it was time to go home.

she had wandered and had her fun, but it was time to follow the calling in her bones, the violent urges of longing that blurred her concious. she missed the sand between her toes, falling asleep to the lullaby of waves against the shore. a passing image of vibrant orange went through her mind, and she agreed with her subconscious - she missed New Other, despite how short their encounters had been. she would have to bring him something wonderful and fascinating, perhaps she would bring a Somebody to him - she had a feeling that would please New Other very much. well, so long as she brought back the right Somebody. she would think more on it later.

the golden caped girl had not made the journey back to her birthplace in so long, but her feet found the familiar path without a thought. she tread without fear through the grotto, pausing to sip from the streams that dwelled within the caves and inspect the area for anything of interest. there was nothing to be found, and she exhaled heavily with displeasure. she hated to show up without a gift, but it had to be done. she would make it up to Sir Eden - he had told her once that he would quite like her to collect a Somebody for Home. she had been too young and inexperienced to do so successfully, as somebodies were harder to collect than New Other had led her to believe, but she was confident that she would be able to do so now. yes, yes, she would find a Somebody for Sir Eden - where New Other liked things of interest, Sir Eden like delicate things, easily broken things, mouldable things. she knew she should avoid somebodies from the Mountains or the Moors, but perhaps she would find a young Somebody outside of Home.

she crossed into Home without hesitation, warm orange flooding her concious as she sank into the warm velvet cloud of happiness. she floated through the territory towards her old den, deciding that she would offer Sir Eden something from her collection as a gift for now - perhaps it would be enough until she could bring him something better. her prized piece was immediately visible as she came across her old den, the top of a fallow deer’s skull with the antler’s still attached. she recalled scavenging it off a abandoned carcass years ago, imbedding it into the packed earth that was the roof of her den. time and the elements had weathered it until it was bleached and smooth, but she thought it would still do quite nicely. it took the slender girl a bit of effort to remove it, but eventually she was on her way to the shore, prize held gently in her mouth. it had been a young deer, and the rack wasn’t incredibly impressive, but they were mostly intact. it was her biggest find, size wise at least, and she thought it was an acceptable substitute for the moment.

she situated herself a few feet away from the shoreline, antlers arranged delicately in front of her. daria lifted her voice in a brief call for Sir Eden, an invitation for New Other hovering in the edges of her howl. she wanted to see him, despite not having anything for him, but maybe he had found Things - she’d promised to share everything with him, perhaps he would share with her too. her attention was taken by seagulls, swooping and squalling with each other over scraps they were finding on the beach. daria watched with rapt fascination, completely unaware of what was around her now.