Private Lake Horatio Lake District Walking

[Ash Vargold]

Lake Horatio - Late Winter

The wind blew cold off the waves as they churned against the shore. Winter was slowly but surely retreating, but at least here it still held a grip - the forest was still white with snow on grey-needled trees.

The caravan had stopped at a campsite further inland, safe from the risk of washout or frost. It meant Ash was alone, an unsure stutter in his heart as he stared at clean horizon cut between sea and sky. No matter how many times his path took him near this lake, he couldn't help but be baffled by the sheer size of what was "merely" a lake. It was more like staring into the ocean, with all the existential dread that accompanied it.

...okay, existential dread was perhaps a bit much for looking at a lake. But Ash couldn't help it if it gave him vertigo.

Ash found a seat on some driftwood along the shore and took a deep breath. It was nice, sometimes, to enjoy nature in Terrasphere, even if it was fake. In the end, his brain couldn't tell the difference, right? So he could still reap the benefits.

T-thum, t-th-thump...

...mostly.

@Ishtara de Vanteau​

 

[Ishtara de Vanteau]

It really hadn't been much time since she had last gone on a journey, having gone back to the starting location for a time to pick up her things and begin another. She'd decided that riding with a random caravan would be a good idea. Thankfully she also had the forethought to buy warmer clothes for the trip, she wasn't much used to traveling in the winter. More so without the advent of heated interior cars. But this wasn't the real world, and it was a world of fantasy. One that really strives to make you as immersed as possible... Even if it meant freezing like you would IRL.

Ash would hear a set of footsteps coming up behind him. And someone fussing with a pole and a tackle box while they were at it. Probably too much work for some winter fishing, but one would never know what could be caught in new places.

Ishtara didn't sit particularly close by, but also not too far. Maybe close enough to start up conversation if one wanted to do so. Her eyes held ahead as she made the effort to throw her line into the lake and just... Wait.

"Why's it always gotta be so cold..." She mumbles to herself, shivering a bit. Ishtara stuck her pole in the ground, securing it and softly rubbing her hands together and looked out over the lake. Almost looking nostalgic as she does. How long had it been since she had been lake fishing in the real world? Heck, even just fishing in general in the real world?

@Ash Vargold ​

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash's ears twisted towards the sound of footsteps, but they didn't sound aggressive. He eventually turned to look at the source of the sound, and blinked at the sight of a faerin woman setting up her fishing gear. He could smell the caravan on her... another traveler?

He averted his eyes to avoid staring as she cast her lure. People fishing normally didn't like being disturbed. But he did draw some comfort from the mere fact that he wasn't alone on this beach anymore. The stutter-step of his heart settled down, letting him feel like he could actually breathe again.

"Why's it always gotta be so cold..."

"Cold air coming off the lake, mostly. It does feel like Spring's taking its time showing up, though."

Ash didn't feel too cold himself. Even in reality he tended to tolerate the cold more, and as a caenis he seemed to run hotter than most others. But he could definitely sympathize, and so he found himself opening up his inventory.

"I could start a fire, if it won't scare off your fish. I've got the tools for it."

@Ishtara de Vanteau​

 

[Ishtara de Vanteau]

Her eyes turn as she heard the man speak up. Listening for a few moments as she adjusts her rod and made sure it wouldn't go into the water at the slightest tug. She stood up once that was done and began fixing a bell to the tip so she'd be alerted when something gets on the hook.

"The fire shouldn't scare off the fish, I think. Could keep us tad warmer." Ishtara turns her head to him more fully and gave him a soft smile. Oh, he's a player! She watched his hand doing the lil hand thingy to open his inventory. She should check the time here soon. "Do you fish at all?" She asks after a few seconds pass, just trying to pass the time while she waits. Not often the people she's fishing with are wanting for company or conversation. So this could be a good opportunity to learn what's going on in the world currently... Considering she's been staying away from... practically everything so she could avoid having to participate in the combat system.

