Hikari had to admit, he was more pleasant this way. She wouldn't go so far as to say she liked him, this way or otherwise, but at least he was tolerable this way. Seeing someone smile was always preferable to frowns or death glares or whatever other negative looks you might get. She was certain he wouldn't stay this way, he'd probably revert right back once they stopped, but it was nice while it lasted. He was still quiet as ever, but that was expected and it didn't bother her either way. Thus far he hadn't been pleasant to talk to, at any rate, so it was probably for the best that he didn't want to talk.<br/><br/>As they neared the village he slowed his pace and she matched her pace to his. They didn't want to actually enter the village. They were here to observer and do some recon, so it was best that they stay somewhere on the outskirts. Once they were about a mile out she glanced his way, knowing they needed to stop. When his hand went up she gathered that he was stopping. She landed on the next branch and stopped, turning slightly to look at him. She gave a nod rather than a verbal confirmation that she agreed with him. It was as good a place as any to set up camp. They probably wouldn't use said camp much, given that they would likely be doing much of their recon at night, but it was good to have one. At the very least it was a good place to rest for whatever time they could, have something to eat, and a place to meet back if they split up.<br/><br/>Naturally, once they had stopped the smile disappeared from his face and his expression returned to the same expression he'd previously sported. She shrugged a little to herself and dropped down into a sitting position on the branch, looking down and then to him. She guessed he was giving her a chance to speak if she wished, as he didn't speak and just stood there, hand on his hip, a slight frown on his face. There wasn't anything in particular that she was just dying to say. The mission was fairly straight forward, so there really wasn't that much to discuss up front. At any rate, they had some time to kill before it got dark, so they could always talk about it later, should they so desire.<br/><br/>Still, he was looking at her, apparently waiting for her to speak, so she supposed it wouldn't hurt. "We can start our recon once the sun goes down. There are several places in and around the village where these individuals have been spotted. We can cover more ground in less time if we split up. I imagine we can both handle ourselves should any trouble arise." she spoke in a casual, nonchalant manner, as she generally did. "Alternately, we stick together and we get two sets of eyes in each location instead, and any trouble we come across can potentially be handled even more quickly. Not to mention that if we find something we don't have to worry about finding one another. It'll take us a little longer to cover the ground we need to, but our recon may be more thorough. Potentially less efficient time-wise, but depending on the variables, it might not be." She wasn't terribly picky either way. She had a feeling he wanted this done as soon as possible. Splitting up seemed the obvious choice if you wanted it done as soon as possible, but depending on what they ran into, it could be slower. It wasn't guaranteed either way. She was good at predicting how variables would work, either in her favor or otherwise, and she was almost never wrong, but in instances like this, even the most accurate predictions were not truly sure things.<br/><br/>With most people she would suggest they stick together because she wanted to lay eyes on each location, given that she often noticed even the most minute details that others tended to overlook. He seemed intelligent, so she assumed he wouldn't miss anything important. She wouldn't argue if he wished to split up. It was neither here nor there as far as she was concerned.<br/><br/>She gave him a moment to answer before springing to her feet. "In the meantime, I'm going to have a quick look around and then check out the stream to the west of us, unless you have any objection." she informed him, not expecting him to object. "If you need me, just whistle, or come find me. Otherwise, I'll be back here before the sun begins to set. Probably sooner." she doubted he cared where she went or when she'd be back, so long as she was back in time for them to do what they needed to do. He would probably be happy to be alone for a while, which was precisely why she was giving him the time alone. If they had to be stuck together, so be it, but she'd prefer it if he were in the best mood possible, so she would do whatever she could to help achieve this.<br/><br/>Once she'd finished speaking she dropped from the tree branch, landing as gracefully as ever on the ground below, and then began to walk east. She'd walk east a short ways and then loop back around to the west where the stream was. Unless, of course, he stopped her for whatever reason.