Arabian Nights

Continued from here: https://theveritas.forummotion.com/t817p13-burn-baby-burn

Estelle looked the man up and down, appreciating the handsome man in front of her. He looked downright delicious as well, in more ways than one. It made her drip a liquid other than sweat. Which, at the moment, she realized she was sweating less.

The feel of energy from the sun wouldn't be foreign to her. Having been to a world where wavelengths were predominant, the same world in which she had devoured two of their strongest beings, she was well versed on the anomaly. The sun was giving her a pseudo resonance, or at least, that's what she would call it. She couldn't says he had felt anything like it before, especially from an astral being such as the sun.

Before answering the man, she would turn towards the sun and blow a thankful kiss towards it. "Lu minto ashmi." (You are my love.) She called to the star.

Turning back towards Ginos, Estelle's smile would become passive and she would listen to him finish saying he was lost. She understood his language, and even knew he was from a far more developed world or region than where they seemed to be at the moment.

Then again, she hadn't been in that world very long either. She didn't know how advanced the world was. Going simply by the familiar star that was the sun, then 'modern' would probably be the answer. Cars, homes with full baths, things such as that.

"Fosha min." Estelle would call in a commanding tone towards Ginos before spinning on her heel and heading off to finally cross the borders of the Corona Badlands and the Eternal Desert.

Ginos wasn't met with any form of hostility, at least not yet, but he was greeted with observant eyes. Up and down, her eyes followed the build of his body, but his orbs had stayed specifically onto her face. There was a reason for that. Any other man would find himself lucky to have encountered an exotic woman, in the middle of the desert, wearing absolutely no clothes, wet from sweat, and carrying a dragon carcass (okay, maybe not that last one). Her entire build spoke security and independence, something a lost man like himself would call a "rare" find.

But that wasn't where his mind was at. Not at all, not yet, at least. Ginos was still rattled, for lack of better words, after his traversal into a different universe. His vision rumbled, ears rang, and the samurai's innards twisted in of themselves. There was so much physical and psychological pain, that Ginos was currently numb to it for the time being. Thus, when he saw that beautiful brown-skinned woman before him, he visualized her as only that. A beautiful woman that didn't attack him immediately. Instead, she kissed towards the sun and spoke a language he didn't quite understand. Maybe it wasn't too late to retract his current idea of her?

Regardless, their eyes would have met once again, after the apparent native of this land lowered her gaze. Once again, his lips parted to speak, but before that occurred, another sentence spoken in that odd language was thrust upon him. Just from that tone alone, he understood that she wanted something of him. The matter of "what" was beyond him. A tilt of his head showed a clear lack of understanding and even more so, when she turned on him, and walked off.

"Uuuh..." Ginos raised a finger, but dropped the question entirely. Rather, he just shrugged. The woman who was akin to an amazonian, was likely the best bet he had at surviving. No way in hell was he going to pass up that opportunity. Before she got too far ahead of him and showed off more than what he wished he could register, the samurai sped walk and caught up to the side of her.

While they traveled, his eyes faced forward at all times, yet he was familiarizing their well-being to the land too. Their eagle-like shape showed he was a form of predator in his own right. Though, on the inside, he was anything but. There was a point when he finally gathered himself, and Ginos realized what sort of situation arose. Every so often, he used his peripheral vision to take a look at the woman, to analyze her.

"Wow... I didn't notice it at first, but she has quite the body. Brown skin to resist the harmful rays, a slender, yet toned body which shows her strength, a gracious bust and a plump rear to show development. Her legs and thighs are quite strong looking as well, so from what I can tell, she's definitely a hunter. Warrior would probably require more height and muscle, but she's definitely lithe enough to be called a strong hunter." There was much more he observed about the woman, but those were the things that stuck out. The man viewed her more for the person that she was and not as a sexual object, despite the current situation. That wasn't to say he wasn't attracted nor interested, but he was a gentleman at the very least.

"I don't know how much of this you'll understand, but my name is, Ginos." He introduced himself as they walked. The best he could do for checking the huntress out, was give her his name. Even if he didn't understand her or she him, something to call the mystery woman by would have been nice.

