Temate was just wondering what to do with the four heavy camping bags around his feet which he’d prepped. When he heard someone walking towards him from behind.

  “Are you alright?” A bright lilting voice called out to Temate. He turned and looked at the two young adults coming towards him. Smiling softly – something his ex had taught him to do so he didn’t look like a “hunting predator” as she put it – he raised one hand to address the young girl approaching him.

  “Good as can be, all things considered.” Temate replied, he looked behind the girl at the scowling – and this was indeed a scowl – young man trailing behind her. “How are the two of you?”

  The girl smiled at him, “weeeeee’re great!” she let out, exaggeratedly winding up to and sticking out a thumb. Was that a Tony the Tiger impression? Temate tilted his head slightly and lifted an amused eyebrow. The girl ughed awkwardly as she stopped a few feet away.

  “Hahaha sorry I forget the joke doesn’t nd if you don’t know my name.” The girl stuck out her hand, leaning over only slightly despite Temate being sat on a fallen tree. “I’m Toni, Toni the Terror at your service!” Toni grinned. Temate ughed and stood slowly, causing Toni to lean back, eyes widening at the unfurled giant of a man.

  “Temate.” His voice rumbled, like rolling boulders or thunder, over Toni who shivered a bit, unnoticed by the man. “I didn’t realize I was meeting a competitor for my title today.” Temate grinned at her

  “What?” Toni practically squeaked the word out as Temate’s massive hand practically enveloped her own. “I’m not here to compete for anything, I didn’t even know there was a competition going on. God I don’t think I could ever compete with you unless it was in a ‘who can make themselves smallest’ competition and even then I-”

  “Toni, you're babbling again.” The young man grabbed Toni’s shoulder and pulled her gently away, extending a hand to Temate. “Jacob Johanssen.”

  “Ah, Temate Temaku, and it’s alright. I'm more used to people being too afraid of me to talk at all. Your girlfriends energy is ref-”

  “NOT his girlfriend” Toni half shouted and Jacob defted visibly.

  “You didn’t have to say it so loudly ya know TT” the young man gred, without any real anger, back at Toni. Temate raised an eyebrow at the nickname.

  “Well I know you, you’ll go and get a big head and act like it’s true, joking around and pushing the envelope and we’re just friends Jake.” Toni gred daggers at Jake who grimaced and ughed a little.

  “Sorry, sorry I know TT I know…” Jake said, drifting off for a second “it’s a little unfair to be mad at me don’t you think?” his voice suggested to Temate that Jake wasn’t talking about just this. Toni let her arms drop and her face softened.

  “You’re right, sorry JJ.” Toni smiled at Jake, then her eyes widened and she looked at Temate. “You wouldn’t happen to be going camping would you?” she asked.

  “TT no!” Jake looked shocked, Toni grinned widely at him and the two began arguing in half sentences and statements. Temate just listened and watched. Looking the two over carefully as the argument unfolded and he made a decision for himself. The argument was pretty simple, and friendly honestly. If anything the two were clearly good friends even if they clearly disagreed on some things. Apparently they, like Temate, had pnned to go camping but all their companions had also called off for one reason or another.

  “We don’t know the guy and just-” Jake gestured wildly at Temate in a way that clearly meant ‘look at him!’ Temate examined the young man. Jake, like Toni, was clearly in his early to mid 20’s… or te teens? Temate didn’t actually know, he was apparently pretty age blind but he guessed they were in their early 20’s. They were talking about this camping trip being a break from university work after all.

  Jake was lithe, lean muscle, a swimmer or runner probably, he was tall too, almost up to Temate’s shoulders. Close cut brown hair was spiked up in the front giving Jake a very narrow face. He wore a red tight fit polo and tight khaki shorts and… flip flops? I hope he’s not pnning on wearing just that. Temate thought to himself, I mean he’s cute but there’s too much unprotected skin; and while thank god he’s not wearing socks with his flip flops he’s still gotta hike to the campground. He knows that right?

  “Listen you know that I know that you know that I know people pretty well and I’m telling you it’ll be fiiiiiine Big T, you don’t mind that nickname do you? Big T clearly knows what he’s doing and -” Toni could talk. Fast. Was that why she introduced herself as Toni the Terror? She was also clearly very self-confident. The fact she’d approached Temate on her own suggested that. It could have just been obliviousness but Temate doubted that.

  Toni was dressed a little more practically than Jake. She was wearing a tight white shirt and bck runners leggings which Temate also found eye-catching. However she covered them with a thick pid fnnel, fully open at the front, and blue jean shorts. Not short shorts, like many might wear, proper shorts that went down beneath her knees. She also wore thick brown hiking shoes and had her hair, a beautiful orange red which practically glowed in the sun, tied up into a tight top knot.

