Spirits of the Earth

Warmth.

It was the one important thing to seek out. Next came food, which was a close second of course. Or was shelter? Warmth, Food, Shelter. It was hard to figure each out when you didn't have a colony to control. It meant that you were alone, that you had no workers to do anything for you. Not that one was completely defenceless of course, but it was always nice to be able to hear "protect the queen" ringing up through the masses. That was always a charming thing to hear, and it made one feel great about themselves. Of course, the tactic was usually to retreat and use superior numbers and underground networks to attack.

Here...there were none of that. No underground colonies to use, none of her species to subjugate and use, she wasn't even able to lay any eggs to create any! Sadly, she needed them to be fertilized, and she had no people here to do that. So there she was then...alone. Completely alone, and at the mercy of whatever this world threw at her. At least what was thrown at her wasn't too bad. However, there were the cold elements of the world, snow, rain, ugh! Water. A little was okay, but there was a lot of it in some places. Her world was a little dryer...arid, beautiful really in her opinion. This place was wet. Even the air felt...wet.

However, going further south got warmer, much warmer, which was nice.

The strange insectoid creature walked along with the poise and grace of a Queen, and rightly so. Females of her species were just that, Queens. Her naturally banded exoskeleton gleamed in the light as she strutted through the grass. Large black eyes carefully examined the grassland before her. Warm, but not as warm as she would have liked. There was a desert...far...far off, and even then, she wasn't sure if that's where she wanted to end up. Sand was hard to properly create an underground network, though it dampened and muffled vibrations from above, it was still incredibly hard to create proper structures. Still...it would be warm.

She flexed her wings as she walked, feeling the air rush around them. They were an odd sort, they looked so delicate and fragile, like cobwebs suspended between jointed spars. The back of her body was covered in spines to protect her, while the front was lacking in much defence. She was an elegant sort of creature, with a large natural grouping of spikes growing from her forehead upwards, one of the longer spikes ending in a spade formation to look like a monarch's crown of some sort. Her vertical mouth with small mandibles open and closed as she tried to hum to herself, the end result sounding more like clicking however.

She was alone, and in a new world, it made her very nervous to say the least. She wanted to go home, but at the same time, she wanted to explore the world. It was a beautiful place, it had a lot more environments than hers ever could hope for. She did just wish she had a few worker drones around, something at least to make her feel like she wasn't so...alone. That's what it came right back to, her cyclical thinking. She was alone. In her head, she heard no callings, no sounds, just her own thoughts, instead of the buzz of a million others. It was honestly disturbing to know that there was nothing.

She was still getting used to her thoughts, and only her thoughts. No one agreeing with her in her mind, no one giving locations of food and water, or of enemies, there was just...no one. She wondered how her people were faring without her. No doubt her sudden disappearance was quite confusing for her people. She just hoped that one of her 'daughters' would be able to transform into the new queen and take over. That was another slightly saddening thought. Not only would her 'daughters' be ill-prepared for this, a fight for succession would happen within the colony, and by the end of it...there would only be one left. Not to mention, she would no longer have her own colony, it would become her 'daughter's' colony, and she would be killed on sight as an intruder upon their territory.

A lonely life to live it seemed, with fate unknown, and destiny unseen.

Hasea walked. She didn't know where she was, and she barely remembered where she was going, but she had to walk. Each frail step was a step towards... Something. A cure, hopefully, but death sometimes seemed just as good. She'd probably been brought here by a rumour of something that could fix her, but it had been a while since she could remember what that was... She really should write important things down, she knew. Her condition, though, made it hard to get hold of supplies.

She idly scratched one pale, bone-thin arm. Her nails brushed against an insect, which scuttled away and disappeared. The itching never really stopped with these things. They itched her skin when they crawled over her, but worse was the itching in her thoughts. She couldn't scratch that.

She trudged onward, towards nothing. It was hard to see very far through the swarm that surrounded her. She was almost used to the constant buzzing but the low visibility was still hard to deal with. Once, she had had the bad luck to combine it with fog. She was lucky that the cliff hadn't been very high.

A figure came into view. She squinted, trying to make out some features through the ebb and flow of the insects. What she saw... She wasn't going to say it didn't trouble her. Were they making her hallucinate now? Had they given up on taking her memories and started on her sanity too? She didn't know which scenario to hope for more: that, or the possibility that the thing she saw was real.

It was nothing personal, really. She was just a little fed up with bugs.

It was a buzz that got her attention.

The sound was something that she knew VERY well of course. The sound used to be everywhere in her world, but it was on a much larger scale. Now it was very quiet, but it was so apparent to her. Wings. The beating of wings, little bug wings. Not like her own, these ones were stiffer...and they were moving at such a very fast rate. There were...quite a lot of them too. The question was...where was it coming from? She had to focus on her hearing, on the location of the buzzing wings? She turned and began to look around, searching for the source. It wasn't hard to find of course, she saw the person right after that.

How...strange it was.

A person...a woman, within a swarm of strange insects that was flying around her. She seemed so frail, so thin, so painfully...thin. She was starving, it was obvious, she could see how...the woman was infested perhaps with the swarm. They were all around her, and yet...this didn't seem normal. It didn't seem right at all. She stood there, watching the woman, before approaching. It was strange if anything, to see a person swarmed by bugs and still...alive. There was some mild excitement for the strange Queen insectoid, as her mind started to hear things. Voices, but not voices. Images of different things...of...

They were in the woman's brain?

She couldn't be sure, there was...blood...and flesh...what she could assume was a brain, soft tissue, and they were in there. That was a horrible thought! That these bugs were eating away at her slowly as a host. She felt sick as the images and voices invaded her mind. There was so many of them...and she had to block them out as she stopped in front of the swarm. "This one is known as Sesselav, and I greet you." Her voice was strange, it had an oh so slight buzz to it. However, it wasn't unpleasant at least. "I am sorry." It was all she could say. Sesselav was sure that this woman would die because of these horrid creatures. It took a lot of will to not try anything however, because...well, she didn't know the circumstances.

Maybe this woman was okay with her condition, or maybe...she was too far gone.

Hasea stood perfectly still as the creature approached her. She didn't know what to do. It didn't seem hostile, in any case, more... Curious. It was a reaction she was used to. She blinked. As it came closer, she could make out more details. The wings, the spines, everything about it; whether she was imagining it or not, it seemed like a coincidence designed to mock her.

And then it spoke.

It spoke. In perfectly understandable, if stilted, human language. And why was it apologising? It hadn't done anything to her. It was all so strange, and yet so normal... She had to be hallucinating. Still, it would be nice to have a conversation, even if it was only imaginary.

She frowned slightly and her mouth twitched as she thought. "Erm... Hello... I'm Hasea, I think. I... I don't mean to be rude, but... But, are you... Are you... Real?"

Sesselav was always a curious creature. She had to be of course, as a Queen, it was her duty to be curious, because if she didn't...well, she may not find things like food, or sources of water, and her colony might die. She had to find out if people would be hostile, would respect the territory of the Skirr people, or if there would be a fight on her hands. Then she had to prepare for war, and prepare tactics, find out about weaknesses that the enemy had.

There had to be curiosity.

It was just as she suspected too. The poor woman's mind was very off, and those images she had seen before...those terrible images. She couldn't imagine any of her own people trying something so...horrible, at least on a living person. Taking over the mind, guiding the person through a form of manipulation. It was a horrible idea, Sesselav almost immediately wanted to try and remove these strange parasites. However, she couldn't figure out how to do it. If they were as she imagined them to be...some form of insect...there was a queen.

Just how sentient could a tiny thing be however?

"Real? I am...quite real yes." Sesselav said as she looked around to see if she was speaking to anyone else. However there was just her. "I...assure you that I am a physical form." She tried to reassure the woman. She reached out slowly to try and touch the swarm that flew around Hasea, very careful as she did so as well. She didn't want to anger the swarm of course, she didn't wish to have the Queen believe that she was some form of threat.

"Why do they swarm around you..?" Sesselav couldn't be absolutely sure about the strange bugs, they seemed...so different from the regular insects that she had encountered here. After all, most of the...insects like these ones, made homes underground. These weren't trying to kill her either, as if she had attacked them or offended them...but these were...defending her in a way. "Are...you a host?"

If the creature said it was real, that was good enough. She couldn't spend her whole life second-guessing everything, if it actually existed, if it was as she remembered it. She'd get nowhere if she did that. Some things were bound to be wrong, of course, but there was no point dwelling on them. She'd tried fighting the fog in her mind, but accepting it had worked out better. At least that way, she could function well enough to get by.

Her eyes brightened. "Oh, that's... That's good. I don't... Have company very... Very often." She smiled widely, an odd look for her face.

Ah. Even someone as odd as this was going to ask the same old question. Everyone who got close enough wanted to know what was wrong with her. If she was well, she'd have some stock answer ready to go, something pithy. Hah. If she was well... She wouldn't have to.

Her brow wrinkled and she stared at her feet. She'd heard it explained once, by a wise woman... Somewhere. It made sense at the time, but she couldn't remember the exact phrasing. "Um, sort of..." She held up a hesitant finger. "They live... In the part of me that's not... Here, but... I don't quite... Know the words..." She looked up at Sesselav again. "Sorry..."

They must not be sentient, if they were...they were terrible creatures for being okay with this life. It was not a life that made sense, or should be. Disgusting to say the least. However...the woman was alive still, the woman was okay...in some small way. She was...not completely healthy but...she was still alive. Sesselav wondered if the condition was okay, it didn't seem...ugh.

Not something a respectable insectoid queen would do.

"I can't imagine why really." She actually couldn't, she wondered why people didn't want to keep the company of this woman. Was it the bugs perhaps? That must be the biggest factor, if people didn't like bugs...then they probably wouldn't stay around her would they? Sesselav didn't have much company either, they found her a little odd too. One person accused her of trying...what had been it? Trying to exploit them for the fact that they owned an apple farm? Sesselav would admit, the person had smelled good, but she had just wanted to get to know the surrounding area, and a farmer was usually the best person to ask.

Still, strange things happened.

Sesselav intently listened to Hasea as she explained, or tried to explain about her condition. Her head tilted slightly, her mandibles clicking a few times as she tried to understand what the woman was talking about. "They...live in the part of you that isn't there?" That was a far cry different from what the images and voices had said, but this was...interesting. Where could they live that was part of her, but wasn't...there? "It's okay." Again, she was nervous about getting too close to the woman. She hesitantly reached out through the swarm to put a hand upon her shoulder, before quickly retracting it. The swarm for a second sounded...angry in a way.

"Do you mean they are in your mind, Host Hasea?" Sesselav asked as she tried to find the right words as well. Talking to a person, to an actual person was difficult. They weren't in her head, they were...basically like other queens. Other individuals. They didn't agree with her, they didn't follow her blindly, they were...it was hard to talk to people. Conversations were strange things. However, the mind was hopefully the right term to use, since it wasn't really...there technically.

However, hopefully Hasea was able to help Sesselav find out about her condition. Maybe as an insectoid she could do something.

Hasea flinched when Sesselav touched her shoulder. She didn't mean to, but it happened. She opened her mouth to apologise, but then just gave a small smile instead. The creature was just trying to make her feel better, after all. It was just trying to be nice. Any misgivings she had were her problem, and she really didn't want to drive it away.

The swarm didn't seem to like it though. The itching felt a little worse than usual. She tried to calm them down, but they weren't listening right now. Were they jealous? It wasn't like the newcomer was trying to usurp them. It was much too large, anyway. It'd never fit.

It had managed to put into words what she couldn't. She nodded slowly. "Erm, yes, my... My mind, that might be it... Oh, but, um, but please... Um... Just Hasea..."

She was finding herself at a loss for what to say. She wasn't exactly the most social person these days, and was rather out of practice. She had to make sure she said the right things. She was lucky enough that this... person... was willing to talk to her. It would be terrible if she messed up and ended up being disliked anyway.

"Oh! I suppose... Isn't it rude to just... To just talk about myself? I... I think it is..." She looked confused. "Um, so what do you... Er... Do?"

The swarm definitely didn't like this oversized ant person, and Sess couldn't really blame them either. She probably did seem like a usurper, and despite not being able to fit in where the colony was, she could still kill the queen somehow and take command. The problem would be of course, getting to the queen. If it was living inside someone's head, that would be really difficult. Coaxing it out would probably also not work that well either, so the question was...

What to do? Could there be a possibility of helping even?

"Apologies Hasea. In my culture, titles are usually first. Queen, Worker, Drone, Scout, Warrior, and so on." Of course, she couldn't be called a Queen anymore. She wasn't one. She would be an intruder after that, the colony that she had ruled over would see her as an enemy, and she would be...nothing but a threat. It was a horrible thought, even worse being the fact that if she wanted to make another colony she'd have to populate one. She'd given birth before sure, but to a thousand workers? She wasn't sure she could ever handle that.

Ugh.

"I...do lots of things. " She wondered if she was asking about occupation, or hobbies. She learned a lot about hobbies in this place. People...knitting and sewing...or painting and writing. Her culture didn't have art or literature, though they did steal it occasionally from human settlements. "I used to be a Queen, but...now I am in a foreign land. I can't hear my people's thoughts...and I fear that I am the only one here. So I search for them...or for a way back." It was the only thing she could do. She had to find either a way back, or some of her people, any, at least, any male that could properly fertilize an egg. It would be horrible if she came across another Queen, but at the same time, it would make her feel less alone.

Still, there would no doubt be some...hardships to get over first. Like both of them fighting for dominance.

