Having put everything inside a rucksack, Nauna plopped down onto the ground to take a breather.
She's been waiting for Cyril to return for what felt likes hours now. She was concerned that perhaps he backed out of their deal. Maybe he found another group of people while looking around last night?
"Should I go look for him...?"
It was a stupid idea to go in that forest on her own, and she was fully aware of it. And even if she did find him with another group, what would she do? She didn't really have anything to give except her...
"Let's not think about that for now. I'll just...wait."
Around three hours later, she found herself talking to her band of outcasts over a fire. The conversation would be mundane to most, but it was quite engaging to a group unfamiliar with each other.
"So what was it like back in your city?"
"My...city? Huh. I really haven't talked about it much, eh? Well...it was honestly pretty horrible," she said, scratching the back of her head.
"It was super hot all the damn time! People kept pushin' me in the marketplace too. Annoying bastards."
An old man in the group chuckled. "Sounds like ye had it rough, Missy."
"Oh, definitely! And don't even get me started on the people! Wanted to punch their damn teeth out."
She then continued on talking about herself. Most of the stories were entertaining; like how she had to kick a man's groin once.
The stories were funny but none of them were too personal.
A few minutes of this passed and Nauna was starting to get worried.
Looking around she was hoping she would see Cyril... There he was. Awkwardly standing near a tree.
Practically stomping over, she crossed her arms.
"And where have you been?"
Cyril, being the mysterious person that he was, looked off to the side.
"I was thinking about things. Like if this journey's worth it or not."
"Waddya mean?"
"Sigh... Forget it, I'm sorry. Go get ready."
"I've been ready for a while now," she commented. She then went inside her tent to grab her things.
She kept grumbling to herself, but there was a hint of a smile on her expression. Nauna would be lying if she said she wasn't excited.
Having grabbed her rucksack and after saying goodbye to her group, the two started their journey.
Looking upwards, the sun was directly above their head signaling it was noon. They had only a few hours until nighttime. Better make the most of it.
=-=-=-=-=
The journey was mundane.
The two didn't converse much while walking through the dense thicket of the woods. Not that Nauna didn't want to, Cyril was just uninterested. He simply faced forward without taking a moment to stop.
The forest was damp. It was also full of mud, annoying bugs, and vegetation that slowed them down.
"I swear, if I haven't gotten a disease already, I sure as hell have now."
Cyril snorted, "I'm not so sure someone as stubborn as you would even contract one."
"Stubborn?! And how would you know that?!"
Cyril smiled back at his companion, "Call it a judge of character."
"A what...?"
"Hm? A judge of character. Like judging someone despite not having talked to them."
Nauna rolled her eyes, "Never heard of that. Probably some noble talk."
"Noble talk?"
"You're a noble, ain'tcha? It's me being a 'judge of character.'"
Mentally looking over himself, Cyril nodded.
"Apologies. I try to hide that fact."
"With those clothes? You aren't hidin' anything! Just look at me compared to you."
Cyril then turned on his heel and observed her more closely.
True enough, their appearances were almost the polar opposite.
Nauna was small—compared to the others in her group anyway. She had dark skin and wore dirty and torn clothes. She also had black hair and brown eyes, the same as most.
Compared to Cyril who was tall, wore eye-catching clothing, and had unique features like his blue eyes and white hair.
Upon realizing this, Cyril's expression turned sour.
"You feelin' bad for me? Don't worry about it. I'm used to it."
After that little conversation, they resumed back to walking.
The rest of their journey was spent in dead silence.
Cyril found it hard to talk about anything without it feeling disingenuous.
Nauna didn't mind the silence though.
But as the sun set, it temporarily marked the end of their travels.
"Considering I got attacked by that...creature yesterday, it'd be better for someone to keep watch."
"Wanna do shifts?"
"Not necessary. I'll do it," he stated as he swiftly climbed up a tree.
The trees of the forest were tall, and it provided a good amount of vision of the surrounding area as well.
"I'll keep stationed here."
"Mhm, gotcha."
Nauna then got to work on a tent.
She took a nearby stick and drove it into the ground. Pulling out a cloth from her rucksack, she used the stick as a support while the rest of the cloth was tied to a tree.
Her tent was smaller than usual but she didn't mind.
Gathering leaves from the area, she made herself a little bed.
Not the most comfortable thing in the world—or the most elegant—but she didn't care.
As she lied down, she put her hands under her head.
"So where ya from?"
The tree Cyril sat on was just above her tent.
"Me? Nowhere noteworthy."
"With your clothes? I doubt that."
"Truly, I'm being serious. Our little village isn't even on a map."
"Ehhh... Why'd you leave?"
"... It was suffocating staying there. I wanted to go an adventure, be a hero."
"Ha ha! Guess we're the opposite then."
Cyril raised an eyebrow, "Explain?"
"Well, ya see, I actually just wanted to settle down with my family. Bein' born with five siblings ain't easy."
Cyril's expression froze in shock. Five siblings? How does a mother even give birth to so many children? And why?
"Where... Where are they now?"
"No idea, actually. Haven't seen them in a while."
"Do you not want to?"
"I do, I do. But it's pretty hard right now."
Cyril had no response.
He just looked up at the sky and stayed quiet.
Nauna seemed to have picked up on it too since she stopped talking to him afterwards.
Cyril.wanted to say something but he didn't know what, so he stayed quiet.
Gazing up at the night sky, he was greeted by the vibrant glow of the moon and stars.
His usually expressionless face turned sad as he imagined her situation.
"I'm sorry, Nauna." Was the only thing he could say.