Over the River and Through the Woods (OnexOne with IrradiatedWarden)

[SensibleSidekick]

Kir wasn't even certain she should be driving at the moment.


She barely slept the night before and what little sleep she did have, that bastard filled it with nightmares. Her grip tightened on the wheel at the thought and she forced herself to take a deep breath. It had been a day or two, or so she was aware, that that... thing hadn't taken over, which was nice at least. She didn't like losing time, especially after what she woke up to the last time it decided to "play." Kir was lucky it decided to relinquish control in time so she could stop herself from slicing into her arm.


That was when she finally went to Fi after weeks of denying anything was wrong. She also told her to hide all the sharp implements in her apartment, just to avoid that little fiasco again. If Kir didn't know where the knives were, then neither would they. Hopefully.


After a little bit of research, Fi mentioned going to see someone outside of town that might be able to help, or at least offer some protection from the demon. The psychopomp had mentioned it being a witch and Kir was skeptical, but also desperate, which made the first far more easier to ignore. She was also falling behind in her school work, only fueling the desperation further. If it helped, she didn't care what or who it was.


So there the two were, driving down the interstate in her small sedan towards a long stretch of mountains cloaked in thick forest, Kir doing her best to stay focused on the road. Thank goodness for coffee. "What exit were we getting off at again?"

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Life had been busy after the...incident.


Of course, as the local psychopomp, that was to be expected considering what they had done. It had been a mistake, a foolish one, and now Fi felt like she was trapped on a sinking boat with only Hello Kitty bandages at her disposal to try and stop the leaks. She'd considered just leaving more times than she wanted to admit, but deep down she knew that wasn't an option. Her leaving wouldn't bet rid of the problem she helped cause, and her mother hadn't raised a coward.


She'd been content to work alone, at least, until Kir had come to her with the nightmares and tales of sleeping possession. It wasn't until then she had known just how bad things had become, how much her friend had suffered.


Friend. That was a funny word to use for the woman who had vexed her so much to start with.


But, yeah, maybe that's what they were.


"Um," Fi looked back down at her phone. "We get off two more exits from here." She glanced to Kir, not noticing the way her phone's map seemed to hiccup. "Are you sure you are up for this?"

 

[SensibleSidekick]

"What, you mean talking to this hippy?" Her eyes shifted to look to Fi for a brief moment before returning to the road again. She still had a hard time dealing with all of this magical, metaphysical nonsense despite everything she, no, they had been through at this point. She sighed, settling back in her seat, "I mean, what choice do I have? This mudak won't leave me alone, and I don't think I want to see what happens when it tries to take me over again." It was terrifying, not being in complete control of herself at all times like she had been. Just knowing the demon could take it away at any moment had her high strung and twitchy. She found she checked her watch far more often than she probably should, just to make sure she hadn't moved forward without realizing it.


She did so now, seeing only five minutes had passed since her last check. They were making better time than she had thought considering how far out the place was. It helped there was little traffic after leaving downtown. "You're sure she can help?"

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Hippy.


The word made Fi scoff a little in amusement, a smile pulling at her lips. The same reaction was given to the word mudak. Kir hadn't handled things particularly well, granted, the fact that she was someone who didn't believe in magic and was faced with a horrifyingly powerful demon playing games with them, Fi couldn't blame her. She'd been raised around oddities her whole life and this even unnerved her, something she tried to keep to herself for Kir's sake. It wouldn't do anyone any good if they were both panicking at the same time.


"She can help."


Actually, Fi wasn't sure she could at all. She was really just hoping for the best at that point as she leaned back into her seat and looked out the window.


"And if nothing else we will have a nice walk today, hmm? Sometimes I forget how pretty nature can be."

 

[SensibleSidekick]

They had been blessed with a good day for a walk. She had probably over done it with the jacket in her backseat, but who knew how cold the mountains got? Kir nodded, running a hand through her short, now mussed hair, "It has been a while since I've gone on a hike. It'll probably be good for my head." And just in general. She hadn't been out of her apartment in a while.


Their exit finally came up and she merged onto the ramp, taking another turn before finding a dirt road just a few miles down, blocked off by metal gates. No cars past this point it seemed. "This is it, right?" She had parked on the side of the road, getting ready to get out of the car. "Looks like the rest of the way is on foot."


She glanced down at Fi's feet and smirked, "You gonna be okay in those?" Flats a hiking shoe did not make.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"This is it."