"Do the creatures hurt? Did you...ask them to protect you like this?" Maybe it was symbiotic in nature. Maybe they protected her, and she gave them a home. Maybe it wasn't as bad as she thought it was. They were in her mind...which either meant her brain...but...she said they weren't there but were there. It was confusing, but fascinating, and horrible all at the same time.

As Sesselav talked, Hasea was finding it hard to shake her initial revulsion. It... No, she... She and her people were so like these horrible little things in shape and in society. Even though the creature seemed genuinely concerned for her, she couldn't help but feel a little scared. However, she tried not to show it. She knew how it felt to rejected because of disgust, or fear. And Sesselav, she did seem nice, really.

And lonely. Hasea knew what that was like, too.

She laughed, a pathetic, thin little sound. When she spoke, her words were no longer faltering, but decisive. "I hate them. I wish they would all die." The swarm buzzed angrily, as if they knew what she was saying. She blinked hard, and was back to her usual hesitant self. "Um... By that, I don't... I mean... I'm not usually... Uh..."

She bit her lip. "Erm, sorry..."

While she might have been a similar creature to the ants, she was however...quite different in manners obviously. After all, to her, the thought of inhabiting another creature as a colony upset and disgusted her. The idea of a parasitic bond was absolutely horrible. A symbiotic was usually a little better, it at least meant both sides were benefiting but...this woman looked like she was...dying. Starving at least. She was so thin...which really wasn't...healthy was it? People usually had...more meat on them, but this woman looked like a stiff breeze could just take her away.

Then again, the swarm was probably generating a little wind, so that was probably a good sign.

Her next words only confirmed that she really didn't want the swarm. If only something could be done. She'd just have to stay around Hasea for a while and find out about these mysterious insects that were making her into a living colony, and a walking corpse. "It's okay Hasea, I understand." Sesselav told her quietly as she tried to look at the different bugs. If she was bolder, she might eat some of the swarm to discover things about them. She guessed of course it probably didn't work the same here as it did on her planet.

That was probably for the best. She was but one, and these insects had taken over a person's body. It didn't bode well if she wasn't careful around them. "Would...you mind Hasea if I accompany you? I would like to...get to know you better. You feel...like kin in a way." It was probably the insects around her...but it was still...she seemed like way too nice of a person. It was one of those unfair things that she had learned about while living in this world for a short time. Things had been very simple in her world, probably because they were a hive mind and the like, but here...so many individuals. All wanting the right to choose fate, and all deserving it.

Like this woman.

It made Hasea very happy that Sesselav wanted to accompany her. She hadn't had anyone to talk to in such a long time. In her mind, it proved that the insectoid really was a good person after all. If she wasn't, why would she want to be around someone so afflicted and pathetic?

"Um, no, I... I think... I think I would like that." She smiled gently. "I hope we... We become good friends... Sesselav."

She fidgeted with her dress. Well, that was an awkward thing to say, but in her eagerness to be liked it had just come out. She hoped it hadn't sounded too weird. She smiled again, glassily this time, to try to defuse some of the awkwardness. She wasn't really sure just how used to human social interaction Sesselav was, but she still didn't want to make any mistakes.

Finding someone to talk to, someone that wanted to talk to you, was difficult to find. She had been in a city before, where one man had just wanted to examine her and inspect her, which was a little creepy. She was a queen, not some common trollop that just splayed herself out for anyone, even in the name of science. No no, that was not her! People had looked at her strangely and whispered about her, some even used the term gross. Gross?! She was far from gross!

However, she couldn't really blame the humans here. She had seen one run from a small bee. No bigger than one of the fingernails they had, and yet he had ran away from it. Humans were strange folk, but that was more of an endearing quality.

"I think there is a very good chance that we will." The Queen told the nervous woman with a nod of her head and a smile. Well, a smile for what Sesselav could manage with a mouth that was sideways. It was more or less her mandible's tips pointing downward, giving her a smile sort of look with them.

"Do you know where you walk? I myself head for heat and sand. I want to get away from all this cold and wet." She told the woman as she gave a dismissive wave in the opposite direction, toward Adela and Serendipity. They were nice enough places sure...but so wet. Down this way however, she heard of warmth, of sun, of sand. And even if she couldn't make catacombs in the sand, she could still exist there. Her exoskeleton could protect her from the heat rather well, she could practically live outside in the desert if she chose. However, some shelter would be nice.

Hasea tilted her head at Sesselav's odd, smile-like expression. It was... Almost... Cute. Well, that settled it. She really was going insane.

No point in worrying about it, hey?

"I... I don't remember... Where I was going... I don't think..." If she thought very hard, she could still get a feeling like maybe she knew, but nothing more. There was no point trying to find a place that she'd only know once she arrived. Even if it was exactly what she needed, it might take too long, and then...

She nodded. "So... We can go... We can go where you want."

The desert brought problems, but they were easily solved. She could cool herself down quite nicely with the right wind spell, and she did have her own personal portable shade, as well as water and food suppliers. She grudgingly admitted that the horrible little things were good for something. Sometimes. It didn't make up for everything else they did, though.

She turned to face the opposite direction from Sesselav's gesture. She looked back over her shoulder. "So, we go... We go this way... Right?"

She tried her best to show emotions the same way that other people did, but unfortunately she wasn't built the same way that others. Her sideways mouth and mandibles didn't really work out when it came to emotions. It also was hard to do things like show surprise when you had no eyebrows, and you couldn't open your eyes wide. It really didn't work out for her, but there were other ways to show emotions.

"It is okay Hasea, do not strain yourself." Sesselav told her calmly, once more her mandibles moved into a smile once more as best as she could manage. She hoped to try and calm the woman down and not to really anger the swarm either.

"Well, I would not mind going to the desert." She didn't want to push the woman too hard, or into doing anything that she wouldn't want to. After all, the woman was carrying a swarm around with her on the outside and...in her mind. Was she more agreeable? Sesselav didn't want to feel like she was pushing the woman into anything.

Hopefully the woman didn't feel the same way. Hopefully she was able to feel still.

"That's right, we go that way." Sesselav told her with a nod before she began to walk toward that direction. She had such a strange walk, it was dignified, yet at the same time, it had femininity, it had the poise of a woman who knew she was a woman. It was very odd, considering that she never had to entice a mate before. However, she had heard of shape shifting creatures on this plane of existence, and if one found her interesting enough, perhaps she could convince them to help her cause. Of course, right now there was no one but Hasea, but it never hurt to get some practice in. Perhaps the city in the desert she heard about would have someone there.

Only time would tell.

Hasea might have been made more docile by the colony, but she was pretty sure it was just her personality. From what she remembered from before them, she had always been quiet and laid-back. All they had done was make her doubt herself a lot.

She really was happy to just go wherever. Since there was no cure for her right here, and she didn't know where she was going, anywhere was as good as anywhere else. She might well find her salvation in the desert, and she wouldn't know unless she went.

She jogged a few steps to catch up with Sesselav, then settled into normal pace beside her. Hasea's gait was resolute and determined, like each step took effort. She had to will herself to put one foot in front of the other, again and again, because if she didn't she'd lay down and never get up. Now that she had a companion, though, there was a little more spring in her step. She was still nervous, but it was so nice not to be alone any more.

She walked in silence for a while, occasionally flicking a bug off her cheek or shoulder. She looked over at Sesselav. "So... What were you... Planning to do in the desert? If you... If you don't mind me asking..."

There was no cure, not here, not yet, but she had Sesselav, who was basically an insect of some kind. With any luck, the Queen might be able to figure something out. Of course, her idea of figuring something out might be to squish the lot of them. She wasn't sure that would be a good idea, and if they figured out that Sesselav would want to save Hasea's life, they might threaten to kill the host, and then there would be...a lot of trouble. It would be blackmail, and indeed, Sesselav didn't want to see the woman dead, but she also would hate to be controlled by such creatures.

Nasty little cretins who hurt others to live.

It was very nice to have someone however with her, someone that was generally not offended by how Sesselav looked. Someone that didn't mind having the strange creature that spoke of other worlds so casually. While she could concede that she might be from this world, from some other part of it, as far as she could tell it wasn't this particular landmass that was hers. She might be from another, from a far off place but...even then...some of the creatures here she had never heard of or seen before. Some of them had wings, which meant they could very well have flown to the landmass her colony occupied, and they would have heard of them.

No, this was all...very strange and different.

"I am...searching. A lot of my...instincts tell me things. One is to mate, because my colony will no longer accept me, so I must make a new one. One instinct is to find warmth, which I am following, because warmth is good. One is to seek out a land to occupy and create a new colony, so that I may thrive again. One says to find a way home, back to the colony, and hope that I am not deposed and they will still accept me." Sesselav explained to her. The general thought was that over many...many years, her people had slowly evolved. The queens all knew that their people had been very instinctual in the beginning, and that they had mainly just lived to fight, procreate, and eat. Then they started to get smarter, and they started to develop voices, intelligence, an actual culture.

However, those original instincts, those ones that were buried deep inside each of their minds were still there.

Hasea wondered briefly if Sesselav was maybe a little jealous of her infestation's queen. It had everything the ant woman was looking for: a home, subjects, mates and workers aplenty. It had everything she'd lost. Hasea hoped that, when the time came, if it came, Sesselav wouldn't feel a pang of sympathy for the thing, for putting it into the same position she was in now.

Hasea already occasionally felt guilty herself about wanting them out. After all, they were just trying to live. It wasn't like they had the intelligence to be malicious. However, that didn't mean they weren't destroying her. It was her or them, she knew. But still, there was the guilt. She was too soft for her own good sometimes, but they'd already taken so much from her, and she didn't want to lose that too.

"Oh... So you're... Going to be quite busy, then..." she said sadly. It seemed she might not have long before her new friend left her to go and do her own things. Still, she hadn't anticipated having any company at all, so she would treasure any time together.

She perked up again. "I don't suppose..." She paused. "No, there wouldn't be... Would there..." There wouldn't really be anything she could help with. The list sounded rather... Species-specific.

Sesselav could never be truly jealous of the Queen. If the queen lived with Hasea on her person, instead of inside her, she might be jealous to a degree. If the Queen had a colony in the ground or something like that, then she might be jealous. But as it stood, Hasea was a living person whose life was being taken from her. It really wasn't something that Sesselav really wanted to think about all that much but...they would have to think about it eventually. Sesselav did want to help, and maybe someone in the desert would know a cure of sorts. Deserts were like that after all. She had heard of parasitic wasps before that implanted things into people and insects so...

Maybe this would be a good place for Hasea to look for a cure.

"Busy? No...I am following warmth. After that, I must ignore the instincts." The woman seemed really sad that she had so many instincts. Just because she had them, doesn't mean she would follow them. Humans had many instincts too, and she knew that they didn't follow them either. Their society would not be what it was if they didn't fight their instincts. She knew all about their instincts. Fight, mate, and dominate. They still did all of those things, but they were able to at least hold themselves in check.

"I'm not sure what you are asking? You must finish your words. Take it slowly Hasea." She told the woman, reaching out to pat the woman on the shoulder. Yeah, the swarm seemed to buzz a little louder, but they didn't seem to mind what she was doing. That was always good. Hopefully if she earned their trust, they wouldn't be as...mindful when she tried to help Hasea rid herself of them.

Hasea really did have trouble finishing sentences. It wasn't that she forgot them halfway through... Most of the time. Her memory wasn't that bad. It was just that she decided in the middle of the sentence that she didn't want to say it any more. The problem was that the first half was still hanging around, being all cryptic, and that seemed to annoy people.

"Erm... I was asking... If there was anything, maybe, um... Anything I could do to help?" She paused and held up her hands. "But it didn't sound like... It didn't seem like... So I wasn't going to... Ask."

She was quite happy that her companion would be able to stay with her after all. However, she had to wonder. She calmed down and looked curiously at Sesselav. "Um... Are you really... Not going to do those things? If you want to... I... I don't see why you can't? Or do you not want to?"

Oh no, she was getting ahead of herself. Those were potentially very personal things to ask about. What if Sesselav didn't want to talk about it, or think about it? She looked down at the ground, nervous again. "Oh! I... I shouldn't ask... So many things... Sorry..."

Sesselav only believed she had trouble with remembering what she wanted to say, and perhaps that she did have difficulty expressing her emotions to a degree. Her thoughts must have been a jumbled mess, all things considered, her mind filled with bugs and the constant buzzing swarm around her. It would surely be enough to make anyone have difficulties speaking. Sesselav could relate in some way, because she had been part of a colony, and she had thousands of voices and images in her head before, making it hard sometimes to tell if her thoughts were her own.

"I understand. There is not much that can be helped, I think some of them aren't fit for another...person to help with." Like finding a potential shape shifting mate. That would just be awkward to ask help with. It wasn't as if she really wanted to find one either, but it would have to be an option, a possibility if anything. She may very well need to create a new colony, and she would need the help of a creature with such diverse genetic stock.

"I am quite happy to talk with you Hasea, I have not had to really answer such questions in...forever. There is a difference between instinct and desire. Instincts often tell you basic desires, the instinct to seek shelter, warmth, a mate, food, and all those things. However, these are things that are simply bred into you. My...body...on the unseen and unheard level...the mind asleep level, tells me to breed, to feed, to procreate and to be the Queen that I was born to be, to command a colony. My mind, the awake one, the part of me that IS me, that I am...does not see the desire to. I do not need to be a Queen, I do not need to mate and procreate the species. While...part of me wants to be Queen, I know that this world is not my world...and I should not introduce my species." It could wreak havoc on a lot of delicate ecosystems, potentially upsetting the balances of power between certain races. It could be completely disastrous, and she was not looking to do such a thing.

