Moonspear i was hopelessly behind on reductions and meringues.

Rannoch's efforts to console Liffey had been futile; he had found that it was almost impossible to comfort her when she hadn't revealed the cause of her anxiety. Her stress— coupled with his uninformed position— had allowed a semi-permanent state of concern to settle into his consciousness. Although Rannoch was well-versed in the art of masking his emotions, he was not as talented in the department of not overthinking. 

Rannoch had decided to cut his patrol with @Terance short. His choice had come from lack of focus, and he felt it wasn't fair to hinder their guard with his problems. Rannoch had excused himself awkwardly and galloped hastily in the opposite direction; he knew he needed time to himself to obsess over what he knew and figure out how to get Liffey to talk to him. 

Once he was out of sight of Terance, Rannoch found himself a sunny patch of snow to sit upon. With his shoulders hunched, his eyes set towards the ground, and his body language uninviting, Rannoch submersed himself into his spirits. Before Rannoch knew it, he was amongst his self-loathing that he returned to the conclusion that he had come to the day prior: Liffey was tired of him and was breaking up with him. A foreign pain throbbed through his heart as he thought of the sobering judgment; he couldn't imagine life without Liffey at his side. It felt as though a part of him was dying, and Rannoch had no idea how to save it. 

All too involved in his perceptions, Rannoch didn't acknowledge the presence of Liffey's scent in the air.