clementine!

wish i had some paper.. there's so many cool leaves here!!

[ staring hard at her from behind a tree.. ]

[ giving them a big bright smile! ]

you're fun to draw! i wish i had crayons so i could color it in.. do you want to try drawing, too?

aww.. too bad. but that's okay! there's still pictures. like.. um.. oh! here!

[ she gets on her knees to draw in the dirt; drawing a cute little kitty. ]

it's a kitty cat!

if you wanna be.

[ making friends shouldn't be complicated, she thinks. as long as someone's kind, then it should be okay to consider them a friend, right?

she draws a picture of her and mokou holding hands, turning the paper towards them when she finishes. ]

how is it? ^_^

of course i'd draw you. you're really nice and my friend now!

[ she guides them to sit with her on the ground, pulling her bag off her back and grabbing her pencil and paper. ]

i promise i'll draw you really well.

yeah! can you make noises? can you meow? or.. um..

[ she tries to imitate a purring noise. ]

like that?

oh.. have you never seen a cat?

[ that's so sad! she thinks for a moment before holding her hands up like paws. ]

they're cute little things that go "meow"! i've always wanted one, but my parents said no...

i wander a lot, too! sometimes my group gets mad at me when i do, cause it's dangerous out here.. but i like exploring. do you like exploring?

[ swinging their arms as they walk. ]

oh! yeah, i wanna draw you! i have a pencil and paper in my backpack if you want to sit down for a bit!

[ curled around a big plushie fast asleep ]

cool..! hehe. i kinda wish i was an awesome creature like that.. i'd wanna be a cat, i think. a kitty hybrid!

hybrid.. that's like, a mashup of two things, right? so you're like a mix of a person and a ... um. snake thingy?

you're interesting. how'd you get lost, anyway? are you by yourself or do you have a group? do you like drawing? i bet i could draw you really well. wanna see?

[ oh that's a lot of questions at once ]

mokou... hey, i know somebody with that name! you kinda look like them, too.. hehe. like twins.

[ after a minute, she takes tentative steps closer until she's a few feet away, still looking hesitant but overall curious. her head tilts. ]

you're really different.. you're not a monster, but you're not exactly a person, either.

[ oh..! it's friendly! she doesn't move from where she is, still a little shy, but she does at least wave back. ]

hello..!

[ and the eel is being watched from afar by a curious little girl peeking her head out from behind cover. she seems to be torn between being scared and being curious. she's never seen anything like it before... ]

[ dangerous or not, all clementine sees is a new friend. besides, they haven't hurt her yet, so they're more than okay in her book!

but they still seem nervous for some reason.. ]

i'm clementine! what's your name?

[ she beams, stepping forward the rest of the way to take hold of their hand. ]

you look really strong. i bet you'll keep me super safe.. and i'll keep you safe, too!

[ big talk for a girl who doesn't even have a weapon.. 💧 ]

// chloe price coded

i can help you, though!

[ she steps forward— not too much, though, just so she doesn't startle them again. ]

it's safer to stick together, you know?

[ oh, did she scare them..? she folds her hands behind her back, trying not to come off as threatening.. she thinks she's doing a good job, at least. she doesn't even have a weapon. ]

but you're alone..

it's really dangerous out here.. do you need someplace to stay?

[ <- the cute kid in question ]

..i wonder if santa will still come.. or is he a monster now, too?

christmas is so soon..

[ unaware of intrusive online ads since she lives blissfully in 2003 ]

oh.. okay! cool! can you do all the stuff a computer does? you look really smart like one.

it's okay.. we don't see a lot of teens, either. except ben. but ben is kind of weird sometimes...

..but you seem really nice!

huh? are you a computer?

[ she sits down, too, giving the creature their space while also still sitting close enough to gently pat them again. ]

you're so cute.. i've never seen any animal like you before. are you a weird kinda squirrel? or.. what?