"So it is all about the mind asleep, and the mind awake. Am I controlled by what my species tells me? What my species did for perhaps thousands of years, and now is a part of me? Or do I do what I want to do, what I would like to do."  She explained carefully. If all else failed...if it really...really honestly failed, and she could not find a way home...she might make a small colony. She would have no daughters however, and would most certainly ensure that whens he died, the colony would as well. That was the last scenario however. There was of course, the chance that as she got older, as she lived here more, she might not see such need to do.

It was a curious thing, to think of how the world might change her in a few years.

Hasea remembered how hard it had been for her when she realised she would have to give up all those things she had 'known' she would do, and that she had felt she had to do. Knowing that she wouldn't follow her father's trade, wouldn't have a family, and teach them the craft in turn... Those early days had been so difficult for her. She couldn't imagine it was any easier for Sesselav. And while Hasea was still fighting to get that back, the ant woman sounded like she wouldn't have it, even if she could. More than that, it sounded like it wasn't even for her own sake.

That was honourable, and perhaps a little sad. However, it seemed like she had really given it a lot of thought, and if it was what Sesselav truly wanted, then... That was happiness, wasn't it?

Hasea didn't really know what she thought. It was a complex matter, one she wasn't fully equipped to deal with. She touched her companion's arm and smiled. "I think... You're the only one... The only one who knows... What it is... That you want..."

She looked confused for a second, like she had lost her train of thought. "So... Do it?" She shook her head. "I'm sorry... That wasn't very... That wasn't very helpful... Was it?"

The two of them were a right pair, two peas in a pod as Sesselav had heard someone say once in a tavern. Of course, Sesselav knew that there were more peas in a pod than two, but the saying was quite right. Both of them had lost their world, and while Sesselav thought she might never get hers back, she believed that Hasea could be helped. There would no doubt be answers in the desert, and if there weren't...well...Sess was sure that she could stand to leave the warmth to find help for this woman. She didn't know why she wanted to help her, perhaps because the strange insects were giving a bad name to her kind. Perhaps she just felt sorry for Hasea's situation.

She laughed a buzzing sort of laugh when Hasea told her that she was the only one who knew what she wanted. She was a precious person, this Hasea, almost childlike in a way. It would be adorable, if not for the fact that it was the bugs around her that no doubt made her that way.

"Don't worry about what is helpful. I agree with you, and that is why I head toward the warmth. It is what I want. There is too much...cold up this way, and too much water falling everywhere." Sure, rain was common in her world as well, but rain was dangerous because of floods. Just because it seemed harmless, falling from the sky so leisurely, didn't meant it still couldn't hurt you. It just had to amass in the right place. In some cases, that would be...well, rivers that were dammed up for protection.

Awful thought, drowning. Sesselav didn't quite like the idea of it. She'd had to listen time and time again when a worker fell in a river and either drowned, or almost drowned. It was horrible. Hearing anyone's death throes in your mind was.

"The desert will be good Hasea. Maybe we will find help, for both of us."

Hasea frowned. "Do you mean... The rain? I like it... I used to like it... I think..."

In the right amounts, at the right time, it was absolutely necessary. It would have been her duty to help the rains come every year, and to drive them away again when they weren't needed. They would have been... Should have been her entire life. Just her and the wind, bound together, working in unison to keep her little community alive. It was almost like love, in a way.

But she didn't have that any more.

"But I hope so... That we both... Find what we need..." She smiled at Sesselav. It wasn't just hope that she had, however. It was a burning, all-encompassing certainty that if she just kept going, someday everything would work out. In the end, everything would be all right.

Wouldn't it?

"Yes, that is the word to use. Rain. It is small, but small things...as you know...are very dangerous in large groupings." The woman told her as she pointedly looked at the swarm around Hasea before shaking her head. It just wasn't fair for Hasea, but...this was just how some things would be in the end unfortunately.

There was always the hope of the desert though.

"I have faith that we will both live comfortably." Sesselav told her calmly. She didn't want to get the woman's hopes up, but Sesselav now had a mission and a personal goal for herself. It was...a little satisfying really. It meant that she would have something to focus on instead of her instincts, which could end up with her in situations that she didn't necessarily want to deal with.

"What is your position on entering rest cycles and procuring food? I...notice that you are very...unfed. You also seem...weary, as if your...as..." There was some nervous sounding chittering from Sesselav as she tried to think of the right words. "As...if I don't know how to think when I speak. I am sorry." She just remembered that the woman had bugs in her mind...so she might not be tired, but she might be very...strange because of it.

Hasea laughed quietly at Sesselav's confusion, covering her mouth to hide it. To think that someone as calm and dignified as the former queen would have the same problem... It was quite funny. "That's... Two of us!" she giggled.

She thought for a little while. She didn't quite know how to explain her habits properly. Trying to put it into words... She knew that she was capable of taking better care of herself than she did. She probably didn't deserve Sesselav's pity after all, did she? She decided to just say it as plainly as possible. That would be best.

"Um, well... I don't sleep a lot... Because I have to... I have to keep moving... And I don't eat... Because they..." She waved vaguely at the swarm around her. "... They crawl in the food... And then... I don't want to eat it..."

"So you see..." She lowered her head, her cheeks pink as the shame welled up within her. She shouldn't try to explain it away. That wouldn't be fair. "It's... Kind of my own... My own fault, I suppose? I'm sorry... If you thought... You thought I needed help..."

At Hasea's laugh, well, her comment and her giggle, her mandibles turned to a smile, and a chittering sort of laugh at that. "That is...quite correct, we are quite similar." Sesselav was quite glad that Hasea was able to laugh and enjoy this sort of moment. Sure it was a little strange to be laughing about, but the two of them were a strange pair. An insect queen, and an insect host, walking and laughing together.

How things could be very odd.

"I understand Hasea. So they offer some sort of nutrition to the host...but...they do not let you sleep. I am...sorry to hear that. I require both of course, and...I am afraid that it may take me a while to find nutrition for myself. I am still...inexperienced." It was the truth, a sad fact at that. Sesselav was used to people just giving her food, to just having it delivered to her. She used to sit around, allowing food to be brought to her, lounging, and doing not a whole lot. Such was the life of a monarch. Most things could be done mentally, without having to go anywhere. She of course, didn't allow her figure to distend and change. Some of the queens of course did get fat and lazy...she wondered idly if her daughter would become like that.

An interesting thought.

"I don't understand? How is this your fault? Did you not shoo them away? Did you...let them take over your body?"

In her haste to reprimand herself, Hasea realised she hadn't actually explained anything. That was her own fault too. Of course Sesselav would misunderstand. No, Hasea hadn't invited the things in. It was true that she hadn't tried to get them out at first, but that was because she hadn't even known they were there.

She took a deep breath and prepared to explain herself, in complete sentences, even. "No!... No... It's just... If I really wanted... I could make myself eat... And if I really wanted... I could sleep... And then I wouldn't... I wouldn't be so sick... All the time..."

She looked down for a second and fiddled with the cuff of a sleeve, wretched in her sudden embarrassment. Then she took in everything else Sesselav had said, and saw a chance to redeem herself from what she saw as her uselessness. She could be helpful.

She looked up again. "Oh... Are you hungry, then? We could... We could get you some food..." She scanned the plains for anything that looked edible, brow furrowed in concentration. "What... What do you eat?"

"Oh, I see. I am glad to hear of that then." It was good to know that she hadn't just let these creatures invade her, that she had let them slowly kill her like this. It was also good to know that she could eat, and that she could sleep. There were other questions that came with it of course. Why didn't she eat then? Why didn't she sleep? Why didn't she let herself get better? Perhaps she'd even be able to fight the invaders better.

"I am not in need of food right now Hasea, but soon I will need food yes. I eat...almost anything. Fruit, vegetables, meat even." She didn't mention that she could eat bugs of course. People thought it was a little weird, and it might also come across as...well, a declaration of war against the swarm. She didn't want them to think that in a desperate bid for food, she would eat some of the swarm.

She smiled as best she could at the woman as she looked through the swarm at Hasea. "If you can eat and sleep Hasea...why do you not? You would be healthy, maybe even healthy enough to fight...any sort of infection or threat." She didn't want to say swarm, she didn't want to say invader, she didn't want the swarm to know she was talking about them of course. They seemed to have concept of language, of the common language, which was a little bit troubling and a perhaps just a tad...well...worrisome. However, there were many ways to get across a point without directly referencing it.

Sesselav would have to be careful.

"You shouldn't scavenge for me though Hasea...this is something that I will need to do, I must learn eventually. Your help however, would be...greatly appreciated and welcome. I am still...a bit unsure of the world and the contents within." Later she would start looking for food. She heard of wild onions growing in the grasslands, among other sorts of vegetables. Bushes and what not could also have great amounts of roots to them. She would survive, if she was smart.

"I know... I know... I tried, for a while..." She looked down. "But they... They get in the food... And they wriggle, and I... And I can't bear it..."

She hoped it didn't seem picky to Sesselav, who had just said she'd eat anything. It wasn't picky to Hasea, and from what she remembered, it wasn't picky to most humans either. The bugs were, to most people, things that weren't meant to be eaten. They were something that, if they got in food, meant it had to be thrown away. She'd tried, but just hadn't been able to get over that.

"The sleep... I don't know... How to explain that..." She paused. "Do you know..." She looked at Sesselav for a moment, a look of deep contemplation on her face. "Do you know, when you're running... How it doesn't really... It doesn't really feel so hard... Until you stop? It's... It's sort of like that..."

She cheered up, smiled and waved her hands. "Oh... And I wasn't going to... I wasn't going to do all the work... For you... That... That wouldn't be helping... Would it? And besides..." She scratched her head and laughed. "I... I wouldn't really know... Where to start..."

After all, Hasea hadn't spent much time looking for food over the years, either.

"Oh, I see. They get to the food before you...but they can also give you food." It made sense. Perhaps controlling her food was their way of controlling her. Personally, to show them who was in control, Sesselav would just eat the food anyway without a care. When you were a giant insect, you didn't really care if lesser insects got in your food. It was just garnishing and extra protein at that point. She kept that much to herself of course, she didn't want to disgust Hasea, or upset the swarm. She still couldn't tell how intelligent they were, but the fact that she could communicate in some small way with them was definitely a sign that there might be trouble.

Sesselav tilted her head slightly as she tried to understand what Hasea meant by that. Did she...feel tired only when she stopped then? Or did she feel sleepy after she slept for a long time? The first made more sense really. "So you are not tired unless you stop...so you keep moving." That would be interesting. Hasea would just have to wander around while Sesselav slept then...and at that point, Sesselav probably wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that Hasea was just having to...walk around and around until she woke up.

That was going to be...something else entirely. However, she wouldn't have to deal with it until it came to the point when she needed to sleep.

"I...don't exactly know either but...from what I can remember with my colony...you have to look for the distinct stalks...they can sometimes blend with grass but...I can see the different...the different...scents of them. I just have to look for the scents that aren't grass...and then find the stalks that aren't grass." Sure she could see that there was a different scent coming from the ground, but she'd have to then find out what was causing it. It could be anything, from a fragrant rock to just a missing patch of grass, exposing the earth to the air.

"For now, it isn't something to worry about. Even if we can't find food, I am able to survive periods without eating." Her reserves would come in handy. She'd simply slow her digestion down, and eat into the reserves, which were handy for just this occasion. She didn't understand why her people had reserve stomachs of sort, but she figured way back when, millions of years before, her people were quite nomadic.

Strange how things worked out. She was once more back to being nomadic.

"Sort of..." muttered Hasea. It was less fatigue that she had to fight and more despair. She stopped only when she was physically unable to go on, because if she rested while conscious, she started thinking. That wasn't good for her. If she was on the move, she could concentrate on that. It might be easier, though, with Sesselav here to distract her from her thoughts.

"I do sleep..." she added hastily. "Just not... Not enough..."

She looked around the landscape curiously when Sesselav explained how she could find food. She could see smells? That must be so weird... Well, it probably wasn't if she'd always been able to do it, then it would just be normal... But it still seemed strange to Hasea. She wondered if Sesselav could see how she smelled and had a moment of panic, embarrassed in case it wasn't good. But if she look-smelled bad, then the ant woman wouldn't want to be near her, would she? So it wasn't really a problem.

"Well..." she ventured. "When you do get hungry... I can... I can help dig something up... Maybe..."

She'd spent so long as what she considered a nuisance to others, and she really just wanted to be helpful for once. Still, if neither of them really needed to eat, it would speed the journey up somewhat. She just wasn't quite sure if she thought of that as a good thing...

"One day you might get to sleep...enough." It was hope. Hope that they could get rid of the swarm. Hope that Hasea wouldn't die from these horrid insects that gave all insects a bad name. Sesselav figured that she was going to help Hasea to stop herself from being overcome with thoughts of despair, and her instincts. It was a good distraction, but it was an even better cause. A Queen Skirr helping a wandering woman.

It would make a good story in the very least.

The description that Sesselav used for her synesthesia was probably not the best description in the world. It was very...very difficult to describe, but all Skirr had it. The ability to see smells as...coloured visible gases. This was so a colony could lay down a territorial mark, which would encompass their territory and be a sort of border. It served them quite well in finding food, or for seeing who wasn't part of the colony. Sometimes a spy would be sent in, and the only difference was his smell, and just by a little bit. Usually it was the Queen's scent that rubbed off on the spy...in any case...it was very difficult for Sesselav to describe it to another person who didn't have it.

"That would be most appreciative Hasea."  Again, her mandibles formed a smile and she nodded. The one thing that Sesselav had to do though...was think of Hasea as a Queen and not a drone or worker. The woman was an equal, not a lesser being to be used. The woman offered to help her, not been demanded to. It wasn't anything new to Sesselav, she'd been in this world for a little while now and had gotten very good at it, but every once in a while she supposed she missed not being able to give orders, to command, to be the Queen she was.

