The clearing seemed to have an aura of energy around it, easy to feel but impossible to describe. Katya circled over it once, twice, three times, before she was satisfied that there didn't seem to be anyone down there with hostile intent. She rolled inverted, plunged toward the ground and leveled up just feet from the grass, landing softly and neatly on her feet. The air was heavy with the scent of flowering vegetation, and despite the strangeness of this place in her eyes, it filled her with a sense of peace. Green, lush and with a curious mix of vegetation, it really did look beautiful and just slightly mysterious.Peaceful.
The demon took a closer look around. Some insects, petals and loose leaves rode the gentle breeze, some of it swirling around her as she strode through the clearing towards some nearby trees. Katya took her time about it, eyeing the different vegetation and soaking in a little sunshine- she may have been on a mission, but that didn't preclude the opportunity to explore her surroundings and generally enjoy herself. She also found it much easier to breathe whilst outside for some reason- unlike the stuffy indoors air of the castle.
It made sense that the piece of wood she was looking for might be lying nearby a tree. Part of her wished that a friend could have tagged along to keep her company, Dante, or Eligor perhaps, but on the flight over she decided that she could certainly enjoy being alone as well. It meant she could do things entirely her way- taking it easy and relaxing. As she picked through the twigs and sticks obscured in the grass of the clearing, she reflected on how things had begun to turn around for her. She had always been a little lackadaisical compared to the other squires, which didn't necessarily reflect well on her in their training environment, but lately she'd been putting her free time to better use- finding ways to make her missions and self-training both productive and relaxing. By performing physical drills whilst winging through the sky, exploring whatever she could of the isle, she'd been able to bring her fitness and endurance to a high standard, though her strength left something to be desired. It was good enough, though, that she didn't feel like the frail flower anymore when she went on mission with one of the tougher squires. Her magic was average but 'acceptable'; defensive and healing magic, she could literally do on the fly. Her offensive magic, on the other hand, was capable enough in bursts (in fact it had been critical in the struggles of the marshes) but she had trouble sustaining it.
In theory and knowledge, she had previously been considered quite thick (to put it kindly), eventually managing to succeed in grasping the fundamentals of what they were being taught through extensive (if disorganized) note-taking and study, but it was her ranging outside the classroom and exploring the isle itself that truly led to the understanding of many of the things they were being taught. Sure, some stuff she merely had a rote learning of, but the increased freedom they had been allowed as they grew older had been an enormous boon to the once-struggling young girl. No longer confined to Telrunya City, she had been able to discover her strengths, and it was like unlocking a part of herself.
Katya's reflections brought a slight smile to her lips. It also distracted her from the fact that she'd been staring at the same damned twig in her hands for the last minute or so. As she snapped out of her reverie, she examined the piece of wood, running her fingers over it and marveling at how smooth it was. It also felt quite firm in her grasp, and yet very slightly supple, suggesting firstly that it wouldn't break easily, and secondly that it might have come off the tree recently, and perhaps been broken off by a pae or creature before it would have fallen off on its own. The young demon nodded to herself and tucked the stick neatly into her flight bag. This item would do just fine. This last item secured for her all four enchanted tokens that the squires had been tasked with obtaining, and it was time to return to the castle.
She flopped backwards onto the soft grass under her, making sure to keep her wings clear of her falling body, and letting her eyes focus on the puffy white clouds high above that were drifting lazily by.
The castle could wait.