[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/h5xf31C.png[/img][/center][hr][i][b]//Day 3 | Location:[/b] Nameless Forest - Lakeside[/i]
[sub][@Vertigo][@baraquiel][@AThousandCurses][@Nakushita][@Yankee][/sub]
[b]“Don’t be a coward [i]now[/i].”[/b]

As Duncan leaned down, Haruko raised her own arms up, wrapping them around his neck to pull him down further into a quick kiss. Just a brush of the lips, a softness and warmth that disappeared a moment later, before she took his package of cigarettes and took a step back too. [b]“And if you wanted to ace the whole quitting thing, you wouldn’t be keeping one with you either, dummy.”[/b]

There looked like there was more left to say, but if either of them kept talking, it would never end. A glance towards Asahi, who was getting waved off by Kumi, and then Haruko too turned away.

[b]“See you, Duncan.”[/b]

It didn’t take long for that golden ichor to leave Duncan’s body. His core was warm once more, and he carried more food with him too. Asahi was in a similar situation, feeling more energetic than he had in days despite the heavy feelings in his heart. What would change when they return? What would remain the same?

Kumi yawned. Her secret for not thinking or worrying, it seemed, was to simply do what she had always done. [b]“Just clean out the containers after you’re done with them. Mold grows after two days.”[/b] She managed a smile at Asahi, before heading back to the fire. [b]“Sounding a lot more reliable these days though, Asahi. I’ll hold you to that fact.”[/b]

And with that, the two boys disappeared into the woods, towards that singular mountain in the distance.

...only, of course, to come across Oros.
[hr]
This morning, the forest really was just serene and quiet.

Perhaps it was a consequence of Shun’s violence the previous day, having cleared out that den of monsters by her own. Perhaps it was simply that such monstrous threats were an anomaly to begin with. The woods around her were quiet as she strolled in a wide perimeter around the students’ campsite. It had been a slow morning for most others, her classmates content with enjoying the remnants of a restful sleep and a full stomach, even though Hana and Hiroshi were both up and about in getting the place in a better shape.

It was an opportunity for Shun to rest, at least. A chance for her to enjoy her solitude and to feel her own body continue to recover. There was still a faintness that lingered in her limbs, a weakness in her tendons as she stepped over brush and roots, but any pain that she had felt from tearing apart her body had disappeared, leaving only the pleasant buzz of a remembered victory. And now, her body was refuelled properly. She had strength enough to go even more wild than she had before, if she wanted to.

Up above, twenty meters high, there were claw marks upon the trunks of trees, the lingering scent of something bestial.

Perhaps there would be another battle on the horizon after all.

She could track those claw marks or inform others of their presence. She could do neither, and instead continue to enjoy this artificial peace, born from ignorance and apathy. An outlier could do whatever she wished to, after all, and none would even notice she did it.