The results went as expected, and it took considerable effort not to laugh at how ridiculous the unsuspecting guards looked when their peace was so rudely interrupted. Such guards would be of little help when real trouble came, and Sverre was more than willing to show the buffoons the error of their ways. Grinning ear to ear, he ducked as prompted, though he had his doubts these clumsy idiots would gather their wits quick enough to spot them just yet.

The way they scrambled to get their bearings was entertaining to watch, and some of them almost looked shocked or scared enough to have pissed themselves. Sverre found the thought more amusing than he probably should have, and held a hand up near his face in case he felt like snickering. He did, however, notice Eilin had yet to let go of his ruined cloak. He decided not to comment on it or give away the fact that he had become aware of it. It was admittedly kind of nice to be crouched behind a bush with his oldest and dearest friend. He felt like a naughty student who had escaped the boring lessons of a tutor (not, however, that he had ever been of rank or status to be afforded such privileges).

When Eilin finally let go, it was to prompt him to leave as the guards spread out to begin a search. The imbecils hopefully had enough sense to leave two or so as watch to keep an eye on the gate. Otherwise, they were useless, and no warning would be of any good.

Grabbing his greatsword, Sverre followed swiftly behind Eilin, grinning broadly as he turned to face her. In the near distance, he heard another voice- one of close rank to the captain if the tone of authority was to go by, call out another addition to the orders. "Find the attackers! Don't let them get away!"

Sverre's grin widened if possible, eyes alight with mischievous glee.

"Well, that was certainly exciting, wasn't it?" He asked in a conspiratorial whisper.

Moving through the underbrush was considerably easier on the outskirts of the forest and near the path, yet Eilin set her course away from both. No sooner had the command to not let them escape was given, than they lost sight of the gate completely, obscuring themselves within the density of the evergreens that dotted the landscape.

So much for the guards being able to do their duty for the village.

Sverre's words were met with a side glance from the dark-haired woman, her lips pressed together in what could only be described as silent concentration. It was baffling to her how he could take such glee from what they were doing and have fun with a task that she, herself, deemed only a forced necessity. She wasn't a stranger to humanity's naive nature. She, herself, had once been naive as well. And she knew full well that simply walking up to a guard and trying to explain the dangers that lay in wait would result in a lot of mock laughter, for people thought themselves advanced and far above anything the world could throw at them. It was a frustrating burden she had taken on herself very early in life.

And then there was Sverre, fleeting through society with what seemed to be no care for the rise and collapse of communities. Sverre, who professed to care for her and her family and who had aided in killing of demons on her watch, yet seemed to take just as much joy in plotting against humans. She had yet to sort her feelings out about him, muddled as they were in their twisted past, and she knew it would be a good long while until she was able to figure them out.

"Not the word I would have chosen,” she replied, tearing her gaze from the demon.

The further they got away from the gate, the easier it was to relax about not being overheard. As the voices of the guards faded into the distance behind them, Eilin eventually took to the path, gingerly readjusting the sling around her arm to sit more securely. It was quickly becoming apparent that she had no plan to return to the inn just then as she headed squarely into the dark forest, following the same path that almost ended in her death just a couple of days ago.

The moonlight as the only guiding light, Eilin moved carefully yet decisively as she retraced her steps, casting glances to Sverre from time to time. She had questions, yet every time she thought of voicing them, they would be stopped before she could form the actual words.

It wasn’t until a fork in the path split and she remembered to go to the right that she finally spoke up with yet another side glance to her rather unexpected companion.

“Why did you follow me?” she asked.

Eilin's expression wasn't lost on the demon, the male following his companion with ease despite the increasing density of the forest. For a moment, he was blessedly silent with his inner musings, but it didn't last long.  He wasn't quite sure what to make of the dark haired woman's gaze upon him, but he was fairly certain it wasn't exactly with fond or otherwise positive regard. No, those pursed lips lips definitely held some measure of disapproval or the like.

Letting out a slight huff, Sverre shook his head as Eilin finally spoke, his expression reminiscent of a pout. "What? No one was maimed or killed. We sent a clear warning of danger, and got to scare the crap out of some poor, inattentive idiots. Maybe they'll be better afterwards. It's not the harshest way to learn by any means." He reasoned with a nonchalant shrug. Suspecting she would still be disapproving of this answer, he had the decency to look at least somewhat sorry for his mirth. "Is it so wrong to find their bumbling about amusing? To think their expressions were rather ridiculous?"

