Day 3:
Bulky
“What part are you trying to capture?”
Beckett shifted the camera in their hands to point at something just above the treetops just to the left of the faint trail of smoke. “I thought it was just a one off thing but there’s been a consistent curling of smoke right about there that’s got some interesting shapes and movement and I was trying to capture it before the light went away.”
Their hand fell in place of the camera coming back up. He waited, watching as the smoke steadily rose and dissipate above the trees. His thoughts wandered and he wondered at why there was even smoke coming from the fire to begin with. Maybe there was something burning still that was smoking.
The shutter sound from the camera made him jump and just as he brought his focus back on what he was staring at, he caught the tail end of something leaving the smoke.
A thrill of adrenaline shot down his spine as he looked to Beckett. “Did you capture it?” His voice quaked but he hoped they hadn’t noticed.
He could see them navigating to the pictures. “Hang on.”
Silence settled between them broken only by the drifting sounds of the others by the fire and the world around them. He glanced at the group but none of them seemed to have noticed anything.
He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
“Here. Look at this one.” He stepped close to Beckett to look down at the display. Whatever he had seen was absent from the picture but there was definitely an interesting curl of smoke colored brilliantly by the sunlight. He looked up at their face, finding them grinning. “It’s not exactly when I wanted it but I’m close. I’m gonna try a few more times before I lose the light.” They looked back down at the camera. “I’m going to try and increase the shutter speed. They’re moving too quickly.”
“They?”
Beckett looked up at him before looking to the sky over the river. “The swallows.” He followed their gaze. Sure enough, small birds with long forked tails were twisting and turning through the air over the river, something he hadn’t even really paid attention to that they had noticed. “A few of them keep dashing through the smoke and if I can get it while the settings are highlighting the smoke, it should be a wicked shot.”
His reaction seemed silly now as he watched one fly close by, catching the insect it had been chasing before banking back towards the river. “I hope you get it.”
Beckett didn’t respond as they brought the camera back up but a glance at them showed a smile on their face. He looked back at the smoke, frowning. A swallow flew past the column of smoke but nowhere near where he had seen whatever it was that had startled him. Maybe his mind had played a trick on him and had mistaken a swallow for…whatever it was he thought he had seen. He couldn’t even remember what it was now that the moment had long since passed.
He stayed there listening to the swallows, listening to their camera, watching the group move about the fishing spot till Cole walked up. The older man grinned at him before looking between the both of them. “Food’s ready if either of you are hungry.” Cole focused on Beckett. “Lora made potato soup, too, in case the fish isn’t to anyone’s liking.”
“The cheesy one?” Beckett asked, perking up at that.
Cole grinned. “The very one! She brought bread and butter too so there’s definitely enough things for everyone to get their fill.”
Beckett started for the fire but he stayed put. Cole had made no move to follow after either.
It wasn’t till Beckett had joined the group at the fire that Cole spoke up again. “Dean said you had noticed Kit get too hot.”
He nodded. “Hard not to when they shut down like that.”
Cole gave a hum. The sound of the swallows filled the air between them.
“You know you don’t have to watch over them like that, right?” He pulled his gaze from group, blinking at Cole. “They’re getting better at taking care of themself.”
He shrugged. “I don’t mind. It wasn’t like I did much beyond giving them something to drink. It was Sam who gave them the cooling cloth.”
“But you’re the one that drew attention to their predicament.”
Confusion pulled a frown onto his face as he looked back at Cole. “Do you not want me looking out for your younger sibling?”
To his surprise, Cole laughed. “Ah, no. I’m sorry. Is that how that’s coming across?” Cole rubbed at the back of his head, a sheepish grin on his face. “I hadn’t- Lora and I just don’t want you feeling like you have to take care of Beckett, is all. Kit’s strong. They don’t need anyone to watch over them and they’ve told us so time and again.”
“But sometimes even the strong need a hand.” Cole’s hand returned to his side, the embarrassment fueled joy falling away as quickly as it had arrived. “And I really don’t mind. I don’t see it as taking care of them, anyways. I’m just helping when things get too much for them to help themself.”
