[Maybe they misunderstood what was implied. To wear your home on your back is an ingrained cultural concept for a tortle, but that context wouldn't exist for someone who doesn't even know what a tortle is. One look at that big shell, and it seems pretty literal. Just means they got some real heavy bone covering them.
Don't have to think too hard about how home isn't people, isn't a memory, isn't a place you can come back to.]
[...Maybe their friend is intentionally drawing a line between the two of them. Not like you. Separate. Shying away, because the home on your back can only ever fit a single person.]
Okay.
[Soft, understanding. Not hurt by the correction. Sometimes, people just need to pull back. Live on your feet long enough, and that wary fight-or-flight state becomes your new normal. That's what familiar looks like to you. And unfamiliar, as they both know, is a very scary thing for people to deal with.]
I can't claim to fully understand the experience of someone I've just met.
[Maybe their friend needs a less emotionally-loaded topic. Something more rooted in practicality.]
If you've been living nowhere this long, though, you've probably learned some pretty useful things. Seems like I'm gonna hafta worry about foraging and shelter pretty soon, so advice from an expert would be really helpful.
eskas only come in one flavor and it's :3
Don't have to think too hard about how home isn't people, isn't a memory, isn't a place you can come back to.]
[...Maybe their friend is intentionally drawing a line between the two of them. Not like you. Separate. Shying away, because the home on your back can only ever fit a single person.]
Okay.
[Soft, understanding. Not hurt by the correction. Sometimes, people just need to pull back. Live on your feet long enough, and that wary fight-or-flight state becomes your new normal. That's what familiar looks like to you. And unfamiliar, as they both know, is a very scary thing for people to deal with.]
I can't claim to fully understand the experience of someone I've just met.
[Maybe their friend needs a less emotionally-loaded topic. Something more rooted in practicality.]
If you've been living nowhere this long, though, you've probably learned some pretty useful things. Seems like I'm gonna hafta worry about foraging and shelter pretty soon, so advice from an expert would be really helpful.