Reassurance
Justifying their venture to the food tent as a means of locating Boqin, the duo did nonetheless find him at a table, munching on leafy greens and some sort of meat. Though he was always pale, he at least now had recovered some of his former strength, and was sitting upright, no longer in crippling pain. No doubt he had been visited by the pantherine doctor.
Pointing him out to Scout, Ljilja smiled in his direction and murmured, "There he is. He's looking better today."
Scout's gaze followed hers until she spotted him. Briefly, she wondered why she had not smelled him, but he had probably showered and thus rid himself of the sting of blood and hot decay that she had began to associate with his scent.
"Better than yesterday," she agreed.
Together, the two approached the counter and asked for their portions of food. In comparison to the last camp, there were now more food options to competitors. Ljilja asked for and received a bowl of stew, and Scout built her plate bland and sparse, with naught more than a few rolls on it.
Once they reached their seats—away from Boqin, assuming he preferred to eat alone—Ljilja once more approached the counter, this time to ask for hot chocolate and cookies. Surprisingly, she did not return empty-handed. She held a tray topped with plain biscuits and cups of rehydrated hot cocoa, and she brought them back to their table.
Scout had been struggling to hold down the roll she had just swallowed, her nausea overwhelming her. But on Ljilja's return, she recomposed herself, perking up her ears at the scent of the treats she bore.
"They really had it?" Scout asked rhetorically, reaching for a cup and tentatively taking a sip. Her tail began to wag behind her; even if her expression mostly remained the same, it was a dead giveaway for her internal joy.
"Mm-hmm!" Ljilja confirmed. She settled down and filled herself up on stew, taking the occasional sip of hot cocoa and bits of biscuit in between. It was a strange combination, but Ljilja had become accustomed to strange flavor combinations over the years.
Scout, for her part, had barely touched her food. The hot chocolate was about as much as she could manage, and even that felt like warm cement in her stomach. She pushed her plate of food away, to focus on the biscuits and cocoa.
"Are you not hungry?" she asked. Such a thing would be strange behavior for Scout.
Scout shook her head dismissively, trying to prevent Ljilja from becoming concerned. "'S not that," she answered, "just...'s kinda overwhelming here."
Ljilja looked around at the other competitors in the dining area, then to Scout. She did not understand, but there were many things she did not understand about the way Scout perceived the world.
"Should we go to the tent, then?" she asked.
After a confirmation nod from Scout, the two stood up again. Ljilja stacked the mugs and biscuits back in their places on the tray, then carried it with her. Surely, she reasoned, she would not want to be without them.
After returning to their tent and finishing off their treats, Scout noticed Ljilja cuddling up to her where they sat on the cot. They had chosen to sit together while they finished eating their snacks, but Ljilja kept drawing closer and closer.
"Tent's plenty big, there's enough room..." she murmured, trying to imply without offense. But Scout could never imagine saying something like 'get away' to Ljilja, even if she was uncomfortable.
"But close is better," Ljilja insisted.
'Better?' Where Scout had grown up, personal space was a sign of respect. It was constantly demanded and insisted upon as a practical ward against harm. And yet Ljilja insisted on going without it...because it was 'better'?
There was a long pause before Scout replied, "Alright."
Ljilja gleefully closed the gap, leaning against the wolfgirl. It made Scout stiffen up, but she took the countermeasure of drinking more hot chocolate as a distraction.
Between sips, Scout asked, "Is this...normal where you're from?"
Ljilja nodded emphatically. "Yes! We have a saying, something like...'Fish together, badness away...we together, sadness away.'" She rubbed her head against Scout's arm and smiled. "It is hard to stay sad like this."
Scout glanced at her, pondering her words. "Are you sad? ...do you regret coming here?"
Humming in thought, Ljilja answered, "It is scary...and I worry, for you and for Boqin, but...I am not sad. For me it ends at the finish line, and that is not so far away."
"You should worry about yourself, too, you know. It's not unusual for teammates to betray each other."
Ljilja shook her head no with conviction. "You would never do that to me. So we should stay close," she insisted. Then, she latched onto Scout's arm, hugging it near.
Scout stiffened up again, but agreed. "No, I couldn't bring myself to hurt you," she assured her.
Ljilja grinned and reached up with one of her hands, beginning to pet Scout's ears, which relaxed and drooped in response. So easily had Ljilja wriggled in to Scout's life that even a gesture such as this, once unthinkable, had come to be accepted.
What would happen after they reached the finish line?
Scout set her mug down on the floor and lay down on the cot. Ljilja did the same, shuffling up behind her and hugging her, burying her face between her shoulderblades.
With a shiver, Scout's tail went completely stiff. This, perhaps, was too much too soon. "Ljilja..." she muttered through her teeth, "You're...a bit close."
"That's the idea!" Ljilja exclaimed under her breath.
Scout sighed. She would likely not sleep tonight like this, but she couldn't bring herself to push Ljilja away. No matter; she would simply have to slip away when the fish had fallen asleep.
