Devil's Staircase where you gonna sleep tonight?

@Archer <3 permission given to pp

Nori had hardly expected to find herself a traveling companion so soon after arriving back here - she’d surprised the both of them by offering to help Archer out on his search. It wasn’t like her to offer that kind of thing, but there was something about this man that she couldn’t ignore. Maybe it was that she saw something in his eyes that reminded her of how she was feeling, herself.

But it was nice, having someone around. It got her talking more, helped her sleep, got her to eat more - all things she encouraged Archer to do as well, because you should take care of yourself! How do you expect to find your daughter when you’re starving and exhausted?

Her companion was a quiet one, and it was clear he didn’t think highly of himself. Nori hadn’t asked many questions about him so far, but when he spoke so little and used nearly all of his words to put himself down… well, Nori couldn’t just leave him alone.

This was good, for however long it lasted. Having a purpose. Helping someone who needed it. God, her younger self would think she was so lame.

And maybe she was lame, avoiding climbing the mountain again. Too scared to scale the cliffs, too scared to face her family. She was scared of everything these days, it seemed.

So lame.

They were walking in companionable silence next to a river today, in a forest much more lively than the one they’d met in. Nothing caught Nori’s eye in particular, though, until she spotted the steps.

A set of tiny waterfalls collecting in pools that reflected the sky above. It was warmer today, and the urge to hop into one was strong. Nori glanced over at her companion, then back to the water, and made a decision. She bounced into the water, sending a wave over to hopefully drench Archer, and gauged his reaction afterward. He looked kind of owlish, staring at her with what she could only guess was bewilderment, so she wagged her tail and gave him a second before purposefully splashing him again.

The two of them could stand to let loose a little, she figured.

Archer

Somehow, Archer had been talked into travelling with this strange woman who had appeared out of nowhere. It hadn't really take a ton of convincing, to be fair; he didn't have the energy to argue even if he'd wanted to. He had to admit having company would be nice... and helpful, since he was clearly not paying enough attention as he travelled. She was also annoyingly insistent on mothering him. He occasionally grumbled about it, but always acquiesced to her demands that he eat, rest, drink water. He'd been simply stumbling about for so long now...

Well, now they had a sort of plan. They were going north around the mountains. Archer hadn't gone that far yet, and he wasn't ready to try climbing the mountain again. If not mentally that certainly not physically. He was smart enough to know he wasn't doing well, and it was his own fault. Another reason travelling with Nori was probably a good thing; she was keeping him from running himself into the ground.

As their paws turned them toward the water Archer was fully expecting another demand to drink and take a break, and was rudely pulled to attention by a splash of water. He blinked at her, startled, as she wagged her tail, and then bounced forward. He barely dodged back in time, ears back in annoyance. What was she doing?

And then his brain caught back up with him and his expression softened. He wasn't quite in the mood for play, but he made himself hop forward into the water anyway, offering a half-hearted splash to soften his previous annoyance.

[size=x-small]Archer is very haggard and thin; it is obvious he is not doing well.

Splashing him had been sort of an impulse decision, and she wasn’t sure how he’d take it. Annoyance flicked across his features and Nori felt the playful spark that had started in her chest start to fizzle. Yeah, playing would be kind of a long-shot, she figured. He probably wasn’t in the mood, and-

Water splashed her across the face, startling her out of her own thoughts. A surprised laugh escaped her when she realized he’d jumped into the water with her. He still didn’t look extremely excited about the whole ordeal, but he was trying.

The sight warmed her a little.

“‘S that all you got, Archie?” she teased, tail waving back and forth. She hadn’t really thought she was in much of a playful mood, either, but maybe this was a good thing. She didn’t want to wear him out or anything, but when was the last time either of them had relaxed?

She knew for herself it had been a long time, and looking at Archer, she could only guess the same. But she rather liked the softness on his face - it made her wonder, if he wasn’t so down on himself, what kind of wolf would he be?

Would she get the chance to get to know him?

Nori swiped another wave of water at him, testing what she could get away with. “I think you can do better than that,” she invited, smile widening just a bit.