; alone in the snow
♜ The change in tone wasn’t one that Touya had expected. It’s light, but not mockingly so; heralding a totally different attitude than the one he had held apprehension for. He didn’t exactly dwell on that too much though, and quietly picked up his pace. Heading back to the facility all by himself hadn’t been that pleasant of a plan, considering how unaccustomed he was to the terrains of this strange establishment.
The curt compromise following that brief amiability did make the boy raise an eyebrow, however. Only to the doors? Noticing that the woman was leaving him behind, Touya ceased his underdeveloped train of thought and followed her trail as fast as his heavy boots can allow on this thick layer of snow. It doesn’t take too long to catch up to the woman, however. He knew she had slowed down her pace for him.
"You’re not gonna wander off from the building when I’m gone…right? I really meant it when I said we should go together.” Touya had a feeling his words would likely fall in deaf ears, however.
The boy’s soft sigh blended in the thud of footfalls, leaving a trail of misty white air floating in the atmosphere. Whoever this woman is, she seemed quite accustomed with walking through the woods, given the natural sureness and ease her feet was navigating through the dense area.That doesn’t mean he’s going to give her any leeway just based on that demonstration of experience. There’s no telling what may or may not happen, after all. In this irrational place, who can tell what will occur next? Dangers were lurking in the dark and could attack anytime they left themselves open for vulnerability to numb their senses. He really couldn’t leave her alone…
Is there a way to accompany her farther than to the doors? One thought eventually blended with many others as he strolled toward the “safe” Northern building. Looking up from mismatched imprints on the snow, Touya wondered how many times had this lonely figure striding confidently in front of him walked through this same disturbingly quiet scenery. How long was this woman forced to reserve all faith and emotional openness for a stranger she was bound to? How many people like Touya, who were set off scared and exhausted by everything dreadfully dislocated from reality, had she seen during her stay?
There were a thousand and one questions he wanted to ask, some more intrusive and untoward than others; all borne the same helplessness and, maybe, a faint desire for a mutual bond formed between two people placed in the same frustrating circumstance. But Touya had more tact than just spouting out whatever comes up in his mind. So he settled with the most basic, conversational of inquiries:
"What’s your name?"
One step at a time.
Her light footsteps through the snow, gently crunching the top layer but managing to avoid breaking through its surface entirely, contrasted sharply with the boy's bootfalls. Privately, she reflected on how luckly he was that the forest happened to be devoid of youkai. Such unguarded steps attracted attention so easily and attention from beings like ayakashi was best avoided by people who couldn't see them. Usually it was only little mischiefs that were visited upon those without proper sight, but one could never be too sure.
On principle, she kept an eye trained on the treeline for this very reason. Even if there weren't youkai afoot, the forest kept its secrets well. She, who had practically lived here since arrival, had not yet explored all of it and undoubtedly never would, but she could tell that something lived here - not necessarily something friendly. Simple experience had shown her that. He appeared to have some awareness of that fact too, if the aura of alertness he was projecting was any indication.
In reply to his question, she gave only a little hum, as if to say 'who knows?' despite the fact that she knew perfectly well what she would do. If he was going to be so insistent, however, she might make a brief stop indoors to arm herself against the cold before venturing out again. Better a small inconvenience than to continue treading over the same ground with him.
His silence didn't particularly bother her, though she got the impression that it was simply a prelude to more conversation. As much as she wished to find people who were inclined to speak with her, she was so out of practice that the opportunities were often squandered. The proportion of those willing here was significantly higher than that at home and still she naturally secluded herself. She had no real answers there, especially not to what strange force kept bringing others her way. In a place like this, it may be that she was no longer the most abnormal one around, making it easier to group her in with the realm of the ordinary.
Such meditations were easily broken by his question, one that amused her. It was clear that he was trying to make small talk, knowing that it was the surest way to begin conversation. She held no qualms about giving her name, though her laconic answer was directed to the empty space in front of her more than the boy she was guiding through it.
"Reiko." Since he wasn't a youkai, she could direct his question right back at him. "You must have one too." That teasing note played easily through her voice again, almost chastising him for not introducing himself first, as was polite.
