It was a cold day in the Unlived Forest. The sun didn't quite carry its heat through from the canopy to the ground, and the leaves on the trees seemed sharper, more talkative than usual. 

Fletcher ran his hand along the trunk of each tree he passed by, hearing the crunch of dead leaves beneath his feet as he walked. The air was chill around him, filled with a mixture of smells, from smoke to perfumes, to the fainter scent of freshly baked bread. He held a basket in one hand, covered haphazardly by a worn orange blanket.

Unbeknownst to him, Kira padded through the woods nearby, leaves crumbling underfoot and trees twisted away from her. She had things to do but she needed a moment to think. The forest was a great place to come and ponder over important tasks. It had an odd way of clearing the mind, focusing intent.

Fletcher suddenly became aware of someone nearby. Their presence disrupted the passage of the winds through the trees, something he tended to pick up on when it was more quiet around him. He didn't say anything, because he didn't really want to break the peace, but he began to move closer to them, wondering if maybe it was someone willing to join him for a picnic.

Kira directed all of her attention to her thoughts. She had so much to do, and so little time. She needed everything well organised, well structured, and well thought out. She was barely paying attention to her surroundings and she moved.
without the usual caution she carried with her.

Fletcher caught sight of Kira through a gap in the trunks. He recognised her immediately, "Kira?" He shouted the word, still a short distance away. He didn't want to startle her, but he did think letting her know he was there was better than just walking away.

Kira stilled, engaging in the physical world once again in an instant. Her eyes settled on the familiar man and she blinked, "Привет, Fletcher," she spoke neutrally. It always seemed to Fletcher like she was keeping something just out of sight, just out of mind. There was an intriguing guarded quality around Kira, and there always had been.

Fletcher could see her come back to reality upon hearing him speak. He recognised one of the few Russian words he knew; that she'd taught him, "Привет Kira! Its been a while,"

"It has been," She replied, taking in his latest form. What a . . . pleasant surprise, "I'm surprised you're still alive,"

Fletcher smiled warmly. A slow breeze whirled past them both. "As am I. It's been tough at times, but I'm glad to be here. Have the years been good to you?" She looked different from his he remembered her, but then the last time he'd seen her had been a very long time ago. Of all of the seasons, she was the only one he had hardly been able to keep track of, no matter how hard he tried. It wasn't something he held against her, and it did mean they would always have a lot to talk about whenever they did meet up.

"I've been bad to them," Honesty, and a lot more then she'd given in quite a while. But being open with Fletcher was an old habit - it made things more interesting, "And yourself?"

"Really? How so?" Fletcher asked, walking closer now that he knew he wouldn't scare her. He waved off her question with his usual bright smile, "The same as usual; every day is amazing, everything bad has good in it y'know? I can't complain," he laughed.

"Quite a lot has happened; empires have risen and empires have fallen - I've been busy," Kira inclined her head and started walking, "I can't say I do know but complain all you like, as long as I'm not in audible range."

"Word on the wind is that the last few centuries have been especially eventful," Fletcher agreed with a slight smile. He was glad to see she hadn't changed. There was something comfortable and familiar about talking to Kira; it made Fletcher happy to have run into her. "I won't be complaining anywhere near here, don't worry. In fact..." he held up the basket in his hand, "I was planning to have a picnic at this spot I know in here, care to join me?"

"I will, thank you," She replied, tilting her head in a slight nod. When was the last time she ate? She couldn't remember - she had so many things to do that food seemed irrelevant. Hunger scarcely ever crossed her mind.

"Great! It's not too far away from here, and we can catch up too," Fletcher smiled warmly, and began walking in his initial direction again.

Kira walked beside him, letting herself relax a fraction. He was familiar, and just him. He was Fletcher and it was comforting to see him again, "That would be good, Старый другl"

Fletcher was obviously happy to see her, it was clear in his increased animation. He was surprised that even after so long, he was comforted by her presence alone. "So, while we're walking, tell me, what brings you to town?"

"A lot of things. Haven't you noticed how it's been changing recently? Just compare this place to how it was years ago," She pointed out, silencing her footfalls. She did like Fletcher, but his enthusiasm she could do without sometimes. It could easily become too much, and was one of the reasons Kira had never been as close with Summer as she could have been.

Fletcher nodded, frowning slightly as he moved out of the way of a wide root sticking up out of the ground. "Yeah, I have noticed that. I've stayed in this town for a while now, it's felt like there was something lurking at the edges recently," it was an odd thing for him to think about, but he was cast back to two years previously, when he'd first thought there might be something wrong. The feeling had gotten worse over the past couple of months, but again, he hadn't thought much of it. Not till Maggie Rose disappeared.

