It must have been magic. It had to have been magic that Akira the little terror had fallen asleep again, and only moments before the other babies. They were getting older, growing so quickly, and Shūhei stared at them with pride on his face as they all slept. The pride melted to love as his gaze shifted to Genkurō, who was asleep himself. It was a naked expression on his face, one Genkurō rarely saw. One Shūhei rarely showed. Leaving Genkurō a note, he tiptoed out of the room so as not to wake anyone.

( He stepped out, collecting leaves off the treehouse branches as he went. )

The tunnels of the underground were far more expansive that Morozko had initially imagined. They twisted and winded like the snake inhabitants that called the place home. Mabb had been with him, at his side for some time, but somewhere along the way, Mabb turned left and Morozko turned right. After what felt like miles, his path turned upward, and riddled with curiosity, he followed it up and out.

Stepping out from what turned out to be a hollowed out tree above open ground, Morozko spied the land before him. The tree line ended some ways up ahead, and he could see structures, buildings. A town. He tilted his head up, checking the position of the sun. It was early evening, the sun heading towards settings. The blazing heat was gone, the unnatural weather of that foul desert far behind him. What lay ahead was unknown, and so Morozko headed forward, entering the town about a half hour after he slowly set out.

His step was curious, wandering, even meandering. It was as though he could not walk a straight line, but not like a drunkard. He twisted and wove about a like a distracted child, taking in every sight and sound. The sounds of a tavern caught his ear, and he pushed open the door, stepping inside. It had been long, too long, since he had been anywhere near what constituted a crowd, and his slightly jumpy behavior was testament to it. He chose a lone table, the last one left open, and sat, staring with both intrigue and distaste at various parts of the decor.

After leaving Beast, Persephone had hobbled around for a little while until she was stopped by a friendly old woodcrafter who offered her a walking stick.  At first she accepted it gratefully, but when the old man noticed her blank looks at the stick, he finally taught her how to use it as a sort of crutch.

Using this, she was able to wander aimlessly around Estervale.  She continued on even when the buildings disappeared into the background and mountains appeared to her right.  She took several resting breaks to sip water from the lake or enjoy the view, sitting each time.  As time passed, Persephone began noticing flatter lands and, eventually, more buildings.  She assumed at first that she had been turned around at some point, but the buildings looked different and the atmosphere seemed...darker, somehow.

The sun was starting to set by the time she hobbled into the city.  She received a few strange looks from people she assumed lived there, but she disregarded them.  Persie was tired, and a good rest was in order.  She'd stayed close to the lake, so she sat down near the edge and looked out over the water, heedless of the people around her.

Yes, Red had been warned about the fairies, and yes Hunter had told her to be careful traveling by herself. Yet Red felt that it would be perfectly fine to take a walk in the woods. She wasn't really going anywhere -- she was simply walking casually, eating her raspberry candies and having a look around.

There was nothing wrong with taking a walk, right?

She was humming softly, as she usually did whenever she was out and about. She watched the animals curiously, her eyes wide and gentle as ever. She had hoped that Hunter would have come back to visit her, but she figured that perhaps he was busy. He had to have a good reason to not come back to see her. Still, she was bored and lonely, and as she sat down on a large rock just off of the path she couldn't help wishing that she had someone to talk to.

Candy.

Delicious no matter what shape or color it may come in; candy is by far her favorite food to eat. Every kind of candy has it's own particular smell and texture, and while she may not have a tracker's nose, Red certainly has a nose made for smelling candy.

The market of Camlann was open, but not overly fresh. She missed the markets back home terribly, where people didn't seem to be in such a rush to move about. Everyone in this place seemed to have a place to go, and while Red couldn't argue with that logic, she was less enthusiastic about it today than she had been in previous days.

( She was walking with a tune on her lips... )