[center][h3][color=ff8800]Asmund Gjanarsson[/color][/h3][/center]
[hr]
The first thing Asmund noticed about Laurel's presence wasn't herself, but the smell of smoldering wood. It sent him on a profound search for its origin, annihilating the gifted's original plan to sit down and take a rest. He wasn't eager to be surprised by a developing bush fire he could have been able to stop if he had made the effort to do so at an earlier stage. However, he naturally didn't find anything, and the concentration he was inspecting the ground with actually prevented him from looking upwards and detect the real cause or to hear the growls. It wasn't until a wisp of smoke that refused to disperse quickly enough allowed him to backtrack things that he noticed the black leopard.

From almost directly below her, he tilted his head back and greeted her. "Oh... hi there. Almost missed you! How ya' doin' ?" He didn't really know her although they were in the same year, but her leopard form immediately grabbed his interest. It could be seen in his eyes that were literally scanning it, absorbing any detail from the long tail up to the fur. Aside from that, 'chesty' was a pure understatement for his voice, and if he considered the volume he was speaking with as normal - what he indeed did -, his shouting possbily could be heard easily across the entire lake.

The branch Laurel was lying on was too high to reach, so Asmund decided to go with his initial choice and sat down on one of the wooden benches that were distributed along the lake's banks, close enough for them to be able to continue any conversation with ease. The backrest was way too small for him, a good reason to stretch out on it like in a bed. It also spread his weight along the sagging boards, making it less likely that he would accidentally break the thing.