Gerhard was completely unaware of Thea's approach, so swift was her descent upon him, until the very moment when she spoke: "Gerhard, really, I appreciate the fact that you feel the need to so dearly protect me from the dangers of the wild," she began, "But at least warn me next time. I could've thought you were some rabbit or something, which would've led to you with a knife stuck in your foot. And, trust me, that is not a very pleasant pace to have a knife stuck."<br/><br/>Hearing these words, Gerhard stared hard into her eyes. He was uncertain was disturbed him more: The thought of Theadora slicing off his foot with a foot-long hunting knife, (for clearly she could do it), or that he couldn't tell if she was serious or note. As he studied her face, Gerhard made a mental note to himself never to piss off Theadora.<br/><br/>Very much.<br/><br/>"Theadora. Now why would I be following you? I had no idea where you even were, until about 5 seconds ago. It's not very nice to make accusations. Why, I could have just been seeking some solitude so as to relieve some much needed stress! It's a good thing my pants weren't down yet, or else the situation would be much more awkward." He responded.<br/><br/>The two of them were by a small wooded area, just within the treeline. The desert was not so far away that it could not be seen. Indeed, it could be seen from just outside the small copse of trees and shrubbery within which they stood. A shallow breeze, almost like a stale rasp, came from within the woods, however. The ground sloped upwards, ever so gently, in that direction.<br/><br/>"Well. It's got to be over there." Gerhard mumbled, mostly to himself. He had had no intention of sharing this information with Thea, but now that she was here, he did not mind all that much. "All joking aside, there's another reason why I left my post."<br/><br/>Gerhard started walking towards the rising slope. "This area right here used to be a national park. Well, not exactly." Gerhard said. He thumbed in the direction of the rising slope. More trees could be seen along that path. "It was called Yosemite. My father told me about the place. There's an old ranger's station further uphill, about 3 miles from here."<br/><br/>And then... suddenly, Gerhard was unwilling to elaborate. The energy was completely sapped from his system, and instead of the bold, confident attitude of defiance, Gerhard suddenly felt very tired. He sat down on a nearby rock, about the size of a small boulder. Chuckling, he shook his head.<br/><br/>He continued, "I wanted to go see the place. But I fear perhaps I now have changed my mind. It hardly matters. Forget I brought it up. So... are you going to be cooking, too? I admire that in a woman." He said. His vigor and energy surged back. What had been a momentary lapse of string had turned out to be just that.<br/><br/>* * *<br/><br/>Gerhard was nearing back to the camp. Lucas was up and sitting at the very edge of a large, monolithic flatstone that jutted out of the earth in one direction. He looked furious, and Gerhard felt something like a twang of guilt for abandoning his post.<br/><br/>"Damn." Gerhard said, as he came within talking distance. "I know, I know, mon capitan... I left my post. Well, I'm glad it's your turn to take watch. G'night, doc." Gerhard flopped onto his satchel and curled up into a ball. "Oh. Thea should be bringing back some rabbits for a stew. She specifically told me that she wanted everything set up for cooking 'em by the time she gets back. Make sure you do that. Thanks."<br/><br/>There was a 5 second pause between Gerhard's speech... and a low. rumbling. snore.