Exploring was the game, Jack was the name-- wait, was that right? Maybe. Fuck it, we'll go with that. Jack couldn't help but take to the land for her own sort of adventures. Something brilliant in the way she moved. Inelegant, maybe a bit manic, but fucken magic. Her secret? The antihero had actually gotten a decent and full night of sleep. Imagine, not being fucking exhausted? It translated to the girl feeling like she was on some sort of good drugs. Wild. And she was wild. She took to the Forest with her keen gaze and high steps, tossing her head as she moved. What was out here? It was a strange, eerie, foggy place. Fucken awesome. No like, genuinely, no salt implied-- Jack was a bit in awe of it. The silence was a bit unsettling, but it wasn't even bad. Confident steps muffled as she stepped over the soft, mossy ground. Everything about her was brassy, open, confident. She couldn't be stopped, and she wouldn't be stopped. Jack could be a man on a mission.

Adventure was exactly why Kaija ended up here. Since the long night and the weird illness that had taken her mother and nearly taken her, she'd vowed to herself to live every day like it might be her last. No lying around feeling sorry for herself or her circumstances and no hanging on to regrets. She wanted to live, doing whatever she wanted, and wherever she wanted. Apparently today that was... here.

It was a little too foggy and dreary for her tastes, but oh well. Maybe it wasn't all bad? Sniffing at the damp air as she lumbered through the forest, Kaija paused when the scent of a stranger touched her nose. "Hey, someone out there?" Adventuring was proving to be lonelier than she'd expected - who knew it was hard to find good company while wandering around aimlessly? - and she was eager to meet someone. Hopefully they didn't prove as boring as this forest.

Here's the thing-- with Jack and her penchant for trouble, it was possible (sometimes bordering on probable) that each and every day could be her last. Even before becoming one of Pirate's Plunder, she'd lived the pirate lifestyle. Some days you win, some days you get piss on the wrong person's stoop and... well, you know the rest. Jack didn't need to worry about that though. She'd do her best to charm her way out of even the worst situations. How effective that happened to be depended on the day. The fog kept the heat at bay, and Jack was grateful for that. It was damp here, and she could feel it in her lungs. There was the scent, too, that came with the damp. It was strange, maybe a bit heavy on the decay side of things... but not bad. No, there were no complaints. All Jack could do was take it in. It wasn't until she heard the voice that the antihero realized she wasn't alone in this strange stretch of forest. She peered curiously through the fog, head canting to the side. She'd certainly heard a voice, but the trees seemed to obscure the direction. Weird. "Yeah, is someone out there?" Maybe the forest was playing tricks on her. Jack's tone didn't waver. Curious and confident... who knows, maybe the trees here talked. At this point, very little would surprise her. Another handful of long, bold steps brought her through the trees. Where was she? Where was the originator of that voice? "Are we playing hide and seek?" Okay maybe Jack was a little old for a game like that but like... who was going to judge? The trees? Jack O’Malley looking half a corpse and half a god

Kaija was all set with fog. Hell, if she could go a lifetime without seeing a lick of it she'd be happy. The long night had given her more than enough of her share of darkness and fog. She greatly preferred the wide, open expanses of sky and sunlight to whatever this place was. She just kept telling herself once she got out of this dreaded forest there would be something awesome waiting on the other side. That was usually how it worked, right? If not directly on the other side.. well, she'd get there eventually.

"Obviously," she called out an answer quickly, spinning around as she tried to locate the source of the voice. Her senses were somewhat dampened - all puns intended - thanks to the thick air that drifted tightly around her. "Nah, that'd doesn't seem fair to me," she decided, letting out a muffled snort. She'd met few wolves her size and she doubted this stranger was as big as she was. Definitely didn't sound like a fair game and she admittedly wasn't in the losing mood. Lowering her head to the ground she trudged on, sniffing hard all the while, until-

Smack. She lifted her head fast as she collided with the stranger, most likely smacking her muzzle right off the bottom of her jaw. Even with their sizes she'd been crouched low trying to get a good hold on her scent and the thick fog had made her impossible to see until she was right up in her face. Grumbling loudly she pulled away and swiped at her snout, hoping she hadn't broken anything in the process of running into her.

Jack hadn't even considered what was on the other side-- not yet. Maybe the fog had taken over her head, at least a little bit. That was fine though. She didn't mind. If the fog would pick her up and take her away, that meant she wouldn't have to do pirate chores when she got home. What were pirate chores, exactly? Hell if Jack knew. The irresponsible lot they were, chores would keep the pack running but they were so boring. Whatever, she supposed she'd listen to Sparrow... if she had to. Frick. The pirate king was lucky that she was pretty. And charming. Damnit. But still. Jack was going to explore, damnit. Obviously, the voice came, and the antihero rolled her eyes. "Obviously," she snarked, her tone a playful mocking. Okay, fine, then where was she? "Then prove it," it was a brassy chuckle that came with the words, steady steps on strong paws. Her gaze was intense, setting her nose softly to the ground. It was so still and mostly quiet out here... but where was the source of that voice? If she wasn't playing hide and seek then where was she? Ugh, it didn't seem fair. What a bummer. That sounded like something someone who sucked at hiding would say. Well, children's games, Jack supposed. Maybe whoever it was happened to be a refined lady who was.... like orange or bright purple or some shit. Maybe that's why it wasn't fair. Still, the forest seemed to do a pretty good job swallowing up everyone (everything?) inside it. Ick, maybe that was unsettling thought. Nah, Jack would have to find-- whack. "Oof," she took a step back. The sandy blonde girl had been clipped by a tusk in the proce-- I'm sorry a tusk? Jack took a step back, peering at the woman openly. Shit, how much did dentists around these parts make? Maybe Jack would need to consider a new line of work. And she was tall. Not as tall as the pirate king, but like... tall tall. A rakish grin colored Jack's features, and she shifted her weight onto her hind legs. "Now I can see why you didn't think hide and seek is a fair game," it comes with a wink. "What's a nice girl like you doing in a weird, creepy forest like this?" Openly, the antihero studies her. Well, okay, less studies and more checks her out head to toe. Where's the fun in playing coy, after all. Jack O’Malley looking half a corpse and half a god

