(Untitled)

[rogue_hunt]

Who: rogue_hunt, Giet & unseenspy
What: Camping trip!
When: Back-dated to Aug. 14th
Where: West lake, south shore
Summary: Moses has finally convinced Jay to go with him on a camping trip. It's a mancation!
Rating: PG-13...to be safe

Comments

[rogue_hunt]

The silence was unnerving though Moses wasn't exactly complaining - yet. He didn't mind not having to chat while he worked, surprisingly enough. It was better to keep his mind on the job since they were the ones who would end up wet if it rained.

He worked efficiently, something which most people would probably be surprised with. The shelter was simple but effective, resembling the wide, sloping tents that the bandits used in the middle of Werites Beacon. Only when he started tying on the front flaps did he look over at Jay who seemed grumpier than he did before they left.

Grumbling, Moses unfurled his own blanket and started digging in the soft soil to make a fire pit. "You're lookin' worse'n ever. You ain't gotta be so damn serious all the time."

By now, Giet had returned and moved to lay behind Moses, yawning. He was clearly uninterested in the conversation between the two humans.

Moses playfully flung a bit of dirt at Jay, trying to make it look like an accident. "Just try lookin' like you're gonna have a bit'o fun. We got a whole lake out there'n it's just beggin' for a swim."

[unseenspy]

Jay only let out an unamused hum at the first comment. He cringed as the dirt was thrown at him, and he promptly responded by throwing a handful of dirt back at him. If Moses wanted him to have fun so badly, he supposed he could manage it. After all, he so enjoyed having his fun at the stupid bandit's expense.

"And why would I want to swim in that?"

[rogue_hunt]

Sometimes his "brother" was so stubborn, Moses didn't know what to do. Part of him wanted to hurl him into the lake while the other part wanted to just do things on his own. Jay wasn't like anyone he'd met before.

Most of his group of bandits were outgoing, rough people like himself. Anyone who was straight-cut and didn't enjoy life in general never lasted long in the crew. Yet Jay perplexed him. For some reason, there were times he felt like there was a playful kid hidden under the hard exterior. The Oresoren had probably seen that side of him but Moses had yet to see more than just a glimmer.

Brushing the dirt from his arm and leaning back from the freshly dug fire pit, Moses shrugged slightly. "'Cause you wanna get outta the sun'n cool down after walkin' all this way?"

He leaned over slightly, not enough to completely breach Jay's personal space but definitely on the border of it. There was a sly grin on his lips. "'Cause if you don't, I'm gonna have Giet pick you up'n toss you in."

[unseenspy]

Jay had seen more than enough of Moses's playful side. It was like the bandit had no self-control at all, and it had irritated him many times, especially when the lack of intelligence became painfully obvious.

"You'd better not!" he responded to the threat of being tossed into the lake. He didn't see how Giet would toss him in anyway. Sure, he could carry people on his back, but it's not exactly easy to forcefully toss someone from his back like that.

[rogue_hunt]

Moses knew what Jay didn't: that fun didn't rely on smarts or what one knew. Fun was part of a person's being and, regardless of how intelligent someone was, they could have fun and enjoy themselves. Unfortunately, it was difficult for Moses to convey this to someone who was intent on being a stick in the mud.

Kicking off his sandals, the bandit sighed heavily. There had to be a way to get Jay to understand that fun wasn't anything complicated. One that didn't involve just forcing him to enjoy himself.

He got up, starting to gather some of the smaller twigs and a bit of dead leaves that had been dried out by the sun. Fortunately, he'd brought some firewood that he'd left tucked in the pack he'd brought. There wouldn't be dry wood until tomorrow or the day after so long as the sun kept shining.

"Jay, one of these days, you're gonna miss bein' a kid," he muttered, starting to set up the twigs and other such things in the fire pit as tinder. He wasn't eager to start a fire until sundown, knowing that it would add too much heat to the existing pressing humidity.

Brushing off his hands, Moses moved to the edge of the water. He removed his quiver of spears and hung them on a branch along with his jewelled sash. Once he'd removed that, he waded into the water, easing into it and pushing off from the shore.

"C'mon, just get in here. Unless you're tellin' me you dunno how to swim," he teased. "Would be kinda funny if you didn't. Spendin' so much time with otters'n you sink like a rock."

[unseenspy]

"I've already missed being a kid!"

It was true, thanks to Solon, he had never really gotten to be a normal kid. He pouted even more at the fact as Moses began to head into the water. After a moment, he gave a frustrated groan as he pulled off his shoes and moved closer to the water without actually getting in it.

"Didn't I ask you not to put words in my mouth? And if I didn't know how to swim, I wouldn't need someone like you to teach me."

[rogue_hunt]

That did it. It was hard not to have a triumphant look on his face as Jay got closer to the water. Moses himself moved just a touch closer, not close enough for his friend to complain about him being there but...enough.

