Leorio first learned about the culture of the Kurta during the time he and Kurapika spent together searching for Ponzu on Zevil Island. No, that wasn’t quite true; Between the blonde’s unusual figures of speech, nearly non-existent accent, and flowing, sea-blue garb, Leorio had a growing curiosity to learn something about his comrade’s culture, as it seemed so different from his own (at least in appearance). He never asked, of course, for it was certain such a question was too invasive and cut too close to the tragic grief Kurapika lived with every day. That’s why Leorio was so relieved- and surprised- when his friend was the one to talk about the Kurta first.

They were searching for food, scouring under massive trees with tall, dignified trunks that were only tufted with vegetation near the top. It surprised Leorio how much his smaller friend knew about food to gather in the wilderness, thinking it was just Gon’s specialty. “Sheesh, when did Gon find the time to show you all these plants? Not like you’ve had time to sneak off and get a botany lesson...” Leorio asked absentmindedly, fanning away the gnats and mosquitoes that would pester him. Kurapika scoffed, kneeling in front of a sprawling plant with thorns, adorned with shiny black clusters of berries. Picking and biting into one, he turned gracefully and said, “He isn’t the only one that can identify wild edibles, you know. If you’re so keen on learning about them yourself, I’ll point out some things we can eat for you to find and this won’t be such a one-sided search.” Kurapika shrugged at the end, seeming to have wanted to say this earlier for efficiency’s sake. Leorio only just growled. “Well excuse me for not being feral like you two, apparently… Show me what you’ve got and I’ll try to find the same, but if I find some sort of poisonous plant and we get sick, that’s on you!” It was really all bark and no bite, as the last thing Leorio wanted right now was to fight Kurapika, especially on an empty stomach. He would’ve been a bit more contrarian if he didn’t feel so burdensome in the search for his badge, but upon seeing Kurapika lightly laugh at his bluntness and begin to point out all of the kinds of food he had been carrying in his bag, Leorio’s uneasiness melted away and was replaced with an airy and lighthearted sense of purpose.

Dandelion, purslane, red clover, and dewberries all gradually filled the makeshift pouch Leorio had constructed out of his dress shirt by holding it out like a bib. Sure, the berry juices stained it, but at this point he was more concerned with getting enough food as to not bother his friend with his more voracious appetite; he could always wash it later. Rummaging through the thorned bushes and poison ivy worn his hands rather raw though, and Leorio was all the more grateful as the sun was setting to be frankly done with this excursion for the day. Kurapika called his name out, hushed but inquisitive as to beckon him without alerting anyone else, and the taller man was just ready to go back when a spindle of green caught his eye. Kneeling down with a wide, curious expression, Leorio realized it was a stand of fiddlehead ferns, small and spiraled and covered in clear dew. He remembered reading somewhere that ferns, when small enough, were edible and tasted like asparagus. Figuring that finding something he knew about himself would make him feel more capable as a hunter- and that maybe that sneaking suspicion of inadequacy from Kurapika would be quelled- he grabbed his pocket blade and cut a good portion of the tiny ferns to add to the pile. “I’m comin’, I’m comin’...” he sighed, standing up with a tired groan.

They camped around the intersection of the great trees and the foothills of the mountains they had already been searching, fairly certain that there would be many more hiding spots for an amateur hunter that used chemicals and traps in the rocky outcroppings. Kurapika set his bag down neatly, as Leorio rather unceremoniously dumped his contents into it. “O-oops,” he stammered, and the blonde shot him a disappointed glare before going back to stoking their small fire. They had been cooking right at sundown to make sure to not call too much attention to themselves, snuffing the flame right as it became truly dark. As such, Kurapika was swiftly skewering vegetables he thought they had to cook before eating, and Leorio was eating some of the tender berries while watching their surroundings. “I have to say I’m impressed with your yield, although a lot of these are too green for consumption.” Kurapika stated flatly, not looking away from his work. “Hey, beggars can’t be choosers! Just be glad we have something to eat besides acorns and mud crabs. Jeez…” Both of them sighed in quiet agreement, for those were the only things they were able to find the first night they spent travelling together on the island- a meal that probably would’ve disappointed and revolted even Gon.

As the shorter man continued to sort the foraged goods, he froze, his small hands hesitant and trembling. “Where… did you find these?” Kurapika whispered, his voice unfocused as he appraised the plants one at a time. “Just back in the forest, I don’t know. If they’re poisonous we can just throw ‘em away, I just wanted to help-” Leorio was rambling at this point to save himself another prudish insult from the blonde, but his words faded as he looked at Kurapika, mouth slightly agape. The fire danced in his soft, brown eyes along with flecks of rose and vermilion, and when he finally spoke, closed them with a relaxed expression. “These are… the sprouts of the Luksan Scrollfern. They are notoriously difficult to find, and only are edible when they’re this size for about a week every year.” Leorio’s first reaction was that of pride, taking Kurapika’s words to reflect his own achievement. “See, that’s great? You should’ve trusted me earlier on food duty, who knows what delicacies I could’ve found us!” Kurapika blinked, his face with the rare expression of gentle shock. He looked at Leorio’s reassuring smile, and then laughed a small, light laugh. “I suppose you’re right. I’ll do that from now on,” he said, looking away as he tucked blonde locks behind his ear and flushed a pink so faint that Leorio may or may not have noticed in the dramatic firelight.

