Stories by Firelight [Germaine, Romeo]

[Autumn Buckland]

So it was finally the summer holidays, and despite being told to stay at the dorms for summer and behave herself, Autumn had no plans to do so. For starters, she and Germaine had agreed to go camping in the forest for the summer, and also her cousin, Romeo, had shown up quite out of the blue, and the girl was delighted.

That day, she'd packed a bag full of blankets, canvas and food supplies, matches and a water filter her grandma had given her as a present for her 13th. Slinging the whole lot over her back, she'd agreed to meet her friends at the main entrance to the forest, and she'd spent the morning walking barefoot through Pilot Ridge and out the other side to the biggest forest the trio could find locally.

Her whole body was tingling with excitement, and even her pitcher plant was wiggling and writing around as the redhead chattered about her plans at the forest for the summer. She'd merely left the institute as abruptly as ever, not asking permission for this special excursion. They had a week of living wild in the woods and chasing bears, talking to dryads and singing songs to lure the rare lesser spotted gryphon to their camp. There was no way she was going to let Hammel ruin this, not even Sean could know about this secret magical place in the forest where they'd live.

Standing by the entrance, Autumn bounced on the balls of her feet, eyes wide with excitement. She simply couldn't wait to make a camp up and vanish from this horrible busy sort of country for a week, maybe more, of bliss. Patting her chest, she lifted her head to the sky and sighed. She wished Eric could have been here for this... but he was gone, and rather bitterly, she decided he was probably never going to come back.

Shaking those thoughts from her head, she peered down the lane, then gave a massive wave as the first body began moving from a distance up the quiet lane.

[Germaine Sharpe]

It seemed like forever ago that Autumn had come up with the idea of camping in the woods over summer. So long, in fact, that despite her initial excitement over the plan, Gerri had almost forgotten she had agreed to go. That excitement had been rekindled when the red-head reminded her of the trip, and she hastily prepped for the adventure. Plus, she was going to meet Autie's cousin, which made the prospect of camping even more fun. It was going to be a good week.

Gerri had packed her bag while singing and dancing around her room, her iPod's volume so high that she only had to wear the earphones around her neck in order to hear it. Her supplies included nothing more than her comforter and pillow, a few changes of clothes, some food (mostly junk and candy, however), and her favorite teddy bear. It was a good thing that she was going to have her traveler friend there to help take care of her. She really didn't know what she was doing.

It was by chance that she decided to wear her soccer outfit, one of the few that she had that included a pair of shorts. The hiking boots she had put on were her only conscious good decision. In any case, she was ready to enter the forest as she hiked across town towards their meeting place. Unlike her friend, Germaine did stop by the office to sign-out, but she didn't tell them the truth. She wrote down that she was going to be at the mall for a few hours. Sammy had taught her how to do that.

Suckers.

Gerri arrived just shy of afternoon, a handful of chips in one hand and a can of soda in the other. She shoved the chips in her mouth so that she could mirror her friend's wave, and used the soda to wash the salty snack down. The empty can was stowed away in her bag by the time she reached the entrance. "Hi, Boty-Autie," she greeted her friend. In her last week of freshman biology, she had learned that botany was the study of plants, and had been dying to test the new nickname she had conceived on her friend. She didn't know that what she said didn't mean the same thing.

[Romeo Buckland]

If there’s anything Romeo was thankful for, it was that he was abducted during the summer. Where there were no ‘formal classes’ whatsoever. Heaven knows he dreads the day he’d be forced to seat in a room for more than an hour. Not to mention be forced to wear shoes. (Hopefully he can get away with flip flops or even sandals though).

When Autie told him about the whole camping out trip, he could barely contain himself. Mostly because he had this whole idea about the trip being a cover for their escape. He’s heard about those people who can know your thoughts even without seeing you, and he thinks Autie’s telling it to him in such a way that no one would pick up on it. It hasn’t been a week and he’ll be back to Ireland already. Hah!

Keeping the whole escape idea in mind, Romeo decided to put a few extra supplies in his bag as he packed. Autie told him they’d be gone for a week, but he knows better – it’ll take about half a month or so just to get to Canada and he just can’t risk it. Even if he knows thinks Autie can make plants bear fruit all of a sudden. So he packed a few blankets, food, some change of clothes. The regular stuff. Though he made sure he left some of his stuff, just so they won’t suspect him until it’s too late.

Deciding to grab his hiking boots the last minute, he promptly marched out of his room and tried to sneakily go off campus (which was quite the challenge, considering he had huge bag on his back). Like Autie, he didn’t sign off. He’d like to say that it was because they were being sneaky and such, but he just didn’t know that there was such a thing (he apparently forgot all about it). Had he known about it, he would’ve signed up, just to divert suspicion away.

As a newcomer to Pilot Ridge, the boy got inevitably lost. He asked Autie for instructions the night before, but misplaced the paper on which he wrote the said directions. Shameful really. He arrived thirty minutes late, a big improvement really, considering he thought he’d run around town aimlessly for a day or so.

