Michael
A deer couldn't be cut down in time. It would spoil before going bad. Turkeys were out of the damn question — she didn't have a bow, and too many people have told her that turkey hunting with a rifle is a bad idea beyond cosmic proportion. So, rabbit it was. She felt bad for the poor things, really, but it was between her and Kama starving and the lives of some rabbits. You'll have to forgive her for her lack of care by the end of it.

With the game tied together via a rope, she tosses the spoils over her shoulder and exhales slowly; the breath she loses kisses the cool air with a *Hush,* But given that it was the turn of March, the equinox would bring in warm weather and — hopefully — better conditions for hunting. Huffing, she packs up the rest of her supplies into her brown rucksack, held on the shoulder opposing the small game. Sniffling, she shakes her head, looking around as she begins to make her way back.

She's a wanderer, first and foremost, and these desires of conquering her nightmares, now that they're here, take the forefront of her own mind. Swallowing, while Serah *Wants* To go back to Briar Ridge, she can't help but make her way more north, curious to see what is beyond the whisper of the forest that calls her name. (The dreams are so *Vivid,* Here, in that there are things in the water: hands, whispers, eyes, calls, teeth, burning—) 

Serah shakes her head. *Snap out of it.*

_ _
A blind man could tell that, since arriving in Briar Ridge, she hasn't gotten much sleep. The dark circles around her eyes are evidence enough of that. A metalworker and a mechanic by trade, Serah's occupation did not often keep her up at the forges and behind the house. (She needs to find a way to make some money soon; they can't keep feeding off of Dimitra's kindness like this. They'll need their own house, and Serah will need a place to set up shop... She cares little for the clientele. All dirty money gets cleaned when it's passed through a starving woman's hands.

Her neck cracks from the left to the right. She steps on a branch.

There is something moving behind her. She hears it approach; she's been able to handle herself for years now. The game is dropped in a matter of seconds, the rifle pulled off of her shoulder, her hips turning, then her waist, then her shoulders, and *Then—* 

A person.

She is standing in front of a person, and they have just said something to her. She has her rifle pointed at another human being, and she is frozen in her expression, the fatigue of not sleeping (after dinner, she's going the fuck to bed) written across her features. Something primal inside of her knows this is no threat, for her finger isn't even on the trigger, yet she does not blink. It's like she's listening to this other person say something through cotton in her ears, and she wills herself to calm down, to breathe.

She says nothing, staring like a creature at the person before her. (Her head hurts. Fuck.) "*What did you say to me?*" She asks. Her voice is all too calm for it to be an accusation, yet her body language (read: *Her unwilingness to put down her rifle*) reads threatened, or better yet, a threat. 

*You need to be safe,* Says the survivor inside of her, and she doesn't budge. Not until the person in front of her repeats themself.
Timothy
Nightmares, high fever, tremors. They said the human body could adapt to any situation no matter how dire, yet it took her about two weeks to be able to stand on her own feet without help. To say Akira was exhausted was an understatement, whatever illness took over her gave the woman some clarity despite the night horrors, she had time to reflect, to not fully give up. 

Still, she was far from being able to continue with her routine, she couldn't stay still. Stillness stressed her, it reminded her of woes that plagued this town and her life, the full moon would be looming over everyone's heads before they knew it. 

Aki was lucky enough to live close to the forest, it felt like a friend she didn't speak to often, yet she was soothing and merciful. She thought of her grandma's stories whenever she ventured into it; it felt so close to her home in Japan. 

Spirits lived here, that was for sure, but what kind? Were they playful like the kodama? Or more sinister like the kappa and the werewolves from these lands? What about winter spirits? 

Well, winter spirits seemed to be hard to find as a new season rolled, but at least those kinds of tales kept Akira distracted from the bitter reality, her sickness and her weakness. That was, until she heard a sound.

"Huh? ...Hello?"

A person. There was a person nearby. Was it one of the Barcas? No, it couldn't be, this individual had a weapon in them, aiming at her.

For a split second, Akira had a memory. The image of a man firing a gun, right at her. Survival instincts kicked in and she lifted both hands up, with her thigh protesting in pain at the sudden movement. 

"What did you say to me?"

Akira felt as if her legs would give out by the way she was shaking, she tried to keep her smile to appear as harmless as possible, like a scared pup that did something wrong yet didn't know what it was. She gulped, if the stranger really came with the intention to kill her, they would have shot her already. They demanded answers.

