unlike sakura trees

Leaving the Crescent Cove behind, he rounds the Bluffs and Mountain. Sota makes his way to the edge of the Ichorwood; though he has no idea they are called this. Inwardly, he maps and makes names for them as he goes along. This one is Kaede — which means maple. The world he came from just called them maple trees, or momiji. It was a broad term in the end, as most sayings and definitions could be. His steps cracked the foliage that had fallen, mingling with the sparse snow. Making it look like, well, blood against the stark ivory.

He sniffs at the air, finding no formal community housed here. Not like the one next door to the Cove, which had seemed massive in number. After a quick check to see if he was indirectly crossing a border, he presses forward. The woods go deeper the more he travels, and he soon loses his way. Perhaps it wasn't a smart move, after drowning almost, to move from his origin point. He should have at least stayed put for another day, but he was impatient and curious. He never liked to wait around for things. He had found nothing to wait for that was worth it anyway. Trotting a bit, he comes across a semi-large clearing.

All around him, the reds and deep russets. All above him, the reds and deep russets. He feels almost suffocated and takes a deep breath. Calm down, nothing was going to reach out and drag him into the woods by their claw. But when he opens his eyes, it is because a voice calls out to him. Oh, what fresh hell? He had a thought. Couldn't swing a dead rabbit without hitting a new person here. Not like his world at all, which was separated by rural and country. Long expanses of wilderness between them, inhabited by nothing but beasts and criminals.

But he does turn toward them, grinning like the fool he usually was. "Hey there!" he would greet them, chirping like a bird.

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Hahahaha m i n e

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The crane flinched as they called out to her -- it seemed she was spotted after all.

Izumi's wandering feet had taken her to Ichorwood that day, adament on roaming again away from the rest in search of something, and nothing, all at once. A part of her still wished to reminisce on her fresher days within this land -- when she and @Reiko had still been freinds, and Event Horizon had still been in the process of claiming their keep within this reddened forest. Things have changed vastly since then, but if there was one thing that sat still through time, it was the scarlet leaves that fell from their early velvet trees -- and the woman could appreciate that.

So she roamed, slithering between oak with grace as feet crushed against soil and foliage. Yet would paused -- ears cupping forward at the sound of footsteps from afar, but not coming from her. She was not alone.

Izu stood hidden behind the length of a thick tree, while a single lilac eye stared on to observe the interloper. Tall, thickly compact, and with a strange looking tail that strikingly resembled @Cirilla's -- from way back when. A male of unknown origins that she didn't plan on approaching...until a *-crack-* would sound while shuffling her stance, and caused a dark muzzle to snap in it's direction.

She stepped on a twig. Of course she stepped on a twig.

Blinking back up at the man who's attention was no on her, the crane's ears flattened as she would finally come out of the trees and into the clearing. Didn't seem like she had much of a choice but to reveal herself now.

“Greetings.” Izumi would greet him back, and was a little skeptical on why they seemed so...chipper? It was a more welcomed greeting then aggression, though, so it was a welcomed sight. Her posture straightened, and tail above her rump. “The weather is....the sky....the forest is red-” then came the part where Izumi was supposed to initiate small talk -- and would be kindly reminded by the way she struggled to find words that she didn't do small talk for a reason.

She shook her head and clicked her teeth. “Nevermind...”

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Ah, it was the twig that called to him. Sota still retained his easygoing smile as she stumbled over her words. Only when she finished, proclaiming never of a mind, did he display anything else. The man chewed thoughtfully in his mind, mulling over words before a grand recite of a poem was given to the lovely lady. And he'd be quite blind indeed if he didn't notice her graceful beauty, like a crane about to take flight. But it'd be quite rude to make her stutter even more. 

"Have you seen that red,
golden leaves paint the ground
like a sunset sky?"

He puffed out his chest, quite proud of that recital. He tried to combine it with tree too but ended up in a slightly... abstract way of saying it. Oh well, she could or could not get it. Sota was reminded of pampered little Siamese cats that graced the ankles of noble ladies of the court when he looked at the lilac-eyed beauty. Though her stumbles were cute, oddly human-like. Unlike the noble ladies that were perhaps always out of reach. Relatable in a way. He thought it was endearing.

Now that they both recited, in their own way, poetry (Though his was more adding and helping her fill the silence!) they could move on. "My name is Sota" he smiled brightly, gesturing with a paw to himself "you don't need to force talking to me if you don't want to. I sorta jumped before walking on that." His curly tail wagged, not at all disturbed by such a thing though. Any chance to talk to someone in a new world was a good chance. His humble opinion anyway.

"Though I'm rather embarrassed I mistook your voice for a twig snap" He inclined his head "hearing it now, your voice is much nicer." And while he wasn't trying to be flirty, just courteous and assisting her to regain her composure, he did mean it. She had a nice voice.

