Day 60, late afternoon

[gwenyth_b_good]

The soldiers on the practice fields were thinning in numbers as they began to retire for the day. After his talk with icAnissina, Gwendal had wandered out to the fields to think about what he had gotten himself into. On one hand he was excited to think about a new theme park in this world; on the other hand, the rumors he had heard about her and

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[gwenyth_b_good]

Gwendal gratefully took several pieces of the broken biscuits in order to have the equivalent of a full one. He popped a piece in his mouth and nodded. "Very tasty, Gunter. You have quite the baking talent. Perhaps you’d like to cook our dinner after I catch and fillet it?" He had lost the race after all.

The sun beat down on him and the water looked rather inviting again. Gwendal considered his predicament. His clothes were still drying and he’d rather they be dry than wearing them wet. Tugging at the moist pants, he turned to Gunter and asked, "Would it offend you if I removed my clothing and took a swim? I’d like to hang my pants out to dry before I chafe and they’re not going to dry well on my body. It’s not like we haven’t bathed together, but if you’d prefer, then I’ll dip in with my pants on and let them dry later. More's the pity that I didn't think to bring a change of clothes for swimming. As I learned from my forced entry by Foxglove, the lake is too nice not to take advantage of it."

[lavendar_blade]

"Thank-you Gwen, I'll give you the recipe sometime if you'd like to try and improve on it as you did with the scones. And you may swim as you like, there are no other mazoku in the area, I'd have sensed their maryoku by now. I can dry your clothes for you while you're in the water."

Using magic to do small everyday things wasn't common since it wasn't good to come to rely on it too much. But inside the Maohs very own territory there weren't many chances for it to go wrong and Gunter would much rather summon a breeze than spend time and effort on collecting driftwood for a fire.

[gwenyth_b_good]

"That's very kind." He meant both the recipe and the offer to dry his clothes, which at the moment was the more important one. For propriety's sake, he decided to leave on the string underwear that he had donned that day, mainly because his pants were on the light side and he himself was hairy enough to be darker in certain areas. The first time he had gone commando in these particular pants, the sun was shining brightly, illuminating some of what was beneath. That had led to a few gasps from some of the ladies of the court and an embarrassed race back to his room to change.

He stripped out of the pants and handed them to Gunter. There wasn't much covering him, but since it was the Gunter he could trust, he didn't mind his exposure to the man. Plunging into the water, he dove under, surfacing a few feet away. He paddled on his back, relishing the cool feel of the water in contrast to the warmth of the sun. It was a good day.

[lavendar_blade]

"Not at all. I'm glad to be of service since I'm staying on dry land for now. I've never been much for swimming and water sport. I suppose my element just goes against it."

Gunter hung Gwens pants up with his tunic and raised a warm breeze to take the moisture from them. He sat down primly with hands neatly folded in his lap to watch his friend enjoy the lake.

He wondered if his own Gwendal would ever take so easily to swimming. Gunter had missed the day everyone spent up at the lake with the invention of the water slide. One day soon he'd have to try and beg/borrow/or steal the Commander away from his office and force him to enjoy a day like this.

[gwenyth_b_good]

Gwendal turned over in the water and stretched out his arms. He dove again and swam further out into the lake, somewhat fish-like in his ease of movement thanks to his training as a dolphin wrangler in Wild, Wild Wet World theme park. He stopped and called back to the shore. "Are you sure you don't want to come in? The water's perfect." It was worth a try, but he was pretty sure that Gunter wouldn't come in.

He took a deep breath and dove under the water into a deeper part of the lake, staying submerged as long as his damaged lungs would allow him. When he surfaced, he held a medium sized lake char which squirmed out of his hands the moment it broke the surface. It flopped back into the water with a splash and a laughing Gwendal headed back to shore.

[lavendar_blade]

Gunter mused to himself about how odd it was to see Gwen so carefree and smiling. He really was so different than his own Gwendal though he secretly hoped one day the man might find some of the same freedom and enjoyment in life.

"Were you trying to get a head start on your fishing Gwen?"

He greeted him with a smile and made room for him on the blanket.

[gwenyth_b_good]

Emerging from the water, he wrung his ponytail out and brushed away some water from his body with his hand.

He grinned as he stretched out on the blanket, his arms behind his head. "I was bringing you a pet, but it had other ideas. It wanted to finish its education, so I let it go back to its school."

