[Center][h2]An Odd Meal[/h2][/center] Xiaoli went to stand up but Hermes arms tightened. The two sat outside under the shade of one of the many trees. Pollen had started to dust on the River Girls skirt, the two having been there for quite some time. What had started as Xiaoli comforting a nauseous Hermes had turned into a very prolonged hug. She went to move again, but Hermes’ grip pulled her back. “Nuh uh.” Xiaoli let out a playful sigh. “Dear, I’m happy you still want to cuddle, but I have to get back to work - otherwise, we won’t be doing anything else all day.” “Pregnant,” Hermes defended and pushed her face deeper into the crook of Xiaoli's arm. The river girl giggled sweetly and pecked Hermes’ forehead. “Alright, -you- won’t be doing anything else all day,” she conceded. She tried to pull her arm out again, but found that even as she put some strength into it, all she managed to accomplish was pull Hermes along and on top of her lap. She hummed curtly and leaned her chin on her free fist. “You dork,” she snickered quietly and ran her free hand through her hair affectionately. Hermes smiled up at Xiaoli and stretched her arms until her elbows popped. “Mmhm,” She nodded, “Oh, so I was reading through Abanoc's book, about food again.” Xiaoli could not quite hide a grimace. “Was it another chapter on desserts?” “No,” Hermes gave her a cross look, “Hey -- wait you said you liked the Bark-n-Mush.” “And I do, my dear, but--” She squinted. “... Maybe not every day for a month?” She shrugged casually and shifted her a sheepish look to the side. “Mhm,” Hermes poked her side, “Well lucky you, then. The book suggests I start a garden, so I always have a variety on hand.” Xiaoli blinked, then grinned from ear to ear. “Oh, really? How magnificent! What will you be planting?” She snapped her fingers. “Oh, do we have space for rice paddies? Okay, maybe not - but I could make space!” She looked down at Hermes. “I just really miss rice…” “I don't know,” Hermes admitted, “I figured I'd look around and find stuff to bring back. The book was very helpful in explaining seeds and the like. Maybe some sweetgrass, a few things from the mountains. Oh! I can check the marshes too, who knows, maybe there will be rice.” “Oh, could you?” Xiaoli planted a soft kiss on Hermes’ cheek. “You are such a darling, you know that?” She gave her a teasing wink. “By the waaay… Since you already are going for on a trip, could you see if you find some root vegetables? Anything will do, but radish and cabbage would be wonderful. Oh! And garlic - we. Need. Garlic.” “You can count on me,” Hermes smiled wide, rolling off Xiaoli’s lap and to her feet. She brushed some pollen from her wool pants and sucked in a breath, “If you get a chance, can you set aside a spot for the garden?” Xiaoli nodded with a grin. “I’ll draw it out right away. You won’t miss it.” She got to her feet and dusted off her woolen shirt and skirt. “Want me to patch you some lunch before you leave, dear?” “Oh,” Hermes shook her head, “No, I think I’ll be okay. My stomach is still a little queasy. Thank you though!” Xiaoli gave her a wry smile and folded her arms. “Alright, alright. Be on your way now, you beautiful adventurer.” Hermes smiled and then with a sudden blur, the world turned to pins. [hr] The ocean smashed against the sea cliff of Tendlepog, sending forth a salty spray. Hermes stared on with amazement. No matter how many times she visited the beaches of Tendlepog, she was always struck with awe at the ever moving might of the cliffs. She managed to peel her eyes from the waves and to the plants hugging the cliff top. She shuffled on over to a particular plant, its leaves broad and low, with tiny stalks covered in buds and flowers. With a knowing grin, she ripped one of the meaty leaves off and nibbled on it, “Cabbage.” She swallowed and felt the leaf pang in her weak stomach. She shuddered and slid her bag off her shoulders. Placing it on the ground next to the cabbage, she carefully tore some of the fruits and seeds from its stalks, placing them in her bag. Content, she slung the bag back over her shoulders and stood up. She turned. Her eyes widened as they stared at a treasure most curious. By some trees further away from the coast were strange plants ripe with fat pods. The Dreamer jogged over and fell to her knees. She curiously pulled one of the pods close and smelled it. It smelled like a plant. She shook her head, “I don’t know what I was expecting.” She plucked the pod and opened it up, revealing fleshy seeds. She quickly popped one in her mouth and bit down. Her eyes narrowed knowingly, “So this is a pea.” Bringing her bag to bear, she collected as much as possible before turning back into a blur. [hr] After a quick stint in the plains, Hermes had made her way up the mountains, bag now