Tumbling up into a nearby tree, Lehona looked down and smiled, waiting to be joined. It had been a long time since she last felt so relaxed. If she had to guess, it'd be for lack of nightmares when she rested. But that was not on her mind now, for today she was off visiting an acquaintance at Richimon Lake.

She had met him here first, months ago it seemed. He had been standing out in the middle of the falls she thought, glancing toward the rushing sounds to her east. It was not visible from her perch, but it was still there she knew, just beyond the sleeping trees with their branches stretched out leafless.

It wasn't more than a week ago now that she had sent word to him asking to meet him here again. They hadn't spoke since the first day they'd met, but he had seemed kind and interesting then. Now that life was a bit less stressful, it seemed the perfect time to make a new friend. Perhaps with less distraction, they could properly get to know one another.

Stretching herself out long against the branch that bowed down slightly, Lehona tickled a a branch gently, causing the thin layer of snow to sprinkle off. Part of her wondered if he would come at all, or if the cold might keep him away. And then she wondered if she should have waited for a reply before trucking all the way out here again. But she merely smiled as her eyes glazed unfocused and she thought of nothing at all anymore.

The winter was a dreary time. It made the Falls cold and uninviting, and it made training a chore rather than a way to relax and focus. Luckily though, Whitewind had recieved a nice letter this winter season. A letter from someone he hadn't seen in many months, and even then he had only met once. Walking towards his destination, some sharp wind kicked up and stung Whitewind's face. "I really do hate this weather," he thought to himself. "The wind is so taxing, and the lack of sun really can take your will to walk right out of you," he thought before a sigh.

As he neared the lake, he began to reminisce about his chance meeting with Lehona Palewind. She was a nice looking Avariel, and actually quite fun to talk to. It urked Whitewind at first to be spied on while meditating within the Falls, but it turned out to not be such a bother this time.

"I should walk faster, but this weather really does suck. Why did she have to pick now of all times to meet?" Whitewind kept replaying these thoughts in his mind, and suddenly he stopped and smiled to himself. "Maybe she likes me...what should I do? No no, that probably isn't it. I just need to get there and find out what's going on," he thought as he started drudging forward again. Whitewind figured that maybe she needed a bodyguard for something, or perhaps she wanted to train together.

Only reaching the destination would provide some answers, so he decided that it was time to simply walk faster and get there. The faster he walked, the faster he arrived, and the faster he could get warm. "Definately need to walk faster," he said with a smile. "I wouldn't want to keep her waiting."

The cold and barren floor of the forest made it easy to hear as one approached. Rolling to one side effortlessly, Lehona fell from the tree branch and landed almost cat-like on both feet. Now crouched low to the ground with her long, heavy coat hem dispersed wide around her, she almost looked dramatically dangerous, though this effect did not quite suit her carefree nature.

Doing her best not to appear too proud with herself, Lehona fought off a broad smile. Straightening, she tossed her long auburn hair out of her eyes and set off in the direction of what she could only guess were footsteps. Absentmindedly, Lehona checked to ensure that the large square buttons of her heavy hide coat were still done up.

Peeking around the next large tree she came upon, Lehona's face became quite puzzled as suddenly the footsteps had stopped. Unsure of what kind of trickery this was, she crept backwards very slowly, being quite careful to keep against the tree's trunk. The frozen twigs and leaves beneath her feet crunched and cracked softly. Cringing she stopped, surveying the landscape with her green eyes and waited in silence..

Walking steadily up to the trees surrounding the lake, Whitewind starting going over everything in his mind. "Did she want to just talk to me? Maybe she hated my guts and wants to attack me for some reason. Maybe she actually did like me..." He had no idea what was going on, and the unknown never did appeal to Whitewind. Oh well, he was almost to the spot Lehona had specified, no point in worrying so much now.

As he neared the spot, he had a sudden epiphany; "I should make sure I look ok just in case she isn't trying to kill me." He stopped dead in his tracks to make sure the cloak he picked up for the winter was straight and his hair wasn't blown around in knots. Whitewind checked his tunic to make sure they were free of stains and loose thread, and made sure his sword was at his side like it should be. "Ok, I think I'm ready. It was much easier last time," he said with a slight sigh.

As he cleared through the trees, Whitewind finally saw Lehona, standing still as if she had just done something foolish or embarassing. Her face looked wrinkled up as if she had some great realization of a mistake on her part. Seeing her in this state put Whitewind at ease, because a would-be assassin would never be found in this particular scenario. He put his hand on the back of his head and smiled. "Well, you look like you just stepped on someone's cat," he said with a small laugh.

