chikaidestroyer | ∞ 56: Campfire [action]

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∞ 56: Campfire [action]

[A late day finishing up study along the barrier has led to the traveling trio of Albert, Raine, and Genis setting up camp very late in the day. The flickers of fire hovering around in the dark are not from torchlight, but Eferin's minor spirits providing the researchers with light to look around by.

Albert trudges by with a bundle of firewood, setting it next to the beginnings of a campfire. There's a lot to think about as they travel back.]

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[Albert glances over at Raine as he sees her setting up the bedding. He comments quietly, nonchalantly in the dark.] Quite useful, having a pack animal around, isn't it?

Indeed it is. Even when we traveled around with Noishe, he hardly carried much, so it's a pleasant surprise.

It also adds the advantage of us traveling faster ... though, if we were to lose Astrid out here somewhere, we would be in trouble. [The idea of this situation happening makes him snort, almost amused.]

Any endeavor comes with it's risks. Thankfully it seems that Astrid has enough common sense not to wander far. Hopefully she won't get spooked by anything. [She shakes her head a little as she continues to set things up, recalling some of the protozoan's antics.]

We haven't had anything large enough around here to test whether she is scared easily or not. [He looks in Astrid's direction, though it's hard to see the horse without much light over there. He crouches next to his unloaded pack to find the tinderbox to start the campfire.]

That's certainly an experiment that can wait until another day. If at all.

[She straightens up after finishing.]

It's been a smooth trip.

[A slight pause.] I hope that you weren't expecting anything to happen along the way.

[She raises an eyebrow at him, though it's not too likely he can see it in this low lighting.] It was merely an observation.

You wouldn't make such an observation unless you were expecting otherwise.

... Mn. In this place, you can't really be too careful, after all.

Indeed.

[He speaks over his own work on lighting the fire; it's a good idea to keep up with the practice even with the spirits around.] There haven't been as many New Feathers this cycle.

Not as many as the past two cycles.

... Nor as many kidnappings, for that matter, though I don't believe either of those are related.

No, of course not. One act is random, the other ... calculatively random.

Not to mention that there are a lot of things that still don't make sense. Why some people claim to supposedly "leave", only to be brought back with a full memory of having been here, but having "done other things" during some form of a passage of time ... while others are returned with no recollection of having been here at all. I've recently even heard of someone being returned a few years younger ...

... It's still a little difficult to accept that the Malnosso don't have as much control as we previously believed. It only further complicates the situation.

I would think that, after being here for as long as we have been, you would be used to things not making sense.

That's not what I said.

Then say what you intend to say instead of stating the obvious, Professor.

You're one to talk about stating the obvious. [She shrugs a little, moving closer to where the fire is being prepared] Continuing the topic of cycles, and the Malnosso possibly not having any control over it... Svala and I were discussing her recent trip to the ruins before we came out here.

It provides us with better questions, at least.

And?

I'm not certain what you recall from our previous discussions, since we haven't discussed the ruins very much since the exploration took place. Though at the time, there was nothing very tangible to link it to. There still isn't much besides theory, however...

There were specific patterns throughout it, implicating a theme of spirals, amidst the worship chambers. Continuity. Using what we have been told... it's possible that it might not be of a civilization that lived on this land before us, but rather one that came into being whenever these first 'cycles' of people being brought to this world began.

Of course, no evidence of anything but the remains of rituals was all that was really left to be found...

[He listens, working on the fire and dusting his hands of flint chips.] Perhaps you should go out there and take a look personally.

It has been a while since the initial look, and seeing things with a fresher eye and more things to keep in mind would also make it more worthwhile.

We still need to see how far the barrier extends beyond it, as well.

A small traveling group would probably be able to make the journey less tedious. Or others who can fly under these circumstances, like Yuan and Kratos.

Indeed.

You still need to see them for yourself as well.

Not really. I have no curiosity for ruins.

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