Initially as they traversed, Estelle's mood had soured just a tiny bit at not seeing any cacti or other small desert plants amidst the rolling dunes. However, the warmth and energy of the sun kept her mood just a step above content. She followed the sun, crossing over the dunes and mounds that it hovered over. She would close her eyes every now and then with a content smile on her face as she fully embraced the feeling of the astral being caressing her like a true lover. Though she knew it wasn't just for her, but for the land and all it's beings, she kept a place for the star in her heart and mind. It was her first true companion in this new world.

She would place a chaste kiss on the hide of the Gecoal as well as she cradled it. She may have taken it's life, but it would not be for sport or in vain. It still had a purpose to serve and would live on through her.

Now with her 'traveling companion', Estelle held little emotion. A simple male from what she could tell, his gaze taking in her form every now and then solidifying that. He was curious, as were most creatures. At the very least he didn't seem to be uneducated. He was lost, as he had said, as was she. When he spoke and gave his name, Estelle tilted her head towards him, looking out of the corner of her eye.

"Estelle La Reposa Albatross." She spoke her own name clearly, but still within the accent of her native tongue as to not betray that she could speak his language. It would clue him in to her knowing at least some of what he was saying though.

Her attention would go back towards their surroundings. She was always keeping wary, even within the sun's relaxing waves. She scanned the ground for any signs of life, plant or otherwise.

The sound of faint laughter could be heard nearby in the dunes.

An endless ocean of sand, dunes, dunes, dunes. One could write a book on the dunes, lack of water, and how the heat would beat down upon them. However, it wouldn't have the intricacies that surrounded this particular desert. One who chose to write about this specific place would have noted that the sun wasn't harsh at all. No, it felt like it embraced them in contentment, perpetual, peacefulness. That aroused a sigh of respite from his lips. Ginos was overall appreciative of the current good fortune that befell them. The weather was perfect and his companion was anything, but dry.

She was interesting without any words, intriguing without so much as a single sound. Her actions alone were enough to get the samurai questioning about her motives, where she was from, if she had a clan. All of these and more ran through his mind. The tattoos she carried on her body were a sign of tribalism, or clan markings. Tribalism was probably a better guess, because this well-toned beauty had kissed the body she carried. This more than likely meant her people were those that respected the land and even the very stars themselves. Others would find that primative, Ginos found it artistic, refreshing even. Not even the man noticed the content smile that spread across his lips, as he watched the woman's display.

Eventually, he granted a name. Estelle La Reposa Albatross, was her name.

He simply raised his eyebrow and he gave a simple nod. There was no doubt she was at least able to understand simple greetings. That meant he was either in an alternate world similar to his own, or more than likely someone like him crossed over, and probably taught her and her clan something long ago. That was all just speculation to ease the boredom of walking, however, so until he heard it from her lips, he wouldn't jump to any conclusions.

"At least the weather's easy on us, huh? Never felt a region show such kindness such as this..." Ginos remarked. Though, his musings on the place came to a halt. Instincts caused his ears to perk, twitch even, to the sound of faint laughter. Laughter, chuckle, giggle? The type was important, for it determined age, accent, and most important of all, intent.

A careful hand found its way to the hilt of his blade, yet he didn't stop his progression forward. Should they have been tailed, better to have just a simple hand movement towards your weapon, then outright stop and let whatever it is know, you know, that you can hear it. Regardless, the samurai kept his ears and eyes open. He'd be ready for just about anything...

"Hopefully..."

The huntress wasn't startled by the change in atmosphere. She had been on alert the entire time, having become even more aware at the sound of laughter. As quiet as she was before, she would seem to stop breathing all together.

Focusing on the direction of the laughter, Estelle knelt and dabbed her fingers into the sand. Lifting her covered fingers in the air, she let the clumps of sand flying through the air collect a little before placing the appendages within her mouth and tasting the rocky grains.

Once more, the unfamiliar energy brought a pain to her stomach, however, she forced it down. She was tasting the air and ground respectively attempting to see how far they were from the sounds of laughter, as well as determining at least where a threat would be coming from. She would be able to tell if an enemy was coming from underground or the air and how close or far they were. If the energy was too great, she would know if they needed to run away or not as well.

