Sitting next to Tyulussë by the fire, Laurelindo threw a quite frustrated look at the drying-too-slowly books not far from them. Tyulussë seemed to catch the movement as he threw his friend an amused look.
Oh well, it had been fun in any case:
The day had started well, even if Tyulussë seemed unused to sleep on the hard ground instead of in a bed.
After a short discussion as to which path to take to get to Eregion, they resolved to use the path along the river.
This choice was the start of much banter between the two, each taunting the other that this choice of theirs would end with the other falling first in the water.
All in all, the first crossing of the river went well, and they stood a short moment on the other side of the bank to admire the waterfall.
“I believe this journey has matured you already.” Noted Tyulussë as they walked the path up the cliff along the river. “You did not even try to push, pull, trip, trick, drag, or kick me into the river! I am very, very impressed.”
-Neither did you. Besides... This not the last part of the river we will see.” Answered Laurelindo quite amused.
Chatting along, they got down the cliff, getting back on the same level than the river side. Laurelindo came to stop by it’s bank, looking at it thoughtfully:
“Say, Tyulussë… You like fishes, no?”
Tyulussë approached to stand beside him and answered:
“Y…es.”
Laurelindo tried to grab his friend’s arm to push him in the water, but Tyulusse caught Laurelindo’s arm with a laugh and tried to shove him first into the river. Laurelindo laughed and tried to break free, only to slip and fall anyway, still holding on to Tyulussë’s arm. Tyulussë let himself fall on top of Laurelindo, insuring he’d fall in *first*, knocking them both into the water with a loud splash.
They were both laughing and Laurelindo finished his thought:
“I initially wanted to ask if you wanted us to stop somewhere around to fish for our next meal. Excuse me. The opportunity was just too good to pass.
Tyulusse shook his head, spraying droplet of water everywhere.
“I take it all back. You are as terrible as you ever were.
-You’d be bored if I wasn’t.”
Tyulusse splashed water at Laurelindo once more and left the water.
“We have scared away all the fishes now.”
Tyulusse fished his pack out of the water and looked at it and at Laurelindo in turn before shoving the pack into his friend’s hands.
“I think hunting or fishing and getting berries and fruits will be a preferable option than waybread for our next meal.
-And who will be doing all that hunting and fishing, I wonder? As penance, you carry my things.”
At Tyulussë’s suggestion, Laurelindo checked he still had his poison vial unbroken, and added Tyulussë’s pack on top of his own, carrying them both with amusement at his friend’s character.
“Could you not have waited until we made our camp? Noted Tyulussë.
-Where would have been the fun in that? You’d have been waiting for it. Dare to say the contrary? Smirked Laurelindo in answer.
-You are a pest, Laure. Snorted Tyulusse while wringing out water from his hair.
-Thank you, I try.
-Well, let us find a dry spot to camp, then. Any ideas?
-Hm… In the library I saw a camp nearby on a map.” Noted Laurelindo thinking back of the maps he’s looked into before leaving the valley.
Tyulussë looked horrified a moment:
“The maps!’
-… Oups?”
Tyulussë dragged a hand down his face, and started following Laurelindo to the camp he remembered noticing on the maps. With some luck the maps they had weren’t ruined and could dry… Maybe…
While crossing another patch of shallow water, Tyulussë sticked a foot before his friend’s ankle and Laurelindo tripped and fell in again.
“Ah! Clumsy, Laure. Laughed Tyulussë taking a few steps away.
-Alright, I deserved that one. For the maps.” Chuckled Laurelindo not annoyed in the least.
Looking around a little, they managed to find the camp, Laurelindo from seeing the maps, and Tyulusse remembering it from the last time he had been traveling this way.
“No walls but a roof. I can live with this. Noted Tyulussë.
-We will be protected from the rain if nothing else. And the view is splendid.
-Is it? Asked Tyulussë stopping next to him to watch the landscape before them: the river leading to the pass to Eregion.
-Right on the river.” Laughed Laurelindo slightly. “The fall would be… Deadly though. Careful my friend.”
Deciding to set up the camp, Tyulussë started gathering wood for a fire while Laurelindo started to empty their bags, to put their belonging to dry and save what could be saved.
“Well… The good news is that our books are in better state than the maps. Which means of course that the bad news is that our maps are… A mess? We can possibly save the books too. It isn’t so bad, see? Our clothes are soaked. The vials of poisons are fine. My flute doesn’t like water, but it’ll be fine. Your harp is fine. From the food we had the way bread I had is… Good fish food but I wouldn’t eat it myself now, the dried fruits, wine, dried meat and cheese are fine.”
Tyulussë scowled and kept trying to light the fire.
“Good. We have poison, waterclogged books, dried apples and ruined maps.
-See, not all is bad, we still have wine. Nodded Laurelindo with a teasing smile, getting a sardonic look in answer.
-Not after tonight we will not.”
Laurelindo got their belongings closer to the fire when Tyulussë managed to light it, so they’d dry a little faster, with some luck.
“For the maps… I have seen recently the path to one of the outpost we’re supposed to check on. I suppose they have a map there. And if we can’t borrow it, we can at least… look at it and memorise the main points.
-Ah, we’ll be fine. Wet… but fine.
-We’ll dry soon and we can see how bad our books are when they have dried.
-I will never forgive you if that book is ruined, Laure.” Noted Tyulussë, making Laurelindo wince.
“It isn’t ruined.” Laurelindo threw a look at said book as if a look could change its current state. “At least you’ll forgive me for the maps…”
They settled to eat, and kept talking:
“This journey started rather well. Smiled Laurelindo.
-It started exactly as I expected it to, at any rate.”
They kept talking for a while, keeping an eye on the fire and their drying belongings…
Tired to wait with nothing to do, Laurelindo picked up his flute and started to care for it.
The poor thing didn’t like water too much, though it wasn’t the first time such thing happened, and doubtlessly it wasn’t the last time either.