That pulled a breathy chuckle from the other. “They’re lucky to have someone like you. Not many people would care enough to pay attention to those that fall quiet in the background.”
“Just as not many people wouldn’t make a big deal out of eating preferences?” It was as much as a jab at Cole as it was an honest inquiry.
Cole laughed. “If it wasn’t for Lora being the amazing chef she is, I would still be the pickier out of the two of us, and that’s saying something.” The grin was lopsided, happy. “But it helps that I understand the picky food thing. I’ve still got friends that still harass me about my current pickiness levels.” That amused expression turned thoughtful. “Do any of the others pick on Beckett for their pickiness?”
“Dean’s known them longer than I have but I don’t know where Beckett stands with Orlean and Sam. They’re more Dean’s friends than anyone else’s.”
“Kit likes Orlean from what I can tell. They don’t actively interact with him but that may be on Orlean’s withholding than Kit’s lack of trying but I agree on the bit with Sam. Even though Lora knows her and Dean knows her doesn’t mean anything. You haven’t seen anything, though?”
He shook his head. “No but this is the first time the five of us have been together like this so we’ll see.”
Cole clapped him on the shoulder. “Then lets go join the others and enjoy dinner.”
Dinner was a lively fair. Orlean relaxed into the group and participated as much as Dean did, the latter of which was a constant buzz of happy energy. The sun had long since set by the time any of them realized how late it had gotten.
“Did we want to hike back to the camper?” Cole asked, looking around at everyone there.
Artemis leaned forward. “You guys brought tents, right?”
“Two,” Cole confirmed as Lora added, “And the air mattresses.”
Orlean didn’t look up from the rope work he was doing for Beckett. “Don’t you need electricity for those?”
“Rechargeable battery powered air pumps,” Cole stated, standing. “Surprisingly robust little buggers. When we do our long trips, we usually take the airpads - lighter and don’t have the pump - but we figured since we were bringing the vehicles there wasn’t a reason not to use the air mattresses with the tents. Speaking of: who wants to help put together the tents?”
Everyone got delegated to some task under Cole’s directing. Cole took the lead on the larger of the two tents while Orlean took lean on the smaller. Artemis - for whatever reason - was put on air mattress duty, not that he understood why. The little pumps did their jobs and outside the initial watch to make sure nothing got kinked during inflation, there wasn’t anything to do except wait the short few minutes they took to inflate themselves. He repacked the pumps but before he could join in to help with the tents, Lora came to his side. “Artemis, do you mind being Dean and Orlean’s light? Cole’s tent needs another hand.”
“I could go help Cole out,” he started but Lora was already passing him the massive flashlight.
“No, it’s alright. We had this same issue last time with fewer hands. With Cole and I on it, we’ll be fine.”
She hurried off leaving him standing there feeling put out.
He took in a deep breath slowly, calming the voice in his head that was trying to get him in a bad mood. He was fine. They were fine. Someone had to be delegated to certain tasks. Just because he took it as being brushed off was his take on it and not necessarily the truth. Knowing Cole and Lora, it probably wasn’t anywhere close to the truth.
Dean gave him a smile when he approached the pair working on the smaller tent. “Sweet! Light’s here, Orlean.”
“Good. Artemis, can you shine it here for me? I need a bit more light that the firelight for this part. Dean, if you can do the other end.”
He adjusted his hold on the bulky flashlight. The thing had some weight to it and once it was on, he settled it on his shoulder to keep the angle Orlean needed.
The task was pretty mindless. Orlean didn’t talk as he worked and Dean didn’t try to fill the silence so it was easy for the other’s directions to cut through his thoughts as he let his mind wander. He found his gaze skyward on the stars overhead. The firelight ate at his ability to really see them but with no other light pollution beyond the fire and the flashlights, the clear sky was full of more stars than he was used to seeing but it didn’t hold his attention, not really.
