PICNIC TIME!

[yulietorious]

It had been a while since Yulie had been able to properly spend time with her brother, and she was excited to finally get the chance, even if they weren't in exactly the best circumstances.

Despite being told about the City and how difficult it seemed to be to leave, she was going to make the best of it. So on a bright summer day, she decided to go with her brother to the park for a picnic.

She sat on the blanket that her brother had gotten, getting out the sandwiches and snacks she'd prepared that morning. The young paladienne was looking forward to spending a nice day with Kresnik.

Of course, she wouldn't object to others joining them if they happened to pass by.

Comments

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

Though he should be focused on finding an exit from this city, Kresnik couldn't object to Yulie when she suggested that they go on a picnic together. It was somewhat comforting to know that she's okay even after his absence from Filgaia, but there's still threats looming around here.

...Besides, he did want to spend more time with Yulie, especially after being separated from her for over a year.

He sat next to her on the blanket, somewhat grateful that the weather was nice today. "...It's almost unusual seeing this amount of grassland and trees in one area."

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

She gave a nod at his words, smiling lightly as she looked around the park.

"It really is nice. I wish Filgaia had more places like this," Yulie said, picking up a small sandwich.

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

He nodded at her statement, but chose not to elaborate more on that issue. Restoration of their world will take years and the soldier doubted that he'll live to see the day when Filgaia is fully green.

"...It's one of the more positive aspects of the city." Kresnik offered mildly, not wanting Yulie to be sad or uncomfortable with him. He pulled out a small sandwich for himself before taking a small bite out of it.

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

Yulie imagined so as well, but she'd just hope for the best. She was still young, after all... She might be able to see some progress during her lifetime.

"Is it good?" she asked, giving her brother a small smile as he started eating.

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

He swallowed the piece he was eating before answering. "Yes, it's very good." Even if it wasn't, he would still enjoy it because Yulie made it. He smiled at her before nodding to the sandwich in her hand. "Try it."

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

With a small smile, she took a bite out of the sandwich, seeming satisfied with the taste.

Chewing and swallowing, she looked up to the sky for a brief moment before glancing back to Kresnik.

"I'm glad we can spend time together like this. It's such a nice day, too."

[godandpainter.livejournal.com]

As Amaterasu finished up her business, she paused to sniff the air. Was that.. Was that food?! Sniffing the air again, she looked around for the source.

Letting out a yip to signal Shinju to follow her, she trotted off. Ever since the human boy had come home smelling like fear and something weird one day, she didn't like for him to be too far away from her.

Soon spotting Kresnik and Yulie, she let out a bark and ran over, staring at the food in their hands.

[hellfire_gouka]

The young man hadn't gotten much sleep last night, but his companion needed to go out, and she had insisted that he come along with her. He didn't mind, of course. She was one of the few things that made him happy these days.

When she let out a bark, Shinju turned towards her curiously, wondering where she was going. He didn't want to lose her, so he quickly followed behind her. "Amaterasu...? What is it?"

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

"...I'm glad too." Kresnik agreed quietly before taking another small bite out of his sandwich. He didn't want to rush, since he could spend more time with Yulie like this.

Before he could speak again, a loud bark caught his attention and he watched as Amaterasu rushed over to their spot. "..." The soldier stared at her, noticing that the wolf seemed interested in their food.

Before he could question the sudden appearance of Amaterasu, Kresnik heard Shinju's voice and he watched as the young boy came closer to them. A small frown grew on his features, but he didn't say anything.

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

Yulie blinked when she heard the wolf's bark and approach, noticing what caught its attention as well. With a small smile, she took another sandwich out of the basket they'd brought with them and held it out for the white wolf. Well, white with red markings...

She briefly wondered what it was, but it seemed friendly enough, so the girl wasn't worried. "Here. You look hungry," she said cheerfully.

Yulie curiously glanced up to the unfamilar boy when he came closer. "Hello," she greeted. "Is this wolf yours?"

[godandpainter.livejournal.com]

Seeing Yulie pull out another sandwich, Amaterasu let out a happy bark, moving to lick the girls cheek, before moving to take the food out of her hand. Laying down on the ground, the wolf-goddess started chowing down.

[hellfire_gouka]

The young man stopped when he neared the wolf, kneeling down next to Amaterasu with a sigh and patting her. "Y-yes, I suppose you could say that..." he said a bit quietly.

"I'm sorry if she's bothering you... she tends to be very friendly towards strangers. Especially ones with food..."

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

Seeing that Amaterasu wasn't going to harm Yulie, Kresnik returned his attention back to Shinju.

"It seems that you have been taking care of Amaterasu well." He looked towards Yulie. "...This boy's name is Shinju Gouka."

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

"She's not bothering us at all," Yulie said with a small smile. "We have plenty of food to spare."

She glanced briefly at her brother before turning back to Shinju. "I see. It's nice to meet you, Shinju. I'm Yulie. Would you like to join us?" she offered.

[godandpainter.livejournal.com]

Finishing the sandwich, Amaterasu licked her jaws clean, looking up at Shinju. Leaning over, her nipped at the boy's pant leg, tugging on it. The boy was spending far too much time by himself.

[hellfire_gouka]

Hearing Kresnik's voice, his face immediately fell. Nervously, he looked to the side, seeming uncomfortable. "A-ah... Kresnik... y-yes, I've been trying... she mostly takes care of herself, really..."

He was relieved to hear that Amaterasu wasn't bothering them, but...

"It... it's nice to meet you too... Your brother's talked about you a few times." At her offer, he shook his head. "N-no, I should really get going... C-come on, Amaterasu, let's go home..."

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

His expression turned somewhat grumpy when Yulie offered for Shinju to stay with them. He wanted some time alone with his sister.

