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"Hey, Ray! Come here for a second!" Emma called out to him, motioning him to come with her hands.
Ray looked at her with a blank stare. She didn't look like she needed help with anything, so why would she call for him? Either way, he obliged and walked over to her who was standing under a tree.
Emma and Ray's whole family was making their way over to the jaw of the lion. They were called there by William Minerva. After their shelter got taken over, they decided to go to where Minerva wanted to meet them.
It was on this journey that the group stopped for a while in order to forage some food for the whole family to eat. Some of the other older kids were watching over the children, so Ray and Emma decided to head out together a little farther to find some more food.
"Take a look up there," Emma said, pointing up. Under the tree, she pointed up to its branches. Ray did as he was told, and looked up to where she was pointing.
"Oh, guess its the season for apples," Ray said in a monotone voice.
"Huh? Aren't you excited?!" Emma exclaimed, looking at him. "Fresh fruit that we know out here! Doesn't that sound delicious?!"
Ray gave a small shrug. "I don't really care," Ray told her. "Food is food."
Emma gave a small pout. "Anyways, help me pick it, Ray."
Ray raised an eyebrow and gave her a look. "Help you pick it? Are you kidding me? You're a monkey, go up there and pick it yourself!"
"Hey!" Emma said, slapping his shoulder. "I'm not a monkey!"
"Yeah right," Ray said, pointing at her and laughing teasingly. "Back at Grace Field, you were the one who climbed the most trees as if your life depended on it. I still remember all the times Mama scolded you, Emma."
Emma blushed. "Okay, maybe I did a lot as a kid... But still help me, they're really high up there!"
Ray looked back up high at the apples hanging there. He gave a small sigh. "I do admit, they're high up there, but you're the athletic one, Emma. I'm not confident enough to climb up there and get them with you."
And he looked over to see Emma giving him a look. A blank expression. But then, she started brimming with confidence, and there was a sparkle in her eyes. "Ah, okay! Leave it to me, Ray!" She cried out happily.
Ray watched as Emma suddenly hugged the trunk of the tree and scootched herself higher and higher. Perhaps she was happy that she was being relied on by him? Or maybe she just wanted to be better at something than him? Well, Ray was just telling her the truth. She was the athletic one, not him... though he doesn't trail off that far behind, she's the monkey in their family, not him.
Soon enough, Emma was high up there. She reached the top, where she started picking apples. There were only a couple near the trunk, so Emma started reaching out to the apples hanging on the branches a little further out.
"Be careful!" Ray yelled up to her. He watched as she struggled to reach out for an apple just out of her reach. Ray was starting to get worried, it was a long drop from there. Maybe he should have been the one to go after all.
"Just... a little... more...!" Emma murmured as she continued her struggle for that one particular apple.
Then, the inevitable happened. Emma lost her grip and started falling.
"Emma!" Ray gasped.
"Ray!" Emma cried as she fell. She curled herself in a ball and squeezed her eyes shut, awaiting the impact of hitting the ground.
Ray ran up to her and grabbed her just in time. He grabbed her just before she hit the ground. He had sweat drip on his face due to the fear of her falling. When he held her in his arms, he saw she wasn't opening her eyes.
"Emma!" Ray cried out, lightly slapping her face. "Are you okay?!"
Emma perked up. She stared at him with wide, bewildered eyes and Ray breathed a sigh of relief. She was okay.
"Whoa, that scared me!" Emma said, reaching out to hug Ray. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and Ray felt his heart beat a little quicker. "Thank goodness you were here to catch me! Sorry that I let you down though."
"Don't worry about that, stupid," Ray said, squeezing her tighter. After a minute of ensuring she was safe, he let her go. Emma got up, and Ray picked up the apples that she dropped off of the ground and put them into their basket.
"The apples on this tree aren't worth it," Ray told her, holding her hand. "Come on, if you really want more apples, we can look a little farther out."
Ray dragged her by the hand. Sure he wasn't one to hold her hand often, but he still wanted to find relief that she was safe. He missed his chance to check her for injuries.
They went a little farther out, and sure enough, they found another apple tree, though this one was smaller than the other.
"I can climb this one, easy!" Emma chirped, walking up and hugging the trunk of the tree.
