lifeaftr | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who: Jules and Ignis
What: Exploring the new island
When: middle of March
Where: Cahypdo
Warnings: Just the usual Jules ones - language and attitude

Jules waited patiently beside the mana pool on Cahypdo, eyes darting around the new space as he waits for Ignis to arrive. So far he hadn't seen any threats, but he was ever on the lookout. Just because something looked peaceful didn't mean that it actually was. Alert as he was however, he can't help appreciating the scenery. The coastline was beautiful. He had high hopes that there were fish nearby, or perhaps even other sea creatures he could turn into a good meal. Variety was always wonderful.

Better even than the beauty and the prospect of new food sources, the island was complete devoid of people. While that fact might bother others, Jules was highly pleased with it. People, for lack of any other all encompassing term for sentient species, were always the biggest threats.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ignis arrives not too long after Jules does, his backpack hooked over one shoulder and Leo, the tigerlily, at his side. Despite the fact that this island is unfamiliar to him, Ignis doesn't have a walking stick along. Instead, it becomes pretty clear after a few steps, that Leo is acting as his eyes right now, the animal nudging him whenever he starts to veer or when he needs to move away from a tripping hazard.

It takes only a few moments for them to make it to Jules' side, though it is a few moments longer than it might have taken otherwise. Ignis is moving slower than usual as Leo is still new at this particular job.

"I hope you haven't been waiting too long. Is this whole area as sandy and coastal as my feet and nose seem to be telling me?"

"Not long, no."

And he has been rather enjoying the quiet and the new sense of nature here. There certainly aren't any large bodies of water where he lives at home which makes hearing the ebb and flow of the tides even more soothing.

"Appears to be, though there may be more forested areas further off. It's truly rather beautiful here. A lot of little tide pools around and undisturbed nature."

"Hopefully, the peace will not be deceiving. I recall one of my friends was nearly blinded when she stumbled upon a strange kind of octopus in a coastal area much like this," Ignis falls quiet for a few moments, listening to the area around them so he can get used to the ambient sounds before they begin exploring.

"Do you wish to walk along the coast for a little while or would you like to make for the forest?"

"Ha ha."

It's a dry, spoken laugh instead of a real one. Jules is well aware that there is no question that this new island will become just as deceiving as all the other ones. The only hope is getting some benefit out of it first.

"Pretty confident we both know what's bound to happen in the end. It's going to happen no matter what though, so we might as well make use of what we have now. Let's check out the coast. Might be some good sea life to eat."

For just a moment, Ignis looks very serious, "Hush you. Let me be hopeful." He's hardly got the words out of his mouth, though, when the expression breaks. As if hope has really helped them out a whole lot when its come to these new islands.

"The coast it is then. Perhaps if we are lucky, we'll find something we can cook over a fire. I've got a few of my cooking supplies along." Because, of course he does.

Ignis pats Leo on the top of the head and then gestures with his hand out at the water, "All right, yes you can go ahead and play. Just don't scare all the food away."

Leo rumbles happily and then dashes off, bouncing between sand and water like and overgrown puppy. Ignis laughs and shakes his head, "We'll give him a few minutes of head start. Hopefully, the wildlife will have returned by then."

Jules doesn't think anyone, ever, would have dared to say "hush you" to him. Ushara, maybe, but even that's a bit of a reach. He's so completely flabbergasted by it that he has no idea what to say. In the end he just ignores it and focuses on moving forward.

"Hope so. I could use some more variety."

His eyes flicker over toward Ignis, wondering whether he should offer a hand. It could come across as insulting, which he doesn't want, but he also doesn't want to leave Ignis to handle everything on his own if there's a good chance it will end badly.

Ignis can't say he's surprised at the silence that follows his comment. It just kind of slipped out. Usually, he only speaks that way when he is with the other guys, so comfortable he's grown in their presence. He supposes that means he's starting to grow used to Jules' presence as well.