full of peas, cabbage, sweet grass, and even a spicy root she had found growing next to the trip vine, she aptly named it fireroot. The first thing she found in the wet foothills of the mushroom forest was wild carrot and even some wild onion, their bulbs rather dainty but their leaves strong and odorous. She had collected a bunch anyways, selecting the biggest of the bulbs. She trudged up the mountain side, looking for garlic in particular, but eyes open to just about anything edible. She sniffed a few fungi that grew along the mushroom trees, licked a couple of exposed stems of some small woody plants, and bit into a woody root to no avail. She spat a few times and continued her journey. Nimbats scurried out of her way as she approached a ring of tiny mushrooms, some snap fruit growing above. Hermes smiled and reached up on her tiptoe to grab some of the snap fruit. She plopped down her bag and knelt to carefully place them alongside her bounty. A salty smell caught her nose and she looked down. Her bag had smooshed a yellow capped mushroom, the alluring aroma seeping out as the stem bubbled weakly. Curious, Hermes plucked the mushroom and held it to her nose, the aroma dancing in. She blinked and licked it, it tasted savoury. With a single bite she tossed it in her mouth and chewed, really savoury. She swallowed, reaching down again to pluck some more and toss them in her bag, but not before eating another. With her bag now full of various plants and seeds, she decided it was probably best to head home before looking for rice. She picked up her bag and the ground rippled like a puddle. She froze, “That was weird.” “I know, right?” A stone squeaked. Hermes yelped, and jumped. The ground seemed to ripple away as she did, as if she had leapt into a lake. She turned away quickly, tiny little shapes in her peripherals that she couldn’t quite focus on. The world was saturated with deeper colors, everything looking a little more real than usual. “What’s wrong?” A mushroom asked. “I got to go home,” Hermes chirped, and she covered her beak in shock. [hr] Xiaoli felt rather satisfied with the water markings: Two rectangles made of thin lines of water stretched outwards from the southern wall, leaving an opening for a possible path to the main door on the westmost end of the wall. Thinking she could do her angel a little favour, Xiaoli had even taken the time to till the soil within the marked rectangles. “Hermes will be so happy,” she mused with a giggle, skipping around a little. She then strolled back to the courtyard and began to turn the gravel into neatly squared, white stone tiles. The process was slow - Xiaoli took great care in sculpting each and every tile. Eventually, the patterns atop each tile began to flow together until the whole courtyard revealed one great stone carving that portrayed the map of the world covering Swahhitteh-Tendlepog and the Foot and Kick. Xiaoli clapped her hands free of dust and put them on her hips, grinning with satisfaction and pride. “Now… What else should I...” Xiaoli mumbled to herself as she gave the marked inner wall a look. She stared long and hard at the rock arrangement and the wooden planks stacked about, shooting frequent looks between them and the blueprints in the centre of the courtyard. She took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders a little. “Yeah, I could probably do this! I’ll just go to bed earlier tonight,” she said confidently and placed her hands on the stone. As she took several deep breaths, the stone began to fuse into a porridge-like substance, wrapping itself together and snaking upwards along several strategically placed vertical wooden pillars. Xiaoli felt moisture collecting on her forehead - she pumped more and more power into the construction, but its construction speed did not increase. Eventually, she was forced to halt construction halfway, having fallen to her knees from exhaustion. She cursed under her breath and stood up. “Well, guess I need to rest a bit before Hermes comes home, so she won’t return to this--” There was a crash in the treeline as Hermes walked out of the thickets, inciting a short scream from Xiaoli. Leaves were stuck in her hair and she wore a wide dilated stare. Her sandals were off and dangling from her fingers, each step seemed careful, as if she was balancing on poles. Xiaoli immediately zoomed over to her. “Hermes?! Hermes, are you alright?!” Xiaoli sent her hands out to pat Hermes all over to inspect for damages. Hermes looked over her with a massive smile. “Wow,” The dreamer seemed in pure awe her free hand reaching out and petting Xiaoli's face, “You're so pretty,” tears began to well in her eyes as she pet vigorously. Xiaoli’s pupils shrunk. “Did somebody poison you?! Are you sick?! Oh, Hermes, what happened?!” She held