"And besides..." he continued after a moment, voice somewhat softer as he imagined better feelings between them, the companionship they shared years ago. "We both got to take part. You knew how to send the message, I helped deliver it. Now it's up to them."

The halfling noticed the path they took seemed to be leading deeper into the forest. More specifically, along the same route that Eilin had gone when she had been shot at. The mental image of her falling prey to the finishing blow made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The feeling was unpleasant, and he felt almost sick at the thought ofbwhat could have transpired had he been too late.

He'd have failed her a second time.

Thankfully, the dark haired huntress' late question caught his attention before he could get lost in thought. Sverre chanced a more direct glance at Eilin, not faltering in his steps despite his attention not being directed in front. He regarded her words a moment, pondering for a second how to best explain himself. Hell, he wasn't entirely sure why he'd been so hellbent on finding her. Pretty sure, but not entirely.

Sverre took a slight breath, mulling her question over even as he finally answered. "Honestly? At first I was just pissed and trying to get answers, confront you despite your obvious efforts to avoid me..." he began, brows furrowed slightly as he played over the past week in his mind. "I'd...had a nightmare about...that day. So, I was more frustrated than earlier. And the fact that you looked like, well, you...I was particularly pissed off to see my only friend's face haunting me when I lost her already." Sverre stopped, interrupting his story, only he now looked more than just a tad embarrassed.

"I know, I know... it should have been obvious who you were by that point. But honestly? I couldn't be sure I wasn't projecting to some degree, seeing more similarities than there were. I truly believed you dead..."

Clearing his throat, the half demon continued, looking ahead once more. "In any case, after running about and getting my sword sharpened, I thought to look for you. I had just about decided to go back to the inn and wait when I saw a piece of fabric caught on a thorny bush outside the town limits.  I snuck out, checked it, and caught your scent. All I had to do then was follow." Sverre turned back to her with a frown and a berating huff. "You were daft to go hunting demonkind so late and so far from the town. All on your own no less! What if had been more than one?" He snapped, sounding a tad harsher than intended.

The male cleared his throat, looking apologetic as he regained his composure. "A-anyways! I saw you get shot the first time, and, well...I couldn't just leave you there to die from some punk scout." He finished with a half shrug.

Sverre's answer stirred an uneasy feeling as Eilin listened to him. It only made sense that he was suspicious of her identity. She had recognized him right away, the moment she all but landed on top of him, why would he not sense the same familiarity in her?

It was this suspicion she attempted, and evidently failed, to avoid by leaving off her face paint and escaping his presence as quickly as possible. The more he talked, the more she found herself wishing that she could have stayed dead for him, and he for her. Being shot through with an arrow not withstanding, the memories brought about by his presence were ones she didn't wish to fully relive. And how she wanted to go back to believing that her closest childhood friend was nothing more than a human. A victim fallen to the pack along with her family.

It was Sverre's latest accusation surrounding her decisions that brought the woman's gaze back up to his, eyes hardening even as he regained some semblance of composure. Though her usual jab back at him didn't come right away. Instead, as he finished, she looked away again, taking the left-hand path this time as they came across the second fork. They were close to the scout's hide-out now, she remembered the very trees she walked among right before she heard the whistle of the arrow.

"My fate was sealed long ago," she replied finally, an edge of finality in her tone. "I will die by the hands of a demon. One way or another. I would rather it happen while fighting for my own kin, then I know I have done all I can with this life."

Her steps slowed, now stepping carefully around the brush and approaching what now looked like a white snowy lump where the scout's body remained. It was exactly where they had left it in their escape from the forest, untouched by anything aside from nature itself.

"Neither you nor I can change it," she added as she knelt down to brush the snow down off of the scout's body, revealing his now drained and frozen face that managed to look even more gruesome now than it had two days ago.

"I suggest you come to terms with it. I have."

Eilin's hand drifted down, quickly brushing snow off the scout's chest, revealing the armor she only glimpsed briefly in the fight that had taken place. Idly she traced the insignia that was etched into the metal. It glinted softly in the moonlight overhead, making her brows furrow.

"I've seen this symbol before," she said after a moment of inspection. But where?