Director's Odd Ways: cuts from Destiny's Odd Ways that were skipped or didn't make it into the main thread--but are canon all the same. That's what this thread is dedicated to, at least. It has no discernible chronological order, and can go from one day towards the end of the five week period that was skipped, to another day towards the beginning. The day and week will, however, be noted at the top of each scene.


Week 3, Day 2

It had been set up, it had been declared. The other day, Davis had a discussion with Eld--it was brief, but it had a point. Neither of the two had ever been out together as guys, not guys with girlfriends (or, in Eld's case, a guy with several prospective girlfriends), or guys with a sister dating the other guy. Neither of them were really all that close; the only thing they could discuss was Emma, and so early into his and Emma's relationship, Davis was remarkably apt to avoid those sorts of conversations, if only because they lead to the accusation or suggestion that he might be less than a gentleman with Emma. That was something he wasn't comfortable with.

So, the other night, whilst they all had dinner, courtesy of Mayako and Mayako's mother (quite possibly the most delicious meal Davis had ever eaten), Davis extended an invitation to Eld: to come fishing with him. It was mentioned that one of Davis's friends might also show up, but was altogether irrelevant; the whole goal was to just get away from the women, so they didn't have to be a subject matter for obligatory conversation and thought.

When he first heard the offer, Eld was rather surprised as the idea that Davis wanted to just hang out with him. They only knew each other because of Emma, so they'd never spent any time together without at least her there. It had honestly never occurred to him that he'd want to get to know him better as well, even if it was just because he was Emma's surrogate older brother.

Truthfully, he didn't mind Davis. He'd go so far as to say he liked him. He was bright, nice, a bit shy sometimes...probably he was the first guy close to his age that he got along with. Of course if there was anything suspect about him there was no way he'd approve of the twelve year old Emma dating the eighteen year old Davis. But really, if it weren't for the fact that the thought of him having any level of physical intimacy with Emma irritated the hell out of him they'd probably have no problems at all.

And that didn't have anything to do with Davis personally, anyway--he'd probably feel that way no matter who Emma dated, even if it was someone her age.

He accepted Davis's offer without much thought at the time, but as he was getting ready to leave he began to get nervous. Davis mentioned a friend might be coming, and the more he dwelt on it the more Eld came to a realization: he didn't really know how to act among other guys. The only constant male in his life that hadn't been a parent of some kind had been Remmy, and he'd been an older brother for the most part. It was only during the fight against the bandits that they'd developed a camaraderie resembling real friendship, and that...unfortunately short lived.

So as he walked up to knock on Davis's door with his fishing gear in hand, some of the self-consciousness that plagued him even as little as a year ago began to return. He'd probably be fine if it was just Davis, but if his friend was there as well he'd feel like an outsider again...

It wasn't much longer than a minute before the door opened, Davis standing on the other side. The dark haired man stared tiredly with blue eyes, before cracking a bit of a smile. "Hey, Eld. I'll be just a second."

He needed to shave, and was only wearing a tattered jacket over a short sleeved shirt, and a pair of long, baggy shorts--but he wasn't taking care of any of that. Rather, he was just gathering the rest of his things.

Davis wasn't like Etsu--he wasn't a seasoned professional who didn't eat if he didn't catch. Etsu out out-fish any of them with just a spear alone; she didn't require a pole, and quite frankly, it just got in her way. The last time Etsu had gone out fishing with them, she was clearly victorious, and put the competitive type like Sarah to shame. Davis had been there briefly, but had to get to work in the afternoon. Nonetheless, the blue haired Cizokian already had them beat by the time he left, and it was to his benefit that he had no horrendously overstrung ego that needed to be stroked else he lose all confidence in himself.

Being out-fished by a girl was fine, especially if that girl was raised since the age of six or seven to catch fish for her family, lest she starve. That was a pretty heavy burden, and when he heard about that, he didn't think that he'd have it in him to bear it. That made him appreciate Etsu a little more.

Nonetheless, this meant that he had minimal equipment. A tackle box, two coolers, and a pole for himself. Davis had figured that Eld had his own pole, and was correct with that assumption. They had enough for some drinks, bait, and a bit of space to hold fish if they caught something good and edible--which really wasn't Davis's intent, he just like to do something relaxing every once in awhile.

