Mystic Heart Odyssey

Naira’s Search, pt. 2

Here’s the followup to the previous Naira aside! It takes place right after the previous one, so again you should consider this one backdated. Hope you enjoy this peek into how things are going back around Lakefire!

-Llox

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By the time Naira neared Lakefire, she barely managed to call out to the nearest fellow Asher before collapsing. It was near dinnertime when she got back, and she’d rushed to get back as quickly as she could, skipping lunch in the process. Not only had she raced to get back, she’d barely eaten anything in over a day and a half, so her belly was complaining when she recovered. Her vision was blurry when she first came to, and it took a moment for her to recognize the voice of the rather large individual lifting her up.

“-hear me?” the individual holding her asked, then looked up to someone beyond Naira’s field of vision. “Someone bring me some water, NOW!”

“Nngh… N… Kezhna?” Naira said, rubbing her eyes weakly, then looked up to see Lykou’s older sister looking down at her while holding her up off the ground. The fresh bloody patches from her most recent hunt were still fresh on her upper torso, and after looking around, Naira spotted a large boar carcass laying a few yards away. “W… what are you…?”

“Naira! Good, you’re awake,” the huntress replied. She took the waterskin brought over by one of the other hunters and handed it to her with a firmness that left no room for discussion. “Drink first, then we can talk.”

Naira nodded and quickly took a few big gulps. Even if hunger was more pressing, the rapid return had definitely left her parched as well. “W… why are you… out this way?” she eventually asked after pausing to take a breath. “I thought you were hunting the south woods?”

“No, Leis took his group there today, so we went northwest,” Kezhna replied. “More importantly, where have you been? We got worried when you didn’t return last night.”

“Oh! I found something!” Naira replied, hurrying to sit up until the huntress pushed her back down as her belly started rumbling again.

“No. You clearly need food. I’ll carry you back, then you can tell us what you found,” Kezhna insisted. “I’ll have plenty of my own portion to share.”

Naira flushed slightly and pouted. “I can walk fine… besides, don’t you have to carry, er,” she said, glancing over at the boar. “That?”

Kezhna grinned toothily. “Do you think I can’t do both? That sounds like a challenge.”

“Nono, I know better than to challenge you to anything,” Naira assured her anxiously. “S-seriously, Kezhna, I can walk. I’ll just… take it a little slower.”

“Hmm… fine. But don’t hesitate to lean on me if you need to,” Kezhna replied, then gestured over to the other hunter who’d brough the waterskin. “Or Eirik or Ranno.”

“You can lean on my spear too, if you want,” Eirik volunteered. “I need to replace the head tonight anyway.”

Naira nodded and slowly got to her feet, somewhat unsteadily, with Kezhna helping her up. “Thanks…”

“Of course,” Kezhna said, then walked over to the massive boar and hefted it onto her shoulders as if it were nothing. She then plucked her spear out of the ground where it’d been temporarily stuck while she helped Naira as the group prepared to continue back to the village. “So where have you been? I was starting to worry you’d… well…” she hesitated, then trailed off thoughtfully.

Naira frowned. Lykou’s sister rarely showed any sign of pain, let alone emotional pain, but she’d learned to pick up on the cues. “That I disappeared too?” she said sheepishly. “No, I’m… sorry if I worried you.” She glanced at the other hunters as she started walking back to the village with them. “All of you.”

Kezhna took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. “No apologies necessary as far as I’m concerned, Nai-Nai,” she said. “I… miss him too.”

“We all do,” Eirik agreed. “And we know how close you two were, so it’s not really surprising how obsessed you are.”

“Just try and take care of yourself out there,” Ranno said, then smirked faintly. “We know you’re no good at hunting, after all.”

“Yeah yeah, don’t rub it in,” Naira grumbled, folding her ears down as her belly rumbled again.

“Damn, girl, have you eaten nothing?” Kezhna asked. “Reach into my bag right now and grab some jerky.”

Naira opened her mouth to object, but one quick look from the tall huntress immediately killed any comments she was about to make and she sheepishly did as she was told. “Okayyy… thank you, Kezhna…”

“Of course. Can’t have you starving on us on the walk back, Nai-Nai,” Kezhna teased.

“Do you have to call me that?” Naira complained, blushing. “In front of everyone else, even?”

“Without Koo-Koo here,” Kezhna replied, pausing for a short beat as a subtle hint of pain crossed her eyes. “You’ll just have to take his share of teasing.”

