26th June, They are upon the road

"Well, I know you like your job and chess. You also like fencing and I am pretty convinced you know your horses. So what do you like besides that?"

Edward chuckled.

"Drawing, dogs and green asparagus. So, now you know three things of me. But what do you like?"

George smiled in a way that boded no good.

"Horses, fighting and sometimes I like not being alone."

Edward chuckled.

"Well, I would point out that while fighting, you never will be alone, but that might probably encourage you in an unsuitable direction. Should you need an opponent, though ..."

He took another bite.

"I did not exactly mean that. You can be quite alone even in a big crowd, fighting or not. Sometimes you just want somebody you can talk freely with and trust them not to let your talk go further." George grinned. "But I will keep your offer in mind. You make an excellent sparring partner."

Edward for a very brief moment tensed, his eyes hard. Was Hunter implying that he would ...? But then he forced himself to relax. Hunter didn't know him any longer than he knew him, and being not of a trusting nature himself, Edward could understand a reasonable caution in letting one's guard down.

In a calm voice, he replied:

"Thank you! Allow me to return the compliment. I don't think I had that much fun since I've arrived here. And should you want to play a game of chess instead, or just share dinner, you are always welcome."

He struggled with the last bit. 'I give you my word, that nothing you say will be repeated to another person' was hanging the thing much too high, and any assurance in itself implied the contrary anyway. So in the end, he settled for a simple:

"I won't tell!"

George burst out in giggles. Rather unmanly giggles at that. "I didn't...", he laughed, "I didn't mean to imply that you would!" He breathed deeply to calm himself. "I am sorry, but you sounded just like a kid, wanting to know a secret."

Edward's lips twitched.

"I can in good conscience point out that I haven't started ..."

"Started what exactly? Wanting to know a secret? Trying to find out a secret? Or started sounding like a child?" George smirked and stuck his tongue out at Torrington.

"As long as you leave starting to act like one of your list ..."

Edward had armed himself with both apples and now threw one at Hunter's belly, signalling his intent well in advance.

Hunter caught it, grinned and flopped back on the ground, stretching out. He put one arm under his hand, and held the apple in the other tossing it up and down. "I can act like a child with the best of them." He bit into the apple and chewed lazily, enjoying the feel of grass under his body.

Edward very primly polished his own with a handkerchief before biting into it.

"You know of course that there are 13 types of snakes in Portugal, and that the Monpellier snake loves warm, dry places and tasy ADCs for dinner, don't you?"

George closed his eyes. "Do they? Fascinating. I have been called many a thing, but never tasty."

"Well, you must consider that this would be the uniformed opinion of a snake, formed on the basis of a splendid uniform, a general's trust and an not unhandsome appearance. It would certainly be able to judge better once it has bitten you ...", Edward deadpanned.

George hummed and turned over onto his stomach, using his hands as a pillow. "Torrington, you can lie down as well, you know, instead of threatening me with snakes and giving me unnecessary compliments."

"I could, of course. But then I would probably fall asleep and that fearsome Colonel would have me drawn and quartered. But I guess we can wait for another quarter of an hour before we move on to give that snake a fair chance!"

Edward settled himself with his bag against the tree, one knee slightly drawn up, the other leg folded over it, and pulled his sketchbook from his pocket. Resting it against his leg, he began to sketch.

"I'll be happy to protect you from him. Just tell him that the Artillery got better equipment from the Ordnance board and he'll be off drawing and quartering everyone starting with the Quartermaster General and ending with the goat boy. Or are you afraid to lie down because the snakes consider you to be a tasty Engineer?"

"Well, everybody knows that we engineers are dry, dusty fellows with not enough fighting spirit and glasses. So why bother eating me when you are around?"

He looked up from what he had drawn, smiled and flicked over the page.

"No, I'm in a perfect position which offers rest, amusement and a good view. Why should I change it?"

With a few quick strokes, he began his next sketch, but this time his eyes kept flying back and forth between Hunter and the paper.

"Don't change it if you don't want to," mumbled Hunter and then yawned audibly. Moments later he was asleep.

Edward allowed a real smile to show on his face as he continued to accurately draw the sleeping man. Sleep changed the man's face, taking away many of Hunter's affectations. His slavic heritage became more pronounced once his face was still and relaxed, and Edward tried his best to catch the way the sun fell over those cheekbones and jaw.

He was pleasantly occupied for half an hour, but when the sun had moved enough to catch Hunter's neck, he gently prodded him with the tip of his boot.

Hunter's hand shot out, fingers wrapping firmly around Torrington's ankle. Only then, he fully woke up, shifted so he could look up at Torrington and smirk. "Do you know, I rarely feel charitable when I wake up."

Edward pulled forth his greatest treasure today, a flask he had carefully set out on a stone in the sun to warm up, and poured some of the dark fluid into a small mug. Handing it to Hunter, he said, not at all repentant:

"Here, perhaps this will put you in a more charitable mood. It's not nearly as good as freshly brewed, but should be better than nothing."

Hunter let go of Torrington's ankle and sat up, accepting the mug from Torrington. "You come prepared. I like that." He sipped at the liquid. "Did you find anything to amuse yourself, while I was asleep?"

"Well, I firmly believe that it would greatly improve the medical care here if the Apothecary General would deign to include good-quality coffee in the drugs each battalion has to carry."

Edward laughed and closed the sketchbook, putting it back into his inner coat pocket.

"I was entertained tolerably well, thank you! I hope your sleep was equally refreshing?"

"Mmm, I would not mind another, oh, ten hours." Hunter rose from the ground and stretched. "I seem to be expending a lot of energy on entertaining you." He grinned, then flicked his eyes over to the hastily shut sketchbook. "What have you been drawing, Torrington? I am sure it must be a masterpiece of some sort."