Nimbus Outskirts: Generation Gap

[Leda]

Considering the light, airy voice floating on the morning breeze, one would never know that the young echidna, whose steps borderlined on dancing, had suffered a complete meltdown just a few hours earlier. Other than a little lingering redness in her eyes, Tikal's presentation was upbeat. The priestess sang cheerfully to herself as she pranced this way and that, carefully inspecting the local foliage for anything of use. Anything deemed essential was placed into her cloak, which she'd flipped around to hang over her frontside to use like an apron.

"o/~ Morning dew and a chilly breeze, sunshine rays and apple trees. Singing birds and buzzing bees, and many other things that please. Antowas, can you hear? Thanks for all that I hold dear! I know as long as you are near, I have nothing left to fear. ... o/~"

[V for Vizetta]

An elderly echidna strode through the brush near the scene, moving incredibly silently, even with a cane. He's been looking for his granddaughter, and to his surprise, had heard singing in this direction..

This warranted investigation.

So it was that he came across the happy scene before him, Tikal almost dancing as she searched the local foliage for useful plants.

Athair smiled as he watched his granddaughter silently, not wanting to ruin this moment... He'd almost been worried he wouldn't be able to see her smiling and relaxed like this...

He'd never been happier to be wrong.

[Leda]

Even if Athair hadn't been using great stealth, Tikal probably still wouldn't have noticed him. She was on her own, free to do and think what she pleased, without having to worry about earning anyone's approval but her own. Her song had ended, but apparently the young woman wasn't satisfied, and she proceeded to hum what sounded like the same tune over again. Her gait became more artistic (read: gay), suddenly involving skips and twirls and hops...

...which ended up being a fantastic method for tangling her ankle up in a stray vine.

Tikal let out a surprised yelp as the ground abruptly disappeared from beneath her flighty feet, sneaking up behind her and thumping her in the back of the head. A somewhat dazed echidna sat up a short moment later, shaking the fog from her mind and glancing at the snaking bit of flora that'd snagged her leg.

She then proceeded to burst out laughing.

[V for Vizetta]

Athair's smile had remained firmly in place until he saw Tikal go down. For a moment, he was about to rush to her side and make sure she was all right, worry crossing his features...

Which was quickly dispelled as she sat up, then started laughing as she looked at the floral culprit.

The elder found it difficult to stifle a chuckle of his own... so he didn't bother. His grandaughter's relaxed, happy state was contagious, it seemed. And assuming the young woman heard him chuckle, he stepped out into view.

"Are you all right?" The elderly echidna asked, since she HAD hit her head when she fell.

[Leda]

Athair's sudden appearance was a surprise, but a pleasant one, and his granddaughter's smile beamed up to greet him. "I'm fine, Elder," Tikal practically chirped, carefully unwinding the vine from her leg rather than simply ripping it. "It was just a trip, not anything serious. But thank you for asking anyway."

Once she'd freed herself, the young priestess began gathering her spilled foragings back into her green cloak. "I'm sorry I've taken so long; I got a bit carried away with myself. But, I did find some things that could give us a nice breakfast!" Tikal eagerly rose to her feet to show her elder some of her bounty. "Do you like tea? These leaves make a nice one! It calms your nerves, and helps your stomach when you feel ill. I could make us all some tea to share with one of the cans from last night! But I'd clean it out thoroughly first, of course. I wouldn't want to serve anyone a drink with... ... leftovers in it." She let out a nervous laugh, then gazed up into Athair's eyes expectantly, hoping deeply he would approve of her proposal.

[V for Vizetta]

Athair's small smile widened to match his granddaughter's as he took a good look at the selection of herbs Tikal had found, his attention focusing on the leaves in question.

He recognized them, and they DID make a very good tea. Perhaps that would help his grandson's mood... And quite honestly, he could go for some tea himself.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Tikal." The elder's smile remained as he looked around. "Would you like some help gathering anything else? I'd hate to think I was making you do all the work." Athair's eyes returned to his granddaughter as he waited for her response.

[Leda]

Tikal's face seemed to swell with joy as Athair gave her a positive review. She'd pleased the elder! She'd come up with a good idea! The priestess was so pleased, it was almost as though the night before hadn't even happened.