The collision happened suddenly and with very little warning, but then again being graceful wasn't really her thing. She thanked her lumbering Jarvela ancestors for that. Kaija let out a little snort as she pawed at her face and assessed her injuries... or lack thereof. She was fine, though her nose might be a little sore she'd dealt with far worse. Not much could compare to the weird crystal sickness that had practically robbed her sight from her. "Proven," she shot at her, still all grumbly and trying to get her bearings. She was a bit taller than Jack and definitely huskier, which proved her point. Hide and seek was not her kinda game and she was fine with admitting that.

"Yeah, short stuff," she chortled, though Jack was hardly what she'd consider short. But that was besides the point. "How d'you know I'm a nice girl? Maybe I'm not. Maybe I'm the big bad wolf or whatever story parents tell their pups at night." Kaija didn't bother putting on a show, her voice betraying the fact that she was hardly committed to pretending such a thing was even remotely true. "What about you? What's a nice girl like you doing out here?" They'd already mocked each other a few times, might as well keep that game going a bit longer.

Who needed grace when you were handsome as shit? Jack could attest to that. Still, she's built as a scrapper, a brawler, and she's decent enough on her feet. No, the girl that she was faced with was the handsome sort, but it wouldn't keep Jack from appreciating her where she stood. It's hard not to. Jack doesn't have what you'd call a type, instead deeming herself a... connoisseur of the finer things (people?) in life, whatever form they might take. "Hey, why dont'cha come down here and say that to me," it was a grin that came with the words, she's kidding... though she wouldn't push the girl out of her personal space if it came to that. No, Jack was having far too much fun already. "Hmm, how deceptively non-spooky of you." The words came with a wink, her head tossing playfully. Nah, things like this came easily to Jack. Maybe too easily, but that was beside the point. "Well I was exploring, but I think I found the most interesting thing out here." Jack was unflinching as she made eye contact with the woman, her posture lazy and relaxed. Most of her weight was in a cocked back leg as she looked at the girl. It was true, the girl that stood before her with the red markings had to be the best thing in this forest. "What do you say you and I get out of here, see somewhere else?" Was it forward? Yes. Was Jack ever anything other than forward? No. Jack O’Malley looking half a corpse and half a god

Handsome as shit described Jack pretty well too. She was a little older than her and a bit smaller, the former of which definitely appealed to her, but Kaija hadn't really ever stopped to think about attraction in the same way most wolves did. Not until this exact moment, at least. It was easy to forget to when there was one particular wolf on your mind most of the time, but now? Now she was going on an adventure, and maybe Jack was a stop on that trip.

Kaija let out a little snort of amusement at Jack's words. "Nah. Name's Kaija. I might be big, but I'm not all that bad," she explained, though she was pretty sure there were a few wolves that might disagree. It wasn't like she tried to be bad, but sometimes shit just happened, right? "Well, that depends on where you wanna take me. I'd say it better be nicer than this place but I'm not a big fan, so that wouldn't be hard," she chortled with a cocky grin. If she caught wind of her implications, she glossed right over it... or maybe she was just feigning ignorance. Either way.

Even if Jack was smaller, there was hope that it wouldn't be held against her. We couldn't all be blessed with good genes, right? Jack would make up for it in other ways... something about replacing a few extra inches of height with enough charm to fill the space between them. Cocky? Maybe. (Absolutely.) Confident was a better way to put it in her mind, and there was nothing wrong with being confident. Jack took the girl in with an easy, lazy sort of grin playing on her face, not bothering to hide the way she looked at Kaija. There was no need to hide, after all. "Pretty name for a pretty girl." She remarked, remaining perfectly relaxed. Really, she was in her element. "Jack O'Malley, charmed." Right, introductions. Her full name rolled off her lips without much of a thought, though she rather liked the swamp queen title that Sparrow had bestowed upon her too. Not much of a queen, but maybe she'd take that one up sometime. Hell, next time she needed to lie to someone, Jack would give that one a try. Still, it's not like she wants to lie to Kaija. Nah, she was too much fun. Jack's cocky demeanor was easily matched, and she's enjoying it. Not often she was able to go toe to toe with anyone else... no, this was actually nice. Her eyes glimmer in the low light of the forest, considering for a moment with an exaggerated hmmm. "I think we head north from here, see what kinda trouble we can find." She's perfectly relaxed, gesturing north with a lazy tip of her muzzle. It was somewhere new, somewhere she hadn't been yet. As always, an adventure. Jack O’Malley looking half a corpse and half a god