Deep in the Preserve, Tuesday Late Night

Ino… didn’t want to go back to the town. But she couldn’t think of a way to miss work and not have it be seen simply as giving up.

She leaned against her tree, nibbling on a granola bar, and studying the dark forest. Seeing was a challenge, but she knew the location well enough by now that it didn’t really matter how much or little she could see.

If it changed, she would notice.

“I’ll be back,” she said, glancing up at her tree. “I’m not done thinking.”

She’d done enough though, that Ino was fairly confident in her ability to keep her temper for the next two days. If she hadn’t come to any solid conclusions, well, that was alright. She didn’t have to. There was no rule saying things needed to be set in stone.

Finishing the granola bar, tucking the wrapper away, Ino flung herself back into her own private battle. Low on sleep, low on food, concentration forced to sharpen--shoved on by her determination--Ino set herself to working through her problems again.

Was there even a conclusion? Or did it all just keep moving on, and she had to go with it?

She’d fight until dawn then, and head back to town. For a little while. To keep up appearances.

[Establishy.