her face close to hers. “Breathe on me - what did you eat?” Hermes cackled and hushed Xiaoli, “What are you even doing here? It's too cold for you.” She turned away and shushed at nothing in particular. Xiaoli blinked. “Too c-cold? Hermes, have you--...?” Her eyes became a furious scowl. “Did Shengshi give you anything drinkable?! I swear, when I see that snake again…” She kicked a nearby pebble. “I gotcha,” Hermes wrapped her arms around Xiaoli and waddled back and forth in place, “It's gonna be allllll okay.” Xiaoli let out a frustrated sigh and tried to undo Hermes’ grip. “Hermes, please, you are not well. How about we go to bed, okay?” Hermes stood there with a lazy smile. As if not hearing Xiaoli's words, she shuffled the two of them into the sunlight that speared over the treetops. She closed her eyes as the golden glow hit her, “There we go.” “Herme-... Oh, this is getting silly. Dear, don’t -make- me put you to bed.” Xiaoli made her best efforts to wiggle out of the Dreamer’s grip. Hermes frowned and let go, “I'm just trying to help.” “Help with what, Hermes? I’m not cold, if that’s what you think. You know I don’t feel cold!” She poked a finger at Hermes chest and leaned forward with a squinting frown. “Now, tell me what you ate - otherwise, I’m putting you to bed this instant.” Hermes pouted and stared at Xiaoli's arm. She slowly rubbed her fingers in circles over her sandy skin and stared on, “I ate a lot of things.” Xiaoli sighed and caressed Hermes’ cheek softly, the movement causing her to recoil ‘'woah’. Xiaoli furrowed her brow and made a straight face.“Did you eat any very bitter berries or drink water that smelled funny?” “Noooooo,” Hermes dragged her words as she rubbed patterns across Xiaoli's arm stopping at her wrist and poking it. She squinted and moved Xiaoli's wrist up and down slowly, inciting a raised eyebrow from the river girl. “Well, you’re obviously not sober… Did you eat some hallucinogenic plant? Like a funny flower or… Or a mushroom?” She pulled her hand to her slowly. Hermes gave her a wide guilty smile and cackled. She moved forward in an attempt to recapture Xiaoli's hand, her slow lunge very delayed. Xiaoli took a deep, deep breath and let out a quiet, “okay”. She helped Hermes along by holding her hand open and undefended for Hermes to snatch. “Hey, Hermes? Would you like to play a game?” She put on a sly smirk. “It's too cold,” Hermes rolled Xiaoli's hand between hers. “... You never say I’m cold normally,” Xiaoli pouted quietly; however, the cold could be an advantageous point to strategize from. “Oh, Hermes!~” the river girl called out playfully as her hair began to let off a gentle column of steam. “Would you like a hug?” “You're so sweet,” Hermes smiled, tears forming in her eyes, “And pretty.” Xiaoli blushed a bit and gave Hermes a flirty wink. “I know.” She then pulled her into an affectionate hug, the sand on her body comfortably warm like that of a beach in the afternoon sun. Hermes rumbled happily and pressed tight. Xiaoli took a deep breath and, in spite of their height difference, picked Hermes up with ease and proceeded to carry her towards the bedroom house. “Ah!” Hermes yelped as she was lifted up. She waved her arms, “I don't like this!” “Look, dear, I’m really sorry, but you ought to sleep this off, alright? I’ll put you to bed, make you some tea, sing you a song or two - does that sound alright with you?” “We are up to high!” Hermes screeched, her hands clinging to Xiaoli for dear life. Her sandals still dangled from her fingers as her knuckles whitened. “No, I believe that’s just you, dear,” Xiaoli mumbled with a sigh. As they arrived at the bedroom house, Xiaoli kicked off her sandals and hopped into the hallway, making the ride slightly bumpier for Hermes than expected, the woman letting out sharp yelps at every sudden movement. Nearly losing her grip around her waist, the river girl hefted her up a little with a quiet ‘hup!’ and swung Hermes over her shoulder. The woman let out a curdled scream. “I’m falling!” Xiaoli sighed. “No, you’re not! I have you perfectly under control if you would just -stop squirming-!” Xiaoli clumsily tried to wrangle the woman on her shoulder as she pulled aside the door to the bedroom. Stepping inside while making certain Hermes did not bump into the doorframe was no simple task, and Xiaoli had to squat down to achieve it, causing Hermes to whimper. Finally, Xiaoli reached the bed and gently put the Dreamer down on top of the blanket, sneaking her bag and sandals away to the floor. “There,” she said as she began to tuck her in. “That wasn’t so bad, right?” Hermes heart was clearly pounding as her fingers remained tight around Xiaoli’s clothes. Her were eyes wide and intoxicated, “I don’t... like this.” Xiaoli sighed and gave her a compassionate