“Are you alright?” The voice called out, and she groaned in return. “I’m sorry, did I wake you up? I didn’t mean to.” The voice is deep and calming.

“No, I was just soaking up some warmth. I stayed in the water for too long.” She starts to sit up and look at the mysterious voice’s owner, ensuring that the hood is still over her head.

“I was out collecting some wood for my camp when I came across you. I thought you might have injured yourself since you were all bundled up.”

“Well, you aren’t wrong, but I was warming up.” She can't see their face, so she keeps her guard up and pries for more information. “What are you doing in this area?”

“Oh, I’m an explorer. I was out looking for new lands with my men, and now we're on our way back home.”

“I see, well, you best hurry back to them. I'll be fine on my own. Thank you very much.”

“Didn't you say you were injured?”

“And? I can handle things by myself.”

“Um, are...are those your clothes in the tree?” the voice stutters as they notice clothing hanging in the tree nearby, and they suddenly start to put two and two together.

“Yea, they were dirty too, so I just got in the water with them, but then I was cold when I got out. So they’re drying now.” As she looks at them more, she starts to see parts of their face.

“Sorry, let me move out of the sun for you so you can see me.” He walks toward her and kneels next to her.

Now she can see the man before her in full detail. His beard is scruffy, the dark brown hair just barely peeking through the skin in small patches. Above his right eye sits a large red mark, with a few smaller ones trailing down. Three black bands wrap around each of his forearms, and she can't help but want to touch them.

“Are those bands made from paint?” she asks, reaching her hand towards him slowly.

“They’re permanent. Did you want to touch them?” He asks her, noticing that she seems to be intrigued by them.

“No, that's fine. I just don't see that kind of thing often.” Solvi pulls her hand back under the cloak and tugs on one of her braids that fell over her shoulder.

“If you say so, you're more than welcome. I promise I won't bite.” He extends his arm out to her, but she still declines.

“Never know, I might. You shouldn't be so carefree around people. How do you know who you can trust?” Her words come out with a subtle harshness, knowing full well what it's like to trust and get hurt in the end.

“Why would I need to worry about something like that? I trust everyone until they show me that I can't.”

“That’s a foolish way of thinking. I'm surprised you haven't gotten hurt from that already.”

“I'm not. You would be amazed to see how much you can trust people if you give them a chance.”

“Well, I don't plan to do that.” She crosses her arms under the cloak and stays firm on that idea.

“You mentioned that you were hurt earlier. Do you mind if I take a look?”

“Yes, I do. I said I could handle it fine on my own. And as we just talked about, I don't trust you. So I don't think you need to know about that anyway, so why don't you go run along back to your camp and forget about me.”

“How about I get you your clothes, and you can put them on while I go collect some herbs for you?”

“I have my own herbs, and I don't need anymore. They're the finest herbs in the area, so I don't think you can top that.”

“Alright, then I'll go get some new bandages for you instead. What kind of injury is it?”

“Fine, as long as you leave me alone afterward.”

“I don't know. I can't promise anything.” He smirks as he walks past Solvi.

“Just go. And it’s a burn on my arm.” She lays back down, exhausted from the conversation. Behind her, he reaches up in the tree and gently pulls down her clothes, patting them down along the way.

“Here are your clothes. They feel pretty dry to me. I'll be back in a little bit with some bandages. Don't go running off on me now.”

“No promises.” He jogs away over one of the hills surrounding the small valley in which the creek flows.

‘Where do I know those marks from?’

‘He's not an elf, he's an explorer, and I know I've seen those marks before, but why can't I think of- oh shit. Time to leave. Now. I need to get back to camp and get my bow, or a blade, or anything.’

She puts her clothes on in a hurry, tripping as she pulls on her boots. Getting everything back on is challenging, with her arm still in so much pain, but it isn't enough to stop her.