"Try to get some rest," she finally said, accepting her fate.
Ljilja squeezed her close before complying.
Pointing him out to Scout, Ljilja smiled in his direction and murmured, "There he is. He's looking better today."
Scout's gaze followed hers until she spotted him. Briefly, she wondered why she had not smelled him, but he had probably showered and thus rid himself of the sting of blood and hot decay that she had began to associate with his scent.
"Better than yesterday," she agreed.
Together, the two approached the counter and asked for their portions of food. In comparison to the last camp, there were now more food options to competitors. Ljilja asked for and received a bowl of stew, and Scout built her plate bland and sparse, with naught more than a few rolls on it.
Once they reached their seats—away from Boqin, assuming he preferred to eat alone—Ljilja once more approached the counter, this time to ask for hot chocolate and cookies. Surprisingly, she did not return empty-handed. She held a tray topped with plain biscuits and cups of rehydrated hot cocoa, and she brought them back to their table.
Scout had been struggling to hold down the roll she had just swallowed, her nausea overwhelming her. But on Ljilja's return, she recomposed herself, perking up her ears at the scent of the treats she bore.
"They really had it?" Scout asked rhetorically, reaching for a cup and tentatively taking a sip. Her tail began to wag behind her; even if her expression mostly remained the same, it was a dead giveaway for her internal joy.
"Mm-hmm!" Ljilja confirmed. She settled down and filled herself up on stew, taking the occasional sip of hot cocoa and bits of biscuit in between. It was a strange combination, but Ljilja had become accustomed to strange flavor combinations over the years.
Scout, for her part, had barely touched her food. The hot chocolate was about as much as she could manage, and even that felt like warm cement in her stomach. She pushed her plate of food away, to focus on the biscuits and cocoa.
"Are you not hungry?" she asked. Such a thing would be strange behavior for Scout.
Scout shook her head dismissively, trying to prevent Ljilja from becoming concerned. "'S not that," she answered, "just...'s kinda overwhelming here."
Ljilja looked around at the other competitors in the dining area, then to Scout. She did not understand, but there were many things she did not understand about the way Scout perceived the world.
"Should we go to the tent, then?" she asked.
After a confirmation nod from Scout, the two stood up again. Ljilja stacked the mugs and biscuits back in their places on the tray, then carried it with her. Surely, she reasoned, she would not want to be without them.
After returning to their tent and finishing off their treats, Scout noticed Ljilja cuddling up to her where they sat on the cot. They had chosen to sit together while they finished eating their snacks, but Ljilja kept drawing closer and closer.
"Tent's plenty big, there's enough room..." she murmured, trying to imply without offense. But Scout could never imagine saying something like 'get away' to Ljilja, even if she was uncomfortable.
"But close is better," Ljilja insisted.
'Better?' Where Scout had grown up, personal space was a sign of respect. It was constantly demanded and insisted upon as a practical ward against harm. And yet Ljilja insisted on going without it...because it was 'better'?
There was a long pause before Scout replied, "Alright."
Ljilja gleefully closed the gap, leaning against the wolfgirl. It made Scout stiffen up, but she took the countermeasure of drinking more hot chocolate as a distraction.
Between sips, Scout asked, "Is this...normal where you're from?"
Ljilja nodded emphatically. "Yes! We have a saying, something like...'Fish together, badness away...we together, sadness away.'" She rubbed her head against Scout's arm and smiled. "It is hard to stay sad like this."
Scout glanced at her, pondering her words. "Are you sad? ...do you regret coming here?"
Humming in thought, Ljilja answered, "It is scary...and I worry, for you and for Boqin, but...I am not sad. For me it ends at the finish line, and that is not so far away."
"You should worry about yourself, too, you know. It's not unusual for teammates to betray each other."
Ljilja shook her head no with conviction. "You would never do that to me. So we should stay close," she insisted. Then, she latched onto Scout's arm, hugging it near.
Scout stiffened up again, but agreed. "No, I couldn't bring myself to hurt you," she assured her.
Ljilja grinned and reached up with one of her hands, beginning to pet Scout's ears, which relaxed and drooped in response. So easily had Ljilja wriggled in to Scout's life that even a gesture such as this, once unthinkable, had come to be accepted.
What would happen after they reached the finish line?
Scout set her mug down on the floor and lay down on the cot. Ljilja did the same, shuffling up behind her and hugging her, burying her face between her shoulderblades.
With a shiver, Scout's tail went completely stiff. This, perhaps, was too much too soon. "Ljilja..." she muttered through her teeth, "You're...a bit close."
"That's the idea!" Ljilja exclaimed under her breath.
Scout sighed. She would likely not sleep tonight like this, but she couldn't bring herself to push Ljilja away. No matter; she would simply have to slip away when the fish had fallen asleep.
"Try to get some rest," she finally said, accepting her fate.
Ljilja squeezed her close before complying.