Arabian Nights; Desert Respite

Desert Owl, the elderly, but strong man that had recently just left the Khoya Village to hunt, would return fairly swiftly with two people that were not the two he left with.

The buildings here were all fashioned of earthen elements such as stone and sand, and some even of more refined minerals that looked to have been shaped with fire of some sort. Their designs were humble, being built right into the very dunes themselves, and hidden by literal mountains of sand, seemingly both natural and unnatural. Those that thrived here had a healthy blend of darkness of various shades in their skin tone, and were all in a myriad of exotic attire befitting of the heat. Some were as humble as loose-fitting robes and other were less modest, both male and female alike. Desert Owl would continue on into his village with the two travelers hopefully right behind.

She followed in silence, observing the man who identified as Desert Owl. Caution was her gait at the moment. These would be the first actual natives of the land that she would meet and so information would be her priority. That being said, information was generally a two way street as well. She had seen enough to know not everyone helped others out of the kindness of their hearts. She wouldn't judge them right away since as far she could tell, they were just people of the land. In that regard, she felt a little more at ease.

The architecture of the village interested her more than the people themselves. Though she wouldn't stand out too much, she didn't feel quite as at home as one would believe. From interstellar and interdimensional travel, to living within the most humid of jungles, the desert was one place Estelle had yet to spend copious amounts of time in. Therefor the buildings being etched into the earth itself, some manually others naturally, grabbed her attention post haste.

'Such a beautiful land...' She thought as her eyes wandered tirelessly.

Much like Estelle, Ginos had remained quiet all the while he followed behind Desert Owl, and his compatriots. The samurai had made sure to remember the route they had taken to get to the place, while also remarking on how quiet the journey was internally. One thing he wanted to try on the way to their destination, was to further connect himself to the lay of the land.

A man who was proficient in nearly every element, Ginos had felt himself incomplete in the new universe. Foreigner by every meaning of the word, he existed as anomaly and suffered the pain from it. The disconnected man experienced frequent spasms of pain all throughout his body, but never once remarked on it, nor gave any indication that he was tormented in such a manner. However, it was through this calm of sorts, that he came to a conclusion.

"I can probably extend my life and in turn, solidify my existence with this place, if I can bind myself to its laws. I must seek the basic elements that make this place up and attune to them..." That was the goal for him. Luckily, they were in a place where earth was abundant and gorgeous at that. The village in which they had been introduced to was a testament to the observation.

Homes built into the dunes and the mountains of sand served as the natural barriers for the place. Genius architecture and with an for aesthetics, the natives of the land had impressed Ginos thoroughly. One thing he made sure to make note of, was the outerwear that the villagers wore. Smart for the type of weather here, plus the men and women were rather attractive in both the revealing, and modest clothing.

"Your village is a work of art, Desert Owl. Not only does have a tactical battle advantage, but it speaks volume of your technological ingenuity, and art style." The samurai's tone was sincere and genuine. Truly, he sounded amazed by what he saw.

"I thank you for your words of kindness," Desert Owl would say as he led the two further into the heart of the village, some of the villagers looking on at the newcomers in both suspicion and curiosity; especially the fully naked woman carrying the Gecoal carcass. She must have been a huntress of sorts to be able to defeat one. "We, the Khoya, have lived here for generations, hidden away from all outside life, and protected by the desert sands. Many of us have never been outside this desert." No matter what had been going on outside of the Eternal Desert, nothing had changed for those who lived within. They went out, they hunted, they came back and kept to their lives relatively undisturbed. "We've learned to work with the land to get by, and learned many secret arts in order to defend ourselves here."

The people that saw the foreigners enter with Desert Owl would remain suspicious, but also were comforted to know that these people entered with one of their most trusted and respected village elders, and found safety in that. They rarely ever saw any foreigners at all due to their location, and were typically known to be unfriendly due to their history with outsiders. "I'd suggest that you find something to make yourself decent," he'd say to Estelle, only turning his head slightly. "You'll have the whole village wondering about you." Desert Owl would lead them to an open area within the village so that each of them could be undisturbed. "You say you need things to get through the desert? What can we offer you?"

That felt more natural. The looks of suspicion and worry. It's what she expected, yet, the respect she saw the people held for the old man held many tongues apparently. Her observation was short lived as she still found more interest in the buildings, specifically the ones sporting more unrefined minerals. 'I wonder if Gaia exists within this reality as well.'