"I would like to try one of the wild onions in these grasslands, I heard they have a slightly sweet taste..." Of course, prized among her people were sweet tasting things. Fruits and sugary delights were always a welcome bribe amongst her people. While they had learned the value of currency from the humans, it was always a wagon full of fruits that really bribed her. Funny how that was.

"Oh, well, I'll... I'll keep an eye out..." Hasea promised cheerfully. "If I see one... I'll..." She stopped abruptly, rather than trailing off like usual, and squinted at something.

It would be quite a coincidence if she saw one just as they were talking about them. She didn't know a lot about plants, and she certainly didn't know anything about the various species that grew on the plains, but she could just about identify an onion when she saw one. She'd grown up in a farming community, after all, and had somehow managed not to forget that piece of trivia. A wild onion was obviously not going to be the same as one grown by people – it would, at the very least, be smaller – but there would be enough similarities.

"No..." She returned to normal. "I think that was... Not one... But if I see one..." She smiled. "I'll give it... To you..."

Knowing that her companion liked onions – such a tiny thing – made Hasea very happy. She knew it was probably shallow, but she liked having even that small connection. She could barely remember what her favourite foods had been. It might have been for the best, in that she couldn't miss them if she didn't know what they were, but it was still a little sad.

"So... What else do you like?" she asked. "In case... In case we find them..."

Sesselav stopped with Hasea as she did, looking around to see if she could see anything. However, there was nothing that she could divulge. There didn't seem to be any sort of root sticking up, or any strange scent in the air.

Wouldn't that be luck however? Talking about it for a few minutes, and then finding one. Sesselav wouldn't be sure what to call that...some sort of serendipity? Still, it would have been something at least. She still wished that she was back at home, where the meals were immense and no one would go hungry. Hell, a drone would probably force feed Hasea until she was a bit thicker. That however would be a pipe dream of sorts for the time being. It probably wouldn't work out that she'd be able to thicken up Hasea, they'd have to be very conservative with food. However, she was sure that at some point they would enjoy a feast.

A new goal for Sesselav, to treat Hasea to a feast.

She smiled over at her friend as she asked her a question. "Carrots, potatoes, peas, anything really. I am not a picky one, though...I would rather not have to eat grass."  She could eat grass, and it would sustain her, but she would feel like such a four legged mammal, eating grass and grazing. It was really...insulting, but...Hasea probably wouldn't tell anyone. No, Hasea wouldn't tell anyone. She was sure of it. The woman was good that way. It may not seem like a real matter, but to Sesselav it was. She still had some dignity after all.

Potatoes, peas and carrots... Hasea remembered all of them, and they made her a bit nostalgic. She had a brief memory of being small, crunching on a piece of raw, fresh carrot while watching her father work. She even faintly remembered how it had tasted. Despite her state, she wasn't hungry – the bugs saw to that – but she did want to taste something delicious.

"Grass?" She smiled and laughed quietly. "Why would you... Want to eat... That? Although..." she added, "There isn't... Much else around..."

Sesselav was right, though. Hasea wouldn't tell anyone, although only partly because she was nice. She just didn't have anyone else to tell. If she did... Well, she still probably wouldn't tell, because she didn't want to be a gossip, but it was impossible to say these things for certain until the situation actually came up. It would be presumptuous, and a little arrogant. She didn't want to be arrogant, either.

Despite her drones and workers not being the most intelligent creatures in the world, they still could carry conversations with each other, and they dreamt when they slept, they could learn other languages, but...for the most part people thought them simple. However, they were really good with making food. Some of the finest meals she ever had was made by a humble Skirr worker. Perhaps it was the ability to see scents, and in turn, know the tastes, that way they were able to pinpoint exactly what was needed. She had probably eaten food that the people of this world had never even dreamed of.

"Correct, so maybe there will be sacrifices...but I still hope to see a wild onion or perhaps a bush growing berries." They didn't call it a grassland for nothing though. With it being close to a desert as well, there was just no telling what could grow here. Sesselav very much wished that there was something edible, something that wouldn't be grass but...she wasn't going to give up on the dream of some wild vegetable growing out here.

"These are beautiful lands though. My people would very much enjoy this part of the world. A great underground city would be perfect for this grassy place. Her people would absolutely love this land, it had stable looking ground, and enemies could be seen for leagues! But...she had no people here. She was alone...no she wasn't. She looked to Hasea and flashed her that strange insectoid smile of hers.

She had Hasea!

"Yes... It is quite... Nice, I suppose..." Hasea looked around her. She hadn't given the landscape too much thought, but now that Sesselav mentioned it, it wasn't half bad. It was pleasantly warm and sunny and had been since she arrived here. The view was picturesque and, most importantly, the firm, flat ground and short grass made for easy terrain. She'd walked in worse places.

She looked back at Sesselav in time to catch her expression. She returned the smile, for a second, and then it morphed into a puzzled look. She didn't think either of them had said anything funny, so what was that about? "Why are you... Smiling? Sure... It's pretty here... But it isn't... It isn't that good..."

Maybe she was missing something. Oh! Maybe it smelled better than it looked. She sniffed a couple of times. Nope, to her it just smelled like... dust, and... grass, maybe. Nothing special.

It was a good place for Sesselav, mainly because of the warmth. The lack of food and trees here was a little sad, but Sesselav only reminded herself that trees brought forests, and forests brought wetter climates. Wetter climates brought...well, wet. Sesselav wasn't completely against water, she knew that it kept things clean, and that you needed to drink it to survive...but the fact that her people sank to the bottom like rocks factored in for her just a little bit. Humans were lucky...they had the ability to float. Sesselav envied that about humans.

"Because I am not alone Hasea. I am happy because I have someone to share my travels with, and I am not wandering aimlessly with my thoughts alone." Sesselav simply spoke her mind. It was true, she had Hasea here, she had a friend basically to accompany with her. Not another queen, not a worker or a drone, but a friend. An equal. She had someone that was understanding, sympathetic, someone who wasn't afraid, jealous, or in forced awe of. She was just...Hasea.

It was nice.

"It is funny to think that in my travels, in my hopes to find a way back, or to start a colony, I would find you, a woman who...is a colony..." She didn't want to play lightly on the fact that Hasea was infested...but it was so interesting that the two of them had come together. A queen and a colony.

It'd make a nice poem.

"I know... Just how you feel..." Hasea smiled and moved as if she was about to hug Sesselav, then realised what she was doing and controlled the urge. They'd known each other, what, maybe an hour? It was far too soon for that kind of display. She clutched her hands together in front of her and grinned awkwardly.

She was a little saddened to be reminded of the bugs. She was so used to them now that a lot of the time she forgot they were there. Still, it was an accurate observation, one that she'd made herself. "They call that... Irony... Don't they? Or maybe... A sign..."

As she spoke, the swarm clustered together and shot off across the plain, buzzing noisily. Hasea blinked. This wasn't particularly unusual, but it wasn't a daily occurrence either. However, to someone who hadn't lived with them, it might seem like strange behaviour. She turned to Sesselav and explained, "They've... Found something..."

Sesselav was confused slightly by Hasea's strange movement. It almost seemed as if she had planned to move toward her...but had stopped herself. For the briefest of moments, Sesselav suspected an attack but...something was wrong. It was the pheremones perhaps, in the air, all around her, they weren't right. Hasea didn't seem or feel threatened, she didn't give off any marking of territorial nature, no threatening or scared smell. So it was something different.

However, she just clutched her hands in front of her and grinned. True to herself, Sesselav returned that grin as best she could, without looking too weird. People were often put off by her strange mouth, how it was vertical instead of horizontal, and she had mandibles on the outside.

"A sign is what I would call it, perhaps something weaved into the web of fate." Every race had a religion or a faith, a belief of some kind. As insects, the Skirr people believed in something as well. The web of fate, which was not all too uncommon to humans either. Of course, this web was more like the silk weave of a master spinner, and the being that spun it was a giant ant-like creature with thousands of arms and thousands of eyes, constantly weaving the web.

Still, not too different.

"I can tell. They are...intrigued." That is the word that Sesselav could put it. They had their own curiosities, their own natures and predetermined thoughts. However, whatever they had found, would be relevant to themselves. Perhaps a dead carcass, perhaps a stray bit of dung, or even, hopefully, some form of wild vegetable. An onion would be nice. However, Sesselav wasn't close enough to sense the air, to see what they might have found. It would be prudent to simply...go and observe what they had found.

"Web of fate... I like that... It's nice..." Hasea had always thought it was quite a pretty expression. People's lives coming together, interacting in unforeseen and complex ways, each new strand strengthening the others... It seemed to her to be quite a good description.

She thought Sesselav might be interested to see what the disturbance was, considering they had been discussing food just a little while ago. "If you want to... See... What they found..." She was curious too. Almost the whole swarm had gone, leaving only a few stragglers to defend her, so they had to have found something big. It was definitely worth a look.

"Let's follow..."

It probably wouldn't take long to see where the trail began. Drops of blood lay in the grass, not fresh, but still slightly sticky. Hasea's eyes weren't sharp enough to spot them where they started, but Sesselav might be able to smell them. Either way, they had both seen the direction the swarm had gone.

"A comforting thought, if you like webs...you humans have webs...You string them between trees and sleep on them." Hammocks, but she didn't know the actual word for it.  She did however think they looked kinda comfy, and she wished that she could have one. However, as an insect, she could just shut her body down wherever she was. Her joints could lock in place and if she chose, she could sleep standing up. That wasn't something she did very often of course. However out here there weren't a lot of places to sleep. She didn't travel like the humans did, with a large pack full of supplies, or in a wagon of some sort. She travelled with pretty much nothing.

Another reminder of her old days.

Sesselav nodded as she looked toward where the swarm had gone. Whatever they had found must have been something good, if almost all of them had gone that way. "Let us, yes." Once more she nodded as they started to head toward where the swarm had gone. Sesselav wouldn't lie, she was interested in knowing where the swarm had gone, why they had suddenly run off like this.

There was something odd in her sight. "Something may be wounded." The smell of blood was strange, it was thin, it was a coppery sort of look in her sight, amongst the greens and the blues, the different colours of the world around her. "There is blood in the air." Sesselav said quietly as she lifted a hand and waved it back and forth through the air, trying to clear the smell away.

Hasea was confused by Sesselav's wording, and spent a good couple of minutes trying to think what she could have meant. "Oh... Oooooooh..." she managed at last, when she made the connection. She'd never used one, though, so her opinion was limited. "Yes... They look... Fun... Although... I'm sure I would fall out..."

She giggled quietly at the thought.

But blood... Blood was no laughing matter. She blinked when Sesselav mentioned it, and peered at the ground. She still couldn't see the little drops, but further ahead was a larger splatter and the start of some drag marks. If she squinted, she could see where the trail lead. Up ahead loomed a large, solitary tree, gnarled and twisted. The swarm was there, clustered around something lodged up in the branches. They had obviously begun to feed, as the first few reappeared in the air around Hasea before flying off for another round.

"I can't... See it..." she admitted. "What... What do you think?"

"I agree that I would probably end up falling out as well. At least with a web they are sticky and you can't fall out of them." Sesselav said with a smile crossing her strange face. She would like to try one eventually, but where they were heading it might be a little difficult. Of course, maybe she could figure a way to rig it up inside a cavern or a tunnel that she built...or...she wasn't even sure that she could properly build a tunnel in the sand. That was more of the...drones and workers sort of thing.

She wasn't even sure what she'd be able to do at this point. She hoped that she'd be able to find...well...something...in the desert. There had to be caves of some sort in the desert, she knew it was possible, she really did want to live underground again, where she felt the safest. Many people would disagree about the safety one could find living underground, but as an insectoid race...no one could really argue.

"I think that...whatever it is...we should not disturb it." The fact it was up a tree...one of the very few trees...no, that didn't bode well whatsoever. "A tree...in the middle of a grassland...with a dead body in the branches. I do not want to know how...or what got it up there." Could have been the tree, could have been a creature, it could have gotten up there and died on it's own accord. "In my world...this would be given much care, and the drones would go around this tree...giving it wide distance." Sesselav told her companion as she began to walk again, keeping an eye on the tree, but she was not going to go near it.

"Does the swarm tell you anything, what they have found perhaps, or are they just focused on it being food?"

"Ummm..." Hasea stopped walking and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She hadn't tried to establish a proper connection with the things – why would she want to? - but she could use them a little bit. She really didn't like to, but Sesselav was right that they would know more about the situation.

If she concentrated, she could get a rudimentary idea of what the swarm was doing. It was obvious to her that they were harvesting, since they were rushing back and forth between her and their find, but she'd have to listen in to work out anything more. She could sense that there was something else there, underneath the excitement of the gathering, and she focused a little harder. There she found... Something strange... Something oddly familiar...

Oh.

The few times she had done this, she had always found it disorienting to come back to her own senses and this time was no different. However, it was a little more urgent. She opened her eyes and stumbled forward, trying to get her legs to go in the same direction.

She looked at Sesselav, her expression saying everything that needed to be said. She put it into words anyway, when she could get her mouth to work right. "...Some of them... Are fighting..."

It wasn't something that someone should do, forming a tight connection with the creatures in your brain, but it could be helpful, if just a little bit. While they slowly poisoned her so to speak, she could still use them to her advantage, she could still find a way to harness them for her own good. Maybe if she got strong enough, she could overwhelm them and force them out. It was at least an idea to help Hasea.

The former Queen Skirr stopped as Hasea tried to figure out what the swarm was up to. She almost wanted to let her own defences down to try and listen to the swarm but...once more, she was worried they would go after her. She didn't want the swarm to start attacking her, or trying to turn her into a drone as well. It would be terrible to be subjugated into a swarm, to be a drone after being a Queen.

