"Sure can." But people rarely ambushed others here in the woods, so she hadn't been able to test the theory much.
She laughed. "Not exclusively, but I hunt. Most of us learn to, when we're young. And since my Pa is working, I should at least contribute somehow. You know how?"
Her Pa? Do surface-dwellers use baby talk to refer to the people who bred them?
"No..." He gets closer, looking at her kill. A rabbit. He's never seen one in real life. "There aren't many animals underground. Rats and frogs and salamanders, mostly. We eat a lot of mushrooms." He is so sick of mushrooms.
"What kinds of animals do you hunt? Are there bears here? Wolves?"
"Frog legs are good. Why not eat more of those?" She suggested, offering the rabbit for a closer look. "There are bears and wolves, but we usually stick to hunting things like rabbits and deer." She laughed. "Bears kinda tough to take down, even for us."
"We do. A lot of them." Some people even breed frogs... Underground farming is a whole thing and he doesn't pretend to understand it. He eats what he's given. "And rations." Nutrition bricks and paste and the like. Awful.
His eyes widen at the mention of bears and wolves. So they're real...
"Are they as huge as people say? The size of a house?" Clearly the information they get about the surface is... Limited. He pokes at the rabbit, examining it curiously. "Is this a rabbit? What does it taste like?"
It's not a complicated process after skinning the creature.
"Juno." She replied cheerfully. "You know, I really didn't expect to see you again. And my Pa said I shouldn't be talking to you. But you don't seem so bad."
Juno. He likes that name. He's entranced for a moment by the juxtaposition between her cheery smile and the carcass in her hands, but then he shakes his head quickly.
"You told your Pa about me? It's supposed to be a secret! What even is a 'Pa' anyway?"
"Secrets still a secret between family. He's my dad." Duh. "No one else knows, but he was wondering what I was doin' out here for so long before, and I ain't going to lie to him."
She shrugged. "I've been in worse situations. One time I went off for three days, got lost in the woods, and showed up with sticks in my hair, and a new set of clothes from an old woman I met along the way. She mighta been a witch. I don't know."
"Like. Literally?" she asked, sounding slightly alarmed.
She rotated the rabbit one more time, just to check that it was fully cooked, and then pulled it off the fire. She slapped it down on a flat slab of rock and handed it to Sebastian. "Here. Don't burn your fingers."
"Maybe." He shrugs. Who knows, with his dad. Sometimes it does really seem like he'd prefer Tox dead. He'd certainly rather he died than failed him. Which is why he can't fail him. Simple!
But he's focused more now on the rabbit, which smells incredible with its char from the fire. He's not exactly sure how to approach it, but he tentatively rips off the leg of it and sinks his teeth in. It burns his mouth a little, but he hardly cares. He makes a little moan of satisfaction and closes his eyes as he chews it.
Juno laughed quietly and settled back, waving a hand dismissively. "Nah, I have rabbit all the time. Cooked like that, in stew, salted, it ain't nothing new for me, so you go ahead and enjoy as much as you like."
"I might be a little nicer than most, but my Pa taught me manners and always said that kindness gets rewarded. Nothing good comes from being bad, you know?" She shrugged. "Most of us aren't as bad as you think, givin you living underground and all."
"I can't speak for everyone, but I know a lot of folks say we shouldn't interact with your lot. Hate seems like a strong word, doesn't it? You don't know us. We don't know you - I can't hate people I never met."
"I assure you, people can hate people they haven't met."
That hatred is what his commune runs on. Besides fear.
Idly, he checks his navigator between bites, and sees that Damian is moving closer.
"Uh oh." He looks around hastily, then wipes his hands in some leaves, dragging his forearm across his mouth to try to get rid of the grease of the rabbit.
"I have to go. You should go too. I don't know what my commander will do if he sees you."
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no subject
Date: 2025-11-05 08:31 pm (UTC)From:She laughed. "Not exclusively, but I hunt. Most of us learn to, when we're young. And since my Pa is working, I should at least contribute somehow. You know how?"
no subject
Date: 2025-11-06 04:30 pm (UTC)From:"No..." He gets closer, looking at her kill. A rabbit. He's never seen one in real life. "There aren't many animals underground. Rats and frogs and salamanders, mostly. We eat a lot of mushrooms." He is so sick of mushrooms.
