“ it started being our problem the minute it stepped foot into pixie hollow . so i don’t care who you are , but i’m doing what i came here to do . ” hands adjusting the bow wrapped around her figure , ready to pull it at the drop of a pin . “ so it’s in your best interest to stay the hell out of my way . ”

gods , why was he so infuriating ? normally she wasn’t this cold when just meeting someone , but he triggered this instant fight response within her . it irked her , but she needed to prove her capability .

“ thanks , but no thanks . the fact that that thing slipped right past you during your personal tap session proves you couldn’t navigate your way out of a tea pot . ” then her eyes narrowed in a split second , mirroring a thousand daggers . her finger raised to point at his chest , closing the gap completely with it . “ i don’t collect buttons . i protect my people and my home . i don’t sit idly by while threats walk around freely . now i’m going to find this thing before it kills some one else . ” all fingers extending now to give him a forceful shove away from her .

the smug smirk that had landed on nods face remained put during their encounter , refusing to budge even as a delicate finger made its way to poke him in his sternum . his irritation had morphed into him quite enjoying poking fun at her . her fuse was almost as short as she was .

nod opened his mouth to reply before something caught his eye . the hair on his arm stood up , and the man quickly redirected his attention to the sky where he caught sight of the very thing he dreaded .

shit .

a hawk was circling just above them , searching for her next meal - which very well could be a leafman and a fairy . his breath hitched just as the woman shoved him . any further noise would guarantee they were discovered . in an effort to get the stranger to shut the hell up , he grabbed her as she turned away , pulling her back flush against his chest and using a calloused hand to cover her mouth .

“ and i was supposed to know you weren’t just another annoying mainlander ? ” she scoffed . “ news flash , i don’t want to be here anymore than you want me to be . but i have my orders , and that means i stay . ”

a rather unfortunate revelation , but it was the truth . if she were to return home without so much as a hair of proof , then she’d be ridiculed beyond reproach . and chase was never a failure . she would complete this mission , with or without this guy’s help .

“ look , if you don’t have any useful commentary , i’ll get back to my hunt . ” mimicking his attitude , she stepped off towards the other end of the branch , wondering if it had somehow slipped behind her line of vision . of course it wasn’t an ordinary animal , although it did wear the bones of one . then came a sigh . “ i don’t . . . i don’t know what it’s called . but it walks on two legs , just like us , talks just like us , but it’s blue . ” it killed her to admit she didn’t know what it was , but that’s her whole point in being here .

“ oh , orders ? that’s cute . you think your orders mean shit around here . unless they came from ronin himself — which , i promise you , they didn’t — you can take your orders and shove them up your commanders ass . anything that wandered into our territory is our problem now , so why don’t you just tell your friends you don’t have to play pretend ‘ soldiers ‘ anymore . “ he finished curtly .

nod wasn’t sure why her presence aggravated him so much . hell , sometimes he found the boggans sneaking onto his territory to be fun . maybe it was the argument he had had earlier with ronin about ‘ not taking his role seriously ‘ , maybe it was the weather , maybe it was the fact that she was a fairy and freakishly hot and — no , NO . no .

blue ? maybe he needed to start worrying about the strangers mental status . was she hallucinating blue fairies ? he didn’t know much about what went on in her home land , but he was relatively certain he would’ve remembered hearing about blue fairies .

even still , not even nod could pass up a golden opportunity to fuck with her .

“ wait — hold on , blue ? i actually know where they went , “ he began , eyes wide and tone earnest . he stepped across the branch to close the gap between them . “ in fact , i actually just ran into him . he said he was going back to your house to steal your collection of buttons ! “

a roll of the eyes , arms folding across her chest in a huff . “ even your bird knows you’re full of shit . i could hear you talking to yourself a mile back . ” exaggerated , but it got her point across . and at least her wings could blend in with nature , resonating like that of a dragonfly .