"You don't have to," she replied in a chipper tone, unable to contain the look of self-satisfaction. "I've got the younger legs, so I don't mind using them for your benefit. Besides, my father wouldn't like it if I tried to shirk my work onto an Elder." Tikal finished relocating the various nuts, berries, and herbs she'd foraged into her cloak, then smiled giddily up at her grandfather. "But, if you WANTED to come, I'd love to have your company!"

[V for Vizetta]

The elder echidna smiled, and gave a small nod.

"Well then, I would love to give you some company." Athair adjusted his grip on his cane, shifting hands to do so, so he could flex the now free appendage.

Being old did have some drawbacks. Arthritis was one of them, although it was nothing new to the priest.

[Leda]

Tikal let out a high, excited giggle. "Great! I'm so glad to have you along! Sometimes hunting for supplies can get a little lonely." Taking her place at the elder's side, though slightly behind him, she continued to shower him with sunshine. "Besides, I'd love to listen to any advice or stories you have! You must have seen and learned a lot in all your years, and you're such a high level priest... Surely you must have a wealth of wisdom I could learn from!" Tikal beamed up at Athair as they strode through the woods, then suddenly faultered for a second. "...If you don't mind, I mean. I didn't mean to be demanding," she added with a sheepish chuckle.

[V for Vizetta]

The elder answered Tikal's chuckle with one of his own. He'd never seen anyone so eager to please as his granddaughter, or so eager to learn.

Athair smiled down at the younger echidna, and shook his head. "You're not being demanding at all. In fact, I'm glad to see someone of your age so willing to learn from an 'old codger' like me."

[Leda]

The young echidna laughed again, though this time with less enthusiasm. "Well, I like to learn anyway... But I could seriously use it, too. I mess things up a lot." Tikal's eyes dropped slightly, and despite the smile lingering on her features, she quietly continued, "I do try... But I usually just disappoint people."

She then stopped to inspect a cluster of berries peeking out of a nearby bush.

[V for Vizetta]

Athair's face fell just slightly as Tikal's mood... slipped. Smiling softly, he rested a hand on his granddaughter's head.

"I'll be more than willing to teach you anything you'd like to know, dear child..." The elder paused before he continued.

"Perhaps I should tell you a story? It relates to what I'm saying, I assure you." Giving a polite pause for the younger echidna to protest, but not enough to LET her, the elder began.

"I was in a village that, now that I consider it, is not more than a few weeks away from here. They'd had a bit of a stomach flu going around, and I had come into town at just the right time. Fortunately, there was plenty of plant life for me to use to try to develop an elixer to at the very least soothe the afflicted. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have been..." The elder shook his head slightly, giving a slight chuckle.

"Have you ever heard of Lemon Sundrop Dandelions? Well, they happen to look VERY much like another plant that helps with stomach discomfort. It would have been easy enough to tell the difference, if I HAD payed more attention. As it was... Well, the elixer DID help with the villager's stomachs. By taking their minds off of them. I was rather embarrassed to say the least, once I realized what had happened... And of course, the most embarassing aspect of the whole event?"

Athair smiled softly, his voice lowering, as if he was telling the young woman a deep, dark secret.

"This was only a month or so ago."

[Leda]

Tikal's wide eyes gazed up at her grandfather intently as he began his story... but upon realizing what he had done, the priestess slapped a hand over her mouth to keep the giggles from escaping. He'd mistakenly used lemon sundrop dandelions?! Of all the oversights! It could have been a much more somber confession under other circumstances, but he'd already let out a small laugh himself, and the thought of those folks acting so... bizarre...

It was no use, she just couldn't keep it in. Tikal ducked her head slightly as a snort and several titters pried their way through her defenses.

[V for Vizetta]

Athair smiled as he heard the giggling coming from the echidna next to him. As embarrassing as that confession had been, it was worth it to see his granddaughter smiling and laughing, even if she was trying not to, it seemed.

"Go on and laugh, dear, we all did once the elixir wore off." The elder chuckled a little louder.

Hopefully though, he'd gotten his point across. Anyone could make mistakes, so there was no need to punish oneself for them.