“Sorry I was late Autie,” he waved when his cousin’s fiery hair came into view. He was a little surprised when she had someone with her though. At first he didn’t mind (if they want to escape, then he’s fine with that), but when he walked closer, he couldn’t believe his eyes. She looked so familiar. “What are you doing here?!” he asked in a mostly surprised voice, though I wouldn’t be surprised if Gerri would take it the wrong way.

In his defense, he has no idea that doppelgangers exist in the real world.

ooc:
I'm sorry. This is so late. >.<
- Jam

[Autumn Buckland]

Boty-Autie? Well thank goodness Autie knew what Boty might well stand for else she could have been offended. "Hi ... Gerri-chloric Acid?" She offered, running her hands through her hair in thought. It was a bit harder to come up with an appropriate nickname for her best friend, since all the acids she could think of were long named and not very fun sounding at all. She cheerily pulled the girl into a hug then snuck a quick chip from the bag and grinned. "You get to meet Romeo! I promise you he's ever so nice and tall and he can tame horses." She nodded, then pointed down the road to a mop of curly hair. Nearly all the Buckland family had curly hair, or red hair. In Autie's case, both.

Sadly for Romeo, Autie's plan to get back to Ireland involved heading to New York and catching the ferry, and she didn't quite have enough saved to get the coach to the big apple just yet. She'd told Germaine of her plan and had pinky promised that together the pair of them would go off on their adventure as soon as they'd pooled enough money together. She didn't mind that Romeo was late, since he was a boy and as far as Autie was concerned, boys ran on a different clock to girls, and maybe he'd been wrestling an angry Gnu.

"Hi Romie!" The redhead shouted, running over to give her cousin a big squeeze. "This is Germaine, she's wonderful. She can catch shrimp and talk to bears, AND she's coming to Ireland with us to help us find the unicorns Grandma Sabina talked about." She looked positively buzzing with excitement, then blinked when Romeo asked why Germaine was here. "... Do you know her already? Did she rescue you from certain death within a fairy circle? I taught her how y'see." She thought no more on the matter, and skipped off down the pathway into the forest.

"We need a place with shelter AND a clearing since the canvas I have will only cover us on the roof and we don't want a sidhe coming in and stealing our socks in the night." She chatted, holding her friend's hands as she moved along, turning off the path as soon as possible to escape anyone that might ruin their most important plans. "Romie, did you remember to pack some shiny trinkets to keep the thieves away?" The redhead asked, glancing over to her older cousin as she moved through the shrubs and trees.

Eventually, when she reached a particularly large oak, she began an animated conversation about a nice private clearing somewhere out of the way so no one could bother them in their mission to find the mythical creatures any forest was bound to have. Her mother would have most certainly been disappointed if she hadn't looked for Dryads within the woods, or listened out for the sweet music of the sidhe at a full moon. "This way!" She eventually said, dashing off into the hedges with her bare feet rustling the ground.

As she disappeared from sight, all that could be heard was the redhead's jaunty voice, singing out a particular favourite folk song that they sang around the fire back home.

"Come all ye maidens young and fair
And you that are blooming in your prime
Always beware and keep your garden fair
Let no man steal away your thyme."

[Germaine Sharpe]

[[Sorry for the wait, guys.]]

The nickname that she received in return made her giggle. It was a start at least. She gave the redhead a quick squeeze as well, gladly letting her take a chip. "Oh, yes! I'm so excited," she chirped back, spinning around to wave at the approaching figure. "Does horses include unicorns and pegasus...es...pegasi? Which is it?" She turned her head to show Autumn her confused and disappointed face. "These are the kind of things they should teach in school. Maybe I'd have better grades." It was just another good reason for her to run away with the Bucklands, because they at least learned practical lessons with their family. Like how to rescue people from a fairy circle, for instance.

"You can call me Gerri, if you want," she added to Autie's introduction when the boy arrived. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, Gerri didn't take offence of his confusion and just assumed his tone came out wrong. Or maybe Autie just forgot to mention her before, which was also fine. "I'm going camping too!" she happily squeaked, bouncing closer to him. "It's nice to meet you, Romeo." She grinned at him before following Autumn into the forest, taking up her own skip and accepting the hand. "I don't think we've met before," she said quietly to the red-head, answering the question herself. Germaine definitely would have remembered meeting him. He was hot.

But she didn't say that out loud. She'd have to inform Autumn of her cousin's attractiveness at a later date, when he wasn't so near.

The forest was much more lush now then it was when they had gone exploring a few months ago. (Gerri had just been cleared for going out again after the escape. So much for that privilege.) That would help cover their tracks to be sure, but the little fourteen-year-old was struggling to make her way through the thick foliage. It did help that Autie was leading, because she could follow the path the other girl found, but it was still difficult. "Will there be thieves this far into the woods?" she asked at their mention, growing concerned. "They won't steal our supplies, will they?" No one was allowed to steal her snacks. That would be devastating.

