just ambling by {open}

Shaking her head, Kirin stifled a yawn and prepared to get up - to climb a tree something. To do anything rather than sit around. But that was before she heard a rustling sound, followed by the familiar sliding sensation down her spine that someone was near. Back at the farm, the sound would be similar to sheep hustling into groups in the center of the field. But this wasn't the farm, and in the open forest just about anything can happen.

Slowly, Kirin rolled onto her feet and peered around the edge of the tree. Her gaze locked on a girl about her age - possibly younger - with short, dark brown hair, and green eyes that were staring her way. Not particularly at her, which was a relief, but the girl would've been blind if she hadn't noticed Kirin yet.

Cursing in her head, Kirin walked away from the trunk, pushing past a few branches that were in her way so that she was standing right in front of the girl. Now up close, Kirin knew she was skinny - skinnier than her, actually - with hair cut to her chin. But if Kirin didn't know any better, she would've said that the girl looked weak, if it wasn't for the fact that she could sense a great deal of strength radiating from her. And the knives in her belt was another thing to watch out for.

Another second of realization passed before Kirin snapped out of it. Blinking several times, she made herself smile and back a good distance away in case the girl decided to use the knives for something other than hunting animals - not that that was legal anyway. It's okay, Kirin thought, trying to reassure herself. Just a girl. Not someone from the Capitol, judging by the situation I'm in. No pompous grin on her face too. Good.

"Uh," Kirin began uncertainly, "hi." And then, once again, she mentally cursed herself. Hi? "Erm, sorry. I didn't know that someone else was here.

The girl - whoever she was - didn't get up from the ground just yet, even when Kirin already spoke to her. That was good. At least she wasn't paranoid or scared easily, or else she would've ran away a long time ago. Maybe now was a chance for Kirin to make some friends outside her district. The only one she had been to was District 9, and the visit hadn't been particularly good, either. The hunters were hostile toward whom they called the "clothes-making weaklings" of the Capitol. It was an insult like any other.

Trying not to think too much on those words, Kirin waited impatiently until the girl spoke out loud as well - a quick greeting with only one word. Then she said something else, something close to an insult, and Kirin's surprise flared up at once. It wasn't enough to turn into irritation, and it wasn't even close enough for it to morph into hurt, but Kirin was impressed otherwise. Almost every other girl she'd met who wasn't from the higher-up districts were quiet, reserved people. If this girl was different, then Kirin definitely wanted to get to know her better.

"Don't worry about it," Kirin said when the girl apologized. Then she introduced herself as Kay. Like my dog, she thought dryly, but didn't say it out loud. Except "Kae" the dog was short for "Kaedenshi", a name Kirin's brother had given. She doubted anyone in her family wanted to call the dog by his full name. Kaedenshi. It was such a mouthful.

"I'm Kirin. District eight. What about you? What district are you from?" She tilted her head, studying the knives on Kay's belt curiously. Deciding that she couldn't keep the question any longer, Kirin asked, "Do you come here often then? To hunt, I mean." It seemed like a good enough assumption.

Kay seemed cautious, with just an appropriate hint of suspicion. Kirin couldn't blame her though; she felt the same way. Although Kay just said that she was from District twelve, there was still a part of her that made Kirin feel uneasy. Was it because of her knives? Or was it something else?

Until Kay said that she did come here to hunt, to these very forbidden woods of the Capitol to do something illegal. That settled Kirin down enough, enough for her to smile half-heartedly at the girl. Maybe she was being naive, but anyone who did something illegal couldn't possibly be from the Capitol - or one of their spies. Kay could be trusted for the time being.

"You're not a Capitol Spy, are you?" Kay asked out loud, boldly, too. Once again Kirin was impressed. It was a rare occasion to meet someone so straight-forward, and Kirin decided that she liked it. It was nice to experience some change once in awhile.

"Capitol Spy?" Kirin echoed, thoughtful for a moment. "Nope, can't say I am. I definitely don't want to be one anyway. There's no way I'll work for the Capitol." She paused, brushing some dark strands of hair away from her eyes. "So if you hunt, you must know how to use those knives, right? Care to show me?" It wasn't a few seconds later that Kirin realized what it might sound like. Not only could it promote the chance of Kay getting caught, but Kay might decide to use it on a human. "Not on me though," Kirin added hastily. "It's just, I don't see many people handling weapons in my district. That was definitely true. District eight people were mostly soft, focused on spinning silk or weaving wool instead of hunting in the forest. Still, Kirin had just enough food in her farm with the animals.

Sighing, she turned back to Kay with a grin. "So what do you say?"

Yes, Kay had said. She had actually said yes. Which meant Kirin was finally going to be able to see some actual hunting.

