Kara thinks that on some strange level, she will miss this place. As brief as their stay has been, it certainly has been eventful. Well, eventful and weird.
There is a melancholy air about the building as they begin to filter out, checking around to make sure they haven't accidentally left anything behind that they will need. One by one they take their leave, passing through the living room on their way out and heading for the stairs.
Last to leave are Kara and Lena. They haul their packs up onto their backs and trudge their way out, Kelex floating just ahead of them with his own backpack of food strapped to his poor headless body.
As they approach the hallway to the stairs Kara pauses, making Lena stop too out of concern. She watches as Kara digs the spy beacon out of her pocket and places it down onto the nearest surface with delicate hands.
"Some things should be left in the past," Kara whispers as she loops her arm around Lena's waist to make her keep walking.
Lena's own arm comes up around Kara's middle in a soft kind of side hug before they are forced to separate so they can head downstairs.
The crunch of the twigs and leaves beneath their boots is a welcome sound. There is a soft breeze whistling through the branches of the trees, greeting them after their brief break away from nature.
Alex is waiting for them to stand clear of the staircase with impatience in her eyes and a jittery tapping foot. "Come on slowpokes, let's get a-movin'."
The little jab doesn't do much to spur them on as they carry on slowly meandering away from the staircase and towards the tree trunk where they can lift the staircase back up into the accommodation.
They all watch as it slowly raises up into the bottom of the building and it disappears from sight, still enraptured by the ingenuousness of it all.
"Alright, shall we head off?" Lena asks.
With a few nods, they set back off into the forest, eyes peeled for any more scarlet plants that might lead them back here again if they aren't careful.
Their legs don't appreciate the shock of walking for hours on end again after the relaxing slumber of their stay and they are all betting that their back won't appreciate the air mattresses after the beds they had been sleeping in.
Esme is skipping along beside them, everyone watching her closely, so she doesn't accidentally get hurt. As much as they would love to keep her off the ground just in case, it's just not a viable option in the long term.
The overall tension drains away quickly as Esme jumps over fallen branches and points at the funny-shaped leaves on the trees, all with a cute smile across her face.
Their packs weigh heavy on their shoulders, overfilled in order to bring as much of the food with them as they could. They are forced to keep their fingers crossed that the seams don't give out but it's worth it to not have to worry about food at all on this mission, hell, they may even have enough to last an extra month, but it means that they don't have to ration, and they won't go hungry at all as long as they can keep hold of all of their stock.
Halfway through the first day back out in the wild, they find a slow-moving stream with a waterfall just a few metres high and a little alcove of rocks. There's also a nice big tree for shade and decide to take a lunch break, they are already behind anyway because of their detour so why not relax by the water for an hour before the trek continues?
Groups are formed quickly, Alex and Kelly, Nia and Lena and Kara and Esme. The latter are the only ones willing enough to get wet, so they go swimming in the shallow water. It only comes up to Kara's waist, but she still has to hold Esme up, which she finds adorable.
Kara had stripped down to her shirt and underwear, walking in wet pants and boots would be heinous, and is now just letting herself take everything as it comes. She doesn't want to become obsessed with the mission to the point where she can't see and enjoy what is right in front of her.
A splash hits Kara's cheek. That niece of hers has a cheeky smile and an even cheekier laugh. Another splash comes her way before Kara grabs her and lifts her up in the air.
"That's it, you're gonna get it now!"
Alex and Kelly share an amused look when they see Kara and Esme splashing about together. Kelly leans into Alex and wraps an arm around her shoulder. "Look at them."
"I know, it's great," Alex replies.
Kelly nuzzles into Alex a little more, enjoying the time alone from everyone, even if they are only a few metres away from them. "It is, I love watching them bond."
"Screw bonding, we can make Kara take Esme to go swimming whenever we want to, I hate getting wet unless it's a super cool waterpark so we can leave the boring stuff to her."
Not even a sharp glare gets Alex to back down. "Don't be mean to your sister."
"I'm not being mean to her, I'm just being kind to us." Alex shrugs happily.
The thought of arguing with her wife crosses Kelly's mind but the more she thinks it over, the more she agrees. "I guess normal pools do suck, especially indoor ones, and when you're surrounded by screaming kids and the sound just echoes around."
"Right?" Alex can't hide the look of pure joy from spreading across her face. "So we will get the outdoor pool time when we want it and get to have all of the fun of the slides too."
"You do know indoor water parks exist."
"Not unless you want to drive over an hour out of the city."
"Good point." Kelly shrugs.
