[o] [SE] sins, like skeletons, are so very hard to hide

Maea

I see you when you chase
All the dreams inside your head

Their silence was companionable, filled by the ambiance of the forest. A wind was passing through the boughs above their heads, whispering secrets to swelling buds and the withered husks of last years leaves. In the blue shade beneath an evergreen, Maea spotted a moldering pile of snow that sunlight had yet to melt. The air was fresh, bordering on cold, and despite the many layers of clothing she longed for a fire to thaw her stiff fingers by.

As time trickled past, her mind regained equilibrium. No longer quite so close to tears, her thoughts returned to the reason why they were out here, and the sobering lack of red and goldupon the landscape. 
"Doesn't look like there are any roses around here," she murmured after a while. "How long... do you think you'll come along for?" Should she expect a day trip, a week of company, or was this a 'until the task is done' sort of thing? Turning her head to watch the profile of the former dragoon, she had to admit he wasn't bad company, and that she wouldn't mind if the quest proved a longer one. Though, that in itself was... concerning. It ought to take far longer than this before a stranger made her care either way.

I see you when you laugh
And when you love until the bitter end

Table by Skylark