Difference between revisions of "Logs:Camp Scare-A-Lot"

It's almost dark by the time Devaki and his fishing group arrive back at the settlement. Much later then they'd normally make it back -- the reason obvious after a look as a couple of the fishers, Devaki amongst them, can be seen assisting Xoami, who's favoring one foot. When some of the older women see them arrive, they practically swarm the group, muttering, Devaki laughingly explaining that Xoami slipped on a rock and twisted his ankle. Whether or not they believe him is another story. Xoami, at any rate, seems in good spirits, though this probably diminishes as he's mothered by the elder women and taken off into one of the huts for examination. Devaki gives a sympathetic wave to his friend, then heads over towards the bonfire, in search of food, it seems -- and probably company, too.

It should be noted that the only reason Emmeline is anywhere near the bonfire is because there's a bite in the air; and to be warm, she'll endure proximity. It's likely why she looks as though she's sitting on a seat full of tacks. Her plate is still full and resting on the bench beside her, as she's apparently more interested in her drink. And, for a moment, the swarm of attention around Xoami. She follows his progress towards treatment and gives a sympathetic smirk that he's not likely to see.

Devaki does his normal 'charm the food giver to get a bigger serving' routine -- which only works some of the time, depending whose doing the serving. Tonight, it's one of the elder women who clearly sees right through his easy charm and, as a result, probably gives him less than anyone else. Though he makes a face, Devaki doesn't protest, thanking the woman and casting about for a seat. He notes Emmeline's presence and, with a rise of brows, steps in her direction. Instead of taking the seat next to her -- since her plate is there -- he seats himself on the ground, placing himself between her and the bonfire. Completely coincidentally -- but then, knowing Devaki, probably not. "Emme," he greets, casually, as he settles in, cross legged, and rests his plate on his legs.

Emmeline watches a shadow cross in front of her, glancing up to see the owner fold himself to a seated position in front of her. "Devaki." she replies, evenly. "A bit harder to ignore you when you're right in front of me." she points out, taking her sweet time with a mere sip of whatever happens to be in her cup at the moment. "But you are blocking my view of the fire so I'll be less of a bitch today. What happened to Xoami?" That she can recite all of that in a conversational tone must mean she's in good spirits, relatively speaking.

"Oh, you were ignoring me? Sorry," Devaki says, though he's obviously anything but, judging by the sly grin that creeps up. He spoons up a mouthful of the food, grimacing -- at the taste, no doubt -- but doesn't let that stop him taking another, bigger, mouthful. He glances over towards where Xoami's been hidden away at Emmeline's question. "Slipped," he explains, with an easy shrug of his shoulders. "Twisted his ankle at possibly the furthest point from the island you can possibly get. Was hell getting him back across those rocks, let me tell you."

That grimace would be precisely why Emmeline's helping of dinner sits untouched beside her. She even makes a face in the direction of the food when Devaki takes another spoonful of whatever goop it is that's been served up tonight. "Yeah I'll bet you are." is remarked drily, though she doesn't notice the grin because she's still trying to keep her eyes just about aywhere else. "Hope you gave him a hard time for that. I'll bet he did it on purpose." The joke slips out before she can remind herself that she's trying not to be nice. And one can clearly see the chagrin flicker across her face. "You're decent at telling stories - feel like helping Riorde spook some of the children? There's going to be a camp out."

The face she makes earns a low chuckle from Devaki. "Hey, if you're turning up your nose at it," he nods at her abandoned plate, "I won't say no. I've had worse. Remember during those falls, when we had those seaweed cakes? This is luxury compared to that." Even the memory causes the blond to shudder in reaction. Her joke earns a grin in response, amusement in his voice, "On purpose? Nah. We may have been joking around," he does concede, after a guilty sort of pause -- Emme seems to bring out the truth in him, inadvertent or not. Another mouthful of the not-so-pleasant dinner, then, "Scare the children? Count me in." He barely needs time to consider, looking enthusiastic. "Have you picked out a place yet, or want me to scope something out? Man, Xoami's going to be pissed he'll miss it!"

"Go for it." Emme picks up the plate and holds it out for him to grab. She also didn't miss his ploy for an extra helping earlier, even if it goes unremarked upon. Truthfully she should be eating the food, but... no. "Oh yeah, I remember them. The reminder killed what may have ben left of my appetite." Indeed, she looks near as green as some of the seaweed now! "You /weren't/." Exasperated, just like old times! "The two of you are going to wind up killing each other some day, completely by accident. You know that right?" Even worse is that she tries to stop herself from grinning and winds up just making a face at Devaki instead. "I'm -still- mad at you." She just has to make that clear before looking back into her mug, thanks. "I haven't found a spot yet, no. But it needs to be nearby. And with a few hiding spots." For people to jump out and scare the everliving crap out of the kids, duh. "And I'm sure Xoami will be just fine with missing it once he learns I've been organizing the whole thing."