Speaking of which, she took advantage of the pause to drink another soda, offering a Coke to Romeo. "It's really sweet and has lots of sugar so it'll give you tons of energy," she informed him, confident in her own twisted logic. "And if you don't like Coke, I have some other stuff. Ginger ale and Sprite." The brunette grinned and brought her backpack around to open up the snack pocket and show off all the great supplies she brought. Then when Autie took off, she zipped it up and slung it around her shoulders once again.

Following the girl was another matter, however, because while she could clearly see the girl's red hair bobbing off in front of her, Gerri was losing ground. It wasn't long before her friend was out of sight. "Autie, wait up!" she called, doing her best to follow the sound of the other girl's singing. It was going very well.

[Romeo Buckland]

Romeo was rendered mum (at least momentarily) by the embarrassment that he inevitably brought upon himself when he made quite the assumption. Heaven knows he should’ve held his tongue back; while she had the same eyes, same hair and possibly the same height, Gerri had a different ‘feel’ around her. Different, but not entirely unpleasant.

Focused on convincing himself that Germaine and Brianna were two different people, the sixteen year-old barely caught anything that his cousin said. He did return the hug though, if only because it brought him back to reality and told him that he needed to say something else they’d think that he’s been petrified by a cockatrice. “Saved from a death circle? Yes,” the boy mumbled, nodding to look convincing. “I’m Romeo. Or Romie. Nice to meet you Germ-Gerri.”

Thank goodness she quickly followed Autumn else she’d seen him blush. Darn it.

Walking through the forest proved to be quite relaxing, at least in Romeo’s case. It helped him get his mind off his pitiful start, to not care about what Gerri might think of him at the moment and simply enjoy the feeling of freedom (which, in his mind, would be permanent once they’re out of Vermont). His tension was visibly reduced as they went deeper and deeper into the woods, his steps being a whole lot looser and springy than the next. “Autie, Canada’s that way right? East? Or are we going through New York to escape?”

“Oh I did! I made them myself,” exclaimed the boy, stopping slightly and turning his bag to the side to grab and show Autie and Gerri the said trinket, “Don’t worry, no gancanagh would dare go near us with this around.” He can’t let those pesky fays seduce his two female companions after all. “Though I couldn’t find the exact rock that’ll repel alpluachra; I found a similar substitute, but I’m not sure. We’d just have to remember to sleep with our mouths closed.”

“But if you’re talking about human thieves, well, I’m covering our path. They’ll never find us,” he added, grinning smugly. Romeo showing off? Hell no. What made you think that anyway?

He politely declined Gerri’s offer off, waving his hands and giving her a wide smile. “I’m good, thanks.” He was never much for pop anyway. He only drank them on special occasions, say birthdays or something similar, and even then he only drinks a little. They’re a little too sweet for him. He also doesn’t like that they make him burp a lot. He doesn’t sound good when he burps.

Romeo didn’t mind it much that Autie vanished all of a sudden; her tracks were still visible, and she does know better than to be enticed by a kelpie. At their current pace however, there’s no chance they’ll catch up to his redhead cousin. “Don’t worry, we’ll catch her soon enough,” he said with a quick nod, holding grabbing Gerri’s hand and slowly speeding up. Romeo promptly joined in the folk singing, grinning at Gerri before continuing,

“Once I had a bunch of thyme,
I thought it never would decay.
But along came a lusty sailor,
Who chanced to pass my way,
And stole my bunch of thyme away.”

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[Autumn Buckland]

"I think it's Pegasus. Like how you say one sheep and two sheep." Autie explained idly, happy to be out and away from the cars and roads and general clutter of the town and Hammel. "But I do agree. Those missing socks you get? Those are fae folk of some description stealing them to make dresses for their children." She nodded sagely, as if this was common knowledge that everyone neglected to remember.

Autie herself believed that it was extremely important for everyone to know what warded off what mythical creatures and what made them help you. For example, she knew that to pay a Brownie would cause the greatest offence, but they did take kindly to being left porridge and honey in return for it's services. She knew that leaving a sprig of sage in front of the door on the first week of spring was to invite good luck into the house. All things she deemed important.

"Oh!" She stopped in her tracks and blinked at Romeo. "No, we aren't running away just yet! We haven't got enough money for the ferry back to Southhampton yet and I don't want to get there and feel incredibly awkward having to beg to get on the ship." She lifted her head up high. "You remember what Grandma Sabina said, right?" She put on a heavy Irish accent, cleared her throat and repeated: "We are travelling folk, roma. We do not beg, or steal. Everything we get we earn by lore or knowledge." As she said this, she put her hand on her chest, as though it were her own private national anthem.

The redhead clapped her hands joyously as Romeo showed the wards. "Oh that's wonderful, you're the best." She cooed, hugging her cousin happily. "Though I should imagine it's quite magical to be whisked away in the night to marry a sidhe prince." She looked a little dreamy eyed. "A shame they cast glamour on themselves to look better." She shrugged, then tapped her chin. "Romie, you're particularly good with tracks, yes? Do you think together we might be able to find a dobhar-chu? I know they're very dangerous but they're so enthralling and if we're quiet it wont attack."

