A camping trip

[gentleman_tiger]

John hadn't been making a large issue over the fact that he was heading out camping over the weekend; he hadn't hidden it like a secret. He hadn't done any of these things because he wasn't stupid, and he was extremely good at keeping secrets

Comments

[wizard_p_i]

Of course it was a complete coincidence that a wizard who was similarly laden happened to meet him there.

Harry's pack contained an air mattress, a fishing rod, food, ale, water, a coffee pot and coffee, and--at the suggestion of the clerk at the store, a first aid kit.

And naturally, he'd shoved a drumstick wand in his pocket and was carrying a hockey stick staff. A substantial number of ingredients for magical spells were in his pack as well. He did have some practicing to do, after all.

He was rather looking forward to John's reaction. He'd rarely met a mortal who was so fascinated by magic.

And one more thing--well, a few more things--that weren't in his pack at all.

"Hello, John," he said, his eyes lighting up as he smiled. "Good to see you."

It wasn't easy hugging a man who was carrying an enormous backpack, but Harry tried.

[gentleman_tiger]

John braced himself so that neither of them would topple backward, and returned the awkward hug, with the addition of a friendly kiss on Harry's cheek that was perhaps a nanosecond too long to be passed off as simple European camaraderie.

He looked at Harry, his smile muted but genuine. "Likewise. Shall we be off?" He nodded his head toward the deeper woods, away from town, towards where the boundaries shifted and distance became an approximate thing.

[wizard_p_i]

"Yes. Let's. I've been looking forward to this. A lot. You have a site in mind, I assume?"

Not that it was certain, mind. But John was good at planning.

[gentleman_tiger]

"I've seen several likely clearings, one near a stream with fish in it. Whether they'll be here again I don't know. For now, let's just walk; we can make camp when we find the right spot."

Part 2

[wizard_p_i]

Afterwards, Harry lay beside John, his arms around him, a joyful smile on his face.

"I suppose I should start the campfire," he said lazily, kissing John's ear. "We're going to have to cook dinner at some point."

Re: Part 2

[gentleman_tiger]

"I still have to set up the tent," John murmured, running his fingers lightly over Harry's forearm where it curled across his body. "And we should fish, when it gets later. See if we can't augment our dried and canned goods with a little actual food."

Lofty goals, considering that all he wanted to do was lie in the shadows under the trees for at least another hour.

Re: Part 2

[wizard_p_i]

Harry was quite willing to aid and abet him in that, too.

"Well, fortunately, I don't have to budge to make the campfire. I think I'm dry enough to create that right now."

Re: Part 2

[gentleman_tiger]

John growled lightly and trapped Harry's arm against his chest. "I think that counts as rubbing it in, Harry. Or showing off, one of the two. We don't need a fire yet, and you can damn well make one the old fashioned way."

Not that it didn't give him a thrill of delight to see Harry work magic, but at some point a man had to draw the line.

"Camping is about being inconvenienced," John lectured him, leaning his head back and shutting his eyes.

Part 3

[gentleman_tiger]

After a long ramble that had turned up no more wells-- but a surviving variety of wildlife (John had brought back several long feathers and a large snail shell), the two men had fished companionably for a while.

They had managed to not duck one another in the pond, and actually caught a handful of small, energetic fish; something like trout, they looked edible. Those were spitted over a camp-fire, cooking under John's somewhat paranoid eye while he simultaneously tried not to burn a camp-pot full of vegetable soup.

Behind him, Harry was unpacking; he saw a handkerchief, the glint of glass. Things clinked.

He looked over his shoulder: "What are you doing?"

[wizard_p_i]

"Unpacking. I have some practicing to do this weekend. I have a lot to work on--formulas, solid illusions, that kind of thing."

Harry turned and grinned. "Which means, John, that you're going to get to see a hell of a lot of magic this weekend. Feel free to ask questions."

[gentleman_tiger]

"I plan to."

And then he turned back to the fire to snatch the pot of soup off before it could boil down into sludge and put it on a rock; the fish were carefully taken down and scraped onto two plates to cool. Not elegant, but food, dammit.

"Solid illusions? I don't know that I've heard of that."

[wizard_p_i]

"Basically, it's creating an illusion that's real enough not only to be seen, but also heard, smelled and even touched. Takes a lot of concentration....oooh. Dinner! Wow, that smells good!"

He put the magical ingredients aside for the moment and made his way over to the campfire.

Saturday Morning

[wizard_p_i]

Breakfast the next morning was granola-based cereal (with coolish milk), supplemented by coffee and fruit.

"I should probably eat like this more often," Harry said about halfway through his second bowl of cereal. "So. What are we going to do today? or are we just winging it?"

He couldn't suppress a pleased and happy grin as he gazed at John. To tell the truth, he really didn't try.

Re: Saturday Morning

[gentleman_tiger]

John still had a smug content look on his face as he went through his apple. He had woken up in Harry's arms, and that was something that money could not buy.

"You have magic to work on. We could look for plants that would be useful to you. And past that... winging it."

Re: Saturday Morning

[wizard_p_i]

"A hike looking for magical plants would be good," Harry admitted. "And getting more fish for dinner...that might be a good idea, too. Also, I still have the formula to work out. And I need to repair my staff. It's--well, I made it when I was fifteen, and at this point it's using more power than it needs to.** I need to redo the spells, tighten them up so that it does more for less power."

He sighed. "Using too much magical power in a fight--not a good idea. You've seen me when I'm stripped of magic."

**As per the Monkey King.

Re: Saturday Morning

[gentleman_tiger]

He had seen Harry stripped of power. He simply nodded.

"I'd like to accompany you on the hike, but... if I do come along I'm afraid the pace will have to be a bit more sedate than yesterday," he said apologetically. "If that's not acceptable I can stay closer to camp, and you can explain what you've found to me when you get back. I promise to try to react with more.. aplomb tonight."