your dancing days are done, son

[malodorous]

WHO: Kristoff Bjorgman and D'Artagnan
WHERE: Mountainous region outside of Nonah, NC
WHEN: First weekend of August
WHAT: An exchange of lessons, outdoors skills for soldiering skills
WARNINGS: n/a probably

[ The weather's clear, if hot, with a possibility of rain coming in during the evening. That's good, Kristoff thinks, because both the heat and the rain are good reasons to find specific types of shelters. It'll make the lesson seem more practical. That's the hope, anyway. He doesn't actually know anything about teaching, so he feels as though he's going about this very clumsily.

It's a bus ride that gets them a decent ways out of the city, and from there it's a matter of trekking to a certain plot of land on the mountain, bought with well over a year's worth of saved income from this place. Resting there, in a greatly-overgrown clearing, is a small and long-abandoned livestock barn. It's no place to stay, currently, but it's a decent place to start, a good home-base.

Sven is trusted to Anna's care for the weekend, so it's just Kristoff and this D'Artagnan fellow, who he hadn't met in person before this. French, he'd said, and a soldier by profession. Knowing nothing about France or soldiering, the conversation isn't easily made up for Kristoff's part. He's been content to make the trip in relative quiet, though answering companionably enough when addressed.

When they reach the barn, Kristoff sets his pack down and gets down to start digging things out. The first this he hands D'Artagnan is a large knife in a leather sheath. ]

Here you go. Your new best friend.

Comments

[mousquetaire]

[ D'Artagnan likes this already. There's something about it that reminds him of home, trekking through unfamiliar territory. He'd wanted to bring his horse, but since Kristoff was leaving his own beast behind, it hadn't quite seemed right. He complains little, and mostly just gets on with the business of climbing. After a while, the quiet between them is something he's glad about, because although d'Artagnan has a fair lot of endurance, he doesn't spend a lot of his time climbing mountains.

Not to mention, he did not see fit to leave his sword, his main gauche or his guns behind. Even though he has no real intention of using his guns, for which his ammunition is limited. D'Artagnan would not feel fully dressed without them, and thus, they're doing a good job of weighing him down. He doesn't complain about that, either, knowing it's his own fault.

Still, when they finally reach an area that has actual shelter on offer, he can't help feeling relieved. He can make do with a barn. Looking up, he takes a long breath, and pushes his hair out of his eyes. ]

So this is where we're staying. [ He looks around, and then sees Kristoff holding a blade out to him. He moves to take it, and pulls the knife out of its sheath. His brows shoot up while he tests the weight of it. It's well balanced, but far heavier than his main gauche. He looks up with clear interest. ] A hunting knife? Are we chasing dinner?

[malodorous]

No. [ Kristoff's a little more than halfway sure that was a joke, so he doesn't look too baffled by the question. Literally chasing things down wouldn't be very productive in reality. The knives are quite useful for plenty of other things, though. ] We'll try some traps. If that doesn't work, I brought emergency food. Where's the fun in that, though?

The knife's good for other stuff. [ He digs his own out of his bag and works on tucking it securely into his sash (an odd remainder to his wardrobe in a set of otherwise modern clothing), standing up and looking around the area. He's just got to take a moment to remember what's where, in case he needs to know. ]

Okay. So... I don't know how much of this stuff you've done before, but here we are. Outside. What do we need first?

[mousquetaire]

[ As used to travel as d'Artagnan is, he's used to using weapons as weapons - not so much as tools. He flips the knife around in his hand, getting used to its weight. The idea of traps sparks his interest. He tucks the blade into his belt, by his sword, and then folds his arms. ]

If I were with my brothers we'd build a fire, and make camp. So firewood would be the first thing we'd need.

[ He lifts his eyebrows. ] Unless of course you think the smoke would draw attention we don't want. Am I right, or wrong?

[malodorous]

[ Kristoff's expression settles on something that's not quite a frown, and he tilts his head this way and that at the answer. It's not wrong, strictly, but the step isn't one that he'd consider first. ] Well, first you need to figure out where you're making camp, and to do that, it's best to first figure out where you're getting your water from.

[ He doesn't plan on making that too difficult, though. You can't just toss people into the deep end without any kind of instruction, right? Bending, he picks up a few more thing to add to his person before picking his pack up to hang it nearby on the barn door. He talks while he moves, and he starts across the other side of the clearing. ] Now, it won't always be the case, but there's a stream nearby. I guess I'll just... As we're walking, I'll try to point out what to look for.

[ They're a little ways into the trees again when he stops and points down at the ground. There are little rabbit footprints there. ] See? Tracks. And if you follow them... [ He holds his arm out. After you, sir. ]

[mousquetaire]

If there’s a stream, don’t you want to see if it has fish?

