The Preserve, Sunday Afternoon

[doesnotkneel]

Thorin and Anders both had their own ways of dealing with a hangover. Edward? Edward had his.

... Which was to say that at some point last night, he'd gotten it into his head he wanted to climb a tree. And he had. Quite deftly, in fact. Edward Kenway knew how to hold his drink, thank you very much, even if he hadn't been able to walk in anything even remotely resembling a straight line.

He just... hadn't remembered how to get out of the tree again.

He was still in there by Sunday afternoon, legs stretched out over a thick branch, his head pillowed against the trunk. He'd woken up once or twice, but somehow, magically, he'd managed to turn over and fall back asleep each time.

Now he was stirring again.

Largely because there was a squirrel sitting on his chest. "What the--" The animal's little pencil went skittering over its paper, and then it looked up again expectantly. "...Are you writing this down?"

The squirrel shrugged. Of course it was.

[[ open! ]]

Comments

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

Hanna was doing her usual run when she heard chittering. And looked up.

"Edward?"

[doesnotkneel]

Edward wiggled his fingers at the squirrel. Then he waved at it. It staunchly refused to leave.

With a sigh, he leaned sideways slightly, squinting. "...Who wants to know?"

So yes. It was Edward.

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

Hanna started snickering. "Hanna. Is there a reason you are in a tree?" Aside from, maybe the squirrel invited him up there?

[doesnotkneel]

"It looked comfortable!" Edward called down.

Well, it was true. At the time he'd gotten into the tree, at any rate.

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

"And is it?" Hanna wasn't going to get between a man and his perch if he was happy up there.

[doesnotkneel]

Edward considered it.

Then he considered the difficulty of removing this squirrel without having it write a screed about him for the radio.

"...It's all right," he said.

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

Hanna grinned. She couldn't help it, he looked so silly. "If you want some water, I could throw you my water bottle. If you think you could catch it."

[doesnotkneel]

"I'm nimble," Edward declared, "And my reflexes are well enough. Please do."

And perhaps she'd hit the squirrel, so he could move.

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

Hanna tossed the plastic bottle up, not too fast, but straight by Edward and the squirrel.

"I like your hat," she called to the squirrel.

[doesnotkneel]

Edward scrambled to catch it, as well as one could scramble while trying not to fall off a branch or disturb a squirrel.

The bottle went plunging back down again. "Ah, Jaysus!"

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

Hanna tried to keep the giggling under control, but the best she could do was keep it quiet.

"Would your friend mind if I climbed up to hand it to you?"

[doesnotkneel]

"I don't know," Edward said.

He was back to squinting at a squirrel. "Would you?"

Again, the squirrel shrugged.

"It shrugged," he called.

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

That wasn't outright hostility, so Hanna started to climb the tree, being careful not to shake it too much, or do anything to dislodge Edward. When she was a couple branches below him, she tossed the water bottle again. "Catch!"

[doesnotkneel]

This time, Edward was reaching out with both hands to catch it-- but the bottle shot past him.

He had more luck as it came down, narrowly snagging it with both hands.

The tree shook. A bit. "Got it!"

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

"Yay!" Hanna cheered, then settled in on her branch. A good time for a break in her run, anyway. "Is there anyone else up a tree around here?"

[doesnotkneel]

"... I don't think so?" Edward offered. His head hurt too much to let him lapse into the sight just now to check. "I mean. Can't promise you anything."

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

"Hello!" Hanna called out. "Anyone else need water?" A pause.

If they did, they weren't saying.

"They may be napping."

[doesnotkneel]

"I like napping," Edward mused, stretching back out on his back (carefully...). "It's been doing well by me."

He took a sip from the bottle. Oh, blessed water.

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

Hanna swung her legs, relaxing, occasionally shooting glances up to the squirrel and Edward.

"I could leave the bottle here with you, if you think you're going to be a while," she said after a bit.

[doesnotkneel]

"Are you going to move?" Edward asked the squirrel.

It looked thoughtful.

"Maybe you should reason with it," he said.

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

Hanna peered through the branches up at the squirrel. "Ah, hello. I think my friend here would like to-- conclude the interview? Perhaps you could continue it later?" That seemed reasonable, didn't it?

[doesnotkneel]

The squirrel considered it.

Then, with a full blast of chittering, it hopped onto Edward's head and then into the branches. (It did still want to know why Edward smelled like rum while it had seen no rum, so how long it would stay there...)

"Thanks," Ed said cheerfully, or in an approximation of it that involved a wince and a groan.

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

Hanna giggled. "You're welcome." She waved good-bye to the squirrel, then asked, "Do you need help getting down from here?"

[doesnotkneel]

"No, I'll be all right," Edward called. He dangled his legs over the side of the branch. "One branch below, right?"

[hexentotchen.livejournal.com]

"Yes." Hanna leaned backward, and swung down with a small flip, landing on her feet. "Then a jump."

That might be a little jarring for someone with a hangover, but really, there weren't that many ways down.