lumberlady | Noctium

[No, sir, you did not just spit embers at her!!! Konoha stands firm, still utterly confuddled by his obsession with the health of the grass over the comfort of his new hooves and also his entire body if he was going to keep falling down, her hands moving to her hips to purse her lips and stare down at him like a displeased teacher.

He makes it back up, at least.]

There.

[Moving around him where he stands (and stepping on grass all the while without a care), Konoha begins to lay hands to correct his stance, sandwiching his haunches between her hands and pushing inward a bit.]

Now... You don't have to splay your back legs this much, you're just straining your hocks for no reason... just try standing with them straight down.

[ they slide easily enough into the correct position until eren is better off trying to adjust them properly on his own. he's got this. even when . . . the grass is a goner but also, reminder that they don't just die when stepped on. it's a stranger push and pull of two different ends to his mind, but he tries to lean towards the one more favorable to rationale.

they straighten, stiff but no longer apart wish a whisk of his maned tail. ]

Like . . . This. [ now comes the hard part. ] What about walking?

[Eren, stop thinking about the grass! Technically you're just bruising it and bruises can heal! Focus on your legs! Or actually... don't.]

Okay, we're going to walk, but... we're not going to think about how!

[This is her idea, it worked with someone else, and Konoha is just hoping it works with him, too.]

You know how if someone asks "how do you breathe" it's suddenly weirdly hard to breathe, even though you do it naturally? Let's do that.

[Coming back around, she takes Eren's hands in her own and starts backing up.]

Just try looking at my face and not your legs.

[ he’s never actually tried to think about breathing, and hopefully konoha wouldn’t see it when he actually tries (and fails to see difficulty in it— you just breathe in and out, right? or maybe it was thinking about the hows that led to endless question). despite that and breathing normally, eren’s hands hold onto konoha’s mostly by the press of his thumb to the inside of her palm and the curl of his fingers around them. don’t think. just walk. ]

We should talk about something else. [ his tail flicks sideways and his hide shakes; he really is trying to get his mind of things and starts with, other than the grass: ] Do you live out here?

[At least he's trying? As long as that's happening Konoha is actually willing to be as patient as need be, and making sure she keeps a hold of his hands for now until he seems a bit more steady, watching his tail... It's more solid and weighty and... dragon-y? than hers, so it could throw his balance off...]

Mm, I do! There's another centaur here, so we live out in the farming area... the Embassy people told us we could, so we found a farm willing to lend us a barn in exchange for work.

[And now she also had something to fill her days with now that she isn't juggling basket weaving, sewing, cooking, laundry, child-rearing, shelter building, senior care, and foraging...]

I prefer it... the ground is softer, and if you're in just the right spots you don't even have to see the big metal buildings!

[And remember... that you're in a weird alien world... as much.]

[ it holds and sways more like a whip that gradually lowers down to be dragged across the earth. she asked not to think about it, so he wasn't— so konoha was correct in assuming his mismatched balance. one side would teeter more than the other, if not for her sturdy leading. mm, he manages, finding his gaze falling and keeping to the grass before he inhales and forces his attention up and ahead. maybe around them, around them was good. emerald park was a breath of fresh air. ]

I don't like them either. We're living in one now, but . . . [ he shakes his head. ] I'd take farm work over those streets any day.

[Teeter away, Eren. Even though Konoha wasn't strong enough to keep a larger stallion on his feet if he was intent to not remain on them, she was more than strong enough to help keep him upright when he was cooperating.]

Why don't you find work there, then... ?

[One step after the other, she keeps up the chatter to help him focus on things that aren't overthinking how to move his legs.]

If you save enough money maybe you can move, too... We don't know how long we'll have to be here, so you might as well be comfortable... and I know all those future world city folk think the metal and lights are where things are more comfortable, but...

[It definitely isn't. Not for her, anyway.]

It’s too much for me. [ the lights, the noise, and especially the walls— ] You can’t look out a window without feeling like you’re in a cage.

[ he gets hotter (in literal temperature, touch included) just thinking about it, but at least, look—?! the wobbles come less, and feeling confident enough to let go of his first training wheel, one hand slips away to a free hang at his side. they may have easily produced a trickle of manna, too! ]

Is there enough work for two more people?

[Tell her about it... Even if she'd been willing to put up with it if she had to, unsure of how to deal with the Embassy and insist until her "roommate" had taken care of things... Konoha wouldn't have been happy there, in those high stone apartments full of light and noise of the city.

Thankfully, said roommate was also a qilin, so she's used to some heat. Also... okay, there he goes, he's getting better...]

The farm I work at probably has more than enough, [not to boast, but centaurs could handle a lot of field work in a day], but there's plenty of farms in the Park! There's fruit ones and grains and vegeables and cattle... I'm sure at least one of them should have room for two, right?

[ she’s honest enough that it sits positively with eren— because then came the other suggestions, and other farms he hadn’t considered existed (though he should’ve, it was pretty point blank). and, look at him! he’s walking on his own enough to let the fingers slip completely. eren’s gaze is briefly triumphant in looking at his new legs, then back up. ]

I’ll talk about it with Mikasa. [ the clip of pride comes with a clip of his hoof (gently) on the grass, more as if he were caressing it instead of beating the earth down. ] Thanks for the help— and the suggestion.

[Farm distractions for the win! Konoha still has her own hands hovering, ready to catch him if he ends up needing it, but... she gives a little smile, front hooves prancing in place a bit and betraying her excitement at getting him to walk by himself.]

You're welcome- ! And if you need any introductions... let me know!

[Hicks who would prefer to work on farms than live the high life in a city of metal and machines had to stick together, after all.]

[ the fruit of konoha's aid is satisfying and possibly more than enough for a teacher is soon to come! as he pauses to bow his head and offer a smile, eren lifts his hand halfway to express a curt goodbye. from the turn of his torso came the rest of his qilin body, and with a little more confidence, he walks, and then some meters away, trots off to bring home the news.

he'd trip once or twice on the way back into the city, but he's bound to get up far quicker than he did, especially when he's learned to hover inches off the grass at mach speed (????) #justqilinthings! ]

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