With that, they settle into a comfortable silence so they can watch their daughter and her aunt playing in the water, just watching the way they interact and aim to make the other laugh.
Their staring is momentarily interrupted by a loud cackle from Nia and the sight of Lena pushing her away from her, forcing her to stumble to the side and break their gentle stroll along the water's edge.
"So, what you're saying is that you have a giant tattoo on your back that has absolutely nothing to do with your personality?" Nia cackles as Lena recounts the tales of her youth.
With an over-exaggerated eye roll, Lena explains herself. "I was seventeen and needed a way to stick it to Lillian, can you blame me?"
"No, but 'purity' really? That's amazing! You're my hero." Nia giggles.
"You haven't even heard about the other stuff I did. That's just the tip of the iceberg!" Lena joins in on the giggling, she does have to admit that the tattoo is a little bit funny.
Now Nia is intrigued. "You can't stop there! Tell me everything."
The smirk on Lena's face tells her that she has just fallen into her trap. "And what are you willing to do in order to get that information, Ms Nal? Or rather, what are you willing to trade?"
The gulp is very clearly visible. "What are you after?"
"A true businesswoman never reveals her motives. That's lesson number one."
Nia has never wished to have her notebook with her so much as she does right now, the things she could learn from this incredible, wicked woman.
"Fine, then allow me to mark off some of the things you will not be getting."
With an eyebrow twitch and an evil look, Lena gestures for her to go ahead.
"You will not be getting my tent to yourself, I am not sharing with Kara, I've heard her snore before and do not want to be next to it."
Nia's answer intrigues Lena, she was expecting something small in exchange, but the younger woman's first instinct was for something large, even if she was drawing a line under it.
"Fine, although Kara's snoring does become really quite soothing after a while, it's like white noise," Lena says with a head tilt.
Nia puffs out a nasal laugh. "Sure it does, I'll take your word for it. The other thing I am not willing to trade is the bag of gummy worms you saw me stuff into my pack before we left Earth. I'm saving those for either a celebration or as my last meal, no ifs and no buts."
Lena wasn't aware of the gummy worms but is now grateful for the future ammunition, she can get whatever she wants now just by threatening to tell Kara where they are, and they would be gone in minutes.
"Well, I didn't see you put those into your pack but that is very interesting information to have, so thank you for that."
The expression on Nia's face is one of pure horror as she sees the trap she just walked into. "You're way too good at negotiating and it's terrifying."
"This was a negotiation?" Lena laughs. "I thought this was a simple deal between friends."
If Satan was a facial expression then Nia could say she really stood toe to toe with the devil. "You're being mean to me now and you need to be nice before I tell Kara and she'll make you apologise."
'Oh, so now she's going to play dirty' Lena thinks.
"That would only work if I didn't already have a deal with Kara preventing her from making me apologise to people who are only getting it back as good as they dish it out." Lena pouts mockingly.
"Damn it, just tell me what you want." Nia throws her hands up in pure exasperation.
Lena chuckled to herself darkly before throwing her a lifeline. "Tell me what else you decided to sneak into your pack, and don't even dream of leaving anything off that list."
The sigh of relief for seeing an end in sight could probably be heard for miles. "I also brought some pretzels and three books."
"Excellent, I'll take the books."
Nia instantly becomes defensive and if Lena didn't know better, she would assume that she was about to fight her, although it does make her feel a little better that they are even since Nia's powers aren't very strong here so as far as she knows she can only see the future in her dreams and not use her dream energy.
She feels a little bad for that because Nia had expressed how irritating it is to not be able to control her dreams right after she had begun to master them but when it comes to a fight, Lena will always win.
"You are not taking all of my books."
"I'll take two, no more and no less. That's my final offer or you won't be getting those juicy teenage rebellion stories from me. Your choice."
The indecision clouds the atmosphere, Lena waiting for the answer whilst on the edge of her metaphorical seat.
"Only if you give them back once you've read them."
Lena holds her hand out for a handshake and Nia extends her own. They meet with a clap and a grin from Lena.
"Of course, I would give them back after, I don't want to carry more weight than I have to. I'll take them tonight when we set up camp, pleasure doing business with you."
She stalks off towards Kara, leaving Nia floundering and muttering to herself. "What in the actual hell just happened?"
Kara is just pulling herself and Esme out of the water when Lena begins her approach. She waves at her causing Lena to wave back and pull the towel out of Kara's pack for her and grab Esme's from on top of Alex's, her mother already prepared.
"Towels for the lovely ladies." Lena declares, holding the towels out to them.
