justashotaway | (no subject)

[He snorts, first, amused by her first answer.]

Springtime. That's my favorite as well. If it rains, it's like as to be warm rain, which is all right. And I like everything starting over new--and it smells good. Dirt and things. It's brilliant. And then just before summer, before it's switched over properly and gotten hot, and there's flowers everywhere and the grass is really soft--that's brilliant as well.

I like how it smells, too. [Her memories of springtime are complicated by how much time she's spent locked away indoors or too focused on a mission to experience it--or in Cumberland, its own mess. But she knows what earth smells like after rain and she likes that.

Her next offer is tentative.] We should go away from Kirkwall while spring is happening. There will be more flowers elsewhere.

Yeah? Hey, that's great. Let's do that, definitely. The foothills of the Frostbacks ought to have some good ones. Or the Planasene Forest--that's close to Kirkwall but not too close, so I reckon we'd get what we came for. It can be like a holiday.

Are we allowed to have holidays?

Oh. Er, I dunno. I s'ppose... not.

But we could pretend it was for Riftwatch. Right? Like--oh, we've got to go out and gather these flowers serah it's for research--or maybe there's herbs out there that healers need. I can ask Derrica, she could give us some names of things maybe. I dunno, she's likely to know of 'em, at least, even if she'd do more, you know, magic than anything.

It will be a secret holiday. Only we will know about it.

If you will ask Derrica, I will ask Commander Flint for permission.

[It's a good thing he's not face to face with Laura because if he was, the face that he makes when she says that--the result of his stomach doing a full backflip--well, it would be embarrassing. Or weird, at least.

Anyways.]

You're on. S'ppose I can save my other questions for when we're traveling, then.

[There's a long pause, but eventually--]

Commander Flint says we may go, if we file our course beforehand and report any difficulties.

Yeah? Brilliant. And he didn't seem like he suspected anything?

He did not say anything.

[But there's a dubiousness in her voice.]

You know him better than me. You will have to find out.

[Yeah.............]

Or we could just go.

...Yes. We should just go.

Which herbs are we looking for?

[In the tone of voice of someone reading off a bit of paper (because that's exactly what he's doing)--] "Elfroot, chamomile, echinacea, embrium, spindleweed, feverfew, crystal grace, and prophet's laurel"-- those last two are rare, but if we do find 'em, we'll look extra, you know. Competent, and all. Like the sort of people who always ought to go on missions together.

They must grow somewhere in the Marches.

[right? please. please let them be able to find some fancy herbs!!!!]

And Derrica says she will watch Philliam.

Yeah? Brilliant.

[Wait, what if Derrica puts it all together? Because Matthias asked about the herbs, and Laura about Philliam... Well, if she does, it's all right. Derrica is cool. Matthias gives a little nod to himself. Right.]

All right, then, that's it. We can go whenever we like. Maybe in two day's time? That's enough to pack and work out our course and file that with Commander Flint and all. Or--three days, d'you reckon?

[surely derrica won't tell flint the TRUE SECRET PURPOSE of their mission, she's a friend]

I can be ready in two.

[yessssss that's the answer he actually wanted]

All right. Two.