Faces of you

@Edelweiss

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As Galatea ventured further into the wood, she was met with the sight of a pond, still unfrozen as the cold hadn't taken it yet. And pouring straight into it, was a dazzling waterfall. Sure, it wasn't grand, but it was still quite a sight. Curtains of white water deposited into the pool beneath, and was adorned by the sheets of ice surrounding it. 

The girl padded around the edge of the pool, being careful not to slip in. In order to to gauge exactly how deep it was, she dipped a golden paw in. Deeming it too deep for her liking, she shook it off and backed up a few steps.

As Gala contemplated where to go next, she was alerted to an unfamiliar scent nearby. Her ears pricked in interest as she realized it was gradually coming closer.

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The waterfall was a lovely sight.

She had taken to wandering and patrolling near Tsukiishi, taking in the sights. Here, though, was an unfamiliar one. A stark contrast to the icy nature of the backdrop. A golden one. Older than Edelweiss, but also taken by the scenery. They were alerted she approached, but it was not them she did. Veering to the right, she allowed space between them. Polite. Respectful. Her aim was to drink from travel.

The girl rarely allowed herself to rest since joining Shiroshika. Content to work for herself and Kalvin's continual passage and membership, she allowed this respite for now. She dipped her head and drank deeply. It wouldn't be very courteous to talk with cracked vocals. Once she was saited, Edelweiss raised her head and glanced at the golden wolf. While expressionless, there was some... friendliness.

"Greetings," she sat, and fell silent. It wasn't like she was forcing them to talk to her. If the woman did not want to, Edelweiss would take no offense.

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As the new wolf came near Gala, she took stock of her appearance. The girl had a coat of greys and whites, and seemed well-suited for this cold environment. As the girl regarded her, those eyes of hers were unchanging, not betraying a single emotion. That alone brought to mind someone she was familiar with. Though, this girl's eyes didn't feel as warm.

She gave a courteous nod, gazing back at those ice blue eyes. "Yes, hello."

Silence permeated the air once more, with the waterfall being the only background noise. A deep pit of anxiety began to form in Gala's stomach. Her eyes flitted around the area as she thought of a proper conversation topic. Ah, she probably looked like an idiot right now.

"T-This place is very pretty, isn't it?"

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She was quiet as the gold woman tried to come up with a conversation. Edelweiss finally lifted her chin, a brow raised subtly. "I apologize if I made you nervous," she began "it would have been rude to ignore you, and not acknowledge your presence." Robotic, that's what she had been described as. But she was straightforward. She tried to ease worry, even if she failed in that regard.

Her eyes left the frame of the other and looked around. "I suppose," she agreed. It was a good source of clean water for travelers, let alone the nice view "half froze and half not... Nature should make up its mind" She shrugged as a light chuckle escaped her "I also wonder if there are caves behind the waterfall. Some cascades have them. You can find things behind them that are quite useful." Like moss, untouched by the elements.

How did she get roped into making most of the conversation?

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The woman rapidly shook her head. "Oh, no need to apologize! It's fine really." she said in an attempt to reassure the girl, giving her a small smile. 

Gala chuckled alongside the girl, beginning to feel much more at ease. But soon, one of her comments intrigued her, and she tilted her head. "Caves, huh?" 

That single word brought to mind vivid images that allured her to the idea even more. She had heard tales of waterfalls that concealed grand cave entrances, but never entertained the thought until now. She wondered what exactly would be inside them, if they truly did exist. Would there be any pretty plants or dazzling crystals she'd never seen before?

Gala found herself looking back over to the waterfall in question. "I guess there's only one way to find out."

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"Lead the way."

Only one way to figure it out, indeed. Edelweiss shifted her weight somewhat, quietly as she moved toward the waterfall. Aware of the golden woman going first, she readied herself for the trek of joining her. There was no way she was allowing another to go alone. Who knew what could be back there? Two heads were better than one.

"Unless you prefer I take the lead?"

She stopped near the other, giving the woman a side look. Not judgmental, but questioning. Was she too quick to assume the wolf wanted to explore? Was this one of those awkward situations she needed to be mindful of? She jumped the proverbial gun too early, didn't she? Unless you prefer we just sit here and talk? she left unsaid. 

Oh, they never even exchanged names. But now was not the time... A silence hung in the air again. She would not break it this time, because she was the one who made it awkward. Or so she assumed.

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Gala nodded, giving the girl as confident of a smile as she could muster. "No worries. I will lead."

She squinted at the waterfall for a moment as she tried to figure out how to approach it. Padding along the edge of the pond, she climbed one of the ice covered rocks on the side. It was slippery, so she paid close attention to her footing so she wouldn't fall. She occasionally glanced back at the girl to check that she was doing alright.

After finally getting close enough to see what was behind the waterfall, sure enough, there was a dark opening. Once Gala clambered into the entrance, her paws were met with solid ground.

Her eyes began adjusting themselves to the dimness, and she soon found that it was indeed a cave. There was plenty of room to move around on the inside, and patches of green moss were scattered along the floor.

"Wow..." she whispered, nearly being taken by surprise by how her voice echoed along the walls.

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"We should be cautious."

Edelweiss warned, as she followed after the woman and was met with an icy interior. She had seen plenty of behind-the-waterfall caves in her short life, so this was not new in the sense of wonder. Still, the cave walls did act as a buffer from the bitter cold outside. But that wasn't why. She kept her tone low, eyes searching for signs of predators.

