Ashes and Vestiges II

With their sleeping arrangements settled, it was time to think about dinner. When they were discussing the trip, Carolyn had said that she would be fine bringing food to eat since they would only be gone for one night, but Hanson suggested letting the guide, Adam, take care of it.

"Would that be okay with you, Mr. Adam?"

"Sure. I already agreed when that guy brought it up to me before we left."

"Woah!" Harold exclaimed, "Captain's doing the cooking? I really feel bad for the guys back at the village, but should I call Tristan and the twins?"

"Don't bother them; we're still on duty. I'll make enough for everyone and leave a portion for them."

Seeing how excited Harold was, Carolyn's expectation grew, and she sought a second opinion from Kathy.

"Is Mr. Adam's cooking really that good?"

"Certainly. Though I rarely agree with Harold, I'm certain that our comrades would be jealous if they heard of this," said Kathy with a serious expression as she gulped in anticipation.

"Don't raise the young lady's expectations too much. I'm nothing compared to the big chefs in the capital; I just know how to make a couple dishes."

Although Adam appeared humble, her experience learning from Teri, who always denied having much skill, made Carolyn believe in him even more.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Just sit down and make yourself comfortable. Harold, go get me some fish from the river."

"Right on it!"

With great enthusiasm, Harold rushed towards the river.

"Kathy, help me set up the campfire in the meantime."

"Yes, Captain!"

Watching Adam and Kathy work on the preparations while she was idle made Carolyn uncomfortable, so she pleaded with Adam once more.

"Is there really nothing for me to do?"

"We're fine here. If you're too bored staying there, then you can check up on Harold."

"Okay."

Carolyn agreed with Adam's suggestion and went to find Harold. In his rush, he didn't seem to bring anything to carry the fish, so she brought a spare shirt. The river was near and the path was straight for the most part, so Carolyn soon found Harold, who apparently had the same idea as her. With four fish already flopping on the shirt, which he had lain a short distance from the river bank, along with his jacket and upper body armour, a topless Harold was catching fish with his bare hands. He had a muscular yet lean physique that both men and women could admire, but Carolyn's father had a better figure, which she saw often during training, so she didn't think much of it.

Curious to see how he was catching the fish, Carolyn didn't announce her presence, though she believed he had already noticed her. As still as a statue, Harold watched the fish from atop a stone that stood in the middle of the river. The stone was smooth and wet, so a moment of carelessness would be enough to send him swimming with the fish, but that risk didn't affect Harold's focus. Although he was quick to make jokes, as she watched him, Carolyn could see that he was by no means incompetent.

Suddenly, he pierced the river with his hand and retracted it with a struggling fish now firmly held.

"That makes four. Did you like the show, young lady?"

"Yes. You seem very skilled."

"Thanks. I picked it up as a kid."

With a casual throw, Harold sent the freshly caught fish into the batch on his shirt. The muscles on his front didn't lose to his back muscles, with a sharp six-pack standing out under a well-defined chest. Harold sensed the evaluating look Carolyn aimed at his body, so he made the side chest pose and asked for her judgement.

"What do you think?"

"I can tell that you haven't slacked off on your training and that you've focused on sharpening your combat skills. Is it because you wish to get stronger?"

With the help of her intuition and what Teri taught her, Carolyn was able to deduce someone's lifestyle based on their physique. Teri could do the same, but he was more accurate and detailed than she was. She didn't think she said anything strange, but Harold wasn't expecting such a precise answer, so he was caught off guard and responded with his honest feelings, a rare thing for him to do.

"Uh, yes. Like the Chief said, I always manage to make it out alive, but it's not like I want to be the only one alive either."

"That's an admirable motive."

Carolyn could deeply relate to his reason, so the sincerity in her compliment was completely conveyed. Though a bit giddy as a result, Harold cleared his throat and changed the topic.

"Well, I still need to catch a few more fish, but how can I help you, young lady?"

"I was feeling restless with nothing to do, so I troubled Mr. Adam to let me help, and he told me to check on you. I realise that you appear to have everything under control, but do you need any extra help?"

"No, but that's a bit surprising."

"What is?"

"You say you troubled him, so did Captain refuse your help at first?"

"That's right, but I didn't want to give up."

"I see. It looks like Captain sure isn't honest."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Don't worry about it. Captain's fairly straightforward in his interactions, so you'll figure it out eventually. I'm almost finished, so how about we carry the fish back together?"

"That's fine with me."

Although Carolyn had managed to shake him with her comments, Harold was able to quickly regain his focus once he stared into the river. After several minutes, he caught four more fish and decided to stop there. She wasn't sure if it could fit, but seeing that he was using his shirt to hold the fish, Carolyn offered him the replacement shirt she brought, but he refused.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I'll just give this shirt a little rinse once we deliver the fish and then put it back on."

Carolyn didn't have a reason to insist, so she agreed. Once Harold grabbed his jacket and upper body armour and slung them over his shoulder, Carolyn helped him carry the fish by holding the bottom edge of the shirt while he held the top edge. When they returned to the camp, Harold announced their arrival.

"We're back with the fish."

"Good. You can put it, over there."

Adam seemed to have something to say as his eyes stopped on Harold, but he held his tongue. However, Kathy made her thoughts known the moment she saw him.

"You filthy ape! How dare you walk around exposed around the Young Mistress!"

"But she didn't complain."

"That doesn't mean you can corrupt her poor eyes with your indecent appearance! Change immediately!"

"Kathy, you see,"

"Please forgive me, Young Mistress! Please don't let this incident stop you from getting married in the future. I'll ensure that no one, lets word of this slip their lips."

Carolyn knew that according to some customs, a lady was considered impure if she saw the bare body of any male outside her family before marriage, and such women would find it difficult to be joined with a proper partner. However, her mother said that she didn't need to take it too seriously (though her father tried to get her to promise to stay away from such sights), so she tried to calm Kathy down, but it didn't seem to work.

"No, it's not,"

"Don't worry, Young Mistress. As long as I hint that your safety was threatened, I'm sure that the Chief will side with me."

Sensing that their lives were in danger, the men quickly took action. Adam transferred the fish from Harold's shirt to a pile of leaves while a figure swiftly dashed out of the forest and dragged Harold and his shirt back with him. Soon after, Harold returned fully equipped and smelling like a fish. Kathy's gaze became less sharp, but there was still a dangerous glint in her eyes, so Carolyn distracted her while Adam started preparing the fish.