From a package delivered to the wrong address and a favor in return, Achilles and Elisa got to talking and hit it up pretty smoothly. They didn't know much about each other, still being little more than friendly neighbors, but Elisa had asked Achilles if he had any hobbies and telling her how his dad used to take him camping she had an idea. Sure it wasn't the standard thing people who hardly knew each other did, but she could see that he was a bit lonesome even with his best friend being his roommate. There was also another thing she learned about him, was that he was a bit of a speed demon when he hit the long stretches of road.

"So, you never went camping with your parents before? I would take my buddy Mike, but he insists we stay strapped if we did. I mean, I guess it doesn't hurt to be cautious, but his idea of strapped is a little more than a nine." Achilles said, helping Elisa up a slope before looking out through a clearing in the trees. Elisa shrugged, the gesture almost unnoticed by the pack she wore. "Never got the chance. Though my little brother got to be a scout, so you know, he was always excited to share stuff with big sis. Seeing him recalling how he got each merit badge was always heartwarming, but I could tell he always felt there was one person he wanted to tell but couldn't. And my dad and I felt that too." Elisa said, ears drooping a bit. "Oh, I didn't know. I'm sorry." Achilles began, feeling a sting of embarrassment for bringing up a touchy subject. "It's alright, he's gotten used to it, but my dad, he still gives off an air of incompleteness." Elisa replied, leaning against a tree to catch her breath. "And what about you? I mean, how does that make you feel?" Achilles asked with hands on his hips. She furrowed her brow in though and looked at him. "Well, maybe the same as my old man I suppose. I mean, he went through it twice and I guess I sorta did too." She replied, crossing her arms and tapping a finger on her bicep. They stood there a few moments in silence before Achilles tapped her arm and pointed over his shoulder to carry on a bit further.

They reached a suitable spot, a moderately sized clearing, Achilles looking for any tracks or disturbed foliage. He didn't really feel like ending up as dinner for a hungry animal while camping out with someone little more than a stranger. They set up and chatted over a small stove Achilles had brought, suitable for the food they'd brought along. He learned that she was his senior by three years, and her younger brother was her half-brother. And from him she learned that he had an assortment of random knowledge and dramatic past experiences that almost seemed unbelievable if they weren't so mundane. She could tell he was a good person from the way he carried the conversational topics and how he listened intently without interrupting. But she also felt his reservation, that he didn't want to share too much beyond what they were at in knowing each other. He shared how his father had spent over half of his life in the armed forces, explaining the nature of his service wasn't for the public to know of, joking of the countless books that still got written by other members of that tier of skill. His mother was a state trooper, and there was a bit in there that sounded like a love story. His father almost missed out on telling his mother how he felt before a deployment when he first enlisted, and how had he not told here things would've been vastly different.

That whole time he told of himself he tried to get Elisa to open up, seeing her gazing intently as he spoke while almost trailing off into nothings. She opened her mouth to speak but was caught up. Achilles had practically given a recap of his whole life and the context for where he was now. But she thought of where to start and the words caught in her throat. Could she be so open as he had? Despite now knowing so much about her neighbor she was afraid of speaking about herself. "I, um...I'm sure that I'd probably bore you to sleep and put the fire out if I told you about myself." Elisa said, hoping that Achilles wouldn't try to press her to hear. "Hey, that's alright. I already talked enough for the both of us, and maybe even a third or fourth person too. And thank you, for listening I mean." Achilles replied, cleaning up what refuse they had to distance it from their tents.

He stood up to bury the bagged trash and mark it for retrieval later, Elisa looking into the fire and sighing. "Just be open, Lis. He's being so open and all you could do was make excuses..." Elisa muttered to herself, rubbing her hands in front of the warm flames. The night had really started to set in, the daylight purple through the trees, an orange glow bathing a diameter of trees before fading to darkness. She felt cold despite the proximity to the fire, but the chill was coming from within. Achilles returned to view with a smile on his face. "Well, I guess we'll see tomorrow if Yogi settles for trash instead of a picnic basket." He joked, adding a few bits of wood to the embers, lining the flames with some decently sized rocks. "I...should've joined in for story time earlier. I'm sorry. It's just, I don't want you feeling bad listening to my sob story. So, bare with me for a bit?" Elisa said, patting the spot beside her. Achilles sat dawn and crossed his legs, Elisa clearing her throat and exhaling. "Okay, here goes..."

"You know how I was kind of vague about my home life earlier? Well I just didn't want to ruin the mood, and I hope I don't now. My mother left when I was young, and my dad didn't tell me why until I was a young adult. There was another guy, but my dad didn't want that to ruin it for my sake. But my mom took that as her being able to get away with it. So again there was another, and another, and on and on until I was five or so. She lied about him and he was jailed for a year while I had to deal with her until my dad was out. He won in the end and then it was just me and him. He was barely able to get back on his feet and then comes my step-mom and then my half-brother. She changed after a year and it was almost like a repeat, but my dad got us both early and then it was us three. His work was very inconsistent for awhile, but my brother and I never went without. Seeing my brother growing up and seeing him happy is something that keeps me going sometimes. Honestly I don't know where I'm going or what I'm doing with life, but at least he has an idea, and he sees me as his angel of a big sister. So, yeah, there's my sad little tale. Feel free to lend a tissue."

Achilles sat silent for a few moments, blinking unfazed, but then he cleared his throat. "Elisa, I'm sorry to hear that, all of it. But I want to say that you're doing better than you think, even if it doesn't feel that way. You could've taken any easy way ahead or done something for all the wrong reasons, but you didn't. I don't see that too often, but I can tell you aren't a quitter. Thanks, I'm glad to be here to listen." Achilles said, smiling as he finished. She felt her cheeks grow warm and a smile form at the corners of her mouth. "Achilles, thanks. It means a lot." She replied, placing a hand on his knee. "It's a bit cold right now. I have a favor to ask you." She said, standing up, Achilles following suit. "Can you hold onto me near the fire? Just until it goes out, then we'll go to sleep." She requested, stepping near him. His mouth hung slightly agape at the request, before he nodded in agreement. He sat down within a few feat of the heat, Elisa reclining against him, and they looked into the flickering flames, no words further shared, but the moment between them.

This YCH done by: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/racerdragon/

Base by: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/queenhound with edits by: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/unistaart

Achilles and Elisa are Mine