Animal Cracker

The expedition camp had it's source of fresh water, but it still required regular trips to collect it and haul it back to camp in whatever jugs or barrels they had been able to get their hands on. There was plenty of hands to take care of the task though.

Shiruba had ventured a little farther up the river, to where she had a good view of where the dam was without (hopefully) treading too far into the occupants territory. She had wanted to be sure the river wasn't being completely damed up again. But now the wolfgirl was sitting on a low branch of a tree, watching the beaverbears themselves. Noting how they used both teeth and claws to break down wood, and how having the larger dexteritous bearpaws made it easier to for them to pack mud and rocks in to support their construction. Thankfully they had so far left the part of the dam broken by the adventurers alone, more concerned with keeping the rest of their waterway structure stabilized.

"The combination seems to include behavoiral patterns of the two species as well," Shiruba mururs softly to herself as she watchs.

Beaverbears...

What might surprise Shiruba, however, is that she has wandered into Jazz's area of effect. By area of effect, we probably mean 'things suddenly feel more sad just being around her', not that anyone would notice until she said something. She's up a tree at the moment, legs dangling over a branch, parchment rolled across her knees, charcoal stained fingers lifted in a casual wave.

"Hey, Shiruba," she calls.

Wolven ears perk at hearing her voice abruptly and Shiruba leans forward from her spot a bit to see the small Undine perched in her own tree. "Oh, Jazu, hello. I didn't notice you up there." Despite the Eeyore Effect of her dour presence. "Guess I was too focused on the beaverbears..." The stains on the fingertips don't go unnoticed though. "... What are you doing?"

"Drawing the Beaverbears," replies Jazz, "And the trees, and the forest, and the flowers. I'm trying, anyway. I'm having ... well, I don't think I'd call it success, but I guess I'm improving." She makes no move to show her the results of her drawing, however. Instead, she scoots along the branch a little to lean over and look dwon at her.

"What else would I be doing?"

Shiruba holds up a finger. "To be fair my first guess would of been mapping the area.... But I imagine that's what most people would think for me too, and it also would be incorrect." Curls her hand into a ball and sticks out the thumb to point back towards the river. "I'm studying some of the gestalt wildlife for my animal husbandry training. And Rylen is too busy to make the journey to see for himself."

"I mean, I'm doing that too," says Jazz. This time, she's turned around the parchment for Shiruba to see, just enoughg to be able to see a map, but with the artistic flourishes of notes of things she saw along the way, beaverbears for example, and a ring of mushrooms and trees bent this way or that way. It's not *amazing*, but it does display a small vestige of talent, at the very least, that dedication is attempting to nourish.

Shiruba climbs a bit farther up the tree to get closer to her friend, and glances over the parchment. "Oh, I see! You're using artistic skills for icons and stuff. Cool, I like it.... I never thought of that, all my maps are just noted with distance calculations and topography quips."

There's a nod of understanding from Jazz.

"Mine were too at one point. That's fine. But then I realized that I could do something different ... that I should, I suppose. What do you suppose we're going top leave behind, Shiruba, when we leave? Assuming the world is forever, we probably aren't, or won't be here forever. What will the Landers who follow us know of what we did to their world?"

"They deserve to know, either way. It's their world. They deserve to know what we saw."

"Hopefully they'll remember us for the good we've done. The effort we made to protect them and their world." Shiruba settles back down on a branch herself, legs crooked around it at the knee for steadiness and tail dangly lazily off behind her. "And... forgive those that only look to their possible way home and not see what harm they may do. The Scale Emblem as an alliance suffers from considerable tunnel vision," she pauses, and sighs softly. Her attention settles on a beaverbear down by the river's edge. It looks like it's sloshing the water with it's paws like bears do, but from here she can't tell if it's fishing or trying to scoop twigs and mud from the riverbead. "But at least some of the individuals get the greater picture. Or they would not be helping in matters like the Undead Army."

"Already, though, we're seeing that we're trouble for the rest of the world. That Enja character spoke of us having 'let them out of their prison', after all, and he might've meant what was supposed to be quarantined, but there are alternative possibilities. We haven't yet seen a Shrine to the Goddesses here yet, after all," she points out, "at least not as we'd recognize them. Who kows the consequences of what we -- of what *I* -- did are going to be for countless lives?"

Shiruba looks up from her study of the fishing beaverbear. "Jaz, there's a million different things that we don't know yet that he could be refering to with that, or if it's even specifically something we, or you, have done. We know little to nothing of what lore the Palace Lands has in place. He could be making a connection to something in the distant past of this world, just like we've come across multiple times in Yamato."