Autie wasn't worried about the normal. Human thieves were human. They possessed no magical skills to snare their senses. Autie could conjure a plant, or Romeo could turn to metal. Then Gerri could throw acid at them. There was no fear for Autie. Against the terrifying, but fascinating Irish folklore and that of the creatures of myth, humans were nothing. Phookas could harm them out here though, and that was worrying. She didn't want her hair knotted to a tree branch in the night, so they'd have to keep eyes open.

Autie did like the sound of ginger beer, and if it weren't for the fact Romeo and Germaine were so far behind now, she would have willingly asked for one. Never mind, she decided, stepping lightly as a cat, branches barely rustling under her feet as she crept closer to the clearing. There was plenty of time in the world for ginger beer and for Romeo to show Germaine his horse skills. Girls loved boys who could tame and talk to beasts - so Papa said anyway.

With a heave and a flump, the young redhead clambered over a felled branch into the clearing she'd dashed off to find. The place was magical, and she could clearly see a familiar dark ring of grass with mushrooms in it. "Fairy circle." She whispered, chewing on her lip before calling a few trees to help her build a wonderful, safe shelter. One branch curled around the rope of the canvas and pulled it taut from her hands, and the other branches began to make walls around the edges, her eyes lighting up in delight. "Thank you." She added brightly, bowing down to the trees that had so kindly made their shelter secure.

Clambering inside the semi-gloom of the shelter, Autie pulled a set of blankets out and began to line their sleeping area, all the while singing back to her cousin, who's voice she could hear over the trees.

"The sailor gave to me a rose.
A rose that never would decay.
He gave it to me,
To keep me reminded
Of when he stole my thyme away."

[Germaine Sharpe]

The sophomore listened intently too Autie's lesson, absorbing the information like a sponge. Gerri would have to remember these things for later, and not get so upset the next time she lost a sock to the dryer. Or fae folk, as it were. "Is that a good thing, then?" she asked, craving more knowledge. "Or is it bad? That they steal the socks, I mean. Should we get upset that they do that, or do we forgive them?" She looked forward to the day that she would meet the elders of her friend's family, and get to learn even more useful information. It was something certainly worth striving for.

"I'm helping too!" Gerri chimed in, proud of her own monetary contribution to their future escape plan. Whenever she received an allowance from home, or gift money, she put it in a jar for safekeeping. Well, most of it made it into the jar at least, although she did keep some for herself to spend on a snack or two. Her contribution wasn't much (her parents were still limiting her funds, because they assumed most of it was going to waste on soda and chips--not an outrageous assumption, considering), but it was still going to be enough to cover her own basic costs. Learning to save up for something she wanted, instead of blowing all her cash the second it touched her fingers. Apparently Autumn was a good influence on her despite their frequent escapades.

Had Gerri realized that it was foolish to worry about human thieves, and that there were more mystical things to be wary of in the forest, she would have been embarrassed by asking such silly questions. As it was, the boy's reassurances eliminated all her fears of being robbed. Good job, Romeo, you managed to impress her. That's not much of a feat when it comes to Germaine, but she did fawn quite noticeably in admiration of his skill and foresight.

Shrugging at the decline of her offer, the brunette shoved the empty soda can back into her bag. Her pace was rather pathetic in comparison to that of her Buckland companions, so she readily took up the offered hand in her own, smiling slightly at the feeling of warmth around her fingers. She hummed along to their song as their traveling speed increased, even guessing (incorrectly) at some of the words.

Germaine recognized the clearing as their campground as soon as they arrived, the tree and canvas shelter a clear indication of Autumn's presence. She could also see flickers of red hair between a some of the trunks which solidified her thoughts. Heading straight for the shelter (making sure to avoid the fairy circle on the way), Gerri joined her friend inside the structure and began to help finish setting up the beds. "Hello again," she chirped brightly, grabbing a blanket. Actually doing something with it required quite a bit of observation on her part, seeing as she didn't know much about what Autie was doing and had to watch her do it first, but she managed to work along side the red-head without being too much of a hindrance.

[[Sorry this is short and crap in comparison. D;]]

[Romeo Buckland]

“I think it’s a whole lot better to simply forgive them,” said Romeo, nodding sagely not unlike what Autumn did just a few minutes earlier, “They’re just making clothes for their children, they mean no harm. If you want, I can just sew you new socks.” He’s rather capable with the needle and the thread after all. The Irish boy stopped for a bit and bent over to grab a fallen branch roughly as long as his legs and use it as a walking stick. “And it’s not like you can catch them anyway. Well, I tried once, but they escaped. Shame really.”

The teen then proceeded to tell Gerri (since Autie’s heard the tale a dozen times before) about the time he almost caught a few fae-folk. Almost, since he forgot to bend the twigs the right way and dip the ropes he used for the net in honey so they escaped even before he woke up. His only proof that he has caught some was the destroyed net the morning after. “There were also some dust left, but we figured out that they’re just wood fillings from the chair Sammy was working on the night before.”

