Forest and Lex had sucked all the fleshy fruit from the pit and licked their fingers clean. "We'll have to make some preserves. Don't want all this good fruit to go bad, right?" " Lex said, hoping Forest still had some sugar stored away in a cupboard somewhere. He dried the peach pit with his shirt before tucking it away in his pocket, not eager to consider what to do with it just yet. Maybe Forest's idea was best. Plant it in the ground and nurture it. Surely the farm boy would show him how.<br/><br/>Halfway to his knees by the time Forest's question hit his ears, causing the tall man to pause and consider. Initially unsure of what to say, Lex made a low "hmmmm" sound in his throat, elegant brow furrowing in thought. Answering Forest's question wasn't a matter of lacking an answer. Lex was at least partially aware of what was making Mason so grumpy, though he couldn't pinpoint<i>why</i>. The more time he and Forest spent together, the more irate Mason grew, more eager to sneak into Lex's room at night and make a claim on his body. They were just friends, Lex and Forest. Why couldn't Mason see that? Why did it have to be such a<i>thing</i>?<br/><br/>"It's been a hard journey, love," Lex replied softly, kneeling in the dirt. He looked to Forest, half-smiling, though his eyes were glassy and thoughtful. "Mason and I kept one another sane, y'know. We didn't know one another all that well when everything started, but we liked one another just enough. We just got stuck that way. I don't regret it or anything. Mason is... quite strong. Capable and all that, even if he does have a bit of a temper. Wallis coming along made things easier on both of us, I think, but digging through the ruins of society certainly wasn't rainbows and lollies.<br/><br/>"I don't mean to be insensitive, but in a way, you were lucky here. I figure it must've been tragic for you, losing your family. I don't begrudge you that. But you didn't have to watch the whole world crumble around you. I had to tiptoe around the dead bodies of little children who'd passed from plague and hadn't been burned yet. And when they were burned... it felt like you could smell it for miles. Disgusting, awful smell. You do get used to it after a while though. You get used to a lot of things you shouldn't.<br/><br/>"Mason... he right thrived in a way most people couldn't. Didn't even seem to mind much when his skin started bruising. He could be tetchy, but he was our unofficial leader. Following him was easy. Maybe being here, idyllic as it is, maybe he feels like he doesn't have a purpose anymore. I don't know." Lex paused after his impromptu speech. He could talk, but it had seemed a long while since he had been able to speak for such an extended stretch without being interrupted. He looked to Forest, shaking his head playfully.<br/><br/>"Aye, can't shut my bloody mouth, can I?" he laughed, not minding as his dark brown hair fell into his eyes in damp, sweaty clumps. "Look, mate, I'm not psychologist, right? For all I know, I could be pulling this out my bloody arse and Mason is just grumpy for the sake of being grumpy. He's a little possessive, y'know. With people, and roles. I think maybe he misses being man of the house. Hard to be in charge when you're living off of someone else's generosity, innit?"