Forums Role Playing (Red and Uncledaddy) The Price of Knowledge.
"Those woods are....dangerous," Bertrand offered hopefully, perhaps his host would help?
There was a low chuckle as Valko slid away from the counter to sit beside him. "Not if you're careful," they assured him as the reached over him to load up a plate for breakfast. "You made it through them de first time, right?"
"I nearly fell into a pit and got stuck in a bear trap," protested Bertrand as he slumped in his seat, crestfallen.
Valko let out a loud, barking laugh. "So you saw my tourist traps."
"Ah, is that what you call them," Bertrand frowned darkly and folded his arms, "I don't know if I can go back in there."
"Well, I won' have your tings cluttering up my forest, now," said Valko, their smile fading for a moment as they caught his eye. They turned their attention back to the food; "But until den, I suppose you can work for your food," they added a little more pleasantly.
Bertrand frowned at his reflection in the sticky plate of crumbs and syrup. He'd need to retrieve his bag anyway, his money and equipment were in it, "Is there a way I can get you to guide me around the traps?" he asked at length.
"Oh, all right." Valko flashed him a wink. "But only because you're so cute."
Bertrand blushed, that had gone better than expected and he was almost suspicious. Almost. But he was not one to question generosity and he knew he'd never make it through that forest without Valko's help. "Thank you, I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear that," he said, making sure his gratitude was apparent.
Valko gave him a quiet nod as their smile softened to something more genuine. He was all right. Impossible to resist teasing, but all right. "We'll go after you wash up."
Bertrand looked down at his hands, which he'd only given a cursory rinse in the restroom before coming down, "I suppose I could use a bath," he said. Valko's smile was warm and it cheered him, perhaps his host was more kind hearted than he'd thought.
After breakfast, Valko dressed and waited for Bertrand by the door. Though they were perfectly adept at seeing in near-darkness, they'd brought a small flashlight for their human guest.
Bertrand spent a little longer in his bath than he should have, testing out the luxurious soaps and sponges, sinking into the foam and even splashing a little. He was more accustomed to taking fast showers in water that was cold and sometimes not even clean. This was a luxury he wanted to enjoy for as long as possible. Eventually the water grew cold and he was forced to dress and head for the door, though he smelled rather nice, if he was honest with himself and his skin had never felt so soft.
Valko turned to face him, tail waving. "Oh good, you didn't drown in de bath... jus' de scented bubbles," they remarked with a nod toward the door.
Bertrand gave an embarrassed giggle, "It smelled nice," he offered toeing the ground with a freshly shined shoe.
"Smell is very important." Valko led him outside and handed him the flashlight, closing the door behind them as the two made their way around the side of the house toward the trees. "I try to get de best ones. Fresh, not overpowering, but someting dat lingers just enough to carry de experience with you trough de day."
Bertrand clicked the flashlight on and aimed the beam at the woods, "I can definitely agree with you there," he said, he gave the beam a bounce, "It was that way." he said swiping the light down a gushing runoff of mud and water into the undergrowth.
Valko nodded and walked on ahead of him, just slow enough that he could follow without getting lost. "Stay right behind me," they warned. "De traps are up dis way."
Bertrand stuck close, occasionally bumping into Valko as he checked around for signs of his bag, "Can you see?" he asked as he squinted into the darkness, "My bag is red with purple flowers on it."
"Oh, dere it is." Valko stopped and motioned to a bag laying a few steps away from a bear trap. There was nothing in the trap, but it had clearly been sprung at some point and caused the loss of some luggage. The bag in question did have a floral print, though it was green and brown.
ALWAYS PING ME
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Having you as a Voltie would be awesome.