Phantom Hollow i'm sorry i'm a little late [s]

@Jethro - set the morning after this thread
I wrote Jet as still asleep, so if you want that changed, please let me know ^^

It was early, but Nori was generally an early riser anyway. The forest was still dark, but tinged with a lighter blue that suggested the sun was rising somewhere to the east. The girl stretched out of her curled position, wincing just a bit at the ache in her right shoulder - that was much more uncomfortable when she had to lay like that. It gave a satisfying crack, and the ache abated significantly. She was delighted to note that it had stopped raining sometime during the night, but the ground squished beneath her feet and she winced; muddy fur was not something she wanted to deal with today, but it seemed inevitable.

Fortunately, it didn't seem that her new companion was awake just yet. It gave her enough time to be a bit vain, grooming her fur into place and rinsing her muddied belly off in the creek. She turned her attention toward the dark, shadowy figure dozing beneath the bushes across the narrow stretch of water.

She had been lucky to run into him, she reasoned - grouchy and intimidating as he might be. But she wasn't blind - she could see the scars splitting his fur, and he mentioned his family being... well, bad enough that he wanted nothing to do with them. Now, Nori's family had been much less than perfect, of course, but she didn't hate them. And she had so many questions - What did they do to you? Did they make those scars? Was it both your parents, or just one? Why do you hate them so much?

Of course, she wouldn't ask any of those questions. Not yet, anyway - she didn't fancy being left in the woods, nor having her face ripped off if he were that aggressive about it. Not that he seemed that aggressive; Jethro was more growly than anything, she figured, but she didn't wanna test the limits of his patience.

During her contemplation, the forest had lightened further, signaling that it really was time to start the day. The little stream was narrow enough to hop over, and her shoulder only gave a slight twinge in protest, which she brushed off easily. Nori padded over to the sleeping boy and crouched down next to the bush, reaching in to give him a slight nudge with her forepaw.

"Wakey, wakey!" she declared, tail wagging in a high banner above her back. "We can't snooze all day, lazy-bones. Surely you don't need that much beauty sleep." She kept her tone carefully light and airy, a cheerful smile stretched across her maw. It was always better to face the day in a good mood, she figured, even if it was kind of dreary and damp and gross outside.

Wakey, wakey! A voice suddenly and emphatically declared in tandem with a prodding paw, rather abruptly pulling the dark one from his slumber. Immediately his eyes shot open, head snapping up to attention to face the source of the sudden and obnoxious sound. A cheerful looking Nori gazed down upon him, her face much closer to him than he’d seen it yet. She then chastised him for sleeping so late, and at that, his face contorted into an annoyed scowl. ”Fuck off.” He pouted groggily, although he couldn’t bring himself to sound as angry as he had wanted. Perhaps because he was more startled than angry, a fact he attempted to cover up by a further comment. ”We demons need extra sleep to.. uh, recharge our evil spirits.” There was a bit more amusement there now, as he used his front paws to push himself up into a seated position. That was seriously the best rest he’d had in a while.

He did wonder how long the other had been awake, though, noting signs as he looked her over, that she seemed to have made an effort to clean herself up. At that, Jethro became cognizant of the mud that still caked his limbs and belly, where the previous night of rain hadn’t been able to clean, although it wasn’t something that particularly bothered him. Lazily, he stood up onto all fours then, before promptly dropping the front half of his torso to the ground. The dark one extended his front limbs out in front of him, arching his back to afford himself a luxurious stretch that was more about protesting his rude awakening and taking as long as possible than it was to actually.. well, stretch.

Internally, Jethro chastised himself for letting her get so close. Usually he was a light sleeper, and heard others before they got close enough to do what she’d done. It was a bit encouraging that Nori hadn’t done anything to him, even in his completely vulnerable state. He had a hell of a long way to go before he’d ever trust anyone, but that was a good sign. She could’ve hurt him and hadn’t. That was not something he was accustomed to.

