Grass Whistle

Sun, Jan 27th, 400 -- 26 days after the Apocalypse..

Nureha stands out on the windy outworld plains just to the west of the Town of Beginnings. There is a small flask to her hip that she raises to her lips periodically, her nose wrinkling at the taste. "Better than hot water." she murmurs before screwing the cap back on.

The plains were cold and still, the silence extending out to the horizon with no movement of animal or monster. There are no birds save in the distant trees. No insects or animals, just the unbroken expanse of tough plants limmed with an edge of frost. Smoke rose from chimneys in the town and further towards the distant Alne but the air was crisp and razor-sharp, as though everything had been carved from crystal.

Nureha taps the light covering of snow from her shoes, looking out at a large swathe of plains with a discerning eye. She takes out a book from her inventory, scratching a few more notes into the surface as she begins to pace out distances across the frosted terrain. A certain amount of footfalls in length, double that in width.

First proper wood would have to be gathered, then properly refined and constructed.

    The air was cold and that meant also that sounds carried easier on the wind. Nureha might hear the sounds of footsteps, before seeing the figure of the Salamander. The clock rested over his shoulders, the sword by his hip.

On his other hip was a pouch, though hard to say what it contained inside. Though as he spots Nureha, he raises his hand up, before calling over, "Nureha! Hey!" Once more the cold air carries even his words well enough.

It would not be long till Xander jogged over to where Nureha was, there was a minor smile on his face. "Been awhile. You been holding up alright?"

Nureha continues muttering calculations for several seconds before she realizes the crunch of boots was coming closer. She puts the book away, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She looks fatigued, bags under her eyes as though she had not been sleeping enough.

Still, she turns to him with a sincere smile. "Xander."

She pauses, then extends her hand to the frozen landscape. "It's beautiful, isn't it? There is so much here for us.. even here, in this stillness." She turns back to him. "And you? How have you been holding up?"

    Xander looks out over the snow, his breath exhales in a bit of cloudy smoke from the cold, before he chuckles gently. "Yeah, I guess it is." The Salamander looks around. "Could easily get lost in the world and forget all about home."

He moves his cloak slightly to keep the chill off of him the best he can. "Even so, it is also good to not let it take away the desire to want to go home or find that way too." Those words though. They don't carry the same spark they once did. Not the same determination.

    Xander inhales deeply, before looking up, then back over to her. "But I've held up fine. Haven't been killed yet, so that is a plus I suppose. Though I probably have made a fool of myself maybe a time or three." The Salamander shifts his weight, "So, what brings you out here? Not careful, you are going to get hit with an exhaustion debuff, if you haven't already, given how tired you look."

"Home."

Nureha looks into the distance, her expression cloudy. It takes more than a few moments to look away from the frosted plains back at the Salamander. "Yes. Though it becomes ever more distant, we must strive to make preparations."

She draws herself up, taking in a breath and composing herself.

"Just pacing out the dimensions for a small Peko Peko ranch we're thinking of establishing. I seem to recall there were higher level recipes concerning mounts, and if we're going to get anywhere in any length of time, having transport will be all to the better."

    "I actually use to tame and ride monsters back in the original game." Xander admits, "However, animals were never my focus for riding mounts." The Salamander shrugs, "I liked riding in style." Pause, "Not that it is really that important anymore."

The Rune Knight shifts his weight again, his tail gently moving behind him, though harder to see cause of the cloak. "And I don't disagree, on preparations, but, to--" Xander stops himself, shaking his head gently.

"Well, I do hope you can create what you're looking to make." He ends up saying softly.

Nureha raises an eyebrow at the sudden stop but doesn't comment on it.

It would be easy to end this conversation. She need only wish him the same and continue what she was doing. There was no particular hurry, at least not at the moment. "Thank you." she decides to say instead.

"Tell me, are the Scale still overlooking one of their most important assets? I hear there is to be a run on the first tower boss soon. What do you think of your chances, so far?"

    "Poor." Xander says simply. "I found out the Goblins are smarter than they use to be. They can build traps now, using combat tactics." He crosses his arms over his chest. "They are learning."

His gold, fiery, draconic eyes look over to Nureha. "This means that possibly letting that Scout Leader go could lead to problems. Which," He inhales deeply, "Would have been my mistake, so if something does go south, that is on me. I let an enemy go that could tell its boss and that would mean they have now intel on our behavior... Along with abilities."

    He lowers his head gently, as his jaw shifts a little in thought. "My only hope is maybe the AI learning behavior isn't shared. Maybe the Tower operates on a different structure of learning than the outside area, but if they do share the same behavior..." Xander rubs the bridge of nose, but doesn't finish as his hand falls down to his side. His eyes staying on the snow, as his mind goes over the details of what might happen if all enemies are learning around the same rate.

"Does your neck ever get sore?"

Nureha asks, her eyes glimmering with mischief. "You must do a great deal of conditioning each morning to enable you to twist around far enough to bite yourself in such a manner. Do you believe that pain will make your stronger? That your self-flagellation will prevent mistakes in the future? Or will it-- like I can see happen with the training of firearms too large a caliber for your use, only inculcate a flinch reaction?"

