A Forest Stroll

Curiously, Ilda looked over the green-haired woman's form. She couldn't seem to find the mark that easily, but figured that was inevitable, as many had their marks hidden. That, and Ilda wasn't one to search that hard for an only minimally important aspect. Instead, she continued to focus in on Nea's gentle features, memorizing her face as if she'd be tested on it in the future.

When given encouragement, Ilda couldn't help chuckling. "I admit it does sound like a good deal, but I'm still not a hundred percent sold on it. I mean, there's different rules with a guild, albeit what I read showed Fairy Tail's are more limited. I like that it's like a truce of sorts, but the family thing...' She downed her tea in one final gulp, placing it on the table and staring into the cup.

"Well, to be honest, I don't know what a family is like either. So... I'm not exactly sure how to act 'familial' with people. Aoi's the closest I've had to a family in my life, but I can't assume that means I'm acting like a good sister or anything. Instead of blood, the mark binds you as family... But what does that even mean in the end? I guess I get so caught up worrying I might accidentally harm my family again, so it scares me... Does that make sense?"

To normal people, this would certainly sound like a bizarre proposition- but Ilda wasn't exactly a normal person in background. In fact, she once had that offered to her when she was a young adult with nowhere to go, before she started travelling and before she met Aoi. That was ancient history to her now, of course. This was a new life in its own right.

"I think that's something we'd have to talk to Aoi about, but I don't think I'm against it. Our relationship is equals and friends, contract or not. It's her home too, so she gets a say, y'know? But... It might be a good experiment. At any rate, helping you with your fear of fire wizards would be a good thing to me. And Aoi already agreed to teach me, but if you can teach me a dish to surprise her, I wouldn't be against that. She's always taking care of me, so I want to do something special for her eventually."

In the end, though, she wanted Aoi's input. That was the most important thing to Ilda in this entire rambling rant. "If we wait until it gets dark, I can show you a non-threatening bit of fire magic I have. It's basically just creating an artificial sun to make it easier to see when it's dark."

"Actually, we live right in Magnolia town. I came here on a whimsical walk since I don't really go out as much lately since we moved- getting settled and all that. Actually, Aoi was worrying about that the other day. I wonder if her mentioning it made me want to take this walk..."

Another hearty laugh and a bright smile colored her features. "Something tells me this is going to be a fun experiment. C'mon, I'll help pack it."

Of course, Ilda had never packed a tent. She was content sleeping in the outdoors without protection, as she could defend herself just by touching her attacker with a bare hand. She wasn't one who cared much about her skin, and only recently started remotely caring about her hair. As such, she was mostly useless while trying to help.

"As I think about it, it really is amazing how the people you live with affect you. I wonder how it'll affect you, and how you'll affect us. Anyway... Let me carry something. Oh, and are you alright with foxes and otters? I should've asked sooner. I have a pet fox, and Aoi spends time in the form of an otter sometimes."

With a blank stare as to why her aid was denied, Ilda shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "If you say you're fine, I'll have to trust you on it. Just make sure to ask for help if you need it. It's important to rely on each other... I think."

Her words were tainted with uncertainty- she believed what she said with her head, but lacked the ability to believe it completely with her heart. The mind and heart were complicated in how they interacted, and for Ilda, the past was the shadow binding her heart to the floor.

"Nothing like geese. If you ask me it's a lot like a water puppy. You'll understand when you see her, I just figured since I don't know the kinds of animals you're comfortable with, it would be good to tell you what you'll be seeing a lot of. Well, maybe not the fox as much. She comes and goes like a stray cat might... But she always comes home eventually, that Vanna."

As requested, Ilda began to make her way away from the forest's foliage and towards her own home deeper into town. Every so often a local would greet her, something she was still getting used to. She greeted them back awkwardly, face a tinted red and words awkwardly stoic. Adding on to her not being used to being treated in a friendly way so often, she was also feeling some regret that she didn't know half their names.

Finally, they arrived at the house. It was a fairly modest house, a coat of off-white paint along the walls and a well lit birch door. Opening the door haphazardly, Ilda called out into the silence that was the home at the moment. "I'm back! Aoi, Vanna, we have a guest!"