"..."

There seemed to be nothing abnormal about the Eternal Desert anywhere at all. There were a few cacti littered about at varying distances, yet nothing that was in motion. The cacti were spread out between each other, some closer to each other and some father away, with a few being nearer to the duo than the others. There were not very many, and the number would not even scrape the double digits, for the Eternal Desert seemed to be just as barren as the Corona Badlands that they'd just recently trekked from. Once the two were on high alert, and the tension in the air shifted, the laughter would come to an eerie halt. There was a snicker or two every now and then, but ultimately, there looked to be nothing around them at all save for this small collection of cacti at varying distances. Nothing else was in sight, nor was anything moving under the sand.

Everything seemed to change in what felt like an instant. There was no gradual change and the change that occurred, wasn't anything positive. Uneasy and on-edge, Ginos entered his state of hyper-perception. Sound bounced off of walls and if the same form of physics applied to this new universe, the samurai would be able to see this and trace the laughter. Slowly, but surely, he was growing a bit more accustomed to his latent ability once again. Thankfully for the both of them, Estelle managed to have some form of heightened sense, and added further to their investigation.

However, it appeared as though their search turned up nothing. There was still that unnatural unease that came from the radiation of the air. Then it stopped. The laughter, it stopped. Sure, that was fine and dandy, but the atmosphere remained thick with tension. Ginos had stopped walking at this point, after Estelle had tasted the world around him. A light-bulb went off in his head and he figured this idea was worth a shot.

"Hey, Estelle." The man said just so the two of them could hear. "You think you can ask the sun for its assistance again? Your relationship to it is probably far better than my own, so maybe you'll have some form of luck in getting it to aid us?" That idea wasn't so far-fetched, at least Ginos didn't think so. Even with the merriment at a halt, it didn't stop the danger that permeated the air. The phrase was, "Calm before the storm," and who knew what shit storm they were about to get themselves wrapped up in.

Attentive, the man began to take a look around but in a stationary position. No need to displace himself just yet, but having a more visual survey helped out in the long run. Sure, smelling, tasting, and hearing all had their merits, but this was something which required all the senses. The disturbance in nature and that peaceful balance it had earlier was broken, so there was cause for alarm. Nothing was misplaced and yet, the threat, or whatever it was, didn't show itself. Ultimately, it was that fact alone which caused the suit-wearing man to become especially guarded.

The sands were quiet for a short time, as if whatever was laughing knew that the two that it was watching were now searching for it. There was utter silence. The only living beings that were around for miles were these cacti. There wasn't a trace of anything else. Even with heightened perception of any sort of senses, all the cacti looked exactly the same, and nothing under the sand nor on top of the sand, or even in the air would give away signs of any sort of life. The tension was real, and it was felt through every life form present, which was why the laughter had ceased completely at this point.

Estelle heard Ginos but pretended not to. She didn't even glance at the sun. It was already helping them enough, it would be rude of her to ask more when they themselves should have been perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. She was not a child to be lead. But Ginos was a male. They needed to be coddled from time to time.

That was her after thought. Her primary focus was of slight fear. Simply because she could not sense anything. She KNEW something was there. The atmosphere was far too tense for it to be a simple mirage. The fact that she couldn't physically sense whatever was there was cause for alarm. Her sensory abilities did have a limited range, but not so limited as to whatever was laughing at them would elude her.

Against her common judgment, she knelt once more, repeating the process of picking up sand and collecting the particles within the air. She placed her fingers within her mouth again, only slightly grimacing at the energy this time. Something was there and she would be damned if she didn't find it. However, if the same problem persisted, then the obvious reaction would be to run the fuck away.

Quiet on both sides. Estelle either didn't understand him or chose not to acknowledge his suggestion, and the laughter had ceased for some time now. This quiet stayed true to the phrase he recalled and the storm had shown itself within several moments of eerie calm. The storm appeared as a burning man with a pumpkin for a head, the heat wavered and distorted around him vibrantly.

