The Thrill is In the Chase, Never In the Capture

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"Oh, Alec, good morning."
Arthur had just finished stretching, and was now standing up and letting whatever aches still resided in him pass. "Come on, sit down, I want to order breakfast."
Arthur seemed calm, given the situation. But he always looked calm, so trying to read something off of that was a moot point.

As if on cue, the inn keeper came over, and shook her head at Arthur.
"Staying up late, Arthur? honestly, I keep telling him to take it easy, but next thing you know, he's wrestling Barroths with his bare hands... Anyway, what'll it be, boys?"
"The regular."
"You always have the regular."
"That's why it's my regular."
"Spoilsport. Shake it up from time to time, why don't you?"
 
Alec smiled a little and nodded, moving to sit next to Arthur at the little bar they had. He laughed again at the banter between Arthur and the innkeeper, finding it rather amusing the way they talked to each other like family. He was unsure of what to order. He doubted that this small town had the wide array of food choices that the Guild offered. "Uh... I'll just have what he has." He said a little sheepishly.
 
"Right you are, then. I'll be back in a moment, then. Only the best food for our hunters!"
The inn keeper vanished into the kitchen, and her entrance was closely followed by the sound of kitchen utensils, pots, and various pans clanging together. Quite what was going on was anyone's guess - according to her husband, not even he was allowed in.
"So," said Arthur, unusually chipper for someone who'd fallen asleep at a table, "Are you ready for today's hunt? Arrows sharpened, bow tightened, stuff like that? As much as they tell you containers are airtight and watertight, it's still a wise idea to thoroughly wipe down your gear after you get it off a ship. Oh, what am I saying, of course you did those things. Or you will do. You seemed pretty tired last night, so I wouldn't blame you for leaving it until today."
 
Alec chuckled a little at Arthur. "Don't worry about me. I always make sure my bowstrings and arrows are in tip-top shape before I do anything. I always make sure that they are perfect before i hunt." He said, smiling a little. "How bout you? longsword all sharpened and ready to go?" He asked. "You know, I still don't see how you guys pull those things out of their damn sheaths." he said. "Like, is there some secret trick to it, or what?" He asked.
 
Arthur waved his hand dismissively at the question, as if it were something he'd been asked many a time before.
"Well, you see, the trick to getting a long sword out is all in how you bend your arm. You see, I've actually trained myself to be able to-"
Arthur explained how to draw a longsword. However, only tidbits would be heard - the noise coming from the kitchen rendered his explanation useless. And, judging by his hand gestures, it seemed quite elaborate as well.
"Anyway, that's the basics. Some people prefer to bend their arms the other way, but each to their own, I guess."
 
Alec looked like he didnt' know what to say before he chuckled a little nervously. "Wow... I still think it's pretty dang amazing how you guys do that." He said as he waited for their food to get there. He was anxious to go out and hunt something! "So, uh, are we going to head out after we eat?" he asked, a slight tone of anxiousness in his voice as he looked at Arthrur.
 
"Hm? Oh, yes, of course. As I said, Great Jaggis. They're not giogn to take care of themselves, you know. Actually, come to think of it, If we slipped some frenzy potion into some meat then..."
Arthur was interrupted by the inn keeper coming back to the two of them with their breakfasts - a hearty helping of meats, fruits, and an egg.
"Grubs up, boys! Just tell me if you need anything else."
"We will, thanks. Well then, Alec, shall we?"
Without so much as even waiting for a reply, Arthur began practically inhaling his breakfast. It was quite a sight to behold.
 
Alec was about to respond when he noticed that Arthur began wolfing down his food like a starving pack of Jaggi's. He smiled a little and chuckled to himself before he dug in as well, not eating quite as violentely as Arthur, but he still began eating quickly, faster than most people. It really didn't take long for the two of them to finish eating their food and Alec rested back a little with a content sigh. "Thank you. It was great." He said to the innkeeper with a warm smile.
 
