In the woods with no one around...

[waterfell]

[The forest is dense enough to inhibit light, leaving a dappled pattern of shadow on the ground as the thin sun filters through the leaves. There are no obvious landmarks, but Mercury walks purposefully, as if she knows the way

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[thatoldthatkind]

Did you have to pick a forest?

[ Him and his ridiculous fez. ]

best start ever, Eleven. XD

[waterfell]

[No. In fact, she'd rather be at the waterfall. But that question really begs for a facetious answer.]

If you don't like it, you're free to leave.

[Except, of course, neither of them is free to leave yet.]

the fez makes everything sexier.

[thatoldthatkind]

I think the forest has other ideas about that one.

I was thinking 'funnier', but... >D

[waterfell]

So you noticed that. [The words are off-handed; she's not surprised, and by now it's painfully obvious anyway.]

This is the Dark Kingdom forest. I'll find the exit.

phft.

[thatoldthatkind]

I listened to the forest. There's a difference.

Why are you dreaming about the Dark Kingdom forest?

[waterfell]

[Listened to it? She doesn't doubt him; Jupiter was capable of understanding the rustling of the leaves, too. It still makes her realize how little she knows of what he can be capable of.]

Why... [It's a good question, and she repeats the word softly, almost as though trying to decide the answer.]

Maybe it's because I knew the Dark Kingdom well.

[It has nothing to do with her fears of being hunted here. Nothing to do with a mind that goes in circles.]

[thatoldthatkind]

It's a bit... creepy.

[waterfell]

[It is. On the surface, it's a green forest like any other, even pretty; but it's too close, too dense, the air is too thick somehow, like dream fog.]

I'm used to this.

[thatoldthatkind]

Remind me next time that we meet to take you to a proper forest. A big ol' forest with lots of green and space! We'll nevermind the Ents, though. They can be particularly picky.

[waterfell]

Ents? [He's joking, right? Trying to get the advantage by being facetious?]

Do you mean, like in J.R.R. Tolkien's books?

[thatoldthatkind]

Yes of course the Tolkien books! Where do you think he got the idea from?

[waterfell]

[She actually thinks about that question for a moment before answering, a notable thoughtful pause.

If Ents exist in reality somewhere, and she's met too many worlds to assume they don't, Tolkien couldn't have known about them from a life on Earth alone. Neither could a normal human go into space; not at all in his time, in fact.

So...]

He met a Time Lord? Someone like you?

[thatoldthatkind]

No. He got them from myths. [ He taps her nose. ] But! Myths start from truth.

[waterfell]

[She steps backwards; his gesture shakes her out of the interest that distracted her from their predicament.]

Don't be so familiar.

[Still, she knows herself how myths distort the reality; she hears the Greek myths constantly in so many recycled shapes and forms, and she knows, oh she knows, the truth of Selene and Endymion.

Among so many others.]

More importantly, right now we should leave the forest.

[thatoldthatkind]

I'm familiar with everyone.

[ She shrugs and smiles. ]

If you can find the exit. Not so sure the forest wants us to leave.

[waterfell]

That doesn't mean I plan to sit here to wait.

[For one thing, she half expects it to become dangerous.]