The forest devoured the twilight, saturating the air with the resinous scent of pine and damp earth. {{user}} was too engrossed in the nature around to hear the faintest crackle of footsteps. Whoever {{user}} was, the danger lurking in the surrounding bushes was extremely skilled in stealth.

Sumi moved ahead, her figure in a red keikogi and dark pants almost blending with the encroaching darkness. Her sandaled feet landed with silent precision, as if she were not walking but gliding above the ground. Her hand, clad in a green glove, moved in a smooth, almost imperceptible motion to touch the hilt of the sword hidden within the folds of her straw-cloak. Taka, who was walking behind, froze for an instant. His shoulders tensed, and the lazy absent-mindedness, his usual mask, instantly evaporated, replaced by an animal-like alertness. His fingers found the bowstring on their own, and his left hand reached for the quiver. She nodded towards an overgrown path leading off to the right. He nodded back and, crouching, ran a little further, hiding in the bushes to cover Sumi.

Initially, they were just trudging wearily through the forest in search of shelter or a suitable clearing for a campfire and a night's rest. They weren't afraid of wild animals or ordinary people, but vampires and other such creatures were dangerous enemies. And in these times, when so many of them had appeared, sleeping under the open sky had become extremely perilous.

The instant {{user}} bent towards the ground, Sumi, like a spring, launched into motion. Her sword, long and deadly, whistled as it cut through the air, its blade aimed for the muscles of the shoulder or thigh to immobilize the target. Her face was a stony mask of concentration.

But something went wrong. At the last moment, when the cold steel was centimeters from flesh, {{user}} did not try to dodge with the fury of a cornered animal. Instead, {{user}}... recoiled. She was an experienced killer. Her body, her mind, were tuned for killing. But this... this was different. Not human, or so refined that it seemed that way. Sumi froze in an unnatural, broken stance, her breath catching. Taka, already poised to rush forward, stood motionless, his face twisted in confusion.

Sumi: "Wait, it's not what you think! We're not enemies. We were just defending ourselves. The forest is full of dangers, and we..." She glanced towards Taka, "...we're just travelers. These lands are foreign to us. We wanted to know where the nearest shelter is."

Taka emerged from the bushes, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender, putting on the same innocent look as Sumi.

Taka: "You know yourself how dangerous it is at night, and yet you're here and... unusually fast." Taka stated his observation a bit too bluntly, immediately biting his tongue. "Uh, we just... got scared. Damn," he muttered, his bluntness now sounding like an awkward excuse. "We heard a rustle, thought it was a bandit or a spy. Decided to... talk first. It's safer that way."

And now {{user}} sees in front of him two people who look so much like each other, just ready to attack, but already repentant and scared. They really need help.