[ D’Artagnan regrets asking that as soon as it’s out. He doesn’t have Aramis’ skill in catching them, and he’ll like this better if he doesn’t need to get wet.

That’s why he follows, and then with a glance at Kristoff, bends down to examine the prints. ]

From a rabbit, I think. Only one, and going in that direction. There could be a burrow nearby.

[ He grew up as a farmer. D’Artagnan is decent with animals. He pulls out the hunting knife and uses the blade to push foliage aside, checking the direction. ]

This way.

[ He starts after it, his eyes often returning to the prints to make sure they haven’t lost their way. ]

[malodorous]

[ He momentarily lets the thought of fishing slip past. It is a perfectly viable option, and it's going to be that and the rabbits in the end. It all comes down to a line of question that he tucks away for later as he falls into step behind D'Artagnan.

It doesn't take long for them to come upon the stream, and Kristoff gets out the large canteen that's strapped over his shoulder. ] Good on ya. Let me get some water, then we'll figure out where we wanna stay.

[ He's looking around as he walks to find an ideal spot, crouching to fill the canister once he finds a poor deep enough to prevent him from kicking up any dirt in the water. ]

We probably can fish, if you'd rather do that instead of hoping for rabbits or squirrels.

[mousquetaire]

[ D’Artagnan moves to the stream to fill his own canister. At once, he regrets not having the one he’d have used at home. The replacement he’d bought here doesn’t feel like real leather, and it lacks the homeliness of the one he’d left behind. Regardless, he fills it, and reattaches it to his belt. ]

I’ll warn you, I’m not good at it.

[ He wouldn’t find it impossible, but as they talk about it, he gets a vision of the hours stretching out ahead of them while he tries to lay hands on something worth eating. ]

My friend Aramis could catch supper for five with his bare hands. The rabbits are better for me. Squirrels as well, though the grey kind they have here is strange to me. They’re bigger than I would have thought, too. It must be a different breed.

I am so sorry I let this get buried under a bunch of other stuff for so long.

[malodorous]

[ Kristoff lets out a low whistle at the claim of this friend's skill, his response a joking sort of impressed for what has to be an exaggeration. ] I'd like to see that.

[ It's probably not happening, right? Squirrels, on the other hand... ] Mm. A lot of stuff here's a little different. Bigger's probably better for eating, though. Guess we'll see, depending on whether the rabbits or squirrels are more hapless.

[ Standing, he seals his water container shut and he's off again, looking around as he pushes through the brush. ] Now we just need an ideal spot to sleep. The barn's a fallback, but... You wanted to learn how to shelter yourself in a pinch, yeah?

don't worry at all!

[mousquetaire]

[ If Aramis ever arrives, he’ll probably be more than happy to show off.

D’Artagnan, personally, is not quite so sure of himself. He knows plenty about nature and wildlife, having grown up on a farm, but that’s hardly the wilderness. Kristoff is right. He wants to know what to do in an emergency. ]

Yes. The barn’s where I thought we were going. If we were doing this at home, we’d have horses and supplies and we’d make camp close to a river bank. With trees to shelter us, most likely. I hope you have a better idea.

[malodorous]

Of course I do. [ Confident and with a hint of friendly teasing. ] The point of all this is to recognize that you aren't at home and you won't have those things if you ever need to get out of the city here. You have to know how to save yourself with as little as possible available.

[ There are some things, small things, that are technically luxuries to make the whole thing easier. A good knife, good rope... Oh. About that: Kristoff reaches into the sleeve of his t-shirt and pulls out one end of a length of rope, which he starts winding around his forearm. ] Along with the knife, rope's another good thing to have. I kinda cheat at that in this place.

[ He pauses in his walking then, apparently having found what he'd been on the lookout for in their walk. The ground's pretty level, here, the trees numerous but well-spread... Yeah. This'll work. Kristoff starts pacing around this area, in particular, double-checking for needed aspects. He continues the conversation, though, now that he's thinking about a certain something. ] What powers do you have here? I guess that's something to consider, too, right?

[mousquetaire]

Nothing that's likely to help.

[ D'Artagnan has followed, but now that they're in the space, he's hanging back to watch what Kristoff does. It's clearly going to involve that rope, but he's not sure what that means exactly. ]

I can summon weapons. Usually when I get angry enough.

And, I can make people feel things. [ He shoots a look at the other man. There's a wariness in him about explaining this to anyone. It's not a power he's comfortable with, and he's really only used it while under the influence of someone else's power. ]

Whatever I'm feeling, it's like I can share it. If I concentrate. [ He clears his throat. ] I'm not going to use it on you, so don't worry about it.