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Duncan carefully set his things next to the bench that had been installed on the grass right before it turned into sand. They had opened up the lake finally, but there was still no swimming, which meant that he couldn't lifeguard the lake just yet, but he could at least enjoy the weather and surrounding nature before the area got too crowded with boats and people trying to swim in the small area that the city allowed.

For now though, it was peaceful, which meant that he could practice a little. He opened up his guitar case and made sure the instrument was tuned before he started to play it a little. Sometimes he would learn songs to play on the guitar, other times he would create his own little melodies, making sure to record them because he would inevitably forget.

While he was playing, he didn't notice anyone else around. At least not yet.

Duncan had been so distracted that he hadn't realized that someone else was there. Eventually though, he felt as though he was being watched, and took a look around. Eventually he saw the source of the feeling, and it was a woman with a camera. He grinned at her. He was used to pictures of him being taken. Whether it was at his modeling job, or silly high-school freshman girls who wanted to take a picture of the "hot lifeguard", he was used to a camera being on him.

"You out here to take some pictures of the scenery?" He asked with sincerity. He hoped that she wasn't some sort of stalker at least.

He took a deep breath of air and sighed, letting it out. "It's nice outside today. I can't blame you. And barely anyone is here. It's nice to see this place without all of the usual summer activity." He said, before strumming his guitar a bit more. He looked back at her again. "I'm Duncan. You might have seen me life-guarding the beach a few times." Unless a beach-goer had really bothered him, he never remembered anyone who went there. "Right now I'm just enjoying the atmosphere. Though I feel like I'm ruining it a bit by adding my own sound." He chuckled, but it did feel good to just... be out here. Sometimes he thought about buying a lake cabin somewhere and just living there.

"I don't mind at all." Duncan replied, strumming his guitar once again. "Myth is a good name. Sounds mysterious and something you want to learn more about." He said a bit lazily, concentrating on his guitar. "Thank you though. I try not to play anything too jarring out here. I like to match my playing with the scene that I'm in, you know?" He didn't think something too loud or too crazy would be appreciated out here. If he saw birds flying once he played, he knew that he needed to tone it down.

He watched her sit on the beach, not stopping his playing, and nodding when she agreed with what he had said. "I wish it was like this more often. Though, if it was, I wouldn't have a job in the summer." He chuckled, strumming the strings softly. "I wish more people would appreciate nature like this. Then again, I don't find metal buildings as interesting as what the world naturally creates. But I won't blame anyone for liking the city either. But the calm that can come over you in a place like this?" Another strum. "Nothing can beat it."

He played a little more. "Do you take pictures for fun? If you do, is it also your job? I like being a lifeguard as it gives me an excuse to be at the beach more often. But it can be stressful at times." He took a look at her, curiosity in his eyes. "Do you do stuff like weddings? I've had a few of those at this beach and just watching it was enough to stress me out." He kept himself from chuckling at the memories.

Duncan nodded. "Some people do better in the city, some people do better in nature. It's when the two clash too much that it becomes a problem." At least when it hurt nature for a small gain. He couldn't stand oil rigs in the middle of nowhere.

"Scrapbooking sounds fun along with taking photos. I've wanted to try it myself before, but I just couldn't dedicate myself into doing one. And the fact that I didn't have enough pictures to even make an album." He should get a camera for himself. After all, moments like this were fleeting. "An antique shop is interesting though. I might have to stop by sometime." His apartment was decorated in beach/ocean themes. Surely they might have something old but cool at an antique shop? "That is dedication though. It must be nice to have your own dark room. You don't have to wait on anyone else to develop the photos for you. And you get to learn the tricks of the trade. I mostly just swim and yell at people."

He laughed at himself, but smiled when she winked at him. "I agree. I'm not sure why anyone does weddings. I think if I were to get married, I'd just go to the courthouse with a couple of witnesses. And then do something fun afterward. Maybe a party with my family sometime later. I still think it would be memorable enough." He shook his head. "That's not in my future though, not yet at least. So I do admire people who do have them. I just think they stress themselves out too much, you know?" People needed to learn to go with the flow. Or just hire a wedding planner and a few bouncers. Maybe even a contract lawyer.

He took a look around, making sure not to keep his eyes on the water for too long without his sunglasses. "I'm glad that they open the lake earlier than the swimming times though. Gives people a chance to relax."

