Lion Head Mesa sakura no hana

satsu was glad to be home. it felt different here - more open and thus more free - than the strathwood. perhaps it was the absence of the giants that really eased her mind; no prying eyes, no worrying over what was said or to whom.

she was not alone though. as she picked her way among the weathered trees, some otherness remained. it prickled the back of her neck. when she looked around, satsu saw something silver-white against the red of the earth. the horizon was shimmering from the heat, giving her the thought that it was merely her imagination.