When they were leaving for the city, Jacob expected complications- things like... a bunch of bandits appearing out of nowhere and fighting their group of caravans and wagons, and with the loot they're carrying, he expected that they'd at least get them on the first four hours of traveling but as it turns out, nothing like that happened. It was all just peace and serenity as everyone made their way through the winding paths outside of the village.

And he's not complaining obviously, no really- it's more like... when someone expected something to happen but was disappointed because nothing did?

Yeah. Something like that.

"Everything looks so clean," Jacob said out loud, though the word that he's looking for is probably 'Authentic'. beside him, Asya turned to stare but otherwise kept silent, choosing to hum a tune that sounds vaguely familiar.

For a while, it was the only sound within the group because everyone was wary and vigilant, and thus silent. Asya's hum wasn't so overbearing that it was annoying either, in fact, the people around the wagon that they're riding on looked pleased from the sound.

Jacob briefly wondered if that hum meant anything to these people but again, he'll probably need context for that- something that he dearly lacks. Though, he'll probably also solve that problem if he just stops staring around the area and instead start reading the books he borrowed from the library but he didn't really feel like reading right now. He's more of a 'I read inside a room' kind of guy rather than someone who feels comfortable opening a book in a large and loud crowd.

And it's not like the view is bad either; His eyes looked past the swaying grass as tall as his knees and through the stray sapling, his gaze found itself on the distant forest- There, the trees were thick while in contrary, the undergrowth beneath them was sparse, and the shrubs and bushes grew on places where light seeped through the leafy crowns of the towering oaks. He spotted animals running around from time to time, darting across the open areas before disappearing just as quickly as they had come.

He didn't know what they were- strictly speaking, he knew that they're some type of possums the size of a small dog but other than that? Jacob was completely oblivious as to what those animals are, there's plenty of them out there, and he would spot one occasionally. And with the creature's distinct black and white fur, it wasn't that hard to do.

A thought, and Jacob wondered why they were colored that way until he realized that they were probably in the same situation as tigers, with their colors specifically tailored to dodge the eyesight of the prey that they hunt. If that's the case, then they're probably in a specialized niche. He didn't really know much about ecology though so he decided to go with a simple explanation: They're probably just nocturnal animals getting disturbed by the large number of people moving outside the forest.

It made sense to him, from their odd coloration to how they knew about their traveling group. After all, nocturnal creatures have sharper than normal senses to make up for the darkness.

"Say," Jacob turned away from the forest and faced Asya, "why do you keep staring out there?" With narrowed eyes, she stared at the forest with pursed lips, "I don't get it."

"I don't think you have to." Jacob said with a shrug, "I... what I mean is I'm not really doing it because, for a reason, I just like doing it." He answered, "There's... you know-" How does he explain why he's staring out there? He noticed Asya's confused expression and sighed. Honesty it is then, "You caught me off guard, I wasn't really thinking much just now and I don't know what to say."

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His brain was still rebooting? Was that a good answer?

"That sounds very stupid." Asya bluntly said.

"Yeah. I know..." Jacob deflated.

"But I got most of it- you said that you didn't really have a reason for staring right?" Jacob nodded in response and Asya snorted, "Liar." Jacob turned to her in surprise, "There's always a reason. Especially if you're staring out there for so long-" She grinned, but Jacob sensed that it was forced, "- even if the reason is something as simple as stress and staring out there makes you daydream of a different life- a different time maybe..." she trailed off, "Staring somewhere far always has a reason."

Jacob lightly laughed, his reason felt a bit arbitrary compared to what Asya was saying. Though he did notice that the animals have disappeared, it almost made him want to think that they were just a trick of his mind, "You're right." Jacob admitted, "I did have a reason for staring like that."

"See?" Asya tapped him on the shoulders and smiled, "Honesty is a good start. Wanna talk about it?"

Jacob... stared at her. Is she... she's sounding like one of his therapists, "not really." He said, saying that there's an animal with black and white coloration in a forest full of green is just gonna make him sound insane, "I don't feel like talking about anything."

Asya nodded and backed off, "Fair enough." She started humming again but suddenly stopped, "If you want to talk about it, tell me okay?"

"I will." Jacob smiled.

As Asya started to hum once more, everything fell into silence and Jacob can only hold back a sigh as his mood for staring out into the forest disappeared. He didn't feel like doing anything anymore, not after that suspiciously personal talk with Asya- his mind drifted over to her words most of the time, and what they can possibly mean. He didn't come to conclusions, not even assumptions came to him, that was weird and it's not a good weird either because he knows that he's subconsciously choosing not to pry with Asya's personal life.

And usually, when that happens, things are severe enough that he doesn't want to put himself in the middle of it all. Whatever they may be.

It's an odd "ability" of his, one that he got from talking to various people and gleaming tidbits of knowledge about dealing with personal problems from his therapists. Well- it's not really special because all he does is notice that the person he's talking to has a lot of baggage and everyone can do that right as long as they listen and take notice of a person.

"The hints are there," one of his therapists, Dr. Yema would say and he's right. They're there, people just choose to willingly ignore them because in the end, they have their own problems to deal with.

Jacob eyed Asya, he also had his own set of problems right now- but all of them are minor. Nothing heavy, just financial stuff and things he needs to settle with the Duke.

Asya though... he can tell that she's having problems with something more than just financial stuff. And somehow, the girl is doing her best to put it behind her, and yet, like all problems, it always comes back.

He sighed, "Asya," she turned to him. Did he want to do this? He gave himself a mental slap. Of course he did. "If you have problems, don't hesitate to tell me okay?" Asya's brittle smile didn't convince him to back off, it did the opposite, "look, I know that we've only known each other for what? A few days?" He did a mental recount and noted that no, it's not a few days, it's only been a day or so, "less than that, actually."

He faced the forest, and oddly enough, Asya followed, "What you said to me just now... I thought about it and realized that maybe we do need to talk to people." He looked away from the trees and back to his friend, "And I want to let you know that I can be one of them. Okay?"

Asya nodded but kept her eyes on the forest and her face away from him, "I'll... think about it."

Jacob decided to look the other way and ignored the sobbing sounds that came from his side, she probably didn't need a reminder of what she's going through but help is help. And again, one of his therapists did say that crying is a good sign, because it means the body is destressing itself- and also, that it's a sign that someone needs help.

It'd been explained to him, about how crying is a form of calling for help- that some problems are just too much for someone to handle alone so they get pressured until they start to cry.

A call for help. That's what Asya is doing. And she's... hiding it from him.

Holding back a sigh, Jacob turned to the girl and caught her wiping her eyes, "I'm here if you need help, okay?"

She didn't react violently and nodded, smiling, "Thanks."

Jacob watched as she wiped a tear from her cheek.