He found his thoughts drifting back to whatever it was he had seen in the smoke. He couldn’t recall what it was he had seen outside of some dark mass darting away. It was oddly frustrating. He knew, logically, that it was probably just a bird he had misinterpreted as something else out of the corner of his eye, but the unease from it was still there; it hadn’t gone away. A yawn caught him by surprise, stretching his jaw out. Instead of unease it was probably exhaustion, he found himself reasoning. The day had started before the sun had risen and now they were all still up long after the sun had set. He wouldn’t be surprised if sleep found him the moment his head hit the mattress.
“Alright,” Cole announced, “looks like we’re all set. Unfortunately for seven of us, it’s going to be a bit tight but hopefully the larger mattress is big enough for four. I know the smaller is for three.” The man scratched at the back of his head. “Ah, any ideas on sleeping arrangements?”
“You, me, and Lora can take the smaller,” Beckett piped in. “We’ve done it before.”
Cole looked to Sam. “You good sharing a tent with three men?”
Sam snorted. “I have seven brothers. I'm sure I can handle sleeping in the same tent as these three.”
“Alright. That settles that, then. Mattresses in first and then we’ll tuck the stuff in around them.”
Cole took the lead again but it was a gentle command. Everyone knew what needed to happen and there wasn’t much need for direction once the mattresses were manhandled into place. When bags and belongings were safely stowed in the tents, Lora poked her head into the larger. “Cole wants to do smores despite the hour. Does anyone else?”
“Ooo! Absolutely!” Dean exclaimed, jumping to his feet.
Sam wasn’t far behind, commenting, “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a roasted marshmallow.”
Artemis followed at a more sedated pace, pausing in the entrance of the tent as Lora asked Orlean, “Did you want to at least join us?”
He looked back. Orlean was fiddling with his art history textbook. It took a moment before he looked over as he stood. “Yeah. I’ve got a few more pages to read and I don’t want to waste a battery for it.”
Artemis led the way back to the fire and settled beside Beckett. They handed him a long, thin metal rod with two prongs at the end and a marshmallow, one already shoved in their mouth. “Thanks,” slipped off his tongue easily as he skewered the marshmallow with both prongs. Orlean settled at his side as he tucked his marshmallow close to the flames.
He smiled when he caught Beckett passing Orlean a marshmallow and Orlean promptly taking a solid bite out of it.
Beckett shifted the camera in their hands to point at something just above the treetops just to the left of the faint trail of smoke. “I thought it was just a one off thing but there’s been a consistent curling of smoke right about there that’s got some interesting shapes and movement and I was trying to capture it before the light went away.”
Their hand fell in place of the camera coming back up. He waited, watching as the smoke steadily rose and dissipate above the trees. His thoughts wandered and he wondered at why there was even smoke coming from the fire to begin with. Maybe there was something burning still that was smoking.
The shutter sound from the camera made him jump and just as he brought his focus back on what he was staring at, he caught the tail end of something leaving the smoke.
A thrill of adrenaline shot down his spine as he looked to Beckett. “Did you capture it?” His voice quaked but he hoped they hadn’t noticed.
He could see them navigating to the pictures. “Hang on.”
Silence settled between them broken only by the drifting sounds of the others by the fire and the world around them. He glanced at the group but none of them seemed to have noticed anything.
He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
“Here. Look at this one.” He stepped close to Beckett to look down at the display. Whatever he had seen was absent from the picture but there was definitely an interesting curl of smoke colored brilliantly by the sunlight. He looked up at their face, finding them grinning. “It’s not exactly when I wanted it but I’m close. I’m gonna try a few more times before I lose the light.” They looked back down at the camera. “I’m going to try and increase the shutter speed. They’re moving too quickly.”
“They?”
Beckett looked up at him before looking to the sky over the river. “The swallows.” He followed their gaze. Sure enough, small birds with long forked tails were twisting and turning through the air over the river, something he hadn’t even really paid attention to that they had noticed. “A few of them keep dashing through the smoke and if I can get it while the settings are highlighting the smoke, it should be a wicked shot.”
His reaction seemed silly now as he watched one fly close by, catching the insect it had been chasing before banking back towards the river. “I hope you get it.”