“He’s gonna turn up,” Naira said quietly.

There was a tense, awkward silence for a minute. The Kezhna nodded slightly. “I’m… sure he will.”

“Oh, right, that reminds me! Back to what I wanted to tell you all!” Naira said excitedly. “I found something! Remember how on the day he vanished he was chasing some stranger?”

“...yes?” Kezhna said, her eyes widening as she and the others slowed down.

“I think I may have found something left behind by whoever they were! Some old… weird campsite. But for just one person,” Naira continued, then paused to dig the blanket she’d found out of her bag. “This was the most in-tact thing I could find. Honestly the rest of-”

Kezhna was almost immediately looming over her, having dropped the boar again to get a closer look at the blanket, which she grabbed to inspect. “...this… this is no konuul blanket…”

“Right?!” Naira said, carefully pulling the blanket back. “I’m not even entirely sure what it’s made of.”

“The stitching is masterful,” Ranno said, peeking around the two. “And there’s more out there?”

“Ye- well, kind of. Like I said, this is the only thing that looked well-kept. Everything else was… a mess,” Naira replied, rubbing her arm thoughtfully. “There weren’t any signs of a firepit, but there was wood piled up in a few spots where it looked like someone was trying to make one but… couldn’t, for some reason.”

Kezhna stared at her for a moment, then back down at the blanket. “...we must tell Ryvis,” she declared. “The camp was abandoned, though? You didn’t see the owner?”

“Looked that way, yeah,” Naira said, then lowered her voice. “The weird thing is… I don’t think they’re konuul. Or ursaran.”

“What?” Eirik responded, somewhat incredulously. “What makes you say that? What else is there?”

“Who knows? I think some old stories mentioned other people, but not much detail,” Naira said. “Whoever it was, they made all these paintings on the wall of the cave they were staying in. Some of them looked like people, but not like us. And there were no bones or anything around, but there were a bunch of scraps of plant stuff that looked half-eaten.”

“That… is very strange indeed,” Kezhna agreed. “Alright, let’s get back quick and tell the chief. Well done finding this, Nai-Nai.”

*****

After the group returned, Oren hurried over to greet Naira. Even as laid back as he could be, his relief at her return was obvious, and further reinforced by the tight hug her gave her. After being welcomed back, she was led to one of the dining houses, where she gratefully devoured the food she was given, then began repeating what she’d found to anyone who cared to listen while Kezhna went to tell her parents the news. It was drawing a lot of attention, and more members of the tribe came to hear about it and view the blanket as it was passed around.

“This is certainly… interesting,” Leis hesitantly admitted. “But it really just raises more questions than answers.”

“I know, but it’s a start!” Naira replied. “We have no idea who- or even what this stranger is, but they’ve got to be the one Lykou was chasing down!”

“Well, let’s not jump to conclusions,” Leis said. “It could just be a coincidence.”

“Oh come on,” Naira retorted with a frown. “There’s no way! This has got to be related!”

“Either is possible,” Eirik pointed out. “But it’s a fascinating find, either way.”

“Still, it’s best not to get your hopes up,” Leis insisted. “I know you miss him, but you have to keep a clear mind about th-”

“Oh stuff it, Leis!” Naira snapped. “I am in no mood for your crap today.”

“I’m just trying to think rationally,” Leis retorted with a frown. “Someone around here has to, and clearly you’re letting your emotions-”

“Finish that sentence and I’ll feed you your tail!” Naira growled.

Oren winced. “Uh, guys, let’s cool off a little-”

“I can feed myself thanks,” Leis retorted. “Unlike someone else I could mention!”

“Like you have any room to talk!” Naira snarled. “You only got to be a hunt leader because you’re always sucking up-!”

“It’s called respect! Not that you’d know anything about it,” Leis growled back. “For all we know this is another stupid fantasy-”

“How dare you!” Naira retorted, getting up from her seat with her fists clenched.

“Woah, hey, don’t-” Eirik interjected as he tried to gently, but firmly hold her back. Several others did the same on Leis’s side when he rose to glower at her in turn, while everyone else uncomfortably looked on.

“For all we know, you made up the whole thing about this camp you supposedly found,” Leis accused her. “Just so that you’d have an excuse to keep running off to-”

“ENOUGH,” a voice boomed from the doorway, immediately silencing the heated conversation. Chief Ryvis had finally arrived to see what all the commotion was about,and he didn’t look happy about it. “What… exactly is going on in here?”