Her thoughts were partially penetrated by the words spoken by Ginos and Desert Owl. She listened intently, even if her outside wouldn't show it. Just because she held little interests for people didn't mean she felt them inferior. She had met her end at the hands of them on multiple occasions, enough times to read an atmosphere and know when to go with the flow. When speaking of working with the lands, she was happy that it confirmed what she thought earlier. This village wasn't a bad place to end up near.

Estelle grimaced on the inside at being addressed about her attire. She had been planning on creating her own garbs, but she had no intention of doing it for the sake of anyone else. Nudity was the true form of the body. To be offended by it was almost childish to her. Yet, she wouldn't speak those words, feeling it only right she abide by the wishes of the people for now.

"Tis there a place to fashion the hide of this creature into small armor, I would don a garb as quickly as possible." She set the Gecoal skin and meat down, the cactus stuck with some of the meat. "As for needing help, information on this land would suffice for now. I believe I can speak for my shise as well in saying we are not from this world. We have no knowledge of where we are or where it is we would be going."

"I respect that deeply. Being able to live off the land like this must be difficult, but at the same time rewarding. I noticed that environment is very... Active, alive even. Most, if not all of the, 'Khoya,' must be really attuned to the desert and earth, yes?" The reason why Ginos asked, because if at all possible, he'd actually enjoy coming back to this village, if they allowed him to, and meditate, to establish a link with the earth as well. While that question was left up in the air, there was apparently a problem with how Estelle was dressed, or lack thereof.

A raised eyebrow was thrown over to the amazonian and a mental shrug was given, inside of Ginos' mind. After a long while of traveling with her, it just appeared natural. Clothes on her would have probably been something he'd have to get used to. That wasn't him being perverted or anything like that, it was just him being realistic. Plus, it's not everyday that a beauty like her wandered the land in the nude, so it was one of those moments, where one had to appreciate it as much as possible. Once again, though, she referred to him as a, "shise," a term he had to ask her about when they were in private.

For the time being, the samurai just fixed himself up as he wanted to appear clean to the people. Well, as clean as he could possibly be. The man's clothes had been dirtied from his crash landing, coupled with the debris and sand from the area. Maybe he would have needed a change of garbs as well? Likely, but for the time being, he just waited for an answer to his own question, plus the revelation of knowledge of the world they were currently in. Though, he wondered if the people who closed themselves off from the world, had known what lied outside of it. Desert Owl more than likely did considering his age, which usually translated to experience.

Desert Owl's eyes widened at them. They weren't just foreigners; they were otherworldly. That caught even this wise old one off guard. "I've only heard tales..." he muttered to himself, having not traveled beyond the borders of the sands nor interacted with many beyond the village, "... And I thought that only the Witches were able to do that." These foreigners must have had strange power of sort; something that could prove dangerous to the rest of the village. Desert Owl was becoming less and less welcoming to them in his heart, thinking first of the safety of his homeland. What he first believed to just be wandering desert travelers that needed aid were now revealed to be otherworldly entities that could destroy them all. He would be on his guard even more than before.

"... There is a forge," he'd say, still not wanting to start any trouble with them and create a disturbance in the village, "... I'll take you. Don't go anywhere in this village without me." He could not stress that enough, for many reasons. "There isn't anywhere you can stay here, so it would be best for you to stock up everything and be on your way before nightfall," he added. He wasn't keen on giving them too much information, but if it would help them on their journey, and also expedite their leave, then he would give them just enough. "... If you've seen that this place is alive, you should know that you'll be fine. The desert spirits are powerful and have kept us protected. May they be in your favor." It was clear from his response that they were, indeed, rather attuned to the earth and very connected to the land. They had to be in order to survive. More of a learned and adapted then than anything. "We practice many arts of the earth and fire, using those elements to help shape our houses and protect us in combat. But if you've come looking for information on this world beyond this desert, you've come to the wrong place. All we know is a life of sand."

