(aw man, how come? :( )
"Raw fish is great," Snatch asserted firmly. "Cooked fish doesn't taste like anything." A sudden thought distracted her and she hopped out of the water. "Hey! I still have those drawings I made, of you and Mike an' Bernon! I kept them real safe!" She ran a short ways into the woods, then came back with a very old, battered metal lunchbox with faded cartoon characters on the sides. "I found this on the beach and I put my favorite things in it." She pried it open and carefully removed the rolled up pieces of paper with her artwork on them, showing them to Tanrial proudly. "See?"
(Idk, I wanted to wear the shirt and then I guess because of all the crap this past week I just you know.. cried? Told you it would happen soon)
Tanrial smiled at her, "Aww that's wonderful! Probably not best to keep them out here by the water, though. I don't want you to drop them and ruin them."
(I'm sorry I wasn't on last night….)
(Well…..now that you've cried, do you feel any better? Sometimes after I finally let myself cry, it lets out some of the stuff I've been bottling up…)
Snatch glanced at the lake and nodded seriously, backing away from the water's edge as if it would try to grab the drawings from her. "Let's go back to the others 'n ask Bernon if he has any more paper. I wanna draw some more. I wanna draw all of us beating up some stinky bandits, hah!"
(It's fine. and I guess I feel a little better, idk. Sorry, I'll shut up now)
Tanrial nodded, agreeing with the little girl as she waded out the water and grabbed her shoes, "Sounds like a good plan. Besides, I think they need a break from talking about all of that grown up stuff."
(Okay….just so you know, you don't have to drop the subject unless you actually want to. I said I was willing to listen and I meant it. But if you'd rather let it go, I understand that too)
"Yeah they do! Stupid grown up stuff." Snatch scampered back to the others and leaped straight up onto Rick's shoulders. Rick didn't even flinch, just chuckled and reached up to help her balance. "Can we help you with somethin', you little typhoon?"
"Bernon, do ya have more paper?" Snatch asked from her perch. "I wanna draw!"
"Oh yeah, sure!" Bernon took his journal out of an inside pocket on his coat and flipped to the back, tearing out a few pages. "Here you go. I have a spare pencil too if you need it."
While they were talking, Rick glanced over at Tanrial. "She ain't bein' too rowdy, is she? I know you three are still worn out and probably want to take it easy."
(Yeah, I know. I'd rather drop it)
Tanrial chuckled lightly, shaking her head as she stood beside him, "Nah, she isn't. She's very energetic, yes, but it's… nice, since we haven't been able to talk and all. She might be a handful but I definitely missed her."
(Okay)
Rick nodded. "She really missed you three, too. Wouldn't quit askin' about you. How long are you planning to be in the neighborhood? I guess you'll probably be headin' west as soon as you can?"
She sighed softly, slipping the hand that wasn't holding her shoes into her trouser pocket, "I think we were planning on heading west tomorrow. We're pretty much ready to go. We just wanted to say hi and goodbye to you all and take a mental day before we left."
"Fair enough." Rick watched Snatch and Bernon sketching together with a smile. "Well, when you head back to the village, would it be all right if Snatch tagged along? She'd love to be with you a little bit longer, and she's got some new friends her age she could visit too. It's just an idea, though–maybe you three wouldn't want a rascal like her runnin' after you on your day off."
Tanrial chuckled, “Oh I’m sure it won’t be a problem at all, really. I’d enjoy having her around, at least. Mike might want some peace and quiet but he can deal with it.”
"Well, if she gets too wild, you just tell her she has to head back here unless she settles down." Rick gave her a nod and turned back to the half-built cottage. "I'd better keep workin' on this project. It's real good to see you three again."
"Tanrial!" Snatch waved from the rock where she was sitting with Bernon. "Come see what I drew!"
“Nice to catch up with you, too. Don’t over work yourself.” She replied heading over to where Bernon and Snatch where, “Watcha draw?”
Snatch held up her picture, which was mostly a mess of shapes and scribbles. "There's me, and there's you and Bernon and Mike, and there's ma 'n pa, and there's the bandits. We're all using our magic and guns and knives to fight 'em! Also I added teeth and claws to everybody 'cause it's better that way. D'you like it?"
Tanrial sat down next to Snatch, looking down at the artwork with a smile as she nodded, “That great Snatch! One day you’re going to an incredible artist. Don’t you think, Bernon?”
"For sure!" Bernon agreed, looking up from his own art. "I think you're even much better then the last time we drew together, kiddo."
"Well duh," Snatch bragged proudly. "What did you draw, Bernon?"
"Oh, not much yet." Bernon showed them a sketch he was working on of Rick working on the house. Higher up on the page was a loose portrait of Fear as well. "I like to draw people sometimes. I'm not very good at them, but they're still fun and interesting."
(Sorry I had lessons where I couldn't get on)
Tanrial leaned back onto her hands with a sigh, "You both better then me, that's for you. I can draw stick figures and some weird, contorted version of a bird and that's it. It's not pretty I'll tell you that much."
(It's all good)
Snatch snorted. "Drawings aren't s'posed to be pretty! They just have to be the picture you wanted to draw!" She picked up another piece of paper and held it out to Tanrial. "Here, draw me an' then I'll decide whether it's good, okay?"
Sighing, Tanrial took the paper and the pencil, “Fine fine, but it won’t be as good as yours.” He found a flat part on the rock and started sketching. At first it looked like she was trying to draw a person but then it turned into some weird looking face.
Snatch posed dramatically, tossing her hair to make it look like the wind was blowing. "Jus' lemme know when you're done. Draw me too, Bernon!"
Bernon patiently flipped over his paper and did as he was told, smiling. "Of course, Princess Snatch."
"It's Queen Snatch!" the girl corrected. "Y'all are the princes 'n princesses!"
Tanrial chuckled, “Yes your Majesty.” She held up the picture against Snatch for a comparison with a frown before she turned over onto the blank side of the paper and started again.
Snatch held the pose for a while longer, then got bored and crouched down to doodle in the sand. A minute later she spotted a dragonfly and shifted into a young cheetah cub without thinking, leaping up and batting at it playfully. Bernon watched her prance in circles, scrunching up his face ruefully.
"Trying to draw her is like trying to draw a tornado sometimes," he muttered to Tanrial.
She chuckled quietly, nodding her agreement, “I don’t like she actually knows how to really sit still. Unless she’s sleeping.”
"That's the truth." Bernon quickly finished the sketch to his satisfaction and signed it with a flourish. "Welp, how's your attempt coming along?"
“Terribly.” She mumbled. Tanrial finished her own drawing a few moments later, holding it up with a sigh. It looked somewhat like Snatch, but really it was just a mess of lines and circles.
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