Leis and Naira briefly glared daggers at one another again. Eirik cleared his throat awkwardly. “...you, uh… know how these two get sometimes,” he said, then brought the blanket over to the chief, trying to diffuse the situation a bit and get things back on track. “But, more importantly chief, Naira made a very interesting discovery in the woods!”

Ryvis looked over the blanket with mild curiosity. “A… blanket?” he said. “Certainly an unusual looking one, at that. I assume you haven’t been spending all this time out there to secretly become a weaver, Naira. Where did you find this?”

After shooting one more death-glare at Leis, Naira turned her full attention back to the chief. “Out in the woods, in a cave way out there. I found what looks like a weird, crude campsite,” she explained. “But whoever was using it, I’m pretty sure they weren’t a konuul or an ursaran.”

“Oh? And what makes you say that?”

Naira went on to describe all the things she found yet again, from the beginning. “The paintings are by far the most interesting bit. Whoever it was, they were talented, and clearly had things to say, but maybe nobody to say them to.”

“I see…”

“We only have her word and this blanket to go off of, mind you,” Leis interjected. “I’ll admit the blanket’s interesting, but you know she’s prone to making up-”

“I wouldn’t fucking LIE about this, Leis!” Naira snarled. “Why don’t you just-”

“QUIET!” Ryvis demanded, silencing them both. “I won’t say it again.”

“Sorry chief,” they both quietly responded with their ears folded down.

“Where exactly did you find this cave?” Ryvis asked.

“Pretty far up north, uh, and east a bit,” Naira said, then rubbed her arm sheepishly. “I uh… ended up following clues a lot farther than I intended. It was a good bit outside out territory.”

“Reckless,” Leis commented, but then immediately buttoned up again after a quick look from the chief.

“Unnecessary commentary aside,” Ryvis said, turning back to Naira. “He has a point. Lykou already went missing, we don’t need to lose you as well, Naira.”

“I know, I…. didn’t mean to,” Naira said, deflating a bit. “But I found footprints that looked like Lykou’s, so I just had to follow them, then kept finding more and more stuff until I ended up at that campsite.”

“I see…” Ryvis replied, then rubbed his chin thoughtfully before walking over and handing the blanket back to Naira. “Well, as intriguing as this is, can you be sure you can find your way back there?”

“Absolutely!” Naira replied, perking back up a bit. “If you want, I can take a few people out to see the site tomorrow!”

“I’ll tag along,” Oren happily added. “You’ve got me pretty curious.”

“No offense Oren, but you’re hardly an entirely objective observer,” Leis said. “It’s going to take more than another one of her friends to be a reliable witness, and the tribe can’t afford to send a whole scouting party out based on-.”

“Good of you to volunteer, Leis,” Ryvis said with a smirk. “Make sure to bring your hunting gear, just in case.”

“W- I didn’t-!” Leis started to object, then groaned and facepalmed. “Yes chief Ryvis… ugh…”

Naira grimaced. “Really? What about Eir-”

“Eirikweh and Rannowi will be busy helping with the rest of the turkey hunt tomorrow,” Ryvis said, then shot a look at Leis. “Since someone spooked the flock today and let most of them get away.”

Leis winced and averted his gaze, fidgeting uncomfortably. “R-right…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be along to help keep everyone safe,” Kezhna said cheerfully as she walked around from behind Ryvis, having just returned from her parents’ house.

Ryvis turned to object, but hesitated. “...you, uh, you’re also going to be need-”

Slowly, Kezhna turned to face the chief- being one of the few members of the tribe as big as he was, if not slightly taller- with a forced smile and a look in her eyes that made it clear that there was a barely-contained nightmarish storm of violence waiting behind it, begging for a chance to be released.

“….r-right, nevermind,” Ryvis was a strong and authoritative figure. Everyone in the tribe knew that his word was law, even if a council of elders often convened for bigger decisions. And he was more than happy to demonstrate his ability to enforce it, if need be. In other circumstances, he wouldn’t have been intimidated. But even he knew better than to get between Kezhna and anything involving her family. He occasionally still had nightmares about the time he saw her help fend off a group of ursarans that tried to poach in their territory.

“Great, I’ll go sharpen my spear and my knives!” Kezhna replied in a slightly too-bubbly tone, then turned and left as abruptly as she’d arrived.