"Shit... That's clearly bad news." That was what his natural response to it was, after he focused on it further. Thankfully, the two had stopped in their tracks to analyze the situation further, which gave them enough ground to asses the situation. Unlike the bronzed beauty and the sun, whose relationship was apparently rather intimate, Ginos wasn't able to clearly distinguish the difference in the imagery and textile warnings. He just saw it as one big danger sign all together. His sharp eyes had then turned to Estelle a split second later.

"The thing isn't moving, but this heat is debilitating. Should it come to confront us, we'd exhaust ourselves far faster than needed, which would be fatal regardless of defeat or victory." He explained simply and already knew that the woman beside him figured as much. The samurai didn't speak to her like she was stupid or anything, but as an equal. That's how he saw her at least. His observations were more or less a way to finalize his observations. "Best not provoke it and turn the other way."

Easily said AND done, it was how he preferred his take on escapes. That image, though, it's enough to inspire the greatest fear within anyone who wasn't prepared for it. Ginos visibly sweat at it, but not by much. The man's nerves returned to him and that was a good sign, but not in the way he would have enjoyed. A natural response to that fear was to turn away from it, and save it for another day. Not everything needed to be confronted. This manifested as him turning his back to the burning cacti and moving towards the scenery that urged peace and safety. That was the best course of action, for now.

The cacti that were not truly cacti, but actually carnivorous beasts, would suddenly begin to cackle madly once they were surrounded by an intense heat that seemed to be just as malevolent as their intent to kill. "KYAAAHAHAHA!!!!!" they cried, unable to maintain their composure in complete stillness. Their burning bodies flailed around violently under the blazing aura, and from there, their enormous gaping spiky jaws bore themselves, clearly large enough to swallow an entire full-grown person whole without question. They opened their eyes, which were swirling with vicious madness, and they flailed their arms about profusely. Unable to move from their spots, they would do nothing but cackle madly. This creature, the 'Cacklus,' as it was called, could do nothing about its demise nor hiding its true form. Yet, even as they burned, they watched the two off in the distance just in case they could snatch them up. Their bodies stretched only slightly, able to contort minutely in order to provoke just the slightest of movements, yet they were completely rooted and stationary, like a normal cactus. The reason why they could not be told the difference between was due to their natures as cacti, which was exactly the same as a normal inanimate cactus. Both were living beings, and this 'Cacklus,' being a cactus, could hide its true sentience to appear as any other. Still, once exposed, it was out in the open, and there was no sense in hiding any longer. Horrendous cackling laughter like that of a crowd of madmen filled the air now, yet in that cackling, there was great pain. They were dying.

Her anger would be just as stifling as the heat produced by the cactus. It was in these few moments that she cursed Reiji for stripping her of her abilities, and also locking away the memories of how she acquired them. She was not happy that she could not sense the Cacklus. She needed to be able to sense inanimate and ethereal beings. It was a huge hole within her ability that she hated needing to fix every time she entered a new world.

Before Ginos could even finish his second sentence she had already calmed herself and turned from the creatures. Again she would give a sad smile to the sun, knowing it was only through its grace that they were able to see the creatures for what they were. It had taken pity on them and she couldn't help but feel a little ashamed at needing the astral beings help so thoroughly.

"Fosha min." She repeated again and moved towards the normal cacti in the area that did not have a burning aura.

'I don't want to remain here any longer than necessary. We need to find civilization but I can't tell how far it is just yet, only the direction we need to go. Having some water and food is all we can do for now.' She thought to herself.

The heat in the area had thankfully caused her to start sweating profusely again and she formed a dagger on her hand with a whisper of 'Aurther daihas'. Before beginning to cut the entire cactus from the bottom with one hand, she thanked the plant for its usefulness.

Once, and if she took the cactus without incident, she would place it within the makeshift carrying case that was the Gecoal's hide. She would be able to carry no more at this point. If everything was settled she hoped to continue their journey and to avoid any other creatures like the Cacklus.

