a walk in the dark (open)

Though he’d just come back, Loren desperately needed to escape again. Between caring for Beatrix and Jace, his reunion with Ronin, his encounter with Remi, Edy’s death, Zariah’s disappearance, and all the other things that had happened since he’d shown his face around here again, his was on his last nerve. He’d known coming back would be hard, the hardest thing he’d ever done, and he didn't want to risk another meltdown so soon after the last one. Maybe if he had a better explanation for what happened to him—beyond him having a mental breakdown and basically going feral—it wouldn’t have been so bad. But he hadn’t so he’d been forced to face more judgment and scorn than he knew how to deal with. So he’d come back to the outskirts. Obviously it wasn’t permanent: his time as a scavenger and outcast was over. However, after spending so long on his own, being around others was a constant struggle. Every now and then he’d need to come out here and meditate, or something, otherwise he really would go insane again. Well, actually, he wasn’t sure he was entirely sane these days, so maybe it was a question of more or less insane. He was walking a wide circle just inside the scar that marked the former barrier. A tangleweed tumbled its way towards him; Loren frowned, and with an effort of his will and magic and a wave of his hand he telekinetically batted it aside as soon as it got too close. It recoiled, and started rolling away. While he’d been lucky enough to escape their clutches most times, once was enough, and he had no interest in dealing with them ever again. He watched it go before resuming his trek. Other than that, the outskirts were oddly peaceful, as if the land itself was hushed as it prepared for night and Deepfrost both. Indeed, there was a nip in the air that made him shiver, pulling his cloak tighter around him. But other than that, it was quite pleasant to be out here, left to his own devices, with no one to worry about for himself for just a short and blessed moment. It probably wouldn’t last long, given his luck. No doubt someone else would be along shortly to ask where he'd been and get mad at him for his disappearance. At least that would be better than those who viewed him with suspicion just because his family. Maybe he should change his name. LOREN Brought back by satisfaction more times than the cat