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Benedict Fox



un: a tentacute observation
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[companionsgrasp]

Oh. Um...

[Benedict didn't have an immediate answer. That nervous tic returned full force until Benedict forced himself to place his hands on his hips and then his body stilled. It had been a long time since he'd been asked to hang out with anyone. Of course, he tended to mostly avoid people outside of business and working a case. It made him harder to find.

He thought of Harry though, his one true friend, and the pang of longing struck hard. Not only did he miss the older man but it suddenly occurred to him that he didn't know what happened to the old badger. Harry had only been at the house to help Benedict and the old man had gotten caught up in all the mess. Benedict was certain Houdini had gotten away--handcuffs? really?--but afterwards Benedict had no idea what might have happened. And now he was here in this other dimension, on another world. He didn't know when he'd see his friend again.

Benedict put the guilt aside for a moment and let the longing take priority. That was something he could work on in the immediate passage of time. He offered Marty another hesitant smile.]

Sure, that sounds swell. Campfires are...fun, right?

[pepsifree]

[ "I don't know, nobody's ever invited me to one" doesn't sound like a very confident answer, so when Marty grins, what comes out is: ] Yeah, that's usually how it goes.

And gettin' some food in never hurts, [ a sheepish chuckle ] 'specially after a day like today.

[ Gathering things for the blacksmith hadn't been difficult, necessarily, as much as it had been exhausting. Climbing had been a pain in the ass, and the mine didn't even have the decency to be easy to walk around. Come on. ]

I can wait out here if you got stuff you need to wrap up in there?

[ But if Benedict opts to leave immediately, Marty's happy to lead him to where some others have gathered to share their rather generous spoils from fishing. He'll know well enough when they're near-- the scent of grilling meat is hard to miss, and so very god damn mouthwatering after the workout they had. In Marty's humble opinion, anyway. ]

[companionsgrasp]

Yeah, yeah, I could definitely use some food. And no, I've got nothing- I'm good to go.

[He patted his book and other gear absently to indicate his readiness to leave. Not that Marty would have known what Benedict had been doing prior, but everything was in place so that at least showed that he didn't need to grab anything on the way out. He followed Marty to the area the teenager had been talking about.

He definitely smelt the food well before it came into sight. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until the moment it hit him. He licked his lips and swallowed the tantalizing smell and then smiled at Marty to show his appreciation for being invited.]

Do we just...?

[Shit, did they need to pay for this? With what? They'd worked earlier, but Benedict was under the impression they were getting gear in exchange. Did it earn them enough good will for eating someone else's hard caught meal? How communal was the living here? Well, no time like the present to find out.

He was content to watch for a moment to find out how the interactions between people typically went although he didn't account for whatever Marty would do while he people-watched from afar.]

[pepsifree]

[ Marty's an adept in the ancient art of Monkey See, Monkey Do. Before he'd gone and called Benedict, he'd already seen the folks here be more than generous to anyone who wanted a morsel of food. Upon asking, he'd been told that losing a home in Alem made their sense of community stronger-- that everyone who contributes deserves something in return.

So, while he turns on his heel and walks backwards to give a curious look Benedict's way, he doesn't urge him to follow. Instead, he goes to ask for some of the fish already skewered, thanking the folks who prepared them profusely for giving him four. With two fish on each stick, that's an easy eight, and he's not about to be picky when he hadn't helped catch it. ]

We have to make our own fire, [ is what he leads in with as he returns to Benedict's side and hands him his half of the haul ] but I figure that shouldn't be too tough, right?

[companionsgrasp]

[Benedict blinked almost comically as he realized what Marty was doing and he watched the younger man walk backwards towards the crowd around the fish. He took a hesitant step forward as if to catch up with the teen but stopped short of the full action. Observing had always been more easy for Benedict than actually getting involved. It would be easier on him if he just watched and figured out the best course of action, then performed it swiftly and without fault. In theory anyway.

In practice, he supposed it just made it look like he was shy. And when it didn't come to a job, he supposed he kind of was. Yet when it came to investigating and getting a case solved, he was as confident and cocky as the next man. This...was not a case.

Benedict started forward a minute later only to fall short again as he watched Marty walk back in his direction. He was surprised to find that half of the fishy haul was offered to him and he took it carefully from Marty as it was held out to him.]

...I suppose that makes sense. [He glanced at the skewers now in his hands.] Um. That might be an easier task without our hands full.

[Unless Benedict wanted to use some tentacles to start a fire. Of which he did not, nor did his Companion judging by the wave of discomfort that directly followed the thought.]