Whitebark Stream is it a sin to find

The ground, frozen solid, was only just scraped by her nails when a voice sounded from behind; focused on the task at hand, she didn’t hear his approach and was visibly startled by the suddenness of his voice. Her actions were brought to an immediate end whilst her body jolted upright, turning shortly thereafter to face the culprit—and upon seeing a familiar face, she was put at ease, panic reined in and thumping heart slowing. And then she fully grasped to whom the face belonged and she could feel her nerves building back up again.

“Salvatore,” she returned, offering a friendly smile; although nervous, she knew she should have expected another meeting with him. After what happened, she would have been more surprised to never see him again than she currently was. “I am… well.” Overall, that is. She could hear her own heart pounding in her chest, could feel the twitching of her own skin, laced with anxiety. But these details she did not—could not—share with him; all she felt to tell him was that she was fine, in health, the chaos unfolding within unspoken.

“And you?” she asked, far more eager to focus on him than herself. “How have you been… since…” She trailed off and bit down on her inner cheek, uncertain. Did he even want to talk about that? Maybe he simply wished to forget—was that why he was there, to ask her to do the same? Could she, if so?