smile. Once she had tucked in Hermes, she hopped onto the bed with a ‘hup!’ and rolled up close to her. “Don’t worry, dear…” Xiaoli yawned softly behind a cupped hand. “I’ll stay with you until you get better, alright?” Hermes hid her face into one of the pillows and nodded silently, fingers tightening. [hr] Hours passed in relative silence, with only fearful whimpers coming from Hermes now and again as well as calming shushes from Xiaoli. As much as the river girl wanted, the dreamer never seemed able to fall asleep. Bit by bit she became more lucid, and slowly her eyes of intoxication turned into pink eyes of exhaustion and her blushed cheeks turned sour with nausea. Finally Hermes seemed to drift away, if not a little uncomfortably. She was only gone for four hours, suddenly waking up as the evening Heliopolis began to set with a bubbling stomach ache. “Never again,” She gripped her stomach as it groaned. Xiaoli stirred to life, seemingly having dozed off after waiting for so long. She giggled. “There’s my angel,” she said softly and kissed Hermes’ hair. “Hang on, I’ll make you some tea and food.” She slowly sat up in the bed and shuffled to the edge. She eyed the backpack intently. She opened it up and extracted some vegetables before strolling out of the room. Hermes watched Xiaoli, her chin on the bed, as she left. She narrowed her eyes in thought as she looked at Xiaoli’s ankle. She rolled onto her back and it hit her funny: Shengshi has no ankles, and neither does Xiaoli -- technically, but she has an ankle bump anyway. Hermes shook her head, “Gods are weird.” [hr] Roughly twenty minutes later, Xiaoli returned with a tray: The tray was topped with a teapot, two cups, and a bowl of delicious-smelling soup. The river girl placed the tray on the bed and poured Hermes a cup of tea. “Here… Drink this.” The tea in the cup was green - almost grassy, scent-wise, contrasting starkly with the rich, meaty fragrance of the soup. Hermes gave it a studious sniff and slowly brought it to her lips. She winced at the heat but let it slip between her lips, the liquid reminding her how dry her mouth really was. The flavour was, surprisingly, quite rich in itself, albeit a little bitter. It left a lingering impression of cleanliness and purity with each sip, and every droplet pulled with it the impurities of the mushrooms, little by little. Xiaoli stirred the soup a little with a spoon, scooping up a spoonful and holding it in front of Hermes’ face with a giggle. Hermes sat up and put her hand over Xiaoli’s guiding the spoon, “Thank you.” She clamped around the spoon and quickly slurped the soup up. Hermes’ face suddenly turned curious as she smacked her tongue off her palate, “Chameleon squirrel?” She cocked her head, “When did you get that?” Xiaoli shrugged. “You know… They skip around here from time to time. One happened to switch colours on a nearby tree trunk just as I was preparing to cook - I thought it would taste wonderfully.” She dipped her finger into Hermes’ soup bowl and licked it clean. “... Which it did, if I may say so myself.” “You know,” Hermes sipped at her tea, “I could always go hunting for us. Might be good practice, I’m sure the kids will want some meat to go with their--” She looked at her bag on the floor, “--cabbage.” “That would be lovely, dear! I’ll make us a larder or something to cure the meats. We will eat like ladies every day - but what would you hunt?” Hermes looked at the spear that leaned against the wall, “There are fish, there are bilbies. Could even try for more squirrels. Something just doesn’t feel right about eating a Tree-eater, not after…” She plucked her shirt, “They were so generous.” Xiaoli gulped. “Yes… Generous.” She cleared her throat. “But that sounds like a wonderful plan - don’t focus on capturing squirrels, though, please. They’re a bit of a hassle to butcher.” “I won’t” Hermes smiled, “But we can start that project after we take care of the garden, I found so many things to grow.” Xiaoli let out a happy sigh. “Alright, that sounds like a plan.” [Hider=Summary] In light of recent events, Hermes is reluctant to let go of Xiaoli, enjoying her presence. The clingy pregnant lady traps Xiaoli in a cuddle for quite some time before finally letting go. She reveals she has been reading more on food in Abanoc’s book and decides to start a garden. While she is out looking for plants to bring back, Xiaoli is finishing the courtyard, making a tile floor map of the eastern hemisphere of Galbar. Hermes returns as high as a kite, having eaten two mushrooms from the forests. Crazy trip stuff ensues and Xiaoli forces Hermes to bed, staying with her as she comes down from a bad trip. That dusk, Hermes comes to and they talk about hunting and larders and shit. [/hider] [hider=Prestigio] 27+3= dirty thirty [/hider]