Next day.
"Why are you here again, girl?"
Arnold looked at the young girl standing before him in the woodland behind her house.
It was a morning. Earlier, he had been keeping an eye on Sira and Alice's home from a distance when he noticed Alice leaving the house and heading into the woods. Curious about her destination, he had quickly made his way to their usual meeting spot. Before she arrived, he had put on his hooded cloak and fastened the plain silver mask over his face.
Now, as Alice stood before him, nervously twisting her fingers together, Arnold couldn't help wondering what had brought her here this time.
"We-well..." Alice hesitated, glancing up at him. "You're strong, right, sir?"
Arnold frowned slightly at the unexpected question but nodded.
"Yes, I am."