"My pleasure, guys. Now, don't you two have a job to do?"
"That we do. Alec, would you mind going on ahead? I still need to get my armour on... Bloody paperwork's kept me up nearly all night... I'll be with you soon!
Without even giving Alec time to reply, Arthur dashed off, far more vigorous than one would expect from someone who'd spent ages doing paperwork the night before.
"Honestly, that Arthur... It's like he doesn't know how to plan for things like this. I swear, the amount of times I've had to run off after him before a hunt, you'd think he'd forget his ow head if it wasn't attached to his neck."

She shook her head, and shrugged. "Well, what're you going to do? Anyway, if you need someone to get you to basecamp, Meowrice'll give you a hand."
She nodded at the Felyne in the corner - the one currently sleeping in it. A half-empty bottle of milk was standing by his snoring frame, and he looked to be in worse shape than Arthur had been when he woke up.
 
Alec was about to respond before he looked dumbfounded as the other dashed away, supressing a light chuckle. He listened to the inn-keeper and nodded. He looked over to the cat in the corner and gimaced. 'Thing looks like he'd be dead if he wasn't snoring.' He thought to himself. He looked back at the woman with a kind smile. "No. But, might you know the direction it is in? If you do, I'm sure I'll find it." He said softly and calmy to her.
 
She shrugged, likely seeing his point. The Felyne in the corner didn't seem like he would even be able to stand, let lone show Alex to basecamp.
"If you go straight north from here, you'll eventually get to the trench. You can't miss it, it's literally on the edge of town, and it's surrounded by a fence. Just head around it clockwise, and you'll reach a dirt path. From there, just follow the signs."
 
Alec nodded. "Okay, thanks." he said as he lef the inn. He followed her directions and made it out of town and to the dirt path safely, without getting lost. He followed the signs and, sure enough, came to a small camp. The walk did take some time, but he was here now. He decided to walk over and sit on the bed and wait for Arthur to get here. He would need guidance here, so he was completely reliant on the other.
 
It took him a while, but Arthur came bounding up to Alec, panting once he'd reached him.
"Sorry... about... that..."
He took a few seconds to catch his breath, and then wiped the sweat off of his brow.
"I swear, I've got to get these things done quicker... Anyway, hunting! Let's go hunting! First thing we'll need to do is find something to track a pack with. Dung, corpses, anything - we need to find their nest, and quickly."
 
Alec chuckled a little and nodded. "Don't worry about it. Happens to all of us." He said with a small smile. He began to look around from there spot. "Uh... Care to lead the way? I'll keep my eyes out for anything. Feel lucky you have an archer with you. I tried having a greatsword user track... Didn't work out well... Those guys are stareotypical brutes."
 
"I'm considering myself lucky I don't have to go out hunting with a melee hunter. You know how it is with us longsword users... All grace and finesse, but its hard to stay near us without being cut to shreds."
Arthur chuckled lightly, as he headed off to where Jaggis were last reported to have been densely-packed. Looking at him, he didn't seem to be graceful or fine - he seemed to be well-meaning, but slightly bumbling.
 
Alec nodded. "That's the main reason why I'm a ranged user. I've seen how people fight around greatsword users and other longsword users, it didn't look fun at all... Besides, bows are redally useful and are not commonly used... Most people use the bowgun, so I decided on this." He spoke out as he followed Arthurt, keeping his eyes open for jaggi's. He heard a rustling in the bushes off to the side and he had his bow ready and an arrow drawn back and pointed at it. "If this is a jaggi... It's about to get shot with some nice fire..."
 
Arthur was about to give a joking reply, but the moment he herd what Alec had, he switched to his "hunter's mindset." He narrowed his eyes, and crept forward, motioning for Alec to keep quiet. They weren't at the Jaggi nest yet - and this wasn't even an area where herbivores were plentiful, if the data collected was anything to go by.
"If it's a Jaggi," he murmured, "It's probably a straggler. Let it lead us back to the nest. Otherwise, you'll kill it as quietly and subtly as possible - we don't need to rule up the predators and let them coordinate."
 
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