Ryvis let out a faint sigh of relief after she left, then quickly collected himself. “Four of you should be plenty. Get a good night’s rest and be ready to head out early.”

*****

The hike out to the campsite the next day was a tense one. Naira’s memory of the landmarks she’d passed wasn’t as good as she thought. She tried to make up for it with faux-confidence, hoping that it would avert any more doubts about her story. Leis certainly wasn’t helping matters by reinforcing those doubts whenever he could- though he did so carefully. He was, afterall, the odd man out in the group. Still, even Oren was starting to show some concern as the sun was creeping down across the afternoon sky. It was less about doubt and more worry about them needing to find a decent place for themselves to camp out for the night if they couldn’t find the cave.

Kezhna was a bit preoccupied- in an effort to keep an eye out for potential danger, she inadvertently ended up watching every bird, squirrel, and chipmunk they encountered with a predatory eye. On several occasions, she found herself resisting the urge to see if she could pin one to a tree with a thrown knife. Actually, she knew she could, but she hadn’t done so in ages and the chance to practice was tempting. For her to take a day off of hunting, sparring, or practicing with implements of death was somewhat rare, and her instincts were itching.

Leis let out an exasperated sigh. “Are we trying to get ourselves lost? Naira, just admit-”

“SHUT it, Leis!” Naira growled. “I know what I’m doing!”

“Oh? Then how much farther is it?” Leis demanded skeptically.

Naira rolled her eyes. “Feel free to turn around and go back, we won’t mind!”

“Look, I get it, you two were extremely close-”

“We ARE very close,” Naira insisted, shooting him hateful glare.

“Fine, are, whatever,” Leis continued. “Point is, it’s understandable that you’d imagine things as a means of coping with-”

“Okay seriously,” Oren interjected, rubbing his head a bit. “Come on, Leis. You know that’s over the line and not helping.”

“I just don’t want to get lost or stuck out here ourselves,” Leis grumbled, crossing his arms.

“Why not? Sounds fun,” Kezhna chimed in, watching a squirrel skitter along a tree branch intensely. After a moment, she finally pried her eyes away and grinned at Leis disconcertingly. “What’s wrong, scared of the dark?”

Leis took a few large steps away from the huntress and gulped. “N-no, not with you around,” he said, then muttered under his breath, “M-more scared of you.”

“Aww, that’s sweet of you, Leis,” Kezhna replied. “Hey! How about we all go on a night hunt while we’re out here? It’ll be exciting!” She quickly turned to Naira. “Did ya happen to see anything big while you were out here yesterday?”

“Uhh, n-no,” Naira replied, then quickly looked around. “Oh! I recognize those fallen trees up there! We should be getting close.”

“Pretty sure you said that a couple times already,” Leis complained. “I swear, Nai-”

“Hey, look,” Oren suddenly said, pointing to something on the ground up ahead. “That looks like one of the scraps you mentioned, Nai.”

“Hah! It is!” Naira said, then shot Leis a look. “Fucking TOLD you.”

Leis walked over and poked at the torn fabric with his foot skeptically. “Looks like garbage. You could’ve left this here yourself, for all we know.”

“Not unless she built this, just to break it,” Oren pointed out as he picked a large, tattered fragment of a tent that had been mostly buried under some leaves and pine needles. It still had some of its structural elements attached.

“Wow, somehow I missed that piece last time,” Naira mused, coming to take a closer look. “What is it, exactly?”

“Fucked up, from the looks of it,” Kezhna helpfully assessed as she came over to inspect it. “No claw marks, though. Looks like it’s been buried under shit for a long time and just gotten worn down.”

“That’s how a lot of it looked,” Naira said. “Until I got to the cave, and then most of the stuff just looked more like they were made by someone who didn’t entirely know what they were doing.”

Leis arched a brow as he took his turn to look over the scraps. “Well this is… definitely strange.”

“C’mon, we should find the cave if we just head this way,” Naira excitedly pointed out, her confidence restored from the find. “Let’s hurry, so you can get a good look in the daylight!

Leis sighed and grumbled, but otherwise kept his comments to himself for the rest of the hike. Oren’s curiosity was definitely piqued, and even Kezhna started focusing less on potential practice targets and more on searching for clues, now that she’d solid evidence that they were on the right track. Before long, they finally started seeing more abandoned debris, which eventually led to the cave.

“See! I told you it was real” Naira insisted, then ran over to the cave entrance. “Look, over here! Take a look at the wall from this angle!”