"Uhm... Uhm... Hello ...!" The small woman stammered, trying to make eye contact with the hunter. "I don't think I remember you..! Are you lost?"
Michael
*Be at peace,* The voice inside the back of her head, what's left of her common sense, coos at her. The woman before her is of not any threat, if the fear written across her face had anything to say about it. She doesn't say much, here, but she does ultimately handle her weapon with a practiced gait, setting it back on her back with a sigh.

"You scared me," She said, but there's no apology offered in response. Not... *Yet.* (One would come; it would just take Serah a little longer than most to realize that while Aki did startle her, she *Did* Just raise a weapon at an innocent passerby.) "Lost... No, not lost... Just hunting." Here, her voice is soft, almost like she's asleep; lilting, gentle. She looks around, as if perhaps looking for something, but when she can't find it, she shakes her head.

"Sorry about all of that," She finally manages to say, readjusting the game hanging from her shoulder as a quiet little movement, as if she was commandeered by some unseen silver strings that demanded she move, else she lock up. "I don't... Respond well to being startled. Are you alright? I must have given you quite the fright, here."
Timothy
It had seemed that they both gave each other quite the startle. Akira understood that, visibly relaxing as the weapon was put away from her. 

With the situation explained, now it made sense why the mysterious woman was out in the middle of the woods. 

"O-oh, it's okay!" She said, putting both hands down back into her pockets, glancing over Serah's equipment. "Guns just startle me a little, ah... To make the story short, I'm not good with them, I had a couple of incidents and all that."

Of course she was bad at them, how could she miss shooting at that werewolf back in October when it was about less than three feet away from her? How embarrassing. 

"Ah, but where are my manners?" Aki put a hand over her cheek, scratching the visibly scarf on that side of her face. 

"I'm Akira Hirano. Nice to meet you, I don't remember seeing you in Briar Ridge before, are you new to town?"
Michael
"Forgive me," Serah nods when Akira mentions that she doesn't handle guns well. It's holstered properly, the complement to the game hanging off of her back, and she nods. Serah's expression is that of a huntress, though as the rumors of Briar Ridge spread, people in-the-know and the local gossips would know that Serah was not a huntress by any means, instead serving as the town's metalworker and mechanic. Given, she hadn't had a lot of business - the impoverished don't own cars - but she's pleased that there are some people who are in need of her forging and her manipulating of the metals. It's a hard-earned art, in a way. (She thinks, perhaps, she might want to twist metal into something beautiful, one of these days.) 

"Serah Karim," She introduces herself, a hand extended to shake the other's. Her accented voice was almost monotone, her eyes tired, and most things about her quiet and complacent. The damage to her brain had changed her fundamentally, and while she wasn't the most expressive, Akira might be able to see politeness or softness behind her deep, dark eyes. It's good to meet another face; she hasn't assimilated into Briar Ridge as easily as Kama has. "Yes— I'm new. Dimitra helped me get here. I'm here with my sister... Looking to start over. I hear Briar Ridge isn't the most exciting town, all things considered, but I don't think I need exciting anymore. It's nice to be one with the world again."

*Besides,* She wants to say, but she doesn't, *I'm looking for something. I'm looking for a good night's rest. It's been so long since I've had one.*

"I'm a mechanic by trade," She shrugs with one shoulder, "But with business slow, I have to take care of my own meals by way of hunting. Everyone has to eat, right?"
Timothy
"_Serah Karim_', Aki repeated the name in her head, rolling well in her tongue with ease. She extended her hand as well.

"A pleasure to meet you." The woman smiled at the other, tilting her head lightly to show her friendly and kind nature. "Ahh I know Dimitra! She's quite a nice woman, loves to introduce others to town it seems."

Briar Ridge, not exciting? Well that could had been true almost a year ago. But nowadays, the town was at war within itself as the wolf-men kept ravaging the whole place every full. From the looks of it, Serah had no knowledge of this. 

Akira felt uncomfortable by that fact, as she wasted no time to give herself the task of informing this new comer about everything. She needed to know. 

"With a town as small as this... I can understand that starting out is hard. I'm not from the area either, but I can confirm that everybody here looks out for each other. I'll tell you what" The woman said, seeing in Serah a bit of herself when she first moved to Briar Ridge with her father, with nothing to their names but their bags and suitcases.

"...If you need any food on your table, me and my pa can offer you some vegetables and eggs we got from our garden. We also stock rice and I think there's still meat in our ice box." Akira put a hand over her scarred cheek as she focused. 

"You don't have to pay us anything, like I said... Everyone is welcomed here, we look for each other."