22
Forest
918
Martin collapsed onto the couch and pulled his hat down over his face with a sigh.
"It's nice to have a day were we don't have to do anything, isn't."
"Mm-hm," Lily sat down on his feet "Y'know...I've never been up to the forest."
Martin peeked cautiously out from under his hat "What?"
"The forest. Up north of the city."
"What about it."
"I've never been up there."
"So? Neither have I."
"What?" Her eyebrows jumped up "And you've lived here how long?"
"You know it makes me uncomfortable being so far away from the water."
"It literally isn't any more than five miles away from the ocean."
"Which is four miles too many."
"Oh, c'mon," she tugged on his foot "let's have a picnic."
"Picnic? Lily...it's cold outside!"
"Picnic in the snow!"
"Let's not."
But Lily had bounced off the couch and dashed into the kitchen "You get the basket! I'll get the food together."
"But Lily-" Martin sighed as he realised that it was hopeless to argue with her "At least put on a coat and pants."
"Okay, we're here," Martin panted as they reached the edge of the white clad forest "Where do you want to spread the blanket out?"
He turned in a full circle "Lily? Where'd you go?"
"Come on!" For a moment the brown of her fur and the green of her coat flickered between the trees "Let's go in deeper!"
"Really?"
But she was already dashing away, leaving deep imprints in the snow behind her, calling over her shoulder with a laugh "Hurry up!"
Shaking his head, but smiling, he stomped after her, dragging up snow over the tops of his boots.
"How about here?" He called as he came into a small clearing that Lily had sprinted through without a second glance "Lily?"
"Yeah!"
He jumped as he heard her voice above his head and he looked upwards "What are you doing up there?!"
She waved at him from the lowest branch of a near tree "Come on up here!"
"You want to have our picnic in a tree!?"
"Yeah!"
He stepped closer, craning his neck back further "How am I suppose to get up there?"
"Don't tell me you can't climb a tree when you spend half your time going up and down masts on ships."
"With the basket! How am I supposed to get up there with the basket!?"
"Throw the basket! I'll catch it!"
"I can't throw it that far!"
"Throw it like you mean it!"
He opened the basket and glanced into it "There isn't anything in here that'll break when it hits the ground is there?"
"Um... Just throw it."
He rolled his eyes, then flung the basket up as hard as he could. Even as it left his grip he could tell that it wasn't going to make it up to her.
As the basket reached the highest part of its arch, Lily hooked her leg over the branch, dropped her body over the edge, snatched the basket out of the air, and with a twist, returned to her sitting position on the branch.
"Got it!"
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered as he began climbing "Show off."
"Oh, is the clumsy sea captain jealous?" she laughed, grabbing his wrist and pulling him up to the branch "Here, this should make you feel better."
He tore off half the slice of cake with one bit and chewed it in vehement silence.
"I've never had a picnic in a tree," she said, nibbling at a her own slice of cake "It's nice. Look at all the trees."
"I hate trees," he said, swallowing "Can't see for acorns because of them."
"Your ship and your house are made out of trees!"
"Yeah," he snatched a handful of candied nuts out of the baskets and began crunching on them "Doesn't mean I want to eat lunch in one of them and tramp around for hours through them."
"Y'know I'm pretty sure it's not normal to be this prejudiced against trees."
"I'm not prejudiced, I just don't like them."
"That's not normal either," she plucked a couple of nuts out of his hand "Why?"
"I don't know, I just don't. Why do you like them?"
"Because!" She spread her arms out "Trees!"
"O-okay, that's not normal either."
She giggled "I like this forest, I want to explore it."
"You'll get lost."
"I know!" she continued as if she hadn't heard him "We should go on a camping trip."
"You can go when its warmer. By yourself."
"Aww, you don't want to come?"
"Not in the slightest."
"But we could play hide and seek in the trees!"
"Again, that is another wonderful way to get lost."
"Spoiler sport. I'll just have to get Darkmoon and Shyshie to come with me."
"Oh yes, capital idea, take the young selkie camping."
"Fine. You stay home with her and I'll drag Darkmoon out here."
"Okay, sounds good."
She edged closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder "Aw, but I want you to come with me."
"I don't like it out here."
"I can teach you."
"No you can't.
"Yes I can."
"Lily, I don't like the forest."
"You will when I'm done with you," she grinned up at him mischievously.
"Why does that really scare me."
"Oh, don't worry, it won't hurt...too much."
He shook his head and reached for more nuts "No."
"What? You've could come out here and paint!"
"No."
"But...pretty trees!"
He sighed "Maybe. Just to paint."
"Yay!"