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The situation had quickly turned akward, at least for her, and while her gaze was trained away Izumi was expecting him to be just as confused as her. An easy way to find an excuse to slip away, before the air became anymore uncomfortable. Yet as those frosted lilacs trained back on the man in question, that optimistic-looking expression still sat on his face. Did he think it funny? Is that why he was smiling? The woman wondered, now truly mulling over all the ways she could escape right now.

Yet the man would speak again.

This time, in the form of what seemed like a poem. An unexpected recital, but not an entirely unwelcomed one. The crane had always been one to appreciate the arts of creative literature, and the way he wove his words with ease like needle meeting thread was gorgeous. Her frosted gaze would soften, and the tip of her tail would twitch in some sort of pseudo-wave in approval, though that was pretty much the only sign of approval he'd receive from someone like Izu. It would take a little more to warm up...

“The twig had sacrificed itself to introduce me to you. It would be a waste to it's life if I were to leave now.” the crane stated, lacing her voice in the grim seriousness that matched her expression -- as if this man had been suggesting something terrible. The statement sounded absolutely ridiculous, which was entirely the point -- she found it funny. Though she wouldn't relay that onto her expression, testing to see if this one thought similarly.

Introducing himself as Sota, the crane took yet another round at observing his physical build -- and finding the name quite fitting, as it quite literally translated to 'big' and 'powerful' in her mother tongue. Running into others who spoke it was no longer a surprise to her, and was quite content to find so many who shared a culture similar to her own.

His next words were probably not the wisest. Izumi had not a clue in the world how to take compliments properly and tended to skirt past them as often as possible to avoid becoming flustered -- which she did just now, turning her head away and running a tongue over her nose. “なぜそんなことをしなければならなかったの?” — Now, why the hell did you have to go and do that? the girl murmured to herself, as if he'd been the reason for her social shortcomings.

“I wandered these lands because they are usually vacant, and close to my home. Though I don't usually catch another lingering this abandoned place...”

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Aha, he had been right. She really was from a culture similar to his old one. It was 'old' in the sense that Sota knew it didn't really carry into the world he found himself in now. To see remains and remnants made his heart hurt and his head confused. He tried to breeze by these emotions by ignoring them, focusing on her murmured words. She seemed shocked and embarrassed by his honest comments. His head tilted as he looked at her. "Well, obviously I had to" he mused to the woman "if you're that flustered by them, it means you're not used to compliments. Or rather what I assume" he added, admitting it didn't have to be true "and if so, that's a shame." He huffs, half amused and half exhausted.

Though not exhausted with her at all. "More people should compliment you" Sota decided with a decisive thought "the world could stand to be kinder to everyone" He flashed her a wide grin, curly tail wagging against his flank "even though I meant my words to be innocent, you are a lovely creature" He admitted this shamelessly and didn't at all expect anything in return for his indirect flirt "that's just what I see. Sorry if that makes you embarrassed." He had the capacity to dip his head, looking sheepish. She continues, however, admitting that this place was usually void of life. He looks up, around, and shrugs in the end. Not that he could comment on another's preferences.

"I washed ashore down south, near the cove" he informs her pleasantly "I've no lay of this world's land, so I thought to explore the nearest places before returning. I'm honestly a fresh face here, no strings attached to anyone yet." Wandering was a way of his life. He didn't think it was unwelcomed, seeing as he had met vagabonds until this point in time.

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It was not often that Izumi reacted the best to such fluttery compliments. Ecspecially flirtatious ones -- most of the time she'd brush them away or purposefully say something to send them off, but this was a rare moment where the words had been said in a...tastful manner? How did one manage to flirt politely, to the point where she hadn't ended up upset?

What kind of sorcery is this?

She'd observe him quietly once more...probably a little too intensely. He was attractive, yes, and nicely shaped -- that much Izumi could see. Yet Izu was a tricky woman -- not alot could sway the crane, not even Sota despite his intresting words, though she could definitely imagine him winning the affections of many with his skill.

Now that she was done studying his power like a never-before-seen pokemon, she would level her head again and clear her throat. Reserved in her posture. “It does not, I recive many on a day to day basis. I'm perfectly used to it.” lies. Yet before they could bring up the subject to question those lies, the crane had already sauntered to slowly walk amongst the path, but stopped to look towards the wolfdog. Inviting him to walk as they conversed.

“I'd say you look jovial for someone who nearly drowned,” even so, it was refreshing to see such an optimistic face despite having just woken. Usually they we panicked and confused, ecspecially her when she'd been placed in the tundra. Though Sota carried himself with a confidence that Izumi couldn't help but envy quietly.

An idea had came to mind when he'd mention his lack of connections, and the crane couldn't help but wonder;

“Do you seek a place to call your own, by any chance?” she asked “--Or have you not journied far enough to think about it, yet?”

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