Snippet #2544138

Four found itself at a loss. It hadn't predicted the other to have such a different dialect. The fact she understood and could carry a conversation in Basic at all had been a blessing. It knew nothing of this culture, and it was entirely possible that Kakla meant Protector and the ring-ship had chosen to speak of the individual in that religious rank. If Four was looking for a Protector, and if that Protector was found, perhaps Four would be able to finally promote to an aquatic form. "Yes, that must be true." its mind was turning to try and improvise language. The Archive-Kin-Misu didn't know several words, or at least not in Basic. Perhaps Four had mistranslated. It studied the woman's form, thinking of what to do. Under normal circumstances, the ring-ship would have called for the indigenous to be collected for information. But Four was working outside normal circumstances; if the Archive-Kin-Misu could guide it to the Kakla-Protector, there was little sense in sending her up from the surface of the planet. "This Follower does mean water." The umbrella term - 'water' - felt stale and inaccurate. It was only two syllables... how could it possibly relay the importance of the element? "This Follower is looking to gain the favor of the Kakla on behalf of this Follower's congregation." Here, Follower thought over if it had given too much information. The thought quickly vanished with the strengthening of the rain; Follower Four was on the right track. But where were the other Followers? Why hadn't the ring-ship re-established communication?


Fire in the village mingled with the tiny fires bouncing off raindrops. Pins of sunset light were piercing through, casting colors in odd places. It was difficult to tell how much of the sun was genuine evening light and how much was simply reddened by the smoke, giving the illusion that so much time had passed. Ambassador's clothes were nearly soaked through, fortunately the majority being in the region of the Misu cloth. He was grateful he had chosen to stick with the trekking trousers and boots; the latter offered complete dryness halfway up to his shins. The former was less resistant, but dark and unrevealing to the wetness. As far as the billowing shirt went, it was beginning to cling. Virtually useless for modesty where it stuck to his skin. The upside to the thin material was that it made it possible to feel the chilled droplets as they fell, counterbalancing the heat of the humid air.

An expression of relief and then frustration scattered across his face. He had lost track of the messenger, the Misu vanishing into the environment like a proper native. As it turned out, they had been following a short footpath he had thought the messenger was on but hadn't been. Residences - untouched by the fires - stood between the two and the rest of the village. The view of the river was effectively blocked, leaving him wandering again. And back to the feeling of frustrated anxiety. He didn't like being lost. Finally, he stopped and turned to face his progeny. Even with her frown and wetted-down red hair, he couldn't help but feel the upbeat of being near her. Seeing her again. So much taller than he remembered... "I don't know where we are." he admitted.

La'vida glanced out, sweeping over the area. She had a basic grasp of where they were, her tracker coordinating their location based on the saved points of the Society outpost, the village, and the river. They'd stayed relatively parallel to the last-mentioned. The thing was, she wasn't sure where they should be. The Ambassador hadn't provided her with coordinates. Presumably, he didn't have any. She was just as lost as he, though she wasn't about to let that be said. Looking back to him, "That one Misu you talked to was heading in a relatively straight path south-by-southeast. We're a little way off track, but I assume you wanted to follow him?" she received confirmation. Her eyes settled on a little colored beast peeking out from its shelter in the crevices of a tree trunk. It regarded her for a short time and then retreated back into its den. La'vida indicated off the path. "That way. If we stay lost, I have a tracker that is updating me on how far we are from where the river meets the village. We can backtrack if need be."

A quiet moment. How many... what did La'vida have installed? He had to be honest in his opinion; it was disapproval. No one needed implants, certainly not any child of his. He only sighed, trusting her guidance and veering off the path. The first step was tricky, requiring a cooperation of pushing aside plants and crawling up onto a slight ledge. His boots slipped once before he made it up there. There was the concern of not knowing which plants that were coming in contact with him were dangerous. La'vida would have a hardier system. She might even... he cast the thought aside. Medical implants were commonplace now, as much as he would have liked otherwise.
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Quiet drops rolled off leaves of every shape and shade. Flowers cast their scent out, taking advantage of the humidity and filling the air with the mix of wet earth and attractive sweetness. Though the air was relatively clear of insects, many flyers glided. Some seemed to be intercepting water droplets, others seemed to just enjoy the mid-flight bath. Their calls and colors were becoming more familiar now, more comfortable. The rainforest never seemed to be quiet.
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A clearing made itself known. They had found another path, this one with a plethora of fresh tracks. Almost all of them overlapped. In a few places along the edges, little puddles formed in indents left by paws and sandal-feet. They were on the trail of Misu and Eagox. A good sign. Ambassador stooped under a tree limb, pausing to hold it for La'vida before carrying on. Thunder rumbled in the back. The lightning, it seemed, had moved on to another part of the storm. He hoped any fires started by it had been snuffed by the rain. In the haze ahead, he caught what he thought was the shape of a Misu. And a stone or.. an Eagox. As he approached, he felt an instinctive fear arise. Something wasn't right with the Eagox. It lacked the long tail and looked a bit skeletal. It was laying down, though, seeming to interact with the Misu. And then a wave of joy washed over. The Misu. It was Kaliska. He stepped up the pace, casting a check-glance over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't lost La'vida. When they were close enough for him to see with a startle that there was a small rider on the Eagox, he remembered what Kaliska had told him. He slowed again, offering his hand to his companion. La'vida hesitated, giving him an odd look. "It's a sign of allyship to the Misu." he explained quietly.
She took the hand. "What do I greet with?"
Ambassador smiled slightly through the rain. "Kaixo. You learned her name, but I believe it is as it would be back home. For now, greet her as 'Miss Misu'. It doesn't seem to be a strict ban, but it did take me a couple of days to be told her name. You may introduce yourself as you wish. I am known as Ambassador to her."
La'vida nodded once, turning emerald eyes back to the Misu of topic. There was something.. not right about the creature beside the woman. A heavy frown crossed the redhead's face. The creature was white; it didn't bear jungle colors like the rest of the residents. Nor was its body structure similar. It was... odd. Maybe it was a mountain native.

Ambassador called out when they were a couple dozen paces from Kaliska. "Kaixo, Miss Castilla. Am I interrupting?" he carried forward regardless, casting a quick look to the other humanoid that seemed woven into the white not-quite-Eagox. The creature did not move its head, only its eyes looked to him. It seemed to have an immobilized skull. It seemed a little familiar, but he couldn't place it. The rider said nothing to him, its face hidden behind a smooth black helmet surface. He hoped with everything he had that this wasn't an associate of Nathan.