"If I don't find something close to perfect within a mile or two of here, I'll just work with the best patch within that range."

"Okay. I should probably come with you just in case, unless you'd rather risk running into someone."

"What are they likely to try to do to me? I know not to say names or touch food, if necessary I'm capable of flying away, force-shelling my body, and lots of fire no matter what the bluestream is like. It hurts a lot and costs way more if the patterns aren't friendly, but I can still do it."

"That'll... probably do for anyone you'd meet around here, unless they manage to conversationally trick you somehow."

"I think I'll be alright. You don't have to babysit me. Anyone in my world who does magic for a living makes up a trade name and goes by it for half the day, I'm used to using Steel."

"That'll help too."

The forest is still pretty deserted. No birds, no squirrels, no bugs, no snails: just plants. A variety of trees, a diverse understory, assorted parasitic vines and lichens, moss and mushrooms.

Eventually, she covers the stated two-mile radius. None of the patterns are the right color is the problem, this whole area is dominated by green. She heads in a straight line for a few miles instead, and eventually sees something that looks almost perfect near a river. She lands to investigate it.

A ways downriver, there is a little stone house.

She notes the house and makes sure to listen to the redstream every minute or so. She'll 'hear' anyone approaching. And she starts to draw a map of the local stream on the back of that sketch of Promise's tree.

Someone: approaches.

Steel looks at the direction the someone is approaching from. When they get close, "Hello! I don't mean to bother you, I just thought this spot looked interesting."

"Whose mortal are you?" wonders the someone.

"I couldn't say, if you understand what I mean."

"I certainly need to know who's sending their mortals in my direction," huffs the fairy. "Loitering around my house! Go away. Unless they've been careless and you can just have me for a master instead?"

"Very well, I'm leaving. Have a nice day." And she flies off back the way she came.

"You're a flying mortal?" exclaims the fairy, giving chase. "How are you doing that?"

"Magic. If you're not going to let me look at your river please leave me alone. You made it clear you wanted nothing to do with me."

"That was before I knew you could fly! How do you fly?"

She lands again, invisible force-shell up. She can always bolt if the fairy starts getting aggressive. "It's called bluestream - I can only do it in some places, though. Someone else told me it's nothing like sorcery, so I don't know how else to explain it."

"Who've you been talking to?"

"If you're going to keep asking questions, let's make a deal - I ask one question every time I answer one. I've answered two so far, so, what's your nickname? And what's your kind of fairy called?"

"I'm River and I'm a painted tailwing," she says.

"It was this leaf-girl, Promise, I think. I showed up in the middle of her forest randomly, we chatted about magic. Say, you have any ideas how I can get home?"