They ate that night next to a fire that probably should’ve been put out an hour earlier than they let it go for, describing the unusual foods they had found. Leorio joked about this being a Gourmet Hunter’s job, and went so far as to mockingly curate the food like Menchi had once he realized it made Kurapika stifle an uncharacteristically immature and silly giggle. Leorio liked that the most, he thought- the last night had been spent with mostly awkward silence and peppered questions about the unknown status of Gon, Killua, and Ponzu’s location- something he didn’t miss. Once the fire was out, they settled under a stable and large outcropping of boulders, hoisting their belongings deeper between crevices to hide them further. Settled in finally, Leorio wished his friend a good night, that tomorrow they would find Ponzu no matter what, and get off this damned island, with Kurapika’s response being, “That would be the best case scenario. Good night, Leorio.”

“Are you awake?” The older teen blinked groggily, a quiet voice beckoning him out of the unconscious haze that preceded an exhausting sleep. “Y-yeah… What’s wrong?” Leorio responded, a little too hoarse, not even with the energy to turn over. “No, no, we’re safe, it’s just…” Kurapika’s voice sounded distant, defensive in a way that wasn’t prudish or standoffish in its usual tone. “...When I saw those scrollferns, it made me think of when I would go foraging with my mother and father for them.” He said softly, and Leorio turned over. He didn’t look at Kurapika directly, and instead at his blanket, carrying a mature expression that he hoped wouldn’t discourage Kurapika from saying what he wanted. “Oh… Did… did you do that a lot?” He dared to ask, trying to phrase a question that wouldn’t piss the blonde off or make him very upset.

Kurapika nodded, staring off into space. “It was tradition for my clan, that during the first weeks of spring that the youth and their families gather the native wild mushrooms and plants that only bloomed then, and have a feast at home with them.” Kurapika pointed up, gesturing timidly to describe further. “We, um, lived in a forest, much more dense than the ones on this island, so I was surprised to see that plant here when it’s out of season and not native…” Leorio followed his pointing fingers, blinking and taking in the information silently.

He thought for a moment, comparing such a lifestyle to his own growing up. There weren’t big forests full of plants and animals to tame and eat, only buildings and storefronts and concrete that grew as hot and as sweaty as the poor people who inhabited them. Leorio shook those thoughts from his head.

“W-well, I didn’t even know that we could eat that kind of fern, I just remembered reading somewhere that you could and gave it a chance…” Kurapika shook his head, looking towards Leorio with a small sadness on his face. “That kind is… the most sacred to us, actually. It means spring has arrived, that the gods have blessed us with respite after a long, hard winter. Their curved, scroll-shaped stalks unravel and release their knowledge and blessings once they’re old enough, unless we eat them beforehand, then we gain it ourselves.”

He stated in a fervor, pulling back once he was finished. “I apologize. I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this, I don’t even know why I woke you up. I’ll go to bed now, please go back to sleep, Leorio.” Kurapika almost spat the words out, embarrassment and sadness seeping into his words and requests, turning over to lay on his side silently. This whirlwind of events frankly stunned Leorio, who had to take a few seconds to process what had just happened before pressing onward. “Hey, what do you mean go back to sleep? You just told me so much and expect me to just lie back down?” He stated with a false edge in his voice. Kurapika stayed silent, before responding in a low voice, “I didn’t mean to tell you that much. Pay it no mind.” “Well, I can’t really help thinking about it, since this is the first thing you’ve really told me. And since I care about you and I’m kind of an idiot, I appreciate what you say to me and would love to hear more.” Leorio said with a slight grin, before scurrying to add, “O-of course, if it makes you upset or something, you don’t need to say a-anything…” He raised his arms up in an extravagant defensive gesture by the end.

After another minute of silence besides both of their anxious breathing, Kurapika turned over, looking at Leorio with a sad, but genuine, expression. “It’s ok. I don’t feel like telling you more for my own sake. For tonight, at least. But,” He rubbed his arm a tad bit nervously, “I appreciate you listening to me and treating it with respect. It’s… encouraging.” Leorio could feel himself flush pink, waving his hand dismissively. “No, i-it’s really ok… Just, go at your own pace, and I’ll, uh, try my best to keep up…” He was really blushing then, and Kurapika must’ve been too, as he looked down quickly when Leorio looked back at him. “But now, I think I’ll take up your offer to go back to sleep, and you should try to get some sleep if we’re going to have another exhaustin’ day of searching like this tomorrow…” Leorio was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “Ah… alright, I’ll try. Good night, Leorio. Genuinely, this time.” Kurapika bowed his head with a tiny, soft smile, before tucking himself in neatly again. “Y-yeah, good night, Kurapika.” He said, laying down and letting the pulsing, warm feeling in his face slowly fade along with his awareness into a hearty sleep.

“...I’ll say more tomorrow, I promise.”

“I’d like that, ‘Pika.”