“Wow, you were right,” Oren commented, kneeling down next to her to inspect the paintings more closely. “These are pretty well made…”

Leis tilted his head at the cave art. “...looks like they didn’t have much to work with. Just a few colors.”

“That just makes it all the more impressive,” Oren pointed out.

“Right?” Naira said, then pointed to one of the images. “And see what I mean about the people? Definitely not konuul.”

“...I hate to say this,” Leis said, then sighed heavily and walked over to flop on the ground outside the cave. “And I mean REALLY hate to say it, but… look at those horn-things. It’s no wonder Lykou thought he was chasing a… Leeky-Ka-”

“Aliki-Ka!” Naira corrected in annoyance. “Come on, I know even you had to enjoy those stories at some point, Leis.”

“Yeah. When I was three,” Leis retorted flatly.

“There’s… a lot of pain here,” Oren commented quietly as he continued looking over the images.

“Yeah, you caught that too?” Naira replied, frowning as she looked back at certain paintings. “Really have to wonder what this person’s story is…” She then furrowed her brows. “And how they’re connected to Lykou’s disappearance.”

“Whoever they are, they’re not right,” Kezhna chimed in, picking up a half-rotten fragment of some root vegetable with a disgusted look. She looked at it for a moment, then tossed it far away into the woods. “Not one bone in here. I thought maybe you just missed it in the dark, but there’s nothing but half-eaten prey-food.”

“Maybe they just throw them out in the woods somewhere and don’t bother trying to use them for things?” Leis suggested. “Although judging from the rest of this filth, they weren’t exactly the tidiest individual…”

“Yeah no, I doubt it,” Oren replied. “Like you said, look at all the other scraps of stuff laying around. Whoever this is probably has too much else on their mind to care about that kind of thing.”

“So now what?” Leis asked. “Congrats, you found a weird camp for an even weirder stranger. How does that help find Lykou?”

“Well, I… don’t know yet,” Naira admitted, looking around anxiously. “This is as far as I got. Maybe you guys can help me spot something I missed?”

“Worth a shot,” Oren agreed with a shrug. “We have a couple hours of daylight left. Let’s just make sure to get a firepit set up before that.”

“Right, leave that to me. You guys have fun with your… scavenging,” Leis said as he started combining the loose piles of wood scattered haphazardly around.

*****

The next evening, when the group returned from the scouting trip, it caused an even bigger stir than when Naira first returned. Oren brought along the tent scrap they’d found, which was passed around much like the blanket had been the first time. Only this time, Naira didn’t bother asking for it back. Kezhna, ever the opportunistic hunter, brought along a stray turkey she’d managed to spot and hunt down earlier that morning.

“Whoever it is, it looks like the campsite itself was probably abandoned around the same time Lykou vanished, if I had to guess,” Oren commented as the group was reporting back to Ryvis. “But the other scraps from further away looked like they’d been left there a lot longer ago.”

“Hmm… possibly an older makeshift shelter that they couldn’t fix,” Ryvis replied, looking over the scrap material. “Question is, where’s the rest of their tribe? Why were they out there alone?”

“That’s a good question. One of many,” Naira said. “And something tells me they’ll give us an idea about where Lykou went. But to find any answers, I think I’ll have to keep looking around out there.”

“Kind of dangerous to be out that far on your own,” Oren pointed out. “Especially without being very good at hunting or serious fighting.”

“Hey, I can fight!” Naira retorted defensively.

“Drunken Spark Night brawls and rough-housing don’t count,” Leis remarked, earning a fresh glare from the target of his remarks.

“Hey, no judgement,” Oren intervened. “It’s not like I’m any better at those things. Probably worse, even.”

“They do have a point, Naira,” Ryvis agreed.

Naira deflated a bit. “But-”

“Don’t worry, I’m not outright dismissing the idea,” the chief continued. “Just the opposite, in fact. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve more than proven your case that this warrants further investigation.” He handed off the scraps to someone else, then crossed his arms. “So. Here’s the deal. You’ll be given a special scout role in charge of looking into this further. But before I let you do that, you’re going to have to work on your survival skills.”

“Alright, I can do that,” Naira said, perking back up. “Whatever it takes!”

