowly. - Help him? ]

Comments

[dinosize]

[ He doesn't ever quite relax his guard, and he senses, viscerally and suddenly, that he is being watched. Twists around, his hand going to the knife at his thigh -

And then relaxes, slowly. ]

Hello.

[ She did hurt someone. He wouldn't say he's totally at ease. But what he saw looked more like trauma to him than... evil. Not that he's at all sure he could recognize evil. ]

Out for some fresh air?

[versusnurture]

Hi.

[Her gaze snags on the knife like lace on a splinter. She bites her lip, then looks up at him, curious.]

Yes. I haven't really been . . . outside. In a while.

Did you catch anything?

[dinosize]

[ It's a hunting knife, not made for throwing or fighting, not really. It's the sort of thing you take along when you need something multipurpose. He wouldn't be much good with it in a fight, but it would be better than nothing.

LIttle shake of his head. ]

Just started.

[ His trousers are rolled up to the knee. Bare feet. One curled up in front of him, one still in the water. ]

I'd probably have more luck with game.

[versusnurture]

[She's quiet for a moment. Then, cautiously:]

I know how to hunt.

[Maybe this is the wrong thing to say. But she's struck with the sudden, intense desire to be useful.]

[dinosize]

I remember.

[ He lets out a fraction of a breath, and nods next to him, shifting over a little. ]

Do you want to try?

[versusnurture]

[Watching him like she's ready to bolt at any moment, she tries to determine whether he's trying to trick her. Everything about him thus far has seemed disturbingly genuine, though, so she nods and takes a step forward.]

Show me.

[dinosize]

[ He pulls the line back in. This is a pretty basic, compact sort of fishing pole, nothing special, just something he can take with him when he goes. ]

The bait's something that's more or less a worm. Might work, might not. [ He indicates a little pail next to him where a few more insects are squirming. ] Found them by turning over a log.

Small hook, small line. You see the knot? [ Secured onto the hook. It's small and precise, professional. The worm is dead, pierced on the hook four times. ] Now, I've seen a lot of them over there, where the current's slow. What's next - you cast it, like this - [ He demonstrates a sideways motion, like skipping a rock ] to the spot you'd like it.

Then you wait.

[ He offers her the pole. Best way to learn is by doing. ]

[versusnurture]

[She agrees. And while there are moments - more lately, coming with increasing frequency since she's been back - that she has lost time, this she can and does pay attention to closely.]

[When he offers the pole, she hesitates only for a moment before taking it. Rote motions. Simple tasks. It's no big deal. It won't hurt her or anyone else, except the fish.]

[She casts the line. She's seen this, both on television and on camping trips, but she's never actually done it. The line falls a little short of her intended target, the slower area, but it's not terrible and it didn't get caught in her hair or anything.]

[Her smile is very small, but it's a human gesture, at least. She glances at Stephen for approval.]

Should I recast it?

[dinosize]

[ Her smile draws an answering one, and he shakes his head. ]

No need. We can wait a few minutes here, and then recast. The moving water might help - it means the bait will keep moving, in the eyes of the fish. Otherwise, I'd say once in a while give it a twitch, move it a little. Just not so fast that they can't keep up.

[ This might be the most words he's strung together since getting on the Barge. And he doesn't mind it, at all; passing on the things he knows is one of the simplest ways there is to make the future a little better. He likes teaching, and he likes people who have the patience for learning. ]

The reason it didn't go as far as you wanted was the wrist. You're used to strength from the shoulder - rifles, right? There, the shoulder gives you a solid anchor. [ He pats his own shoulder, in demonstration. ] So your elbow and your wrist were a little stiff. Next time, try taking the strength from them. The pole's light, and it'll make your arm into sort of a spring, an unfolding force. [ He demonstrates the motion, again, this time a little exaggerated with elbow and wrist.

He's intent, with this. Not lit up with enthusiasm, but taking his time to explain, thoroughly - to guide. ]

[versusnurture]

[She nods, agreeing with what he's saying. No, she's not used to this - she's used to holding her strength elsewhere. It doesn't surprise her that her movements are stiff, either. It's not like she's had practice with much of anything lately other than following direction.]

[She flexes her wrists, trying to get a feel for the proper motion.]

There's no kickback, either. That's the other thing. I think I was waiting for it.

[After another moment, she twitches the line, just like he told her.]

[dinosize]

To shoot, you have to breathe. Hold the tension, and relax at the same time.

Here, the pole won't bite. [ An advantage!

And the twitch gets a smile from him. The fact that she's listening, implementing, analyzing. ]

Good. That's good.

[versusnurture]

[She grins at him - the pole won't bite, but I will - and plays around with it for a few more moments. Then she frowns, considering, and recasts. This time the bait lands in the appropriate eddy, and she grins.]

I think that was better.

[dinosize]

Yeah, you're getting it.

[ He leans back against the rock, bracing a leg up so that he's half-turned to face her. ]

Look.

[ They may not have bitten yet, but there are little eddies - there's movement. Something's attracted by the bait. ]

[versusnurture]

Oh.

[Her eyes grow wide as she watches the ripples in the water. Then they narrow as she calculates, times - and twitches the line again.]

[dinosize]

[ He's pretty confident that she'll get something. ]

When you pull it in, don't do it with the reel. Pull the rod back, dragging the fish along - and then tilt it forward while you reel in the slack. Got it?

[versusnurture]

Got it.

[And then, all of a sudden, something bites. She freezes, staring into the water - glances at Stephen - and then cautiously, slowly pulls the rod back.]

[dinosize]

Good, you're doing fine. Just keep going.

[versusnurture]

[She does as he's instructed - pulls the rod back some more, then tilts it forward and reels in the slack line. It's not as difficult as she expected, physically, and soon there's a little fish dangling at the end of the hook in front of her face. Maybe the span of her hand.]

[She frowns at it.]

Is it big enough to eat?

[dinosize]

[ He gives a little shrug. ]

We aren't worrying about chemicals or pollution here, or depopulating the stream. It's got a bit of flesh on it. You can keep it if you like.

[versusnurture]

[She gnaws her lip a little, watching it as it spins on the hook.]

It's funny. Animals are so . . . different. From people. It's wasteful to kill them without . . .

[Another sharp look at the fish. It's enough for a meal for her. She grabs the line and holds it close until the fish stops struggling.]

[dinosize]

With fish, you can always catch a few more. Bake them in the coals of a fire. It's hard to go wrong.

[ He's not going to touch the implied mention of killing people. This is simple and easy and he's probably not doing anything terribly wrong. ]

[versusnurture]

[She nods carefully, then cocks her head at him.]

Do you want it? Since you showed me.

[A present. An offering.]

[dinosize]

[ He shakes his head. ] No. This one's yours.

[versusnurture]

. . . Thank you.

[She tips her chin up at him.]

For showing me. And for not - [A frown. How to put it.] Being put off.

[dinosize]

You're a good student.

[ His way of saying you're welcome. It wouldn't have been really just of him anyhow; he's had days where he's been covered in blood and in shock, after all.

And it's nice to be listened to. It's not something that happens that often with Stephen. ]