Chris Traeger is a perfect storm of emotions. (waytogo) wrote in the100,
As soon as the door opened, a bright smile spread across Chris’s face, the kind usually reserved for the sight of someone incredibly dear to him — like Ann Perkins or Millicent Gergich or his herbalist. “Cecil Palmer,” he repeated, his tone much gentler this time, a warm greeting rather than his earlier call to attention. He was fortunate to be able to bond with new people so easily (and, in fact, often independently of whether the affection was mutual). It may not have alleviated his pervasive sense of loneliness, but it did make it easier to ignore.
“I was going to make myself some herbal tea, and I thought you might like to join me!” It was a flimsy excuse and he knew it, but he didn’t care. With a swing of the shoulder, Chris brought his herb belt in front of his body and unfastened the flap to display its contents. Once upon a time, he’d used an actual belt pack for the job, but he had long since upgraded to a large leather satchel. Not that he’d need all that storage space for much longer, if he was going to be stuck here.
Inside the bag, nestled among the jars and pouches of herbal remedies, was a large stainless steel hydration bottle which he had filled with boiling water earlier. Though vacuum insulation prevented too much heat transfer, he could still feel the warmth radiating from the bottle, reminding him of home — where it had still been mittens-and-hot-chocolate weather before Chris got snatched away and sent to a horrifyingly dystopic future.
“What do you say? I’ve got a terrific blend of chicory root, dandelion, licorice, and ginger in here. It does an amazing job of detoxifying and stimulating the liver.”