"What kinds of animals do you hunt? Are there bears here? Wolves?"
no subject
Date: 2025-11-12 10:42 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2025-11-20 12:57 am (UTC)From:His eyes widen at the mention of bears and wolves. So they're real...
"Are they as huge as people say? The size of a house?" Clearly the information they get about the surface is... Limited. He pokes at the rabbit, examining it curiously. "Is this a rabbit? What does it taste like?"
no subject
Date: 2025-11-20 10:19 pm (UTC)From:She laughed. "The size of a house? Uh, no. I mean, don't get me wrong, they can get pretty big, but not that big."
"You ever have chicken? Like that, but earthier. You want to try some? I could roast it up for you."
no subject
Date: 2025-11-20 10:38 pm (UTC)From:He hesitates, then checks his tracking device for Damien's location. He's still far away.
"Okay." He nods. He's hungry, and he really does want to know what it tastes like.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-20 10:41 pm (UTC)From:"Don't think I ever got your name."
no subject
Date: 2025-11-20 11:00 pm (UTC)From:"Uh... Sebastian." That's definitely not his name. But it is the one he chose for espionage purposes. "Yours?"
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Date: 2025-11-22 02:47 am (UTC)From:"Juno." She replied cheerfully. "You know, I really didn't expect to see you again. And my Pa said I shouldn't be talking to you. But you don't seem so bad."
no subject
Date: 2025-11-22 03:24 am (UTC)From:"You told your Pa about me? It's supposed to be a secret! What even is a 'Pa' anyway?"
no subject
Date: 2025-11-30 05:26 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2025-11-30 06:15 am (UTC)From:He's clearly not too mad though, since he sits cross-legged on the ground with her, still watching her cook.
"How badly did he punish you?" Because of course she must have been punished for talking to a cave-dweller. Or even just for being gone for too long.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-30 06:20 am (UTC)From:"For what?" She asked, confused. "Talking to you? He didn't. Just said to be careful."
no subject
Date: 2025-11-30 06:43 am (UTC)From:"You were gone for a long time talking to a strange boy from underground and all he said was be careful?"
no subject
Date: 2025-12-07 03:30 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2025-12-07 07:23 am (UTC)From:Which reminds him to check his device for Damian. Still not close yet.
The smell of the rabbit cooking is making his mouth water. Real meat, more than just frog legs, is rare in the commune.
"I'm so hungry," he murmurs.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-11 03:48 am (UTC)From:She rotated the rabbit one more time, just to check that it was fully cooked, and then pulled it off the fire. She slapped it down on a flat slab of rock and handed it to Sebastian. "Here. Don't burn your fingers."
no subject
Date: 2025-12-11 07:59 pm (UTC)From:But he's focused more now on the rabbit, which smells incredible with its char from the fire. He's not exactly sure how to approach it, but he tentatively rips off the leg of it and sinks his teeth in. It burns his mouth a little, but he hardly cares. He makes a little moan of satisfaction and closes his eyes as he chews it.
"Arsil, that's so good. Do you want some too?"
no subject
Date: 2025-12-14 03:17 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2025-12-14 04:43 pm (UTC)From:"You're really... Nice. Is everyone on the surface like that, or just you?"
Her dad sounds nice too, maybe? At least extremely lenient with punishment.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-20 05:07 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2025-12-20 06:08 pm (UTC)From:"What do you all think of underground people, then? I assumed you'd hate us as much as we hate you."
no subject
Date: 2025-12-24 02:09 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2025-12-26 04:48 am (UTC)From:That hatred is what his commune runs on. Besides fear.
Idly, he checks his navigator between bites, and sees that Damian is moving closer.
"Uh oh." He looks around hastily, then wipes his hands in some leaves, dragging his forearm across his mouth to try to get rid of the grease of the rabbit.
"I have to go. You should go too. I don't know what my commander will do if he sees you."