Water is heated up on the small portable stove. Cleaning up inside of the tent would've just made a mess where they sleep, so Jessica deemed it more appropriate that they do it by the firepit. The crackling fire helps, but it doesn't quite take the chill out of the air which made washing up far from the most pleasant of experiences. Thankfully all they needed was a quick wipe down to take care of the mud and grease and a change of clothes.
#EdgeOfTheWorld – November 6, 2019
But wet, exposed arms and faces do a nice job of reminding them just how biting the wind can be out here, each gust feeling like a bed of pinpricks as it blows through. It was enough to require a bit of recuperating inside of the relative warmth of the tent afterwards until the pair deem it time to throw some food together for dinner.
Jessica has returned to her spot on the rock near the cliff's edge while Yan Sun set out to fulfill her agreement to handle dinner. She's switched back into her brown cargo pants which are marginally less dirty than the now-mud-caked olive green ones she changed out of. Her home-altered grey thermal shirt with holes ripped into the wrists for her thumbs has replaced the white one. Her new jacket and boots are stained with streaks of
grey and brown where mud dried on them. She's taken the liberty of bringing one of the extra blankets with her and it's wrapped around her for an added bit of warmth. That ridiculous floofy hat of Kirill's has found its way back onto her head since the temperature has dipped further into the day. The quick wash probably didn't do any favors in staving off the chill either. And, despite the dark grey skies that only get darker as
the sun gets lower, she has the aviator glasses she seems to have claimed from Kirill perched atop the hat as if she might need them. One boot on the rock, she sits with her chin pressed against her knee, arms wrapped around her leg as she watches the horizon and waits for her dinner.
Yan Sun was less-than-thrilled about washing up outside in the cold, gritted teeth and a strained grimace a consistent fixture as she fumbled to wash up best she could. It doesn't feel like it helped as much as she'd like. Her arms still feel greasy and there's dirt under her fingernails. And now she's freezing to boot! She swapped her jeans for the other pair, getting rid of the worst of the mud, but when it came to her hoodie and boots she
didn't exactly have any alternatives, so back on they went. The washing has chilled her to the bone, and all her winterwear has gone back on. She currently crouched by the portable stove, working on dinner in solitude since Jessica returned to the cliff. She's made a valiant effort, but without the simplicity of noodles to fall back on the results are looking... less than stellar. Her approach hasn't exactly been all that different
from Jessica's, just... worse - she's been frying two pieces of carashan meat until it's thoroughly cooked - and dried out. Of course, the high heat means it's even drier than Jessica's attempt, not to mention the fact that she tried her hand at seasoning. Which mainly consisted of applying salt. A lot of salt. Too much salt. It might still be edible. Accompanying the meat as she moves it over into the tupperware containers that have
been sort-of-cleaned are some burned eggs that didn't fare too well on the high heat the meat was cooked at. Her eyebrows furrow slightly as she looks over the containers in her hands, and then she adds a slice of bread to each. Perfect! Five-star dinner! Satisfied that she's succeeded in her task she turns off the stove and heads over towards Jessica where she sits, stopping next to her and looking out across the ocean for a moment
Jessica barely even registers Yan Sun's presence, her mind seemingly elsewhere until the woman speaks up, causing her to lift her chin from her knee and glance her way. Her nose twitches as she sniffles, that cold that's settling in making its presence known as she turns her gaze down to the container of food. She studies it for a moment, brow furrowing, and shifts in place atop the rock to better face Yan Sun. "Mmm..." she hums as she
reaches out to take the container and pull it onto her lap. Reaching down with her left hand, she grabs the chunk of meat between her thumb and index finger and lifts it up to get a better look at it. A few moments pass in silence before she looks up to Yan Sun with a deadpan expression and wordlessly lifts her right hand up beside the chunk of meat, as if for comparison.
Yan Sun 's eyebrows furrow slightly at the sniffling, but Jessica's theatrics draw her attention before she can say something. She looks briefly confused before she catches on, frown deepening. "It's-... it's fine!" she exclaims defensively, gesturing towards the food. She goes to take a seat next to Jessica, digging a beer out of the pocket of her jacket and handing it to her as well, before retrieving an energy drink for herself. Both
containers have cutlery stuck into them as well. "Just wanted to... make sure it was properly cooked!" she adds in way of explanation, sounding a little indignant at the apparent skepticism.
Jessica snorts loudly, a smug smile crossing her lips as she accepts the beer and stores it between her legs. "You say to me that my cooking is sucks!" she exclaims in defense of her own dry cooking from a few nights ago, "You see?! Is not me! Is the-... the-... the fucking thing! The stove!" she insists, though that's clearly not the case.
