tragic_mask | (no subject)

"Really?" She thinks about it. "I'd probably figure it out on my own. Wouldn't want to be indebted to you."

"Then I'm afraid war between our settlements is inevitable," he says. "But you're tougher than you look, and I'll underestimate you and be defeated. I hope you won't plow salt into my fields when I am vanquished--they're good lands."

"Which lands, again?" she asks. "I didn't know we had decided on this natural way of life already."

"You know that park near your apartment?" he asks. "I claim the part over past the benches. Good land for farming, if you can keep the students with the frisbees off your crops."

"Hey, now. I don't think you're allowed to claim that land. I have it by seniority, if anything."

"Ah, so it begins," he says, with mock sorrow. "At war before we even set foot on my lands. I suppose that even throwing off the yoke of civilization cannot bring peace."

"Quite doubtful," she agrees.

"Still... if it gives me the chance to see you out in nature, with leaves and feathers in your hair, and maybe carrying a knife..."

He nudges her foot gently, under the table.

"It couldn't be all bad."

She gives him a wry smile. "In my natural habitat?"

"In New York?" he asks with a chuckle. "That could be arranged."

"Really?" she says, with an eyebrow quirked. "I thought New York was the epitome of civilization."

"There are parks," he says. "We could run wild in one. Possibly more than one, and subways in between. It's like caves, only... with more risk of being attacked by giant metal beasts."

"Wow," she says, and ponders it.

"Have you ever gone spelunking?" he asks. "We could, sometime, if you'd like. I haven't been in ages, but it can be very..."

He sips his coffee. "Very grounding. There aren't as many distractions underground as there are aboveground."

"Sure, let's go. I've never been... I generally go up, if I go anywhere."

"I used to spend more time in caves than I do now. It isn't exactly... safe for me to do it back in Minnesota these days."

A pause. "The caves are less traveled there, so a person could get lost forever in them. I doubt that would be as much of a problem near New York."

She notes the pause, but replies, "Well, I'll let you be the guide."

"At this rate, if we take all these vacations and day-trips we've been discussing, we will never have time for actual work again," he murmurs. "I'm not sure that's a bad thing."

"Yes, let's just get away," she says, grinning. "Like Thelma and Louise?"

"But hopefully with a better ending," he nods. "It's very appealing--just get away from it all. Travel, and find ways to make a bit of money here and there as we need it, but mostly we wouldn't need it."

"Live off the land," she supplies.

"We could, yes. Hunting, fishing--gathering wild berries and raiding farmers' crops for a little bit here and there. Hitchhiking--do we want to hitchhike?"

She thinks about it for a moment.

"I thought more along the lines of catching freight trains as they come through town, and camping out in the empty cars. Or is that antiquated?"

"There are still trains, I think. Probably better security than there used to be, but I think we could manage. There's romance in it. I find the idea appealing."

"We're going to be very busy, with all the plans we're making," she says. "But we have plenty of time."