She smoothly moves on from that observation to anothe rone. "And if they are learning, then so will we. We are not brittle things to follow along the same paths forever. If they learn, and build, then so should we. What will prepare us for the road ahead. Better tactics? Better weapons."

    Xander doesn't add or comment to her chiding of his behavior. He just gives her a look, before rolling his tongue along his molars with a gentle chuckle. Then he softly shakes his head before commenting to the more important issue perhaps in his mind, "It is not the fact we can't learn and that we are not frail. It is the concern that people might not take it seriously."

He rests his hands on his hips, "I haven't told anyone yet, because I don't have enough information to be sure, but if I am correct and this is a common thing. That monsters are learning, than players, adventurers, people-- whatever you want to call them, /need/ to make ready for a harder and more real experience."

"The game is no longer a game at that point. It becomes real-life survival." Xander emphasises with the knife of his hand hitting the palm of his other. "And that could lead to even larger things later on."

Nureha crosses her arms. "..If you want to really make ready for a harsher experience, there is closer territory to home that you should consider." She extends a hand out to the frozen fields. "..There is a rhythm to the seasons. Spring will come, and summer as well should we linger long enough to see it."

she smiles. "..I'm sure this place will be beautiful then, and bursting with life."

She pauses, then taps her fingers across her arms. "Xander, you realize you are setting yourself up for failure, yes? For a much bigger failure than just a single goblin scout?"

    The Salamander goes silent again, before he looks to her. His eyes study Nureha for a moment. "To have success, you have to fail. Failure teaches, success-- only gets you so far in life, before failure finds you. We /all/ fail eventually." He looks away from her. "But you can still do things, take actions, to try and make the failure hit less."

He turns to fully face her, taking a few steps toward her as he talks. "So yes, maybe I /am/ setting myself up for failure. I let that Crocman Scout go. That was on me. I will accept whatever fate happens, but it doesn't stop me from wondering, and it just means if I fail? If me doing that action leads to everyone facing serious consequences cause of /my/ actions?" He stares her dead on. "Then I've learned a lesson from that failure to act. That I should not let any monster ever escape again, because lives that will get graved, will be on me, but that will be /my/ burden to carry."

    Xander's voice never does change. It stays serious, just as his face and his eyes, before he at last looks away, "But, that is for me to deal with. No one else. Not even you... as for the weather," He looks up at the sky, "... I am looking forward to spring if we are stuck here this long... and I am sure your ranch you plan to make, will be a beautiful one. Surrounded by friendly faces, laughs, and smiles. It is--" He looks off to the distance, his features softening, becoming distant. "... It is a good future to look forward too. No matter the outcome." He looks to Nureha once more, a gentle smile on his face. "I hope your plans work out, Nureha. I honestly do. For everyone."

Nureha shakes her head, allowing Xander to talk himself out.

When he is done she says only. ".. then perhaps you have learned the wrong lesson." She smiles wearily, rubbing her face. "But failure teaches, as you say. If you survive it."

She straightens her shoulders. "Let us look forward to that future, shall we?" she takes out the book and begins to make calculations again. "..And let us hope it does work out. There is nobody to catch us, no law to restrain us. No sage to teach us. No wisdom but what we make for ourselves."

She snorts. "..I suppose it will have to do."

    "Suppose it will have to do?" Xander raises a brow and tilts his head gently, "What do you mean?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself with, my dear."

Nureha doesn't look up from the book, starting to pace again. "You just continue preparing for what you fear will come to pass. And I will do the same. Hopefully, one of us, or even both of us, are wrong."

    Xander grunts gently and crosses his arms over his chest, "You know, you can sometimes be a little bit frustrating." Then he smirks, "But I guess you can say the same back to me, huh?"

He looks outward once more. "Anyways, I probably should take up any more of your time and... I probably should get back to my patrol." The Salamander tilts his head, "You good at out here?"

"But Xander." Nureha says with big, watery eyes as she looks up at his book and turns towards him. In a mock serious voice full of gravity and quiet intensity, she whispers. "We must prepare for harsher experiences. Surely you do not expect /everything/ to go your way." she winks at him, smirking. "And my guards are not too far away, one way or another. I rarely venture out alone these days. There are.. troubling rumors of disappearances. Perhaps even kidnappings."

She gracefully lifts an edge of her robe, bowing to him courteously. "You watch out for yourself, my dear. Try not to develop a crick in your neck."

    Xander rolls his eyes at here and snorts softly. "Oh lay off it woman." He then hand waves at her, "That look doesn't suit you and leave it to the experts who go to the overly cute classes."

The Salamander then turns away before he just gives her a peace out hand gesture as he goes to walk away. "And you try not to develop any further cute expressions. I may have to punch you next time you do-- even if it means a face full of poison!"

"Oh. I positively SHIVER in dread."

Nureha calls out to him as he leaves, pursing her lips and shaking her head when they are out of sight. "That one will need more work, I see." she murmurs to herself as she returns to the book.