She much rather liked being a simple traveller than a drone in a swarm of vicious insects.

Sesselav kept her eyes on Hasea as she slowly came back to her senses. There was confusion on her face, well, what she could manage as confusion as she watched the woman stumble forward. It was apparent that whatever they had found was perhaps important. What they could deem important, and what could make Hasea move so quickly was beyond Sesselav, but avoiding the tree wasn't apparently not the best idea. "You must wonder if they fight each other, or if they fight whatever is in the tree." She commented as she started toward the tree with Hasea. This was rather...well, interesting to say the least.

When getting her legs moving, Hasea hadn't given a lot of thought to the direction they were moving in. She looked around at the landscape to work out just where she had started heading. Seeing the tree in front of her, she realised she was going exactly the way she shouldn't.

She knew the swarm liked to scavenge meat when they could, and assumed that was what they were doing now. She didn't know that they liked it enough to steal a carcass from the jaws of the thing that killed it, and she didn't know that at this moment an angry, hungry leopard was climbing further up the tree to get away from the horrible little things stinging it in the face. However, it was easy enough for her to guess that something of the sort was going on.

She didn't want to be around to find out.

She thrust her hand out and grabbed Sesselav's arm, trying to steady herself enough to coordinate her feet into turning her around. "Wrong... Wrong way..." she managed. "Leave them to it... If we're lucky... They'll all just die..."

Sesselav had misinterpreted what Hasea had wanted to do. She thought she was going to the tree, as if a person in the tree was in trouble, and maybe they could help. However, that didn't seem to be the case. In the tree, she could finally see that an animal was climbing away from the swarm, while they fed on whatever it had killed. It probably wasn't going to be a good day for the animal that was climbing the tree. It also wasn't going to be a good for Hasea and Sesselav if they stuck around, looking like food.

It was never good to look like food.

Sesselav stopped moving as Hasea grabbed her arm. It was an odd experience, and Sesselav was not at all used to being touched so suddenly. People didn't touch queens, at least not in this manner. However, Sesselav was more adjusted to the whole situation that she was in, and said nothing, though her body tensed slightly. It was just weird being touched, but this was probably for her own good.

"Oh...yes...I thought something else." She could understand if Hasea did not want to see or view the ants at work. It probably wasn't pleasant, and if they did all die...well, it wouldn't be too bad now would it? Except she hadn't seen any sort of queen leave with the swarm...and it was probably inside Hasea anyway. It would just make more...or...punish Hasea in some way. "Let us get back to our original route then. Away from...this...and back toward the desert." It wasn't hard for Sesselav to remember which way they were supposed to go. She had a pretty clear idea, with certain reminders, like where the sun had been facing, and what the horizon had looked like. They were soon back on their way toward the desert.

"It must be nice to not have them around now..." Sesselav was actually able to get a really good look at her companion. The poor woman looked so slender...she looked so pale...she looked so starved. It was difficult to see but...there was always hope that soon they would be gone forever. "Things are far more quieter...enjoyable."

"Yes... It is..." agreed Hasea. "But it would be nicer... If they didn't come back..." She was having to blink a lot, as she wasn't used to so much sunlight reaching her eyes. The world sounded weird, too, without the constant buzzing. But it was nice to remember, just for a little while, what it was like before them. What it would be like after them.

She should enjoy it while it lasted. The carcass was large, so it would take them some time to dismantle it and turn it into whatever it was they stored... In her mind... Ugh, she really didn't want to think about the logistics of just what they did with the meat when they got it back. They'd probably have to hollow out some more storage space for it, which was just wonderful. At least if she forgot her own name overnight, Sesselav could tell her what it was.

She now realised she was still holding onto the ant woman's arm. That was... Awkward. If she let go now, it would be really obvious... But it was pretty obvious anyway.

She released Sesselav's arm with an apologetic smile. "Sorry... It was... It was hard... To walk... Um..." She clutched her hands together and looked down, deeply embarrassed.

"I will agree with you on that." Sesselav nodded, a slight nervous smile on her face. Her nervous smile was just...more of a forced looking smile, if that was possible. Her mandibles angled a bit more and her mouth didn't open as much. It was just hard to use facial expressions when you had an exoskeleton. She would manage however. Sesselav would find it odd if just after meeting this girl, her affliction was suddenly gone, in a moment of fate. That would be...wonderful really. Then Hasea would be free to wander around with Sesselav without the fear of dying or being attacked by the swarm.

Still...she could only imagine what would happen when the bugs returned. They would return, there were so many of them...and usually large predatory animals weren't meant to handle swarms of things. She had seen large bears run off by bees before. As humorous as it was to see, it also showed the true power of something so small and what some might call insignificant. It was a true testament to the power of nature and adapting to one's situation.

Just like she would have to do.

Sesselav visibly relaxed when Hasea let go of her arm. If she had been a cat, or an animal with spines, they probably would have been standing straight up and down. However, she had none of these, but she definitely looked less tense than before. "It's...do not worry. I am just not used to contact. Queens don't get...touched much in my world. I am sure the same is said for yours. However, I am not a queen here...so I should get used to contact." Gingerly Sesselav reached out and patted the woman on the shoulder. It wasn't as awkward as it could have been, and Sesselav was quite welcoming of that. "We both are very odd."

Hasea knew the swarm would come back. They'd done something like this a few times; each time she had prayed that they wouldn't return, and every time they did. It was just wishful thinking on her part. After so long with them, she was still allowed to hope, wasn't she?

A smile twitched across her face when Sesselav patted her shoulder, and she looked back up at her companion. She wasn't so good with being touched herself, being quite out of practice with it, but it seemed that out of the two of them she was the most comfortable with it. "Oh? That's... That's good... Then? It's OK?" She breathed out in relief. "I'm sorry... I just... Really... Don't want to... To mess things up..."

She laughed quietly. "I suppose... We are... Aren't we? A little bit... Odd... Even if... Even if we were normal... We wouldn't be... Normal..." She giggled again at this. She thought she had made quite a clever observation.

Maybe some stroke of luck could befall the two. Maybe there would be enough power in the air for lightning to suddenly materialize out of no where and strike the tree, lighting it on fire and killing the swarm. She didn't exactly know how lightning worked really, but she had seen and heard lightning on clear sunny days before, which had been incredibly odd at times...but she didn't question it. She didn't know how it worked, but she hoped it worked the same way here, and was possible.

All the swarm dying in a fire wouldn't be too bad a thing.

Hasea seemed a lot more comfortable with it than Sesselav did. Granted, Sesselav couldn't really show emotions on her face, and she wouldn't degrade to failing her arms wildly and letting loose a string of curses...but she could show some agitation in some way or another. However, she didn't want to show agitation, she really did want to get better and to...relax a little. "Yes Hasea, it's quite okay. You won't mess things up." Another one of those insectoid smiles flashed on Sesselav's face, trying to calm the woman and relax her. She seemed very much alone, and it appeared to Sesselav that people left her quite a bit. She was obviously scared of losing her new friend, and Sesselav had no plans on leaving her. She'd just have to make sure Hasea knew that!

"That I agree with. If we were normal, we'd still be different." It was...a slightly difficult concept, but Sesselav basically understood what she meant. After all...if things were normal, Sesselav would be a Skirr Queen still. Hasea would be...well, Sesselav couldn't be sure what she would be...but no doubt it would be interesting and different. They'd consider themselves...normal in their own eyes, but everyone else would consider them...not so much. Funny how that was.

Sesselav's warm words made Hasea smile again. She nodded. "I... I'll try... Not to..." she replied, reaching out to return the shoulder-pat and getting as far as brushing her fingers on her friend's shell before deciding against it. Oh, but she'd said she wanted to try and get used to being touched, so maybe that was the right thing to do... This social interaction business was really very complicated, when you got down to it. Having not had to feel her way through that particular spiky, trap-filled maze for some time, it just made no sense at all.

"Um..." She went in for another attempt, this time resting her hand there for a few seconds. "Hee," she squeaked with a big grin, and then covered her mouth. "Was... Was that... Weird? It... It was..." She giggled. While she still didn't like being all awkward, it was slightly easier to laugh at it now. It wasn't all... Scary... Any more.

"But... Being different... That's... Not bad? Is it?" When she said it, she hadn't exactly been thinking about what 'normal' might mean to Sesselav. But whether that meant as a queen, or how she was now, or something else entirely, Hasea couldn't think of Sesselav as anything but Sesselav, and Sesselav was... Kind of odd, in a nice way. As for herself, while it might be nice to get rid of the swarm and go straight back to being an ordinary girl, she knew it probably wouldn't be that simple. She'd changed, in lots of ways, and that couldn't be fixed overnight.

If only anything was that simple...

Sesselav wasn't in any better condition when it came to social interaction. Though, the one thing that really kept her going was that she was able to learn. She could become used to it, she could conquer any preexisting conditions or feelings, and she could become more. It was a very comforting thought, it almost felt like she was breaking out of her shell. Hasea was even trying her best, and Sesselav waited for her friend to decide whether or not she was going to return the gesture. Sesselav wasn't going to be impatient about this, both of them had trouble after all, Hasea more so no doubt. She was afraid of doing anything to run Sesselav off, despite Sesselav's assurances it would never happen.

Sesselav had to admit, it wasn't that bad. Her exoskeleton didn't really let her feel anything after all, there was a sort of...pressure that she could feel where Hasea's hand was, but it wasn't like it was pain or anything. She had to admit that her reaction was cuter than mosts would have been. "No, that wasn't weird at all." She told her warmly, flashing that smile of hers. She wished she could make it seem more friendly but...difficult to do when your face couldn't change it's expression that much.

"Being different is not bad at all. It is quite good. People like to be unique don't they?" Sesselav asked. That's how she had seen it. People didn't want to be regular, they didn't seem to want to blend in, they wanted to be seen. So being different wasn't bad at all, being different was good then! Very good!

"Oh... OK then... Thank you..." Hasea smiled back. It was hard to tell from Sesselav's face exactly what she meant by things, but she was good at expressing herself through what she said and that was OK. Hasea knew her friend meant well, and at least understood the strange mandible-smile, and that was probably good enough to see them through.

'Differences are good' was a nice thought, especially for these two oddities, but it wasn't quite that easy. Hasea had noticed back before the swarm that some kinds of unique got taken better than others. People reacted more favourably to, say, a nice singing voice than to a habit of picking one's nose in public, for example. Then there were things that different people reacted differently to, which made things even more confusing.

And then she tried to explain it, which could never go well.

"But... I guess... Um... There's good different... And bad different... And sometimes... They're... They're the same..." She shook her head and laughed quietly. "Oh, I don't... I don't know..."

"Of course, my friend." Poor Hasea seemed so worried about it, Sesselav was going to reassure the woman that they were indeed friends. It was funny to think that she had a friend here, and it hadn't taken her very long in this world to make one. It was an excellent sign to Sesselav. Granted, it was probably because they were both alone int he world, and they both had some things in common but still...Sesselav couldn't have asked for a better travelling companion and friend.

Sesselav would admit that some differences weren't that good, but in this case the differences were fine really. In her culture, the drones and workers didn't look too different from each other. Unless you looked very closely at each one carefully. The differences could be very minute, more spines, perhaps a slightly different colour, maybe their eyes were brighter...but they all had something...you just had to look closely sometimes! In the case of Sesselav and Hasea though, you really didn't have to look that close to see their differences.

She gave a small giggle as Hasea laughed as well. "I may not understand the last bit...but I understand the first, and agree with you. Good different and bad different." Good different was always the best of course, while bad different was...well. Bad.

Oh wait strange people they were.

"You're... Good different... Of course..." smiled Hasea. Truthfully, Sesselav was more the odd sort of different that could be taken many ways. A lot of people would react badly to meeting someone that was basically a giant bug, and that was something she would have known without having experienced it first-hand. But to Hasea, Sesselav was wonderful and that was all there was to it. She had to be, after all! They were friends!

They probably hadn't been walking for very long, but the open grasslands and even more open sky made it feel like forever. Hasea looked around the landscape and shivered despite the heat. While it was nice to have a bit of time away from the swarm, she felt somewhat... Exposed... Without all of them there. It wouldn't be so bad if she was in a forest, where she'd still have some cover, but the plains were so open and empty. She could be seen from so far away and she didn't really like it. It made her nervous... Well, more nervous than usual, anyway.

"I wonder..." she mused, "If anything... Is looking at... At us..."

"I should hope so. You are also the good different." Sesselav knew that to some people she might seem like the bad different. Bugs weren't very respected on this planet from what she had seen, and as such, giant bugs were also probably not very high on the list. At least no one had tried to swat her, stomp on her, or some other nasty thing. Of course, they looked at her like she was the bad kind of different. Not that she minded, because they were just ignorant. They didn't know her at all, and if they didn't want to know her, that was alright too.

People had the right to choose their friends after all!

If Sesselav wasn't inside a building, or cave, or something along those lines, she felt exposed. The grassland however didn't...disturb her as much as it could have. It was so flat, it was so open, it was so...open. It didn't make her afraid because they would be able to see everything for quite a while. No matter the direction, you could see anything out of the ordinary for a while coming.

It was...pleasant really.

"We would be able to see something looking at us...unless..." Sesselav tilted her head upward to look up at the sky. "There is a bird." She leaned her head to the left slightly and pointed. It was a speck...or maybe...not? It was hard to say. "It could be a bird. Or remnants of a cloud. I hope it is a bird. Clouds could mean rain." She didn't want anything to rain on her parade. One little bitty cloud could easily become more clouds. These grasslands were nice and lush, which meant they did receive a decent amount of rain here.

