Chapter Text
“I'm not going to bother you for long. You must be exhausted.”, Gale says. Of course he is right. Astarion can barely stand anymore and his eyes remain closed for a little too long whenever he blinks.
“Let me teach you the nightly protocol: First of all, close the wooden shutters outside your windows. They will keep out the cold a little better and you won't wake up too early from the rising sun. Step two: make sure your door is locked. This should speak for itself. Step three: Turn on your heater on a medium-low setting. Even though it's summer, the temperature tends to drop noticeably at night and these cabins are terribly insulated. Step four: Wind down. Eat dinner, read a book or finish your reports from the day. I’d recommend spending an hour awake between locking in for the night and going to bed to let the heating warm up. Step five: Take your well deserved rest. Oh, and one more thing I tell every city kid coming out here: Don't think about what could be out there too much. It's much less exciting out here than the video game industry portrays it.”, Gale chuckles, but his voice seems to hide another layer to his statement. “Anyway, you can call me tomorrow when you're up and running again. My frequency is saved under number 2. Have a good night, Astarion.”
“Night, Gale. And thank you.”, the young man yawns.
Astarion doesn’t know what time it is when he wakes up. The light shining in through the blinds on his door indicate that it's some time in the morning. Is it 5am or even 11:30? He doesn’t know. He starts by stretching a little and opening the window shutters.
„Wakey, Wakey.“, he hears a familiar voice from the radio once more.
„Did you watch me?“, Astarion asks with pretend seriousness, which only evokes a burst of laughter.
„There's not much else to do. All I did was check on your tower every now and then. Do you always sleep that long?“
„What do you mean? What time is it?“
“Almost noon. But I don‘t blame you. After such a hike, no one sleeps for only 8 hours.“
„Hey, quick question. Where can I shower?“, Astarion asks, already dreading the answer.
„Back in town, I suggest. You can swim down in the lake or ask Halsin if he can order you a camping shower in. Besides that, you have a waterpump down by the toilet with clean drinking water.“
„You can‘t be serious.“
The quick wash down by the pump was horrible. The water was ice cold and Astarion wasn’t even allowed to use soap. His hair would never forgive him. He is not sure how he would survive three months without a proper bath or even a warm shower.
„Gale? Are you there?“, Astarion calls into his Radio.
„Always. What can I do for you?“, an answer returns quickly.
„How about some filling in about my duties?“
„Consider it done. Firstly, do you see the round device in the middle of your cabin?“
“You mean the map?“
„It‘s not a map per se. It’s called an Orsborne fire finder. When one of us sees smoke, we set the finder on the rim on it to get a value between 1 and 360 degrees. With the intersection from both out lines of sight, we can report an accurate position of the fire.“, Gale explains with utmost dedication. Astarion can hear that the other man must truly burn for his job.
„I see. And I type in the reports on the PC over here?“
„Obviously. Now, if you‘re already at your desks, let's continue our tour from there. Do you see the bigger Radio? This is for emergencies. Hikers can contact us if they can‘t reach Halsin, our ranger. Your job, most of the time, is simply to guide them to the nearest trail or landmark. You should file reports on every hiker you assist as well. Sometimes, people go missing here and those reports can help the authorities to find them just in time.“
„Wait. People go missing here? Are you serious?!“
„Oh yes, sadly. You see, this is a big park. Hikers get injured or lost, forget to check in with other people. It happens more quickly than you might expect.“
„I see. You said I should guide them with my map. Anything I should know about?“
“Nothing more than I already noted. There‘s a pack of wolves over at Alton Forest, so the trail is closed. The mines in the north west are a popular destination for… let‘s just call them thrillseekers. Expect inexperienced hikers getting injured around the mines and along the old Alton Valley trail.“
"Especially with bears around?“, I assume.
„Oh that. No, that ‚bear territory‘ remark is just a joke between me and Halsin. Trust me, when you meet him, you‘ll understand.“
To limit the incoming information, Gale leaves Astarion to himself for now. The young man spends the next hours getting familiar with his new temporary home. He finds a few books in the lover drawer of his bedside table, with a little note of recommendation by Gale. Left of the door is a pinboard with a graphic of the most common plant in Alton Valley, divided by edibility. ‚Good to know for those hopeless hikers.‘, he mentally notes.
The PC contains several automated reports, from daily weather over firewatch to hiker‘s assist. To his surprise there are even some games preinstalled. He isn’t expecting anything groundbreaking or game of the year worthy, but for sure some minesweeper to pass the time.
„Gale?“
“Yeeees?“
„Any advice on how to pass the time up here?“
„I had Halsin put some books in your bedside table. And there's games on your PC. You are always welcome to go on hikes, but take your radio with you. Of course, we can always talk.“
„How do you spend the time specifically?“
„Oh. I read, and I have Tara.“
„Tara? Oh, I don‘t need to hear more. I didn’t know you could bring your girlfriend up here.“
„Tara‘s not my girlfriend. Though we have spent many a night cuddled up with a good book and a glass of wine in front of the heater.“
„Oh for fuck‘s sake. She‘s your cat, isn’t she?“