Kara wraps herself up tightly, the wind causing a chill across her wet skin. Lena wraps Esme up herself, towelling her off a little and picking her up to share some of her body heat and protect her from the wind.
"Did you guys have fun?"
Esme is yelling in her ear before she can prepare herself. "Yes! I splashed Aunt Kara the mostest, so I won!"
"Most, darling. That sounds like lots and lots of fun, I bet you're all tired out now."
Kara will never tire of the appearance of soft Lena. It's her favourite and only comes out either when she's totally relaxed or when she's with Esme.
Esme rubs her eyes with the back of her fists, indicating that she is, in fact, tired. "Just a little."
Kara jumps in. "Well, if you're just a little tired, then you will only need a little nap and will be back with us before you even know that you were asleep."
That's all the convincing Esme needs for her to agree and be carried back to her mother's so they can put her in some dry clothes and let her sleep off her exhaustion.
As they hand her off, Alex whispers to Kara, "I'm going to let you entertain her more often if you always wear her out this much. That's the quickest she's ever agreed to going for a nap."
"You're welcome. Should I take my title of 'Best Aunt of The Year' now or later?"
Alex glances at her soggy form. "I think you should ask me again when you don't look like a drowned rat."
"Fair enough."
Kara takes her cue to get dry and put some pants back on so they can have some lunch before setting off again.
She regrets playing so hard with Esme when they are walking again, she's well and truly exhausted. Lena is trudging alongside her, complaining about her sore feet.
"I'm out of practice for this and for some dumb reason, I decided to go for a stroll on our lunch break."
"Believe me, I didn't do much better, I'm going to sleep like a log tonight," Kara complains right back at her.
Lena groans. "Why are we, such idiots?"
Kara gives her a tired look, "do you actually want the answer to that?"
"Probably not."
They keep going in silence. None of the team seems to be very chatty now, just looking forward to stopping for the day. Nia is still sulking from losing her books to Lena and Alex and Kelly are trying their best to stay quiet, so they don't wake Esme, who only woke up for lunch and then promptly fell back asleep.
The sleeping bag hammock has made a reappearance and they are much more comfortable with it now, trusting that their little bundle isn't going to jump from the side of it at any moment.
Kara breaks the silence when Nia's fatigued stomps begin to grate on her nerves. "Nia, can you walk a little quieter, please? I'd owe you one."
Nia does so with a huff. "I'll need that favour. Lena's already taken advantage of me."
Kara's eyebrows shoot up. "Did she now?"
Lena butts into the conversation, talking quickly so she can get her word in before Nia can continue. "We made a deal and she's upset because I'm better at negotiating than she is."
After listening to the explanation, Kara feels ten times more tired than she was before. "What did you agree on?"
"It was a trade. Two of Nia's books in exchange for some stories of my teenage rebellion."
Kara now understands the pain that Eliza must have felt when dealing with her and Alex when they were teenagers. She actually can't make her mind up if she wants to laugh or cry.
"Yeah…you can sort this one between yourselves."
The pair watch as Kara picks up her pace and joins the others at the front, pulling out her map to double-check they are on the right path as she walks in time with them.
Lena can't help herself. She knows she shouldn't, it would be a terrible thing to do but it is just so tempting. "I would have done it for one book, too bad we already shook on it, huh?"
She did it but knows better than to stick around so she hurries up to gain protection from the group. There is just one word she can make out from what she assumed is a verbal assault directed at her.
"Asshole."
There is no further talking until they reach their camp for the night and even then it is just small talk to break the silence, so it isn't awkward when they cook their dinner and eat it around a small fire.
They do take the time to appreciate the view they have tonight though, they have found slightly higher ground that gives them a vantage point to see down over a valley with thousands of treetops of hundreds of colours.
It's like something you would see in a trippy dream. The team all find themselves huddled up together, simply looking out at the sight and lingering in the comfortable atmosphere they have built in their team.
Nia catches Lena right as they are retiring to their tents to pass her the books then Lena gives her what she knows will brighten her mood for the next day. "Get a good night's sleep Dreamer, you're going to hear a lot of stories tomorrow that will blow your mind."
The resounding smile she gets as she wishes her goodnight is worth it. Even if she does love to torment Nia, she does quite like the girl after all, she reminds her of Kara in a lot of ways but maybe that's because she's her mentor. Who knows? That's something she can think about on the long, long trek tomorrow.
Kara meets her in the tent, the mattresses blown up and the sleeping bags ready and waiting. "Are you two being nice to one another now?"
"I'm always nice."
"Liar."