[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/D9OBI9j.png[/img][/center]

MacKensie went to go and eat after leaving the shrine room.  In the kitchen, she sat and processed Barracker's words, his emotions and his demeanour.  What that led to was rather unexpected.  She thought that sympathy would dominate her conclusion, but while that was most certainly present, it was not what grabbed her.  What grabbed her was a momumental admiration for Barracker Kassel.  How could a man whose life had taken such a bad turn manage to maintain such composure and level-headedness... such honour and unshakeable principles?  It could have been so easy to throw away everything in the face of such persecution and prejudice.  But he hadn't.  He was a rock of righteousness.  Of course, it could not escape her that he'd lost his true love in this process.  Perhaps one day, when she knew him better, she might suggest - convince - that he should reconnect with Evelyne.  In truth, it was none of her business, but she felt a duty to her sense of romance that she bring up that conversation one day in the future.

With everyone settling down to sleep, she decided to go outside to be alone.  It felt like a victory in itself to just walk out of the temple entrance, after going in and facing what they did.  There was pride too.  Pride to be in such amazing company.  Everyone in their group was such an unbelievable person of strength and character.  She would die (again) for her new friends.  They all meant so much to her and she would strive to meet their standards - to be worthy of them.

Her silent Ranger footsteps, in the night, made her nigh undetectable.  This was probably how she managed to get to the steps of Temple Hill without alerting the other man out here.  And perhaps it was her preoccupied mind that was the reason her Ranger perception did not sense him.

When Zell sighed loudly, [Colour=Pink]"Eek!"[/colour] MacKensie jumped out of her skin.  [Colour=Pink]"Zell."[/colour]

Of all the people to run into, he was one of two she'd rather have avoided.  Hard to run away now.  [Colour=Pink]"What are you doing out here? You should be resting your injuries."[/colour]  She shuffled a bit of dirt about with her feet, until finally deciding to walk around to the other side of big pillar he was leaning against, then mirrored him and leaned against the stone, lightly grinding her thumbnails against eachother and looking out into the night as they conversed.

[Colour=Pink]"How are you feeling?"[/colour]