Hopefully not while Hasea and Sesselav were walking of course.

Hasea squinted up toward where Sesselav was pointing and spotted the little shape. It wasn't really moving like a bird, it was just hanging there, but it seemed too small and solid to be a cloud. It was quite curious. "Could... Could be either..." she agreed.

She scanned the sky quickly to see what the weather would be like. Sesselav seemed like she really didn't enjoy rain, so Hasea wanted to be able to tell her if there would be any. She was quite good at that. The finer details escaped her, but she still remembered most of her learnings.

The first clue was indeed the ground and the grass covering it; the soil wasn't hard nor too squishy underfoot, just pleasantly springy, which had made for very nice walking. That meant it had probably rained here two or three days ago. The grass looked like it got water at least once a week, so unless they had just arrived at the start of the dry season, it was likely it would rain within the next few days.

In the sky, she could see a cloud bank coming over the horizon on their right. Licking her finger and holding it in the air, there was a slight breeze from the same direction, which would be driving the clouds towards them. However, they were the fluffy sort of clouds that, back home, had passed by and rained on the next village over instead. "Let's see..."

She smiled at Sesselav. Hopefully this was good enough news. "It won't... Won't rain today... But it... It might... Tomorrow..."

They could simply stop walking and see if it circled about or moved oddly, as clouds tended to just move in one lazy direction. However, there wasn't a pressing need to stop, or to care if it was a bird. It could only be a bird or a cloud really, the chances of it being something like, like a being with wings, or a dragon, or some sentient humanoid with the power of flight was so...out of the world that it really didn't matter to Sesselav. It just couldn't be one of those, because of the odds, and as such, she never took it into consideration.

Not that it mattered because it was staying where it was.

"So long as it stays in the sky I think I will be fine." If it decided to suddenly, somehow cause rain, Sesselav might be unhappy with it. If it decided to swoop down on her because it thought she was a big bug...well Sesselav might be a little put out. Then again...if it was a bird, and it was up that high, chances are it usually ate better than bugs.

Sesselav watched in mild fascination as her friend began to do something strange. She licked her finger and held it in the air. Sesselav could do that, but she wouldn't be able to feel anything on her exoskeleton. It was hard enough that it stopped her from having those minute sensations for the most part. Plus, she breathed through her skin, she wouldn't want to deprive herself of oxygen, if even just a little bit.

"Tomorrow. That is a grim forecast." Sesselav tried to make a face that looked like she was displeased with that knowledge. Mostly her mandibles faced upward to make it look like she were frowning. "However, it is good to know, thank you Hasea." She flashed a smile at the woman, not wanting her to feel like she had been displeased with Hasea herself, or what she had said. She was in fact pleased to know her friend could possible tell weather changes to some degree.

Very handy to have around.

Hasea squinted up again and watched the thing for a moment. Not watching where she was going, she stumbled over a rock but looked back down in time to catch herself. She giggled. "I... I should... Look in front..." She smiled at Sesselav. "It's... It's not... Moving... So... You'll be... Be OK..."

It seemed that Sesselav had taken her shaky prediction as fact, that it would rain tomorrow. Hasea had no idea whether it would or not, since she didn't have any kind of fortune-telling powers. She had only mentioned it because she didn't want to get her friend's hopes up in case the weather turned out differently than they wanted.

If it did rain, though, Hasea could try to get it to rain somewhere else instead. She didn't know if she could still manage it, and wasn't entirely sure if she even should, since the grass and all the animals that lived here needed that water. However, if it would make Sesselav happy, it was worth attempting.

"Well... It only might... The sky... It changes... A lot..." She grinned. "So I don't... Don't know... That far forward..."

Sesselav went to catch her friend as she stumbled, but luckily Hasea still had enough of herself there to catch herself. She couldn't imagine what Hasea's reaction might have been if she had fallen. Would the woman feel embarrassed? Would she...perhaps cry? Crying was a strange reaction, Sesselav only understood that because something hurt, humans produced a salty mixture from their eyes. Sesselav had no tear ducts, so she didn't cry, but she understood the meaning of it. It also came with emotional reasons, like...she had seen a happy person cry before...and a sad person who had their feelings hurt.

Really, it was all quite strange...

"I would hate for some giant bird to swoop upon us." Sesselav joked somewhat as she looked to her friend. If it were just a small bird, a normal sized creature, things would be okay, they could easily fight it off, or it might take flight after realizing its mistake. Then again...if it were a giant bird...it may...decide otherwise.

"At least we may have some kind of warning. I know...I know that it's silly to worry about rain...but...insects don't like rain." Of course, to a lesser insect, it meant hazardous things. Sesselav quickly looked back to her wings, those almost ethereal wings that were folded up against her back. She hated getting them wet. While they wouldn't break in the rain or water, being actually quite strong for looking so delicate but...when they got wet, it felt weird, and made them useless.

Blech.

Hasea was already plenty embarrassed just by almost falling, and if she'd actually needed to be picked up off the ground she would have just about died of shame. As it was, she was blushing again, the extra pink in her face making her look a little healthier. "Th... Thank you..." While Sesselav hadn't actually done anything, she was intending to and that was what counted.

Giant bird?! Was that what it was?! At her companion's comment, Hasea's eyes widened and she jerked her eyes back up to the sky again, her hands held protectively in front of her in a spell-casting position. No, the dot was still not moving. She calmed down and lowered her hands. It was just a joke and she had taken it the wrong way... How stupid of her! She grasped desperately for some way to save face, finding nothing very good. "And that's... What I would... I would do... If there... There was one..." she managed pathetically.

Insects... Well, Sesselav was one, there was no doubt about it and Hasea shouldn't forget that. Not that it was hard to, with the eyes, and the little pointy mouth things, and the shell, and the pretty wings and the... Well, everything, really. And it was true that they didn't like water much. When she was walking in the rain, most of the swarm went and hid in a cave or went into the... ugh, hive... and came back when it stopped.

"No... They don't..." she agreed, looking thoughtful. She wondered vaguely if she could try to drown them... No, that plan had a lot of problems, the main one being that she would probably have to drown too. She'd like to avoid that, if she could.

"Of course Hasea." A smile and a nod, just to show she was shrugging it off as well. That would be a touchy subject, and Hasea probably wouldn't like it analyzed or really talked about. Sesselav couldn't blame her of course. Any sort of weakness would usually never want to be talked about, while some really liked to be pitied, she couldn't see Hasea being one of those people.

Quite confused, Sesselav tilted her head slightly as she watched her friend react to her offhand comment. It hadn't occurred to Sesselav before, but now it came to light. Out of the two of them, Hasea was the only one who really knew how to fight here. Sure, she was flexible, and she could dodge incredibly well, but...she couldn't fight. As a Queen, she had a whole colony to fight for her...and in that mindset, other Queens didn't fight as well. It never dawned on Sesselav that they would actually need to defend herself.

Once in the desert city she heard of, she'd have to change that and learn.

"I am glad that one of us will know what to do, because I am afraid I will be of no help." It was slightly obvious that Hasea had overreacted and thought what she said had been true, that the cloud had been a giant bird. However, one could always be safe and be ready. She was actually happy that Hasea knew some form of defence, that she was able to protect them if it came up. Granted, the swarm could also be used, but it seemed that even without the swarm, Hasea still could do something.

Sesselav on the other hand...could act as a distraction at least?

"Now if only there were more places to hide." It was a grassland. The odds of finding something out here would probably not work out for the best. Granted, she had a few tricks that she remembered from when she was a queen. One being an umbrella of sod and grass, which nicely soaked in the water and kept her drones and workers dry. She had no idea how they came up with the idea of tearing up big pieces of grass to hold above them, but certain types of grass could almost be ripped up in sheets! "We will just have to worry about that when the rain comes I suppose." Sesselav said after a quick moment of silence, remembering that she did have Hasea here to talk with.

"Don't worry... I'll... I'll protect us..." Hasea stated, and then laughed. That was such a weird thought, her protecting anybody, and it wasn't like she even knew if she could. It had been a while since she last used her magic properly, and there was a possibility that she had lost it. She hoped that wasn't the case. She had just made a promise to Sesselav, and it would be terrible if she couldn't keep it, and that would make her a bad friend.

She didn't want to be one of those.

She looked around when Sesselav mentioned wanting a place to hide. The plains were flat, and open, and completely devoid of anything like a cave or a canopy, but still she scanned the landscape back and forth as if something would magically appear simply because she was looking for it. Alas, it didn't. Obviously.

"Yes... We can... We can think of that... Later..." she agreed when the silence passed. She was half-tempted to tell Sesselav that the rain might not present much of a problem, but she was loath to make two promises at once that she didn't know if she'd be able to keep. Also, it might seem like showing off, and nobody liked a braggart. She quite liked being liked, and so she kept quiet.

She felt a familiar itch on her neck, and reached up to scratch it. Looking at the crushed bug on her finger, and the few individuals that were starting to return, she sighed sadly. "That was... Quick..."

"And I will do as much as I can, despite my lack of combat abilities. Perhaps I can confuse the foe by somersaulting around." It would be about the only thing that Sesselav could to do help. Now she really wished she had thought about taking some form of combat, even if it was just learning how to stab people with a small dagger or something like that. Though, now that she thought of it, if something got close enough, she could probably ram her crowned head into some vital area. Ugh. How...barbaric would that be? Head-butting someone to death? She was sure she couldn't stoop that far.

Then again, if it helped to save Hasea and herself, well, she was sure she could try something.

"We will just keep walking, and see what tomorrow brings us." She told her friend simply as she continued on beside her. There wasn't going to be much that could be done about the rain now. It wasn't as if Sesselav knew any magic spells, or really...any magic. She had seen humans perform magic before, some called them divine miracles, but Sesselav just knew that it was the use of energy or mana, whatever they wanted to call it at the time.

Sesselav looked to her friend as she commented about the bugs, her finger covered with some sort  of ick from crushing one. "Maybe...maybe they are sending just a few back, before they return to the carcass." One could hope after all right? Sesselav wanted to keep her spirits up, and she rather enjoyed Hasea when the bugs were gone. She looked so...happy when they were gone. However, it seemed that the time outside of the swarm would be lost. Sesselav could only wonder how else she could help her friend.

That particular thought was broken as Sesselav stopped, scanning all around her. There was a smell, a very natural smell, but at the same time, one that wasn't very regular for Sesselav. It appeared different in her eyes as well. She knew what this could possibly be. "I believe we may find ourselves in luck." Sesselav said as she began to run forward. The scent was slightly erratic, but with her keen senses Sesselav found what she was looking for. Amongst some of the taller grass of the grasslands, Sesselav was kneeling, pulling at some thick and wider stalks of grass. At the other end were slightly small red bulbs of sort, though that appeared more to be dirt and the skin of the vegetable. "Onions Hasea. Six of them!" Sesselav was actually quite proud of herself, the details had been minute in her senses, but she had picked them up none the less.

Happily, the ant queen held the six onions up by their long stalks, an absolute grin on her face. Well, as much of a grin as she could possibly manage.

Hasea imagined Sesselav, as she said, somersaulting around and found the thought highly entertaining. She giggled. "That... Would be... Amazing! You... You should... Sesselav..." She laughed again. It would be great to see the dignified former queen flipping all over the place as if the ground was on fire, especially as Hasea herself had always been woefully unathletic. Even as a child she'd never managed to do a cartwheel without flopping over, and she certainly wouldn't be able to perform one now. It was nice how the two of them could cover each other's weaknesses like that.

Hasea nodded happily. She was sure that, whatever the weather, tomorrow would bring them wonderful things. After all, today had been full of luck and it could only get better from here, right? Today she had found a friend, and maybe tomorrow they could both find what they were looking for, together. If not tomorrow, then in a week, or a month.

It would be soon, she was sure this time. She could feel it.

That day would not be today, however. "May... Maybe that's... What it is..." she said doubtfully. The swarm was already thickening considerably. There probably would be a few stragglers cleaning off the last of the meat, but with about half having returned and more still appearing, it seemed like they were done with it. It was a shame, but she wouldn't let it get her down. She'd had some rare time without them, and that was a blessing. It would be churlish to expect more.

"...Oh?" She jogged after the ant woman, wondering what the excitement could be. When her friend held up a handful of onions, Hasea clapped gleefully. Sesselav had mentioned how she wanted some, and here they were! Little bits of luck were piling up all around them; it had to be a sign and there had to be more yet to come. "That's great... Sesselav... Well... Well done!" she beamed.

((Kinda really short and sucky, but my mind is just full of elsewhere right now.))

While Sesselav would actually relish the chance to practice her acrobatics a little bit, she didn't want to just start...showing off. Not to mention, she'd rather reserve it for...last possible chances at saving their skins...hides...exoskeletons. Whatever they respectively had covering their insides. In Hasea's case it was skin. In Sesselav's it was an exoskeleton. She had to admit, skin, though it was weak and fragile, was nice to look at. It was smooth looking, and rather...fluid. Her exoskeleton was plated and banded, it looked like a dark chocolate coloured armour.

Still, she wished there was a happy medium. The soft fluid looking skin of a human, with the strong protective power of an exoskeleton. Alas, there wasn't one, at least...not for her people.

"If they have picked clean a carcass so fast...they are perhaps a little more...interesting than I originally thought." She chose interesting as a proxy word. In this case, interesting meant 'to be looked at with more scrutiny.' Hasea might not know that, but if the bugs could have done so much damage to a carcass so quickly...they were definitely something to be...careful around. More so since they had an understanding of common speech. That still worried Sesselav, but they were harmless to her as long as she didn't threaten them.