"Could you carry one of these for me? I can get my pole and a couple coolers, or a cooler and the tackle box--doesn't really matter."

"Uhh...sure." Eld grabbed the tackle box from Davis, lightening the load. He could actually probably carry more than the other man and was tempted to offer to carry more, but he stopped himself. Regardless of the difference in experience between the two, Davis was still older than him. It might have been considered disrespectful to imply he couldn't handle it himself. He got a hard enough time from Emma anyway, without being teased by her older brother.

"So...where are we going?" he asked as Davis situated himself. He'd never been fishing up near Galaens, and so he didn't know where a good spot would be. Maybe the same river, but he couldn't remember if it was close to the town up here.

"Thanks," Davis replied.

He wasn't impolite, that was for sure. Not all that talkative, especially around mixed company--and excessive company--but he was far from rude. Nonetheless, he was comfortable just carrying a few things: the coolers and his pole. They weren't all that tough, unless the walk was long. In Hillcrest, to get to the river, one had to travel for nearly an hour on foot. The walk was pretty gargantuan, and Davis had gone through it before. After all, he lacked a horse--and horses had trouble going through woods with small pathways, anyways. He'd not have been willing to carry all of this that far.

"The same river runs by Galaens, too," responded Davis as he started ahead, intentionally going behind his house and towards the woods, "Just a ten minute walk from here, actually. A whole lot better than that hour walk in Hillcrest. I'm not sure how you guys do that . . ."

"Oh, that close?"

He didn't realize the river passed so close to Galaens; he was thinking that if anything, it would be even further from the town than it was from Hillcrest. No wonder Davis invited him up here, rather than suggesting they go somewhere near where he lived.

"Well...we don't go fishing real often--when we do, we usually take the whole day." Which was another reason they didn't go often, as it meant Sarah and Emma both getting a day off (something that didn't happen often) and Eld not being needed at the clinic.

And of course, when they went, they didn't just fish, either. They swam, sunbathed, usually packed a picnic lunch, and by the time they left they were usually pretty spent.

"Well, that'd explain it, then," Davis shrugged his shoulders.

He could understand, in that case. Well . . . to an extent. It still would have driven him half insane. Not that he wasn't half-crazy in the first place; the man seemed desensitized to most things besides the subject of ephabophilia, which Emma had recently been teasing him about. More than likely, that was some new concept she learned, probably from a philosophical rant from Mayako. This in no way benefited Davis, who was, at the very least, reluctant to accept social ridicule that could in some way make him stand out. Keeping to oneself made one half-crazy, usually. But only half.

"I actually go fishing once a week or so--sometimes every couple of weeks, all things depending," on if Emma is around or not, "It's relaxing. A pretty good escape from thinking. My job is hellish enough that I need it to keep sane. And it isn't like there are any other sorts of mindless escapes around here."

Pharmacy was tough work; long hours, little sleep. There was a good reason for why he always looked so disheveled and acted tired all of the time. Fortunately, he had slept pretty well last night, so he was more willing to talk than he normally was--although, this was also partly because the girls weren't around.

"I'd be even worse off if I lived in Hillcrest," he thought aloud regarding the distance it took to get to the river from there, "And out of a job."

"Out of a job?"

Eld, admittedly, didn't know how the pharmacy business worked. He was more concerned with prescribing the medication than actually handing them out. Of course, due to recent events he wouldn't be doing either, and he hadn't been able to study for quite some time, but still...

"I dunno. Emma's family has a well, if that's what you mean." There was no other way they'd get by with a farm. "Besides, you'd have no competitors and your own dedicated clinic." He was mostly joking; he assumed if it were that simple, someone would have done it already.

"I don't actually work in a clinic," Davis corrected him.

Eld may have been surprised to hear that. Eld volunteered at a clinic, and only knew how clinic life worked. There was a good chance that Rebbecca and Urikuse knew how pharmacies worked, considering how well educated they were. Davis had actually discussed a bit with them, but the conversation was somewhat . . . overbearing, with Rebbecca and Urikuse, older, more educated, and much more experienced, knowing phenomenally more, and treating Davis as if they were teaching him. Nonetheless, Eld wasn't too experienced with pharmacies and how the business worked, though.

