She shot him a look. "Strong. I could probably lift that over there," she told him, pointing to a boulder a few yards ahead. There was a fairly obvious edge of competitiveness to her voice, as well as excitement to be talking to another kindly kind-of-person.
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"Hmm." The young Deorn eyed the boulder critically. "That's not bad, I guess. Bet I could lift it with one hand."
"C'mon, people," Rick called from the front. "We've got a long way to go before sundown. Y'all can have a weight-liftin' competition later."
Slash grumbled. "He's really strong," he said quietly to Jessie. "But he's too nice. He's like a giant puppy. I could totally take him in a fight."
Jessie hummed thoughtfully. "I could definitely see that. You've seen him fight? He looks pretty burly."
"Mm. I've only ever seen him use those dumb guns. I'll bet he's helpless without them." Slash grinned scornfully. "Anyway, all I'd have to do is yelp a little and he'd be too much of a wuss to hurt me. Don't tell him, but me'n Charlotte are the ones who really keep us safe."
Jessie nodded proudly. "Charlotte's epic."
"Yeah, she seems pretty tough. She's the one that actually went to get you while we were distracting everybody. And she's much better at sounding bossy than Rick is. Is she really your mom?"
Jessie's smile faded to a sweeter one. "No, but she might as well be. She raised me and three other kids, who I say are my siblings. I was the second oldest."
"Really? I had an older brother before he left home." Slash scowled. "I didn't like him. He thought he was better than me because he was born first. Do you like your…..siblings?"
"I love them so much," she sighed. "The eldest, Will, is dead. But the other two, Tessie and Tom, are the loves of my life."
"Huh." Slash thought about that for a bit. "You mean, you didn't used to….like, fight, and get in trouble, and fight some more after that because you both said it was the other's fault? How did you share stuff without cheating each other?"
"We needed to be there for each other. We had no choice, and our relationship grew from desperation. Those are the best kinds of relationships because they're the most honest as well as the most total."
Slash looked away. "Well…..cool, I guess. Maybe if Me'n Rockfall were from the same litter, we woulda gotten along a little better." He shrugged. "Anyway. I think we're going to go rescue your siblings now, so you should see them again pretty soon."
She nodded. "Not only that, but I will kill who has them. Then I'll be free."
The Deorn nodded also, as if it was obvious. "And then what are you gonna do?"
She shrugged. "I'll follow Charlotte. She'll probably take us three in again, at least I hope so."
"Okay. Wait….how old are you?"
"14 and a half," she told him confidently.
"So…..you're basically an adult. Aren't you planning to move out and find your own place soon?" Slash frowned in confusion.
She followed suit and frowned. "Uh… No. I'll move when I'm 17 or 18. How old are you?"
"Almost sixteen. I shoulda had my own territory last year, but uh…..I haven't found the right place yet." Slash huffed. "I will soon, though. And once I settle down, I can start thinking about a family. Don't humans do things that way too?"
“We kind of do. It’s the same actions to do, but we start later. We’re independent at 18, and even then some people take longer. But, I’ll leave as soon as I turn 18 and see the world!” She said enthusiastically.
Slash nodded approvingly. "Where do you think you'll live? I want somewhere with a river or a lake, with lots of fish."
“I’d like some sort of forest, like a tropical place. Don’t know how many of those places will be left since after the War, though…” She shrugged. “I’ll probably figure it out as I go.”
"There are lots of forests and mountains back in the northeast, where my parents live. There aren't as many people there either, which is why Deorns like it." After a pause he glanced over. "Wait, what's a 'tropical' place mean?"
(I gtg for about an hour, seeya in a bit ^^)