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Shopping and supply runs made up a large portion of the daily needs of the Resistance. So did forage of the countryside, arrangements with suburban and rural farms outside of the main Destiny City Metropolitan area. In a few lucky cases, though, they were able to pull in actual harvest from their own efforts or from offworld locations that were either reborn enough to sustain a little agriculture. Or had met their ends in a riot of possibly hostile overgrowth and had been domesticated enough to sustain consumables and harvesting. Which exactly it was for the case of the Princess Ida's world, Herger didn't know.

The princess had asked after him, and his time to help with harvest from her world, so he reported to her tents to meet her once he woke from a shift of his own duty. He'd brought some strapped sacks that had been sewn from scrap canvas by those that acted as quartermasters. It was easier on whatever mauvians were on duty to have less auras, so he stayed out of uniform, at least planned to do so until offworld. Hopefully we'll be able to fill all three of them. Maybe more? Well, if there's that much, it might be difficult for her to hold them and me and make it all back in a single trip. I'm sure she's got it figured out.

"No need to carry a ladder around either," as Herger, the man was even less aware or offended of objectification or reductionist usage of himself through reference of only body parts in seriousness or in jest. If anything, it seemed to make him happy, and all the better if there were multiple features of pleasant finding like a well appreciated utility knife. Praise from one of his betters. one of the royalty, added honey to the draught.

"I am glad to help. It will be a nice change fro patrolling, and you will get to see the sun a bit, ja? Is just the two two of us?" He didn't mind if it was, it was just a matter of people being able to take two others to wonders and homeworlds. Pending the size of luck and harvest, they'd have the volume of another person filled up in foodstuffs if it was just the two of them. Since her hands were both around her drink, Herger took a standing space behind her and put his free hand companionably on her shoulder to fulfill contact for the magic. "It will be good for you to relax a while on the grass. "

On arrival, her sudden fall forward made checked his attention close a moment to double ensure that she wasn't fainted or in need of immediate CPR. As she kept moving, lost in the rejoinder to her realm, he gave an unseen nod an moved away to give her her space and time. It seemed mostly a private thing, to him, the connection between transcended and their realms. It wasn't something he preferred to intrude on with gawking.

He didn't take on his uniform, either, having no need of it for the occasion and not wanting to feel what he expected she was up to- shifting to her royal attire. He could remain Herger for this and be as useful as he would be as Knight- his cape did not particularly help harvesting plants any more than patched and well-frayed jeans did. Ida had brought him to her lands before, but it wasn't with enough frequency that he'd memorized any of the ways and wiles of it, so his few steps along in a general radius from her wasn't far. It was also mostly experimental- looking what was where and near, and inspecting the nearest of the tiny trees without touching them.

As mistress of the lands, he waited on her time and for when she would speak and direct their small company to action in her lands. The Lord is the Land.

His answer came in the form, initially, of a familiar, throaty noise of agreement that lacked actual words. He wasn't certain why she was describing landmarks, but it kept up a pleasant enough cadence of conversation for those uncomfortable in complete silence. And it is a change, either way, from the sounds of life, of the camp, of the forest and the Earth to here. There are no birds here, no tents. A conservatory and a tower. I wonder if they ever had names, or if the people that lived here just called them what they were. If there was only one of each on the whole world, then there'd be no need for names.

Herger followed her lead along the path, finally opening his mouth to give out actual words, "I don't mind the bounty of the land. We get as much at home? Should I be worried to eat the same here? Food is food, to beggars. "

"How large is your land? Have you explored all of it, since you are of the royalty? The fjord is very walkable, but Wonders are not whole worlds. Have you found any Wonders here? Like your Conservatory or your Tower? Maybe there were knights of Ida, long ago."

Herger's exposure to the internet was limited, highly so even compared to what the name before his had managed. It was mostly checking over emails and delivery directives from the Norway offices as a part of his cover and 'occupation' when in Destiny Metropolitan proper. Using public Wi-Fi at coffee shops and fast food restaurants had drawbacks, and it didn't do to draw IP suspicions too closely by looking up information specifically to locations known as wonders. The Nærøyfjord had some protections regarding that problem as a UNESCO site- lots of people the world over searched it up to look up pictures or plan legs of their vacations in Scandinavia. But the websites had nothing about the long, low house in ruins that he'd found there when he'd first traveled to his fief. Most websites had very little of any use to say about what was actually out among the stars or wonders. What information telescopes had provided to men about Ida was, in his mind then, half blind. Maybe it is a potato, maybe not. Maybe it is very small, but maybe it is a little bigger than that. The magic hides much. There would be no knowing for sure without walking it with her to see. Dreams for other days, maybe.