[Leda]

Laughter is hard enough to keep in when one isn't allowed to laugh, let alone when permission's been given. Tikal abruptly burst into giggles and nearly dropped her foragings all over again. "That... That..." The priestess realized she couldn't even form a coherent sentence, and just shook her head instead. Hopefully it communicated her amused disbelief.

[V for Vizetta]

The elder just let Tikal get the laughter out of her system, smiling a bit more.

It seemed that he'd succeeded in bringing her spirits back up, which was good... but now, to keep them occupied for a bit... Pachacamac could stand to learn some patience with the two dogs that had joined their camp.

And then the idea came to him. "So... are we looking for anything in particular? If not, I'd like to collect some medicinal herbs. And I could certainly use the help collecting them, if you'd like." Athair motioned subtly with his cane.

"I'm not exactly as flexible as I once was, after all."

[Leda]

At that suggestion, Tikal seemed to light up; it was almost suprising she didn't start wagging her tail. "I can help you!! I'll do anything you need me to! I don't mind at all!" The young echidna's eyes shined up at her grandfather, giddy to be of assistance. "I promise I'll work hard! And I'll try to be as quick as I can!"

Her heart began thumping a bit harder, and Tikal suddenly found herself very nervous. This was her shot to really be useful to her Elder. She barely accomplished that for her father as it was. The priestess gulped and felt butterflies flutter away in her stomach. Please don't let me mess this one up!

[V for Vizetta]

The elder, as if sensing Tikal's sudden nervousness, rested a hand on her shoulder.

"You'll do fine, dear. Now first, let's find us some King's Paw. It'll help if someone gets hurt and we need to numb pain." The echidna then took great care to look around for the plant he was looking for, although he'd spotted some earlier.

He just couldn't seem to remember where he'd seen it.

[Leda]

"King's Paw?" the younger echidna echoed. She smiled widely with pride. "I know what that is! Wait here, I'll find some for you!!" Tikal unhooked the cloak from around her neck and, despite having just gathered it back up, gently let her foragings onto the grassy ground next to a tree stump. She then carefully folded her cloak and set it onto the stump to serve as a sort of a cushion. "Please, come sit and rest, Elder," the priestess chirped, scampering back to Athair's side and gingerly clasping his elbow.

[V for Vizetta]

Athair, with a smile, allowed himself to be led over to the impromptu seat.

"Thank you, Tikal. More people should be like you." The elder's smile widened a little. It was true. More people should be as kind as she was, a fact Athair lamented quite often.

[Leda]

That... was quite possibly the most generous, encouraging thing that had ever been said to her. Tikal almost looked ready to cry, but kept her wits long enough to give Athair a clumsy curtsey. "Th-Thank you, Elder!!" she managed to squeak through her emotion. Then, lest she ruin the fantastic impression she seemed to have been making for herself, the young echidna dashed off in search of what her grandfather had requested.

King's Paw was an easy plant to spot; it was a climbing foliage with a spade-shaped leaf, sporting a dark deep green along the serrated edges with a cobalt interior. It lived symbiotically with its host, as it secreted a substance that was deadly to many insects and often caused nausea if ingested. However, when crushed down to a pulp and diluted with something even as simple as water, it became a surface-level anesthetic.

A flash of blue caught the priestess's eye, and Tikal's sprint increased. She knelt alongside the plant, and then... hesitated. Suddenly she wasn't sure if the ointment caused skin irritation or not, and if so, whether or not it was strong enough to penetrate the average layer of fur. Tikal's mouth scrunched a bit; she certainly didn't want to embarrass herself in front of the elder by outwardly grabbing at something that would give her a rash...

Maybe I can meet in the middle somehow. The echidna glanced upward at the tree's canopy. The leaves were of considerable size, and would make a reasonable make-shift glove. Tikal smiled to herself and wasted no time scaling the trunk. Even though she wasn't particularly athletic, this practice had been put to use so many times in her scavenging that she may as well have had a monkey in her ancestry. Upon claiming her prize, Tikal dropped back to the ground and plucked a branching of the vine.

As she returned to where Athair patiently waited, she smiled sheepishly and glanced repeatedly at her bounty. "I hope this is enough," she said softly, holding it out for him to inspect. "I wasn't sure how much you wanted, so I made a best guess... A-And, um, I couldn't remember if it was safe to touch or not, so, I got something else to hold it with..."