She lightly swipes her hand while her hands go to her pocket, opening a menu so she could check the time. A soft sigh after a moment. Not too late. She should probably check in with her IRL contacts later, you know, just make sure they know she's still alive.

@Ash Vargold ​

 

[Ash Vargold]

"Right. Give me a second..."

Ash swiped through his increasingly-cluttered inventory until he found what he was looking for. A small, metallic device fell into his hand moments later - a magitech firestarter he'd purchased a while ago. It was a weirdly modern device in this otherwise fantasty world, but he'd never complain about modern conveniences.

A few dry logs followed shortly after. He flicked a switch on the firestarter, set it next to the logs, and stepped back.

"Right, this'll be a little noisy..."

Whirrr.... crack!

The device whistled at a pitch almost too high to hear - though Ash could unfortunately hear it just fine. After a few seconds of noise and sparks, the logs burst into cheerful flame. Ash reached out and snatched the firestarter before it got too hot and set it aside.

"There. That should be better."

Ash sat back down, happy to look at the flickering flames instead of the endless horizon, before he risked speaking up again...

"Kind of a rough caravan, isn't it? It's always a gamble with the merchant crowd..."

@Ishtara de Vanteau ​

 

[Ishtara de Vanteau]

... He's got a lot of stuff in his inventory, it seems... She covers her ears as the mechanical fire starter did it's thing. He wasn't wrong about it being noisy. And with the fire now started, warmth would- blow in the opposite direction from the lake! Wonderful! Well, at least it was warmer for now. Her attention went up to him as he spoke.

"Yeah, bit rough, but they seemed kinda nice. At least enough to let me come along without needing to pay them." A slight shrug of her shoulders as she scoots a bit closer to the fire. "Which was surprising, considering... uh... yea..." Ishtara glances away for a moment. "I just... needed to move out of Honeyhome for a bit and this seemed like a good enough moment to catch a ticket out, even if it could potentially be dangerous."

@Ash Vargold ​

 

[Ash Vargold]

"...yeah, Honeyhome's been difficult lately."

Ash shifted in his seat, trying to figure out the right balance between proximity to warmth and maintaining comfortable personal space. If she was having problems in Falderen, that could mean she was a player like him... but she was also faerin, and they had their own share of problems in Falderen.

...it was a bit of a pain sometimes, not being able to tell.

"The caravan's usually stick to safe routes, so it's your best bet. And anyone still willing to travel to Astorea is going to be more open-minded."

"Not charging you for the ride though... that's generous. They usually expect me to help fend off monster attacks at the bare minimum.""

Ash did assume the woman knew about what had happened in Vintergard, however. It would be hard to not know, unless they were living under a rock or something. "...Ash Vargold, by the way. Good to meet you."

@Ishtara de Vanteau​

 

[Ishtara de Vanteau]

"Oh! I'm fishing for them so we get some more variety of food!" Ishtara states, maybe a bit too quickly? She got to her feet as she heard the bell she had tied to the pole ringing, grabbing it lightly and yanking hard. Beginning to reel the fish in. A soft lil hum from her as she works the fish, stopping her reel to hold the fish here and there when it began fighting. Then continued reeling.

"I'm Ishtara de Vanteau." That... That is such a chunni name. Why did she choose that for her name? Ishtara seems to be internally wincing as she finishing her battle with the fish and dragging it up on the shore. It flopping all about while she makes a knife out of her magic and quickly stabs it to kill it. She glances up towards Ash after a moment with a slight smile.

@Ash Vargold ​

 

[Ash Vargold]

Oh, so you're the one responsible for that."

The food the caravan offered was more varied than he was used to. He didn't normally pay attention to food beyond meeting his needs, but there had been rather more fresh fish than an inland caravan could usually afford.

Ash fell silent as the woman got to her feet, ears perked as she began to fight with whatever was on the other end of her line. He didn't want to interrupt her, but he couldn't help but mentally prepare in case something went south. Like a giant monster fish, or something. He wouldn't put it above this game.

