A wasteland of dust stretched beneath the dragon as he flew towards a range of jagged peaks with his passengers. The spell that disguised them had long since lifted, and when they reached the mountains, growling sounded in echoes from the lacerating canyons below. Beasts struggled in their unforgiving biome of traps and toxins, suffering from pain, panic, and rage, deepening the infiltrator’s own turmoil as their emotions sunk their claws and fangs into her mind. 

    Eleanor clung to Tianna ever-tighter as she forced herself further into the greyness of the world, burying the colors of the emotions until her stomach dropped in Guile’s descent. Her amber eye peeked at the world to find the soft green of the young rolling grassland that hid on the farside of the mountains before her umber one joined to witness the scene.

    Trees spotted the landscape, and a river with undulating hues of violet and cyan flowed beneath them. It was as toxic as it was beautiful with corpses of beasts, not strong enough for its poison, lying dead at its edge, and those that survived feasted upon the carrion. The air nearly stung their lungs as Guile glided his way along the water, but the atmosphere shifted when they passed over a border of crimson markings carved into the ground. The water slowly shifted where it crossed the border, transitioning into a more friendly hue of blue, and timid creatures drank from it until they scattered at the site of the dragon. 

It was mere moments before they descended into the trees, and Guile’s claws met the ground where buildings of wood and paths of gravel resided. It was a town that lived with the world. The residents did not dare to disturb the standing trees, forming their paths around them and homes at their sides while saplings were planted in the name of their ancestors to replace those that grew the town.

    “We are here, dismount,” Guile ordered, and Eleanor obliged a bit too quickly.

    “Eleanor!” Carter chirped while she stumbled, falling as her overtaxed legs gave out, and Tianna snickered. “You okay?!”

    “Oh Ellie...” Tianna sighed while admiring the view, “I just love that skirt.”

    “I- You- You do?” Eleanor pressed, but she quickly remembered herself as Carter helped her to her feet, and Tianna slid off of Guile.

    “Now if you’ll excuse me,” Guile grumbled as he began walking away, “I have an important meeting,” his irritation was unending, and his feathered tail swayed in his steps, mesmerizing Eleanor until Tianna smacked her rear.

    “I- Hey…” Eleanor pouted slightly at her while rubbing the sting from her bottom, “We still have to check in.”

    “I was brushing off the dust,” Tianna smirked before she sauntered away down the gravel path.

    “But I fell on my face…” Eleanor grumbled while brushing off her knees, and a soft sigh left her before she started to follow, but Carter placed a hand on her shoulder, earning her focus.

    “What’s going on El?” he pressed, and her eyes flickered back to Tianna before she shook her head.

    “I’m not sure, I guess I slipped up,” she bluffed, and concern filled his eyes, “I did run into someone on the run, but I thought I handled it.”

    “Yeah… you’ve been in that city for the past three weeks,” Carter gently patted her back, and the two began walking together, “That’s a lot more people than you’re used to being around.”

    “Easier to mess up when there’s no peace of mind,” Eleanor nodded as he backed her bluff, and she gave him a small smile, “Thanks Carter.”

    “No problem El,” he happily returned the smile, “You know… it’s pretty impressive.”

    “You think so?” Eleanor glanced to him while they continued their way.

    “Yeah!” he grinned, “I mean, you feel everything, right? And not only did you manage to stick it out in the city for several weeks, you also managed to gather all the intel Hale wanted, right?”

    “Ye-Yeah,” a bashful smile found her lips.

    “You really are a badass!” Carter praised her, “Hell, I mean, I can barely handle my own thoughts let alone a city’s worth.”

    “I mean… it’s not like it was the whole city at once,” she grew a bit awkward.

    “Too much?” he rubbed the back of his head.

    “Just a bit,” Eleanor huffed in timid amusement.

    “Alright, alright,” Carter held his hands up in surrender, “Just don’t downplay yourself too much, and I won’t uh… gush… as much… maybe,” embarrassment colored his cheeks, “I mean… I can try… I’ll probably fail… and then I’ll have to make it up to you, and maybe be your- aren’t you going to stop me?”

    “No,” Eleanor couldn’t help but be entertained.

    “What if I say please, and uh…” he quickly picked up a pebble from the path, “And give you a nice rock.”

    “I…” a laugh escaped her, and she held her hand out before he placed the pebble in it, “You can stop now Car.”

    “Thank you,” he breathed, and she pocketed the pebble as they reached a building with large bay windows to either side of the heavy oak door.

    “Hey Carter,” she paused, turning to face him.

    “Y-Yes Eleanor?” He gave her his undivided attention.

    “Can you tell Guile thank you…?” she pressed as she avoided his eyes, biting the inside of her lip.

    “Of…” he hesitated in the face of her nervous habits before offering her an assuring smile, “Of course El. The big guy likes yah enough to have helped out with that. You know I’d never push him into anything, it’s part of the whole bonding deal.”

    “Thanks,” she gave a slight nod as she released her lip, “Alright,” she sighed, and she glanced through the window, finding Tianna sitting on the bar within, next to a man who was laying across it with another woman sitting rather formally on the stool in front of him. “Guess it’s time to report to Hale.”

    “Tianna’s already started it looks like,” Carter nodded before he grew a bit tense, “And it looks like Carrigan is back too…”

    “What’s with you and her?” Eleanor pressed while raising an eyebrow.

    “She’s just so…” he shivered a bit, “She’s like a doll. I can’t tell if she likes anything I say. Does she think I’m funny? Does she hate me? Does she dream of unicorns and rainbows? Or disembowelment and blood?” he pressed while looking at Eleanor, and she blinked, “These are all serious questions here! You’re the clairvoyant one!”

    “I…” Eleanor wore a crooked grin as she gave him an open shrug, “Maybe?”

    “I…. El!” he whined, “That’s not helping.”

    “I don’t use my clairvoyance here,” Eleanor rubbed the back of her head.

    “But we could know stuff, and then like... Be real fri-”

    “Welcome back. Come in,” a voice drier than the wasteland greeted them, and both of them jumped as Eleanor fed off of Carter’s energy.

    “SHIIiiiiiiitake mushrooms,” Carter gave a smile that seemed lost, confused, and a little bit scared, “Hey Carrigan! What’s up Carrigan? Nice weather, huh, Carrigan?”

    “Yes,” her eyes focused on him.

    “I… yeah… so… how’s it… going?” sweat dripped from his brow.

    “Well,” Carrigan answered before her eyes shifted to Eleanor, “Hale is waiting for you.”

    “Right…” Eleanor steadied herself with a deep breath, doing her best to ignore Carter’s anxiety that clawed at the back of her mind, “Lead the way,” she nodded, and Carrigan tilted her head slightly before nodding back.

    “Try not to get lost,” Carrigan stated in such a way that Carter was ready to have an anxiety attack as to whether he should laugh at it like it was a joke or not.