picknicking

[dark_light]

There's something unutterably pleasant about landing in a bit of woods in the middle of Nowhere, Manitoba, removing a sandwich and an apple from her backpack and having a picnic before she's ready to move on. She could eat in midair, but it makes it too likely that she'll drop something and find it unrecoverable.

Path's on her knee, and her cloudpine is propped up against the tree next to her.

Comments

[prodigal_miser]

"Hmmm. We haven't managed a formal census, but... Over twenty thousand, or so," he winces.

[dark_light]

"Okay, for reference, Earth has more than six billion people on it."

[prodigal_miser]

"Yeah. We had around two billion," he says, softly. "Before."

[dark_light]

"That's... shit."

[prodigal_miser]

"Yes."

[dark_light]

"On that scale twenty thousand is a narrow escape. How did you get out?"

[prodigal_miser]

"I made a really big shield, and held it for as long as I was physically capable of doing. My sister went out to collect as many as she could, and bring them back to the shield. I hit mana deprivation at some point three days in and I don't remember much after that. After the fact, I heard that other mages worked together to do the same thing I'd been doing, and some others managed to make a portal, and we ran."

[dark_light]

"Do you want a hug?"

[prodigal_miser]

"... Yeah, I think so."

[dark_light]

Hugs.

[prodigal_miser]

Hugs indeed.

[dark_light]

Path glides off of her head and makes a soft trilling noise at Vernaia.

[prodigal_miser]

Vernaia trills back, sitting up a little.

[dark_light]

"C'mere. Hugs are nicer if the entire person is hugging," Path opines.

[prodigal_miser]

"Are they?" she asks, surprised. She does come there, though! Hugs?

[dark_light]

Wingful snuggles! Tentative preening.

[prodigal_miser]

Wingful snuggles are returned. Preening? Oh goodness, Vernaia's a bird. She knows preening, too! That's also returned, just as tentatively.

Adarin relaxes, just a little, in the hug. He looks at Vern and Path curiously, then laughs a bit when he sees them cuddling.

[dark_light]

"Daemons do that. Parallel socializing."

[prodigal_miser]

"It's bewilderingly adorable," he says. "And also nice."

[dark_light]

"It wouldn't work as well if we didn't have reasonably compatible daemons. Ranata has a hummingbird and Charlie a wolverine; they have a bit of a hard time."

[prodigal_miser]

"Ah, I see. That's rather unfortunate for the both of them, because this is still nice."

[dark_light]

"It can get worse! Some people wind up with really inconvenient daemons. They don't get too big - you can have, say, an elephant, but it'll come out pygmy - but they can be aquatic. Or poisonous."

(Ongoing hugs. She has plopped her head on his shoulder.)

[prodigal_miser]

"Oh good heavens. I love my lovely magic talking bird very much. She's not poisonous, or aquatic, or any of a number of inconvenient things."

(He smiles a little, when she plops her head onto his shoulder. Hugs continue to be returned. Adarin seems comfortable just hugging, apparently.)

[dark_light]

"Birds are great. Witches all have them - Path wanted to be a little dragon, maybe, but we didn't feel properly a witch till he found a bird he wanted to stay."

"Or a firefly. A dragon or a firefly," says Path.

"Or a firefly, but I would have been so annoyed if you'd been a bug. They're decorative but they can't do anything."

"I liked to glow. But I like being an owl, too."

[prodigal_miser]

"Aww. Now I'm put out because I couldn't see a little dragon daemon," he says, amused. "Vern, I think we missed out on things because we got here late."

"I like being a kagu. I think I might have liked to fly, but this feels right," replies Vern. She makes a happy noise and cuddles Path.

Adarin tilts his head to look at the pair. "Fair enough. I do think owl suits you, Path. The small adorable fluffiness is a plus."