"I may just take you up on that then. Though I would really like to get a good camera too. I don't take too many people pictures, but I think some nice beach ones would be good for an album." He set his guitar down, having given up on playing it for a bit. Not that he wanted to, but he had a hard time concentrating on playing it and talking at the same time.

"It sounds good though. I'd love to try it." He took his phone out. "Mind if I get your contact information? I don't have any business cards I can hand out." He said, making sure she knew that he wasn't just trying for her phone number to hit on her.

"Vegas and Elvis sound good. A lot of people do that and the marriages are just as valid." Though he couldn't help but quirk the corner of his lip up as he tried to imagine himself getting married by an Elvis impersonator. He always wondered what the real one would have thought of such a thing.

He relaxed back onto the bench, just looking at the water for a bit, but still had his phone out. "I didn't expect anyone else to be out today, but having someone to talk to is nice. I don't usually have such pleasant conversations. Most people are asking me where the food stands are at." He shook his head. "Or they try to get me to play what they want instead of what I want. I play my guitar because I want to, but I don't expect money from it."

Duncan happily accepted her card, and put it in his hoodie pocket for safe-keeping. "Thank you. That's pretty cool." And he meant it. He would be happy to see the pictures that she took. "And don't worry, I'll pay you for all of this. Whatever amount it is in the end." He never assumed that anything was free. And if someone needed money for whatever they did, why shouldn't they be paid for it? They took their time and energy to make it.

He laughed at her comparison. "Yeah, that's true! I've seen plenty of people sketching, and while I have asked if I can watch, I've never asked them to draw anything. I don't think you'll get anything out of an artist if you bother them into doing something they don't want to do." Luckily it didn't happen to him too often, but he was able to use his "lifeguard glare" on anyone thinking that they could request things of him. Perhaps if he was being paid he would play what they wanted, but guitar was a hobby, not something that he wanted to be paid for, unless he created a song and wanted to keep the rights for it.

"Seriously? I don't even get that. If they want pictures, they should hire a professional. And let me guess, when you do give them the pictures, they then complain that they aren't amazing quality, am I right?" Honestly, people were so weird sometimes to him. Which is why he liked being out near nature and bodies of water better.

Someday, he hoped he could just live on a boat in the middle of the sea somewhere, where the only troubles were... well a lot, but none of them having to do with other people.

"It's good to vent though. I don't believe it's healthy to keep stuff that annoys you inside all of the time. There may be others who can do that, but I don't believe that's the right way to do that for everyone. I think they should do it their own way, as long as it's not hurting anyone else. Whether it be punching a pillow, screaming into a pillow, venting for a bit, etc. you know?" He shook his head, moving so that he wasn't taking up half the bench with his arms still and moved forward so that he was resting on his knees in a position that his back would complain about when he got into his 60s.

"No one else is here but me right now. You could scream at the lake if you wanted to, I wouldn't tell anyone." He looked at her and grinned.

"That's good that you haven't run into too many then. Usually most people ask me to stop playing if they aren't asking me to play something for them. But that's not many of them. I think a lot of people appreciate a little music, as long as it fits with the atmosphere. Sometimes they do clap when I'm done with a song though, which can be annoying. I always want to shout, "I'm not playing for you!" but I don't." Duncan knew that people just wanted to show that they had liked it, and it would have been even more annoying if each one of them came up afterwards to tell him. Best to do it all in one go.

"Usually I swim. Though it's harder in the winter when I have to decide if braving the cold is worth it to go to the indoor pool." It hardly ever was, not unless he was already there being a lifeguard. "If I can't though, I usually play guitar until I can't feel the strings anymore. Then I forget about my feelings on the matter. Not to the point where they hurt though." He didn't want her to ask him if he played until his fingers bled or something.

He took another look at the lake, a family of ducks, two adults and what seemed to be about three dozen ducklings following behind the mother, swimming calmly in the lake. "I think the birds appreciate it. Should have thought of them myself." He did feel bad about it.

"I'd go with ice cream and a brownie though. Just nuke a brownie in the microwave and put some ice cream on top of it. Hot and cold at the same time, but so delicious." And incredibly sugary, but Duncan wasn't against spoiling himself sometimes. He just didn't eat sugar that much, unless it was in the form of a fruit smoothie.