Lost Lake leave no trace and make no plans

@Eros - set a few hours after they leave to go find Leo
somewhere between SC and the bottom of the mountain

It had been a while since they'd left, and they were making good progress. Nori hardly even noticed the pain in her shoulder, she had so much else to focus on. It was going to be a long trip, and she'd most likely need to rest once they got there, but it wasn't a main priority right now.

And tell Eros I said he better take care of my kid. I know he'll do a great job.

She had to tell him, didn't she? It was on the tip of her tongue, and she might have blurted it out had she not been carrying a bundle of herbs in her mouth, forcibly shutting her up. And maybe it wasn't the right time, but would it ever be? Would she just end up messing the whole thing up again?

Nori waited until they had a moment to stop, to drink from a small creek and rest their paws. The scout that was with Eros had wandered a bit, looking for signs of danger, and Nori felt that heaviness again. It wasn't fair to keep this to herself, even if she was afraid it might make him angry with her. She could handle that, if she really needed to.

"Eros," she began, looking over at the man. "Is... it okay if I tell you something? From... Archer."

If he wasn't ready to hear it, that was fine. She could wait. But he deserved to know at some point.

YOU DON'T WANNA HURT ME, BUT SEE HOW DEEP THE BULLET LIES

Eros had needed convincing to stop. His skeleton never ceased its vibrating and there was a constant keening at the back of his skull. His body felt like delicate lacework slowly coming apart, and it had started deep inside. He'd forced himself to briefly drink and now kneaded the shore with his paws, fighting the urge to pace while his peach eyes stared unseeing into the water. They needed to go. It was all he could think. Nori spoke his name and he blinked away dry eyes as he looked to her. Was she ready to go? His leg had already bent to begin moving by the time she finished speaking, and it froze that way. From Archer? A fresh wave of entangled emotions crashed over him, his heart rioting in his chest and his breathing growing both more quick and more shallow. Eros would have bolted, would that not have meant abandoning his share of Leo's supplies. His head whipped away, and his voice was strained as he answered. "Not now, please." He did want to know. There wasn't time right now, though. Leo had to come first, at least until he was safe. Tomorrow, maybe... if things went right. If they didn't get there and...

UNAWARE, I'M TEARING YOU ASUNDER, THUNDER IN OUR HEARTS

Not now.

That was fine, wasn't it? It didn't mean forever. She didn't have to keep this to herself permanently, weighed down with last words that didn't belong to her. It felt like someone had wrapped their teeth around her throat, crushing it under the pressure.

It made sense that it wasn't a good time right now. Made sense that he wasn't in a place where he could hear it.

"Okay," she acquiesced, offering a small smile in lieu of what Archer wanted her to say. It was more important to make sure Leo was taken care of, and she knew the Backwater boy cared a great deal for the injured wolf, but she wondered if Eros was perhaps using the task as a way to smother any other emotion. It was something very familiar to her - something she did all the time. Focusing on something else rather than what she was feeling... it made things easier.

"Ready to go?" she prompted then, readying herself to pick up the rest of the herbs and head back down the mountain. At least now Eros knew that there was a conversation to be had and wouldn't be as blindsided by it.

YOU DON'T WANNA HURT ME, BUT SEE HOW DEEP THE BULLET LIES

The moment she asked it, Eros' head ducked down to retrieve his own bundle, and he was off. Doing his damnedest not to think, while lines of pain like the fissures from an earthquake burned inside of him. Pushing away Archer in any capacity had never felt good, and that certainly didn't change now. Guilt festered in him, but it wouldn't grow an slower if it was Leo he put aside. The latter was still here to be helped, and he could need it critically. Every second counted.

UNAWARE, I'M TEARING YOU ASUNDER, THUNDER IN OUR HEARTS