She cast him a side glance, "I've been looking into this presence and devising a contingency plan, should anything occur." Everything was safer with a back up, Kira believed that strongly, "You should have a back up too, Старый друг."

"Was it the odd occurrences that brought you here to begin with?" Leaves swirled around them, rising up from the ground into a small tornado and settling again across the path they followed, "My current plan is to try and keep people safe. If this is something...evil, I want to minimise the hold it can have,"

"It was and I can understand that. From my gathered information, it seems to have malicious intentions," Kira gave him a look, "But you should put yourself first before the others, should something happen," she had never understood his apparent lack of self preservation. Why put others first? Surely, if you weren't safe yourself, helping them was unwise?

"Then I'll do what I can to help keep it at bay. Do you know what the creature is?" Fletcher had come across more than a few odd and malicious creatures in his life, and he was sure this would just be one of many. He shook his head in response to her advice, his smile returning, "No, I can't do that. These people are my friends. If I can save them, I owe them the courtesy."

"You're no help to anyone dead or broken, Fletcher." Kira's eyes hardened but she brought herself back to the matter at hand, "I don't know the exact name or species of the creature, but I have come across one name in my travels: Mistress of Monsters." Kira didn't even know her own species, yet alone the species of this entity. But nothing was invincible and even she had weaknesses. It was just that her weaknesses were buried so deep that they were almost non-existent. Or at least, they had been. Something was prying them out.

He couldn't help but smile at that as well. "I guess that's true, but what's better? Breaking for yourself? Or helping others first?" He didn't see how he could help himself over others, it just didn't sit right with him at all. If he was alive and able, Fletcher saw it almost as his duty to help the people around him. Even if he didn't know them, they deserved his help when it was needed. He stood by that resolutely.

Fletcher took a second or two to think over what Kira has said about the monster, "Mistress of Monsters huh? That doesn't sound too great. Do you happen to know where it is?" By now, they had walked to a huge, flat rock in the ground. There was a river running past it, small enough to jump across with a running start. "Here we are!"

Fletcher held his arms out and walked forwards, checking the small area out. He walked towards the river and looked downstream. There was a nice view far in the distance, which was one of the reasons Fletcher liked this place. 

"I don't know but I'm going to find out-" Kira twitched. Fletcher was preoccupied up ahead. Anger rose from the damned depths of her being, thawing her frozen veins until they spiked with passion and hate and rage.

So much rage, too much rage-

She flew forwards with the speed of a blizzard itself, and lashed out with a kick to pry the breath out of his lungs and a fist to remove his head. Her mind opened, rushing to his with pure malice. Brake, crack, shatter-

"If I can help, I'll do my best," Fletcher replied, placing the basket on the rock and removing the blanket that had been over it.

It was only when he turned around that he saw the change in Kira, and by then it was too late for a quick reaction. He gasped from the shock of her attack, and stumbled backwards a few steps, his eyes wild with alarm, "Kira! What's going on?" He asked her, holding his hands up while he tried to regain his breath.

Kira exhaled sharply. It was gone. The rage, the presence, the anger, it was all gone. She took a step back, her face white and eyes glazed, reeling her mind back in. A faint headache pulsed at her temple. She could feel it hard between her eyes.

Freeze freeze freeze, she chanted to herself. She needed to freeze again. She had to push this feeling down, far into the depths of her mind before it had a chance to consume her again.

"I-" Her voice almost cracked - almost, "It's bad Fletcher. Really bad," she took a couple of steps back from him, staring at the boot mark on his chest.

Again, Fletcher saw the change. He saw Kira's eyes change, and her poise at the same time. He kept his hands up, and stayed where he was, but his stance seemed more relaxed after he'd seen this change. "It's okay, it's okay. Tell me what's going on." His own voice sounded shaken, but it was the crack in Kira's voice that really shocked him.

Kira backed up, her steps too light and too fast, "Just-" This was wrong, this was all wrong, "Just meet me at the old place."

Fletcher lowered his hands. He knew where she meant straight away, but he hadn't been there in so long. Why would she want to go there now? What could be that important? "Okay. Stay safe," He replied, worry evident in his gaze.

Kira nodded, eyes slowly losing their glaze, and hurried away. This was bad. This was really, really bad.

And she couldn't stop it.

Fletcher watched her go. He was stunned. What had just happened? It had looked like Kira had lost all control, like she wasn't even herself anymore, and then she had jumped back. Leaves swirled along behind Kira until he could see her no more. Fletcher took a sandwich from his basket and took a bite.

Something was very wrong here, and he'd just have to find out what.