Я вернулся в деревню

[balancedlight]

Who: Svetlana and Open + a prompt for Fraser
What: Venturing forth and also dealing with April shenanigans!
When: April catch-all!
Where: Milton, then the path up to and including Lakeside. See prompts in post!

Content Warnings: Nothing as of yet; will update!

Comments

[desperate_times_right]

"Yeah," Chloe sighs, a little wistful. The hunt for the tusk had been pretty long and complicated, too. "I think it's always like that. If this stuff were easy to find, people would have already found it."

[balancedlight]

"What made you want to - do that? Did you already answer that? I don't remember!" She's heard so many other details.

[desperate_times_right]

"My dad was an archaeologist. It's in the blood, I guess." The rest of it isn't really that fun of a story. "What made you want to be a doctor?"

[balancedlight]

That is an easy question. "I - always wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to help people and make them feel better so they could live their lives. My mother was ill for a long time and I wanted to help her. To do whatever I could."

[desperate_times_right]

Ah. Maybe they're more similar in some ways than Chloe had thought. Unfortunate ones, but isn't that always the way?

"You really are sweet. I'm sorry about your mother."

[balancedlight]

She looks down, tracing her fingers in a shape along the table.

"Is sweet a compliment?" she asks, because she hasn't heard 'sweet' without it being attached to 'naive.' At least when it comes to her.

[desperate_times_right]

"Sometimes." It's something that Chloe had never really had the the chance to see if she'd wanted to be. "It is this time. You remind me of a friend of mine."

[balancedlight]

"Tell me about your friend?"

Sveta doesn't want to keep her any longer than she really has to, but this seems important. This is interesting and Chloe is a friend.

[desperate_times_right]

“Her name’s Elena. She's a journalist.” Chloe makes a face, but it’s lighthearted. “So noble, you know? Always trying to make a difference. When I first met her, she was tracking an infamous war criminal through the middle of a warzone with just a cameraman with her. She's crazy. But she… she believed in me, you know? Gave me chances I probably didn't deserve.”

[balancedlight]

Sveta doesn't know how brave that she is, but she likes being compared to the rest.

"She sounds like a very good friend."

[desperate_times_right]

“One of the best friends I've ever had.” Sure, they'd had a rocky start, but that's not really uncommon with Chloe. “She does one of those history channel shows now, with her husband.”

[balancedlight]

"Had?" she wonders. "Is - she still?"

[desperate_times_right]

“Yeah. I don't see them so much now that they’ve got their boring adult lives, but some bonds can't be broken.” After carrying a woman’s bleeding body through a collapsing city there's always something between you, she thinks.

[balancedlight]

"Boring adult lives." She sighs, watching the table for a long moment. "I wish I could have that now."

[desperate_times_right]

"I dunno. I think being married might kill me." Other people seem to like it, though. Maybe it's Svetlana's kind of thing.

[balancedlight]

She laughs, blushing. "I always thought the opposite. But I have - that isn't something I can do." People don't marry sorceresses. Not ones like her.

"I read the stories and books and wanted something like that. A romance."

[desperate_times_right]

Chloe tilts her head, studying the other woman for a moment. She knows there are things she's not saying, but it's hard to imagine her having a secret so terrible it would drive everyone away.

“Their loss. Anyone would be lucky to have you, I think.”

[balancedlight]

Her cheeks blush red and she clears her throat. "That's kind of you to say," she tells her with a smile. "Do you - want to take some of this with you? You can reheat it on the fire if you need to."

[desperate_times_right]

Ah, adorable.

“Oh yeah, sure.” Chloe won't say no to free food at this point. “Do you have anything to put it in?”

[balancedlight]

"I do!" she chirps, standing and finding a cup with a screw on lid she had discovered in the mines on her way over.

She fills it as much as she can, making sure the vegetables are there, and hands it over to her.

[desperate_times_right]

“Thank you. I'll think of you when I warm it up later.” Chloe stands, with the warm cup held between her hands. “I should probably get back out there. It was great to see you.”

[balancedlight]

"I hope you do. Stay warm, my friend!" she calls out with a smile.