Chapter 1 - A Temple in the Sky

To Layl, Iris could only shrug, being just as confused as the other side was.

Once Layl disappeared over the edge, safely on the Prismavian's back, Yoko initiated the talk on their descent. Iris cocked her head to the side, wondering if there was perhaps some underlying reason for Yoko sending her off first. However, as she couldn't think of a possibility that was terribly serious, Iris didn't go off on a lengthy interrogation. She simply accepted with an, "Alright then," and a smile.

A smile that was quickly wiped off her face when she heard an unexpected, "Zo!" from the side. Her head snapped to the source to find the culprit, her own Zorua. Iris stared in shock and a little bit of fear. She didn't recall calling out her Zorua, so... how?... Through gritted teeth, her only answer was, "Return," as she promptly returned the innocent renegade. Now wasn't the time to let her fears take a hold of her.

"Um... well then... I'll be off," Iris returned to the task at hand as she stepped up to the Vivorin. She asked for its permission to ride it down and would do so if she was permitted to.

Upon landing, Iris gives the Vivorin a friendly pat on the withers and conveys thoughts of thanks before dismounting. As it ascends, it eventually reaches a point where the connection breaks. Although, by that point, Iris is focused more on trying to find hide or hair of Iris and Shossk. Had the two hidden themselves already? Well, she was too close to the potentially dangerous camp to call out for them, so she was going to just trust her party. Her thoughts moved onto her own, upcoming task.

With the group assembled Shossk steps out from the treeline again. After a moment he speaks. "Another should lead. Mmy last party said I am not good with negotiations." Indeed, in several interactions that Shossk said his piece, the opposing side became hostile shortly after. Shossk simply thought they were naturally aggressive, but Shossk's party assured him that he was at fault.

"Shossk. Buddy. You're... too honest," Torvin once said to him, after an angry, portly guard had tried to have them arrested. Shossk had asked whether he was too fat to conduct his job effectively.

"Are you tryin' to piss people off?" Veska had asked of him, after they had dispatched a surly, dwarven mercenary captain and his entourage. Shossk had wondered aloud whether the man was a dwarf or a disfigured gnome.

"Stay out of these talks," Grumosh ordered him after a pitched battle with a trio of lamias. "I know you carry no ill meaning, but your words cause too much bloodshed." Shossk had asked the eldest whether her ancestors where lions that copulated with humans or humans that copulated with lions.


Shossk looks to Iris in particular, then reaches into his pack to produce a small pouch of spiky caltrops. "Take these. Iff you must flee, throw these behind you. They will sslow the enemies' pursuit." Following that, if everyone's ready to go, Shossk will sneak back into the forest towards the other group's camp. Shossk himself will stick to the treeline bordering the encampment while talks commence.

Layl kept herself out of sight, no reason to break stealth and give the enemy a chance to notice her. She decided to keep as close to Iris as she could, since the girl hadn't shown herself to be one for combat. Better to stick as close as she can in stealth in case the fight starts immediately. Layl didn't want anyone to get hurt, especially since she didn't have her healing magic to just soothe it away! Maybe she would gain it back in time, but for now, she has to do her best with what she has!

The jaunt through the trees is short with no major issues, although as Iris and Yoko are not attempting to move silently they make plenty of noise. The glow of the campfire can be seen faintly through the foliage as the group nears the clearing. In the center, two figures are clearly visible, outlined by the light spreading out. They appear to be talking quietly to one another, the stockier of the two gesticulating wildly while the lither one sits without moving.

Aside from a few glances back to make sure Yoko was still with her, Iris walks forward without interruption. The mystic tries not to think too much about Shossk or Layl. With zero capacity to lie, her best bet at helping them hide was to not to say anything about them in the first place. Hopefully, she steps into the clearing without any difficulty and greets the pair of opposites with a tentative, "U-um... Hello?" equal parts curious and worried. Her eyes do a quick scan of the camp to try and gather some sort of first impression of the camp and those within it.

Four tents. Shifted earth. Iris eyed the bear man rather curiously, clearly never having seen anything quite like him before, but when she thought about it, he wasn't really that much different from Shossk. They both looked like they would be pokemon but were actually people. She recovered and returned the polite greeting with one of her own, "Hello, we saw your camp from the island up above and thought it wouldn't hurt to see who might have set up here. By the way, I'm Iris, and the friend behind me is Yoko."

Iris, feeling compelled to return the gesture, followed the bear's bow. "I... can understand," she hesitated to answer, not being certain herself of whether she felt more comfortable dropping her guard or keeping it up, "We were told the same by AL, so the others in my group were too suspicious to appear openly. However, we've all agreed that if conflict can be avoided, then it is best to do so."

Shossk continued to make no sudden movements, eyeing the exchange from behind a tree. Though he couldn't empathize with Hurn, the bear's voiced concerns were promising. Suspicions of traps and ambushes often led to conflict. If Iris was not able to placate Hurn and his group, a fight may still break out.

The subtle tightness in his chest from before lessened in favor of something lighter, and Shossk identified it along with the slight tension in his muscles. It was... anticipation, he was told?

Shossk tightens his grip on his bow. He adjusts his stance ever-so-slightly in readiness, like a predator poised to strike.