[V for Vizetta]

"You got plenty, my dear." With a smile, Athair took the plant from Tikal, removing hte leaf she'd used as a glove, as he examined the plant carefully. As it seemed to pass his inspection, he carefully began removing the leaves as he answered his granddaughter.

"Actually, it's quite harmless to the touch, but you did well being cautious when you were unsure." The elder's smile widened, as he placed the leaves in a neat pile, to be later placed into his herbal pouch. Oddly, he also wound the now naked vine into a tight loop, and placed it with the leaves.

[Leda]

Tikal carefully stored the information she'd learned along with the rest of her botanical knowledge, and nodded sheepishly as he corrected yet complimented her. "Thank you, Elder. I'll remember next time." The priestess wrung her hands together a bit, something she'd been doing since crossing paths with him the day before, and what seemed by now to be a nervous habit. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

[V for Vizetta]

The elder considered for a moment, trying to remember if there were any other herbs he would need.

"Let's see..." Athair scratched his chin idly with a knuckle spike. "I'd like to get some Gamura Berries while I'm here... they grows best this time of year, after all."

Gamura berries were small, blue-green berries that were somewhat toxic when fresh, but when dried, became edible, and served as an energy booster. Dried berries could last for years if stored properly.

[Leda]

The younger echidna blinked. "I think I already have some of those," she replied while dropping to her knees and sifting through the pile of gathered herbs, nuts, and other edibles. After a bit of rummaging, Tikal held up a short stem of a branch that had several clusters of red, oblong berries attached. "I had a few as I gathered them up; they're a little sour, but they're not too bad."

[V for Vizetta]

Athair looked at the berries, and would have been alarmed for Tikal had these actually been gamura berries... but fortunately for the younger echidna, they weren't.

"Fortunately for you, these aren't gamura berries, otherwise you'd be quite ill from eating them."

[Leda]

"Oh..." A red tint peeked through the fur on Tikal's cheeks, but it was only noticible for a flash before she lowered her head. The hand-wringing quickly returned with a vengence. Stupid, STUPID!! she silently scolded herself, shrinking slightly at her own harsh words. So much for making a good impression. He probably thinks I'm an idiot now. I'm glad he didn't ask me to prepare a food or a medicine; I'd probably just make everyone sick.

"I'm sorry," Tikal said quietly without lifting her face. "What do gamuras look like?"

[V for Vizetta]

Athair's expression fell as he saw Tikal's actions, her body language telling him she'd taken a harsh blow to her confidence just now.

Reaching down, he patted her head gently as he smiled. "Don't worry, they're a fairly rare berry these days. You may have mistaken those for unripened gamura, which ARE red." Athair plucked one of the red berries off the stem, and held it up.

"Gamuras are slightly smaller than this, and are blue-green when ripened. They looks similar to a blueberry in shape, actually."

[Leda]

Tikal clenched her jaw and nodded at Athair's instruction, strictly correcting what she thought she knew about gamuras. Sucking in a breath through her teeth, she gazed down at her hands; they were awfully dirty from all of her scavenging. Maybe... Maybe I can mitigate this, the priestess idly thought. Maybe if I can get it right this time, I could redeem myself. It was unfortunate that she didn't even realize that she wasn't in need of redemption.

"I'll find some this time, Elder," Tikal asserted softly, rising once more and dusting off her knees. "I promise, I won't disappoint you again!" As she darted away from the echidna sitting at the stump, she desperately hoped she'd be able to live up to her words.

[V for Vizetta]

Athair raised his hand to stop Tikal before she bolted off, but a moment too late, as she was already off. The elder remained in this position for a moment, then his hand dropped to his lap as he sighed.

You could never disappoint me, dear child... The elder echidna's eyes followed Tikal as she searched, his expression having fallen a little. That she would think it would take one minuscule mistake to cause him to suddenly think she was... what? Beyond help? Not worth being around?

He would definitely be talking with Pachacamac when they returned to camp. He suspected that his great-grandson was to blame for Tikal's nearly broken self-esteem... And he would stay with the two of them, regardles of Pachacamac's protests, as long as it took to allow Tikal to come into her own, rather than be smothered by her father's jealousy.