Sesselav looked down at herself for a moment as she thought about where to put them. She didn't have any pockets. She didn't have clothes for that matter, no need after all. It presented a sort of problem didn't it? After all, Sesselav would rather wait for night to eat them, but having to carry them in her hand the whole time would become tiring. They weren't heavy, but still.

"Hasea...perhaps since you are the one with clothes...you should carry the food? Or would the swarm perhaps...eat them before night came to us?"

((Short and sucky... Really? XD Naw, it's cool ^^))

The swarm had worked much more rapidly than usual, and Hasea hadn't been expecting them back so soon. Come to think of it, they'd been acting sort of odd ever since she and Sesselav had met. It was curious. "They're not... Usually so... Fast... They're... They're showing off..." She giggled. "Maybe they... Maybe they like you..."

Well, she hoped that was what it was. But they weren't capable of being malicious, were they? After all, that was what she had told herself all this time.

"All right... No, they've... They've already eaten..." The swarm had scavenged an entire carcass today, so taking Sesselav's handful of onions would just be greedy and unnecessary. They didn't collect everything edible within range, anyway, just the things that took their fancy. Once she'd rested under a tree laden with unripe pears and been surprised upon waking to see that they were all still there. A blackberry bush a little way away, however, had been completely stripped. The little bastards could be so picky sometimes...

Huh, she didn't think she had any pockets either, actually, but patted herself down in case she'd just forgotten she had them. No, apparently she was right. Well, it wasn't like that was the only place to store something. After some quick thinking, she undid the fastening holding the end of a sleeve closed, took the onions and put them in there. It looked a bit strange, but they were long and thin and the dress had been made when she was in better health, so the sleeves were a little baggy. Sesselav's prized onions would stay lovely and cool until night time! "All... All safe..." she grinned.

((Bah, you're too good to me. Don't stop because I don't want you to be too mean to me T_T I have delicate feelings.))

That was a particularly disturbing albeit interesting thought. The swarm...liked her? Did they think that with the way she was acting she was trying to play hard to get? She didn't really understand mating methods outside of her own people, but she surmised that...she could have at least been sending signals of some sort that corresponded with their own habits. That was a particularly dreary thought really, that she was actually...ugh. They couldn't even...well could they? The size difference and all...what about their current queen?

There were...too many possibilities and too many thoughts that she really didn't want to think about.

"Oh, I forgot that you and they are connected in that sense." It was a little weird to know that she would be full from whatever the ants ate as well. She didn't understand how they did it, but for all of what Sesselav did know, they were living inside of Hasea. That meant that they had a lot of control over what happened inside Hasea's body. To control her food though...it was at least nice of them. They didn't give her enough obviously, and she probably didn't really...know she was that hungry anymore, all things considered. It was sad but...there was nothing that could be done at this time.

Sesselav watched her friend in earnest as she began to place the onions in the sleeve of her clothes. It was rather ingenious actually, and would probably have never thought of it herself. Sesselav just smiled as big as she possibly could and nodded. "Very safe, thank you Hasea." Hasea was definitely showing that she could still do anything she put her mind to. When she could put her mind to something. It further strengthened Sesselav's resolve to want to help this woman be free of this terrible...terrible curse.

((*pets softly and pinches cheeks* I could never be mean to you [strike:18uabks5]and actually mean it[/strike:18uabks5]! ^^

Aaand I was gonna try and have something else happen here but I don't have any ideas... Well I do have ideas but they're all for later so uh yeah shortpost ;-_-))

"I... Try not to... Remember that..." mentioned Hasea, turning paler even than usual and stifling a retch. It was true that she had just, by proxy, eaten a large amount of raw, leopard-spit-covered, slightly warm gazelle meat... Plus organs... Oh gods, that was disgusting. Very little of it was in her actual belly, but so what? It was all stored inside her somewhere, and it being a mental thing didn't make it any better.

She had always been quite squeamish and mostly dealt with the more... Biological... Aspects of the infestation by, well, ignoring them. She very much did not want to consider things of that nature. At all. She was sick enough already without making herself nauseous as well.

She beamed at Sesselav's praise, tying the end of the sleeve shut again to keep the onions in. It'd be no good if they just fell out, would it? She was very happy to be able to do this for her friend. "Is there... Anything... Else I can... I can do?" she grinned.

((Ah huh, whatever you say Quillsy. Ahem. Well I can't wait for later to see what you have planned!))

"Oh..I...apologize. I forgot that it is not a...simple conversation." Sesselav looked downward to the ground for a moment, somewhat...ashamed of herself for presuming that this would be an easy conversation. It probably was...quite unpleasant for Hasea. Sesselav on the other hand, while used to fine foods and drinks, of course could simply eat something such as a rotted carcass without trouble. She forgot of course that Hasea, as a human...well, she probably couldn't. They seemed to like their food cooked and all.

Sesselav at least never had to worry about an undercooked piece of meat at least.

"Forgive me for my...flippancy Hasea." That was a good word for it. She had just...not thought of the consequences, of how Hasea might have felt about it. They were two different species, and Sesselav would have to remember that sort of thing for the future.

"I think that you have done more than enough Hasea, and I thank you for your willingness." She told her friend as she reached into the swarm to put a hand gingerly on Hasea's shoulder. Yes...okay this was alright. Just a friendly gesture, that's all it was. She nodded quickly and removed her hand, slightly embarrassed before she began to start walking again. This would be okay, this would be...a simple matter really. Hopefully things could be...smoothed over. That is, if she had given offence to Hasea of course. She did seem like the kind who...didn't take offence to many things.

Just...the bugs.

With that all hopefully sorted out, Sesselav began to walk again, heading back in their original direction. To the desert. Oh to the place where there wouldn't be any of that water. At least, not in huge quantities! And it probably wouldn't fall from the sky either. How nice would that be?

((Don't get too excited or I might have to try and make it actually good! XP))

Hasea was startled by Sesselav's apologies. She'd only wanted to share her thoughts (or, rather, lack of them), but then it came out all wrong and she must have been horrible because now Sesselav was sad. Hasea desperately had to make her feel better... She flapped her hands and blurted out, "No... It... It's fine... I over... I overreacted... That's all..."

Oh, but she hadn't overreacted, had she? She really had meant what she'd said, so now she was lying and that just made it worse! Why was she so bad at this? She should just give up! No... No, she had to keep trying so that she might get it right, for Sesselav. She smiled at her friend, trying to relieve her once more, properly this time. "Really... It's fine... You didn't... Didn't do anything wrong..."

There, truthful and reassuring! So she could do it after all.

She was simultaneously pleased and disappointed when Sesselav thanked her. It meant she'd been useful, but also that there wasn't more she could do to help. Well, she just had to make sure that when there was more, that she would do it. "If... If there is... Anything... Just... Ask me?" That said, she skipped to catch up with Sesselav's first few steps and settled into a walk beside her. She fidgeted for a while, twitching her arms into different positions to see which was the most comfortable before deciding just to leave them by her sides like normal.

Putting the onions in her sleeves had been a good idea, definitely, but it sure did feel weird.

((I'll get whatever I want, you can't stop me. Also, my index and middle fingers are almost completely numb on my left hand, so ignore any spelling mistakes.))

"No please, I should not have been so cold and flippant about it Hasea. I sometimes...if it is not me it does not seem...if it is not me, it feels okay to talk about. It is...part of who I used to be I suppose." It was that queen in her, that monarch that thought of the colony on whole, but of course...as a creature that was spoiled silly by...well...a large number of creatures who's sole purpose was to please and protect her...you sometimes got a big head because of it.

"I do hope so Hasea...I did not mean to be frivolous. Yes. It is a big deal to you...and to me, since you are my friend...but...sometimes I act...I apologize." It was hard to explain, and Sesselav didn't want to seem like she was a terrible person, that she didn't care about her friend's condition, that it was something helpful. It wasn't really all that helpful. They were greedy creatures after all, and they didn't respect that Hasea was a living being.

"Rest assured that I will." She smiled at her friend and nodded. "If...I can help with anything too...I may not...be able to do much..." It was a little agonizing, knowing that you really couldn't do all that much...but she hoped that she'd be able to do something, that she'd be able to help Hasea out and be useful to her. Maybe her purpose wasn't to be useful here in the Grasslands. Maybe for now she could be mostly useless, but when they got to the desert she would be a lot more useful. Hasea would need water no doubt to drink, and she could find it quite easy!

Yes...hopefully she'd be more useful then.

((Ooouch, what happened there? D:))

"Well... Okay then... In that case... I... I forgive you...?" Hasea smiled uncertainly. It seemed important to Sesselav that she accepted these things as actual mistakes, so she would. If feeling bad would make her friend happy, well, it was odd, but it was the way it had to be.

This had brought to light a few things for her, though. There were matters she hadn't thought about at all in the years she'd been wandering, simply because she couldn't bring herself to confront them. How the colony's non-physical forms worked, how they reproduced and, yes, what they did with food... She barely knew anything about them, really. If she wanted rid of them, she needed to. Being forced to acknowledge them and everything about them... It was uncomfortable, but it was ultimately the best thing for her.

"But I... I should... Talk more... About... About things like that... Really..." She looked down, blinking furiously and twisting her fingers together. "I don't... Don't want to... But... But I need to... So..."

She looked back up at Sesselav and smiled. "You're... You're helping just... Just by being here..."

((Bah, I sleep the wrong way and it pinches a nerve, messign up my left or right hand. Terrible thing that.))

"That is...very good to hear." She gave Hasea an honest to swarm happy smile. She really was, it was very important to have Hasea forgive her. It was important as well that Hasea told her that she made a mistake, that she messed up or said something wrong. She needed to learn, and the only way for her to learn some things was to be told them. It was good to know that Hasea was willing to tell her as well. That was something she really liked about the woman too.

"If it is uncomfortable...then you shouldn't talk of it..." She really didn't want her friend to be uncomfortable after all. It was wrong in her opinion to make her speak about such things if she was uncomfortable with them. However, things seemed to be...it seemed like Hasea wanted to talk about them. That she had to talk about them.

She was probably right...she would need to talk about the bugs at some point, if she wanted to understand them eventually, if she wanted to get comfortable enough with them to destroy them eventually.

"I'm glad that I can do something for you, even when it is simply being around you." If Hasea seemed to know one thing, it was that she knew how to cheer someone up! She was definitely going to like having Hasea around with her. If she ever got down, the infinitely cheerful Hasea would be there. How she stayed so positive, Sesselav could never know...but she was grateful to have her.

((Aw, I hate when that happens. Also, this post might not be great, been finding it hard to focus on anything lately. >.<))

"Then I'll... I'll remember that..." Hasea's natural tendency was to blame herself or sometimes the bugs for anything that went wrong. Saying things were her fault was usually the best way to keep other people happy, when they were around. It was strange to be asked now to point out Sesselav's mistakes, but if that was what she wanted, then Hasea would try.

It seemed like now was the time to bring up many different things she normally avoided. Where the swarm was concerned, she didn't think she could ever know for sure how they worked, but that didn't mean she shouldn't try to find out. If it made her uncomfortable, then she would just have to work through it and hope the experience made her more able to deal with them when the time came. She held her posture a little straighter, the determined expression on her face making her look for a second almost like an entirely different person. "No, I... I have to... Not right now, but... But some day... I will have to..."

She smiled at Sesselav. "That's... That's not simple..." A movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she turned her head to look. "Hey... Bunnies..." she grinned, pointing at some small brown mammals a short distance away that didn't really look anything like rabbits. They seemed entirely unconcerned by the two women. "Aren't they... Aren't they cute?"

((It's terrible when it does T_T And it's fine and dandy as a post! A very upstanding post don't you worry!))

Of course, Sesselav did hope that Hasea would use a little discretion and wouldn't start pointing out every little mistake. After all, people has faults and flaws, it was only natural, and she didn't want to be completely...flawless. Not that she was sure that was even possible. She just wanted to make sure that she didn't make too many mistakes here, that she didn't start offending people left and right. That would be terrible, all things considered, and she hoped that in the desert, people didn't find her appearance offensive. She was a giant bug woman after all, and the people here seemed to hate bugs.

She'd seen a man burn a wasp nest in the city. Not that she minded, as she hated wasps herself.

Sesselav smiled at her friend as she looked determined and spoke in the same manner. It was good to see that not all was lost for Hasea. Hopefully in the desert they could find a way to prevent Hasea from losing anymore. "Yes...some day soon then, in the desert when we look for help." That was one of the main concerns. She would ask around about her people in the desert cities, but she would also ask if anyone knew a way to help Hasea. There had to be some way of doing it, some magical means or...some natural means. Another bug that would fight them, a way to lure them all out at once and destroy them in one moment.

She chuckled at her friends comment. "If you say it isn't, then it isn't." She wouldn't argue, but she found it incredibly easy to just be around Hasea. Sesselav's attention turned to the movement as well, cocking her head sideways as she regarded them. "They don't...look like bunnies from here..." Perhaps Hasea had a better view of them, one that Sesselav didn't have. The smell from them was unfamiliar, then again, she didn't much interact with bunnies. Usually she...she uh...left them alone...becausetheyweresocute. "Don't wild rabbits usually run?"

((Phew! *wipes brow*))

"I'm looking... Looking forward to it," nodded Hasea. "I hope... I hope we get there... Soon..." She had some vague memories of having been in the desert before, but they didn't include any help. This time was different, though. This time she had Sesselav! It would work out this time, she just knew it. All they had to do was make it there, and everything would fall into place.

She giggled cheerfully at her friend's comment. She'd agreed that Hasea wasn't the easiest to be around, and yet she was still here. That must mean Sesselav really liked her! Well, she already sort of knew that, but it was nice to be reminded.