"A bear or a leopard could be using this as a home."

She did not see tell-tale signs of bones or droppings, which was a good thing. But you never knew. You really did not. "And we do not know how far the caves are" she continued quietly "we could get lost." She approached one wall, drawing her front paw across the moss. It stripped and fell to the floor, marking the entrance. A signal. An arrow.

"There," she mused, stepping back to allow the gold woman her lead "now we know we came this way."

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Gala's eyes widened a bit. "O-Oh yeah, you're right." she replied in a hushed tone.

She had become careless and nearly forgot that such things were a possibility. The both of them would have to be cautious. Hopefully, this wouldn't end up turning into the worst-case scenario.

She gave the girl a nod of approval as she put the moss down. "Good idea." 

And so, she began to press deeper into the cave. The few sounds being both of their nails clipping against the ground and falling drops of water echoing throughout the passage. After a while she stopped near a small, shallow pool and began scenting the air.

"It doesn't smell like any other creatures have been here lately." Gala noted. That meant the coast was clear, for now. But, they could never be too careful.

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She sniffed again to make sure, but it seemed the woman was right. Edelweiss nodded, next checking the pool of water. It did not look contaminated. There was barely anything within it but moss and that would not be poisonous. "I do not see any scat or bones from a kill either." It was almost eerie how undisturbed it was. She kept the thought to herself, in case the other was easily spooked. To be frank, she was becoming spooked too.

The further they'd venture, the future risk of becoming lost. It seemed like a labyrinth. She was reminded of the story of the beast lurking in the island maze back in her realm. Half wolf, half bull. It charged everything in its territory, and in its direct path. The thought of turning a corner and seeing a beast here was... unnerving. "We shouldn't go very far," she suggested "nobody knows we're here... If we become disoriented, it will be hard to get back."

And harder for others to find them.

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The girl had a point. There was no telling what would greet them if they wandered in far enough.

She was now all too aware of the fact that they were alone. Looking into the passage, the darkness felt so much greater now, as if it could eat her alive. That familiar uneasiness began to worm its way into her stomach. She swallowed thickly. "Y-you're right. Maybe it would be best if we went back."

She was genuinely thankful she had a sensible partner with her. If that weren't the case, she's sure she would've carelessly gotten herself into a dangerous situation by now. Ah, she was such an idiot! Did her excitement really get to her head that easily?

Gala turned the other way, intent on finding the entrance again. "By the way, I didn't get your name." she started, looking back at the other. "My name is Galatea."

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Edelweiss was perhaps thankful that the woman saw sense. As they turned away from the depths, intention to now find the marked entrance, she joined them. Her expression of emotionless broke when they announced their name. A flicker of surprise. So, her people had branches even here? Or was it a coincidence? Galatea was the name of the infamous wolf statue that came to life in her people's world. Of course, it was a myth... 

The girl did not usually find statues coming to life. She took it with a grain of salt, but the fact remained; traces of her adopted kin existed even here. Even in a name. "Edelweiss" she replied as they neared the entrance. She turned her head, seeing the scratched arrow marking. Her own name was a remnant of not the gods and myths, but of the alpine flower that her people often saw if they were near the mountains. A stark reminder of her pale coat. "it is nice to meet you."

She both liked it and did not.

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Gala was relieved to be finally nearing the entrance. They thankfully didn't wind up venturing too far, as she was at a loss of what to do if they ever got lost. She paused near the marker the girl left behind for a moment, viewing the outside world from behind the pouring waterfall. 

She hadn't done such a thing before. Despite it being short-lived, it was still an interesting experience. If she had to be honest with herself, she wouldn't be opposed to exploring a place like that again. Only now, she'd make sure to take extra care to not get into any dangerous situations.

"It's nice to meet you as well. That's a very pretty name." Gala gave Edelweiss a gentle smile as she got prepared to exit the cave. She was being honest, as she thought such a name was fitting for her graceful appearance. 

The doll didn't miss the look of slight surprise when she told the girl her name. She wasn't at all aware of the significance of it in relation to her own past, so that reaction confused her. Was her name really all that odd? She decided that she wouldn't bring it up.

After looking outwards, she stepped back onto the icy platforms once more and descended back to the snow-covered ground. It was a relief to be in the light again.

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"You're too kind."

Edelweiss lowered her head, acknowledging the compliment. Inside, she did not feel any different. Others would eventually remark on her name. Some words are different than 'pretty'. She was not going to fuss over vanity. She was not a vain person. With the entrance and exit behind them, she took small comforts they hadn't gotten lost in the end.

"It's still light out, so we both should have an easier time traveling" She commented idly, glancing at the sky "if it was dark, I would have advised shelter" Waiting until morning to walk around again, instead of stumbling in the dark... It seemed logical to her "I should make my way back to my pack." She glanced in Tsukiihi's direction.

It had been a while since she stretched her legs but in the end... She was being pulled back. Some small part of her resented it, but that was to be expected. She was a former vagabond. Who knows if she'd remain in Shiroshika for good? "Safe travels, Galatea" she added, glancing at the woman "it was nice to meet you." 

Though she had doubts if they were to meet again. Fate was funny like that.

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