No doubt he would dry off quickly and they could be on their way. The horses looked rested and content and he had cooled down. He looked over at the lavender haired man sitting next to him. They had gotten off to a rocky start in their friendship and in many ways it had continued to be rather tumultuous. The relaxed (or as relaxed as Gunter allowed for himself) atmosphere and lack of conflict was refreshing to Gwendal. The two Gunter's were very different, but he liked both of them more than he liked the Gunter from his world. He pushed the thought from his head. No one was going to 'harsh his mellow' today. He was actually looking forward to doing some fishing.

[lavendar_blade]

Gunter didn't laugh at Gwens joke, he had learned that may just encourage more bad humor in the future. Instead he arched an eyebrow and gave a dry reply

[gwenyth_b_good]

"You're just encouraging me, Gunter. You might as well laugh. I'm not going to stop. Life is no fun without humor."

Gwendal sat up on the blanket. Mostly dry except for his hair, he shook his head to rid himself of an odd feeling of being caressed. "No. I'm fine. I think." He took his clothes and stood. For some reason, he felt the need to turn his back to Gunter while he dressed for some privacy, although the thong left nothing to the imagination from the back. He stepped into his pants and pulled on his shirt. Only then did he turn back around, still a bit unnerved by his unease. "Yes, I think we should seek out the slide to see if it's still standing."

He bent to pick up the blanket in order to fold it. Time to ride, the sooner, the better.

[lavendar_blade]

Gunter turned away while Gwen was changing, looking out at the waves on the lake and the clear blue of the sky instead.

When his friend was done he held out the cookie tin one last time before packing it away.

"One for the road?"

Cadifor had perked up at the signs of them leaving and he was giving them an impatient sort of glare. He never liked being tied for long.

[gwenyth_b_good]

"Yes, thank you." Gwendal shook off the odd feeling and took another biscuit. They were quite good in spite of their crumbled state. He handed Gunter the blanket when he was ready for it. "I appreciate the fine snack, Gunter. I've enjoyed our day so far. I'm looking forward to doing some fishing. I assume we have gear or am I going to have to wrangle some fish another way?" He knew of a few other methods to catch fish, but a stick, a line, a hook and maybe some bait would suit him fine. He gave Foxglove a quick rub-down to check him over and to get him ready for the next ride. The horse pulled up some grass and chewed, looking completely bored.

[lavendar_blade]

"You're welcome."

Gunter answered simply. Gwen seemed over grateful for the smallest things. The large mazoku had a definite silly streak that Gunter should be frowning at but because he looked so much like the Commander it usually just made Gunter tilt his head at him and remember their great differences.

He packed everything securely away once more and untied his horse. For Cadifors awkward size Gunter made it look effortless as he claimed his place in the saddle.

"I've brought a small hook and reel set if you'd like to give that a try. There's a very good spot just around the point where a small creek comes into the lake. It's often used as a camp site because the trees there give good cover."

"Which way is your waterslide Gwen?"

Gunter decided he'd let the other lead them for it was his invention they had come to see.

[gwenyth_b_good]

Gwendal swung himself up onto Foxglove and smiled at the restrained man. "Like a good soldier, you're quite prepared, aren't you? The reel will be fine, I'm sure."

He looked around, trying to get his bearings. "I think it's that way." He pointed towards a cliff in the distance. "However, I've only been there once and I came in a different way. I know there are embankments and a cove, which is where I built the slide. I'm familiar with the earth in the cove area. If we were closer I could try to pick up a trace of Gwendal's or my maryouku from the ground. Unless you know the cove I'm speaking of, we could ride in that direction until the earth speaks to me."

[lavendar_blade]

He nodded about the fishing gear and prompted his horse into the direction Gwen had pointed.

"Yes, you're right, it is that way. Do lead on my friend."

Gunter wasn't about to say he could find his friends maryoku signature from back at the castle if he had to. But then he was unusually sensitive and he knew Gwendal so well since he was always working near him.

"I'm quite anxious to see this marvel of earth working. It's a rare skill to be able to balance ones power to work with another so precisely as to create an actual structure. But I suppose since you are both Gwendals, your maryoku is balanced nearly the same and I wouldn't expect anything less impressive."

[gwenyth_b_good]

Foxglove moved easily around the lake. Gwendal kept them in the shade as much as he could. With Gunter's pale skin, he didn't want his friend to burn. "Actually, I started the project and Gwendal finished it. I was at my limit. As Gisela can tell you, I was not very healthy when I arrived. But I had enough strength to get through much of the rough work. Gwendal was able to smooth and refine, which I must give him credit for. He did a fine job, considering his inexperience with theme parks. We work well together on many levels. Overall, the water slides were quite successful."

[lavendar_blade]

Gunter was in a pleasant mood finally as he was with pleasant enough company. Gwen had an enthisiasm for life that made him easy to like