“We all have our reasons.” The Tusk sat on the ground, leaning against a tree, while he held a fishing rod in one hand. Behind him, a makeshift tent was spanned and a fireplace had been built, though no fire was burning.
“And what is your reason to be out here alone?” It had been coincidence that the Bristleback had stumbled upon Ymir. He hadn’t been looking for him, not yet anyway, though he had been puzzled when the Tusk hadn’t entered the bar they had met in during the last evenings.
“I like the quiet.” Especially compared to the sound level of a bar, this place was deadly silent. It wasn’t, there were animals, there was the wind and the water. But it was nothing like a room crowded with all kinds of creatures, all of them drunk.
“Isn’t it lonely?” The Bristleback decided to stay for a while, since the Tusk didn’t appear to leave his spot anytime soon. He sat down and stretched his legs out in front of him.
They both stared above the water of the small lake.
“Rigwarl, what do you want?” Ymir asked after a few minutes.
The Bristleback shrugged. “To keep you company.”
“Why?”
It wasn’t his intention to tell the truth, but the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them: “It is awfully boring in the bar without you.”
The Tusk laughed, the sound way too loud in this place. Then he reeled the fishing line in and turned towards the Bristleback. “Really? One evening without a fight and you are already bored?”
Another shrug. “What can I say, I like fighting. And against you at least it is a challenge.”
“Thank you for the compliment. I’ll be back tomorrow, today I will enjoy the quiet of this place.” Ymir hesitated, but then he continued. “You are welcome to stay but I won’t fight with you, so it might be even more boring than the bar.”
Now that he was here, Rigwarl thought he didn’t necessarily need a fight. Maybe it hadn’t been boredom that had made him leave the bar when Ymir hadn’t shown up, at least not only. That was a truth he wouldn’t admit, though. Instead he frowned. “I think I’ll survive one evening without a fight. For once.”
Ymir’s low chuckle rumbled in his chest. Then he gave Rigwarl the fishing rod. “Here, try to catch a fish so we have something to eat. I haven’t been lucky so far.”
Rigwarl had never held a fishing rod before and Ymir was clearly amused by that. Then he showed him what to do. It was the first time since the two had known each other that they were not fighting. The first time they talked instead of throwing insults back and forth. It was still a bit boring, nothing was better than a fight against a worthy opponent, but it wasn’t too bad, either. Especially when he caught a fish and Ymir grinned. The Tusk reached out as if to clap him on the back, then pulled his hand away.
“Bad idea,” he laughed. “I’ll only impale my hand on one of your spikes. I know how that feels.”
Rigwarl laughed as well. Yes, they were familiar with each other in that regard.