“Though I think I’d have a better chance catching them now. Since I can turn into metal and they don’t like those things,” he mused shortly after. If only he can sustain his transformation longer. But he does have to find a way to camouflage his metallic hands and arms and make them look like tree branches or the like.

Romeo’s face visibly fell when he heard that they weren’t really escaping; that the camping trip was just that – for camping. “You serious?!” he asked, one hand rubbing his temples in disbelief. Some part of him wishes that they’re just teasing him, tricking him; Othello loved doing that to him after all. It was only when he heard the whole oath Autie recited that he believed that this was just a temporary escape. “Oh well, you win some, you lose some eh?” he grinned, shaking his head. At least Gerri’s coming with them. And he could use the extra time to plan more.

“I’d like to find a selkie myself, but hey, maybe they live together in these woods, so why not?” Not like they’d be defenseless against a dobarchu anyway. “You want to marry a sidhe prince? Then how about that boy, what’s his name again, Ervin? Erin?” Which reminds him, why hasn’t he seen the boy around school anyway? Is he forgetting something?

“For thyme it is a precious thing
And thyme brings all things to my mind
nlyme with all its flavours, along with all its joys
Thyme, brings all things to my mind”
, sang the boy, finishing the tune.

While he was clearly enjoying holding Gerri’s hand as they ran through the woods, he had to let go just briefly as he felt a sneeze coming to him (and as fate would have it, it happened right in front of the said fairy circle); he wouldn’t want her to think of him as a snotty boy after all (literally). As it was though, the moment he finished his sneeze and rubbed his nose to remove any traces of body fluids, Gerri had already dashed towards Autie and the campsite.

“Nice,” he grinned. He’s seen Autie talk with the trees dozens of times before, but she never ceases to amuse him with what she could do. He promptly placed his bag near the two and stretched for a bit before heading off. “I’ll just grab some firewood. I’ll be back quick.”

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[Autumn Buckland]

From behind a few hedges, Autie could be heard giggling, mostly because she knew Romeo was about to launch into the story of him almost catching the pixies. They were an odd race, but there was no doubt that they were smarter than they first appeared. She'd left small biscuits out for them when she was a child, and tiny nibble marks were in them the next day. It was thrilling to know that as a family, the Bucklands were one of the last that believed and saw the magical folk of the world. It was up to them to speak and talk to them, to aid them and be bedazzled by their incredible magic.

Now the shelter was done and ready, Autie grinned over at Germaine. "The shelter is done. While Romie gets the firewood, I can teach you how to find a hobgoblin." She nodded, waving at Romeo as he walked off to fetch the wood. "We'll put the fire in front of the shelter, that way it'll give us warmth if the nights are cold." She thumbed at the entrance, then paused. "Oh, I don't suppose I could have a ginger beer could I? They're ever so nice, especially in summer." She blushed a little bit at the fact she was rather greedily asking for something, but she hoped Germaine wouldn't mind.

Shrugging her slim shoulder, she managed a tiny frown when remembering Romeo's mentioning of Eric. "Eric abandoned me." She whispered to Germaine, partially so her cousin couldn't hear and get protective on her behalf. "He just shipped off to Kocher without so much as a second thought." She grumbled. "He does write letters though, but you can't really hug a letter. Or you could but you might get papercuts. Not exactly the pinikel of comfort." She'd heard that phrase before. But pinnacle was a bit above her current vocabulary. Never mind.

Crouching down beside the fairy ring, she moved a string in her pocket over the line, and knotted a stone to the end. "Hobgoblins don't like to be seen." The redhead explained, nudging Germaine into a hedge. "But the stone and string will move, just you wait and see." Her voice was confident. This trick had been played on Hobgoblins for years. They hated things crossing over the circle.

Suddenly, there was a sharp intake of breath as a pale something drifted across Autumn's peripheral vision. "Gerri!" She whispered, her voice excitable. "Look over there." She pointed over by the trees as the pale-whatever-it-was drifted further away. "This forest really is enchanted just like they're meant to be." She added, eyes wide, before flailing at Romeo.

"Romie! Romie look!" She thumbed towards the weird white something, then nudged Germaine again, giggling. "That's a Spirit Guardian of the Woods." She explained. "You have to be polite to them, since they're very easily offended. And the trees don't take kindly to their guardian being offended." She'd spoken to the trees on this matter before, in fact, and been told that with her power, she'd probably become a guardian when she died. "They disappear in sunlight. You can only ever see them in dappled shade."

Delighted that the creatures of the forest were already showing themselves, Autumn rose from her crouching position in the hedge. "See, and the string's moved. We'd better catch some dinner." She laughed, her eyes sparkling. She was back in an environment that she felt at home in, and that was some comfort. "Rabbit stew's the easiest thing to do, or we can go show Romie how we catch shrimp without a proper net." She grinned.

Her cousin would probably blush a little at the sight of a bra used for that.

[Germaine Sharpe]

The boy's offer made Gerri grin. "Oh, I'd like that," she cooed. She had never had anyone make socks for her before (or any type of clothes, really), and looked forward to seeing it done. Or at least seeing the results, if she didn't get to watch Romeo make them. "Can you show me how?" she asked, just to assure that she would get to see it be done. It sounded like a cool thing to be able to do.