Forest
918
Martin collapsed onto the couch and pulled his hat down over his face with a sigh.
"It's nice to have a day were we don't have to do anything, isn't."
"Mm-hm," Lily sat down on his feet "Y'know...I've never been up to the forest."
Martin peeked cautiously out from under his hat "What?"
"The forest. Up north of the city."
"What about it."
"I've never been up there."
"So? Neither have I."
"What?" Her eyebrows jumped up "And you've lived here how long?"
"You know it makes me uncomfortable being so far away from the water."
"It literally isn't any more than five miles away from the ocean."
"Which is four miles too many."
"Oh, c'mon," she tugged on his foot "let's have a picnic."
"Picnic? Lily...it's cold outside!"
"Picnic in the snow!"
"Let's not."
But Lily had bounced off the couch and dashed into the kitchen "You get the basket! I'll get the food together."
"But Lily-" Martin sighed as he realised that it was hopeless to argue with her "At least put on a coat and pants."
"Okay, we're here," Martin panted as they reached the edge of the white clad forest "Where do you want to spread the blanket out?"
He turned in a full circle "Lily? Where'd you go?"
"Come on!" For a moment the brown of her fur and the green of her coat flickered between the trees "Let's go in deeper!"
"Really?"
But she was already dashing away, leaving deep imprints in the snow behind her, calling over her shoulder with a laugh "Hurry up!"
Shaking his head, but smiling, he stomped after her, dragging up snow over the tops of his boots.
"How about here?" He called as he came into a small clearing that Lily had sprinted through without a second glance "Lily?"
"Yeah!"
He jumped as he heard her voice above his head and he looked upwards "What are you doing up there?!"
She waved at him from the lowest branch of a near tree "Come on up here!"
"You want to have our picnic in a tree!?"
"Yeah!"
He stepped closer, craning his neck back further "How am I suppose to get up there?"
"Don't tell me you can't climb a tree when you spend half your time going up and down masts on ships."
"With the basket! How am I supposed to get up there with the basket!?"
"Throw the basket! I'll catch it!"
"I can't throw it that far!"
"Throw it like you mean it!"
He opened the basket and glanced into it "There isn't anything in here that'll break when it hits the ground is there?"
"Um... Just throw it."
He rolled his eyes, then flung the basket up as hard as he could. Even as it left his grip he could tell that it wasn't going to make it up to her.
As the basket reached the highest part of its arch, Lily hooked her leg over the branch, dropped her body over the edge, snatched the basket out of the air, and with a twist, returned to her sitting position on the branch.
"Got it!"
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered as he began climbing "Show off."
"Oh, is the clumsy sea captain jealous?" she laughed, grabbing his wrist and pulling him up to the branch "Here, this should make you feel better."
He tore off half the slice of cake with one bit and chewed it in vehement silence.
"I've never had a picnic in a tree," she said, nibbling at a her own slice of cake "It's nice. Look at all the trees."
"I hate trees," he said, swallowing "Can't see for acorns because of them."
"Your ship and your house are made out of trees!"
"Yeah," he snatched a handful of candied nuts out of the baskets and began crunching on them "Doesn't mean I want to eat lunch in one of them and tramp around for hours through them."
"Y'know I'm pretty sure it's not normal to be this prejudiced against trees."
"I'm not prejudiced, I just don't like them."
"That's not normal either," she plucked a couple of nuts out of his hand "Why?"
"I don't know, I just don't. Why do you like them?"
"Because!" She spread her arms out "Trees!"
"O-okay, that's not normal either."
She giggled "I like this forest, I want to explore it."
"You'll get lost."
"I know!" she continued as if she hadn't heard him "We should go on a camping trip."
"You can go when its warmer. By yourself."
"Aww, you don't want to come?"
"Not in the slightest."
"But we could play hide and seek in the trees!"
"Again, that is another wonderful way to get lost."
"Spoiler sport. I'll just have to get Darkmoon and Shyshie to come with me."
"Oh yes, capital idea, take the young selkie camping."
"Fine. You stay home with her and I'll drag Darkmoon out here."
"Okay, sounds good."
She edged closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder "Aw, but I want you to come with me."
"I don't like it out here."
"I can teach you."
"No you can't.
"Yes I can."
"Lily, I don't like the forest."
"You will when I'm done with you," she grinned up at him mischievously.
"Why does that really scare me."
"Oh, don't worry, it won't hurt...too much."
He shook his head and reached for more nuts "No."
"What? You've could come out here and paint!"
"No."
"But...pretty trees!"
He sighed "Maybe. Just to paint."
"Yay!"
