Life had been strange lately. Once she probably would've scolded Branch and given him the 'I told you so' speech that was so typical of her. His decision to bring their family here and settle down had seemed a little ridiculous to her, but she'd supported him.. but she found herself feeling weirdly disappointed in the way Kesali hadn't flourished quite as she'd hoped it would. Instead of saying anything at all to Branch about it, she'd simply spend some time on her own, trying to keep within the vicinity of whatever family members had decided to stick around.
Her wandering took her slightly further north than she tended to go. Even if Branch wasn't quite ready to settle down and recreate Kesali, surely he'd want to again in the future.. right? Her brother could be as headstrong as the rest, and she figured getting to know the rest of Boreas was a solid idea, in case he wanted guidance on where to go next. The scent of water had piqued her interest, and she steered herself toward the lake, the massive volcano she'd just veered around towering behind her, though in the darkness of night it was hard to see it properly.
Ivy cast a single glance behind her before pushing on, eventually feeling the grasses grow thicker near the edge of the lake. The night was a quiet one, and the movement of her own paws - rustling the thick foliage - seemed unnervingly loud. Only when a passing cloud cast a glimmer of moonlight down on the lakeside was she made aware of anyone else nearby, and she stiffened instinctively as she squinted and tried to make out their figure. It was hard to see much from behind the rows of cattails, but she took a slow step forward. "Beautiful night, isn't it?" Ivy offered, her tone somewhat stiff but conversationally polite - might as well pry and see if this stranger knew anything about these lands, while she was digging for information.