”Did ya sleep well?” He questioned, giving his head and each limb a good shake after finishing the initial stretch, determining them after that to all be sufficiently functional and ready to go. The plan for today was to get Nori out of this place, then. The nature of it had shifted with the arrival of morning, the environment looking lighter and perhaps just a tad friendlier than it had been for most of the previous day. That seemed to suggest the day was still young, then - plenty of time to accomplish the first goal of getting out of here.

Several expressions crossed the boy's face all at once, and Nori bit back a laugh. He reminded her of a hedgehog, all defensive and prickly, but ultimately not dangerous at all. She rolled her eyes at his first comment, figuring that he already knew she wasn't gonna do that. The next bit really did draw a laugh from her, and she puffed out her chest. "My spirit is good and pure - it recharges automatically," she boasted dramatically, stepping back to let the other wolf up without having to squeeze past her.

It was rather obvious that he was taking his sweet time, stretching like that. Part of her wanted to push him over while he was unbalanced like that - maybe he'd fall into the little stream and get a nice bath. Really, she'd be doing him a favor, getting all that nasty mud off of his belly. But Nori was merciful, for the most part at least, and let him have his moment to stretch and wake up, even if he was doing it just to get on her nerves.

Her ears perked up at his question, and she nodded her head. "Mhm!" she chirped, tail swishing behind her. "It's a lot less creepy out here with someone else nearby, and you didn't murder me in the middle of the night, so I'd say it was pretty good." Much better than trying to sleep here alone, at the very least. It was the most sleep she'd gotten since she had arrived in the place a few days ago, so she really did feel recharged. Nori tilted her head to the side, studying her companion. "And you? I was worried you'd get too wet out here like that. You don't have a cold or anything, right?" He didn't sound sniffly, but one couldn't be too sure.

"I was thinking we could start heading west today," she explained, turning her head in the general direction of the mountain. "It'll probably take a day or so, but it shouldn't be too bad, especially if we get in a hunt along the way." Hunting in this dense of a forest would not be preferable, but if the opportunity rose, she was gonna take it. Nori was definitely not about to not uphold her end of the bargain - though she figured they could probably hunt a bit easier on the mountain, if Jethro wasn't opposed to the idea. She looked back at the dark wolf, tilting her head to the side. "What do you think?"

Predictably, it did not take long at all for the other to begin her gloating for the day. Her spirit was good and pure, she bragged, which allowed it to recharge automatically. He huffed out a snort of amusement. ”How damn fortunate for you,” he mocked, aiming for the same dramatic tone Nori had used, whilst also attempting to speak in a higher-pitched tone to further the effect. He didn’t care to question it though, as she did at least afford him the time to stretch and test all of his limbs without comment, something he hadn’t expected.

Returning to business, Nori stated that her rest had been good, at that it was a lot less creepy when someone else was nearby. She echoed a particular sentiment after that to which he nodded, considering again, for a short while how the experience must’ve been for her. It was something he rarely did, but Jethro supposed he would’ve been suspicious of himself, too. For he was exactly the sort that would attack an enemy in the dead of night, while they were asleep. But his current company was certainly not an enemy. ”Yeah, well. Thanks for not doin’ the same to me, either.” He murmured, beginning to descent to the small brook to sniff at the water, affording himself a drink of it while keeping an ear turned toward his company to listen.

As she inquired about him, Jethro offered a loose shrug at her inquiry, turning back to face her then. ”Don’t think so. I’ve had worse. The rain feels nice, to me, anyway.” More than a few times it’d been all he’d had to clean, numb, and distract from old wounds. It was hard not to grow attached to one of the few things that’d ever consistently helped him along the way, even if it was just rain.

His companion proposed they turn west, pointing her head in the appropriate direction. After a quick check of his surroundings, Jethro was pretty sure her approximation of it was correct, as well as her estimation of a timeline. The mountains hadn’t appeared too distant when he’d last seen them. Considering his heading before, he would’ve been even closer by now, he thought.

