The Privilege

There's a large opening at the base, and Clyde walks out into a massive forest with trees reaching up into the sky, forming a dense, impenetrable canopy overhead. Nonetheless, what seems like sunlight filters down from the canopy. A variety of familiar animals and plants litter the lush ground, though some of them look a bit... off. It's nothing immediately apparent, but they just seem not quite like what Clyde remembers.

"Alright, home sweet home. 10 or 15 minutes of walking and we'll be at the place we're staying."

Maddie jumps through the exit after them looking around and smiling. She enjoys being in the forest, with its dappled sunlight and lush plant life.

"I can't wait to have some real, actual chocolate milk when we get back! Also, Keria, is there even enough beds? There was just the one last time we were here."

Clyde approaches many instances of the impressive trees and eccentric plants, running his fingers along their surfaces. He snips a few flowers from their stems, and he laughs with delight. Walks in the forest always have an air of magic to them, to be fair to natural beauty, but this is more like when he first camped with his brothers in the woods outside of Schokokuss, before he really knew what mushrooms, vegetation, and fauna to anticipate.

"I'll sleep on the floor if there's not enough beds," He says with no irony.

Keria never quite seems used to the wonders of the forest. Despite her age, a certain childlike wonder has yet to fully dissipate. She always seems to have a gentle smile when wandering through her domain. Perhaps it's only natural that such a wonder would be baked into her very essence. She glances back at Clyde as she smiles.

"There is only one bed, but I am sure Maddie can sleep at the foot of it, or on the couch. I am the one who sleeps outside. I find it hard to properly sleep indoors."

"I'm pretty content to just curl up at the foot of the bed. I actually prefer sleeping curled up to sleeping lying down usually. It's cozy!"

She quickly climbs up a tree just for fun, nimbly hopping down and running around a bit as they continue walking.

Clyde imagines Keria resting with a blanket of twigs and leaves, standing up. He nods and then stops walking again to forage some pulpy green berries from a bushel.

"If she is o-okay with s-sleeping in the same room."

Sleeping next to a girl would be a first for him. He supposes there's been a lot of firsts today. He goes back to examining the berries in his palm.

"Keria, what are these called? Is it s-safe to wash them and eat them?

Keria leans down and pokes at some of the berries, tilting her head.

"I mean... I could eat them. You... it is a gamble. Plants from realities not from your own can have some very unexpected effects. Though living beings here do not immediately die due to new foreign diseases; I imagine there must be some kind of protection from the most dangerous of effects."

Keria leans back and smiles again.

"I could cook you something myself, however. I know what is safe and what is not, generally."

Maddie grabs a fistful of berries and starts munching on them happily with absolutely no care for how potentially poisonous they are.

"Hey these are tasty! Can we make a pie? I want a pie."