  “Why TT?” Temate asked. He hadn’t meant to, but as he was examining her the question came into his head and out of his mouth before he could stop it, so he added “and JJ for that matter?” The two looked at him and Toni raised her thumb pointing at herself above her chest.

  “TT for Toni the Terror.” She pointed over at Jake, “JJ for Jake the Jock. The nicknames are based on our first initial and our ‘title’, everyone in our friend group has one. There’s Cabe the Carnivore, he loves meat and is a great cook; Deh the Damsel, super pretty and tall – almost as tall as you Temate! She’s also a dancer and is super rich, or rather her family is. Alex the Anchor, he loves to fish and goes boating a bunch then there’s… um… Sorry I’m babbling again.” Temate had raised an eyebrow at Toni and he realized she thought he was bothered, he held up a hand.

  “I only ask because my nickname with my friends is TT so…” Temate shrugged. Toni turned and smacked Jake in the shoulder hard.

  “Ow!” Jake grabbed his shoulder.

  “Oooh sorry, but see he has the same nickname, he can’t be bad! It’s fate! Destiny!” She whirled back around to Temate. “Wait why are you called TT, oh and I asked before, but are you going camping? Or did you just get back? If you’re going out, can we come with you and your group? Those are really nice bags, did you pack them? All we brought was some snacks and the bedrolls, ZZ was supposed to bring the tents and heavier stuff in his truck.” Temate put a hand to his chin thinking out loud.

  “I also had my party cancel, so I was pnning on just giving this stuff away but…” I suppose I could go with them, but I’m not actually that knowledgeable, it was only a week of research. No practical experience. Temate looked up at them, not realizing he’d shifted to an internal monologue at all. “Is that what you’re wearing?” Temate asked, pointing at Jake.

  “Er, yes? Why what’s wrong with this?” Jake puffed up his chest and stood taller.

  “I mean it makes you nice to look at, but it also makes you easy to bite.” Temate said matter of factly.

  “Woah, bro I don’t eh, I don’t swing that way.” Jake gave Toni a worried look and Temate ughed.

  “I wasn’t flirting, you two are both a bit young for me I think. I was talking about the mosquitoes and other things biting you, not me.” Temate grinned at the other young man who took an uncertain step back. Toni giggled.

  “We’re like the same age though, you can’t be much older than us.” Toni tilted her head quizzically at Temate. “...Right?”

  “I’m 32.” Temate responded, both of the younger people blinked and their eyes widened. Jake rexed for some reason.

  He’d been really tense ever since they’d approached Temate, but Temate had assumed it was because of how intimidating he was. Apparently it was something else but Temate couldn’t guess what. Toni became a fish, mouth opening and closing with unspoken words and thoughts before finally she blurted out.

  “23!” Her eyes were still wide as she shouted that, drawing everyone’s attention and causing her to blush. “You’re only 9 years older than m- than us, that’s not that much. Hell quick math tells me we’re both in the half age plus seven rule for you so you could bite us.” Her face became crimson as she heard her own words. “N-not that either of us wants you to bite us but I get called bite sized all the time so it just kinda came to mind when you made that joke and-” a hand cmped over her mouth, two hands. Her own hands csped over her mouth and she looked between the two of them. Jake’s eyes had widened once more as she spoke, and he’d tensed up again before he gred at Temate.

  “That’s why we call her the Terror by the way.” Jake said, “sometimes her mouth runs ahead of her and she ends up saying stupid shit she doesn’t mean.” Jake gnced meaningfully at Toni who nodded slowly.

  Temate shook his head, “Don’t worry about it, though I suppose that would make camping together a bit awkward so-”

  “NO!” Toni shouted again, putting both of her hands on one of Temate’s thick arms. “I mean..” She released him and smiled weakly. “No I’m used to doing that and besides it’s destiny right? You have equipment and need company, we need equipment and are great company.”

  “Especially when you tell me you want me to bite you.” Temate smiled softly and snorted as Toni’s face became a red bright enough to match her hair as she put her head in her hands.

  “Come on man, leave her alone on that or I’ll have to punch your face in.” Jake stepped between the two and gred at Temate who crossed his arms and raised one eyebrow. An arm went to Jake’s shoulder.

  “Thank you Jake but, it’s fine, it was pretty funny in hindsight, it usually is.”

  Temate lifted a hand and waved it, causing Jake to tense up more. “No, Jake is right, it’s not appropriate for me to tease someone I don’t know very well about that kind of thing. It could touch on uncomfortable or painful history, I apologize.” Temate nodded towards the shocked Jake. “Thank you for that Jake.” There was a long pause as Temate’s very serious face slowly shifted to a small smile “...from State Farm.” A ugh, loud and bright from behind Jake made him blush.