Night 58: East of the Institute

[roseoverture]

[From here]The ground snow grew thicker the closer they drew to the forest ahead, and the air cooler. For once in her life, Utena kind of regretted wearing nothing on her legs but thin bike shorts. At least she knew that if they kept moving, kept running, she could stay warm enough to not freeze

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[yin_yang_fox]

Going over the wall with assistance nearly made the Digimon want to do it herself. She probably could have, if she was careful, but she acquiesced to the assistance. If only but for the knowledge that the energy she saved here could be used later. The three females were on the other side in moments, and then they started off at a quick pace. Something that wasn't undoable. Not yet, at least. And not if she kept pressure on her wound to hold it closed more so Tear's work wasn't undone.

Utena called back, and Renamon blinked, bright eyes shining in the dark. In the back of her mind, there laid annoyance, but wholly at her own inadequacies, and not the girl who was laying them bare. So, to that, she attempted to maintain how she was. "So far, yes," she replied as they slipped into the woods. Slightly southeast, was it? She checked the direction, and then continued on, only sparing a glance for Tear, before looking back at Utena. "We met before you appeared. She was..." A thin smile. "Advising me on my injury."

[melodists]

The open air proved to be a lifesaver. Rather than faltering from the abrupt movement due to the climb, Tear maintained her center by focusing on breaths. It was easier to keep stable outdoors; the cold sharpened her focus and helped keep balance and footing as they continued on. Additionally, Renamon seemed to be keeping up with the pace, though Tear wondered if they would need to slow down when they entered the forest. It wouldn't do anyone any good to overexert.

As she considered the factors, Utena spoke up, revealing a question she hadn't considered until now. Hadn't known how to explain without one or more of them getting sheepish. Fortunately, Renamon answered first, allowing Tear to throw in a simple addendum. "Yes," she answered, sparing a glance at both of her companions. "Renamon also gave me some information in regards to supplies. That was when she invited me to join."

[roseoverture]

"Oh? That recently?" Utena asked with mild surprise. "But you guys seem like a pretty good fit for each other, like as far as partners go. Guess that's just good luck, huh?" Such a rare thing in Landel's sometime; Utena was glad to find it where she could.

The forest seemed sort of familiar, though Utena would be damned if she could remember exactly which path she and Himemiya had taken last time. As far as she knew, just going straight east would lead to the river eventually, and so that's the direction she kept heading.

And thankfully, she was right. It didn't take long before the trio heard water running ahead, and they reached the edge of the river. "So I guess we just follow this now, right?" she confirmed with Renamon.

[yin_yang_fox]

A pretty good fit, was it. The Digimon stole a look at Tear as they continued to move. She knew nothing about the girl except for the most basic of things. And yet they did communicate in a far more simple way, both preferring what needed to be said over the kinder decorum. Or so it seemed. Like a few others at the institute, Renamon didn't find it hard to communicate with her. "That recently," she responded. "We might just have the same interests in common." That was enough to bring together more than a few here, so why not now? She had met Orihime at night, after all, and Toph