meet me in the woods [CLOSED]

[inimicitia]

WHO: Gladio Amicitia + Yang Cheng (E-Soul)
WHEN: Set after (this)
WHERE: Starts by the hospital, then out in the wilderness
WHAT: Learning some outdoorsy stuff
NOTES\WARNINGS: None at present, will update as needed!

[ True to his word, Gladio is waiting outside of the hospital, sat on a bench out front, hunched forward on an arm draped over his thigh, a paper map in his other hand. He's scribbling a few notes onto it in blue ink, drawing a few lines with green. He's been attempting to get a feel for the weather patterns in the various areas so he can get an idea of what to expect. There's a lot that goes into his meticulous planning, but at the sound of footsteps, he shelves it all. Something to mull over while they're walking.

Looking up, Gladio tucks the map into his back pocket and brushes off his clothes, a smile lighting up his face. ]

Hope you're ready for a hike. I prefer teaching as I go. Seeing what I'm talking about is easier than trying to get you to imagine it.

[ Gladio moves to start leading the way, but pauses. ] Gladio, [ he says, belatedly, and with a laugh. ] Don't know if I said that before, but I figure you'd want to know it.

Comments

[inimicitia]

[ Gladio nods, but doesn't interrupt as E-Soul answers. It's a reasonable assumption, considering what he's heard from others about these missions since he'd showed up here, and why Gladio's spent a lot of his time here getting an idea of this place and the people in it. ] Never hurts to be prepared. Just don't forget that sometimes, you have to depend on others. That's a lesson I had to learn the hard way.

[ Still struggles with it, too, but Gladio thinks that can go unsaid. That's just the way life is. ]

I'd be confident to leave someone on their own if I know they know enough about the most common hazards to keep themselves and anyone they come across safe. And a good sense of the basics, like reading a map, how to find water, that kind of thing.

[ Crossing his arms over his chest, he debates which topic to tackle next. ]

Knowing how to get a fire going is a good skill to master. Even in really hot places, the nights can get cold, and you'll need fires to purify water or cook food. You ever used a flint?

[neonrain]

[For a moment, the grief he carries wells up, forming a lump in his throat. Behind his mask he closes his eyes and waits for it to pass. He concentrates on Gladio's voice until it recedes. He depended on Shang Chao and Xia Qing once, and after what happened to the three of them, he doesn't know that he can do it again. But that's getting distracted by a trail of thought he doesn't want to follow. He stirs.]

...A Flint? No. [E-Soul lifts a hand, presses his index and middle fingers to his thumb, then parts them. A small bolt of plasma arcs between them, before he presses them back together, snuffing it out.] I have my own means of creating a spark. But I've... seen on the forums that sometimes we're stripped of our superpowers.

[Honestly, it's a possibility he dreads.]

[inimicitia]

[ Gladio nods at the display of power, not so unused to magic or anything along that lines to react to it either way. He's seen Noctis pull energy right from the ground and bottle elements, never mind the power of gods. Still, the arc of what looks like lightning is fascinating. ]

Helpful. But yeah, heard that can happen. I've been poking through what people have been saying to get a better idea of what to expect. In the event you get stuck out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but what you're carrying, you'll want to know how to start a fire.

[ Gladio summons a flint from the Armiger and hands it out. ] You can keep that one. I have a couple others.

All you need is something to strike it. Steel's the best thing to strike it with because it's study. [ He pulls a knife out of his boot, but he also grabs a steel ring out of the Armiger too. ] Either one will work, but you might dull a blade if you use it like that.

[neonrain]

...Thanks.

[E-Soul takes the flint. He idly traces its contours, turning it over in his hand as he watches and listens. Steel is an easy enough ask; the reasoning makes sense. Then, with the faintest trace of amusement:]

Do you always keep a blade in your boot?

[inimicitia]

Anything steel that's sturdy will work, all you'd need is the kindling to catch the spark.

[ Gladio laughs. ]

There and a few other places. Gotta be prepared.

[neonrain]

And keep them guessing?

[The corners of E-Soul's mouth twitch behind his mask.]

...Alright. I'll pick up an appropriate steel item. So... the kindling. Do you normally carry some with you? Or do you gather it?

[inimicitia]

Now you've got it.

[ Gladio can't share all his secrets after all. ]

Let me know if you run into any problems with that. Doubt you will, but the offer's there. For that, or anything else while I'm putting it out there.

[ He nods. ]

If you have the space to carry scrap paper with you, sure. But knowing how to find it out in the wild is just as good. Anything dry will work. Grass, dead leaves, bark. Anything that looks flammable. After that, it's all about keeping the fire fed.

[neonrain]

...That's generous of you.

[E-Soul pushes down his instinctive distrust at the offer. Gladio seems like a good man; it's doubtlessly earnest. That feeling is nothing more than a reflection of his own isolation.]

It sounds simple enough. Alright. What else?