"Not hunting today, I see. Ran out of arrows?"

Mina shrugged, offering up a small smile. The distant sound of a stream filled the silence as she carried a bundle of long branches to her small house. Jeongyeon walked with her, and Mina appreciated the company. 

She kept herself busy the last few days, surviving mostly on the supplies Jeongyeon generously gave her. She detested even the thought of going back to the forest.

The look on Tzuyu's face, and the way her usually soft green eyes hardened and shone with tears– it haunted Mina.

"What's going on with you?" Jeongyeon asked as they reached her house and Mina put the branches down with a groan.

"What do you mean?" Mina tried her best to appear nonchalant as she grabbed her axe. Looking at the mountain of long branches before her, she grabbed a few in her other hand that wasn't gripping the axe, feeling the muscles in her arms protest. She'd been working non-stop since early morning. But work took her mind off Tzuyu's teary eyes, so she paid no attention to how much her body screamed for rest.

She carried the branches and the axe to the tree stump (the one she frequently used as her chopping block) behind her house, vaguely aware of the sweat rolling down her chest under her thin tunic. Jeongyeon kept trailing behind her.

"Something happened in the woods," Jeongyeon sounded annoyed, and from the corner of her eyes Mina saw her cross her arms. "Didn't it?"

Mina pressed her lips together, opting not to answer. She brought one of the branches onto the tree stump and gestured Jeongyeon to move back.

Jeongyeon stepped back, mumbling something under her breath. Louder and more gently this time, she said, "Look, even Chaeyoung is worried about you. She says you never take a break since you last came back from the woods a few days ago."

"Your daughter..."Mina gritted her teeth as she lifted the axe, swiftly swinging it. The thick branch split into two. "...is six. I refuse to play with her once and she says I never take a break." Mina turned around with a smile. A smile that fell immediately when she saw the grave worry etched on her baker friend's face.

She sighed.

Jeongyeon grabbed the axe from her calloused hands and threw it on the ground. Mina winced as it hit the branches. 

"Either you tell me what's going on now, or I follow you around all day and finally annoy you into telling me anyway. Your choice."

"Fine," Mina exhaled through her nose. Her hands resting on her hips, she looked down as her feet played with a rock back and forth. "There's this... girl--"

"Shut up." Jeongyeon gasped. "No! You finally like someone?"

"I--" 

Jeongyeon barked a laugh. "I thought this day would never come! Gods, I mean yeah, you were ogling a lot of the women the last time we were at the tavern but--"

"I wasn't... I wasn't ogling."

"--I figured it was just you being... well, you. The mere thought of you fancying someone didn't even cross my mind."

"You make me sound like a ert," Mina complained, her eyebrows drawn together. Her voice was too soft though, and her comment went unheard by Jeongyeon.

"So who is it?" Jeongyeon grinned. "Who got tiny Myoui all freaked out that she busied herself collecting two winters worth of firewood like a stubborn old lady? You should know that talking to her is a lot easier than doing this, sweetie."

A pained smile tugged at Mina's lips. "I'd love to talk to her again. But after our last conversation, I'm not sure if she'd even want to see my face."

"Eesh. That bad, huh?" Jeongyeon made a face. "But still, the fact that you actually talked to her enough to even screw up is just... astonishing to me. Wow."

Mina whacked her friend's shoulder, the air around them taking a playful turn before the silence fell. Mina felt Jeongyeon's eyes on her, observing.

"There's something so inexplicably warm about her. When I'm with her, I feel... so peaceful." Mina timidly spoke of Tzuyu, a small smile playing at the edge of her lips. "She's also very patient with me. She listens to me ramble a lot." Mina softly chuckled before continuing, her hand reaching up to tuck her own hair behind her ear. "Even though I feel strangely comfortable with her, my heart panics when she's near me and I can't seem to think properly."

"Aww, you look so happy just talking about her." Jeongyeon cooed, her eyes reflecting the happy light shining in Mina's eyes. 

With a soft smile still adorning her features, Mina ducked her head shyly, red dusting her cheeks. Then the smile slowly faded away and the light in her eyes dimmed. "But I crossed a line the last time we talked. I was insensitive."

"Have you tried apologizing?"

"I–...not yet."

"You can't solve your problems if you keep avoiding them, Mina."

Mina crossed her arms, looking away because she knew Jeongyeon was right.

"I got something for you," Jeongyeon said as she pulled something out of her pocket, her voice chipper. "Here." She handed Mina a fancy looking compass. "It was Nayeon's idea. To help you with your journeys in the forest."

"Jeongyeon...I- this craftsmanship. It looks really expensive." Mina observed it, turning it around in her hands before she extended it back to Jeongyeon.

"It's a gift!"

"A very expensive one."

When Jeongyeon relentlessly insisted, Mina ended up taking the compass on her own terms: in exchange of babysitting Chaeyoung whenever she was asked.

***

The fancy compass looked a little out of place in Mina's rough hands. She followed the red ribbons that still stayed hidden in the trees, memorizing the ways and turns she took while looking down at the gadget in her grip.

And finally. There she was.

Tzuyu was sitting in the willow tree's shade, a dog that looked suspiciously like Ray nuzzling up against her. The fairy ran her fingers along his head, gently petting him.

One step forward. Mina swallowed, gathering her words together in her mind so her apology would make sense. Another step. And another. Tzuyu noticed her presence, her head snapping towards her. Mina felt her words start to scatter all over again when they made eye contact, but when she noticed the way Tzuyu's eyes softened...

She took another step. Before she knew it she was standing before her.

Fidgeting with her hands, Mina spoke, dry. "Hi."

"Hi." Tzuyu smashed her lips together before chewing on the bottom one. She didn't look angry. She looked sad. "Listen, I-"

Mina slowly sat down next to Ray, reaching out to pet him. "No, don't-- It's my fault. I-I was rude and I crossed a line. I'm sorry. Truly." Her fingers grazed the fairy's on Ray's soft fur and Mina flinched, trailing her hand away shyly.

Tzuyu was faster, sliding her hand until the tips of her fingers brushed against Mina's. Mina looked up into her emerald eyes, mirroring the small smile on Tzuyu's face. "I don't like to talk about it. But I shouldn't have overreacted like that."

Mina shook her head. "You didn't overreact."

"You uh," The fairy leaned back, closing her eyes briefly before she looked up at the hanging branches of the willow tree. She pulled her hand away from Ray. "You haven't been... I thought you wouldn't come anymore."

"Tzuyu..."

Tzuyu straightened up suddenly. She turned to Mina and leaned over Ray until their faces were inches apart. "Remember when you told me you'd promise me anything?"

Mina blinked, averting her gaze for a few seconds before meeting the fairy's eyes again. The soft and gentle touch of Tzuyu's hand on her cheek took Mina's breath away.

"Don't ever leave me," she whispered, her hot breath fanning over Mina's mouth. "Do you promise?"

"Yes. I promise." Everything else forgotten, Mina whispered back.