conduit

His head turned toward her as she took a few strides closer, allowing the faintest of smiles to tug at the corners of his mouth, lifting as she returned the expression herself. She introduced herself as Diana, and he simply grunted in acknowledgment at first. "Diana," he repeating her name carefully as if deciding whether or not he liked the sound of it on his tongue. Spoiler alert: he did.

Her entire demeanor seemed playful enough to lighten his slightly dreary mood. He was bored, and she was a glimmer of light amongst the dull scenery. Not that the redbud trees weren't lovely too - though this terrain had certainly been lovelier, before the eruption. "Another safe bet," Kai chuckled, slowing his pace as he moved to close the distance between them slightly. "This place was considerably nicer.. say, a year ago," he explained.

Had it been a year yet? Kai wasn't sure. "Though it seems things are beginning to grow back, which is a plus." He'd always been fond of these vibrant pink redbuds, and seeing them bloom more plentifully would be a pleasant sight, and one Kai had no doubt he'd see again someday, whenever he came this way again.