Red sat herself down by the pond, as she had so often done in all her time in Forget Me Not Valley. The solace, the peace that seemed embedded within the still waters of the Goddess Pond always lured her back, again and again.

Her long-faithful basket sat beside her, filled to the brim with Apples she'd collected. Sun peeked over a few clouds. It was her refuge.
Sighing, Red removed her hood, letting it fall back down her shoulders.
Letting her feet dangle over the Pond's edge, the tip of her shoes barely kissed the surface of the water, sending a shivering ripple through the lake.

Amongst the weak aroma of nearby lilies and other verdant plants, the intoxicating scent of smoke happened to be carried down the stream.
Red covered her nose and mouth for a second, until the smoke wafted away, only to be greeted by more when she retreated from her hand's mask.

Looking to see the source, just down the path, someone had a cigarette hanging from his mouth, a soft whisp of smoke dancing from it.
She sighed, lifting her hood over her head for some mild protection, politely waiting until she smoke's trail stopped.

"AH HA!" Kazumi said. "I have found you!" Kazu leaped and glomped red. "You shal be my prisoner!" "Come quietly or suffer....." an akwatd silence past, and Kazu burst into laughter. "red red red! ohhh it's been to long!" "i'm so hapy to see you again~~" "How's it been with you?!" "Where did you disapear to?!?!' Kazu's hair was pulled into two small pigtails at either side of her jaw. She wore a green head band and a long white skirt with a bright pink tank top and of course, her chocker. "I missed you!!"

Red, quietly observing from the corner of her eye, said from below her hood:
"Have you ever tried to quit?"

Smoking was rare in Forget-Me-Not-Valley, and she wasn't sure how locals would react to it. She herself didn't quite know what to make of the smoker, so far.
"Not to pry or anything, but still." She added, turning towards the man knelt in the path.

The dim glow of the cigarette was quickly put to darkness where it lay by the smoker, the smoldering scent starting to dissipate.

And then she heard a familiar giggle.
Turning to face her old friend, she laughed.
"Hello, Kazumi." She answered with a smile.

(OOC: Edited to fit with Kazu's post. x: )

"Hm, last time i saw you, you we're-' Kazu looked around. "Who are you talking to?" Kazu then spotted a familer figure she freezed completely and sat calmly back on you knees. "it's.....you from before...right?" she asked with an uneasy expression. "Strange, i didn't noptice you smoke...."

Kazumi closed her eyes and smiled. "I suppose it is, huh." "Sorry to intrude, it's been a while since i've seen red, so i just got really really excited!" "Ah, ummm i don't beleive i caught your name before...." "Mind me asking for it?" Kazu softly tilted her head to the side, and her arms rested on her knees.

Red swept her legs up from the edge of the lake, turning to face Kazumi and the stranger.

Watching as Kazumi politely asked his name, she couldn't help but smile.
A strange one, she is, for sure. She thought, shaking her head.
It had certainly been a while since she'd seen Kazumi, but the bubbly girl hadn't changed one bit, minus a few changes of apparel.

Yet, here they were, somehow brought back together by the presence of a stranger.
It was a small world, indeed.

Kazu nodded and took a mental note. "Bren." she said clairifying. "Ok." "By the ay, did you find the inn ok?" "It's a small town so i figured you'd find it easily." "Ah! hey red, my singing has improved since last time i saw you!" "And i met this great guy named Chase!, you've met him before, yes? And he plays guitar!" "He helped me a lot!"

Red nodded, somewhat distractedly, memorizing the name the man had told them.
She knew Kazumi would likely have practiced non-stop with her singing, after all, it was Kazumi.

"I thought it might have," She answered, looking up from underneath her hood.
All she really had, still, was her basket of fresh apples. Not much to improve, anyway.
Life had sped around her, for the longest time.
She nodded as she listened to Kazumi talk, slipping her hood off from over her head again.