”Sounds fine. Get out of here. Find food where it’s easier to hunt, then maybe you can leave me the hell alone.” He reiterated, summarizing the plan with a nod to himself. The last bit, of course, was potentially up for renegotiation. If Nori proved to be a capable hunting partner, especially, but that also left him the task of adhering to the same standard - a challenge he found himself, oddly enough, somewhat anticipating.

Nori let out an audible gasp at the way the boy had mocked her, brows drawn down and face the picture of offense. "Rude! I don't even sound like that!" she proclaimed, fur fluffing out indignantly. Of course, she wasn't nearly as offended as she sounded - theatrics were one of her favorite things, after all. Made it easier to have others overlook how she was really feeling. "I've figured out the meaning of your name. 'Asshole.'" She sniffed pointedly and fought to keep the smile off her face - it was all a game, after all.

Luckily, her faux offense did not last very long. She was genuinely surprised that he'd even considered the idea of her attacking him in his sleep. "Ah. I didn't wanna get my fur all muddy in the scuffle. You're just lucky you slept in the rain," she teased, though of course it hadn't even crossed her mind to harm him in his sleep. She'd have nothing to gain by doing so - in fact, she rather liked the prickly guy so far.

"It feels nice, but I prefer being warm and dry." She was not used to cuddling, though, so she was pretty glad that they hadn't done that in the middle of the night. Of course, she also had no idea what rain meant to him - that there was a sort of attachment there. Perhaps similar to how she woke up just before dawn each morning.

Oh, right. This whole thing that they were doing was supposed to end with her climbing the mountain, where they would part ways. Part of her attested the idea, and she wanted to offer him the ability to go with her up the mountain... but she decided to save that for when they got there. After the hunt, perhaps.

Instead of voicing any of the actual emotions she was feeling, Nori gave him a shrug and a grin in return. "That's the plan," she replied, keeping her tone airy as she climbed out of the ravine, intent on heading west. The girl would pace herself, checking to be sure her companion was following her. "I mean, unless you decide you just can't live without me, of course. I'd understand." Nori shot him a quick smirk, then reached out to break one of the branches on a bush to her right. Marking a trail for him to get back, if he really wanted to.

The countenance of his acquaintance contorted in mock displeasure as he attempted to mimic her tone, attempt being key, there. For in this instance, she was exactly correct, his impression surely did leave much to be desired. At first, the dark one simply issued a little shrug and a wry smirk, which he might have been content to end it at, were there not a subsequent comment about his name. ”You’re probably right, about both things,” he admitted at first, quietly, as if the realization pained him to do so. ”But, you sound worse,” he huffed out. ”Like an irritating chattering squirrel, sittin’ up in its tree, that doesn’t know when to shut the hell up.”

The comparison felt accurate, at least to him. That damned noise those squirrels made had always been one of those annoyances he could do absolutely nothing about. In this case, he supposed, he could’ve done something, but he didn’t want to. This was too much fun, surprisingly.

Despite the genuine concerns he’d had about being attacked in the midst of the night, he couldn’t help but let a snort of amusement escape him at the subsequent comment. ”Guess you are too pretty for that stuff,” he observed offhandedly, though whatever her true motive was, he was secretly glad for it. Jet suspected Nori’s reasons to be more practical as well, as his were, but even so. He also couldn’t help but wonder if there was an element of truth to the statement.

It made sense that she would also prefer to be warm and dry when she slept. Jethro had a feeling that was the case for most of their kind, himself included, more often than not. ”If it were any damn colder, I’d say I agree. Once in a while is not bad though.” Certainly not bad when the alternative had been to cozy up with someone else. He’d have to be pretty damned desperate and cold before resorting to that.