There was an aura of disdain that came from the one favored by the sun. This brought disdain also to the sun, which was able to see the very emanations of everyone's feelings as acutely as normal perception, understanding each of them as mere vibrations in the air. The face on the sun, which was like the face of a jack o' lantern, was very serious. The emotions of this conscious being were able to be more easily understood by looking up at its face, which was once smiling at them, even during the time of tension. Understanding the emanations of this amazonian-esque woman, the sun's face looked as though it were in deep contemplation now at her disdain. It seemed as though this woman did not wish for the sun's conscious assistance so often, yet it was doing what it could to acknowledge the one that acknowledged it. The other, who ignored the sun, was also ignored by the sun, and their standings would remain neutral. However, it seemed as though this woman had enough to press on with her journey; she and this man. They could drink from the cacti to keep themselves hydrated whilst the Cacklus' were burned.

Yet, even they were guilty of nothing but being as they were. This burning upon them was punishment from the sun, yet they were not to be burnt to death. So, once it was clear which cacti were hazardous, the burning aura that surrounded them, which was killing them slowly (as if draining their health bar, if this were a video game) and weakening them sufficiently would suddenly disappear before they were burnt to death. Their health was low and were now more easy to strike down, if it were in the will of the travelers to do so. They would no longer have the strength to put up as much of a fight, making them more easily slain, and thus also free game. From there, the sun would close its eyes and leave the two of them to their travels without aiding them much any longer. It rested still over the dunes in the direction of where they needed to travel, but beyond that, its help would become minimal. At the very least, they would know this being were consciously assisting and watching over them, and that they would be safe as they found favor with this conscious entity.

The heat in the air would return to its temperance, yet now the air was no longer soothing and relaxed, but completely neutralized. This meant, nothing would be sedated by the sun's own feelings of contentment. Its rejuvenating properties would also cease, and all would become normal. Any creature that was once being kept docile would return to its normal sociability, and all would be filled with their own feelings and nature without outside influence.

(9 Posts Until Arrival)

"Okay, what...?" Now Ginos had seen everything. Sure, there was a naked woman carrying a dragon carcass, sure there was a sun with the likeliness of a jack-o-lantern, and sure he was in a universe that was bound to have some anomalies, but laughing cacti? Not just that, but they spontaneously combusted, and laughed all through it? There was no longer a form of dissociation or concussion that could have rationalized any of this. The samurai was truly in a warped world. Then...

'Fosha min.' Came the woman's voice again and Ginos' gaze wandered over to the naked amazonian woman. Once again, he found himself not questioning it, and simply followed behind her. The man was very cautious of all local fauna now, and his hand had stayed on the hilt of the blade he carried. Estelle may have been able to harvest a few of the Cacklus', but that didn't mean it was safe to go at them all willy-nilly. No, they had to hurry and find civilization of some sorts.

One other observation the ebony haired man would have noticed, was the neutrality of the entire land. There was no extreme between danger and peace, but it felt like things were set on a "natural" course. That didn't upset Ginos or have cause for him to be alarmed, but it definitely showed to him that the land was alive. The once smiling pumpkin revealed that some time ago, though, the man couldn't quite make heads nor tails of it all. Ignorant he was and question he wouldn't, not until he had some form of idea of the world around him. Even now, with his being snapped out of its concussion, he had no inkling of the grand scheme of things. As such, the relationship between he and the world around him, would remain at neutral.

The final observation, one that came before the latest, was something Estelle had done. She utilized her body's precipitation to create a dagger. Was she like him? A person who had the ability to harness nature and mold it to their needs? No, she was much more refined than that. Her mindset about her own body was probably one of deep respect, that most people often forsook. Quite possibly, she treated the elements, if she could wield them, as they were. Apart of nature and not as something she controls on a whim. Ginos often saw that with the wind and other aspects of life he managed to have an understanding of. Wind was his guardian, he guide to the world. Thus, an idea sparked...

'Kaze.' His mind reached out to the natural winds and he held his head out to them. All he wanted to do was form a simple ball of air in his palm, just to see if his body had attuned to the laws of this new universe. A simple test for a simple conclusion.

