she grins a little at him,shrugging her shoulders as she does so, as if completely unconcerned by the possibility of that outcome. in reality she’s just spent her entire childhood mapping out areas close but just safe enough to traverse. she knows this swamp, and it probably knows her too ( which is a mildly horrifying thought but, not if she doesn’t think about it ! ), so she’s more than a little confident in her ability to navigate around it. “ well then, the swamp gets its meal and we become missing posters taped up around town. i wouldn’t worry about it too much, if not the swamp it’s usually something else. something’ll get you eventually. ” she’s only teasing a little, but there’s a hint of truth underlining those words. selene would be fine, most of the things that go bump in the night, most of the monsters lurking around, they were her friends after all. but a skinny little kid like him? he’d need to be a little more careful.
the ma’am makes her twitch a little, even knowing she’s clearly the older of the two of them here. “ if they’re all going to be like you i probably won’t bother with the heroics any more, that’s for sure. ” she scoffs, then winces a bit as the ache in her hip makes itself known again. maybe her age was showing, or something, because she feels awfully close to filling out the description of a brittle old lady. christ. “ we should go, before swampy wakes up and decides to take you anyway. i know you said you don’t live with your parents— which seems really irresponsible to me personally— but it’s still not good to be wandering around alone. i’ll walk you home, consider it an added bonus to saving your ass. ”
something’ll get you eventually . um , okay — what the fuck ? dmitri’s smile falters , a memory being prodded by such an eerie , ominous statement . it’s not a threat , but they feel a chill run up their spine — though , most importantly , and even worse , strain in muscles that leave him reflexively clenching and unclenching hands . wanting to run , or hide . “well , i hope not –” he tries to remain upbeat , as if they’re not currently being ambushed by a scene that they have yet to properly deal with ... dmitri doesn’t want to grieve ( simply out of the fear of never resurfacing from it ) , at least , NOT NOW . “– i’ve got plans , and i’d hate for them not to be done because some weird swamp ate me . hold on , actually , what do you mean by that … what’s wrong with the swamp ?”
does she mean all this , or is personifying the swamp something of a deal for her only ? dmitri only asks because — well , he’s aware that ghouls or whatever exist — but there’s something … shadowy and bizarre with this town … it’s part of why dmitri had started putting off The Search — because out of all the places to find a father who seems to be more preoccupied with something else to leave him and his mother to hang dry , marais didn’t seem like the right place . for that , and at all ( so , he supposes that a year here is fine , finish the school year , and then they’ll go on ... ) they give her a sideways glance , unsure and suspicious . “...how old do you think i am ?” they ask , diverting the conversation far , far away from family matters . “because a twenty-two year old not living with their parents is not at all irresponsible , actually…”