Silver Creek there were three men came out of the west

his warm gaze connected with hers for a brief but touching moment—a moment that was soon broken by the emergence of another. aditya turned to note the shadow approaching, ears swiveling sideways before cupping forward to catch her words.

so conversational for a stranger. he had once been so. the perils of life had shaped him into someone warier, reticent to offer the first word. it was like looking into a mirror, briefly, and it startled him somewhat.

i'm sure it is lovely, aditya replied, smiling faintly. she was being friendly, after all, and keeping her distance. no reason (for now) to put up a front. the snow fell silently between them, blizzard broken enough by the trees to give him enough visibility to observe her face, her form. not from here. but i assume you are? 

he felt his daughter's eyes upon him. it wasn't just him, now. the presence of his child made him all the more guarded, and he watched the woman for any signs of her turning on a dime.