#rivervale_lodge

"Or a mold!"

A scoff. “If bad food... that is, not poisoned... took me out, I’d trade in my slug card.”

Amused "Okay tough guy, your call"

"What's the oldest thing you've ever eaten?"

“Century eggs count? I don’t think they’re actually a hundred years old, though.”

“They’re... um. Like, take a raw egg, and wrap it in lime and clay and store it underground for months until it turns green and see through. It smells like farts from a corpse.”

"Oh, foul. You should bring one to school and freak people out."

"Wow. Teenagers live for weird meal talk don't they?" Wry

"Were you ever a teenager?" She fusses with the granola wrapper, folding it into a little triangle.

“Maybe.”

"Me? No. I sprang from Zeus' brow fully formed after he had this massive headache"

Straight faced

"Bet so."

She watches Jaymes again, amber eyes hinting at the thoughtfulness beneath the surface.

“The headache part makes sense.” He whispers to Dagmar.

She taps a horn. "We're spiky."

Jaymes is cleaning up, but actually chuffs when he overhears the 'spikey' part

"Okay, let's put the fire out" he gets some water and does that, "Gotta be no chance of loose embers"

"Can do, yeah." She follows his lead, adding some water, and then stirring the ashes with a stick as instructed.

A nod, "Good work"

She blossoms at the praise, smiling.

Jaymes doesnot laddle praise out lightly, which might make it all the nicer to have. When they are ready, he begins to walk them back

Dagmar picks up her share of gear, trekking after the grump.

Symon gathers what he can and slumps after, falling a bit behind their long strides.

Dag is prone to lollygagging when she sees something shiny, so there are opportunities to catch up.

Jaymes does glance back, and seeing that the boy is alling a bit ,, slows his stride slightly , "Now, sometime later, we'll try fishing on the lake if you enjoyed today... or if you prefered the fire there's always camping in the high country"

"Or both?" She hazards.

"Maybe?"

"Sure, why not" He says with a shrug "Good company, good fishing, and a good view of nature. Sounds like a way to let a day go by"

"Yeah." Cautious optimism.

(End scene)