if you go down to the woods today

Who: Ben, Gabe, and Roxie
When: Early evening
Where: Ben’s property

Roxie was excited and yeah, ok, maybe a little nervous too as she sat in the passenger’s side of Gabe’s truck while they drove. She had a bag packed, some essentials plus some fun things like s’more’s fixings, and was resting her leg against the back as it settled on the floorboard. “Off into the wilderness,” Roxie said with a grin as they drove, looking back over at Gabe.

Gabe smiled back at Roxie, reaching over to pat her leg for a moment. The truck handled the dirt road well enough and at the prospect of discovering something new, he was feeling great. So great that for once he was sober, eyes taking in the area around them, then glancing back towards the map Ben had drawn. “Just up here,” he said as the trees broke away and they pulled into a wide clearing along the bank of a still, glass-like lake.

"Oh wow..." Roxie opened the door, grabbed her bag and stepped out of the truck so she could get a better look. "Wow, it's really pretty here..." Heading over to Gabe's side, she waited for him. "Really peaceful." They'd driven, what, a matter of minutes away and it felt like a totally different world than the suburbia she was used to.

Gabe put the truck in park then let himself out, running hand through his hair. “Yeah this is great. Empty,” he agreed with a nod. Empty did wonders for him, and even now that he didn’t need it, it was still appealing. Picking up the map again, he nodded in one direction. “Ben said to meet him this way,” he told Roxie with a smile and started off around the lake.

The wind was blowing in such a direction that the smell of Gabe’s truck had reached Ben even before it had reached the clearing and he smiled to himself. He was sat outside his cabin working on a small stool he’d been carving but when the teenagers voices reached him as well as their scents, he set his work down and stood up, ambling along the lakeshore towards them.

Roxie shifted the bag in her arms as they walked, making sure to keep her eyes out for any hazards that she might trip over. Clumsy doesn't take a day off. She looked up when she could, though, smiling as they walked but smiling more when she saw Ben. "Hey!" She said, waving at him from a little bit away. It was nice to see the man again and in her bag Roxie was carrying something for him; a gift as a thank you for letting them borrow his equipment.

Gabe reached for Roxie’s bag as she shifted with it, more out of habit than anything else. Seeing Ben though he grinned, not just at the sight of a familiar face, but at the idea of having found the place properly. Lost was normal for him, and lost wouldn’t help them too much in the current moment.

Grinning too at Roxie’s greeting, Ben chuckled as he closed the distance between. “Hey kids,” he said warmly once they were close enough for polite conversation “Looks like you made it up here okay then?” He was glad to see them both, he’d spent the past couple of days up at the cabin and it was good to see some familiar faces.

"The drive was nice. Ben, this place is beautiful. Thanks again for letting us stay here and lending us your things." She smiled, tucking her hands into the pocket of her hoodie out of habit. "Seems so peaceful. I can see why you like it so much here." Reaching for her bag again, she rummaged through it but didn't really take it from Gabe. "I have a present for you, a little thank you gift." She produced a small, wrapped box and held it out to Ben.

“Well I’m glad you like it Roxie,” Ben replied, his smile growing even wider. “I’m happy to get to share it with you guys.” The gift took him a little by surprise but his smile didn’t falter as he stepped forward and took it from her, instinctively raising it to his nose to see if he could determine what it was. “You didn’t have to do this you know,” he told her, eyeing up the wrapping paper as he figured out what would be the best place to try and open it from.

“She’s not good with the ‘don’t have to do that’ bit,” Gabe clarified, smiling a little both at Roxie and at Ben inspecting her wrapping job. “I think she did well with this one though. Seemed fitting. And thanks from me too.”

"Well you didn't have to do this for us either, you know." Roxie smiled back at Gabe, nudging him with her elbow. "I'm ok with it...sometimes." Not really, ever. Looking back at Ben, she waited, hoping he'd open it soon. She'd thought it was cute, fitting, and hopefully he would think it was the same thing.

Figuring that being delicate wasn’t going to get him anywhere, Ben found the edge of the paper and ripped the small package open. “You’re more than welcome Gabe,” he replied as he opened the box, letting out a booming laugh as he saw it’s contents and tipped it out onto his hand; a small wooden bear that sat snuggly in his palm. “Well that’s just grand,” he said, reaching down and giving Roxie a hug. “You’re a sweetheart Goldie.”

The laugh was a little loud, but Gabe managed not to jump, nor did he flinch too much with Ben hugged Roxie. It was fine, that sort of contact, but at the same time Gabe was still coming off being far too protective of her, especially with things they way they were with Reggie. Still, he kept quiet, tucking his hands in his pockets and ducking his head slightly.

Roxie definitely felt like she was getting hugged by a bear. The nickname was fitting. Hugging him back, she laughed a little, though her laugh wasn't nearly as booming as his had been. "I'm glad you like it. It's not much but it's just a little thank you." When the hug ended, she stepped back to Gabe and smiled more. "So where's this campsite?"

“Just across the lake there,” Ben replied, pointing across the water to a small beach just in front of a clearing where a tent was already set up. “There’s some firewood already cut up round there so I’ve just got to get my spare radio from the cabin then you guys are all set.”

Gabe looked where Ben indicated, looking a little impressed. “Wow Ben, you didn’t have to do all that.” Though he couldn’t help the smile. Even though it was nearby and visible, it wasn’t that visible and it was secluded enough, which was what he wanted with Roxie. “That’s...totally great.”

"Yeah, Ben, you really didn't have to." She was thankful, though, because she was certain she had no idea how to chop wood and didn't know if Gabe knew either. Turning to look at the cabin, Roxie smiled. "Looks like a nice place you have there. I've kinda always wanted to live in a cabin. I think they're really cool. Or at least vacation in a cabin."

