joint post: come on it, the water's fine!

[findmyownreason]

The weather report had forecast rain, but they'd been lucky.  The sky had been clear and sunny when they'd picked out and set up their campsite earlier and it had stayed just as balmy on the long hike to the lake.  It was his last chance to be with his baby sister before she went off to college (not such a baby anymore.  Life seemed intent on

Comments

Aww, siblings XD

[waterfell]

Under the overhang, Ami had the luxury to look over her catch: a slippery bass determined to thwart them and quite furious at being caught. She couldn't say she blamed it; but she had no intention of freeing it, either.

"I can fry it," she told her brother. "Back at the campsite, I can do it. I brought everything we'll need." She'd come prepared, of course. This meant going back there, but they needed to eventually anyway, despite the weather. She glanced upward, then at Cloud.

"You're soaked." This was mostly a mischievous way to point out that she wasn't. Brat.

[findmyownreason]

"Brat."

But he said it with a smile as he shook water out of his unbowed spikes with his fingers. He knew Ami had a way with water and he'd never pushed or questioned it. It was just the way she was.

"That fish dinner you're talking about better be worth it."

[waterfell]

"It is if I say it is." But the snappish retort came with a smile like Cloud's. "If you're worried about that, want to cook it for us yourself?" You have just talked yourself into more work, big brother. Ami held out the metal stringer with the fish secured to it.

Of course, in the rain... Her eyes sought out somewhere that might have dry wood still. "Did we have some wood under a tarp?"

[findmyownreason]

Cloud looks at the fish with a dubious eye before taking it from Ami.

"I'll descale it. You're still cooking it." Cloud can cook. He's been forced to or starve. But his idea of cooking the fish involves wrapping it in tinfoil with some lemons and burying it in the ashes. The problem with that plan is he's hungry now. And Ami's a better cook than he is anyway. Her question has him glancing around, both for a spot to skin and gut the fish that's off to the side and for -

"Looks like." Most people are pretty good about restocking shelters when they use them and sure enough, there's a stack of wood in one dry corner near a much used fire pit. With a smirk, Cloud will reach gesture to his coat pocket. One arm in a cast, the other full of fish, he can't reach it himself but - "I've got the matches if you want them. Unless you've forgotten how to manage fire with all your wet work."

[waterfell]

"If you're saying I can't handle a fire, maybe I should go eat something else." Yes, go. As in, not share. Don't talk yourself into starvation, big brother. Ami smiles a bit too sweetly as she takes the matches, point made.

It doesn't take long to build a fire; she doesn't need power over that element for this, just basic knowledge of how to strike a match and how to build the fire so it catches. She read a book about it before they came out here anyway.

[findmyownreason]

Considering he's the one holding the fish, he doesn't take her threat too seriously but he doesn't complain either as she shuffles around in his pocket and then heads off with the matches. He doesn't doubt that she'll get the fire started. She's more determined than any new experience. Meanwhile, he's going to head off to the far corner with the fish and bucket to turn it into something edible, leaving all the extra bits in the bucket to dump back in the lake once it gets done raining. They'll eat what they've got and the rest of the fish can have what they don't. Sounds like an all around fair circle to him

[waterfell]

"I'm not going to university to challenge myself," Ami says bluntly. "I'll do that on my own. I'm going so I'll have the credentials I need for my goals." She doesn't tend to say 'dreams' these days.

It's true, of course. She could have handled college long ago; even her teachers had known and said that. But it had seemed important, back then, to stay with her friends. When that ended, she chose her next school for very practical reasons, to investigate it. When that ended, there'd been no more point in holding herself back, and here she is ready for college at age sixteen.

Once the fire is going, once or twice she helps Cloud by putting something just a bit closer to his grasp, or getting it done before he can worry about it. She does it without saying anything, letting the gestures speak for themselves without becoming embarrassing.

[findmyownreason]

He notices the moves and he doesn't say anything either. It would be embarrassing for both of them but that doesn't mean he doesn't appreciate the fact she does it anyway. He hopes she knows that too without him having to make anything awkward between them by saying so. Shifting over one of the larger logs for her and then another for himself to sit on, he settles in front of the fire, blue eyes catching gold as they watch his little sister over the flames. He watches her a lot, as if she's a forever secret he's intend on at least memorizing, studying every move until the way she moves tells him more about her than any words she could ever say. She's precious to him. And so it's important to him to know how to take care of her whether she wants him to or not. So he's studying again, as always, but his voice is soft as he says:

"Wasn't talking about the academia part of college, Ami."

[waterfell]

She tends to be focused, to put it gently. Once they're settled, Ami sits down on the log after quickly wiping it off with her hand; she's wearing old clothes, but tidy habits die hard.

"I'll be fine with that, too," she insists with her usual pride. "I want to test myself." She wants to see that she can make it on her own, experience new things, handle herself on her own. She may be a homebody at heart, but she has that drive for adventure, too.

[findmyownreason]

He nods. He knows. She's always been about seeing how far she can push the boundaries, how far she can expand her world - and yet he knows that parts of her world will always be restrained and fragile too. His brows come down and the lines of his mouth flatten out. He's a big brother. He's always going to worry.

"You're not talking about boys, are you?"

hi thar! :D

[waterfell]

Ami frowns. "I'm not interested in that." Considering she's a healthy teenage girl, that might actually be the more worrying answer; but to a big brother, it's probably a relief.

It's only partly a lie. She would want to love and be loved, and she already knows what passion can be (sorry, brother). But it hadn't turned out well, and to a girl who already has trouble trusting...

[findmyownreason]

hey you :D

It is a relief to a big brother. There's something about the thought of his sister and any guy in any way that involves touching that his mind absolutely rejects wanting to deal with. So there's an obvious relaxing along his shoulders.

Not that he expects the guys to leave her alone. He's her brother but he's not blind.

His sister's amazing.

It brings back the frown.

"Doesn't mean there won't be guys that are."

or oops, she's slightly aged-down here. welp, her remark still stands lol

[waterfell]

This, at least, produces a more characteristic smirk. Really, Cloud? Do you expect her not to welcome the attention part?

And do you think she'll let them touch her?

"They can be as interested as they want. However, I don't have any intention of indulging them."

[findmyownreason]

Cloud doesn't trust guys and he really doesn't trust guys when it comes to his sister. She's smart and pretty and funny and she's got a streak of loyalty as deep as the ocean if she lets you close enough to discover it.

And big brother Cloud isn't going to be around to mentally kill people with his glare if they get too friendly with his little sister.

Shifting to put his arm closer to the warmth of the fire, he just grunts. It's almost a grumble but without words.

"Good. Guys are nothing but trouble."

[waterfell]

He sounds like a grumpy old man. But while she'd still like to experience love, what she's seen pass for love hasn't given her much faith in something she she could call love truly existing. Love should be better than divorce, better than destruction, better than abandonment.

So she agrees: guys aren't worth investing her time and effort in, for such a poor return.

"I have other things to do," she says bluntly. She has studying, if they're talking about university right now.

[findmyownreason]

He shouldn't encourage her distancing herself from people... but he's not exactly the best example of how not to do that. And besides - they're not talking about all people. Just... guys. Devious, tricky, evil guys.

He is one. He'd know.

"Good."

A pause.

"Though it's okay to be friends with them. Just... nothing else. No - " awkward shifting. "Kissing and stuff. Because you've got other things to do.

Right?"