He glanced briefly at Amaterasu as she tugged on Shinju's pants before looking back at the younger male. Kresnik noticed his nervousness, but didn't say anything about it.

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

She frowned lightly when he declined to join them, wondering if she had done something. Or maybe he just felt uncomfortable around her brother...? She wasn't really sure.

"Are you sure...?" the girl asked, tilting her head slightly. "We have enough for another person."

[godandpainter.livejournal.com]

Looking up at Shinju, she let out a whine, her ears folding back, but stood up anyway, shaking herself.

Quickly, she drew a small flower in Yulie's hair as thanks for the food, before nudging the back of Shinju's leg, before starting on her way.

[hellfire_gouka]

"Yes... I'm sure. Thank you for the offer, though..."

He let out a quiet, relieved sigh that Amaterasu wasn't pushing the issue, and started to turn to follow her.

"Ah, until... some other time," he said in parting to the both of them, almost hurrying off.

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

He seemed somewhat surprised when a small flower appeared in Yulie's hair. Amaterasu can make her drawings come to life...? What type of wolf is she?

Kresnik watched as they walked off. Something deep inside him almost felt guilty for driving them away.

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

Yulie blinked in surprise when she felt something in her hair suddenly and took it out to see a small flower. Giving a bright smile as thanks to the wolf (?) before she turned away, the girl gave a small nod to Shinju.

"Alright... Until then."

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

He felt his appetite disappear as he stared at the sandwich in his hand. It seems that Shinju has become extremely uncomfortable around him.

...It doesn't matter, he has Yulie now...and he needs to find a way back. That's the most important objective he has...

"...." For once, his own words didn't make him feel focused again.

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

After watching Shinju and Amaterasu walk away, she returned her eyes to her brother. She noticed he seemed a bit down and frowned worriedly, wondering if there was something between him and that young man that was making them act this way...

"Are you okay, Kresnik...?"

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

When Yulie spoke, Kresnik snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her. It took a moment for him to process what she asked, but he nodded. "...I'm alright, Yulie. Don't worry..." He started to take another bite out of his sandwich to show that her that he was okay.

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

Yulie gave a quiet sigh. "Alright... if you say so," she replied quietly, still seeming worried, but deciding to move on. She continued eating her own sandwich as well, trying to think of another topic to continue the conversation with...

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

Kresnik didn't say anything for a while, he just continued to eat his sandwich as he stared at the other end of the park without focus.

"...." This picnic isn't turning out the way he wanted.

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

Yulie wasn't about to let the day take a turn for the depressing, so she gave Kresnik a small smile before starting to speak again.

"Do you want to go get some cake after we're done here?"

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

Seeing Yulie's smile, he tried to return one of his own to her.

"If you want to, we will." It's very difficult for him to say 'no' to her.

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

She was glad to see he was attempting to be positive as well, even if it was just for her.

"Okay," Yulie said with a nod before taking another sandwich out of the basket. "Would you like another?"

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

"Yes, I would like another." He responded before pulling out a bag of potato chips for them to eat. Opening the bag up, he placed it on the blanket before taking a chip to try out.

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

"Here you go," she said, handing the sandwich to him and getting another for herself.

Though she wanted to continue the nice outing with her brother without any snags, her mind wandered to the subject of that Shinju person and why he seemed so upset.

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

"Thank you." He took the sandwich and quietly started to eat it.

After a few moments of silence, he glanced over at his sister with a somewhat worried expression. "...Is there something wrong, Yulie...?"

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

"You're welcome."

At his question, she looked up to him curiously for a moment before giving him a brief smile. "No, it's nothing. I'll tell you about it later." She reached over to grab a chip or two to go with her sandwich.

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

"...Alright." He responded quietly before continuing to eat his sandwich. He didn't want to ruin the picnic by questioning her too deeply...besides, Yulie said that she'll tell him later.

It's been too long since he was able to eat with her like this.

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

Pausing for a few moments to eat in silence and enjoy the time with her brother, she started to wonder about the City. Sure, he'd told her about how it worked and that she should be careful, but...

"What else is there to do here?" she asked after finishing up her sandwich.

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

He enjoyed the silence with his sister, occasionally taking a few potato chips from the bag to eat.

When she suddenly asked him a question, Kresnik sat and chewed his sandwich before swallowing. "There is the..." ...What do people do around here? He's been so focused on returning home that he hasn't really engaged in any...activities.

After a moment, he finally answered. "...The library."

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

She'd figured, from the way he seemed in the time she'd been with him in the City so far. Still, it couldn't hurt to ask. And it was certainly a start.

"The library..." she repeated, looking curious. "How big is it?"

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

At least Yulie seemed somewhat interested in the library.

"The library is quite large. It's most likely the biggest one I have ever encountered so far."

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

"Really? We should visit it together sometime," she said with a smile.

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

"Alright, we will." He responded with a small nod. "...There might be some cookbooks in there that you can look at."

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

"Good idea," Yulie replied. "I have been wanting to look for a few new recipes."

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

"Is there anything in particular that you are thinking about?" Yulie was the cook in the family, he only knows how to make simple stuff to survive off of.

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

She looked thoughtful, tilting her head slightly. "Not really... Just something I haven't done before."

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

"Alright, that's fine too. The markets will most likely have all the ingredients that you'll ever need..." He stretched lightly before lying down on the blanket.

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

Yulie watched her brother lie down and decided that was a good idea, lying down beside him and staring at the sky, content.

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

He closed his eyes and let out a small but content sigh.

"...I enjoyed having a picnic with you, Yulie."

[yulietorious.livejournal.com]

"Me too," she replied, closing her eyes after a moment as well.

[gene-driver.livejournal.com]

At times like these, even Kresnik could admit that the City was nice...