Private Tales There is Only One Motion

[Samantha Black]

She wasn't entirely sure either, but where Eli was quickly losing his capacity for consciousness, Ralene had begun to realize she was quite famished. Good thing she'd swiped some food from the mess hall before heading down here.

"Okay-" she replied, nudging at his skull with her forehead, "let's move back to the camp first though. I'm hungry."

Pretty soon she'd be cold, too, and their campfire was snuffed from her crash landing. Feth.

Ral attempted to disentangle herself from him only to find the weight of the Initiate nearly fully upon her. "Eli..." she groaned and rolled her eyes into a bemused smirk. Not the first time she'd dealt with a fully depleted Eli. Probably wouldn't be the last. No matter - as with before, Ral shifted and hooked her arms under both of his to lift them over her shoulders. Her hands grasped him by the upper arm as she leaned forward and pulled him with her.

A grunt, a deep cringe as her legs burned against the effort from the untended remnants of her transformation, Ralene slowly but surely hoisted the boy up onto his feet with her, "When did you get so damn heavy..."

When did she get so damn weak? Fuck this business of arcane alterations was for the goddamn birds. With a stiff breath and adjusted him again to just one arm over her shoulder, anchoring him there with her grip while her other arm snaked around his waist ... and up the shore they went to return to the camp area, the bedmats, and the smoking campfire.

 

[Elias]

Certainly, it won't be the last time he'd lean on her. Eli couldn't say exactly when he'd started to think that Ralene was so comfortable to be around. It had just happened.

"You callin' me fat?" he asks with fake hostility.

Comfortable enough to make jokes with. Be vulnerable with.

"I'm not Sable... and you're a strong bitch. You'll..." Eli's mouth gapes as a long, loud yawn interrupts his chattering. "—Ah! You'll be fine."

He did his best to make it easy on her. At least he didn't drag his feet through the sand and properly lifted his feet in step with her until they reached the smoldering remains of the campfire.

 

[Samantha Black]

She was, indeed, fine. Reaching the bedrolls nearby the campfire, Ralene deposited her companion on one and left his side to strike up fire anew. Funny how the one, single Initiate that should have been able to do it with a mere snap of his fingers wasn't the one doing the job. Either way, starting a fire wasn't exactly a foreign skill. She had flames caught and devouring fresh firewood in short order.

Ral took the spot between Eli and the campfire, sprawling beside him on her stomach to fish the pilfered foodstuffs from her rucksack for a bite. If he intended to sleep, she'd produce one of the journals she'd been reading as well.

Didn't mind the silence. In fact sometimes she found she preferred it. It was easy to hold comfortable silence with Eli which was perhaps one of the reasons she enjoyed his company so much. Zero expectations.

 

[Elias]

Rolling onto his back after being plopped down, Eli turns his head to watch Ral work. And when she begins to sift through the contents of the sack, the boy perks up. Props himself on his side, resting on an elbow.

"Gimme some."

 

[Samantha Black]

No need to tell him to say please. There was but a pinch of manners between the two of them and she'd never seen the point in spreading it thin. Use it where it actually mattered or not at all. At least he knew better not to take her food - one too many clobberings for trying.

Presently eating a roll, Ral pulled another from her bag and promptly stuck it in his mouth. No need to ask what he wanted either. Food was food.

"Got some cheese and jerky, too," she said, thumbing a page over while she read.

 

[Elias]

Elias deftly caught the roll in his mouth as it was thrust at him. Fluffy. Fresh. It would've been perfect if given a few seconds above the fire. He wonders for a moment how she acquired the treat. Ral doesn't steal without reason. Perhaps she patched a pot or pan for the kitchens.

"Fancy," he says and lets his gaze fall on the fire.

The unfamiliar bite of cold perturbs the Initiate, but he doesn't hate it. Pain and discomfort kept him grounded. Though often he felt it, he wasn't invincible.

Eli twists his neck and quietly watches Ralene's eyes slowly sweep side-to-side as she reads. Raises the bread to her lips for a greedy bite. He stuffs the remainder of his roll in his mouth and lays flat on his side. A heavy weight pulls on his eyelids, which begin to stubbornly flutter as he tries to keep them open to watch his companion. She thumbs to the next page.

Maybe she says something to him, but Elias is already out cold.

 

[Samantha Black]

A greedy bite that almost nabbed a finger. Ral chewed, read, sought out the cheese and jerky, fed herself some more. With food in her belly, a good story in her mind, fire warming one side and a trusted companion at the other, this had turned out to be a pretty good evening.

So long as she didn't think back on what happened earlier.

Eventually she turned in after feeding the fire a bit more. By morning she was curled snugly against Elias' backside, one arm folded under her own head, the other coiled around his middle, face nuzzled into the back of his neck.

 

[Elias]

Elias never slept in. When the sun peeked over the horizon, the boy's eyes popped open. Invigorated, the aches and bothersome cold from the night were long gone. At least he didn't feel them. He immediately notices the weight of Ral's arm along his midriff, and lays his flat on top of hers. Eli's large hand cups Ral's and draws it up to his chest, and he tightly clings to the girl's arm. His chest rises and falls with a deep, content sigh.