Mori put on his bird mask as he left the apartment, fastening it firmly behind his ears. It was similar to a witch doctor's mask in the manner that he could put herbs in the beak. He often did so to mask the smell of rotting flesh and other unpleasant things outside, as such things often made him feel nauseous.
He glanced up at Tohru when he was addressed again, running his free hand over his injured arm to see how it felt. "Hm… it's not too bad. Still pretty sore, but I can walk and stuff okay. I think my rib is still cracked, so it hurts to breathe sometimes." He kept walking, occasionally adjusting his large hat so it wouldn't fall into his face.
"Okay, well, let me know if you ever need to stop and rest. We'll be at the outpost by noon either way," Tohru replied.
Although better-rested than he had been in a while, Tohru was still exhausted. Before he found Mori, he'd been through several sleepless nights, and he had yet to recover completely. He looked forward to making it to the outpost finally, so that maybe he'd finally be able to get his poor, overworked body back up and running.
All things considered, though, he was lucky. He got away from what was essentially a massacre with only a few cuts and bruises that had mostly disappeared by now. Of course, that wasn't accounting for any of the emotional pain that still stung if he lingered on it too long.
“Yeah…I miss them…” Lilac sighed. She was glad she found Lyn and Sef because they reminded her of her siblings. “And thanks…art helps me relax…” she smiled as she set her art stuff down.
Lyn wrapped an arm around her shoulder in reassurance, murmuring her understanding. She let go, turning her notebook to a different page to show Lilac. Scattered on the lined paper were doodles of Josefine and Lilac, doing random things and in different poses. “I made these last night,” she said. “Art is an escape for me too.”
After a moment, she went back to writing. “Sef,” she said over her shoulder. “You might want to check on the laundry.”
“Fine.” Josefine pulled her dreadlocks behind her shoulder. She had been tired of sitting still anyway. “I’ll be back, minhas irmãs.”
She went back inside the in the building (they were sitting on the porch).
Lilac smiled when she saw the doodles. “These are amazing!” She definitely cheered up a little.
"Mmkay, Mr. Tohru." Mori kept walking alongside Tohru, trying to keep up the pace so he wouldn't be cumbersome. He kept his uninjured hand on one of his backpack straps to support the bag, not wanting it to bump against his back as he walked. His possessions were meager, and of bad quality. He just had a couple extra outfits, a toothbrush, a comb, a refillable water container, and a few little tools to help him build things. He seemed to be growing a bit tired after a while, his breathing more labored and his pace slowing.
(Smol malnourished child lol)
(His Stamina isn't the best-)
Tohru was quick to notice his companion's exhaustion.
"Why don't we stop for a bit?" he suggested, "There's a nice shade tree over there."
Truthfully, he could use the break, too. Maybe he'd nap for a little bit if the circumstances allowed.
"Do you mind if I sleep a bit while we're stopped?" he asked Mori, "You can wake me up if you need me, or if I fall asleep longer than I'm supposed to."
"Mmkay…" Mori followed Tohru over to the tree and sat down in the shade, taking the opportunity to catch his breath. "And yeah, that's fine with me, sir… I'll wake you up if something happens. Or… in about an hour if you aren't awake, I guess." He took his hat off for a bit to run his fingers through his hair, keeping his mask on to protect him from the nauseating smells around him.
She gave a light smile. “Thank you.”
Lyn once again was rather amazed that they could say these things now. Before they had made it to the outpost, there had been little time for pleasantries or looking at art. Rarely any time to relax. How long would this last? How long before the long, fearful nights and the days with little rest return?
She expressed these sentiments in her notebook, then closed it and took a breath. “What will we do?” She wondered aloud. “I don’t know how long we’ll last with just the three of us. Our supplies were nearly out when we got here… Should we stay? Should we go?”
She wasn’t really asking Lilac, but at the same time she was.
“I…I don’t know…” Lilac muttered, visibly shaking. “I always thought my family would be here by now and we’d be able to pull it off but…” the young girl trailed off. She hadn’t seen any sign of her siblings since they were separated.
(Ah I'm sorry, I think I'm gonna drop this one for now. I'm busier than I initially thought with school, and stuff.)
(Sorry for joining and dropping, I should've given more thought to what I have going on irl)
(Nah, you're all good! And it'll be open indefinitely, so if you ever want to hop back in, you're more than welcome to!)
"Mmkay…" Mori followed Tohru over to the tree and sat down in the shade, taking the opportunity to catch his breath. "And yeah, that's fine with me, sir… I'll wake you up if something happens. Or… in about an hour if you aren't awake, I guess." He took his hat off for a bit to run his fingers through his hair, keeping his mask on to protect him from the nauseating smells around him.
"Thanks, kid," Tohru replied, putting his things down and finding a comfortable spot against the tree trunk.
He fell asleep a lot more easily than he expected he would. But in what merely felt like the blink of an eye for him, he was awake again.
It hadn't been an hour yet, probably, since Mori hadn't woken him up. He wasn't sure how long it had been, though.
Tohru stirred a little bit, then stretched out his body.
He looked over to Mori, trying to figure out if he'd rested long enough before asking him if he was ready to go; he might say yes regardless.
Mori seemed to be nodding off a bit as well, holding loosely to Tohru's hand with one of his own tiny ones. He was still awake, but hazy, and he was trying his best to keep watch. He looked down at Tohru when he stirred and let go of his hand, figuring the man probably wouldn't want to hold onto him. "Oh, you're awake! I don't think it's been an hour yet, but it's kinda hard to tell… are you ready to go?" He asked.
(I’m making the sheets for Lilac’s siblings but keep in mind someone will die)
(Which sucks because that means all 4 siblings won’t be reunited without someone dying)
(Mori just wants to hold hands and have a chill life for once 👉👈)
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