The snow crunched underfoot and echoed between the trees. It had been so long since Cerise had walked in the woods like this, not since Russel had passed away on a walk much like this on Mount Garou. A distant part of her thought how ironic it was that 'until death do us part' had been in a literal sense that day. She wasn't sure if she could face her in-laws with news of the death of their son, but she mustered up the courage and then left. There was no point in staying. She was too far now to go home and she lacked the guts to face the mountain again. Who knew if the rock decided to claim her life next, if she had only missed Death's cold hand that time.
She had taken up the life of a travelling bard after that, hopping from place to place and exchanging music for things she needed such as food or money or a place to stay. It had been eye-opening to see the world outside of Dia, not saying Dia had been closed off from the world. Her port-town home had exposed her to many kinds of people passing by, but she actually got to stay with them here. Share meals and stories and laughter, where she had only been an observer behind her mother's dress before. Now, she had nothing between her and the world.
Which now, actually, was a little unsettling.
It was silly to say, and perhaps residual nerves from before, but she kept getting this strange sensation that she was being watched. Her heart began to drum as she darted her eyes around. The trees only rustled from the wind, branches waving ever so slightly. She shook her head.
"Come on, Cerise, no one's there." She mumbled to herself, pulling her cloak a little closer to herself. She acted as though this had no effect, but the seconds passed and she began to feel more and more tense. Cerise put a hand on top of the dagger in its sheath on her hip. "H-Hello?" Her voice fell against the blanket of white and the ice-blue sky, no response. It was somehow worse that nothing responded. She stopped and turned around slowly, eyes scanning the trees around her. "Is someone there?" Her voice shook. The world fell into silence, her breath became clouds in the cold air.
It was probably nothing, just an over-active imagination. She sighed, hoping to dispel the anxious energy that had built up and went to continue on her way when the sound of a branch creaking hit her ears. She turned to see a blur of red and blue barreling towards her and, in a blink, she was down in the snow, wind knocked out of her.
Her first instinct was to scream, but something seemed to be stopping her. Fear, perhaps? Oh, her mother would've scolded her at this point, told her this was what happened when pretty young women walked alone in the woods. But, oddly enough, it seemed neither of them were planning to do anything. She could see him clearly now, the masked man who was probably the one who knocked her down. He reminded her of a snapdragon, which she politely kept to herself because she didn't feel he'd appreciate it.
"Why are you here?" His tone was sharp and she felt that fear come back. "This is Hoshidan territory. Why are you here?" Hoshidan? Oh. Oh no.
"I-I had no idea, I was too into my head." She tried to back away and stand up. "I assure you this was an accident-"
"Likely story, Nohrian." He stepped forward a bit menacingly. She couldn't let herself freak out, that would only rouse his suspicions more. She just needed to focus on something else, something like-
"Aren't you cold?" She asked. The man furrowed his brows in confusion. "Your shirt. It's open in the middle. Aren't you cold?" Cerise had no idea why that was the first thing to come to her mind, actually she really regretted opening her mouth to say that now, but she couldn't take it back.
"I'm not cold." She sighed and nodded her head. The two stared at each other, silent. "...And you seem too scatterbrained to be any sort of threat." She wasn't sure to be insulted or relieved. "If you really are lost, go back where you came. And don't come back here." He then disappeared in a cloud of smoke. She stood in the snow, staring where the strange man had been moments before before shaking herself out of her daze and heeding his words. She could stop by the village she had seen on the way here and ask for directions.