Yan Sun frowns. "I did not! And-... and you haven't even tasted it yet!" she protests. Not that she has either. So she's quick to do just that, of course, stabbing the fork into the meat and cutting a piece free before popping it into her mouth. There's the briefest hint of a grimace as she chews, but then she blinks and swallows, remaining silent afterwards, eyebrows slightly furrowed as she watches an arbitrary patch of grass near the
Jessica lifts the beer to her mouth as Yan Sun speaks, ratcheting it between her back teeth for a moment before giving it a painful twist to do away with the cap. "You did!" she says out of the side of her mouth as she maneuvers the cap with her tongue for a moment before spitting it out towards the cliff's edge. It doesn't quite make it off, however. "You maybe did not say it exactly, but is what you mean!" she argues, shooting a
none-too-serious sidelong glare Yan Sun's way before turning her attention back to the chunk of overcooked meat in her other hand. She brings it up to her face, sniffing it first before touching the tip of her tongue out against it to test the waters for theatrics sake. She licks at her lip for a moment before deeming it edible and biting into it. Cutlery is for amateurs. She tries to bite into it with her front teeth but
quickly changes angles of attack, tilting her head to the side to dig into it with her back teeth and tear a chunk free. Her gaze turns low as she chews. And chews. And chews some more. Perhaps she's just a much less picky eater than Yan Sun, because she doesn't seem too offput by the over-seasoned, over-cooked dry meat, merely shrugging, the blanket draped over them rising and falling with her shoulders before she brings the
Yan Sun snickers quietly at Jessica's accusation, a small grin crossing her lips. She waits, watching her nervously as she waits for her reaction. She's well aware from the first bite that she messed up of course, but she refuses to acknowledge it if Jessica isn't going to, and when it seems that her cooking has been accepted she seems pleased, despite being less-than-eager to eat more of it herself. She gives the meat a rest, scooping up
Jessica nibbles at the chunk of meat for a bit longer before also deciding to 'give the meat a rest'. Or, more appropriately, to give her jaw a rest. They've managed to get through most of the day without rain despite the constant looming threat. Litae occasionally peeks out through the coverage of the gray clouds above, reflected in the endless ocean before them. When a gust of wind rolls through, Jessica scoots a bit closer to Yan Sun
Jessica as she takes a sip of her beer, lifting an arm to raise her blanket in a silent offer of refuge from the cold to the woman at her side.
Yan Sun gains a small smile, glancing Jessica's way before leaning closer and tugging the offered blanket over her shoulder. "I'm still frozen from the washing I think..." she says with a small snicker, shivering a little for emphasis before scooping up some more charred egg, conspicuously avoiding the meat for now.
Jessica huddles close to Yan Sun, the additional body warmth welcome. She, too, still hasn't quite recovered from cleaning up, and a loud sniffle implies it probably didn't do much to help her onsetting cold situation. "Mmm." she hums, beer held firmly between her thighs to keep from dropping it as she picks at her eggs. A silence settles in as she slowly works through her overcooked dinner.
Yan Sun eats in silence for a bit, the process a bit slow and awkward thanks to eating out of a plastic container in her lap, and the limited elbow space that comes with being huddled up to Jessica, but she doesn't mind. It's not long before the sniffling catches her attention again, eyebrows furrowing a little as she looks to the woman next to her. "You okay? You've been sniffling all day..."
Jessica furrows her brow, gaze on her food as she gives a few nods to the question, thoughts seemingly elsewhere. "Mmm. I am fine." she offers dismissively before returning to silence and shoveling some eggs onto her slice of bread and folding it into something of an egg-bread taco.
Yan Sun looks a little skeptical, but doesn't comment, returning to eating instead, using her utensils to pry free another bit of meat not without effort, a large bite of bread accompanying it in an attempt at diluting the salty taste. A sip from her energy drink helps wash it down and mask it in chemical sweetness. She listens to the crashing waves as silence descends, mind wandering to the past couple of days, and to what's to come.
