With each quiet footstep, Heidi felt her heart beat faster and harder. Even coming to the school had been something far out of her comfort zone, but here she was, tailing a complete stranger with two hulking and very powerful demons as he hunted yet another daemon. They were nearing a dense, verdant forest, and Heidi knew that if she were to venture in there, she might lose track of how to get back to the Academy-- to safety. To be perfectly honest the idea of hunting down and confronting a daemon terrified her, even if she wasn't the one fighting it. They were dangerous creatures she didn't understand. Why, even her joking pervert of a daemon Bannik was still a frightening enigma. But following this man was a chance at seeing a real daemon hunter doing his work, and that was a chance she wouldn't pass up.

However, she didn't want to imagine what those two hulking daemons of the young man she followed could and would do to her, should their master dislike being followed. So she swallowed her fear and kept moving, walking carefully on the balls of her feet to stay silent and alert. Unfortunately, all her attempts at stealth didn't seem to do her any good, as her silent and unwitting guide seemed to notice her anyway. He spoke first in English and then in Swedish... telling her to pick up the pace. Heidi nearly let out a sigh of relief at that, knowing that her following him wouldn't result in her being torn to ribbons by his daemons. She was about to comply when, suddenly, another hunter strolled into the clearing, his own intimidating daemon following close at his heels.

She immediately ducked behind a nearby tree and held her breath, doing her best not to make a sound and make herself as unnoticeable as possible. She heard the newcomer speaking in English with a bizarre accent. Taking no chances, Heidi quickly unfastened the belt that held the ax in its harness just above her hips and let the small but heavy weapon slide into her hands. She whipped it around her body deftly and expertly and held it close against her chest. She had no idea what daemon hunters would do to other daemon hunters in a hunt. Closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, she tightened her grip on her ax and mentally prepared herself for the worst.

"Heidi! Mitä on tekeillä? [i](What's going on?)[/i]" barked Bannik, suddenly popping out of his bucket. The wooden lid slammed back on the tree trunk with a loud clack and rang through the quiet forest, lingering and echoing loudly for a moment or two before the woods faded back into silence. Heidi clenched her jaw and inhaled sharply, knowing that any chance at going unnoticed had just been dashed to pieces. Not bothering to answer her pesky daemon's untimely question, she quietly slid her weapon back into its harness. As she did so, Bannik slipped out of his bucket and climbed onto his partner to sit on her shoulder. He turned and whispered harshly and none too quietly into her ear, "Oi! Heidi!"

Heidi said nothing and instead unfastened the bucket of water from her back and held it loosely in her hands. A bucket of spring water was much less threatening than an ax, but it could still protect her should these hunters prove less than friendly. And better yet, these hunters wouldn't know that. She took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the tree, facing the two hunters in the clearing. Incredibly nervous and beyond terrified despite her smiling face, she held up her free hand and waved slightly to the two young men. From her shoulder, she heard Bannik let out a small 'oh'.

In her rough, heavily accented English, she said warmly to the two hunters, "Ah... hallo, there."