By this time, one of the two that were once with Desert Owl, the man, would return to him. The man said, "Grandfather, we have gathered the supplies and returned them to the house." He looked toward the strangers, mostly the shapely naked woman, yet whispered in the ear of Desert Owl. "These foreigners are still here?" Desert Owl would whisper something back to him, and the man would become silent, looking at the two cautiously. Sooner or later, Desert Owl would speak again, saying to them, "If you don't have the eyes to see the spirits, I'd say to leave this desert entirely. There are many things unseen to the eyes of the normal lurking about, and only those who can perceive souls will be able to determine them." Without the ability to see spirits, or souls, they were at a severe disadvantage. "Anything else you want to know, you'd have to find out from a different land. Anything beyond this desert is beyond me." The only person who made a life outside this desert so far was one of his kin, and she was one of the only. There were very few who left the Khoya Village, but she just so happened to be one of them. He wondered how she was.

The shift in the old mans mood made a small glint appear in Estelle's eyes. She would not have caught such a thing if it wasn't what she had been expecting since the very beginning. The small respect she had for them would dwindle immediately as he spoke. It was obvious they were no longer welcome.

She wondered only momentarily what it was that caused the change but would not dwell on it. She had no want to be around people in the first place, let alone those who feared what they didn't know. Being cautious was one thing but as far as she could tell, she and Ginos had done nothing to show that they were anything but travelers in need of a little hospitality.

"Even che miine av che nade eloe lu." Estelle sighed. "Please join me my shise. I could use your help in fashioning something for carrying this meat as well."

She would indicate that Desert Owl could lead the way, but not before letting hey gaze run over the two younger men that addressed Desert Owl. For only a moment, her eyes flickered with Dagger Sight, looking at the mens aura to truly confirm that they had went beyond cautious to slightly fearful.

"Hm..? Did something happen?" Ginos asked himself. There was a mutter of words and a layer of secrecy that started to permeate the air. Hyper-perception had been picking up on the way lips moved, facial expressions changed, and most of all, the way how Desert Owl's tone seemed distressed. When told not to go anywhere else without the elder to guide them, the samurai wouldn't argue. Not only did they not have the right to just barge in, he and Estelle, but showing any form of resistance would have set everything off. And not for the best.

Thus, when the older gentleman had went into explaining how they lived off the land, earth and fire, the ebony-haired man nodded his head. Despite the obvious tension which had begun to brew between his traveling partner, himself, and their... Acquaintance? If that word could even be applied at this point. Especially after they were told to not only hurry up and leave by nightfall, but to also have exited the desert should they not have been able to perceive spirits. Maybe that'd be best? Ginos wasn't sure about his own sight just yet, because of his recent circumstance, and didn't inquire anything of Estelle. Once again, there was a soft head gesture he performed to confirm that he understood.

"Well in that case, we'll get prepared and move out as quickly as possible. Though, I do have to inquire, might you know the way to exit this desert?" The samurai asked, when as they traveled, Desert Owl had turned his own cautious orbs over to them, and spoke out. When that was all said and done, Ginos' naked partner eventually spoke up.

There was a line of foreign language followed by a line of the language he understood. Seriously, what did, "shise," mean? He began to have an idea of what it could have meant, but until they were in a place that he could speak to her quietly, there'd be no inquiry upon the noun.

"Right behind you." He said simply. Nothing changed in terms of their walking formation, so it'd remain with him staying at her side, as they followed behind Desert Owl.

(There's only one man that came back, Estelle, not two.)

Desert Owl and his grandson would look at Estelle with an estranged look after she'd spoken to them in a different tongue. The strain of trying to decipher if she was cursing them or couldn't speak a different language very well made them even more suspicious of her. Immediately, Desert Owl would whisper something into the ear of his grandson, Desert Crow, and Desert Crow would say "Follow me," and begin walking off in a different direction, leading Estelle elsewhere.

Desert Owl remained where he was, letting Desert Crow act on his behalf whilst he stayed behind with the other foreigner, and while he was overseeing this and watching Estelle carefully, would notice the desert spirit that passed by the one named Ginos after he had been offered a blessing by the desert. This would catch Desert Owl's eye and bring his attention back to Ginos. "... I can't tell you what's outside the desert border, but I can take you to it. If you all could not even sense the Cacklus', then you might be needing a hand." The team that was assembled before to scout for resources, led by Desert Owl, had already returned due to the encounter with the foreigners. "It would probably be best to walk you through, anyway."

(Uh, I wasn't sure if you were clear about what happened, but this account is for fixing connection and understanding issues in the post by bridging them together. Also this account helps to make sure events happening simultaneously in a single area align time wise, as well. So I'm going to make a very general posts that leaves these things both ambiguous and open for whenever you decide one what you're doing, Ginos.)

