ORIGIN

"Maybe," Aurelle said, though she did feel just a little doubtful about the matter. "But it doesn't seem very fair, giving away things for free when they're supposed to be traded for. And you'd have to hope that they come back. I mean-- what if they don't like the food? Then someone has lost a coin and a meal goes to waste."

The idea of a delicious meal going to waste was a little heavy right now on Aurelle's empty belly, with precisely three bites of moss sitting in it like a brick. She cupped another mouthful of water and swished it around, dislodging bits of moss out of her molars.

"And," she continued after a beat, though her tongue was still half-buried between two Kunzite teeth, "if we have multiple coins, then we can try lots of different foods. What if we have just one, and we pick the wrong food and it's yucky? If we have lots of coins, then eventually we'll find something yummy."

She touched her stomach through her dress, sighing. She really needed something yummy. Like a deer, or maybe something sweet and fruity. Or maybe something that would just fill her up and make her sleepy.

With a grunt, Aurelle realized she was drooling again. She wiped politely at her mouth, glad that her company couldn't notice. Drooling is quite rude, isn't it...? She tried to remember-- but frankly, she was just too damn hungry.

"Do you need more snacks?" The elf asked gently.

Aurelle hummed. The moss had really killed her appetite, but even just thinking about the place with hot food was making it stir again. And she knew if they were going to go looking for coins, then she'd be spending the entire time dribbling all over herself like a toddler thinking about what she could eat. "Yeah," she said slowly.

While Lichen sniffed at the ground, Aurelle lifted her head and sniffed at the air, unaware that Lichen was doing something similar. "Let me check this time," she offered-- sucking in air to hold her breath again like she usually did before casting. It was getting overwhelming to sense the thousands of bacterium in the tunnel, but she did catch wind of some kind of lump nearby.

"I think I found something," she told Lichen before sniffing it out, picking up the lump. It was... well, it was disgusting. It had millions of teeny-tiny little crawlies all over it. She appreciated the bacteria for guiding her, but man, putting something into her mouth knowing how many crawlies were going into her tummy...

She'd probably never tell Lichen just how many germs were kicking around everywhere.

Still, Aurelle gave it a little sniff. It smelled... sweet, like everything else in the tunnel. But a different kind of sweet: creamy, custardy, almost. Urgently, she swivelled to Lichen, holding it up valiantly in both hands, despite the fact she couldn't see it. "Cherimoya!" she called, bouncing her way back to Lichen.

Aurelle and Lichen had been together... well, longer than Aurelle cared to count, really.

And, though the cherimoya had been a very exciting discovery, there was something that broke through the joy and whimsy and sent Aurelle back to earth. She blinked a few times, quiet for a moment, as she lowered the custard apple back down towards her front. "What is it?" She asked, immediately a little sober.

Her fingers drew over the fruit, thumbs digging into the soft flesh. Maybe she'd been too loud or too excited and over-stimulated Lichen a little. Maybe Lichen was bummed that she didn't find it first. Maybe Aurelle had overstepped in some other way that she wasn't even thinking of.

Tapping the apple, Aurelle tried to think very quickly. She didn't want to put Lichen on the spot and demand that she tell her what she'd done wrong, but she didn't want it to sit between them, either. She gauged that Lichen wanted the apple for herself-- maybe she hadn't liked the moss at all and only ate it because Aurelle offered. Maybe she wanted a little sweet treat.

Aurelle was starving, but friends like Lichen came first. "Do you want the cherimoya?" She asked.

"Oh!" Aurelle sounded, her tone quizzical but not judgemental. She did, however, need a few seconds to process what she'd just heard-- which was a few seconds Lichen no doubt continued to cringe through. This hadn't exactly been a viable possibility in Aurelle's mind, though.

And, the more she thought about it, the more she understood. She supposed she'd be a little upset if she'd heard Lichen suddenly call excitedly for a friend she didn't know, and didn't introduce her to. Aurelle also knew Lichen was a little older than she was-- and that was time to be alone and get worried if her friends would leave her.

Aurelle set the cherimoya in the hand that had a feeler around the wrist, and lifted her newly-freed hand to touch the feeler gently. "I understand," she said gently, reassuringly. "I'm sorry I worried you. I think the next time I find something exciting, I'll clarify what it is. Would that be okay?"

Some might find this a little patronizing; but Aurelle was being genuine. The last thing she wanted to do was cause distress to someone who was such a close friend-- and she was largely determined to make it right.

Giving the cherimoya a quick cleanse with magic, she bit off a little bit of the fruit and offered it down to Lichen's maw. "Here," she said. "Even if you're full of moss. Try a little bit."

"You shouldn't feel sad about mistakes," Aurelle offered gently. "I make a lot of mistakes, too."

She bit off a piece of the cherimoya. It wasn't hot deer meat-- or at least, what Aurelle imagined it'd be like, but it was still about a thousand times better than gnawing on moist moss. "Maybe it'll be funny tomorrow," she went on. "Sometimes in hindsight it's funny, and we'll have a giggle over it."

Her hand drifted down from Lichen's feelers, giving the tip of her nose a little pat with her fingers. "Come on. You're full of moss, and I'm about to be full of cherimoya. Let's go find out what they want for coins, okay?"

Provided Lichen followed, Aurelle began to walk.