Are you afraid of the dark? (Ero)

[Kiska]

82nd Day of Fall of the year 510 AV

"Right here looks good," Kiska said, pointing out a very small clearing among the tree of the forests of the Konti Isle. She had been given an assignment in her herbalism class. For the duration of three days and three nights, Kiska was to be exploring the forested areas of the Konti Isle in search of herbs. She was to gather anything she found to be useful and return to class after the third day with whatever she found. Upon receiving this assignment, Kiska decided that it would be a good idea to invite her friend Ero along, as Kiska had limited skill in protecting herself against...pretty much anything except something that didn't know she was there. Kiska set her pack down and leaned her light staff up against a nearby tree. She began to set up her tent, which was only big enough for herself. It was still relatively early in the day. They had hiked a ways away from the city of Mura and into the wilderness, their journey beginning early in the morning. While Kiska didn't particularly enjoy getting up so early, or living in the woods, she did enjoy being able to utilize her newly learned skills, in this case being herbalism. Kiska imagined this trip wouldn't be all about herbalism, and that Drae hadn't actually planned for it to be only about herbalism. Drae was one to teach her students about how to use herbalism in different situations, or with different skills. Kiska could already see that this would have a bit to do with surviving in the wild using herbalism as an aid. Kiska looked back to her packs. She had brought along her belt pouch to store the collected herbs in, and her mortar and pestle in case she found something she knew how to use. Drae had said that being able to make something using what was found in nature was one of the best uses of herbalism she could think of, other than for medicine and healing, of course. "There's enough room in this little clearing for us, and there shouldn't be too much trouble defending it from attackers, if a bear or something comes along..." she shivered, the thought was still an unpleasant one, even if a bear would have problems fitting through the people-sized gaps in the trees. Kiska had picked the tiny clearing for a reason, it was only reasonable that someone the size of Ero or smaller could fit through the trees. She had brought her bow in case anything attacked, but she knew that wouldn't do much good unless she had advance warning. She thought to go hunting for food while she was out here, she had never done anything like that before. Even though she had about a weeks worth of food in her pack, she loved trying new things, and hunting might even give her a chance at attempting to cook, which she had always wanted to learn more of since she left her home village. Kiska was sure that this trip to the woods would turn out to be very interesting, with all there seemed to be to do. Kiska finished setting up her tent and layed her bedroll out inside of it. She tossed her pack inside and set her light staff, bow, and arrows next to the tent. "What would you like to do now?" She said, turning to Ero. She was glad that she had brought Ero along, she would have felt so insecure out here without someone strong beside her.

[Ero]

Ero stretched and slung her pack off of her shoulders. "Alrighty, whatever you say." she said good-naturedly. She would have preferred somewhere with water nearby so that they wouldn't have to go on a hike every time they were thirsty, but this was Kiska's test, not her's. Even so, it wasn't like it was a terrible spot. It was, as the Benshira had said, easily to defend. Ero wasn't sure if there was going to be attackers or not, but Kiska seemed more worried about bears than bandits. This was unfortunate, for Ero was certain of the lack of bandits on Mura but was unsure of the number of bears that called the island home. Ero watched Kiska setting up her small tent, and smiled slightly. The sky was clear, and had been for some time. It would be a little chilly at night, but as long as there was no rain she would be fine. If it did rain, she could meditate and simply refresh her mind, if not her body. Ero had her own set up for long journeys, but this close to the settlement, if things got really bad she could easily return and fetch help;That is, if she couldn't fix it herself. Ero was not well versed in survival in the untamed lands, as she had grown up in a large city, but surely it wasn't too hard. Ero looked gathered up some fallen wood for a fire, since she had heard that campfires were essential for camping. After a few minutes, she had a relatively large pile, and Kiska seemed to be finished setting up her sleeping tent. "What would you like to do now?" Kiska asked her. "I up for anything. We might look for the nearest stream or some such thing. Come morning we will both probably be quite thirsty, and my waterskin is already mostly empty" she shook hers just enough so that Kiska would be able to hear the slight sloshing around inside. "It's up to you though, my friend. I don't know quite what you are supposed to be learning from herbalism from camping, but I certainly don't want to get in your way." She continued with a big smile. It had been far too long since she had slept under the stars, and already the clear spaces and the fresh air was easing the tension she didn't realize she was carrying around.

