Noctisardor Bypass always on my mind

The longer she stayed, the more Laurel found herself wondering why Mahler had decided to take over this place from Arbiter. She welcomed the thought of driving them out -- the thought that Terance and his bitch were licking their wounds elsewhere was extremely enticing to Laurel, who'd always been particularly vengeful herself -- but something didn't quite fit. Mahler seemed like a sensible but not overly violent sort. Either he had a really good mask on his face - much like the one Laurel sported - or there was more to his story. It made Laurel feel something she hadn't in a long time; the urge to find out more about it. A spark of curiosity that had been absent for so long as she avoided others in the territories of Easthollow, merely surviving for no purpose.

No purpose than to get here, perhaps. Maybe there truly was a second chance hidden somewhere in all of this. Only time would tell whether it would be the new start she desperately needed, or just another act in the ongoing nightmare of her life.

Laurel hadn't seen Xan recently, but she imagined he must be around. She was out looking for him when she heard the sound of moving ice. When she turned towards it, Laurel noticed a woman not far off. It wasn't anyone she recognised, thankfully (Laurel was ready to bury all the ghosts of her past). Deciding she would make the best of the new chance offered to her, Laurel easily slipped on her mask and she approached the other; body neutral, a bubbly smile on her face that said she was looking forward to meet another of her new pack mates.