She doesn't have to offer a second time; Devaki quickly takes the plate, and scrapes off the contents onto his own, flashing her a grateful smile. "All the hard work of carrying Xoami made me extra hungry tonight," he says by way of, obviously farcical explanation. At Emmeline's exasperation, he just grins, bends his head over his plate, and concentrates on making the most of the food. "We were just playing around," he finally says, after weathering her accusations. "Helps keep the day from being long and boring. Mostly." He nods agreeably as she says she's mad, still. "Of course you are." Somehow he manages to keep a straight face. Okay, that might be a bit of a grin that's quickly hidden by another spoonful of food. "Maybe if we get back early enough tomorrow I can start hunting for somewhere. And-- maybe. I think he's mostly gotten over his fear of you, though."

"Sounds like you deserved all that extra work if you were part of the cause." Emmeline retorts, eyebrow raised in admonishment. Yes, it's one of the expressions she uses on the children when they'e been caught doing something they shouldn't. She even gives him a good frown for his 'of course you are'. Disgruntled would be the best way to describe it, the accompanying sigh quiet enough that it doesn't draw any stares at least. "I spent a couple of days on that adjacent island to the north. It's pretty close, and it might work." she suggests, her shrug suggesting that it's no problem with her whether Xoami's gotten over his fear of women and their yelling yet or not.

Devaki nods agreeably, not about to argue with the logic of that. "Probably so," he agrees with easy equanimity, weathering her expression with the ease of one long grown out of being intimidated by a teacherly stare. Okay, mostly -- he only squirms around a bit before resuming eating. If he's aware of the harper-trained girl's disgruntlement -- and let's face it he probably is -- he takes it in stride, without even a comment, to his credit. "Is that the one with Rilka's red crabs?" he asks, with a grin. "Maybe we should ask her along, too."

It takes time and talent to perfect that teacherly expression, so surely one can forgive the vageuly smug satisfaction Emmeline gets out of making a grown man react to it. "I think the red crabs are at the tip of that island. A little further then we want to go, but she's welcome to come along if she wants. I'd never say no to having her along." There's no need for her to go into why, surely, so she just lets the words dwindle down into silence. Just the murmurings of the other people and the crackle of the fire. Which she can only handle for so long. "Did Riorde enjoy her day off-island? I haven't caught up with her yet."

"The hard part would be /convincing/ her, unless you tell her the sea told you, or something." Devaki muses on that thought for a moment, and stores it away for later. The silence certainly doesn't bother him -- he's happy to let it continue, since it enables him to work through his meal. Surprised by Emme's question, he swallows another mouthful then glances up at her. "She seemed to... had a penchant for getting in my way, though. You know, I could almost start to think she likes me." he's obviously joking, and it's clear her knows /exactly/ where that whole tripping thing has come from.

Oh he has to know that's going to get a reaction out of her; the first square-on look Emmeline gives Dev of the evening so far and it's a glare that she has to consciously clamp down on. "Not funny." To her credit, she doesn't snap the words out, but the grip on her cup sure is white-knuckled there. "I only asked since she seemed happy for the chance to do something different." And she can't blame anyone for that. "Sure felt good to be a little petty, too." It's obvious to her, that it's obvious to him, that he knows why he wound up with Riorde getting in his way a whole lot. "I wish I could say I was sorry and mean it." But since she can't, she doesn't. And instead offers a faint smile. "Didn't seem to hinder the catch for the day, at least."

Devaki, for his part, doesn't look the least bit apologetic, grinning slyly at her. "Come on. Had to. After all, she almost made me knock myself out when we were crossing the water on the way back." He's possibly exaggerating just a little, but then it's difficult to tell, without Riorde's side of the story. He shrugs over the apology, not dismissing it so much as seeming to consider it unnecessary. "It was a good catch. Riorde picked it up pretty quickly, actually. I'm going to ask her if she wants to come out more often. Might break things up a bit for her."

"Still not funny." Emmeline retorts, keeping her struggle with her temper under wraps for the most part. His sly grin just makes her clench her teeth and hide her expression behind another drink from what has to actually be an empty cup. Pretending can be useful. "Good for her. I imagine she'll enjoy that." That, at least, is sincere and without inflection. The two have apparently become fast friends, though it might be best not to ask many questions about how that started. "I'm hoping to pull one of the older children for some harper training soon. There's a likely prospect there, and I hate to let the oportunity go to waste."