Beckett didn’t respond as they brought the camera back up but a glance at them showed a smile on their face. He looked back at the smoke, frowning. A swallow flew past the column of smoke but nowhere near where he had seen whatever it was that had startled him. Maybe his mind had played a trick on him and had mistaken a swallow for…whatever it was he thought he had seen. He couldn’t even remember what it was now that the moment had long since passed.
He stayed there listening to the swallows, listening to their camera, watching the group move about the fishing spot till Cole walked up. The older man grinned at him before looking between the both of them. “Food’s ready if either of you are hungry.” Cole focused on Beckett. “Lora made potato soup, too, in case the fish isn’t to anyone’s liking.”
“The cheesy one?” Beckett asked, perking up at that.
Cole grinned. “The very one! She brought bread and butter too so there’s definitely enough things for everyone to get their fill.”
Beckett started for the fire but he stayed put. Cole had made no move to follow after either.
It wasn’t till Beckett had joined the group at the fire that Cole spoke up again. “Dean said you had noticed Kit get too hot.”
He nodded. “Hard not to when they shut down like that.”
Cole gave a hum. The sound of the swallows filled the air between them.
“You know you don’t have to watch over them like that, right?” He pulled his gaze from group, blinking at Cole. “They’re getting better at taking care of themself.”
He shrugged. “I don’t mind. It wasn’t like I did much beyond giving them something to drink. It was Sam who gave them the cooling cloth.”
“But you’re the one that drew attention to their predicament.”
Confusion pulled a frown onto his face as he looked back at Cole. “Do you not want me looking out for your younger sibling?”
To his surprise, Cole laughed. “Ah, no. I’m sorry. Is that how that’s coming across?” Cole rubbed at the back of his head, a sheepish grin on his face. “I hadn’t- Lora and I just don’t want you feeling like you have to take care of Beckett, is all. Kit’s strong. They don’t need anyone to watch over them and they’ve told us so time and again.”
“But sometimes even the strong need a hand.” Cole’s hand returned to his side, the embarrassment fueled joy falling away as quickly as it had arrived. “And I really don’t mind. I don’t see it as taking care of them, anyways. I’m just helping when things get too much for them to help themself.”
That pulled a breathy chuckle from the other. “They’re lucky to have someone like you. Not many people would care enough to pay attention to those that fall quiet in the background.”
“Just as not many people wouldn’t make a big deal out of eating preferences?” It was as much as a jab at Cole as it was an honest inquiry.
Cole laughed. “If it wasn’t for Lora being the amazing chef she is, I would still be the pickier out of the two of us, and that’s saying something.” The grin was lopsided, happy. “But it helps that I understand the picky food thing. I’ve still got friends that still harass me about my current pickiness levels.” That amused expression turned thoughtful. “Do any of the others pick on Beckett for their pickiness?”
“Dean’s known them longer than I have but I don’t know where Beckett stands with Orlean and Sam. They’re more Dean’s friends than anyone else’s.”
“Kit likes Orlean from what I can tell. They don’t actively interact with him but that may be on Orlean’s withholding than Kit’s lack of trying but I agree on the bit with Sam. Even though Lora knows her and Dean knows her doesn’t mean anything. You haven’t seen anything, though?”
He shook his head. “No but this is the first time the five of us have been together like this so we’ll see.”
Cole clapped him on the shoulder. “Then lets go join the others and enjoy dinner.”
Dinner was a lively fair. Orlean relaxed into the group and participated as much as Dean did, the latter of which was a constant buzz of happy energy. The sun had long since set by the time any of them realized how late it had gotten.
“Did we want to hike back to the camper?” Cole asked, looking around at everyone there.
Artemis leaned forward. “You guys brought tents, right?”
“Two,” Cole confirmed as Lora added, “And the air mattresses.”
Orlean didn’t look up from the rope work he was doing for Beckett. “Don’t you need electricity for those?”
“Rechargeable battery powered air pumps,” Cole stated, standing. “Surprisingly robust little buggers. When we do our long trips, we usually take the airpads - lighter and don’t have the pump - but we figured since we were bringing the vehicles there wasn’t a reason not to use the air mattresses with the tents. Speaking of: who wants to help put together the tents?”