"I hope you succeed next time, but if you did catch them, what would you do with them?" Sure, fae-folk were cool to talk about, and even more cool to see--although, she had never seen them herself, but she suspected as such--but it didn't sound fair to capture free creatures (unless they were the food kind). Especially not magical ones. Autumn complained about that all the time.

Gerri watched Romeo walk away (it wasn't a bad view, she thought), and as soon as he was out of ear-shot, turned to his cousin. "Your cousin is hot," she blurted out with a knowing nod, as if that was any other important fact. It would have been a shame not to share. Then she turned to more important matters. "Oh, a ginger ale? Of course." The brunette rummaged through her bag until she found one of the green cans resting at the bottom of the pile. Germaine didn't mind sharing. It was an open invitation, and she would have to rely on her other companions for food as well.

She was saddened by the red-head's boy troubles as she dropped her backpack by her sleeping area. "Aww," she cooed, giving her friend a hug. "It's okay. He must care for you if he takes the time to write you letters. Not a lot of people use the mail now a days. Besides, you still have your other friends. Like me! And Romeo." But that wasn't the same, was it? At least she was trying to comfort the other girl.

Germaine only grinned as she was shoved into the bush, highly anticipating getting to see another mythical being. Staring intensely at the line, she waited for the hobgoblin to appear. She was slightly worried that the creature would find a way to evade their trick. That wouldn't be fun at all. Autumn's shouting distracted her, however, and she turned her interest to the floating white particle with awe. When she was directed back towards the trap, she was disappointed to see that she had missed the hobgoblin. She couldn't be certain that the string actually had moved, but if Autie said it did, then it must have been so. The other girl was the expert after all.

"Rabit stew? I've never had that before!" she chirped excitedly. "Can we have that tonight? We can show Romie how to catch shrimp tomorrow." There was plenty of time for them to do that, since they had an entire week of camping ahead of them. It didn't occur to her that the use of bra-nets might make their other companion uncomfortable. It did occur to her that he wouldn't have a bra of his own to use. "Maybe he can sew his own net," she mused aloud, recalling him flaunting the skill. "Since he lacks these." Yes, she did just grope her own chest.

Upon further pondering, she realized that she hadn't brought any meat to eat. She wasn't sure if either of the Bucklands had any in their supplies, so she asked, "Where are we going to get rabbit for the stew? Are we going to catch it? How do you do that?" Germaine was bouncing in place, totally excited about learning a new, practical skill. She was far less worried about the harm that would come to the animals they were about to hunt, but that wasn't anything new. Prey was prey, no matter your species, and it wasn't like rabbits were endangered. She new the common expression.

[Romeo Buckland]

Seeing Gerri smile (and hearing her coo) at his offer made the boy’s face visibly brighten, feeling his insides swell up with that oh-so-familiar warm and cozy feeling, not unlike the time he first saw Brianna. “Sure,” replied Romeo with a smug grin on his face, “We can either use a fabric and sew one, or I can teach you how to knit. It’s fun. I personally love knitted socks though.” It’s the craftsmanship and skill needed to create such products that endear them to the boy almost immediately; he says handmade stuff feels a lot cozier due to the love people put in making them.

“I really don’t know,” he shrugged. The teen obviously haven’t thought too far ahead. He says he’ll figure everything out when he gets there. “Maybe ask them about their magicks? I’d really like to learn how to cast glamour on myself.” If only to make himself look taller. Maybe then Othello would stop ruffling his hair like a puppy almost every day. “Hopefully they can teach me though. That it’s not gene-geni-gen-jenni-passed on from father to son.” He couldn’t stop his cheeks from going red at such a misfortune. He knows the word exists; he just heard it from his Biology teacher yesterday. Unfortunately he forgot what it was. “Or if they can’t, they could at least teach me how to find the end of the rainbow. A pot of gold doesn’t sound too bad, doesn’t it?”

It was probably best that Romeo didn’t hear about the Eric’s abandonment. Heaven knows he won’t get protective about Autie – he’d go rabid on Eric. (Not really an exaggeration at that). From what he can tell from the letters they received before, she was extremely fond of him; leaving her was so not an option. For now though, he’s thinking the boy’s just busy – probably visiting his family or something – hence the whole not-yet-introduced thing happening between him and Eric.

Unfortunately though, he can only tell that to himself for so long before common sense takes over and convince him that something’s definitely up.

At the moment though, the boy has firewood gathering to keep his mind busy. Though considering how covered and thick the woods are, it isn’t too much of a challenge. He’s only been a few feet from the clearing and he already has quite the handful of dry branches. But instead of coming back almost immediately, Romeo took the time to study the woods some more. As far as he knows, nobody brought that much meat with them – it’s heavy and easily perishable at that. So it all points to the fact that they’d have to hunt. He just hopes that human settlement hasn’t scared the animals off from the forest.