Fortunately, it was a normal fish, and she was more than able to handle it. He relaxed as she killed the fish, the sense of "threat" gone.

"Ishtara de Vanteau, huh?"

Okay, that all but confirmed this was a player. There was no way a faerin would have a name that fancy, not in Falderen. "Well, nice to meet you. And uh... no, I don't fish. Thought about it, but it's never been my thing."

@Ishtara de Vanteau ​

 

[Ishtara de Vanteau]

"... Wait shit- did I say that was my name?" Ishtara blinks a few times in surprise... Shiiiiit... "I... guess that gives that disguise away... Good fucking job..." She mumbles to herself and just sighs. "Nice to meet you too, Ash. Please don't tell anyone I'm a player..." A glance towards the merchant caravan.

"But ah, yea, I'm the one who's been providing a bit more diversity to the food this time around. I hope it's been good for you." She smiles as she looks back to him.

@Ash Vargold ​

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash smirked. "That you did. It's a little too fancy for a faerin, at least the second bit." The smirk passed, replaced by a curious frown. It'd make sense to hide who she was in Falderen, but here...?

"...I won't, but you don't really need to hide it here in Astorea. They're used to us running around and not fitting in." He turned his attention towards the freshly killed fish. The smell of it, even raw, made his stomach growl.

Ash tried not to think about how he wouldn't mind just eating the damn thing raw...

"I've been logged out for most of the trip. Not exactly a good time, sitting in a caravan and waiting for time to pass. Most of the fresh stuff is gone by the time I bother eating..."

Ash shrugged.

"...but it seems to keep the Landers in a good mood, and that means less complaining for the rest of us, right?"

@Ishtara de Vanteau ​

 

[Ishtara de Vanteau]

"... I... uh, hadn't been very far past Honeyhome so uhh... I don't know how people like us are treated elsewhere...?" Ishtara gave a small smile. But hearing the stomach growl, her attention more fully towards Ash. "We could cook some of it and you can eat this one? Doubt it'll be the only one I catch on this stop.

Ishtara tilts her head lightly, opening her inventory a bit more carelessly now as she began looking through it for cooking supplies to prep the fishy. "I mean, it wouldn't take much to prepare it and stuff, y'know?"

@Ash Vargold ​

 

[Ash Vargold]

"Well, any place is better than the one that's all but outlawed players. Which is especially great, considering that's where all the newbies end up..."

Ash's muttering trailed off once he realized Ishtara had heard his stomach growl. He folded his ears back uncertainly, then managed to force an embarrassed smile.

"I wouldn't be opposed to a meal. Have to keep that hunger bar full, after all."

The suggestion was enough to pull Ash away from thoughts of "sushi". He looked away from the fish and towards Ishtara, trying not to look like a dog staring at a Thanksgiving Turkey.

...he was going to retire that metaphor now.

"I know a bit about cooking. At the very least I can handle a knife without any issue." He glanced at his inventory list, and frowned. Plenty of old gear, but not even a proper chef's knife to work with. "I don't have any tools, though. I usually just eat rations on the road.

@Ishtara de Vanteau ​

 

[Ishtara de Vanteau]

"I have some, I can use those to cook." Ishtara states while she pulls a pan from her inventory, along with something to hold it above the fire. A few cooking utensils. A cutting board was important as well... She placed the fish down on the cutting board and began to remove the scales from the fish. "It's been a while since I made any sort of fish so... If this tastes bad, just tell me."

"I tend to prefer actually having cooked food more than rations so I tend to just buy muffins or something, or do my best cooking the fish I have... Typically just fillet them and move on or something." Well, at least it was smelling nice. And she's never actually caught this fish before so it's something new to her... How long should she cook it? Heck is it poisonous... Didn't look it, should be good.