As the two of them began moving, Jet lagged behind intentionally for a short moment, affording himself the opportunity to shake loose most of the muck and debris clinging to him without getting any of it on Nori. After that, he bounded after her, falling into place alongside the other once he caught up. She voiced agreement to the plan, unless of course he found out he couldn’t live without her, she smirked. ”Ain’t ever met anyone I couldn’t live without. Don’t mean to start now,” he grunted back with a loose shrug. While the dark one could certainly see himself getting accustomed to this arrangement for a longer term, he was not yet at a stage of being able or willing to admit that. ”Be careful you don’t get too attached to me, either,” he warned as an afterthought, but mirrored the smirk ever so slightly.

Nori's mouth dropped at the insinuation, and she scoffed in disbelief. "Am I being bullied right now?" she demanded, fur fluffed out and ears pressed back - and honestly, they were a little droopy. But that was far too close to the truth of how she felt, too close to actual insecurity, so she had to amend it with actions; her companion didn't know that his words had hit a little too close to home. The girl snorted and wiped the growing pout off her face, instead facing forward as she walked. "I'll have you know that there are plenty of wolves out there who would be glad to hear my voice. You're just weird," she accused, lifting her chin and huffing haughtily.

The next remark was much more appreciated, and Nori bounced a bit in her walk, momentarily delighted at the praise. "Well, clearly. Couldn't risk damaging this face - it would be a tragedy." Because what else could she offer? Nori was well aware that she wasn't exactly the most... tolerable person alive. Perhaps she could pass down some good genes onto her own children in the future, so they could hopefully fit the Koizumi family's standards. "Besides, how could I possibly harm my guide? He's gotta get me out of here in one piece, after all," she told him, hoping that he understood that she really had been joking - Nori had never been too inclined toward violence, anyway, and he was enjoyable to be around. When he wasn't picking at her too badly, that is.

"Hm. Guess I'll have to try sleeping in the rain sometime, then," she murmured, wondering if maybe it really wasn't all that bad. Her home hadn't been that cold, so if she ever went back, maybe that would be a good place to attempt it.

Jethro made sure to stay back a bit to get the muck off of him, and Nori felt surprisingly touched at the consideration in his actions. It was for the better, after all, because he probably just didn't want her to screech when he got mud all over her freshly-cleaned fur, but it was nice all the same. "Maybe you've just never met anyone worthwhile before," she suggested. After all, he had mentioned his family being pretty bad. "There are some good people in the world. Not saying I'm good or anything, but, y'know. Just gotta go looking for them." As though she had any experience with that. Sure, her family members weren't terrible, but had she felt bad about leaving? No.

Her eyes glinted in amusement at his last statement, and she giggled lightly. "We've got a business arrangement here, sir. I'm nothing if not a professional," she assured, lying through her teeth, of course. Nori was hardly the professional type, and she had to wonder what he'd think if he knew she was already considering asking him to come up the mountain with her. She knew she was going to set herself up to be disappointed by asking, but it was already set in her mind - if the hunt went well, barring any fallouts, she'd at least see if he wanted to.

She inhaled deeply through her nose and tilted her head to the side. There was no other animal scent just yet, but maybe as they continued and the forest thinned out, they'd be more likely to run into a meal. "Let me know if you smell anything," she told him, angling her ears around to try and catch any sounds. "I don't mind doing most of the running; I'd bet I'm a little faster than you, so I'm thinking I can chase and slow it down so you can save your energy for more of the whole killing it part. I'm pretty quick on my feet," Nori informed, figuring it was good to talk strategy before they ran into what would hopefully be a sizeable meal.

The slightly younger female once more made a show out of acting offended by his commentary, insinuating that she was being bullied, before issuing a retaliatory statement that claimed there was indubitably a plethora of wolves out there that would’ve been glad to hear her voice. He was just weird, she proclaimed, laughing just then as if she’d just provided in the most wretched insult he’d ever heard. ”No shit I’m weird. Bullying, though? Nah. Just tell it like I see it.” If Nori wanted to interpret that as bullying, that was entirely up to her. He didn’t care one way or the other.

