How to build a fire [OPEN]

[formersurgeon]

Who| Joan Watson and OPEN
What| Random encounters in the Training Center gymnasium
Where| Training Center gymnasium
When| After the arena ends
Warnings/Notes| None yet


Three arenas. Well, two and a half, she supposed. Still, three times in the Arena, three times dead. Each death wasn't exactly preventable: she and John stumbled on those snakes by accident, there was no way she could have avoided those velociraptors, and by the time she realized Orc was raging toward her, she couldn't have gotten away. All unavoidable.

She wasn't content with that, though, especially since Sherlock was there now. She already had frineds there, of course, people who she would fight for and die for. But most of them were more experienced in the arenas than she was. Certainly Sherlock, but also Wyatt and John. Sherlock, though... "her" Sherlock...was a newcomer. She would fight and die for him, of course, but she was also extremely protective of him. She had been, back home, and it was only stronger now, now that she was the one with more experience.

Joan entered the gymnasium in the basement of the Training Center and walked right past the weapons and combat simulations, toward the survival stations. There was no way of knowing what the next Arena would be like, of course, but it didn't matter. Living her whole life in New York City had left her without any outdoor survival skills. She couldn't even light a fire in the fireplace of their home without help.

So that was going to change. She was going to learn how to build a fire.

Comments

[formersurgeon]

She smiled, still working the stick back and forth.

"I can't say I've never thought about it. As I'm sure you've picked up on, he's not always the easiest of people to be around."

She smirked a little at that. She's no stranger to the understatement herself.

"When it comes down to it...I enjoy his company. We get along. Which is sort of unusual for him."

A small bit of smoke started to curl up from the wood.

[aintyourdad]

Joel had to snort faintly - mostly because the same could be said for him. 'Easy to be around' was not a phrase that many would apply to him.

"I'm not judgin'. We connect with people we wouldn't expect sometimes. You met Ellie? Teenager, red hair, cusses a lot?"

The smoke was a good sign. A start, anyway. She was good at this - quick off the mark, anyway. Joel appreciated that.

[formersurgeon]

She smiled a little at the smoke, and kept the stick going at the same speed, encouraging the smoke to continue.

"I haven't, no," she said with a brief glance up at Joel. "She sounds like an interesting person. I take it she's a friend?"

[aintyourdad]

"She's from my world. I promised someone I'd look after her, a while back, and we've been travelling together. Life is funny that way, sometimes."

He crouched down next to her, watching the smoke intently. If she could keep it up, she may very well get this on the first try - an impressive feat.

[formersurgeon]

"It is. I think I was just what he needed in that moment in his life, so he let me in when he might not have otherwise. He's been getting better at that, though. At letting people in."

She paused for a moment, then continued, her voice softer, more raw, as if she was saying something she didn't voice often.

"He was just what I needed, too."

The smoke was a little thicker, and she sped up the spinning.

[aintyourdad]

Joel nodded, almost - uncomfortable, with how close to home she was hitting.

"Yeah, I - I guess it was a little like that with me and Ellie. She's a good kid. I've been takin' care of her, but - she's saved my ass more times than I can count, too. It wasn't me that got us as far as we did - it was her."

[formersurgeon]

"Hopefully we'll be able to keep each other alive. This past arena, we weren't together long. He..."

Found her dying. She was spared from having to say it, though, as the wood finally ignited.

[aintyourdad]

"They probably thought it was a good show," Joel said with a vague hint of disgust for the Capitol in his voice.

"Alright, there's your ember. Now you gotta be real careful with it, so it don't go out before you get it to your tinder. Blow on it once or twice to get it nice and glowy, and then you transfer it over to your nest," he said, switching immediately back to instructor mode.

"You'll probably have to blow on it again to get it to ignite the tinder."

[formersurgeon]

She held back her hair and leaned down to blow on the ember gently, the glow growing. When she was satisfied it was stable, she eased the wood over to the nest, and blew on the ember some more.

[aintyourdad]

"There you go," Joel said with a nod. "You're a natural. You sure you've never done this before?"

[formersurgeon]

"Positive."

She smiled up at him.

"You're just a really good teacher."

[aintyourdad]

"Ah, you're a fast learner," Joel demurred. "Makes it easy on me. I don't have to yell at you."

Not that he would. He offered her a faint smile.

[formersurgeon]

"A collaborative effort," she replied with a bit of an amused laugh. She blew on the ember a couple more times until the nest started to catch fire. She sat back and looked up at him.

"So! What now?"

[aintyourdad]

"Teamwork," he muttered, almost to himself, a faint smile on his lips.

"Uh, I dunno, you did pretty good, here. What else were you wantin' to learn?"

[formersurgeon]

"I don't know," she admitted. "I imagine eventually I'll have to learn things like how to trap animals for food. I'm hoping to put that off as long as possible."

She made a bit of a face, clearly not looking forward to catching and cleaning animals.

[aintyourdad]

"It'd probably depend on the arena, I guess," Joel said with a shrug. "You might be more likely to need to scavenge than hunt outright, like with the last one."

Joel was an okay hunter, but he was an expert scavenger.