[Day 9, LAte Afternoon] Trust is a Dangerous Game (Open)

[Jiyo Sora]

Ordinarily, Sora couldn't wait to get out of camp. Get away from everybody.

But this... lush paradise struck him wrong.

Two days to the north, a city of the Nezumi tottered on the edge of destruction. North of their, an evil swamp had found them.

And now, here, supposedly closer to the very maw of Jigoku... a tropical paradise?

He'd pointedly avoided foraging, but he wasn't sure anyone else saw the incongruity.

[Anjing Xia]

Snip

Oblivious to Sora, but not perhaps his concerns, Xia was crouched down on the edge of the camp poking a tall red flower with a stick and then waiting expectantly.

[Jiyo Sora]

Oblivious to Sora, but not perhaps his concerns, Xia was crouched down on the edge of the camp poking a tall red flower with a stick and then waiting expectantly.

Sora caught sight of his favorite Anjing- to damn her with faint praise- and approached to see what in the name of sanity she was doing.

He cocked his head to the side.

Cleared his throat.

[Anjing Xia]

Sora caught sight of his favorite Anjing- to damn her with faint praise- and approached to see what in the name of sanity she was doing.

He cocked his head to the side.

Cleared his throat.

Xia holds up a hand, not looking at whose behind her
"One uh moment please, it's almost.....almost..." With a final poke the plant ejects a small cloud of yellow spore and the Anjing quickly sits back.
"There we go, now what did you want-" Turning she spots Sora and instantly falls into a deep kowtow "-Sora-sama?!?! Many apologies! I hope I did not inconvenience you."

[Jiyo Sora]

-Sora-sama?!?! Many apologies! I hope I did not inconvenience you."

"Not at all. I am a bit curious, Xia-san, about what it is you're doing there."

[Anjing Xia]

"Not at all. I am a bit curious, Xia-san, about what it is you're doing there."

"Oh....I am poking a flower with a stick."
She mimes a poke action to demonstrate.

[Jiyo Sora]

"Oh....I am poking a flower with a stick."
She mimes a poke action to demonstrate.

"Are you expecting it to bite you?"

[Anjing Xia]

"Are you expecting it to bite you?"

A chuckle
"No! No not at all......the yellow ones do that. The red ones just spray an irritating cloud that burns your skin. I'm pretty excited about what the orange flowers will do by comparison!"

[Jiyo Sora]

A chuckle
"No! No not at all......the yellow ones do that. The red ones just spray an irritating cloud that burns your skin. I'm pretty excited about what the orange flowers will do by comparison!"

"So, here on the road to the mouth of hell, we have flowers that bite and flowers that spray irritants.... you should probably write this down, in case the orange ones explode."

[Anjing Xia]

"So, here on the road to the mouth of hell, we have flowers that bite and flowers that spray irritants.... you should probably write this down, in case the orange ones explode."

"Absolutely! In fact I was going to name each of them after important expedition leaders."
clearing her throat
"Do you uh....want the irritating flower or the murder flower? Or maybe risk it all on the orange flower?"

[Jiyo Sora]

"Do you uh....want the irritating flower or the murder flower? Or maybe risk it all on the orange flower?"

"Oh, I'm spoiled for choice, but let's go for irritation, it's a talent I'm known for..."

[Anjing Xia]

"Oh, I'm spoiled for choice, but let's go for irritation, it's a talent I'm known for..."

Xia beams and little pokes the flower again, causing it to emit another cloud.
"This is so exciting, Genus Sora."
With a sigh she gets to her feet and brushes off some dirt
"You sound like you're also slightly suspicious of the lush jungle in the middle of what should be a corrupted warzone?"

[Jiyo Sora]

Xia beams and little pokes the flower again, causing it to emit another cloud.
"This is so exciting, Genus Sora."
With a sigh she gets to her feet and brushes off some dirt
"You sound like you're also slightly suspicious of the lush jungle in the middle of what should be a corrupted warzone?"

"Intensely so. So much that I'm sticking to our supply wagon instead of foraging. I don't think anything about this place is what it appears to be."

[Anjing Xia]

"Intensely so. So much that I'm sticking to our supply wagon instead of foraging. I don't think anything about this place is what it appears to be."

"Like it's some kind of evil illusion?"
She glances behind herself at the flower again to check it hasn't moved or sprouted teeth
"It seems possible, I heard some of the expedition talking about creatures that could disguise themselves, maybe that's something all the evil creatures down here can do? Maybe the rats aren't actually 8 foot tall, they're just pretending to be."
Eyes widening
"It could be that nobody is actually tall."

[Jiyo Sora]

"It seems possible, I heard some of the expedition talking about creatures that could disguise themselves, maybe that's something all the evil creatures down here can do? Maybe the rats aren't actually 8 foot tall, they're just pretending to be."
Eyes widening
"It could be that nobody is actually tall."

He chuckled.

"The Nezumi? Them, I trust. Any lands we cross from here on out? Not so much."

[Anjing Xia]

He chuckled.

"The Nezumi? Them, I trust. Any lands we cross from here on out? Not so much."

"And I don't even trust the Nezumi, so I double distrust any of the lands further south than them!"
Suspicion was a virtue
"Um, which reminds me. Sora-sama, you're pretty high ranking.....has anyone told you how close we are to our destination?"

[Jiyo Sora]

"And I don't even trust the Nezumi, so I double distrust any of the lands further south than them!"
Suspicion was a virtue
"Um, which reminds me. Sora-sama, you're pretty high ranking.....has anyone told you how close we are to our destination?"

"No idea. I stick to what I'm good at..."

Like sneaking around and killing things.

"... which brings me to a question I have for you, once we've dealt with this particular concern."

[Anjing Xia]

"No idea. I stick to what I'm good at..."

Like sneaking around and killing things.

"... which brings me to a question I have for you, once we've dealt with this particular concern."

"No true Crab is ever fully done with the business of distrusting foreigners....especially giant ones. But I am always availabe for your concerns Sora-sama....not...not that you probably have many, not implying that, but if you have one, which you seem to, I'm available for it."

[Jiyo Sora]

"No true Crab is ever fully done with the business of distrusting foreigners....especially giant ones. But I am always availabe for your concerns Sora-sama....not...not that you probably have many, not implying that, but if you have one, which you seem to, I'm available for it."

He grinned.

"Don't you follow a giant foreigner? But in any event-did you see the Nezumi library?"

[Anjing Xia]

He grinned.

"Don't you follow a giant foreigner? But in any event-did you see the Nezumi library?"

"Totally different, Hida is not quite so hairy. As for the library I did have a look through it. It was much larger than I thought it would be. So much knowledge....I think."