He didn't contradict or argue the point to her. It was just conversation to be traded, and small points that enriched no more than interpersonal connections. The actuality didn't matter nearly as much as the asking and listening. Her question back was a puzzle that knit his brow as he gratefully examined the offered flower. "I don't think so. I don't know. Of who I was before as a General? Or do you mean further? Memories come from the heart of our wonders, right? "

"I've not had much time to go there. I don' know if I am from a line or knights, or the knight reborn. Lord Babylon is descended and found his ancestor instead of memories. Lady Hvergelmir found memories in her pools and columns. I don't know which I should find. I've not looked for memory. My hands have been needed more for the now than looking for the then. Senshi are only ever reborn, ja? "

There isn't much reason to visit at length to the Fjord, not as a member of the guard. It allows me to bring wild salmon and sea trout, fresh crab, goat cheese and Ægir Brewery over at Flåm...but supply and then return does not take long. Only long as the magic to go and come back, if the locals have made the drops at proper time and place. They are all kind people.

"There is no want for apology?" She hadn't said anything offensive or hurtful, and what was unclear he'd answered both of anyway. The lead continued, and he followed, sad for the flower to be left behind. But it is her flower. If all that she gifts to the Earth is the fruit, it is enough.

And it was strange fruit, looking at the blue forms in the leaves. Herger stooped and lifted her via her waist onto his shoulder for a seat, effectively raising her vantage by at least six feet of elevation. Then he let tucked all the sacks but one part into a worn back pocket and plumed out like a sad tail. The remaining one he held open and up for her to put picked winnings into. "Are they safe for eating, at such a color? Will they need to be treated, like cooking potatoes to make them safe? "

Apples were, for better or worse, one of the fruits that were in more ready supply around the world. It meant they were one of the more common supplies that could be managed through smuggling or delivery, purchase in quantity without too much fuss, and foraged occasionally in the forests as the leavings of old orchards, manor houses, and fallen colonial plantings that were ripe in the affluent, half-rural suburban housing sections of the East Coast. It meant that he'd had other varieties other than Red Delicious before to be able to compare, and the princess' choice of that variety offered a small distraction of thought. They always have a texture like sand inside, and almost no flavor. They're alright for muffins, pancakes, juice, I guess...Maybe she likes them more than empires or ambrosia? Maybe she never had others before and thinks with a name like 'delicious' they must be? I used to think that.

The effects of the radiation she was describing wasn't much of a concern, all the more if it took years of exposure. Herger was relatively certain that none of them was going to make it that long, or if they did it would be Ida herself and one or two others pulled to the place after a last stand. Probably live out their lifetimes and die in a few decades, maybe one child or two of some pairing to do the same. None of the Royals had so far established new settlements and breeding of peoples on their worlds, so it wasn't the strongest 'what if.'

He didn't have much to say about the implications and negativity she was giving to cutting and training plants. He horticulture wasn't any realm of his study, nothing really was in the desperate needs of the war except more war and survival skills. He didn't offhand agree with it, either, since some plants seemed to grow better when they were cut back. 'Pruning', 'coppicing', and 'pollarding' were nothing he understood beyond the imprecise demonstrations of city maintenance workers on keeping trees out of the powerlines.

With no questions asked by her, and no knowledge worth adding save a vague opinion with no basis, Herger had literally nothing to offer her by way of conversation. So he silently watched her picking progress, moving a step or two this way or that when the branches she'd been working were starting to look sparse. Minutes moved on for her to continue her descriptions of her homeworld or not as she felt want to do.

Humming was a thing of background noise, lacking words and without the interest of actual notes to carry the soul up in soaring sound, leaving Herger's attention still to focus on the gathering and stepping around. Or switching bags once full enough of harvest. Ida's words filtering down again was a surprise and drew an unintelligent, quizzical noise as the first reply.

Maybe her wings pulling on her back without support hurts her spine? Or her bottom is sore? There is not as much flesh there as there used to be. I am probably not so comfortable. "You weigh less than the bag of apples. "

But he set the current bag down, and then the Princess after to her own feet. "You don't eat enough to be heavy, I think, even after many days. But water is welcome. "

"Why do you not sing? There is no embarrassment to have on your own land?"

"I will not tell anyone, if you are shy of it."