[Kiska]

Kiska watched Ero wave her mostly empty waterskin around. Hers was empty enough to need a filling as well. "Alright then, to find fresh water it is then," she said, looking around for any signs of water. So she hadn't chosen a spot too close to water, but there had to be water somewhere near. The forest would not be so lively without water closeby. "And as for herbalism, I just need to collect herbs, though I'm suspecting she's trying to teach me some other lesson as well, like, how to survive using herbalism, first aid in the wilderness with herbalism, something along those lines. If you see any interesting looking plants, can you tell me? I need to gather as many as I can in the next few days, without destroying the environment." Kiska strode off through the trees, heading north. They had come from the south, and slightly east, from the city of Mura, and were now venturing through the untamed woods of the island. Kiska had once been told of strange creatures living in these woods, such as winged deer. She had never heard of the like before. Kiska noted a small pathway made on the ground, probably from animal use. She could be almost certain that there was water at the end of one of these, as the only places masses of animals needed to go was to water. The trail was heading east and west, the east side tilting slightly more south. Kiska knew that the sea lay somewhere off to the east, not so far away, though she would probably loose track of that soon enough. Without a compass, her directions were mostly guesswork, and going off of maps she had seen before (keeping the sea in mind of course, and it's location to herself). "Let's go that way," she said, pointing off to the west. "That path probably leads to water," she began trudging through the fallen leaves and trees along the path. Soon enough she could hear it, the gurgling that signaled the presence of water. "I think I've found it," she said, walking onward. She saw a stream through the trees ahead. A deer stood at the stream, drinking from it, and birds swooped down from the trees to do the same.

[Ero]

Ero put her hands behind her head and walked with her shoulders back. With a smile, she trailed after Kiska. The air out here was amazing, and the smell of the ocean mixed pleasantly with the smells of the woods. Nodding at Kiska's guess of what she was supposed to learn out here, Ero tuned out slightly and followed the other woman to where she claimed fresh water to be. She let her mind drift and focused on listening to the deeper sounds of what was around them. As the Auras around her began to sound around her, she eased herself gently deeper, trying to just experience it all instead of actually latching on to any one thing in particular. The sounds washed over her, everything clashing and smashing together, without meter. As her mind drifted in the currents, she began to recognize light motifs and pick out a few familiar chords. She opened her eyes and withdrew from the music of everything around her before it become overwhelming. As she opened her eyes, she was able to place a few of the auras with the things around her. One particularly beautiful phrase sang out and directed her gaze to a beautiful red leafed plant. She nelt by it and called out to Kiska. "Hey what is this stuff? This three-leafed red stuff." she brushed it gently, putting her hand behind it to examine it closer.

[Kiska]

Kiska turned back to Ero, who was kneeling to look at something. She walked up so that she could get a closer look at it and frowned. "Don't touch that, it will hurt you. That's what we call poison ivy, for most people it causes rashes and swelling. Most people are intolerant to it." She said, already knowing Ero had touched it. "I might have something that can help you with the rash you're going to get from that. If not maybe I can find some herbs to make something." She had left her herbs, medicines, and healers kit back at the camp. She didn't think it would make too much of a difference though, they were going to be going right back. "I can't use that though. I'm sure I could harvest it, but it's of no use to me. I hear there are medicinal uses for it, but there's much safer things to use for the same conditions. This is more than likely going to give anyone a rash rather than cure what they have." She had brought along her gloves in case she needed to pick herbs such as this, but poison ivy was much too commonly known as bad, and not very commonly used in medicines. "Can't do anything about the reaction you'll have from that until we get back to camp though, so we'd better get moving. The water's right up ahead, I can see it." She looked back to the stream. The deer had fled while she was talking, but birds still swooped down to drink from the stream. She led the way through the few remaining trees and knelt down by the water to fill her waterskin. She thought for a moment, trying to word her next phrase, "Maybe...you should ask me before you touch any plants. There are a lot of poisonous ones out there, and I don't want you to get hurt or anything." She was staring down at the water, blushing, and afraid that she may have offended her friend.

[Ero]

"It's poisonous?" Ero said thoughtfully, "Strange, i've seen it before and touched it, but never had any sort of reaction." She shrugged, and rubbed her hand in the dirt to get anything that might be on it off. She stood up and smiled at her friend's concern. Kiska seemed so timid sometimes, while at others she sounded as though she could command an army. her friend had changed little since they had first met, save for the confidence she sometimes showed. Ero continued walking towards the stream, pausing only briefly to watch the deer scamper off into the woods. With a sigh, she bent down and took a few sips of water, then dunked her water skin beneath the surface of the stream. Despite the mild chill in the air, the water wasn't very cold at all. Ero glanced about, and saw no one other than Kiska. "Well, I've been wanting to bathe all day since I missed my chance back at the Inn." she said mildly. She deftly stripped off her shirt and pants and layed them on a rock near a bush. She turned back to the water and gingerly stepped in. She hissed air through her teeth at the temperature, but once she got deep enough to fully submerge herself, She quickly got accustomed to it. She dunked her head and turned back to wear She had left Kiska. "Feel free to join me," she said with a wink, and let out a little giggle.