“Aww shucks. I missed her,” said Romeo, as he had just walked back to the clearing when his cousin called his attention to the said spirit. “Rabbit stew’s amazing. You should taste Auntie Davina’s stew; she adds a secret something to it that gives it an extra kick. Unfortunately she hasn’t told me what that secret something is until now. Did she tell you anything about it Autie?”

He had just finished arranging the firewood and happily walked over to sit with the two girls, grabbing a bottle of water from his own pack. The boy almost squirted his water out of his nose when he saw Gerri groping herself though, barely managing to keep it in and turning extremely red (almost as red as Autumn’s hair). “T-that’s how you catch shrimp?” Ingenious, yes. But he does have to remember to turn away every time they do that though.

“I find it easiest to catch rabbits with snares. Uncle Eric taught me a new one just before I left.” It’s highly effective, keeps the catch out of other animals’ reach, and really easy to learn. He has a feeling he could easily teach the two about it really. “So are we catching rabbits or shrimps tonight?”

[Autumn Buckland]

Autie was cheered by the fact she had Gerri. Gerri was a superb friend and obviously Romeo was a good friend. They'd grown up together after all. They were going to run away together and Gerri could become a Buckland, and they'd all be gloriously happy and free. She'd have to teach Gerri how to make bracelets or how to dance. She paused in her thoughts, sipping her ginger beer and closing her eyes. The tang was so delicious! How could anyone not like this stuff?!

She did giggle when Gerri said her cousin was hot, and she grinned. "He likes you already. He gets this silly look on his face when he likes girls and he keeps wearing it." She laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear and watching the passage of the Forest Guardian as he disappeared into a filmy fog before her very eyes. This forest was clearly still an ancient one, untouched by destructive forces, and that made her feel so much more comfortable.

"I know. But he just left so suddenly. I think I probably scared him." Autumn frowned, then curled her arms around her best friend, squeezing her tightly. "Thank you, though." She added in her Irish lilt, offering a grin. "I know you wont leave." If anything in the world was certain, Autumn was certain that Germaine would come and be a Buckland and they'd have adventures together and find Selkies and ... the redhead paused at that thought.

"You know, you do look awfully like a mermaid." She trailed off, grabbing the string and stone from the fairy ring and glancing for Hobgoblin footprints. "Your hair and your face, you look like the ones I see at the coves when we travel there." Twitching her nose like an eager rabbit, she squeezed her face up, then smiled. "Maybe you have Mer-ancestry." She encouraged, before glancing over to Romeo's rustlings. "Pst. Don't tell Romie that, he's got a thing for the finned folk." Winking, she began to roll up the string.

Once it was fully coiled again, she pocketed it and flopped next to her best friend, feeling happy to be in such great company. "Romie's right, Rabbit Stew is lovely." The girl paused, looking over at her cousin. "No, she still hasn't told me. I ask her in all my letters, too." She wrinkled her nose and traced patterns with the dappled light, before letting out a whoop. "Romie, I reckon there might be a fae court around. Look at the way the treetops are kind of blurry." Either that or she needed glasses, but her mum and dad could both see perfectly, so that would be... pish posh and twiddle.

Autumn couldn't help but giggle at Romeo's blush. "Yeah! We didn't have nets." She grabbed her boobs too, then nudged Gerri. "We caught quite a few, then had supper and talked about unicorns." She paused, leaning forward to grab Romeo's hand. "Tell Gerri the story about the unicorn. You know, when you nearly caught one." Her voice was tremendously excited. She'd only wished she'd been with Romeo and Uncle Eric that day.

"I remember the snares, I have string too from the jewellery making." Pulling out a large ball of thread, she grinned. "It's really easy, and it kills the daft little things quickly so it doesn't hurt them for very long." She demonstrated with a loop around her finger, then drew it across her wrist. "See?" She smiled, then sipped more of her ginger ale.

"I vote rabbits tonight, shrimp tomorrow..." She trailed off. "Then I'll try and remember Uncle Issac's method for catching deer." She frowned then, looking very serious. "But Gerri, you have to thank the deer before you kill it, because Deer are the Forest Guardian's most loved creatures. And to kill a deer for sport is to wound the forest." Autumn shook her head. So many people thought hunting was a sport, when it deeply damaged the magical creatures around them.

"Then maybe we can find a fish or two in the river." She added hopefully, before looking over to Romeo. "Shall we get the fire started first though?"

[Germaine Sharpe]

Gerri giggled at his fumbling, finding it a bit charming rather than pathetic. "You don't really need glamour," she said truthfully as she skipped along. She was, of course, referring to his looks oppose to his height (which she had not noticed). "Ah, but yeah. I guess a pot of gold would be nice. Isn't that leprechauns, though? I didn't know pixies knew about that sort of thing." Mingling between magical beings was to be expected, she supposed, but that didn't necessarily mean they shared all their knowledge with each other. She was quite certain that leprechauns were possessive about their gold and didn't share their secrets unless you caught them. Her thoughts fell on the assumption that the pixies caught the leprechaun and made him confess the proper way to collect the gold.