"The hell you wouldn't," he said with a slight smirk. "I'm just tryin' to figure out why you don't like doin' somethin' you might like. Almost like you're afraid of somethin'."

If he had to keep throwing insults to get Jay to even try and have fun, he would. Of course, he didn't have any qualms about helping it along, either. There was little thought put into the motion and even less hesitation given as Moses cupped his hands, almost as if he were going to slosh it over himself.

Raising his hands quickly out of the water, he sent a wave of the cool liquid toward his friend still standing quite dry on the shore. "So if you ain't afraid, get your butt in here!"

[unseenspy]

"Hey!" Jay flinched as the water was splashed at him. "Just what do you plan to do if I go in there?"

He was already having visions of Moses wrestling him and/or dunking him into the water, neither of which seemed very appealing at the moment.

[rogue_hunt]

Ah, Jay. Always with the suspicion and thinking everyone has ulterior motives. Not that his fear was completely without merit as this was Moses he was talking to. However, dunking and wrestling wasn't exactly what he had in mind - at the moment.

Instead, he rolled his eye and pushed off from the bottom of the lake again. He swam easily then rolled on his back to look at Jay from a bit farther off. It was probably a good assumption that he would have better luck if he actually tried to coax his friend in if he weren't so close.

"How 'bout racin'? Could race you 'round this whole lake'n see who wins." Competition was a good thing. Sometimes.

[unseenspy]

Not to mention that Jay has had his own ulterior motives at times. Perhaps it was his ulterior motive that led him to join the bandit in this little camping trip.

The racing challenge actually brought a smirk to Jay's lips. Oh, he loved competition, the heat of it, and that burning desire to see who was better at a given talent.

"All right," he responded. "Just give me a moment."

Walking over to where Moses had hung his gear, Jay began to strip himself. He pulled off his shirt and hung it in the branches next to Moses's sash, then slipped off his shoes and set them by the tree trunk. And finally, he peeled off his black socks and shoved them inside the his shoes. Now that Jay was down to his shorts, he jogged to the water's edge and eased his way in, swimming cautiously closer to the bandit.

[rogue_hunt]

That was easier than Moses thought it would be. When he stopped to think about it, he realised it shouldn't have shocked him that Jay would take a chance to show him up. Whatever, it didn't really matter in the end. So long as his friend had some semblance of fun, he would definitely not complain.

As Jay wandered off to change, Moses took the opportunity to dunk himself under the water. It always felt strange as he wasn't quite that good at swimming but he was better than most of the bandits in his crew. He was good enough to fish for deep-water game, usually resulting in a decent feast for his boys and himself.

He heard a splash in the water and moved to surface, brushing his hair out of his face. It was probably too much to ask for the both of them to go all the way around the lake. It'd taken them long enough to trek out here and they couldn't even see from one shore to another. He could boast but even he knew he'd never make it.

Once Jay came over, he pointed toward a couple of rocks that were just poking out of the surface of the lake. They were a fair distance away but close enough that they were easily seen. "Swim to those rocks out there'n swim back. First one back wins. Easy'n quick."

[unseenspy]

"All right." Jay faced the rocks and prepared to swim off. "Are you ready?"

He almost went ahead, but that wouldn't be very fair, would it?

[rogue_hunt]

No, not fair at all.

Moses motioned to Giet who got up and leapt into the water. The galf's powerful legs pushed him out to the rocks where he pulled himself out of the water, shaking his fur out. He barked, the sound clear as day across the still waters of the lake.

"Third bark'n then we go," Moses murmured, pulling back against the shore. He made sure he was on even ground with his friend, not wanting to be accused of trying to gain a lead unfairly. "Go for it, Giet!"

Obediently, Giet barked the required three times, the last one being louder than the rest. Moses wasted no time in getting into a rhythm though his swimming prowess left a lot to be desired. He had no chance to check where Jay was going...

[unseenspy]

Jay wasted no time, taking off as Giet gave the cue. His movement was fluid and precise as he made his way to the rocks.

[rogue_hunt]

Moses was definitely no match for Jay. Just like Senel, Jay had clearly had much more training than the bandit had gotten. To be fair, Moses wasn't known for his swimming abilities but it didn't stop him from wanting to try and show off or win competitions.

He reached the rock and got around it as quickly as he could. "Quickly" didn't mean "efficiently" and it was hardly the most skilled turn that anyone could have made but he didn't let that thought stop him.

His eye was focused completely on the edge of the shore, one arm outstretched and hoping to reach it...

[unseenspy]

Jay had gotten ahead of Moses, and was already onshore when the bandit reached it. He couldn't help but be smug at times like these, as he smirked and teased his companion.

"My, what took you so long?"