Ray grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back, shocking Emma. "Oh no, you're not," Ray growled at her. "I'm going instead."
"But you said so yourself!" Emma complained. "I'm the athletic one!"
"And also the one who almost got herself killed just a minute ago for like, the tenth time," Ray shot back. "I'm going instead."
Emma refused to let go of the tree, despite how much Ray tried to pull her away. She was being stubborn. "No, no, no! I'm going!" Emma yelled.
Ray continued to pull on Emma, who wouldn't let go of the tree as if he was separating her from her lover. Ray sighed. He knew this was one of Emma's perks... being stubborn in one of the most ridiculous ways.
"Alright, let's compromise," Ray said, letting go of Emma. "Get up on my shoulders. At the very least, I feel more at ease this way than having you climb the tree."
"What? No!" Emma said, raising her hands and shaking her head. "Ray, I'm heavy!"
"What? No, you're not," Ray said, confused. Her? Heavy? Since when? To prove his point, he wrapped his arms around Emma and suddenly lifted her high off the ground, making her shriek.
Emma sat on Ray's arm with ease. He looked up at her and smiled, while she looked down at him with embarrassment.
"See? What did I say?" Ray said with a smirk. "I wouldn't be able to catch you if you were heavy, Emma."
"Okay, okay, I get it," Emma said, looking away, though Ray saw the tint of pink in her face. "Let me down so I can get on your shoulders!"
Ray nodded and let her down. He knelt to the ground, and Emma took this chance to climb up on his shoulders. He lifted her off the ground so that Emma could reach up and grab the apples.
She picked them off the branches one by one, her arms gradually filling with apples.
"How's the picking going?" Ray asked as he was unable to see.
"Okay, it's just a little hard to reach some of them," Emma said as she attempted and failed to reach for one of them.
"Don't stress yourself out trying to grab all of them, Emma," Ray told her. "We'll still be able to feed them all."
"I know, I know," Emma said with a warm look on her face. "I just want the children to be able to taste fresh apples again is all."
"They'll understand that you wouldn't be able to grab them all cause you're still a shorty," Ray teased with a smirk on his face.
Emma could almost sense his smirk. She stopped what she was doing and leaned down. She grabbed one of the apples out of her arms and stuffed it into Ray's mouth.
"Wha-?!" Ray tried to say, but couldn't because of the apple.
"You deserve it," Emma said, giggling. "Consider it a gift for helping me."
Ray knelt to the ground and Emma happily jumped off him. When she saw the flustered look on his face, she only laughed harder. Ray took the apple out of his mouth. threw it to the ground, and hissed at her. "Stupid Emma," He hissed.
"Anyways," Emma said, brushing it off with the wave of her hand. "I can't reach the higher ones. Can you do it? Your arms are longer."
Ray raised an eyebrow at that question. "How am I supposed to do that?" Ray asked. "I'm not that tall."
"I'll carry you on my shoulders!" Emma chirped.
Ray flinched. "Emma, no," Ray said with a look on his face. "You can't do that."
"Just watch me!" Emma retaliated.
Before Ray could even react, Emma ducked and threw her head under his legs. She grabbed him and hoisted him up on her shoulders. Ray was flustered, but somehow he didn't lose balance due to Emma's insanity. She was actually doing it.
"I did it!" Emma exclaimed, a wide grin on her face.
Ray was massively embarrassed. He covered his face with his hands and looked down. He couldn't believe Emma was carrying him on her shoulders. With ease, too.
"I freaking hate you right now," Ray muttered from under his breath.
"Emma! Ray!" Oliver called from afar. He ran to the two, and Emma, hearing his yelling, turned around to face Oliver, a great big grin still on her face.
As Oliver got closer, he awkwardly started slowing down as he realized there was a weird scene in front of him. Emma... was carrying Ray on her shoulders? And Ray was looking extremely embarrassed. And what's with the apples everywhere?
"You two... just what are you doing?" Oliver asked cautiously.
Emma still sported a huge smile while Ray wouldn't look up from covering his face with his hands.
"Nothing," Ray moaned, sparing the tiniest glance in Oliver's direction.
"Don't you dare tell anyone."