When Arlo described a whirligig toy, Vega looked at him like his head had dropped off. "I grew up on a boat, Arlo," she said, speaking clearly and perhaps even a little more slowly. "It had sails. Toys blowin' in the wind weren't really that excitin', you know." Shaking her head slightly, Vega bumped her shoulder against his. "Dweeb. Mind you, you got to play with things with wheels an' stuff, too. An' ride in carriages. Go to school. Know people you didn't live with. Right weird it all sounds to me." They'd played with oakum and tar, made swords from bits of wood and hidden in barrels from adults and each other, she said. Swung on ropes and climbed masts. Told ghost stories, four children at a time all squashed in the crows nest in the middle of the night. "An' I've no idea what butchers wrap things in. We didn't 'ave a butcher aboard." As they had put together the last of the bee remnants Vega had considered to herself that they had lived, in essence, completely different lives than each other.
She might even talk more about that with him if they lived, but as the bears attacked, that was driven out of her mind, as were all thoughts of anything except focusing. "Faff faster!" She'd called and then focused entirely on the pair of bears she'd been left with. The distracting sword-movements worked and, most importantly as far as she was concerned, they kept him safe. The last thing she'd wanted was either of those bears hurting him. So she distracted at least one of them, maybe both, and that allowed her to kill the first one and then hit the second one in the face with the pommel of her sword, thereby ensuring that it focused on her. That was where things fell down, though, and Vega knew that she was very much on the back foot here, but all she had to do was survive long enough to either gain the upper hand again or, for what actually happened.
Arlo shot it, and it dropped. Vega was moving, her sword lifting and she might well have killed it before it did for her, but it would have been a much more close run thing, no doubting. As the bear crumpled to the floor, Arlo checked around and Vega made absolutely sure that it was dead, which it very much was. Taking his offered hand, she pulled herself up and nodded. "I'm fine. You ok?" She held on to his hand longer than she needed to, and she grinned. "You know what they were? Bears. Floatin' bears. No.. hang on. Armoured floating bears. See how I keep you informed?" Her grin turned more wicked then and she added, "jus' the bear facts. That's what I give you." There was no doubting how pleased she was with herself, it was written all over her face.
"We can't leave these pelts behind. We need to move 'em an' get em off. An' yeah, teeth too. Claws. Toes. Belly button. a'righ', I'm bein' silly." She was relieved, that had been a close thing with the third bear, there was no doubt. Vega looked at him, grinned, and then knelt down next to the nearest bear, with the full intention of cutting away the pelt, breaking down the carcass as much as possible to fit into the domain bag they had. She was focused, very much so, on what she was doing and so she didn't hear, see or otherwise spot what was bursting out of the treeline and rushing at them.
She might even talk more about that with him if they lived, but as the bears attacked, that was driven out of her mind, as were all thoughts of anything except focusing. "Faff faster!" She'd called and then focused entirely on the pair of bears she'd been left with. The distracting sword-movements worked and, most importantly as far as she was concerned, they kept him safe. The last thing she'd wanted was either of those bears hurting him. So she distracted at least one of them, maybe both, and that allowed her to kill the first one and then hit the second one in the face with the pommel of her sword, thereby ensuring that it focused on her. That was where things fell down, though, and Vega knew that she was very much on the back foot here, but all she had to do was survive long enough to either gain the upper hand again or, for what actually happened.
Arlo shot it, and it dropped. Vega was moving, her sword lifting and she might well have killed it before it did for her, but it would have been a much more close run thing, no doubting. As the bear crumpled to the floor, Arlo checked around and Vega made absolutely sure that it was dead, which it very much was. Taking his offered hand, she pulled herself up and nodded. "I'm fine. You ok?" She held on to his hand longer than she needed to, and she grinned. "You know what they were? Bears. Floatin' bears. No.. hang on. Armoured floating bears. See how I keep you informed?" Her grin turned more wicked then and she added, "jus' the bear facts. That's what I give you." There was no doubting how pleased she was with herself, it was written all over her face.
"We can't leave these pelts behind. We need to move 'em an' get em off. An' yeah, teeth too. Claws. Toes. Belly button. a'righ', I'm bein' silly." She was relieved, that had been a close thing with the third bear, there was no doubt. Vega looked at him, grinned, and then knelt down next to the nearest bear, with the full intention of cutting away the pelt, breaking down the carcass as much as possible to fit into the domain bag they had. She was focused, very much so, on what she was doing and so she didn't hear, see or otherwise spot what was bursting out of the treeline and rushing at them.