(Consent)

The breath that left Ginos' mouth would, as he spoke, be heard by the winds of the world. At his call, he would be lent a small bit of the power of Wind, as a generous token for acknowledging its presence. There, as he spake, the sphere of air formed and compressed in his hand. From that point forth, he would be able to call upon that small amount of the wind as he saw fit.

The feeling of the land returning to neutrality actually proved to calm Estelle even more. Without the aid of the sun, they needed to focus and be on guard even more now. She did appreciate the sun for taking care of her thus far and also for placating her wishes. She would need to offer it something to show her gratitude once she got the chance.

Seeing the Cacklus become weak, the dark skinned woman ignored them and continued onwards in the direction in which she could sense civilization. She had performed her sensory technique once in the Badlands and now twice within the Eternal Desert. She knew exactly where they were going now and could even tell how far it was.

'It's still a bit ways off, but not so far as for us to need anymore than what we have now...'

As she thought, she would sense the wind make its presence known briefly around them as well. She turned to look at Ginos and was surprised to see reverie for the wind itself within him. Her eyes widened momentarily but soon turned into a friendly smile, much like she had shown the sun when she first acknowledged it.

"Xie Lu." (Thank you) She spoke to the wind before its small presence could depart. It had aided her traveling companion and in turn had aided her. Estelle looked upon Ginos with a bit more respect.

With no more words to be spoken, she would press onwards.

Behind some of the dunes, looking on from the distance, there were some more travelers, it would seem, that had suddenly made themselves known by standing atop and looking down from the peak. There were only three of them that seemed to be of a similar group, having exotic garb and accessories that were also fitted for the desert weather. They were also well equipped for what looked to be a long journey. The man that looked to be leading them, of rather dark complexion and of grayed, yet sleek hair would say to his party, "... More dwellers of the desert?" Still looking on, he saw that they'd been interacting with some of the Cackli that were in the area. If they were knew to these parts, then such a being would give them a bit of trouble.

"What do you think we should do?" the woman who stood behind the older man said, looking on with both concern and sharpness. The naked woman intrigued her, for she was able to tell the signs of a native huntress anywhere. "If they do not know these lands, they may fall prey to the traps of the Eternal Desert, and become lost eternally within the nigh endless sands."

"Especially if they cannot see with the eyes of sight," the next man said, much younger than the elder man, but just as strong a build and clearly of some sort of insight and wisdom of his own. "Do they look dangerous?"

The gray-haired elder would squint, looking upon them with eyes of knowing. He was able to see something about them that was not visible to the eyes of the normal. "... Good souls," he'd say with a nod of his head. "They shouldn't be hostile. But let's wait to see what they do. They may not want to be disturbed." It was clear that this wise old man knew not to disturb some things in nature, including other people, who were, at times, doing things of their own nature which was to be let be instead of interacted with. And so the trio would stand atop the dunes and keep watch. "If nothing happens, we'll continue on."

He smiled for what would be the first time ever in this new world. Ginos managed to establish a connection with the one element he knew how to manipulate, with utmost proficiency. That small ball of wind that formed itself in the palm of his hand, he stared down at it with eyes of hope, yet respect. There was power behind just that act in of itself, and it was something that the young man couldn't abuse. Once he had a feel for the weight behind that simplistic sphere of wind energy, he dispersed it back into the land itself.

"Thank you." Ginos said at the same time his traveling partner spoke her language. Raising an eyebrow, the samurai turned those sharp, silver-brown eyes over to her. There was a small jovial expression upon her lips as well. He returned the gesture and just as they began, Ginos followed by her side.

All the while, he wondered what went on in Estelle's mind. She was a stranger and wildcard despite how welcoming this journey with her had been. Ginos wasn't going to complain about a good soul, but he couldn't shake the feeling she would have likely wanted something from him. That wasn't anything he was opposed to, really. The samurai would repay what he owed to her, especially if this disturbed her hunting (if that's what she was doing). There was just the matter of how to communicate effectively with her. Amazonian or not, she was a woman who managed to receive internal compliments from the man at her side.