Devaki finishes off his plate, and with a groan, sets it down beside him, leaning back a little, closer to the bonfire. He tips his head, expression cast mostly in shadows by his position, but it's easy enough to see the grin, too. "Glad you two are friendly. I'd invite you, too, but--" for a moment it probably seems like he's referring to her injury, though he continues smoothly, "--then who would look after the kids?" He casts a glance across to where Xoami's finally emerging from the tent, a makeshift crutch in the form of a stick, surrounded by two of the elders. "Really?" Devaki's briefly surprised by that, attention drawn back to Emmeline. "I would've thought you'd want to wait and you know -- pass it on to an heir." Either he doesn't seem to realize he might be broaching a sore subject, or he's just playing it casual, deliberately.

"Nobody would look after them of course, and they would reign an avalnche of destruction down on the Island. Faranth forbid the teacher get a day off." Emmeline replies easily, waving aside the excuse for non-invitation carelessly. She'd be the first to admit that she'd only slow things down. Xoami's re-emergence gets a glance, and the fact that he's surrounded by no less then two of the elders makes her grin. But then, you know, on to heirs. Not a good topic. "There's no guarantee I'll be married, and also none that even if I am forced to marry, that I'll wind up with children." There's no disputing the logic there, since there are some who do never wind up matched to anyone. And obviously some matches that have yet to procude offspring. "Being the only surviving member of my particular... branch, it seems better to pass along what I know sooner rather then later. Especially if I continue to be so accident prone."

"Of course they would. Don't you remember when we were younger? The time we snuck off and got all those crabs and released them in the middle of the settlement. Everyone was screaming." Devaki's looking particularly pleased with himself, although when he says 'we', he probably means the younger boys who all plotted together against the girls, as was right at the time. He, too, is watching Xoami a little longer, at least until he's ushered into his hut, then his attention swings back to Emmeline, and the latter topic. He's soberly serious all of a sudden. "Being the only surviving member... all the more reason for the elders to look to your marriage." It's hard to tell whether he's warning her or trying to upset her again, though judging by the careful way he picks his words, it's likely the former than the latter. He grimaces a little as she mentions being accident prone, though he doesn't say anything further on that subject, pointedly.

"My mother was fit to be tied over that." Emmeline recalls, her expression wistful. "I also think that was the first time I heard her threaten to skin someone alive." Bu apparently not the last! She does, at least, take his sober words as the warning they are. And, not an attempt to upset her. "Well then, here's to hoping they don't find a good match." It's hard to tell whether she's serious or joking if one goes solely by her words, her cup lifted like she's giving a toast. "Like many others, I'd prefer to have a say in it." Whether she'll be stubborn and put up a fight, or submit gracefully... well, this is Emmeline we're talking about. She's likely to fight tooth and nail against any match she doesn't personally want. "And until then, I still have to make sure that there's a plan in place. Besides, if we wind up with more then one harper trained person on the Island, it will be much easier to stop me from spreading my silly ideas. I can just be retired." It's tongue-in-cheek, but one almost gets the impression that she's enjoying her current role as a troublemaker.

Devaki's still chuckling, though it does fade somewhat at Emmeline's wistful expression. "She was some woman, your mother," he says, gently. Exhaling slowly, he gathers up his plate, although his gaze naturally shifts back to her. "Maybe they could've, initially, but now? With our numbers dwindling?" Devaki shrugs, though is unwilling to dwell too much on that not-so-cheerful thought. "Look on the bright side. At least, there's no risk you'll be married to Tom." He's getting to his feet, wisely perhaps edging out of reach of any feet. "Retired? You wish. They'll make you harvest seaweed or something -- so don't get too comfortable," he warns with a smile.

"I'd fling myself off the cliffs before I'd let Tom near enough to get me with child." Emmeline says simply, bluntly. And she apparently means it. No need to kick him for that joke anyway. "We'll see." is all she says for the rest, letting it be at that. Her stubborn nature refuses to allow her to believe otherwise. "I'll try to remember that. Harvesting seaweed." She makes a face and just stands up as well with her plate and cup, unwilling to stay near the fire now that the convenient block between her and the flames is leaving. "Later." she adds simply, brushing past him to go put her dishes with the rest of the pile.

"Wonder if Ani thought the same," Devaki muses, quietly, though whether it's loud enough for Emmeline to hear is another story. He seems content to let her go her own way without protest, wiggling fingers after her. }