@Ash Vargold ​

 

[Ash Vargold]

"To be honest, I'm not too worried about the taste. I'll eat just about anything, so long as it isn't rotten or poisonous or something."

"...not that I'm opposed to it tasting good, of course. Just. Not a priority."

Spending minimal time on food was a self-inflicted asceticism of sorts. Just because the world of Terrasphere could be indistinguishable from reality didn't mean he had to indulge in it, right?

...that fish smelled awfully good, though. Ash tried not to look embarrassed about his growling stomach and turned his attention towards the fire. He didn't have a poker, so he instead drew his sword and began turning the coals with its tip.

"I have to say, I think you're the first player I've met doing something other than traipsing around the forest killing wolves."

"Honestly, probably the smartest way to play this game."

@Ishtara de Vanteau​

 

[Ishtara de Vanteau]

"I heard it was a death game... So I avoided combat as much as I could." Ishtara responds, lifting the finished fish off the skillet or pan or WHATEVER this thing is called- wait what did it say in her inventory when she got it out?... Didn't matter. She passed him a portion.

"I mean, I could have avoided playing the game... But... Better than just I dunno, it's better than the other games I've played." A slight sigh and she took a bite of the food she made. "And I can actually fish again without needing a li- I should stop rambling, yeah I should do that..." She took a deep breath and took another bite, concentrating more on her food now. She can't just spill her life story like that, it's rude! And this guy doesn't know her! Why was she doing tha-... Oh right, that's why... Distract thoughts with food!

@Ash Vargold ​

 

[Ash Vargold]

"That's... probably the second smartest thing you can do in this game."

Don't play the death game was of course the smartest option, but Ishtara seemed to understand that already.

"Good to hear that at least some people take this game seriously. I've run into a lot of people who don't."

Ash moved quickly as soon as Ishtara offered a portion of fish. The first few bites were quick and ravenous, but he quickly found his composure and slowed down.

"You did a good job. Thank you."

He sat back and watched the fire flicker, then raised an eyebrow at Ishtara's cut-off small talk. There was a look of genuine confusion on his face.

"Is it hard to get a fishing license where you live? They're pretty easy to get in my area."

"My parents used to take me crabbing when the season opened. My dad always complained that the cost of driving to the beach was more than the license itself."

Unlike Ishtara, Ash didn't have any qualms with small talk. It was easier to fill the air than sit in silence.

@Ishtara de Vanteau​

 

[Ishtara de Vanteau]

Her head jerks up a bit as she munches on her food. It was quite easy to get a fishing license... She just had to fill out a few forms but- WAIT, she should be speaking out loud instead of just thinking, she's been staring at him for a few seconds without responding after all. "Ah, uhh... Well, it's not too bad I'm just... bad at filling out forms. I don't really like giving away information and the like... Ehehe..." She rubs her nose a bit as she glances away, taking another bite of her food. "Plus... Fishing here can be more interesting, until a fish monster attacks. Which happened the last time I ran into a player while fishing near Honeyhome."

A small pause... "Which was not fun by the way. Dude was way too enthusiastic about fighting it... I just wanted to run away."

@Ash Vargold ​

 

[Ash Vargold]

Ash nodded, still focused on the fish. He clearly enjoyed it - the way his tail was wagging was proof of that.

"I understand. I'm not fond of giving out too much information myself. A fishing permit's better than your average website, though."

There was a little too much spite in Ash's voice as he finished his meal. He was still hungry, but it had taken the edge off, and his stomach was no longer growling. He stood up, considered the angle, and tossed the bones towards the lake.

They landed several yards from the shore.

"...must have been the wind."

Ash sat back down, feeling oddly disappointed, but brushed the feeling off. He turned his attention back to Ishtara, head tilted as she spoke of fishing, fish monsters, and the people who fought fish monsters. He covered his smirk as he imagined the latter.

"Haha, yeah. That sounds like a player to me... the bigger and nastier, the more they want to fight it."

@Ishtara de Vanteau ​