Then turns her gaze back out to the riverside forest. "But I get it. We're still uncertain of what part it is we're really meant to play being here. The unknown is intimidating... But as explorers it's our job to make that unknown into the known. So it is no longer scary for others."

"Every step we take is filled with consequence whether we like it or not," remarks Jazz, "I don't much like inflicting consequence on others, Shriuba, especially ones I didn't mean to. I can't say I wouldn't have lifted the quarantine if I knew, but I at least would have been able to talk to tohers about it. Oops." She spreads her hands and shrugs her shoulders in a gesture of helplessness. "We'll learn more, of course. We don't have get a choice in that matter, not really. That said, when I get back to Tsushima, I have a lot of work to do."

"Just our being here is a consequence, and not one we can currently change. So the best we can do is be wary about what kind of impact we do make. And maybe some day find some answer that don't lead to more damn questions." Shiruba gives her head a little shake. "Please Jazu, I know it's hard, but don't be so down on yourself. If you do believe you've caused an issue... then work to fix it. Even if you're not sure what that is yet. The only thing worse than uncertainty is inaction in face of it."

That last one sounds a bit too astute, probably something she's picked up from a mentor.

"I'm aware," says Jazz, a little tightly. Perhaps Shiruba pushed up against one of those invisible lines people have. There's a certain tension in her voice.

"I *am* here, after all, doing what I'm supposed to do, doing what the Godess asked me to do. And I have to go back to Yamato at some point, hunt some goblins for an Oracle piece. Soon as I can figure out *how*." She looks up towards the sky. "Maybe Estelle can help," she muses, more to herself. "...but there's too much to do here first."

Ears perk a bit. Both at the tension in her friend's voice, a clue that it's a path best not tread down farther. Having to deal with people as Guild Officer Shiruba has gotten better at picking up on those cues.

Fortunately, it also lets her pick up on a topic to shift to. "Oracle piece... You mean an Enigma piece?"

She reachs into her inventory for a moment, and pulls out a Simple Icon of Enigma - Oracle. "Like these? I found this dealing with those goblins trying to corrupt the forest after that one Wave of Calamity, so yeah, that's probably the track you want to follow for them."

"Similar, yeah," says Jazz. "There are some goblins who have one. They're using it to be able to predict where to go to avoid being hunted down. I'm working on how to ... make that less effective." She squints down at the Enigma Piece in thought that's being held by Shiruba.

"I see... So it's probably a quest were you need to retrieve the very specific instance of an object, not just one of that kind." Shiruba nods. "Well, if you do find a use for one, let me know. I have nothing to do with it, I'm mainly held onto it because no rare loot drop is ever unuseful. I figure eventually Estelle or someone will need it."

She returns the item to her inventory for the time being. "I am no soothsayer, but if you need help with the standard methods of tracking let me know. I've made the trip to Yamato and back, it's a matter of taking the travel time into consideration."

"Yeah, I've got a.. lot in my inventory," says Jazz, eyes unfocusing as she brings up the menu to swipe through it. She nods casually. "I will need help," she adds, "eventually. Right now, our concerns lay here, but we'll get back to Yamato before long, I suspect. This place isn't going anywhere, and there doesn't appear to be any people or adventurers so far." She sounds mildly concerned about the lack thereof.

Shiruba nods a bit at the thought. "Until proven otherwise, I am following the theory that they were deleveled like us, and forced farther inland to where there Root Towns likely are because of how high the monsters are in level here. Landers probably don't venture far in general. Or end up like that rice patty farm you guys found. Regardless, our only option is to keep going forward."

"Let's cross our fingers that this prevailing theory is right," says Jazz.

"We'll keep going, yes, there's no alternative to that. And the puzzle will unlock itself soon enough or Proteus might spontaneously combust."

The way Jazz says that suggessts she might hope the Imp will spontaneously combust.

Shiruba just raises a brow at the mention of Little Miss PuzzleImp. "... Yeah. Though with the big mystery I wasn't too surprised seeing her. And we can't really keep it a secret considering there was apparently enough of a light show when the barrier opened that most of Yamato saw it."

"I was only surprised they were able to make the trip as quickly as they did," replies Jazz.

"Not that I don't understand it, of course. I'd do the same thing." Her tone is wry at this point.

"Most of us explorer types would," Shiruba agrees. She pulls her note parchment out again and looks over it. "These gestalt animals are rather facinating, even if I wasn't in a related field of training. Though it does make it a bit hard to tell what's an animal, and what's a monster."

"Only humans get to be both," remarks Jazz to Shiruba, casually, as she sets back to drawing again.

Shiruba snorts softly, but she can't really disagree with the observation. "At least this trip up here has proven to be enlightening in various ways. This is the kind of new world exploration you don't get to do anymore in ... previous lives." That's the best way for her to put it at the moment.