"Variety, oh how I miss thee," he laughs as he says it, slowly starting to walk. As if the continued silence somehow tells Ignis of Jules' dilemma, he adds after a moment, "Don't worry. I'll be okay as long as we go slow. Should a hole or rock appear in my path, just let me know."

"I can't even begin to describe how much I miss actually having ingredients that I know how to cook."

And being able to legitimately make different meals. He's so distrustful, that much of the food available here he refuses to eat due to the potential risk of being poisoned.

"You do realize the entire place is riddled with uneven ground right?"

"Coconut is versatile, but I have grown so very tired of the taste," Ignis agrees with that sentiment completely. He can't help but chuckle a little at the warning, though.

"I'm aware. That is why I'm not galloping across the sands as a certain tigerlily. There is uneven ground everywhere on the islands. I've had to become use to traversing it. We don't always get to pick when and how we end up somewhere, after all."

"Coconut I can deal with. I'd just like some different fish and potentially some other greens."

Herbs or seasonings wouldn't go amiss either. The problem is almost everything grown around here is grown by someone else. Jules has a hard enough time trusting the food here when it's grown wild.

"I'll take your word for it. At least up until you face plant. Then, I won't see I told you so. Because I'll be laughing too hard to get it out."

Ignis snorts softly, "Well, at least you're honest about it. If that happens, you have my permission to laugh as hard as you want. I will deserve it."

Though, forgive him if he tries very hard to avoid that particular little embarrassing situation.

"Have you done much with the seaweed in the area? It's been very useful to me when I can get my hands on it."

"Like I need permission. I'll do it anyway."

That's the way Jules always works. Why bother with permission? Doing something that isn't technically allowed is more fun.

"Not very appetizing, but I've managed to use it as bindings and stuff."

"Oh, is that so?" Ignis laughs, "Well then, don't mind me if I forget to ask permission to throw sand at you in retaliation."

Right. How old is he again? Looks like about two.

"There's one kind I've found, and of course it's the rarest, but it does have quite a salty tang to it. It makes a good replacement for salt in stews and soups."

"Please try it. It'll be fun."

Because Jules would just send it right back at Ignis' face and he wouldn't even see it coming. For multiple reasons.

"Problem is there isn't much to put in stews and soups. Those things require a lot of ingredients."

Right, fun. Like spending the next week getting the sand out of their hair and clothes will be fun.

"Not always. There are ways to make stew and soup with just a few ingredients. Then again, having to make foods without a lot of obvious vegetables--or vegetables period--is something of a specialty of mine. Noctis has this intense hatred for them that I will never understand."

It would only be out of Ignis' hair and clothes. Jules would just shield himself or send the sand back at Ignis. Maybe both just to be safe.

"Neither of those are easy, though the problem is more finding food here that other people haven't had access to."

Because he won't trust it then. There's very little food here that he does trust enough to eat, and even then he's still very hesitant.

~~Aww, come on Jules. Just a little sand in your hair?~~

Ah, right. Ignis had forgotten how deep seeded Jules' trust issues went and living at the monkey compound really didn't give him a lot of extra space for gardening.

"Have you thought about creating a walled in area only you can get into for a garden? You could put it off somewhere where no one really goes so that you decrease the number of people who might come across it."

~~Haaaah, no. You ever tried to get that shit out of Andarion hair? Yeah. Doesn't come out.~~

"That still involves trusting the seeds you're getting things from, and I'm looking for variety."

Plus, while he has skills and many things, gardening is not something that he has ever even attempted.

Ignis frowns. There's not much he can do about the 'trusting where the seeds come from' issue. That would require Jules actually gathering them himself from the plant when it was first discovered. Well, hopefully they will find something along the way that might help.

"That is a difficult problem to solve. Maybe..." He falls silent mid-sentence as his foot nudges something. Careful not to overbalance himself, Ignis pulls it up with the toe of his shoe, eventually reaching down to pull the object--a piece of driftwood--completely free. He shakes the sand from it and then laughs.

