in my defense, I was left unsupervised

Maea

Hold me like I never did
anything to hurt you

Hope. It was a painful thing, bright as the midday sun and almost as blinding. She was tempted to drop everything and rush headlong into the quest she had been given, and perhaps it was this inattentiveness that brought the forest to play its pranks on her. Exactly how she wound up leaving her house and exiting a path on the banks of a river Maea didn't quite know; standing upon the slippery shoreline she dragged a hand through her hair and muttered a curse under breath, half peeved and half amused by the predicament. A basket hung over an arm, and she had left her coat and weapons at home; she hadn't expected to need them when going out to buy groceries. 

But here she was, and it was a damned long trek to get back home to the Village. 

With nothing for it but to start walking, she set off along the river and kept an eye on the sun to ensure she was moving in the right direction at least. The path beneath her feet had the feel of a deer-trail, coming and going and winding its way along the path of least resistance - as unreliable as any in this enchanted, whimsical woodland.

Give me another minute to
lay here in your echo