Everyone got delegated to some task under Cole’s directing. Cole took the lead on the larger of the two tents while Orlean took lean on the smaller. Artemis - for whatever reason - was put on air mattress duty, not that he understood why. The little pumps did their jobs and outside the initial watch to make sure nothing got kinked during inflation, there wasn’t anything to do except wait the short few minutes they took to inflate themselves. He repacked the pumps but before he could join in to help with the tents, Lora came to his side. “Artemis, do you mind being Dean and Orlean’s light? Cole’s tent needs another hand.”
“I could go help Cole out,” he started but Lora was already passing him the massive flashlight.
“No, it’s alright. We had this same issue last time with fewer hands. With Cole and I on it, we’ll be fine.”
She hurried off leaving him standing there feeling put out.
He took in a deep breath slowly, calming the voice in his head that was trying to get him in a bad mood. He was fine. They were fine. Someone had to be delegated to certain tasks. Just because he took it as being brushed off was his take on it and not necessarily the truth. Knowing Cole and Lora, it probably wasn’t anywhere close to the truth.
Dean gave him a smile when he approached the pair working on the smaller tent. “Sweet! Light’s here, Orlean.”
“Good. Artemis, can you shine it here for me? I need a bit more light that the firelight for this part. Dean, if you can do the other end.”
He adjusted his hold on the bulky flashlight. The thing had some weight to it and once it was on, he settled it on his shoulder to keep the angle Orlean needed.
The task was pretty mindless. Orlean didn’t talk as he worked and Dean didn’t try to fill the silence so it was easy for the other’s directions to cut through his thoughts as he let his mind wander. He found his gaze skyward on the stars overhead. The firelight ate at his ability to really see them but with no other light pollution beyond the fire and the flashlights, the clear sky was full of more stars than he was used to seeing but it didn’t hold his attention, not really.
He found his thoughts drifting back to whatever it was he had seen in the smoke. He couldn’t recall what it was he had seen outside of some dark mass darting away. It was oddly frustrating. He knew, logically, that it was probably just a bird he had misinterpreted as something else out of the corner of his eye, but the unease from it was still there; it hadn’t gone away. A yawn caught him by surprise, stretching his jaw out. Instead of unease it was probably exhaustion, he found himself reasoning. The day had started before the sun had risen and now they were all still up long after the sun had set. He wouldn’t be surprised if sleep found him the moment his head hit the mattress.
“Alright,” Cole announced, “looks like we’re all set. Unfortunately for seven of us, it’s going to be a bit tight but hopefully the larger mattress is big enough for four. I know the smaller is for three.” The man scratched at the back of his head. “Ah, any ideas on sleeping arrangements?”
“You, me, and Lora can take the smaller,” Beckett piped in. “We’ve done it before.”
Cole looked to Sam. “You good sharing a tent with three men?”
Sam snorted. “I have seven brothers. I'm sure I can handle sleeping in the same tent as these three.”
“Alright. That settles that, then. Mattresses in first and then we’ll tuck the stuff in around them.”
Cole took the lead again but it was a gentle command. Everyone knew what needed to happen and there wasn’t much need for direction once the mattresses were manhandled into place. When bags and belongings were safely stowed in the tents, Lora poked her head into the larger. “Cole wants to do smores despite the hour. Does anyone else?”
“Ooo! Absolutely!” Dean exclaimed, jumping to his feet.
Sam wasn’t far behind, commenting, “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a roasted marshmallow.”
Artemis followed at a more sedated pace, pausing in the entrance of the tent as Lora asked Orlean, “Did you want to at least join us?”
He looked back. Orlean was fiddling with his art history textbook. It took a moment before he looked over as he stood. “Yeah. I’ve got a few more pages to read and I don’t want to waste a battery for it.”
Artemis led the way back to the fire and settled beside Beckett. They handed him a long, thin metal rod with two prongs at the end and a marshmallow, one already shoved in their mouth. “Thanks,” slipped off his tongue easily as he skewered the marshmallow with both prongs. Orlean settled at his side as he tucked his marshmallow close to the flames.
He smiled when he caught Beckett passing Orlean a marshmallow and Orlean promptly taking a solid bite out of it.