ωε cαη яι∂ε ∂яαgσηs || PAFP || (B or F needed)

Mia took the food and munched on it as she watched Desmonda read over the map. Her mind began drifting elsewhere. She stared off into space as the food on her tongue melted into sand in her mouth. She already had so many doubts and so much anxiety roiling around within her. Was Desmonda really her friend? Was this whole adventuring thing just going to hurt her in the end? More than that she felt as if every step she was taking and every breath puffing out into a cloud in the icy weather was leaving a heavy rock of led in her heart, like somehow it was wrong, as if she was wrong. She just couldn't rectify it, and the silence stretched out as she waited.

"You seem very calm about all this," said Mia. She clung to Desmonda's back yet still found herself shivering from the intense chill around her. The horse's swaying forced her to hold tighter than normal as its hooves clopped through the snow. "I know I'm new to this, but we are going off to fight a hoard of bandits on our own. How can you be so confident?"

Mia nodded in acknowledgement. If anyone, she certainly trusted Desmonda to know everything there was to possibly know about the unsavory and the unknown. Her armor itself was very intricate, but she could tell just by looking on it that it was spotless. Not a single nick marred the clean folds and seamless overlapping of the metal. It was a work of art meant to beautify the field of battle. Mia moved her hands down as to not leave fingerprints of her partner's armor. She didn't want to dirty something that could possibly be priceless in the years to come.

The landscape streamed past them like vague images passing in and out of memory. No matter how far they went, the land was blanketed in a thin layer of sunlit white snow. The shivering eventually abated for Mia, replaced by the aching intensity of her pelvis on the back of Desmonda's horse. They hadn't slowed for a second and now maybe an hour had passed unbeknownst. The horse was panting loudly and large puffs of white smoke trailed back in the riders' faces as its hooves somehow chugged on. It was pretty clear, however, that they would all have to stop soon in order to feed and water their weary flogged mount.

"Thank you," said Mia breathlessly. Her pelvis hurt so much from the ride she felt as if it would fall off her body. She had ridden horses before, but never for so long. Speaking of...

"Des, does your horse have a name?" she asked. "I know the question is a little late coming, but I feel bad just calling them Horse."

The nape of Mia's neck was covered in sweat, so she made her way down to bank towards the stream to wash it.

"Serenity," Mia mused. "That's a good name. She is very calm." Mia splashed water into her face. Then blinking the droplets out of her long eyelashes, she raised her head to observe the river beneath her. Her reflection in the water was distorted by the brightly colored stones just beneath the surface. Catfish and various other river dwellers darted out of sight as the rushing water clashed against its edges. It was beautiful and trance-like. The cold water was refreshing.

Mia smiled and accepted a small nibble of fish. She usually didn't eat much, so this amount was fine for her. Crunching on the skin, she waited for Serenity to fill her stomach on nearby grass. Desmonda's mare was coated in a sheen layer of sweat and dirt. Mia felt for her having to carry two people and a dragon for miles on end. She reached out a hand to stroke the poor horse's side, but, reaching out her whole arm from a sitting position, she barely brushed the horse's belly, much to her own chagrin.

Ooc: Sorry for not responding in a while. I've been really busy with classwork.

Ic: Mia grabbed her hand back as the horse whinnied shyly away. She realized her mouth was hanging open and she quickly shut it. "Yeah, sorry. That scared me," she breathed shakily. Spitz's snorting brought her back and she scrambled to her feet. "Well," she said. "I guess I should be more careful."

Mia mused for another minute as she watched Serenity go back to grazing, her large maw leaning down to crunch up undergrowth. Finally, she spoke, "How much longer do we need to rest?"

Mia saw the shift in Desdemona's demeanor and rose to a crouching position. "What, is something wrong," she asked, trying to keep her voice low. Instinctively her hands drifted towards the handle of her longsword now lying on the grass from where she'd laid it.

Mia went into shock as an arrow and a dagger flew past her in succession. She snapped back when Desmonda rushed past her, her weapons in her hands. Mia grabbed the handle of her longsword tighter than ever before and ran speedily away Desmonda, her red hair streaming behind her. She wouldn't be as fast, but she would find a way to help somehow. She didn't want to appear entirely useless.