A small shadow poked up from the foliage, drawing Kirin's attention to a small squirrel. But before she could say anything else about it, Kay was already creeping forward, knife poised ready to throw. Then just as suddenly the blade was gone from her hand, whistling through the air, before burying itself into the squirrel's chest with a dull thunk. Kirin watched with a sick fascination as the animal fell, dead before hitting the grass. Kay merely walked over and picked up the squirrel, holding it out to Kirin as if she did this every day.

"Wow," Kirin managed, eyeing the squirrel with a sense of awe. "Awesome! That was...impressive. You looked like you really knew what you were doing." It was also, in a way, amazing but Kirin didn't say it out loud. It wasn't like she wanted to boast about the fact that she wasn't the least bit bothered by blood. Maybe because of the fact that she was used to blood from sheep all the time. So why was a squirrel any different?

Shaking her head, Kirin added just for clarification, "I suppose you'll take it home with you then?" She felt a bunch of other questions bubbling on the tip of her tongue, some that have to do with hunting techniques, others to do with weaponry. But she held them back, wanting to keep her share of the bargain. "All right. I guess it's my turn." She pressed her lips together, pondering hard on what she could show Kay without the material District Eight always seemed to have: wool. Then something caught her eye. It was just a small group of plants not too far away, grouped in tall, large bundles, but hidden behind a few trees so it was nearly impossible to see. Maybe it would've appeared useless to some people, but for Kirin it was the material she was going to use to show Kay what District Eight is capable of.

Kirin walked over to the plants, inspecting them closely. They were definitely flax plants, but Kirin knew they haven't been doused with water for a long time. Meaning it was next to useless to her unless she soaked it.

Grinning, she turned back to face Kay. "We'll make linen then. The process isn't as quick as killing the squirrel though, but it won't take too long either. Are you sure you're up for it?"

As Kirin waited for the answer, she studied the flax plan. It wasn't as tall as the ones back in District Eight, but she knew it'd be enough for a fair amount of linen. Unfortunately, making anything complicated out of the finished linen would be close to impossible Of course she knew how to make the material, but she never bothered with the actual sewing and such...or just the art of making clothing in general. Give Kirin a sheep, however, and she'll produce a good amount of wool.

Kirin turned back to Kay with a smile when the latter gave her her answer. "Right. So the flax plant is what makes linen. First we have to tear through the main part of them, and try to get as much seeds out as we can. Then we need to soak them in water, but we can worry about that later." She paused, grabbing a handful of the medium sized plants, running her fingers through its not-too-soft texture. But it was soft enough to let her know that it was finished growing. Soon enough when the seedless flax was under some water, it'd grow softer until it resembled close enough to the linen on cloths. It was basic knowledge of a District Eight citizen to know that the more water added, the softer the material was going to turn out.

"You know, Kay began as Kirin began working, tearing the plants into strips of smooth fiber, "since it's only my pa and me, and since we have some in the storage cabinet at home, we could always split the squirrel between us... that is, if you want to."

Kirin was caught off guard by the offer, but she smiled all the same. It was nice of the girl to do that, especially when they just met a few minutes ago. But Kirin was also wary. Still, she managed a small, grateful expression, all the while attempting the same indifference Kay seemed to have on her face. "That's, well, that's nice of you to do that. If it's not too much of a problem, I suppose it'd be okay. But chances are, I probably won't be hungry by the time we're finished though. I just ate an hour ago." Kirin paused, wondering if it sounded casual enough. Or just polite enough. Although saying she had just eaten an hour ago was stretching it - considering it had been more than an hour - she didn't want to seem too eager. She wracked her brains, trying to figure out something else to say in case she sounded rude, but came up with nothing. Making a mental note to learn better manners, Kirin ducked back down with her work, searching for the best distraction - and finding it there.

The flax plants were beginning to thin now, becoming softer and resembling more of cloth. Kirin grinned, satisfied with her work so far. Of course she couldn't do it as well as her mother could, but her abilities were still fairly decent. She still preferred to spend her time outside with the sheep though - as interesting as that might sound - yet in the beginning, Kirin had first learned about the flax plants, and how they made linen. And how linen was, probably, one of the most important materials used in District Eight.

Kirin tilted her head so that she could hear Kay more clearly while working on the flax plants. She had to agree that splitting the squirrel with her was a good idea, especially when she was probably going to have actual work in the evening. "Thanks," she said again, grinning. "I really appreciate it." But still, she didn't want to seem rude or anything. Kirin managed a genuine smile when Kay asked about the plants - it was a good thing Kay seemed interested. She sorted through them, pushing the taller stalks toward the girl.

"These. Peel them, like this." Kirin grabbed another long stalk and began sorting through the outer shell and softer interior materials, leafing through so that the skin fell away in long strands on the ground, leaving the softer ones on the ground. "But do you know if there's a lake or something around here? We'll need it later on after we finish with this."

((ooc: I seriously have no clue what I'm writing about, haha. Dx))