Despite his determination to make a decision when he woke up the next night, Leeyoon still didn't have any idea what to do about Lunisa. And, despite the cheery mood he'd gone to sleep in, he woke feeling miserable about it all again. There was a tightness in his chest he couldn't quite fight off, and he knew it would make him horrible to be around. It reminded him of what Kindle had said, poking him just so on the chest before he left.

"Take a walk, huh?" He mused out loud, and mirrored it in sign just for good measure. Sure, he decided. He'd go for a walk.

He'd always been an early riser and it seemed that his unusual past week or months of loafing around hadn't been enough to undo that habit, so he snuck away before the fauns were awake, taking his book with him. He tried to read as he walked, but it couldn't hold his attention. He tried to practice saying unusual sentences, practical things, and all the words he had difficulty remembering or mixed up, but that didn't hold his mind for long either.

Truthfully, nothing held his mind for long. Even thinking of Lunisa just led to other thoughts, and those thoughts back to her in a loop of self-derision and self-doubt. He tried thinking of the future, and only felt cold and small and scared, so he just let his feet carry him wherever they wanted, and let his mind do the same.

Leeyoon's kind did not have sensitive ears above water, but he stopped when he thought he heard something that wasn't bird or beast or wind. It was low, but given that he could hear it, it couldn't be terribly far away. Focusing, it sounded like crying, the kind of crying that comes from trying to hide it, or when the crier is breathless. Leeyoon grit his teeth at the sad sound. More than that, though, it sounded somehow.. familiar.

It took a short while to find the source. His ears were not meant for hunting, not like this, and so narrowing down the location of the source was a challenge for him, but find her he did.

He didn't even realize how close he'd come to her tree on his own without even thinking about it. Perhaps it was muscle memory, or his subconscious desire to make amends, but he was at Lunisa's tree, and there was Lunisa, tucked between two of its roots, knees to her chest, shaking with sobs.

If Leeyoon had felt cold thinking on his own just moments ago, he was frozen when he saw Lunisa like that.

And, just like when he'd moved when he saw her collapsed at the tree the night he chased her, he felt himself move without his own permission now. He put his hands on her shoulders, somehow kneeling in front of her. She looked up at him slowly, almost dreamily- if the dream were absolutely tear-soaked- and stared.

"Lunisa, what's wrong? Are you alright? Did- did something- Are you hurt?" He couldn't help but squeak as he looked her over for any sign of physical injury, worried. He shouldn't have stayed away! He shouldn't have left her out here! What did he think would happen, leaving a faun out in the wild by themself, especially one who couldn't sing to light her way in any capacity?!

As Leeyoon mentally kicked himself for abandoning her, even if it had been at her own request, Lunisa slowly blinked, and then suddenly threw her hands up to hold his face. He froze stiffly, surprised, as she just held the concave shape of his cheeks and ran her fingertips over his frills. He should have been embarrassed to let someone touch his face and his fins like that, but somehow he felt that this was important. Lunisa blinked again, and her eyes flooded and spilled over, and she threw her arms around his neck and cried.

"Lunisa!" He yelped as she nearly knocked him over, but he didn't move to make her stop or remove her from him. In fact, he was so overwhelmed with emotions of his own that he very nearly joined her, but as it was, he just held her tightly and let her do her thing. He wondered if this was how Kindle felt just a day and a night ago, or if his reciprocation of Lunisa's feelings was all his own experience.

Finally she slumped against him, her feelings spent, and he nestled her back against the tree, though she refused to let go of his arm.

"Lunisa, what's this about? What's wrong?" He asked quietly, as gently as he could. His voice felt strained, not meant for such hushed tones. He didn't care though, because quiet was what she seemed to need. Lunisa sniffled and wiped her nose on her free knuckle, but refused to say anything. She looked tired, more tired than he'd seen her before, and he was starting to suspect she didn't sleep at all.

"Please, please tell me what's wrong. If.. if not now, then later?" He tried to ask again, just as gently, tried not to whine even though he felt desperate to know. She gripped his arm tightly, and looked at him with hard and focused eyes, and only let go to sign a response with a deep grimace and trembling, hesitant hands.

"I was scared."

"Scared? Of what?" Leeyoon looked over his shoulder, but there was no sign of any threatening animal. "If something's coming after you, I'll make sure-"

She shook her head wildly and grabbed onto his arm again, holding him there. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but only gasped and began crying again.

"No, no, don't worry, I- I'm not- I'll stay. Don't worry." He hushed her. She didn't remove herself for another long, long moment, and he stroked the fur on her shoulders to calm her. It seemed to work, slowly but surely, as she did eventually sit back again.

"I was scared because I thought I imagined you." Lunisa said, eventually. Her motions were shaky and uneven, her body still charged with emotions she couldn't contain.

"Why would..?"

"I'm always alone, and I hate it, but others are terrifying, and mean, and they don't help." She explained. "So when I saw you, I ran. I was scared. But you kept coming, and you brought light with you, and you tried really hard to be nice. I liked it. Nobody stays. And then you left, and you didn't come back! I thought you were another dream.." Her hands dropped and she sat up, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry to say I'm not a dream, far from it." Leeyoon chuckled. "Maybe I'd know what to do if I was." Lunisa didn't chuckle, but she gave almost half a smile.

"Lunisa, why are you alone out here? You.. you don't have to be. You're a faun, you could move in to the community here easily." He asked, and put a hand on hers. She only shook her head. "If it's a matter of communication, there are fauns who speak like you do. I- I talked with one just the other night, and they have friends who communicate with them easily, and- and I don't know if you noticed, but I didn't miss a single thing you said just now, so- so there's me as well.." Still, Lunisa only shook her head.

"Alright.." He said. He bit his lip, sharp teeth digging in. They'd been sharp since the snakes had corrupted him, and hadn't gone away, but he'd gotten used to them. "Lunisa, I won't lie, I- I very much want to know what's going on, but I recognize that that is, by nature, incredibly selfish of me. So- so I think- I mean, if you ever want to talk about any of this, I'll be there to listen. But if you're not ready, or, I suppose, if you're never ready, then.. that's fine too."

She looked at him for a long moment and smiled, but the smile quickly faded.

"Why didn't you come back?"