Walk on the wild side

Caught sight of Noir, rushing past with his head down, distracted and unwatchful. He didn’t see her perched in the earth, lost in her thoughts. She raised her head to watch him, and caught a hint of the stench that followed him like a bad cloud. Hmm.

She gave him a few moments, before getting to her feet, forming a plan in her thoughts. He was a hard one to deal with, he lingered on the borders of being a bully, but she felt she saw good in him, determination. She wasn’t going to let him down, not like she had his mother. She made her way in the direction she had seen him, until she could catch up with him. Her features were schooled into something professional, no hint of pity or the like anywhere in sight. Not even the slightest wrinkle at the clear, terrible scent that was already clogging her nostrils. As a healer for the hermit, she had known the scent of rot in his patients, and was able to push past bad smells without a reaction.

“Noir, finally, I’ve been looking for a partner to help me” she said, moving into her words before he had a chance to protest. She also gave him a moment to school his own features before he might turn to her. She he placed herself behind him for this reason. “There's been the scent of a bear near the border. With large predators, the warrior rule is a buddy system, and this would give you a chance to scout with me and learn how we deal with such occurrences. What say you, ready for a short trip outside the border?”