Although, admittedly, she was one of the few to trade insults with him that he didn’t actually want to forcibly shut up. There was a clear sense of delight about the other, though, when he called her pretty; a slight, but notable, alteration of her stride. He didn’t offer much more than an amused chuckle and shake of his head as the other deemed that it would’ve been a tragedy to damage her looks, although Jethro agreed with the statement. There was no scarring to be had upon the other, anywhere, and that was something noteworthy. Something he would’ve sought to protect, too, if he were her - even if it meant temporarily allying herself with a demon. A sign of a more modest and peaceful upbringing, although he wondered just how tough or resilient Nori would be in the face of true adversity.

If there was one thing the dark one was grateful to his family for, it was how their treatment had taught him to be self-sufficient. And that he’d learned to deal with things like hunger and pain. So really, two things.

The other claimed that she might have to try resting in the rain sometimes, a statement to which he nodded. ”It’s nice in the summer. Or if you’ve got injuries, and nobody to tend to them.” Something he’d dealt with before, without a doubt.

The following topic was of great intrigue to him, though. A vested interest in it, Jet turned an attentive ear toward the other, allowing himself time to listen to and think over her words. While he could potentially recognize a certain amount of truth to them, he ultimately wasn’t sure he could agree completely. ”Could be, but they’re fools. Attachments, charitable deeds, that shit makes you weak, stupid.” If anyone thought he was ever going to help them without something to be gained for himself, they were mistaken. And anyone that found meaning in another was bound to end up hurt, betrayed, or worse, anyway. Shit wasn’t worth it.

That didn’t mean alliances couldn’t be created, or things exchanged for mutual benefit. But anyone that went out of their way to help someone else, expecting nothing in return, was a damned idiot. And though Nori seemed to enjoy her theatrics and drama, he was grateful that she seemed to recognize as well that this was strictly a business arrangement. ”Good,” he issued bluntly in response, pausing briefly to break off another branch once they’d gone a fair bit past the last one.

Nori shifted gears to laying out a potential plan for their hunt, deeming herself to be the faster of the two; an assessment Jethro agreed to with a small nod. ”Will do. Yer plan sounds fine, too. Think we’ll find something once we’re outta here.” He stated in a rare moment of optimism and complete agreement. The diet of a loner had consisted mainly of small meals and scavenging. If the two of them managed to snag something sufficiently larger, though, Jethro was looking forward to not having to be concerned about food for a while.

"You could be a little less honest," she huffed petulantly, though she didn't feel much up for arguing the point anymore. Mentally, she soothed herself with thoughts of if he were really that annoyed, he'd make you shut up. Because logically, she understood that he was just fucking with her, just like she was doing with him. Nori physically shook her head, hoping to make the repetitive thought of irritating, irritating, irritating, scatter and evaporate into thin air. It worked, aided by the fact that he would momentarily agree that she was pretty and soothe her injured ego a bit.

Nori was well aware of how she looked, and really, she had been fortunate to have parents who were not physically abusive and didn't absolutely abhor her. It was just fine by her if others thought of her as spoiled or petty or a brat - she actually was the latter two. Perhaps a bit spoiled as well, because she had never had to go hungry until recently, and she'd always been protected. Or, well, not always, but most of the time. But had she ever been wanted? Accepted? Loved? Everything had always come with conditions. Nothing was ever enough.

She perked her ears, imagining a warm summer shower near the coast, with the sea breeze in the air. Maybe it really would be nice to nap in. Her eyes scanned over her companion, lingering on some of the scars that sliced through his fur. She didn't pity him, but part of her burned in anger at the idea that someone had to sleep in the rain alone to keep his injuries clean. She made a noise of acknowledgement, but couldn't find it in herself to say anything in response - she'd probably go off on a rant about what kind of asshole leaves an injured person alone like that? and her anger would help no one.

