Who are you?

"It's a shame we can't peek at them." Hester muttered this while looking at their leaving backs.

"I don't feel like losing the trust of half our party members when we need them." Abe shook his head at Hester's impure thoughts even though he was slightly tempted as well. He was a single young man as well, so it was perfectly natural.

"What about you?" Abe looked at George.

He was being indifferent as usual while counting the rations in his backpack.

"I don't have sexual thoughts anymore."

"Ah, sorry. I keep forgetting your age." Abe awkwardly apologized.

"It's not like my sex drive matches my real age." George paused counting and coldly looked up at him. "My testosterone levels are as optimal as all you youngsters are. I've just learned to suppress any unnecessary emotions and impulses."

"That's still impressive!" Hester had opened up a bit after the calamity earlier in the day after George saved him. He could not help be impressed. "To be able to maintain that means you still have many years ahead of you."

"Testosterone reduces lifespan, but thanks for the compliment." He nodded slightly and returned to counting his food rations.

The conversation suddenly stalled so Abe tried to change the topic.

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"Whoho! Fresh water!"

Bernice and Emma were naked, enjoying the fresh cool mountain spring water.

The dust and ash turned the water dark as it left their voluptuous bodies before being replaced with fresh water. Especially Emma's body, who was more developed than Bernice.

As her wet blonde hair moved in the water, Emma leaned against a large rock and had the time to relax. Bernice moved up next to her and sighed in relief.

The atmosphere quickly calmed down.

"I'm sorry." Bernice whispered.

"Eh? About what?" Emma looked at her in surprise and confusion.

"I couldn't do anything when that stuff happened and you ended up injured in my place." She stared at the water with tears in her eyes.

"Pfft! Are you that upset?" Emma chuckled and flicked Bernice's forehead.

"Ow! I'm being serious you know?" Bernice pouted as she rubbed her forehead.

"Stuff happens. You're my best friend you know? I'll always protect you even at the cost of injuries."

"You're gonna make me cry!" Bernice splashed water at Emma.

"Haha!" Emma ended up laughing and splashing water back.

The two laughed at each other as the atmosphere became lively.

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Emma and Bernice returned to the campsite in a good mood with clean winter clothing and fresh minds. The calamity from earlier in the day no longer affected their mood.

Hester gulped seeing their wet hair draping over their shoulders.

Abe merely looked away while George sat in his foldable chair and stared at the campfire flames.

"We're done! You can use the stream now!" Bernice had the cheerful bubbly voice like before as if nothing had happened a few hours ago. She even had a natural smile on her face.

The boys had their clothes prepared beforehand so they quickly went to the stream.

George, Abe, and Hester took off all their clothes and got into the water.

"Ah~, that feels so nice~!" Hester whistled in relief as all the dust came off.

"It does feel nice." Abe was a little more conservative and did not say a whole lot. Still, he had a faint smile as he stared at the beautiful sunset hidden behind the mountains.

"If only we had this clear water everywhere!" Hester started to complain, "So many cities line the main rivers that they become polluted by the time they reach the capital. They have cleaning systems to make the water clear again so it improves the capital's image, but it's not natural!"

"That's the wonders of civilization I guess." Abe dunked his head in water to clean his hair.

George was silent and cold as usual. He merely used some soap and shampoo to clean his body before drying himself off with a towel and putting on clothes. He left without saying anything.

"He's kind of a mood killer you know?" Hester glanced at Abe, who agreed by nodding.

"Some people are like that, especially in their older years."

--------------------------------------------------------------

George returned with clean winter clothing and fresh clothes beneath.

His clean black long hair draped his shoulders with water still inside.

Bernice whistled in a quiet voice seeing him approach.

"He may be old, but isn't he quite handsome? Imagine if he shaved the hair and beard?"

"Err~, I'm not into old men." Emma's face blushed a little as she glared at Bernice to be quiet.

'What the heck did George do my shy Bernice?!'

Ever since George's arrival, Bernice has been a little too open and extrovert. She would normally be too shy to say something like that even to Emma, her best friend. It is like she did a 180 in personality.

Emma did not hate it, but it felt incredibly weird seeing her act like that.

"Wouldn't he be super cool if he had stood in front and protected us?" She whispered this to Emma with a massive smirk.

Emma ignored her girly behavior and instead thought back to earlier that day.

"I'll be right back. I need to talk to George in private."

"Seriously? You're already one step ahead of me?" Bernice expressed her surprise and sarcasm while sending winks to her best friend.

"It's not like that." Emma rolled her eyes and walked over to the approaching George.

"Can we talk in private?"

Seeing Emma talk with a serious expression, George nodded and said, "Let me put away these wet clothes I washed first."

George laid the wet clothes he had clean on a branch for them to dry out.

He followed behind Emma who led him far away outside the camp, where the fire could be barely seen in the distance.

"Right here should be fine." She checked the area around to make sure Bernice did not follow.

"Concealment!" She chanted a spell and an invisible barrier appeared around them, preventing sounds from inside leaving.

"I need to talk to you about a serious matter." Emma walked up to about a foot away from him and looked him in the eyes with her arms folded with a serious expression.

"Who the heck are you?"