However, upon breaking the surface in shallow water, Gunnar was surprised to see that he was, surprisingly, not alone. He raised a brow at the unexpected guest, already steeling himself in preparation for a possible confrontation. After all, not every creature in the forest was entirely pleasant.

“...You take a wrong turn at some point?” He called out, not minding the slight nip of cold air upon his exposed skin.

Finally giving up, Maeve grit her teeth and balled up the paper, forcing it to rot in her hand like the tree it once belonged to. For a moment, the air was thick with the scent of stale death, though the essence was whisked away by the passing wind. She stopped and closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of the forest as the winter breeze blessed it; the rustling of leaves, the murmur of creatures in the underbrush, the light patter of approaching footfall behind her...

The last sound brought Maeve back to the present, opening her eyes and straightening her back with tensing muscles. They were too distant for her to make out any scent or distinctive features, which only inspired the younger Tuath Queen to grind her teeth together. She relinquished her aggression and sighed, anger dissolving into annoyance.

“If you’re neither my sister nor carrying food, I’d suggest making this quick.” She stated without turning towards the guest.

She stumbled off balance as her fist swung through the air, the expected sound of flesh against wood never arriving. Iris blinked. The plank of wood wasn’t there anymore. It had fallen. Oh. Time stood still as the small clearing went quiet, the birds having flown away long ago. The ringing silence was only broken by a loud gasp as Iris tried to control her breathing, control her emotions, control. She slowly bent down, replacing the plank of wood before continuing once more. She needed to control herself. She slowly restarted her exercises. Kick, punch, duck, spin, punch, punch, kick, spin, kick. Another’s presence was felt at the edges of her awareness, but Iris ignored that in favor of continuing. the. punch. kick. spin. Control. Regain it. Blank face. Movements precise. Mind aware. Do not falter. She can not falter. 

It had not taken long for Noe to discover the marketplace once the colony had arrived in Arain. The colony had been in short supply of liquor in moving anything they’d kept through the cairn to Arain and she was simply not of the mind that one should withstand life’s challenges without a drink. Glaring at the Lake as if it had insulted her mother, she took a sip before regarding her company with the utmost respect. 

               ❝’Fuck’s your problem?❞

"Do you know anything about these?” 

He ran as a human, barefoot through the snow at full speed, he stayed within the confines of the southern reach, close enough to his Cairn so he could respond at a moment’s notice, but giving himself a wide enough birth to have some fun as he frantically searched for his first unlucky victim. He spied someone ahead and tore with haste towards them, moving at inhuman speed as he laid hands upon them, not rough, but enough of a nudge to get their immediate attention before ripping past them and shouting, 

“Tag! You’re it!”

It was silent by the lake. She was bored. Since the party it seemed like everyone was growing restless. She didn’t know how Gunnar did what he did. He kept everyone in line. He kept everyone under his rule and did so fairly well. Sora had just wanted a break. So she’d gone to the surface. Checked around the lake to make sure she was alone, which she was at the current moment. 

After making sure no one was in earshot, she walked over to the lake’s edge though- not touching it currently, and sat down. She laid back and finally let her voice drift off. It was just a song she had stuck in her head. But before she could sing in a spot where no one could hear. Around the forest there didn’t to be much of a place for it. Even under the lake it seemed somewhat crowded. She just wanted to a few moments of solace. To sing, get the song out of her head and then go on her way.

She kept walking, making sure each step she made was calculated in their vibration, sensing each possible inch of the nearby surroundings. A part of her knew she could let her magick roam much more freely, giving her the benefit of speed, but it also put her in a much more dangerous position of momentary panic if she sensed something else. 

With a huff of irritation after walking at least a hundred yards, Nadeia placed two fingers of both her hands to her temples, closing her eyes as she walked along the shoreline- humming as she matched her steps. “If this goes on for another hundred meters I have no choice.” she whispered again, feeling slightly more dejected in each step she took.