Jessica continues to eat in silence. The soothing sound of the waves down below and the lowering sun making for a rather serene setting, not at all undercut by the gloomy overcast. To her credit, she finishes most of her food. Undeterred by the overcooked meal, little remains in the small container aside from a bit of particularly tough meat by the time she sets the container aside. Her own thoughts have drifted to the past couple of
days as well as she watches the horizon. To an exhausting trip towards nothing. To time spent, cooped up in Kirill's beat up old truck with Yan Sun and words said in the heat of an emotionally charged moment. She quickly turns her thoughts away from that, however, as any serious amount of consideration on that front digs a pit into her stomach. She thinks of the tough old woman who seemed to have it all figured out despite being
befallen by so much tragedy while Jessica has spent the last year of her life running in circles and chasing the memories of ghosts. It forces her thoughts to turn towards what's to come. The terrifying unknown of the future. "It has been a long time since I-..." she stammers, pausing and swallowing as she struggles with her words. "...I don't see anything past-... past-..." Once again, her voice trails off as she tries to bring
up Cross and how the idea of snuffing the life out of the man who killed her family has consumed her thoughts- her very being- for more than a year. It's felt like so much longer. It's kept her going. Like a fire in her chest. But where has it gotten her? Her family is no better off. Cross is still in his tower. He probably has no idea who she even is. The thought causes her to bite down, that anger that has become so familiar
to her threatening to bubble up. She's spent the past year tryingso hard to do right by them. Trying to avenge them. Trying to put a dent in the man who took their lives in hope that it would give their deaths some meaning. A violent promise that they wouldn't be forgotten. That whether she killed Cross or he killed her, he wouldn't just get to walk away from everything he did. He wouldn't just get to ignore the fact that he
took everything from her... Or maybe that's just what she's tried to convince herself of. A whole building of people... Of friends. Family. People she's known her entire life. Dead. All because of her. And in some cruel twist of fate she was the only one to walk away from it. Maybe none of this was for them. Maybe it was for her. For her own selfish guilt. Would they have wanted any of this? Any of the chaos she's sown? The
trail of bodies she's left behind in their name? That's certainly not the future her brother wanted for her. "I think-... Martin would-... He would be happy that we are going to Earth." she decides on. Her words are soft, almost whispered, and- despite her struggle with simple, sincere words- the sentiment seems to be of great importance to her. He would have wanted for her to be happy. For her to try and be happy. To move
forward. Not to let their memories become a burden, fueled by anger. She briefly glances Yan Sun's way, unable to hold eye contact before turning her gaze back towards the horizon.
Yan Sun doesn't manage to eat quite so much, settling for a couple of bites of the meat before resigning herself to eggs and bread. She seems alright with watching the setting sun in silence as she sorts through her thoughts, the blanket and the presence of Jessica at her side helping a little against the chill. When the silence is broken she looks to Jessica, studying her face with a soft frown. It's not hard to put together where the first
stumbling sentences were headed, and her hand goes to to the leg of the woman next to her, giving it a gentle squeeze as she waits for her to continue. The words that come cause her to swallow, gaze falling briefly before returning to her face, a small nod of acknowledgement accompanying Jessica's thoughts. A hint of a soft, cautious smile crosses her lips, restrained by heavy emotions. "From everything you've told me about him? I
Jessica lets out a breath, pleased that Yan Sun isn't going to make it into a bigger 'thing' than it is. She gives a few small nods of her head as she continues to watch the sunset, leaning a bit against Yan Sun as she does. Silence sets back in, her thoughts once more turning to the future. Perhaps a bit more hopeful than she was a week ago. There's a thoughtful look on her face. "...How much it is to buy a-... a-..." she stammers
softly as she tries to recall their conversation from a couple of days ago and the name of the bad ass creature, "...rhino...? How much they are costing on Earth?"
Yan Sun leans against Jessica in turn, her thumb stroking gently back and forth across the fabric of her cargo pants as they sit in silence. She resists the urge to say something else, lest she go on another ramble about her own feelings. The unexpected question causes a surprised snort of laughter, a grin crossing her lips as she considers the question. "I, uh... I'm not sure. Maybe we can ask around some zoos when we get there." she says
with a leftover snicker, her arm wrapping around Jessica and pressing a kiss against the side of her neck. "Looking to get a pet?" she asks through obvious, lingering amusement.
Jessica seems a bit confused over what's so funny, cocking a brow. The kiss causes her to tilt her head to the side to give Yan Sun better access to her neck, grin of her own showing through at the question. "Mmm..." she hums in consideration before teasing matter-of-factly, "Maybe one pet is enough."
Yan Sun 's amusement is wiped away with a faint, stuttered noise, the slightest hint of a blush following before an elbow is jabbed lightly into Jessica's side and her attention returns forward with a muttered "You're the worst..." that contradicts the already returning grin.
Jessica tries to escape the bony elbow with little success, her own snicker escaping as she tilts her head towards Yan Sun to give her a playful bite on the shoulder. "Don't pretend like you don't like it." she continues to tease.