“Unfortunately, there’s a big hunt coming up tomorrow, and it’s complicated. Turns out that flock we spotted was only a small part of a huge one passing through the area. This could be our best chance to stock up for the rest of the season,” Ryvis said, then looked over at Kezhna. “Unfortunately, the ursarans are probably eyeing it too. Things could get messy. So I’ll need you there in case things get… overly competitive.”

Kezhna nodded, then shot Naira an apologetic look. “Sorry, Nai-Nai. Lakefire’s well-being comes first. We can start training in a few days.”

Naira sighed and hung her head. “S-sure… I… guess I can go back to gathering in the meantime,” she mumbled.

“Well, with all this settled, lets get some dinner,” Ryvis announced, then turned to leave. Most of the others followed after him.

“Don’t worry, a few days will go by in no time,” Oren assured her with a quick side-armed hug. “Lykou’s strong. I’m sure he’s alright, wherever he is.”

“Yeah,” Naira agreed, smiling weakly, then sighed. “I’ll join you soon. I’m gonna… head over to the lake and soak my feet a bit before dinner. I’ll catch up later.”

Oren nodded and rubbed her back gently. “Sure, Nai. Just… don’t let it eat you up too much, alright?”

Naira nodded, and they parted ways as she walked through the village and made her way to the lakeside. When she got there, the water was lit up with the golden light of the setting sun reflecting across it from Sunstone Ridge. In other situations, the beautiful sight would have been comforting, but as it was, she just found herself wandering along the shore, lost in her thoughts.

Before she knew it, the sun had fully set, and the golden glow was replaced by the pale reflection of the moon wobbling on the rippling water. There was a steady breeze, giving the night air a crisp edge. Her stomach rumbled, but she didn’t really care. She wasn’t in the mood to share a table with a bunch of others, and if it meant eating cold scraps, then so be it.

Eventually, she noticed someone approaching out of the corner of her eye. When she realized who it was, she rolled her eyes up and tried to take a few calming breaths in order to resist the urge to get herself in trouble for an attempted drowning. “What is it, Leis? I’m in no mood.”

Leis slowed to a stop a few yards away, hesitating for a moment, then sighed and crossed his arms, looking out over the water himself. “...I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

“I told y-” Naira started to instinctively respond, then cut herself off when her brain caught up with her ears. She blinked a few times, trying to wrap her head around the words. “...what?”

“I said I’m sorry,” Leis repeated. “I know we have our issues, and probably always will, but… I realize now, that I was insensitive and went overboard.”

“I… y… thank… you?” she replied awkwardly. She didn’t even know those words were part of his vocabulary, and was starting to wonder if she’d fallen asleep and started dreaming.

“...I know I butt heads with you two, but I miss that goofball too, as hard as that is to believe,” Leis said, kicking a rock out into the water. “And I really do care about the tribe. I don’t want anyone else going missing out there. Including you.”

Naira stared off into the distance in silence for a minute. “...I’m never going to give up, if that’s what you’re-”

“I know, believe me,” Leis replied, rolling his eyes. Then he sighed. “You’re just as stubborn as he is, so I should know better by now. Even if chief Ryvis fully forbade you from continuing your investigation, I’m sure you’d eventually sneak out anyway. That’s why I wanted to talk to you.”

Naira shot him a skeptical look. “Oh?”

“Yeah,” he said, then took a deep breath. “...let me train you.”

“W… buh??” Naira blanched. “Y-you want t-… why??”

“Like I said, I don’t want something bad happening to you, and I know you’re going to keep trying regardless,” Leis said. “I’m a hunter. Maybe not as good as Kezhna, but I’m good with a bow, and despite what you might think, I can survive out there on my own for a bit if I have to. But Kezhna’s in charge of the big hunt and frankly they can spare me for this one. I may be a hunter, but she’s a warrior. So I can at least start your training.”

Naira stared at him for a moment, looking for any sign of deception. “...um… well…”

“Believe me, I’m no more excited about the idea than you are, and I’m sure we’ll end up fighting plenty in the process,” Leis said with a less-than-enthusiastic tone. “But at the end of the day, we do really have the same general goals. And anyway, I want to try and make up a bit for earlier.”

“… okay. I’m willing if you are,” Naira replied quietly after a moment, rubbing her arm some as she looked back out over the lake. “...th...thanks, Leis.”

“Of course,” Leis said. He dropped his gaze back down to the water and frowned after a minute, seemingly getting lost in thought himself. “...really is a bit duller without him here.”

“...yeah,” Naira agreed, a tearing up very slightly. “It really is.”