Respite on a Quiet World

Part 1: Meditation and Lake Drama

A gentle breeze drifted across the green glen. Trees of familiar and alien design swayed under it's push, lulling the fauna of the wood to a dreamless sleep. If it wasn't for the breeze, the calming noise of a meandering brook would surely pacify the forest life. The sun peeped through billowing yet empty clouds in the mid morning hours, and the air was a soothing warmth to the skin.

   Victor sat, cross legged and eyes closed almost sleepily beside the bubbling brook. He sat comfortably, his armor and gear removed, stacked neatly against a nearby tree trunk, beside which a still glowing ash pile lay. His shirt and guild poncho hung from a nearby tree branch, damp from the previous evening's dip in the spring, but gradually drying. His right hand lay raised slightly, open palmed. Five glimmering gems, each a different color and mineral, lay suspended in a dancing orbit as he concentrated. His left hand pointed downwards, touching the large aqua crystal that lay embedded within the tip of his wand.

   He belched quietly in his meditation, his stomach full on a satisfying breakfast of forest fruit and the grilled remains of a feathery bird he had caught the evening before. Anora had called the fowl creature "chicken", and stated that it was a delicacy on her home world. Upon plucking, cooking and seasoning of the animal with several herbs that Victor had fetched in the wood, the little beast proved to be quite appetizing.

   Though the beast had filled his stomach, the fruits of this planet had been all the more surprising. Days earlier, when Victor and Anora had triumphed in Round 1 of the Tournament, the found themselves transported to this new world, left to their own to wait for further instructions. Wounded and tired from their fight with Team Raging Storm, Victor was focused on healing both of them quickly through his own magic. When Anora returned from a food scavenging expedition, the two enjoyed a small feast of the sweet and tangy fruits, and to both their astonishment, found that their wounds began to mend upon consumption, their aches and pains melting away with it. It had been a great shock to Victor, who, as a botanist by hobby and upbringing, attempted to examine the seeds of the fruit, only to be disappointed when they did not respond to his spells.

   These thoughts came back to Victor once more as he channeled his energy, gradually transferring tiny strands of his power into the mage stones that floated above his hands, while sending a steady stream of power into his wand stone. He had discovered a decent method to replenishing his power banks from their previous part without exhausting himself rather quickly. By taking quick breaks to eat the healing fruits in between meditation cycles, Victor found himself regularly replenished with energy to store away, and as a side effect, his mood and spirits were lifted.

      The rustling of footsteps caught Victor's hearing. He knew who it was, but he turned to look as Anora came wading up the stream. Victor's eyebrows raised in surprise at his partner's new appearance. She was no longer in her super hero suit; her shirt now a simple black, button down, the sleeves cuffed with violet at the elbow. Her skirt draped down slightly past her knees, a deeper violet, with brightly colored designs of planets and stars stitched all over. Her hair was no longer the sunshine blonde Victor was familiar with, now a braided ebony pulled back, hanging down her neck, with dark blonde highlights at the tips. Her eyes, no longer masked, shown a cheerful pair of light walnut in color, which wandered among the trees as she walked.
The most notable thing that caught Victor's eye was the odd pair of earrings that adorned her. Although small and glimmering, Victor could make out the shape of her signature shields that she controlled while suited up.

    She waded barefoot in the ankle deep stream, black work shoes in hand as she wandered back to the campfire Victor had set up. Victor broke his concentration, his mage stones falling back into his hands, as she greeted him with a happy smile.

"Hey, Redhead! You still at it?"

   "Hey yourself," Victor replied with a yawn as he stretched his arms upward. "And yeah. I'll probably be doing this for the next few hours."

   Anora shook her head as she sat on the ground by him. She reached over and grabbed two of the fruits that Victor kept in a pile, passing one to her teammate as the two ate.  The pair sat quietly for a moment before Anora spoke.

    "So...I went on a walk earlier this morning."

    Victor grunted in response, swallowing a bite of fruit before replying. "Walking's good. See anything interesting?"

   "Well...kinda? More weird, honestly."

   Victor turned toward her. "Enlighten me."

   She huffed in amusement to her previous adventure before recounting the tale.  "So...I walked down to the lake, right? I thought I'd get some swimming in. When I got there, there was a few other teams chilling out there. Now at first I was like "I'll just leave them be", ya know, but when I was about to go and swim, a couple of them walked over to me and said swimming wasn't a good idea."

   Victor stared at her, his brow furrowed in confusion. "O....kay? Why would that be?"

   Anora shook her head again, trying not to laugh. "Apparently some of the other teams used that side of the lake as both a watering hole, a swimming spot...and a shitter."

   Victor almost choked on the fruit as he let out a chuckle. "Is...is that all?"

   "Well, they seemed to make a big deal about it. They were talking about proper toilets being built a short ways away, but they weren't sure when it would be done. They were still freaking out at each other over the lake, so I just walked around to a different side of the lake to swim."

   Victor shook he head, letting out another laugh. "Spoiled idiots. Have they never heard of roughing it?" He pointed to a low level tree branch, where a small roll of forest green toilet paper hung. "Bet your glad I came prepared! Camo green cleaning paper! Standard issue gear for the Frontier Ranger Scout on his weekly patrols!"

   Anora's expression turned sour. "Nah, not really. I for one would appreciate a decent bathroom around here. I'm sorry, but I ain't a particular fan of cleaning myself in the woods."

   Victor huffed in amusement. "Consider yourself lucky you don't gotta use leaves. I've had the misfortune of having to resort to it in the field. It's a lot worse."

   "Well....yeah, I'll give you that." She laughed.

  Victor tossed the pit of the fruit into the trees as he stood up, stretching. "I don't get the freaking out about a bit of shit or piss in the lake either. I mean, take all of us out of the picture, and you got all these animals walking around, not to mention fish, shitting and pissing in the water on the regu—"

   Anora held up a hand, shaking her head. "I know, I know it's stupid! Let's change the subject, please!"

  Victor laughed as he sat back down. "If you insist. I'm just saying. It's nature."

   "Mhmm."

  The two sat for a bit, enjoying each other's company under the shade of the trees. With the break from fighting, the two could relax and talk freely through the late morning hours. Eventually, Victor finished his meditation, his mage stones sufficiently charged for the next battle. With plans to later return to the lake side and assist in an evening hunt and feast with the other teams, the two settled down on opposite sides of the camp and lay down for an afternoon nap. Tired from the earlier power transfer, Victor dozed off into a dreamless sleep, feeling safer and more content than he had been in a long while.