[Kiska]

Kiska's eyes widened as her friend stripped and got into the stream to bathe. "Well," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I guess it couldn't hurt," she said, taking her clothes off and piling them in a neat stack near Ero's. She had never seen Ero in full glory, and was quite intimidated. While her curvacious figure and femininity were well displayed with clothing on, Kiska could see exactly how pale she looked in comparison to her friend. She slowly dipped herself into the stream. It was chilly, but not too cold to be in, which was quite strange for this time of the year she imagined. In the desert the seasons acted differently, but here they seemed to be a bit more...normal. The rocks beneathe her feet were slippery, but as she waded further out the ground gradually turned to a soft sand, like that she had seen on the beaches here. The smell of moss and fresh water lingered over the surface of the water. "I didn't bring my soap with me," she said, frowning. "I suppose I'll have to come back here later today and do this." For now though, she would simply enjoy herself and keep an eye out for any aquatic herbs that may be useful. She dipped her head into the water and brushed her hair back from her face. The water on her skin felt good after a morning of hiking through the woods. The birds had abandoned the small stream and the deers watched warily from a distance, making themselves unseen to the two bathing in their stream. No doubt the birds would be leaving the area for the winter soon, if they did so at all. The insect population, Kiska noted, was considerably sparse at the time, probably due to the fast approaching winter. Kiska relaxed in the water, rubbing the bits of dirt from her face and shoulders.

[Ero]

Ero tried to watch the other woman disrobe as discreetly as she could, but frankly: she was too curious. This would be the first time she saw her friend without clothes on, and while Ero had seen more than a few men in such a state, this was a similarly intimate setting but with a female friend. She tried to give Kiska space to do her own thing at first, an stayed a little ways away. Without soap, her hair would have to simply get used to the idea of being a little dirty for a while, as water could only do so much to keep it clean. As far as the dirt and sweat, though, water would do just fine. Ero took a breath and dunked her head under the surface, and scrubbed at her face to get rid of the dust that she was certain had settled on her face from the trail. After she was done ministering to her face, she moved her hands down and did her best scrubbing the rest of her body, lingering over certain areas as her thoughts and eyes drifted over to where her friend seemed to be conflicted on how best to clean oneself in a stream. At Kiska's complaint about the lack of soap, Ero had to laugh. "Why don't you whip up some herbal soap or something?" she teased gently, and half swam/ half waded over to where her friend stood mostly submerged. As she approached, Ero let her voice sink to a quiet huskier murmer. "Although I certainly wouldn't mind coming back here to see you like this again later..." she broke off and let out a louder laugh at herself. Ero was a little unsure as to how serious she actually was, and teasing the Benshira was a lot of fun. Unfortunatly for Ero, the act of throwing her head back to laugh happened at the same time she stepped on a particularly silty and slick bit of creek bottom, and her feet slipped out from under her. with a whoop of surprise, she fell forward into the other woman, and instinctively grabbed onto her friend as she collided into her and slipped into the water.

[Kiska]

Kiska gasped, startled as the woman fell into her. She slipped under the weight of the other woman and fell back into the stream with a splash. Kiska wasn't entirely sure that this had been done by accident, after what Ero had said. She struggled to stand again, still wide eyed and being groped. "I ... uh... are you okay?" She said to Ero, awkwardly, offering to help the woman up. Her cheeks had long since flushed red, at the approach of the woman. She wasn't entirely sure what to think about what she had said, and Ero falling into her. One part of her was extremely embarassed and awkward, the other part was somewhat enjoying it, if only a little. Mostly though, she was just confused. Her people had always been against this sort of thing, so she supposed she should too, though she had already rebelled against many of the ways of her people. Why should she believe something just because those she was raised from believe it? Those who treated her so poorly in the past, who abandoned her for most of her childhood. She shouldn't have to. Kiska put her hand behind her neck, not knowing what to say. Despite the thoughts racing through her head, she was still speechless and confused. She didn't think she had anything to apologize for, but she almost felt like she did for some reason.

[Ero]

Ero stood up, coughing. She had inhaled while underwater, and it hadn't gone through the vestigial gills (another gift from her mother's heritage. They didn't work super well, but it meant she could get a little bit of air while underwater.) She coughed and hacked for nearly half a minute before getting most of the creek water out of her throat. When she looked up, she realized she still had Kiska by the shoulder, one of her arms perilously close to the other woman's chest. She quickly withdrew her arm. "I'm so sorry Kiska! I tripped and I slipped and fell and I didn't mean to um...I'm sorry!" she noted Kiska's blush, and thought she recognized that particular look on her friend's face. She had seen it once before. She smiled slightly and turned away. "I uh. You are very pretty..."