Rest by the river.

"Splash splash splash!" Eva sings.

Not far from the bridge, the riverbank flattens just enough to where your party slips down a pathway and finds an area of dirt and gravel to claim as their rest stop. Everybody has removed their shoes, including yourself, which now sit in a pile near the packs and emus. There's a perfect place to sit upon some rocks, and Eva was the first to claim a seat. Where the stream is shallow, she slaps her bare feet up and down in the cool, clear water.

Xiaoqing has removed her hat and gloves, as well as her entire coat. She stands deeper in, though just up to her knees, garbed in shorts and a sports bra. Though it's quite cold, it of course doesn't bother her. She dips her hands down, and feels the momentum of the stream brush between her fingers. Her eyes catch a fish swiftly dart by before disappearing beneath the bridge.

"Oh. Would you like a snack?" Snow asks upon following the other girl's eyes.

Though she doesn't quite know what she means by that. "I suppose I could eat something, yeah. Why?"

Snow wades in as deep as her, though a distance away. There she stands perfectly still. Even her tail freezes in place.

"What's she up to?" Niki asks as she stomps up behind Xiaoqing.

"Looking for something, maybe."

On a rock near Eva, Amara stretches her feet out into the water with a sigh of relief. She wiggles her toes just beneath the surface. "This is truly relaxing. And despite the season, the temperature fine."

"This is a pretty temperate climate, right?" Xiaoqing asks. "Where I spawned into this world, it got colder even in summer sometimes. Seems to stay pretty mild here, or even warmer. Like, there's no snow at Castle Phoenix despite us being up so high."

"That's my understanding," you reply.

Suddenly there's a crash in the water. Everybody turns to Snow--the source of the sound. She faces the party, and holds two decently sized salmon up in both her hands.

"Wow! Very impressive, Snow," you cheer.

"I know we brought food," she says with a smile. "But I was really craving fish."

"I'll start the fire!" Niki shouts, hurrying back to dry land.

Eva watches as she passes by. "I think we have easier ways to start fires than rubbing sticks together. Magic exists for a reason."

"Hey. I have a flint starter, I'll have you know. Also sometimes it's more fun to do it by hand."

"Agree to disagree."