"..." There was an elongated sound that came from his lips. "I wonder how everyone back home is doing..." Finally, it hit him. Homesickness. Of course, he had been thinking about it for some time now, but this was something he pushed to the back of his head for the sake of staying on guard. Now was as good as time as ever, to dwell on it for a moment. Which he did. A handful of seconds later, he returned to that neutrality of his. Ginos nodded his head and proceeded to stretch out.

"You feel that, yeah?" The man asked his partner. His hyper-perception had went off yet again. Somewhere between the harnessing of the wind and the reminiscing of the past, his eyes, ears, and nose had tuned themselves to the land. The hilly dunes provided a form of cover for those who hid behind it, but for others who stood atop it, he'd be able to pick out. Three, observing, talking, judging, deciding. Hopefully Ginos and Estelle made the cut.

She had sensed them quite a bit ago, after using her sensory ability twice. They were too far the first time, yet the second time she was able to pick up their energy coming from the direction of the village or town they were headed to. They hadn't been anything threatening which is why she hadn't spoke up about them. Seeing them now, she was sure they were natives who were probably just as surprised to see others out in the desert, especially in such states of dress. Or lack thereof.

Estelle and Ginos were already approaching the trio upon the hill as they were already heading towards what was possibly their village. Once within several paces, Estelle made clear her intent to converse with them. She glanced Ginos out of the corner of her eye. She had hoped to drag on the little game of the language barrier, but surviving was far more important.

"Hello. My name is Estelle and this is my shise, Ginos. We are new to these lands and were heading towards a village we sensed nearby. Would you happen to be residents?" Though she spoke politely, she never let down her guard. Knowing for a fact, if they were anything like her own people, then outsiders would initially be treated as slaves.

The old man stood in front of the woman, seeming to be of both higher esteem and power than the younger male figure, who would also be standing behind him. With his arms crossed over his puffed out, scarred chest, he would greet them warmly.


He would not introduce the others, for safety reasons, but sensed nothing ill of these two. Even at looking at the shapely woman, his old eyes and mind were already well trained to not gawk at the beautiful form, due to the nature of women that lived in his village. "What business do you have with any village in the desert?" He would ask, wondering what these people wanted from any village in the desert. He eyed them carefully.

The three that appeared has silhouetted figures in the distance, steadily grew into more visible shapes. Their visages ranged from young to old, with the elder man sporting himself as the leader of the three. Ginos kept a close eye on them all, simply out of the caution that came with being a foreigner in a new land. A desert land at that, where there were laughing cacti, that probably killed whatever came near them. There was no time to drop one's guard, just because there had been a couple of friendly faces in a dire time.

Of course, that didn't mean there would be no respect for these people and their land, not in the least. The samurai was anything but disrespectful and when they were within speaking distance, he had giving them a deep bow. This showed his friendliness along with the respect for them as individuals. Shockingly enough, however, the three spoke in a language that wasn't foreign to him at all. Rather, four of them, seeing as Estelle, the gorgeously naked amazonian woman hadn't spoken a single identifiable word the entire time up until now. Ginos was honestly shocked, however, his past meditative training allowed him to remain stoic towards the revelation. Granted, he was curious about well... Everything, he wondered what exactly a, "shise," was.

Back to the matter at hand. Desert Owl, was his name. A stout man, who stood with locks of gray, and had a very composed air about himself. Just his stance alone garnered some more respect from the ebony-haired, interdimensional foreigner. But besides all of that, he had questions, and rightfully so. That question alone was insightful and allowed Ginos to have the notion, that Estelle wasn't native to this land, at least this particular desert. "Any village in the desert," surmised that Desert Owl knew about most, if not all desert communities that thrived out here.

Those silver-brown orbs turned themselves upon the huntress at his side, and he found himself questioning her further, but now wasn't the time...

"It's an honor, Desert Owl. We seek a village, any village, for the essentials. Shelter from the elements, safety from the land's dangers, food, water, and rest for our stamina, and possibly facilities my partner here can use to further harvest the dragon she carries." Ginos spoke with eloquence and treated them all as equals. That's how he saw them anyways. What more, why lie? Their purpose was simple. Survival. Better to keep it clear and concise, their intentions that is, as to avoid any misunderstandings.