The Reason We Run

Friendly Faces And Suspicious Behavior

"Thanks? I think..."

"No problem!" Magic forces giggle. " I still kind of want to know what a Lav is though.."

"I... um...Long story! Gotta go!" And thus Krow does what it does best. It gets the heck outta there, leaving Magic thoroughly confused.

It honestly thinks Magic is pretty ok, but it doesn't want to have to explain what a Lav is just yet because frankly, it doesn't know exactly what Lav is either. Speaking of Lav-

"What happened to being inconspicuous?!"

"We were being sneaky?"

"Yes!"

"huh"

Krow sighs in exhaustion but it can't bring itself to be too mad, not really.

---

"Clearing two, meeting! Go!" Magic tries to hype everyone up, but all she gets in response are a few lackluster half-cheers and some awkward shuffling.

"So um, Magic" Bek starts gesturing to Krow, "Do you want to address the elephant in the room?"

"I was doing that." Magic retorts. " I assume most of you have met, or re-met Krow already?"

"For a bit yeah," Bek says, Soup nods in agreement. Ayngel looks more than a little confused.

"What do you mean re-meet? Have I not met it yet? I thought I'd re-met Krow already?"

"Oh, Krow lost its memory," Bek states bluntly.

"Memory loss duo!" Soup half exclaims in a feeble attempt to lighten the mood even slightly.

Ayngel cocks her head. "Memory loss huh..." Ayngel appears to ponder something for a second; looking Krow up and down."Nice to re-meet you then!" Ayngel forces a giggle. "It feels weird to finally be on the other end of that..."

Krow clocks something the Soups just said and tilts its own head in confusion. "Memory loss duo? Don't you need two to make a duo?"

"Yeah, Ayngel kind of lost her memory too. A month or two ago now." Magic offers this as an explanation.

"Yep!" Ayngel says as confirmation, even though she seems a little unsure. "Completely totally lost my memory! haha.....", What if, Ayngel speculates, what if it struck the same deal with the watchers that I did?

"Right, hence the memory loss duo thing...", So this is a normal thing then? Krow thinks. People just wake up and remember nothing?

"What if she came through a portal too?" Lav whispers, even though he knows full well that no one else can hear him.

The meeting drags for a bit, a lot of sitting around in awkward silence until Magic suggests a "Welcome Back Krow" bonfire night. A way to integrate the supposedly memory-less Krow back into the clearing. Ideas get thrown around. Bek and Magic take the lead in party planning, Soup, obviously, is in charge of food and drink, and Ayngel and Krow get stuck with decorations; more Ayngel's forte than Krow's certainly. But that barely matters when they're both barely listening to whatever's going on in the meeting.

Ayngel lingers as the rest of them leave. Krow lingers with her. The sun can barely be seen over the walls now as the world is bathed in orange and gold.

"You aren't actually clueless. Are you?" Ayngel blurts out. " Like even if you don't remember us, you remember something else."

Krow doesn't answer. What is it supposed to say? It can't spill its guts about Nourke. Well, it technically could, but It doesn't know how much it can trust Ayngel with that information, especially when they've barely met. When it's clear to Ayngel that she's not getting a response, she moves on.

"Can I ask you a question Krow?"

It nods eagerly, thankful for the change in topic.

"Go ahead?" Krow replies tentatively, slightly worried about what Ayngel may ask. "What does the word watcher mean to you?"

Ayngel's question comes as a complete surprise. Not what Krow was expecting by a long shot, but it tries to respond anyway.

"Someone who watches? I don't know? What's it supposed to mean.?"

"nothing." Is Ayngel's snappy reply. "It's nothing."

The pair sits in silence so awkward that it's laughable. Krow literally has to suppress giggles.

"UMM, YEAH... yeah I think I hear Magic calling. She probably wants to plan the campfire thing... GOTTA GO!" Krow nearly breaks its legs jumping off of the clearing two clubhouse into the forest below; thankfully the trees work to just barely break its fall.

"WAIT! KROW!" Ayngel yells after it. "Stay safe! You especially! please!"

"WILL DO" Krow yells back up to Ayngel, giving her a thumbs up as reassurance that it's ok.

"GOOD LUCK! something tells me you might need it" Ayngel mumble that last bit under her breath so that only she can hear it. Maybe she shouldn't have. Maybe she should've yelled it instead. Only time will tell.

Krow will need luck. That much has been made clear. And if Aish, the friendly neighborhood watcher perched on the wall with a gun, or Owen slinking through the woods near Krow's house are any indication; it will need a lot of luck pretty soo