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“What is that you’re chewing, there?” Roman asked, staring curiously at Youngblood.
“Hm?” Youngblood turned to meet his gaze. “Oh, this? I just had some gum on me. Did you want some?”
“..gum?”
Honestly, he shouldn’t even be surprised at this point. But, nevertheless, Youngblood stopped in his tracks and blinked, staring at Roman.
“... Please tell me you know what gum is.”
Roman stared back at him, expression turning a mix of sheepish and confused.
“O..Kay.” He said, then grinned with an almost frightening amount of confidence. “I know what gum is!”
Then he began marching forward again, tugging on the reins for the horse to follow him. Youngblood sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He resumed walking and started to fish something from his pockets. Roman turned at the sound of shuffling and saw a small leather pouch in Youngblood’s hands. The flap of it was pulled back and paper wrapping bundled some sort of food. Roman raised an eyebrow as Youngblood tore a piece of the sticky substance off and offered it to him.
“Gum. You- chew it.” He explained. Then added, “Don’t swallow it.”
Roman hesitated before taking it and popping it into mouth. He almost jumped at the shock of the flavor. A minty taste and a cold presence surrounded his mouth, and he honestly couldn’t tell whether he liked it or not.
“How is it?” Youngblood asked.
“I’m...not sure. It’s a bit surprising of a taste.” Roman said, Youngblood chuckling lightly in response.
“Sometimes it is used as a stress reliever. To keep from nervous fidgets and such.” Youngblood said, looking back in front of the road. Roman hummed, continuing to observe the taste.
“So.” Youngblood started after a minute. “Why aren’t we riding the horses again?”
“Oh!” Roman perked up, voice a little muffled by the gum. “Because Mary and Markus are extremely tired from the long trip, and they need a break! Isn’t that right, Mary?” Roman made a baby voice at ‘Mary’ while scratching the side of her head.
“You name your horses?” Youngblood asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Uh- you don’t?” Roman scoffed.