Davis then explained: "Pharmacists don't work with patients as much. We work with people like your parents; they order the drugs, we fill the order, and we either bring it to them, or they come and get it themselves. There aren't any pharmacies in Hillcrest; the only one in this area is actually in Feiyan. Down in Rangeki, there's an herbal medicine shop . . . but I don't think I'm qualified for that job."

"I know that much," Eld said with a bit of a pout. He didn't want Davis to think he was dumb or anything. "We're one of your customers, right? And Emma grows some of the plants. If you were in town, everything would be right there."

And before he could tell him why that wouldn't work, he added, "But of course, we're not your only customers."

He gave a small sigh, feeling like an idiot. Davis probably went to school, unlike him. Before the bandits came, he'd studied every day by himself since there wasn't a school in Hillcrest. There was a limit to how much he could learn on his own, though, and there were bound to be gaps in his knowledge.

"Right," Davis replied, "The Tsukimono clinic, a clinic in Galaens, one in Rangeki, and there's a hospital in Feiyan. We provide the medicine for the clinics and hospitals in the general area."

Davis and Eld hard started into the forestry. There wasn't much to concern themselves with, and the trees were relatively far apart, all things considered. It wasn't as bad as Hillcrest, which was in the middle of a full blown forest, with a couple of roads in and out.

"I mean . . . it's possible for me to open up a pharmacy in Hillcrest, but the best idea there would be going into business with Emma," Davis remarked, ". . . and I don't know how comfortable I'd be with that."

And that went without saying . . .

"I could see why that would make you nervous." Eld was referring more to her personality than their relationship; in a village that small, there was no stigma about dating someone you worked with, and for good reason: when the vast majority of the community was farmers, that tended to limit options.

"I think Emma would probably be her own pharmacy, but my parents made it clear they wouldn't buy from her if she tried making the medicine on her own," he chuckled. There was no question that Emma was a genius, but the Tsukimonos insisted she still had to be trained properly and get licensed if she wanted their business, just as they insisted Eld himself had to go to school if he wanted to take over the clinic someday.

Not that it will happen now...

"Well, you need more than one person for a pharmacy," Davis remarked.

Davis stepped over a tree root, fumbling a bit. He corrected himself and slowed down, not intending to do that again . . .

"Emma isn't old enough to really be trusted with handling money on a professional level, and she doesn't know how to deal with making and changing chemical compounds and chemical bonds yet," Davis started, but decided to avoid repeating a lecture he'd watched in school.

That alone was a pretty difficult subject to deal with. To make certain drugs, particular chemical compounds were required--and some of those needed to be mixed through special means that was difficult, if not impossible, by just reading a book. Emma read and learned by such, but she wouldn't attain certain skills without going to the right schools--particular skills that were required to be a good pharmacist, at least if one wanted to market oneself as one.

Recollecting a bit of his own experiences, Davis concluded: "That's something you need to go to school for."

"Yeah," Eld agreed. At least in his case it was arguable that his parents could show him anything he needed to know, but there was no way Emma could acquire the necessary skills just by reading.

"But you know her; she thinks that as long as someone's written a book on it, that's all she needs."

When Davis nearly tripped, he was tempted to offer to carry more of the load, but once more refrained. He was fine himself; he avoided the undergrowth without even really thinking about it.

"And she's great at picking up things like that, don't get me wrong," Davis admitted.

There was no denying that. Emma had been practicing the art of making clocks recently, and she had prototypes all over her room--and the book was only half read. She was a pretty spectacular girl, that much was for sure. No one else he knew could just pick up a book, read it diligently, and pick up on the skill in just a few days. She was in no way an expert with all of these things, but she knew enough to keep up with an expert, especially when she was extremely interested in something, enough to practice it frequently 'til it was devoted to memory. From what Davis understood, that's how her exceptional skills in botany came about. At twelve, she had been tending to a garden daily for at least seven years of her life--starting small as some sort of hobby to keep herself occupied, which she enjoyed enough to take seriously.

"The girl is a genius. She'd get through pharmacy school easily," Davis continued, "Though, I think botany and herbal medicine would be more along the lines of a specialty for her. It might be difficult to believe, but the herbal medicine program at the school I went to was one of the hardest fields of study. I had a hard enough time getting through the pharmacy program . . . but she'd probably get through herbology with ease."