Seeing her pale skin and flowing red hair took him back to that first day months ago when he met her. She was still beautiful, particularly those piercing green eyes. Whitewind realised he was standing there smiling like a goof and straightened himself up. "Soooo, what is it you wanted to see me about? It's been quite some time since we met afterall..."

Her eyes went wide at the sound of his voice and she clutched at her chest looking startled. The icy air did nothing to help as she took a gasp in and then tried to speak. Coughing softly, she leaned her shoulder against the tree for support. Lehona found her breath and began again, but this time with a bit more speech involved.

"You frightened me!" It was almost as if she were scolding him, but then she merely rolled her eyes and began to snicker at herself, fighting off a foolish smile as he stared at her looking quite done up. She shifted uneasily and realized how much she hated her favorite coat. It was not at all loose or free-flowing like her summer garments were.

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you again too Mister Feyrl and I am glad to see that the cold weather does not chase you away." She shook her head this time, smiling nicely as she used the palm of her hand to steady herself and push away from the frozen trunk which was like rough ice against her bare hand.

She then began to walk toward him, her head tilted just slightly to one side as if she were thinking something secret to herself. She shook her head again, this time to say no and shrugged, slipping her hands into the deep front pockets of her coat for warmth. "Can one not just visit with an old acquaintance in the middle of winter for no reason at all?" Her brows raised, she continued to smile an innocent smile.

Whitewind looked somewhat shaken as Lehona spoke, even though she was smiling in the process. "I-I-I'm sorry for scaring you," he stumbled. "That wasn't my intention at all." Whitewind spoke as if he had just been lectured by his parents and was explaining how sorry he was, but soon realised what he was doing. After a small cough to clear his throat, Whitewind decided to answer the woman standing in front of him. "I suppose it is quite possible for people to want to talk for no reason, but why in the middle of winter?" he said with a small shiver.

"Either way, it is indeed nice to see you again miss Lehona," he said with a slight smile. He found himself almost staring again as Lehona stood there with her delicate hands in her front pockets. "I have to admit, I'm quite curious about why you asked me to come. Not to call you a liar, but I highly doubt you simply wanted to shoot the breeze." He felt as though he ws being too stern with his tone, but he really was curious about her reasons.

Whitewind stood there trying to gauge her mood about their meeting. He then figured he would try and make himself seem less stoic than he was sure he was being. "As a side note though, you really did look like you stepped in or on something just now. It was pretty funny, given your apparent air of grace." After a few moments, he simply began to laugh, ever so slightly.

Shoot the breeze? Who would ever want to shoot the breeze, it has done nothing wrong... and how would one even go about such a thing?! Lehona's face was masked with confusion as she attempted to sort this odd wording out for herself. But before she had gotten far at all, she realized that she was being laughed at. Frowning now, she sighed.

It was hard enough for her to understand why her intentions were being questioned, but now to be laughed at! Some meeting this was turning out to be. She thought this to herself, hoping that things would still be turned around for the better.

And still she argued with herself. It was not as though she posed any real danger, little magic and no weapon to be seen. Is it really that difficult for him to believe this is no trick? Lehona was so distracted with this tangent that she forgot about him teasing her grace for the time being.

"Well, there was really no reason at all I suppose. We didn't exactly get to talk all that much what with that thing skulking about near the lake the last time." She turned her head toward where the lake lay, seeming to wonder now about something. Shifting only her eyes back to Whitewind, her brows raised again. "You didn't see anyone near the lake this time did you?"

Whitewind shrugged as he looked towards the lake with Lehona. "I wasn't really looking at or around the lake to be honest. You've been the only thing I've paid attention to since I got here." Whitewind caught his words after speaking them, and soon began to blush a little.

Shaking his head he tried to change the conversation as soon as possible. "You're right though, we didn't get to talk much last time. Whatever that thing was, it was quite the distraction." He turned to once again look Lehona in the eye. "I apologize for questioning you, the winter makes me...touchy." Whitewind felt like such a fool at this point. He went from worry, to laughter, to feeling lectured, back to laughter, and now apoligizing. What else could happen?

Looking around the Lake, Whitewind figured maybe giving them something to do would help the situation work itself out. "So, pretty lady, perhaps a walk?" Whitewind extended his hand as to invite her along. "It will give us a better chance to talk and enjoy the scenery," he said as he gave Lehona a genuine smile.