It didn't take them long to gather their things and head out again into the forest. They didn't head back exactly the same way they'd come, but it was close: Richard frowned when he realized they were passing right by the fallen tree--now moved to the side of the road--and what it would mean to his daughter. He had told her the village would be "on their way," but it hadn't been, not really. Richard was always very careful to teach his daughter that she wouldn't get everything she wanted. But they passed it without comment, besides a slight blush playing on Laele's cheeks, and left without comment. Good enough.
Richard walked on, keeping a manageable pace so his shorter-statured daughter wouldn't lag too long behind. Her companion tagged along beside her, moving as a Slime did--confusingly. Whether she technically walked on her own two feet underneath the puddle she dissolved into near her toes or made use of some stranger mechanic, he couldn't quite tell. It wasn't something that took up too much of his concern. Not just because she was a monster, and therefore mostly beneath his curiosity, but because he had larger issues on his plate.
Namely, the forest around them. He barely noticed or cared that his daughter was peering here and there with a smile on her face, sniffing in like she could catch some far-off, pleasant scent; instead, his eyes were flicking left and right. He seemed more suspicious than anything, as if the trees themselves were trying to lead them into a trap. He guided his daughter along, first turning her slightly left, then farther right. More left. More right. Even doubling back at one point. None of it mattered even one bit. Richard glared at the trees to both of their sides, as if he was blaming them for their unchanging nature. How could one go in circles simply by walking forwards?
He stopped as his daughter did, right in front of the wild mushroom ring, the circle interspersed with wildflowers. He didn't bother retreating or running by: Richard knew they would just find themselves here once more. "Fairies," he ground out, clearly displeased. This was not the kind of monster he'd come to face.
The air in the circle seemed to shimmer invisibly, like a localized heat haze hung in the air. Richard glared at it too. All around them soft chatter and giggling became audible. In the trees, small creatures played and sang, but the loudest revelry and the sweetest smells came from the circle itself. Richard stood resigned with his lip curled up and his brow furrowed. He stared at the circle, knowing they had to enter but hating it.
And the Slime wobbled right in, vanishing from sight as she passed the boundary.
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Richard walked on, keeping a manageable pace so his shorter-statured daughter wouldn't lag too long behind. Her companion tagged along beside her, moving as a Slime did--confusingly. Whether she technically walked on her own two feet underneath the puddle she dissolved into near her toes or made use of some stranger mechanic, he couldn't quite tell.
It wasn't something that took up too much of his concern. Not just because she was a monster, and therefore mostly beneath his curiosity, but because he had larger issues on his plate.
Namely, the forest around them. He barely noticed or cared that his daughter was peering here and there with a smile on her face, sniffing in like she could catch some far-off, pleasant scent; instead, his eyes were flicking left and right. He seemed more suspicious than anything, as if the trees themselves were trying to lead them into a trap. He guided his daughter along, first turning her slightly left, then farther right. More left. More right. Even doubling back at one point.
None of it mattered even one bit. Richard glared at the trees to both of their sides, as if he was blaming them for their unchanging nature. How could one go in circles simply by walking forwards?
He stopped as his daughter did, right in front of the wild mushroom ring, the circle interspersed with wildflowers. He didn't bother retreating or running by: Richard knew they would just find themselves here once more. "Fairies," he ground out, clearly displeased. This was not the kind of monster he'd come to face.
The air in the circle seemed to shimmer invisibly, like a localized heat haze hung in the air. Richard glared at it too. All around them soft chatter and giggling became audible. In the trees, small creatures played and sang, but the loudest revelry and the sweetest smells came from the circle itself. Richard stood resigned with his lip curled up and his brow furrowed. He stared at the circle, knowing they had to enter but hating it.
And the Slime wobbled right in, vanishing from sight as she passed the boundary.