“ then clearly you’re just as bad at your job as you are with greetings . ” a venomous response , irritation increasing every second . “ because if you had been paying attention , you would have seen that vile creature disappear into the tree line . ”

chase was ready to fly off in an instant , to not give this stranger another second of her time , but she felt the need to defend herself . it was often her downfall . “ and i’m not friends with squirrels . i’m a scout , not an animal talent . ”

" oh , wow , so she can listen ! " nod retorted , arms crossing over his chest . " if you heard me miles back , then you should know that i'm here , and therefore you shouldn't be . are we connecting the dots ? "

her second statement , however , gave the leafman pause . he frowned for a brief moment , glancing in the direction that the stranger seemed prepped to head . creature . . . he hadn't seen anything , and it wasn't like lily - who was normally on high alert - reacted to anything either . then again , maybe his incessant complaining had been distracting her .

" - what do you mean ' creature ' ? " the moment the words left nods lips , however , he was practically scolding himself for taking even a moment to consider her words . ' creature ' was probably something stupid , like a bat or another harmless animal that posed literally zero threat . nod rolled his eyes , exasperated , " look , if it has eyes on the side of its head , it's too stupid to actually hurt you . feel better ? great . goodbye . " nod was prepared to place his hands on the womans shoulders and physically steer her back to " fairy haven " or whatever the name of their stupid kingdom was .

she’d been following a trail , hefty footprints in the fresh mud , leading her right to them . but all of a sudden , they vanished . the archer was left flitting about different routes , desperately searching for any sign of where the creature had gone . all of them fell short . “ where the hell did this thing go ? ” she groaned to herself , flying down the next possible path . along the way , profanities flew from her lips , jingling into the brisk evening air . darkness was soon to overtake and she’d lose them for sure once the light had gone .

cerulean hues scan the forest floor , wings carrying her almost as fast as the wind—though not quite , seeing as she’s not a fast flying talent . a faint voice could be heard nearby , too smooth to be one of those things . it was preventing chase from listening for it , which added to her already pissed off mood .

it became clear that her foe had vanished for the night , and her wings cried for a rest . zipping through a tree , chase found a high branch to perch herself on . from there , she could see the sky and the forest floor , giving her optimal range . head constantly turning on a swivel , a noise catching her attention . finally , she’s got it . gaze narrowed in hopes of finding what she came for—her ticket home—only to be met with leaves rustling in the wind , squirrels chittering below , and—

a grating , arrogant voice coming from below . chase steps towards the edge of the branch , holding onto a leaf stem to lean down further . her glare sharpens like a dagger , eyeing the figure which called out to her . “ you could help me by being quiet . i lost its trail thanks to your ramblings . ” she huffed , realizing the trail had gone completely cold now . “ are you always this loud ? ”

her comment drew a scoff from the brunette , “ oh , i’m sorry , do you not hear yourself ? I’m pretty sure the entire forest can hear your wings flapping from a mile away . i’m pretty sure my bird can fly more quietly . “ lily , as if on schedule , fluffed her feathers in a dignified manner .

dismissing his birds clear annoyance , nod scaled a few more branches to close the distance between him and the stranger . “ and what do you mean ‘ it’s trail ‘ ? i’ve been on post for the past three hours and i haven’t seen anything . are you sure it wasn’t one of your stupid squirrel friends or something ? “

ㅤㅤ❝𝓘 love coming to a party with a friend, and they just... kinda took off.❞ Sydney said flatly as she looked around the room from where she sat on a sofa in the sitting room. ❝I don't even know the host. But they were my ride. So I'm kinda stuck." A pause. ❝I guess I could Uber. But—❞" Her voice trailed off, still hopeful that they would come back shortly.

so , instead , nod found himself plopped on the couch next to a stranger , sipping - whatever nauseating concoction had made its way into his cup .

the strangers mutterings caught his attention , he shot a quick glance at their source . she seemed just as uncomfortable as he felt .