Everest
Puzzled, Ever's face contorts boyishly as he tries to imagine what it would be like to have a sentient vegetable as a companion (or were gourds fruits? They did have seeds and grew on vines?). The squeeze of her hand has his thoughts abruptly sputtering to a stop, and she might as well have slapped him for the bright streaks of colour suddenly on his cheeks. "Yeah, I...I think I'm one of those people." He agrees a touch uncertainly—the ones who didn't fight, not necessarily the ones who made plans. "But you're not, I guess. Not if you've already fought things." This is said almost like it's fact; Paige had fought something once, and so that made her capable of fighting and thus a fighter in young Ever's eyes.
Eventually, they come to a small copse of plants where a number of jingle bugs are merrily jingling away. There's no swarm and no danger that Ever can see, which has him relaxing slightly. Because he doesn't want to offend, he stays stiffly with his hand still in Paige's for as long as she remains close enough to keep it that way.
Behind them, the crunch crunch of snow grows slightly more louder, accompanied now by the hisssssssss! of steam as something very hot drips down onto the snow. Ever doesn't hear this though. His thoughts are currently concerned with whether or not he'll have to marry Paige one day because he held her hand, and they're rattling about his brain far too loudly for him to hear anything other than the steady rush of blood in his ears.
Eventually, they come to a small copse of plants where a number of jingle bugs are merrily jingling away. There's no swarm and no danger that Ever can see, which has him relaxing slightly. Because he doesn't want to offend, he stays stiffly with his hand still in Paige's for as long as she remains close enough to keep it that way.
Behind them, the crunch crunch of snow grows slightly more louder, accompanied now by the hisssssssss! of steam as something very hot drips down onto the snow. Ever doesn't hear this though. His thoughts are currently concerned with whether or not he'll have to marry Paige one day because he held her hand, and they're rattling about his brain far too loudly for him to hear anything other than the steady rush of blood in his ears.