"A discovery! Unfortunately, not an edible one."

Paranoia makes a lot of things much more difficult than they should be, but hey, that paranoia has kept him alive. It is such an ingrained habit now that he couldn't get rid of it even if he tried. While his family isn't trying to kill him here, the place itself is. That calls for just as much paranoia in his mind.

Jules pauses and glances at what is in Ignis' hand. It gives him an idea at least. He's been wanting to make an attempt at wood carving just to give himself something to do.

"No edible, no, but useful maybe."

"Oh?" Ignis sounds puzzled for a moment considering the piece of driftwood is not all that large. After a moment, though, a thought strikes him and with it comes a fond memory causing him to hold the wood out toward Jules with a smile.

"You're a woodcarver?"

"Hardly. You're giving me way too much credit. I just figured I might try my hand at it for something to do."

It's likely not going to go well, especially since he has no experience whatsoever, but that's alright. He does a lot of things terribly.

"It takes practice like to many other things do. Look at it this way. You are already better at it than I would be" Ignis chuckles. "At least you can see what you are making. That said, I do have a fondness for wood-carved items. Do you think it would help if I gave you items I might like to have as ideas to try your hand at? I'm certain we could find something I could give you in trade for your work."

"Don't you think you're jumping ahead a bit? Or maybe a hell of a lot? I haven't even made a first attempt yet."

He has no idea if any of his knives will even be functional for wood carving.

Ignis laughs and then shakes his head, "Ah, but I have faith in you, and besides, you aren't the type to back away from a challenge. Can't let a bit of wood defeat you now can you?"

Look, they have a working forge now. If one of his current knives won't work, he can make a new one.

Jules glances over at Ignis. There's something in what he said that's incredibly disconcerting, probably because it's something that either Thraix or Trajen would have said to him. Even one of Ushara's family to be honest. It's something a friend would say. Someone who actually knows him. That happens to him so infrequently that he's not quite sure how to take it.

"Not without murdering it first, I suppose, and that's rather likely to happen."

It's been difficult to come to know Jules because of all he's been through, but Ignis has does his best to put together the pieces as he's learned them. There is so much he doesn't know, but he does know that he considers Jules a friend even if Jules himself has difficulty returning the favor.

"I suppose that means we should get a few more pieces while we are out here then, shouldn't we? Perhaps one of them will survive your murder attempts."

Jules actually openly laughs at that.

"One would hope, but I wouldn't put any real faith in that happening. I'm pretty good at murder. Of many varieties."

This one at least won't be anywhere near as exhausting or emotionally painful as other types he's participated in.

Ignis can't help but grin at that laugh. Even if nothing comes of the attempt, it's nice to hear Jules laughing.

"Well, it's a good thing there are so many trees on this island. You have much to murder before you run out of victims."

"If I actually wanted to destroy living wood, which I don't. There's more than enough driftwood too though."

And he has other projects to work on. His other one will end up being more useful in the end too if he can make it work.

"I believe there is a stock of wood at the lighthouse on the farming islet as well."

So no trees harmed in the making of this hobby.

"Do you see anything besides driftwood out there?"

And maybe a water-soaked tigerlily?

"You're going to have to be more specific on that request."

There's a lot out there, though nothing that really stands out that he should be reporting.

Well, even if there is nothing all that interesting out there, they have found something equally rare--time to laugh and just relax for a little bit.

"Why don't we start with that wayward tigerlily of mine? I would rather not be run down by 300 or so pounds of drenched plant-cat."

Jules actually laughs, showing just how relaxed he is for once.

"You're safe for the moment, though I would not totally discount that possibility."

The cat isn't anywhere nearby at the moment, but drenched and 300 pounds were both checks.

Ignis laughs and shakes his head, "You might just get to see me covered in sand yet. Shall we see if the fish have returned to the shallows before that happens?"

"Probably a good plan. I wouldn't even mind a snack now if there are some."

He could fry it up rather quickly too.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only