Part of her found it almost alarming that someone could have such little faith in others, but another part strongly agreed with his words. After all, Nori hadn't really witnessed a whole lot of that, either. Except, just a few moments ago... "What do you call it when someone stays back to shake the mud off of themselves so that it doesn't get all over their companion's freshly-cleaned fur?" she questioned, tilting her head to the side. "Because... I really appreciated it. It was nice of you, and you didn't have to do it. So thank you." Nori looked over at the boy, trying to scan over his expression. She wasn't much one for random acts of kindness, either, but she was going to make damn sure she did at least one nice thing for Jethro before this was all over.

Nori nodded at both his agreement to the business arrangement and to her plan. Really, she'd expected some resistance of some sort, but apparently she could have some good ideas from time to time. "Hopefully, we'll catch something decent. You deserve a good meal for putting up with my annoying ass for so long," she jested, tail swishing behind her. They were gonna do just fine, and they were gonna end up with a deer or something, and then perhaps they could worry about extending their partnership.

She just had to figure out something nice that she could do for him first.

He could’ve been a little less honest, Nori fussed indignantly, although she did not make any further attempt to dispute the comments. Briefly, he wondered if somehow, the insult had actually struck a nerve, or if his company simply decided it wasn’t a point worth debating even in jest. Or, half-jest, as it were. ”Where would the fun be in that?” Jethro inquired airily, hoping the question itself would be enough to demonstrate that he wasn’t actually bothered by the chatting. Not much, at least. It was fun, and - well, fun things were permissible from time to time.

Perhaps there was a lot more of that to be had, too, than his upbringing in the world had initially led him to believe. To the previous point of his companion, not everyone he’d met since abandoning his birthplace had been bad. As he thought back over any of the encounters he’d had since then, most of them had actually seemed decent. Stupid, but decent. And if not that, simply indifferent. Nori herself was practical, and if her family were the same way, maybe.. it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to.. reassess some of his beliefs and decisions.

Her tone seemed to shift, though, as she addressed his beliefs surrounding others. She didn’t debate or attempt to refute them, at least not directly. She did pose what sounded like a genuine question though, and he could feel her gaze on him, observant, and perhaps a little bit pensive. ”Respect. Common courtesy. Not talkin’ about that kinda stuff, though. More like, the idiots who’d give up a meal to a starving stranger. Or offer to hunt for ‘em, that crap.” Anything that involved the usage of actual energy that didn’t further personal survival or gain. Jethro had only met a couple of those sorts in his lifetime, and the dumbasses never had anything to show for it. To him, that just seemed a waste.

The arrangement he and Nori had was far more practical. There would be a shared effort in obtaining their meal, and thus an equal sense of deserving and pride when at last they claimed it. Jethro couldn’t imagine having anything simply handed to him, much less wanting it, unless circumstances were extraordinarily dire. Even then, though, he wasn’t sure. If he couldn’t provide or do for himself, perhaps he didn’t deserve to live at all. Those were ideals to be considered at a later time, however, as right now that didn’t seem to be a concern.

Nori seemed rather optimistic that they were going to do well on their hunt, a sentiment that Jethro, surprisingly, agreed with completely. She joked that he deserved a good meal for putting up with her for so long. ”Damn right I do. And for gettin’ you outta here,” the dark one asserted, lest that part of the deal be forgotten. ”At least you’re pleasant to look at,” he muttered soon thereafter, and if he let his eyes and thoughts wander for a moment, annoying was not the way he would’ve described Nori. Of course, that was but an objective, detached observation; one they’d already established at that. But, he supposed, it was a benefit nonetheless.

Giving his head a shake to clear those thoughts, Jethro turned to grab another branch, although he was far less certain he’d need the path back now. It was more about just not getting lost or taking a wrong turn. Plus, he did have an image to maintain.

(This post was last modified: May 21, 2021, 04:44 PM by Jethro.)