The end of the day brought about the end of Timber's work, and as the guy let out a long sigh, he finished putting away the last of his tools. His day had gone more or less like every other since it began, going around the Camp grounds, finding whatever problems needed seeing to and doing what he could to fix them. The recent surge in popularity and interest this place had seen had helped a great deal with the finances and in keeping Everfree afloat, but that didn't meant that there wasn't still stuff to do here and there. A look of satisfaction crossed Timber's face as he carried his box of tools over to the shed adjacent to the main office of the Camp, and he soon smiled as he turned instead to the front door of the place. Going up the steps, it wasn't long before he entered that office himself, speaking up in that same confident tone of his.
"Well, I'm done for now, sis."
However, he soon noted that Gloriosa wasn't here. Her desk, which was where she would usually be found, was instead empty, save for a few piles of paperwork that had clearly had her involvement. Raising an eyebrow, Timber stepped out of the office once more, looking around to see if he could spot her. No easy feat, given that it was getting darker at this point. However, fortune smiled upon him today it would seem, as he managed to catch sight of a figure sitting at the end of the new dock that had been built at the side of the lake. Smiling, he recognised the outline of his sister, and so started to make his way over to her. Before long, he was behind her, seeing that she was dangling her feet in the waters of the lake, her shoes carefully placed to one side. Before he could open his mouth, Timber heard her speak to him.
"Finished, Timber?"
He nodded in response.
"Yep. Everything's done."
Gloriosa nodded, keeping her back to him as she let out a sigh. Curious, Timber walked a bit closer, and soon realised that his sister was holding a large book of some sort. Only moments later, he noted that it contained a number of what appeared to be family photos, ones that caused a clear degree of familiarity in him.
"Is that...?"
Looking back to him finally, Gloriosa smiled.
"It is. Found it while I was doing a bit of cleaning earlier."
Timber sat next to her, looking upon the long-forgotten photo album. From the looks of things, it would appear as though Gloriosa was only looking at the earlier pages, and picked out one photo in particular.
"Remember this one? It's when Mom and Dad first brought us here."
Her brother chuckled, taking the photo into his fingers and getting a closer look at it. Sure enough, it was the two of them, much younger than they were now, standing beside a man and woman, all smiling together.
"Yeah...I remember when I first saw this place. Thought it was the best camp in the world."
Gloriosa laughed briefly.
"The sentiment didn't last forever though, did it?"
Timber chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head.
"Well...the place still has its moments."
Gloriosa flipped another page, smiling to herself.
"Ah...remember this one? Dad was teaching you how to give rock-climbing lessons."
The brother again looked to the photograph, nodding.
"Took a while, but I got the hang of it...after a few bruises of course."
The siblings laughed together for a time, and again, Gloriosa turned the page.
"I think Dad took this one. Mom was showing me around the office, talking about how the Camp got started."
She looked up, out at the moonlit waters of the lake.
"I think that was the first time I ever felt any real passion for anything in my life."
Timber looked to her and smiled, placing a hand upon her shoulder.
"A passion you've kept, Gloriosa. I'm sure Mom would've been proud. Even she wasn't as devoted to this place as you were."
His sister looked to him.
"Maybe...though I did get a little overboard at one point."
Timber considered that, shrugging his shoulders.
"Maybe...but from what I hear, you couldn't have picked a better group to do it around. Just between you and me, it seems that weird stuff happens to them on an almost-daily basis."
Gloriosa laughed, though immediately felt guilty about doing so, and covered her mouth to try and stifle it. But, after letting the laughter die down in earnest, she let out a long sigh, continuing to flip through page after page, looking at photo after photo. The warm smile she bore made it clear that, no matter which image she was looking at, it was one that brought her a sense of joy, recalling for her memories that even she may have forgotten at one point. And while Timber may not have had her same enthusiasm for the Camp, even he was getting lost in the sentiment right now, bearing the same smile as she did as he too looked over those images.
"It's weird...thinking this place has been in our family for so long. So many people looking after it. You, me, Mom, Dad, our Grandparents...and who knows how many before that?"
His sister turned to him, smiling.
"The Camp has been here for as long as our family can remember...and if I have anything to say about it...it'll be here long after."
Timber looked to her, offering that same loving smile as before.
"With you leading the way? Yeah, I don't doubt it one moment, sis..."
He chuckled as he looked to her, meaning every word he said.
"...not one moment at all."
But, after having said that, he paused, thinking on his own words.
"Although...just as a matter of precaution, maybe it'd better if you don't get she-demon levels of obsessed with it. You know, just in case any safety inspectors show up or something."
Naturally, such a remarked earned him a well-delivered punch to the side of his arm, though Gloriosa bore no malice as she smirked to him after having done it. For his part, Timber simply rubbed that spot on his arm, laughing nervously as he did so.
"Yeah...okay...I deserved that one."
