Kaitlyn
Jade hadn't quite been exposed to the same horrors as her new found friend. She found comfort in strangers, they had yet to do her wrong. It was incredibly naïve of her and a consequence of her somewhat sheltered lifestyle. She would've been scared had Charlie been like her father or her mother even, to her they were cruel. She watched as Charlie came forward and took the shirt, she felt some sort of triumph, she had made progress with him. 

"Of course, Charlie. Also there is no need for formalities, I promise" She offered sweetly but now that she had made her progress. She held out her hand to him, she meant nothing romantic behind it. She just found it safer to walk hand and hand "Well, shall we?" Night would set in on them soon. They had to at least make some sort of haste although... There was one more obstacle 

She had carefully planned out the way she would run away, she had the supplies, everything. Whether she knew how to use them or not... Well that was different. "Hey Charlie, do you know how to set up tents?"
Richard
Jade offering to hold hands was a little too much, despite the progress that had already been made. Almost timidly, they shake their head, but still go to stand beside her to walk. Even if they weren't able to hold her hand, they still wanted to make sure that she'd be alright if she fell. She... Didn't seem like the type of person to know her way around the woods just yet.

At the mention of their formality, Charlie can feel heat creep up on the back of their neck. It was instinctual, at this point; a way to keep suspicion and anger off of them easily. Would they *Actually* Stop and refer to Jade informally?

....Probably not.

"Tents?" They echo. "It... Depends, I suppose. Some of them have all these bells and whistles that I can't make sense of, but others are easy. I assume you have one?"
Kaitlyn
Jades hand fell at her side, she understood and didn't take offense. Although their assumption of her not knowing the woods would be very correct, how many times had she tripped? Too many, more than she would ever like to admit. Charlie didn't seem to ask so she certainly didn't tell. 

Her parents always said she wouldn't last a day out on her own and she was hellbent on proving them wrong. She slowly nodded her head looking up to Charlie, there wasn't a huge height difference between them and for that she was grateful. 

"I do, just in case we get tired but I've never set one up before... I should probably explain a little bit about my situation huh?" She questioned, they may have been wondering why she had all these items with her if she wasn't intentionally camping. 

"I ran away from home but I planned it out for a while, I took a lot of my dads army supplies, some of my brothers stuff as well but I kinda forgot the learning part of all of this stuff..." She admitted to her new friend in a shy manner. 

"I promise I won't drag you down or anything!" She said in fear that they wouldn't want her to tag along anymore, that she would only be a burden, she was quick to reassure Charlie that she would try her best to be out of the way.
Richard
"There's nothing wrong with not having ever set up a tent before, Miss Jade. Learning has to happen sometime. I only managed to learn how to myself this past year." Their own learning had been less than ideal: moments of panic beside a dying fire that transitioned into frustration, until finally managing to get the first stake into the ground.

The fear in her voice surprises Charlie, and their eyebrows dip downwards once again. Yes, they were aware of her naivety, but they weren't about to leave her on her own.

"It's... Fine, Miss Jade. We'll make it to town, and things will be fine. I can take care of things for now, alright?"

They gesture for the pair to keep walking. "We can figure out your tent if we can't get there before nightfall."
Kaitlyn
Jade slowly nodded, a little bit of her worry had been eased but not all of it. "Okay..." She didn't sound too convinced but still, walked along side them. They were right, learning had to happen sometime. She just didn't want to have to be taught if they saw it as a burden. 

"Charlie, what was your last home like?" She offered, she wasn't used to the kind of patience they displayed. It was comforting but she also wondered if they were someone who needed patience too and someone had once hurt them, it was obvious by their actions but she didn't want to just make assumptions 

She was careful to watch where she stepped, she made it a point not to trip up but the moment she took her eyes from her steps, that's when she knew she would fall. So she kept her gaze down, hopefully to avoid embarrassment. 

"Are the woods scary at nightfall?"
Richard
"...There isn't much to tell, quite honestly." Their posture shifts, shoulders slumping inwards. "My great grandfather made the house, and he passed it onto my grandfather. Good size, not too big. Enough space to run around."

Remembering home was difficult for them. Some days Charlie remembered the good of it all, of playing with their sisters and the crickets in the summer. Other days they remembered the quiet, the lonesomeness of those empty halls. It was supposed to be a family home, filled with children, but their parents-

***Stop that. Don't think about it.***

"It can be," Charlie offers carefully, "If you don't know what to expect. Worse if you're alone. It's just another place, though."
Kaitlyn
Jade listened to them talk, something to fill the silence yes but if they were to be her friend, wouldn't she need to know something about them. "And you didn't want to take over the family home?" She questioned, she knew how complicated family could be. She didn't mean to be nosy but she was trying to open the path for them to say more if they wanted. 

"Just another place... Got it" She repeated after them, almost to solidify that there was nothing for her to be afraid of because neither of them were alone, she had Charlie and Charlie had her. She wondered if they would still be friends even after settling into town. Jade didn't often forget about people she befriended so she would give it her best effort. 

She looked ahead to see if town had come into view but it seemed to be nowhere, maybe they were going the wrong way? Did Charlie know how to get there? She didn't want to ask too many questions at once but her brain wouldn't let it go until she did 

"Do you know how to get there?"
Richard
"Wasn't a matter of 'want', Miss Jade. My father never would have let me inherit it- it was always meant to go to the next son." They shrug, though the familiar bitterness settles in their stomach. Vernon was *Never* Going to have a son, so why continue holding it off? Why not give it to his eldest?

How was it Charlie's fault that they weren't the son he'd always wanted?

Once again, Jade brings them out of their own thoughts. They were glad that she seemed keen to fill the silence, they'd never been very good at it themself. 

"I got directions in the last town- I know where we're going." They nod once. "Don't recall how long it will take, mind, but we're heading in the right direction."

The question of what Jade's home had been like sits on their tongue, but they swallow it down easily enough. She'd had a reason for running, something Charlie could understand all too well, and they weren't keen on dredging up her past just yet.

They sprint ahead, bending down to move aside a fallen trunk from their path, then gesture for Jade to follow.

"What all do you have in that pack of yours? You said you had your father's things from the military, but I don't think a rifle would fit well in there."

........Was that a joke?