Ben just shrugged. “Well I wanted to. It’s not a lot but if I can do something to help out some new friends then why shouldn’t I?” He smiled at Roxie’s enthusiasm at the cabin and scratched the back of his neck a little self-consciously. “There’s plenty cabins nicer than mine Goldie,” he told her as they approached the small building. “One’s with electrics and proper plumbing. Mine’s more on the rustic end of the spectrum.” Which was how he liked things but it certainly wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

Gabe draped Roxie’s bag across his shoulder as he followed after Ben. “Can we drive ‘round the lake to that side or do we have to hike it?” he asked. Hiking could be managed, but his stuff was about as organized as ‘in the truck’. It might take him a moment to be ready to walk around.

"Nice is a state of mind," She said, smiling at Ben as she walked onto the porch but not further into the house. She didn't want to feel like she was encroaching on his space, but still, getting to look out at the lake while she stood on the porch was really something.

“The road’ll take that far,” Ben replied with a nod, though calling it a road was pretty generous. “Gets a bit bumpy round that way though so take it easy. Thankfully it aint rained in a while, otherwise you’d be tracking through mud most of the way”. Ducking inside, he grabbed the spare radio from the table next to where his sat and brought it out, handing it to Roxie. “And I can’t argue with that,” he told her with a smile. “But then, not everyone’s as open minded as you.”

Gabe wanted to point out that she’d have a different boyfriend, maybe her Tad friend or someone if she wasn’t open minded. Instead she was with the former reader pothead who was a good five years older than her. “Sounds good. Truck can handle quite a bit, but I’ll go easy so I don’t bounce this one out of the cab.” He gave Roxie a smile and a nudge.

"Hey, I'll buckle up. You know, for safety." She smiled at Gabe again, holding onto the radio but turning his nudge into support as she leaned into him. "It's good you get to drive, though." She knew how much that truck meant to him and maybe it would be comforting to her as well, to have it there nearby. One big, very heavy security blanket. Shrugging, she looked between Gabe and Ben. "Not so sure it's open-minded. Just seems pointless to be judgey."

“Well not everyone shares your attitude,” Ben pointed out, the way Roxie was talking only put her higher in his regards. “Either of you two used a radio like this before? Not that’s it complicated but I figure if you actually get a cause to need, you’re gonna wanna be familiar with what to do.”

“Does the passenger side have a seatbelt?” Gabe asked with a grin though he was actually curious about that. Looking at the radio his grin faded a little. “Looks familiar, but you might want to explain it to this one. I have a hard enough time with my cell phone.” Though that was rooted in the fact that he regularly forgot to charge it.

Roxie shrugged a little. "...Maybe..." She said, though she was actually starting to wonder if there was a seatbelt there at all. Holding the radio out, she looked back at Ben. "I know I haven't. Enlighten us, Papa Bear."

Laughing, Ben took the radio back and moved to stand next to the young couple. “Well I’ve never used a cell phone and I can get this bad boy to work so I’m sure you’ll be fine Gabe,” he said, flicking the radio on with the switch on it’s side. “Alright, you got your frequencey finder here on the top,” he explained pointing to it. “It’s pretty much like an FM radio, you go to the channel you want to talk on. I can pick up most frequencies on my unit inside but 78 through to 80’s gonna be the clearest. Then you just press this big button here to talk.” He depressed the button and lifted it to it’s mouth. “At which point you say whatever the hell you like, you guys know my call sign. There’s isn’t really any radio traffic these days though so it’s just a formality really.” The large radio crackled to life and echoed his words back to them and the older man smiled. “Peace of cake,” he said, switching off the hand-set and passing it back to them.

Gabe watched as Ben went through the explanation. “Like a CB. Yeah that makes sense.” He smiled a little. That sort of radio he had a handle on both from running into plenty of truckers in his travels as well as gleaning their memories off them. “I think we can manage, what do you think Rox?”

Roxie nodded. "Ok, I can do that." Taking the radio back, she pressed the button and cleared her throat. "Testing, testing..." She smiled when she heard herself echo and held the radio up to Gabe to see if he wanted to add anything. "Now that it's set up, we'll keep it between 78 and 80."

Given how he and Gabe had talked about travelling, Ben wasn’t overly surprised that the younger man was familiar with CB radio and his smile grew. “Pretty much the same beast just a different shell,” he pointed out, watching Roxie gets the grips with it. “What do you know, you’re a natural. Soon you’ll be doing all the lingo and everything.”

“Don’t get her started with the lingo,” Gabe said with a teasing smile. “Everything will be ‘one-niner’ and ‘over and out’.” He touched her hair gently, something sweet that was just between the two of them. “Looks like we’re all set then right?”

"Don't forget about 'Breaker-breaker'. I'm supposed to start with that, right? I've watched Smokey and the Bandit one too many times to know at least a few terms." Roxie smiled at Gabe, really loving the way he just threw those little touches in there, no matter what was happening. It was nice and really, really sweet. Smiling, she nodded. "Looks like it. Thanks, Papa Bear. We promise to return everything in pristine condition."

“I doubt it for a second,” Ben said warmly, turning to head back to the cabin. “You kids have a good night. You know where I am if something comes up.” Not that he expected it to but the sentiment was no less truthful for it.

“Sounds good,” Gabe said nodding towards Ben before motioning back towards the truck. “Ready when you are,” he told Roxie.

"Let's go then," She said, holding onto the radio in one hand and then grabbing his free one with her other hand. "Now to figure out if there really is a seatbelt in the passenger’s side...”