|| -- Discovered -- ||

[Fallon Zane]

“Finally.” The voice coming through the heavy swath of fabric wrapped across her face. It had been more than a week of scouring the vicinity of this inn, without success. Until tonight, at least. She had caught his scent, found his signature, tracked him down. At last, she had found him. It was about time, too.  She was positively frozen. “You really couldn’t have picked a more habitable place to stroll down memory lane, you dingbat?” This place was like what Hell would be when it freezes over. Rubbing gingerly at the bright red nose that protruded above the scarf that wrapped about her face. He was going to pay for her nose job, if it fell off.

The interrupting voice caused him no concern, not even a reaction. It was not a voice that would awaken memories in his clouded, vacant mind. Memories of her were already present. She had no idea who he was until the day he found her. But she had become a fixed memory in his mind ever since. Though whining, that was a new for her. “I never asked you to follow me.” His back remained to the girl. His dead gaze peering out over the valley below. He had a pretty good idea who had sent her out on this hunt. The very thought causing the darkness to swell up in his mind again, his gaze dropping down to the drop off of  the cliff he stood before.

“Hey, if Gabby hadn’t asked me to, I wouldn’t be here. I’d be someplace far warmer, with wine on tap.” She didn’t mean to sound so bitter? She was just so cold! Far more accustomed to warmth and sunshine, this whole perpetual winter thing this place seemed to be mired in was a total bummer for the girl. Seeing the way his head lowered, his gaze going over the cliff, she took a couple of small steps toward him. He really wasn’t going to go through everything he did, just to hurl himself overboard, was he? The bite of her tone fading as her voice lowered. “What are you doing out on this cliff, anyway?”

Speaking that name affirmed his suspicions. So, he had sent her on his trail. Whatev. She could follow him around if she wanted to. It wouldn’t change what he did. “Enjoying the silence.” His voice had lowered as well, as the mention of that name had just brought about those cold, dark thoughts more intensely.  A moment later, Fallon’s gaze was pulling away from the drop off. He was turning about slowly, finally facing her. Studying the shadowy figure that crept just outside the range of his vision. “And what do you intend to do, now that you’ve found me? Drag me back, kicking and screaming?"

She didn’t need to be empathetic to feel his pain. She knew what the guy was going through. She had been there. She had seen it herself. She understood the way he felt... trauma like that was not something someone just bounces back from. Her allegiances were torn here, however. Between the work she’s done with both of the men, she understood both stances. But she couldn’t take one side or the other. She had to work between them, work the middle ground. "... they're waiting for you. They want you back. Hasn't it been long enough? Isn't it time?" Her words barely above a whisper.