Fi slipped the phone into her pocket and had undone her seat belt by the time Kir made the comment about her shoes. She glanced down to the oatmeal colored flats with little buckles on the side of the toe. They were her most comfortable shoes, still, that didn't make them hiking boots or sneakers. Fi wasn't exactly the outdoorsy sort.


"Hopefully. If worse comes to worse I thought I would just cry until you carried me the rest of the way."


She flashed Kir a smile before exiting the vehicle.


Taking in a deep breath, Fi looked at the all but forgotten path that lay beyond the metal gate. The air was clean and still, empty of those living and otherwise. It felt like no one had been there for some time, like if they moved beyond those metal gates, they might move beyond worlds. Then again, the thick trees might have had something to do with that feeling.


"And remember, the last thing we want to do is offend or insult her...and considering everything I would have assume you would have learned to at least keep an open mind at this point."

 

[SensibleSidekick]

Kir snorted as she exited the car, locking behind her once they were all set, "I'm here aren't I? I'll be nice. " She tied her jacket around her waist and approached the gate. The area beyond was almost creepily silent in comparison to the town. She was used to hearing at least the quiet hush of tires on the road. The scientist took a moment to breathe in the cool, damp air of the forest to calm down, her mind feeling clearer than it had in weeks in just a few short seconds. She then hopped over the gate, feet crunching on the road gravel turned dirt as she landed, and looked back to Fi to follow, "I don't think I'm strong enough to carry you. How far in do you figure she is? I don't want to get stuck out here at night fall. I don't have my camping gear."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"I am just impressed one of us owns camping gear at all."


The psychopomp followed, hoisting herself over the gate with a bit of trouble. Dusting her pants off, she looked up the dirt road that disappeared into the trees. Really, she didn't know how far the witch was, actually, she didn't know much about the woman at all. She wasn't willing to tell Kir that, however.


Instead, she started up the path.


"No more than an hour up I would imagine. Best we get started, yes? It would be dreadful if we were to get stuck out here during the night."


There was something ominous to those last words.

 

[SensibleSidekick]

Seeing no reason to doubt her, Kir shrugged and followed after, occasionally looking around them in case they needed landmarks to get back home. Hopefully they wouldn't be that far in.


The quiet was doing wonders for her head to the point that she was forgetting to check her watch to check on how much time had passed. She hadn't felt this... alone in her own headspace since before the incident. Not that she ever heard the bastard in her head, but there always seemed to be something there that wasn't quite right. Now it just felt very far away. My, what an improvement.


As they hiked, the forest seemed to grown denser with each step, the trail fading into a hint of direction, rather than a path to follow, covered by debris and foliage. It was like the mankind had forgotten about this place and opted to settle elsewhere. It was surprisingly nice. It became less nice once they hit the three hour mark, however. The sun was starting to set, painting the sky orange and draining the color out of the woods around them.


"So Fi. One hour in, huh?" Kir huffed as she leaned back against a tree and doubled over, letting her hands rest on her knees as she caught her breath, "We're gonna have to stay out here tonight at this rate. It's getting too dark to try to get back."


There was a rustling of branches just up the hill to Kir's left and she looked up to see a figure standing among the trees, "How the fuck do you get so lost, you screw up predictions? I was supposed to meet up with you an hour ago. Now get your asses up here." The figure's voice, was feminine loud, but withered with age and held a sense of natural authority to it. They stood with arms akimbo, like a disappointed mother watching her children play in the mud.


Kir's brow furrowed as she straightened, utterly confused, "Who are you?"


The woman chuckled, "I'm 'The hippy', honey."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

The path just seemed to go on, and on...until it vanished. Nerves danced in Fi's lungs and she all but refused to look at Kir as the sun started to sink over the treeline. An hour. Why had she said an hour? If anything she should have overestimated so it would be a pleasant surprise if they arrived early. Now she was just hoping they'd arrive at all.


Her feet hurt, and when Kir finally took a break to huff and rest, the realization that they wouldn't be able to get back to the car finally hit her. Oh this wasn't good. This really wasn't good. Animals of natural backgrounds or supernatural ones could lurk in those woods and either way it wasn't safe. She was about to voice that concern when, quite suddenly, a voice hit her ears.


Turning, she stared at the woman with eyes wide enough to put an owl to shame.


Oh.


This was her.


She stepped forward, tripping slightly over a root.


"Ah, my apologies, I fear I am quite terrible with directions." She glanced behind her, awkwardly rubbing an arm before she looked to the older woman once more. "But I suppose explanations of all sorts can wait until we are, ah, inside. Yes that sounds good."


And with that, she hurried up the hill, no longer wishing to be out in the open as they were.