There was a hopeful glint in her eyes when Autumn told her that Romeo was beginning to fancy her. "Really?" she chirped with a little more enthusiasm than she had intended. "I'm glad. I want him to like me." Her face might have gone a little pink when she admitted that.

No, the only leaving Germaine would do was leaving America to go live in Ireland with Autie, and that wasn't going to happen until they got all the resources they needed for a clean escape. "A mermaid! Really?" she cried. "Do you think maybe at some point I'd have fins in water or something? Like, when I turn 18 or whatever? Saw that in the movies once. Did a mermaid ever tell you how that works, because that would be awesome." She certainly wouldn't tell Romeo. Unless she accidentally let it slip at some point in which case oops there was nothing she could do.

A mischievous grin crossed her face when Autie mimicked her. "It was grea--Unicorn? Oh, please! Do tell." Her thoughts were derailed then, because how often do you meet someone that nearly caught a unicorn? It was definitely a story to be heard.

Gerri gave her companions a conclusive nod. "Rabbit stew it is then." She was looking forward to the meal line up that week, especially because even though it wasn't what she was used to eating. The school never served them rabbit stew, or let them hunt deer. It was just another reason for her to run off with the Bucklands one day. Their food was better (as much as she loved the greasy cafeteria food, it did have a tendency to make her sick). Not only that, but they clearly had a better understanding of where the food came from. She was pretty sure no one thanked the chicken that was killed to go into the twice-processed chicken patty she had eaten for last night's dinner.

"You must show me how to start a fire," she demanded. "I've never done it before." Granted, she spent a lot of time with Sam and had enough fire in her life without knowing how to start one on her own, but that was beside the point.

[Romeo Buckland]

“Oh but I do. At least around Othello,” Romeo answered, nodding his head. Probably because his big brother’s always teasing him about his height, despite being only a few inches taller than him. “That, and my hands and feet need to look bigger. They’re like stumpy baby hands.” He held his hand out to Gerri, opening his palm and wiggling his fingers just slightly. It wasn’t really all that small – around average to slightly bigger than average – but since his big brother liked teasing him about it, he figures they’re rather unacceptable. Don’t you just love Mr. Dickhead now?

He chuckled slightly when he realized the confusion he must’ve caused. “Oh. Indeed, I don’t think pixies have any knowledge about leprechaun secrets.” If he had a pot of gold, he probably wouldn’t tell just anyone about it. Maybe his family (sans Othello). Plus Gerri, since she’s cute running off with them anyway. “I mean, my trap doesn’t discri-des-dicris-chose between those little men or the fae.” Second time. Not good. Seems trying to sound smart isn’t exactly working for him.

Guess he just has to rely on his wilderness/hunting skills so that he could impress her.

As expected, he initially had no idea that he puts on quite the face whenever he’s around someone he likes. It’s not like he looks at himself every three minutes anyway. If Louise and Karin hadn’t pointed it out a few summers ago, he never would’ve noticed it. He tried hiding it a few times, since he’s been the subject of ridicule ever since (especially by Nathan, who seemed particularly invested in his love life), but for some reason, they always seem to figure out. Freddie says it’s because it becomes more prominent the more he tries to hide it, especially around the eyebrows.

“Hmm? Probably.” He tried to look at where Autie pointed, but the glare got into his eyes. Autie’s always been more in tune with the woods and all its magical creatures ever since they were young; if she says it’s there, it should be in there.

Still red as a beet, Romeo decided to remove the mental images in his mind (Autie in her bra is disturbing; Gerri in hers is, well, let’s just say it’s not appropriate dinner discussion) by preparing the branches for their little bonfire. Put a twig here, bend a branch there. He had just returned from his pack with the hemp fiber he’ll be using to start the fire when Autie mentioned the unicorn hunting expedition.

Anything but that.

“It’s not that exciting,” he grinned shyly, hoping it’ll discourage Gerri from asking. “I mean, we went out to the woods. My dad said he saw a unicorn come about. Stayed there for the night or so, trying to hunt it. I fell asleep, unfortunately. I woke up because I felt something lick my ear. For a moment I think I saw the unicorn, but stupid Othello just had to shout ‘Unicorn!’ and scared it away.”

In behalf of Romeo, I apologize for the rather bland storytelling. It’s just that the hunt wasn’t one he’s particularly proud of. Well, when he first got invited when he was 14, he was excited. The team was composed of his dad and a handful of his uncles, plus Othello and Sam. He felt like, finally, he belonged with the big boys. But then they told him to simply sit near a flat stone and wait. They didn’t even give him some proper hunting equipment.

Then he realized he was the bait. A few days later he learned from Grandma Sabina that a unicorn will only come near a virgin. And since they can’t let the girls come with them hunting, they had to settle for him. It was embarrassing. Even without his cousins teasing him so much.

He just hopes Autie won’t fill her in with the details.

“Not a problem,” he grinned when Autie mentioned the fire. He was a little confused when Gerri seemed so excited about starting a fire though. “You haven’t used a match before?” Woah. Has city living made things so easy for them that they don’t know how to use a match now?