Time went on as Ginos and Desert Owl talked, since Desert Owl had chosen to stay behind and let his grandson, Desert Crow, lead the way. Desert Owl and Ginos wouldn't be talking for too long, and if Ginos would be following Estelle, it would be a short time after he and Desert Owl finished their conversation and a little while after Estelle was already in the shop. Hopefully he'd seen where she went.

If not, however, time still went on and passed as normal as they would talk, waiting for Estelle and Desert Crow to return.

(Hopefully this puts things a little more into perspective, just in case these transitions were misunderstood. This post is also to make sure time remains constant, since Estelle is moving and Ginos isn't. It'll ensure that if she does return, time will have still been happening.)

(Thank you for clarifying)

Ginos had opted to stay behind and speak with Desert Owl for the time being. The reason for this came in the form of the man's tough exterior cracking for just a moment. But beyond that, there was something which echoed in his mind, like a thought of his own that gave rise to alarm. "Be careful." Was what that voice in his head said.

"...Of what?" The samurai asked himself, but then remembered he had been in the presence of the village elder, when he inquired to what the warning meant. Though, there was, of course, the proposition that made Ginos smile. A soft nod was given to him. "That'd be wonderful, if you can. Since you'll be with us through and through during our temporary stay here, I'll take it you'll be showing both Estelle and I the exit of this place, once it's our time to leave?" He asked.

That'd be the most logical course of action, right? He and the amazonian woman had been separated, but she simply went off to go make her gear. That was fine and dandy, but if there was something warning him in his mind, then he had to at least extend that warning to her. Though, while he was still in the presence of the man who was extensively more connected to this land than he was, Ginos decided to ask him one last question, for now.

"Desert Owl," he started, "Is there something else besides Cacklus that's out there? One could tell right away that this is no run of the mill desert, and given what I've managed to see out there, there has to be something more to it. More to it than the sun, sand, and creatures that happen to dwell here. I guess what I'm asking is, do you believe there's a living god that resides in this place?" The man inquired with a serious tone. Ever since the connection with the land, Ginos has had more and more reason to believe that there was something bigger at play.

Desert Owl seemed distraught. He was worried about the spirits that he'd seen going through the village and manifesting around these two strange people. The must have been powerful to be able to talk to them, or even have some sort of recognition of them. These two were more dangerous than he thought. "... There's a lot of stuff out there. Stuff you can only see if you've got a certain type of eyes. Something that all of us here are born with, for some reason." Everyone here could see souls and the spirits, which was how they learned to tell the hearts of those that entered their village. No one ever knew that this was what they did, unless they also knew about the power to see souls or knew about the Khoya previously. "... Most of the worse things come out when the sun's presence fades," he said, knowing that when there was less intensity pressing down on them from the air, they could rise up. "It's not good to go alone, in general, unless you're looking to die." He would say it straight flat out, being the type of person he was.

"Now, I'm being as welcoming as I can to you foreigners, but the people here might not be. They can see the spirits. Some are more powerful than others, but they can all see. They may start getting unsettled or disturbed." The wise Elder knew the state of the village and the people. They were not ready for having outsiders as they were. They had not gotten over the Witches, even now. The more Desert Owl thought... The more suspicious he got. The land was scarred a little more deeply than one would believe, but certainly, with nothing else to compare it to, it was understandable. "... What's taking your friend so long?" he asked, getting somewhat worried. He wondered if she were up to something. It didn't take much for trust to fall and mistrust to rise between all of them, it seemed, due to some sort of xenophobia. "Hope nothing went wrong..." he'd grumble lowly, knowing how swiftly things could if the wrong things were said, or things were taken the wrong way by the people. Foreigners had different lifestyles and mannerisms entirely that sometimes didn't quite assimilate immediately. That is what Desert Owl was worried about all this time, which is why he insisted they get somewhere out of this village as quickly as possible. The sun was getting low, and Desert Owl knew what lurked out in the desert at night. He furrowed his brow deeply.

Desert Owl would be in deep thought for a moment, but come back to the last question asked after giving his own thorough explanation of himself and his people, and his concern for the two travelers being on their own. "The gods live all around. It'd be wise to be mindful and respectful of them, especially the ones in this desert." Desert Owl had seen these beings with his own eyes before. "If you ever come across one, always hope there is a blessing for you. Otherwise..." Desert Owl trailed off, turning his head away.