Heavenfall

The horrid dreams he had been experiencing weighing on his mind Jin took to the edge of the jungle hunting for plants and herbs he recognized to help ease his sleep in the night to come. Being very careful to avoid, both collecting and touching, those that seemed diseased.

It would be time for her to sleep again soon. After the previous night's nightmare, she was a bit on edge, but acting that way wasn't her style. Instead, she looked to the future with confidence and poise.

Still, she wasn't about to go to bed early in eagerness. She usually wasn't one to go wandering alone, especially when it was dark, but that evening she'd lit a lantern and made her way out for a sort of 'thoughtful patrol'.

Umeno had seen a light in the jungle and, against her better judgement, went off to investigate, lantern in one hand and hammer in the other. As she got close, she could see the profile of the man, and not really the sort to see dopplegangers everywhere, she sighed in relief. "Fortunes, it's just you Jin-sama. Wandering alone off away from camp in the dark can be bad for your health y' know."

He touches his jade in greeting - somewhat awkwardly with lantern in hand, "Don't worry, I have no interest in going any deeper than this Bayushi-san." The honorifics still awkward on his tongue but he tried to use them in return when they were used towards him.

Even if she wasn't the most observant, Umeno still noticed the awkwardness, and it seemed to put her at ease more than anything else. It'd been quite taxing with the Crane family head, but it seemed Shinjo's follower was a bit less so. "Still far enough away that you likely can't be seen from the camp. May as well stay here and look after you'n all. Not that I don't think you can't take care of yourself and all, but hard to keep an eye out when you're peering around at plants."

Having not paid any attention to those gathering all day, she blinked. "Um... lookin' for herbs and stuff to help with the meals then?"

Awkwardness Jin had in spades.

"Something to aid in sleep. It seems pleasant dreams do not come easy as we draw nearer to our destination."

Umeno grunted. "Not the first person to mention that today. I suppose I can understand looking for sleep aid with it all. I'm not really the sort to make medicine for that sort of thing, I'll just be facing my nightmares head on I imagine, but whatever helps."

"I am not surprised to hear it." Jin nods, "I could provide you with some if you wish?"

The Scorpion gave a faint smirk. "Like I said, not really the sort, but thanks. If I start taking plants to help me now, who knows how long the nightmare's will continue on this trip? Can't likely find plants every night. No, I'll face my nightmare's head on and let them know they can't control me and my life."

Jin smiles slightly, "Well I hope you are successful. We will need everyone as well rested for this journey as possible."

"Not saying I don't agree with that much," she said with a nod. The lanterns didn't illuminate a lot, so even as she spoke to Jin, Umeno's eyes darted around cautiously for sights and sounds of danger. "Suppose I've always looked to depend on myself instead of others, or other things like medicine. Still, I can't imagine things won't get worse before they get better, far as sleep goes. Maybe one of the magic people can make some sort of ward?"

Shadows dance as the man nods again, "I understand that. I had to rely on myself for a very, very long time. As for a warding I had such a thought. We have found ways to harm these foul beasts and spirits there must be a way to turn that to repelling them as well. I just fear there is not the time for research and experimentation. Our quest is likely done before I can devise such a thing. Though perhaps others here will have more luck."

"Don't know the first thing about it all, so I can't say I can add anything. Just a thought. Seems like it wouldn't be any harder than gathering herbs every day in hopes of calming all our dreams enough to go on." Umeno was practical, and plant gathering never seemed practical to her.

Jin chuckles a little, "I wish it were so easy. The spirits can be fickle... and the spirits here seem off. Most are as I expect but others... others seem too eager, too thirsty for blood." He grimaces as he looks at some of the distorted and diseased plants around them, "Though I suppose some of the plants are no more trustworthy. I do not like to ponder what horrors we shall experience soon. I suspect nightmares may yet be preferable to what we will encounter while we are awake."

The Bayushi gave a small shrug. 'Things that eat bodies and souls, things that dress in the clothes of our worst nightmares and closest friends, things that we can't see, can't touch, can't comprehend. I suppose you could say I don't like thinking on it too much either, but we're sort of at the point where it's no use pretending the worst could come and trying to some how prepare for it."

Umeno gave a small frown. "...Wish we'd all known about this stuff ahead of time though. I'm not used to not knowing what's coming, and it's a bit too late to scout things out after all. As you said, not enough time. Wouldn't want to hang out here longer than we need to anyway."

"True. I do not know if it is fortunate or unfortunate my scouting did not take me this far south. It would be nice to have known more of this before but also would not have wished to face it alone or with a few students."

Umeno nodded before giving a slight smirk. "Un. Even gave Shinsei an earful about it a while back. Was genuinely angry learning about the whole jade thing and Jigoku thing when it seemed like others knew and hadn't told me. Better about it now, but still feel uneasy about going into the relatively unknown. Glad to know I'm not the only one that's not happy about rushing into this, need for speed or not."

"I do think part was lack of knowledge rather than oversight. This darkness is spreading faster than anyone could have anticipated. I doubt things here were as bad a month ago let alone years back when planning started."

"I don't doubt it," Umeno noted with a purse of her lips. "I still didn't really know anything going into this. Bayushi said 'go help my siblings out', so I did. No mention of jade, or shapeshifters, or anything like that."

She paused, looking back to Jin for just a moment before her gaze went to looking out again. "Don't suppose your lady knew anything before you all arrived, did she? Y' said you did some scouting before hand."

Jin shakes his head, "I don't believe so. Pretty sure I've been farther south than she had. I did the mapping of Seidou lands and a bit further south than that. Right about where that damn swamp appeared out of nowhere." The cartographer was still very bitter about that.

Umeno shook her head a bit. "No, I can understand that. I mean about the jade and Jigoku and all that. It sounds like the Spider knew some things, but I'm just curious how wide spread knowledge of the spiritual situation was before hand."