Heavenfall

Haka turns at the voice. "Hello."

"The plan is we march south into certain death and then do something vague and save a god." She holds her hands out to her sides in a 'that's it's gesture.

"This one suspects that there is more enthusiasm than planning in this expedition."

"No." There is a simple shrug. "Nobody has asked. They seem to have a plan, and they do seem inclined to changing it."

"The Great Emptiness knows everything that has happened, much that us happening, and some that has not yet happened. The difficult part is finding the right question. Then one simply asks and waits for a response."

Nod nod.

"Yes. And what bath woman can do to fix the problem. If the answer is nothing, then she should not worry about it."

"A shaman, yes." She takes another bite of the tough meat and chews it. "It is likely the same. It is everything and nothing, like a deep forest that has no end. Everything that comes after death, and everything that came before life."

"Haka offered you some unpleasant meat." She makes a vague gesture with her hand. "It is best not to speak names in company of the named person, as it attracts malignant spirits."

Haka frowns. "Someone should have come for Haka. She could have spoken to the spirits or the Great Emptiness and found him quickly."

"This one knows Shinsei," Haka says, concern in her voice. "He is missing? Since when?"

Haka nods and swallows. "Yes. This one has been around camp, so she could very well have been seen. How is the morning treating you, Quiet One?"

"There is always hope," Haka points out. "That is the point of it. If one were only hopeful in the face of good things, that is not really hope, so it? Just sort of assuming that things will not change."

"Hmm?" Haka looks up, midway through chewing her meal. "Ohw. Hehwlho."

After a moment, she holds out a meat stick to the other person. "Mheat?"

Having finished warding the camp, Haka wandered out into the jungle to investigate it further. She had heard that the trees and plants were strange, so that was interesting in itself, but she also wanted to compare it to the Forest of Dreamers back home. After all, how often did one find themselves ...

A tired-looking woman with white hair wanders nearby, kicks at the ground until she finds a flat place, and then sits down, a few sticks of meat clutched in one hand.

Ignoring Saruko, she starts chewing on one of the jerky strips, her face contorting in obvious displeasure at the taste.

"Hmm. It is possible... but then, the world is a large place. There may be some far to the north, or west, or even further south. And there is across the ocean, as well!"

"Even if they are the last, nothing has actually changed since you left, other than your perception of the situation."

"No," she replies, shaking her head. "What happened in the rat place?"

"Please do!" Haka smiles, takes a moment to reorient herself, and then wanders off.

"Not much. This one did not care too much for the smell of that place. Like too many animals in a pla e with not enough fresh air."

"Hmmm... that should be enough. Hopefully they will help." Haka wipes her hands on her skirt. "Thank you for helping. That made it go much faster."

"No, just tired from all the marching. It is difficult to maintain a quick pace when one cannot see the ground."

Haka kicks at the ground a few times to find a relatively smooth place and then sits with her food. "It must be very far south, yes?"