Jessie blinked once, before her face split into a grin. « Please include me and Charlie into those plans, it sounds amazing! »
Almost as though she was summoned, Charlotte came walking out of the trees with an armful of dry wood and bark, softly humming to herself.
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Rick chuckled. "Well, anyone who wanted to join me would be more than welcome!" He scooted back and cleared a space for Charlotte so they could start lighting the fire. "If I had to pick some folks to keep me company, y'all would sure be at the top of my list."
(mwahahaha i have idea)
Charlotte arched a brow, settling the wood in the cleared space. She sat down between Rick and Jessie, digging a slight bowl. « What is this about? »
(loool excellent)
Rick paused, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. "Well, now…..Jessie an' I were just talkin' about what we'd like to do with our futures. I was saying that I'd like to retire and get me a farm or a ranch or somethin', live more quietly. And if you and Jessie ever wanted to drop by or….y'know, maybe live in the neighborhood somewhere, I wouldn't mind at all." He wasn't sure what Charlotte would think of this idea, but he figured he might as well be honest.
Charlotte nearly dropped a smoking twig, though she hoped it wouldn’t be too obvious. « Well… I suppose future plans light have to wait. »
Don’t spoil the fun.
« But I don’t see why not, » she added quietly.
Rick nodded. "Acourse we'll have to make it through this patch before we can think of much else. I'm not pressin' y'all to do anything in particular, but I sure would like to stay in touch with you after all this." He offered Charlotte a smile. "Consider it an open offer, anyhow."
(brb, back in about 20 min)
She smiled down at the pile of wood, ducking her head to hide it. Slowly, the pile caught a steady flame and a low heat started up. Jessie huddled close while Charlotte dug for anything fresh she had while they waited for Slash.
« It must be fun to live in the fields… » Jessie thought aloud.
(See you!)
"I've always thought so," Rick agreed. "Hard work, maybe, but simple and peaceful. I'd love to have horse pasture, if I could, and maybe a herd of mules or cattle. And crops, although I don't know the first thing about crop farmin'."
She shrugged, forcing herself to be casual. "I've picked up a few tricks. Could probably show them to you both. What would we grow?:
Rick pondered the question. "I guess it depends on what kind of land we would have. I've always thought corn might be a good crop, or beans of some kind. Or hey, maybe wheat, 'n then we could make our own bread. Ever grown any of those things, Charlotte?"
(I had a dream last night that Rick was the big brother I always wanted and it was the best dream ever XDD)
(Oh lord that sounds so amazing!!!!)
She shook her head, holding back a smile. « I’ve grown cotton and potatoes, but unfortunately that’s it. We could learn though. »
She found herself wishing for these plans to one day come true.
Rick nodded happily. "Sure we could. And while we're learning, the horses or mules could be our livelihood since I know my way around 'em."
"What about horses and mules?" That was Slash, who'd just walked into the circle of firelight with a deer slung over his shoulder. "What are you guys talking about?"
(hey, I got thinking about this again and was wondering how you're doing lately. Hope everything's going well for you?)
“Far-flung projects,” Charlotte chuckled, sitting back down by the fire with a handful of fresh vegetables. “Well, judging by the look of this meal, I’d say we could pull off farming and cooking with time and work.”
(hey, I got thinking about this again and was wondering how you're doing lately. Hope everything's going well for you?)
(I am so, so sorry I was away for so long. It’s been really up and down and I had zero motivation, but I’m trying to keep writing and I’m back for a long while now. Again, I’m so sorry for dropping this.
How are you? I hope your Christmas was nice, if you celebrate)
(It's okay, I understand, I've also been really busy and kinda stressed lately TvT I hope you're feeling okay, zero motivation is no fun. hugs But it's good to see you again! I had a great Christmas, very homey and cozy. Hope yours was nice too ^^)
"I agree," Rick said, making room for Slash in the circle of light. "Nice catch, son. How're we gonna split that up?"
"You guys can have most of it," Slash said with a shrug, dropping the deer nearby. "So you guys are….gonna build a farm then? I'm still confused."
(I hope you’re feeling calmer now…)
(It was really nice, yeah, I got to spend time with my cousins down in the countryside. Happy new year by the way! ❤️)
"I agree," Rick said, making room for Slash in the circle of light. "Nice catch, son. How're we gonna split that up?"
"You guys can have most of it," Slash said with a shrug, dropping the deer nearby. "So you guys are….gonna build a farm then? I'm still confused."
Jessie nodded. “Yes we are! And we’re going to grow every flower and vegetable, and then we’re going to plant fruit trees everywhere and cook our own meals and move in together! And be a family!” She’d sidled up to Rick while she talking, and grabbed onto his arm with excitement.
“Or so goes the dream,” Charlotte interjected. “If we all make it back out, we owe it to ourselves to do something nice.”
(Oh yeah no worries, I'm feeling pretty good right now ^^ Happy new year! Spending time with cousins is always fun XD)
Rick stared at Jessie in surprise–for some reason he hadn't expected her to trust him so quickly. But she and Charlotte both seemed genuinely excited about staying a group for longer than a few days. The thought made Rick wonder, for the first time in years, if maybe there was something better than going back to his old home in store for him. He beamed, not moving an inch in case Jessie decided to let go of him again.
Slash took one look at Rick's cautiously delighted expression and grumbled darkly to himself. "Sounds boring. When we're done with this job, I'm gonna go find my own territory by myself, just like I always planned."
Rick glanced over, still caught up in his emotional high. "Well if you want, you could settle down next door to us! Plenty of folks would drive you away, but I'd vouch for you anytime. It would be a shame to part ways forever, now that we're friends."
Slash looked somewhat embarrassed, but shrugged rather than refuse Rick's offer. "….Maybe."
Charlotte bit back a laugh at Slash’s evident awkwardness, before looking over at Rick and Jessie. A warm feeling slowly spread through her body, familiar from years and years ago, to when she was only a girl. This was home.
Shocked by the realisation, she jumped to her feet and sat down next to Slash’s deer.
“Okay, time to prepare this creature.”
(sorry for the wait, had to work all day yesterday)
Rick nodded and went to help, still trying not to grin like an idiot. "Thanks for the venison, Slash. You didn't happen to see any signs of human life out there, did you?"
Slash shrugged. "There's an old fence a few hills from here. I smelled humans a couple of times, but they're not close to us. I think this stream goes into a river after a while–that might be where they are."
(That’s alright, how are the animals?)
“We’ll be steering clearer from them I think, since we’re heading downwind towards Axel’s place. One less crowd to worry about, thank god,” she sighed, handing Rick a knife and pointing to where the skin would come off easiest.
(wuff XD Doing good but all very rowdy and messy lol)
Rick deftly unseamed the deer's pelt with one long stroke, pulling it back to get at the meat underneath. "Sounds fine to me. Hopefully we don't make so much of a ruckus tomorrow that whoever's by the river comes to check it out. Do y'all prefer your meat dishes with some organs included or without?"
“Nothing goes to waste in my book.”
Jessie nodded her assent, and with a few deep slices Charlotte had the deers hooves drying out by the fire.