Sesselav was right that wild rabbits further north usually fled. Hasea guessed that since these animals didn't see many people, they wouldn't know to be afraid of them so long as they were minding their own business like she and Sesselav were. "Maybe they... Maybe they know that... That we're not... Dangerous..." As soon as she said that, one of the squat, furry little creatures made a noise and the lot of them scurried out of sight, most likely into some burrows or something similar. "Oh... No... Wait..." she continued. "There they go..."

((I said don't worry Quills! D8 WHY ARE YOU WORRYING!))

"I look forward to it as well Hasea. We shall find ourselves there in no time if we continue this pace." Sure, Sesselav didn't actually know how long it would really take, but she couldn't see it being so long. She had chosen the best point to cut down across from, and hopefully it would end up being the shortest route. So long as the bugs didn't do anything drastic like take them out of their way. Though, if Hasea was right about them...liking her, there would hopefully not be too much trouble.

Hopefully.

Sesselav was observing the rabbits carefully, wondering just what they were about. It never crossed her mind that they could be dangerous, or they could be some sort of spy for a mage that could speak to animals, or creatures that could a man's head off. It just didn't occur to her, because they were just bunnies after all. In her world, it wasn't common or even possible, especially the man eating neck chomping kind of bunnies. They couldn't do that, they were just little bunnies.

"Maybe they were confused about us for a moment...thought we were just insects...which would not be unusual for them to see..." They might have thought that Hasea and Sesselav weren't as close as they really were, thinking they were just tiny bugs, or a swarm of them. A queen leading her bugs to a new places. Until they realized that they were close, and they were much larger than them.

"Such strange little creatures."

((I wasn't, but I am now... O.O))

Hasea nodded. They'd come quite far already, although a few miles felt much shorter when they were talking while they travelled. She smiled and joked, "If we get there... Too fast... I'd miss... I'd miss walking... With you..."

She made little noises of agreement as Sesselav went through reasons for the creatures not to run from them. They did make sense, really, even if she had been sort of hoping to make friends with one. Just to see if she was on a roll today, of course. She giggled. "But they are so... So fuzzy..."

Just then a large spotted cat-like animal stepped out of some long grass a distance away. It was the leopard from earlier, its face injured by its tangle with the swarm. Even though the little animals would have barely been a snack, almost anything would do to replace its stolen lunch. It looked at the pair, however, and flicked its long tail indignantly before slinking away. It was hungry, but not hungry enough to make a repeat of its earlier ordeal. Yet.

Hasea twisted her head around a little further to watch it leave. "Maybe... Maybe we should... Walk a bit faster..."

((Well you shouldn't be! STOP WORRYING!))

"The company is definitely good, and it does help to get rid of the boredom of the walk." Sesselav smiled at her friend, nodding her head. She really did like having Hasea around, it did help to stave off the thought of all the walking and travelling. The things they'd be able to talk about would be very interesting, and...she just hoped that in the end, Hasea would be able to remember her till the very end of this. She didn't...well, she really didn't like the idea of her friend forgetting her.

It would be...hurtful to see.

"Oh yes...they are very fuzzy." The ant woman agreed. While she couldn't truly appreciate their fuzziness, her wings had more nerves than her exoskeleton, and she occasionally had little bunnies sleep on them. They found them so comfy, probably because of how smooth they were, and she really didn't want to argue with the adorable little creatures. Of course, these ones were quite wild and would probably not care to sleep on her wings. Pity really, but there was nothing that she could really do about it.

Sesselav noted the leopard as well, the beast watching them cautiously. At least it hadn't gone after the bunnies right? It was probably quite mad with them, more specifically with Hasea. That couldn't be good at all. Hasea had the swarm around her, and perhaps it looked at her like the Queen. This was not good at all. Nervously, Sesselav's mandibles clicked together, herself making a chittering sound of sorts. Well, that was very...uhh...interesting. Yes. Interesting was a great way of putting it actually.

"I agree. We should walk much faster." With a nod of her head, Sesselav began to walk a bit faster, though not at a run, if they ran, it would probably give chase and end up...well...attacking them. Killing them even, or at least trying. She would probably survive easily, she had a good exoskeleton after all...but not Hasea. She was soft and squishy. "We must be wary."

(( FINE B| and omg so jealous of Sesselav =O I want baby bunnies sleeping on my wings...))

Journeying alone could be very boring, with only the changing landscape to let Hasea know that she was actually getting somewhere. Most of the time she didn't have a particular destination in mind, though, so it could also seem relaxing and, in turn, a reason for despair. "Walking is... Always the same... But that makes it easy..." She realised that hadn't come out quite the way she meant, even if it was sort of true, and added, "Still... Different is better... Much better..."

She giggled with Sesselav's agreement. She was surprised somehow that the ant queen could appreciate as cute the same things she did, although she didn't really know why. There was an idea she'd heard somewhere that people found things cute partly because they reminded them of babies, and baby things of many species tended towards being small, round and helpless, didn't they? Even insects. That was probably what it was.

Why could she always remember the useless things?

Hasea too sped up, to the kind of pace she used to walk at when she thought she might have had a lead. It wasn't easy to sustain for long, and she'd since learned that she got farther faster if she didn't have to rest as often, but it was just right for a time like this. Whether the leopard had tracked them or it was just coincidence, she didn't know. If it had really gone away or if it was stalking them, she also didn't know. It was nerve-wracking, and she had very few nerves left to wrack.

She looked around twitchily, not sure what signs to look for. She had the feeling that if the leopard did try to eat them, actually seeing it would mean it was too late to do anything about it. "What... What do we... Do if it..." she whispered.

The swarm would surely help... But would that be enough?

((Wait, you have wings?! I mean. Yeah, I bet that'd be fun!))

Journeying alone was very boring, and Sesselav wasn't really used to it. Even if she did managed to escape for a few hours, eventually the drones and workers would catch up to her and try and either escort her back, or barrage with a ton of questions till she just got sick of it and went back to the hive. She knew she was truly alone when she walked away from a small town and nothing came after her. Nothing caught up with her to tell her to return to the hive for safety...nothing asked her about what it was like, or where she had gone, there was just...nobody.

Not anymore though, there was Hasea.

"I agree, different is better." She smiled and nodded to her friend. In her old life, she couldn't imagine it being this...simple. It was so...easy to have a friend. She couldn't ever imagine it being like this when she was a queen, walking in the open with a human. It was confusing, but at the same time...clear as day.

If Sesselav had to figure out why she found baby animals so cute, she probably would. She found baby insects cute after all, caterpillars and maggots, little larvae and the like. Most people didn't find those as cute, but for her it spanned over multiple species. Hell, she even found tadpoles to be kinda cute. But baby mammalian animals had their own strange way about them. Probably it was the ability to vocalize a pathetic nature. The little noises that they could make when in trouble or lost. Bugs didn't really have those sounds...they had...smells of sorts that they gave off in a way, at least, her species did...she wasn't too sure about others. In any event...occasionally her tunnels would break into a small den of rabbit babies, and Sesselav herself would ensure their safety. They struggled at first, but she learned about proper pheremones in order to stop the mother and father rabbit from being afraid of her...and soon they'd all be asleep in a corner of her private chambers.

She missed that.

Hasea posed an interesting question, and Sesselav tried to think of an interesting answer. "If it does...I will distract it. You are soft and fleshy, it will cause much harm to you. It will do a lot less damage to myself. We just must hope that when it grows tired it doesn't go after you." The only problem was it was a hunter. It could see which was a better target, and hopefully despite Hasea being a little...flighty in her ways, it would remember the swarm around her, and see Sesselav as an easier target. Sesselav could deal with it...she didn't have a lot of fighting experiences, but she knew that with mammals, the fleshy creatures with bones on the inside, snapping the neck or spine was an instant death. If she had to, she could try to do that. While she was acrobatic, it wasn't really for fighting...but she could try and convert it for that use.

After a few swift kicks and failed leaps, hopefully it would see the folly of its ways and move it. She didn't particularly like the idea of killing it, but...if it was a choice between it and Hasea, and she'd kill the leopard in a heartbeat.

((I do now! =D This took forever to write 'cos I kept breaking out in squee at Sesselav with tiny bunnies. It is hard to type in a squee >.>))

"I'm... Glad you... Glad you agree..." Hasea didn't entirely know why she said that. Sesselav had been a queen, and that was a good thing, wasn't it? It meant she'd been liked and respected and looked after... But that must have made suddenly being alone so much worse. That was probably what this was different from. It was a complicated situation though, Hasea thought, and it wasn't really her place to speculate.

It wasn't her place to ask about it, either, so she'd just have to leave well enough alone.

The ant woman was going to try to fight the leopard? Sure, she was probably decently tough, but on the other hand it was big and strong and built for killing things. Hasea had no idea what kind of match-up that would be, and she didn't want to try to predict the outcome. She looked at Sesselav with wide eyes. "Will you... Will you be... All right?" She'd hate it if her friend got hurt because of her. It would be terrible! Unforgivable! "I could... I could try... To help..." she suggested. "With... With magic?"

But... Well... She guessed that her friend felt the exact same way that she did. All she wanted was for everything to turn out happily, like it should. That wasn't too much to ask, was it?

((xDD You're a dork you know that?))

Now she had to help her new friend out, get rid of these blasted ants, and hopefully Hasea would be able to heal. She knew about magic, and divine graces of beings more powerful than some could imagine, and she knew that while resilient, a brain couldn't just heal from being dug out by ants, after having holes literally carved into it. How they managed to attack non-essential areas of the brain she could never guess...but to get them back...that would be a real challenge. Else she'd be like a lobotomized puppet for the rest of her life.

Sesselav didn't enjoy that idea, and knew that she'd find a way to help her friend out. Someone had to have some powers over such things, someone would be able to help Hasea rid herself of the swarm. Otherwise...well...Sesselav didn't know. She simply refused to think of what may happen...of what she might have to do. If Hasea was suffering...or believed she would be suffering, then Sesselav might...do a mercy killing.

Though, she was shocked she was even thinking that. It was a possibility they wouldn't talk about no doubt. Amazing how just a few hours ago they had just met...and now Sesselav was thinking about ending her suffering. Which wasn't actually uncommon really, she thought about mercy killings all the time back in her hive. Drones got injured, and their ability to heal wasn't all that great, so, there were times when the best thing to do was to end the suffering.

Sesselav quickly shook it from her head. She would help Hasea rid herself of the ants, and she would find someone who could heal Hasea's brain. If...If Hasea wanted that of course.

"I don't think I would be too hurt but...the assistance is very welcome if it comes to one of us being attack. All that must be done, is make a show for the beast...so that it realized we are not easy prey, and it is better off somewhere else." With Sesselav being too...much of a bug, and too difficult to really catch, and Hasea with her bugs and her...magic, if they got attacked by the beast, hopefully it would see that they were not easy prey and it could end badly for the leopard. That was the hope of course...that was the real hope.

((If it makes me a dork to think it's ADORABLE when a giant humanoid ant snuggles with bunnies, then I guess I'm a dork... XP))

Hasea nodded decisively. "So... We try... We try to... Look tough... And scary... I... I can do that..." She giggled. "You wouldn't... Wouldn't think so... Would you?" The girl was scrawny and meek, but she could defend herself when she had to. If the swarm didn't put an attacker off, a flashy spell or two would do the trick. They didn't even have to be strong, just noisy and confusing enough to give a good scare.

Of course, that was if she could still do them. She hadn't used her magic in a while, and there was no guarantee it would even work.

She glanced tentatively around her again and then, when she didn't see anything, up at the sky. The sun was getting dangerously close to the horizon. That was bad. "I don't... Don't know... How much daylight... Is left..." she mentioned nervously. If the leopard decided to wait for nightfall to attack... Well, she just hoped Sesselav could see in the dark.

((Well, that's good because...well, you are a dork. So it works out for everyone doesn't it?))

"Are you kidding? With all those bugs around you, I am sure most people think twice about approaching you. I just...felt...kinship in some small way." She didn't want to say in a big way, because...well she was a Queen, while Hasea was...a walking hive. Hasea was the unfortunate soul who had been seen by swarm and turned into a walking home for them. While on the other side, Sesselav had been born into this position of power...though, she wasn't volunteering to be exiled from her realm. So...there were similar unfortunate parts of their lives that they could fall back on.

"I will...do my best to look as threatening as possible."  Just as she spoke, her wings slowly spread out. She wasn't a like a bird, who would rather have their wings tucked at their side, and then use them to fly whenever she pleased. No, Sesselav could have her wings out whenever she pleased, however she pleased, and at this time...she pleased to have them unfolded, to make her look much larger, and she hoped, much more imposing.

"The darkness will hinder me a little...but my eyes can see well at night." It was the design of course, it was the particular way her eyes worked. In extreme conditions of course, Sesselav was able to use her smelling sight to see better...and this was a good condition actually. There was only really...grass to smell, so she could pick up the scent of the leopard in the dark as easy as she wanted. Hopefully.

((Not for the people who had money riding on me not being a dork, but that's their own fault I guess. ;P))

"That... That is true... I guess..." Hasea had sort of noticed that being hassled was one of the few things she didn't have to worry about. She'd thought it had less to do with her looking scary, though, and more like she looked disgusting or, in the case of animals, unappetising. The bugs gave the effect, she supposed, of week-old carrion wandering about and a lot of predators wouldn't eat that. She'd had some problems with vultures in the past but they usually gave up when it became apparent that she wasn't just about to fall over and die.

"Oh! Wow... They're so... So nice..." She breathed, marvelling at Sesselav's wings. They were pretty enough folded in, but all spread out like that with the slightly orange-tinted light shimmering through them, they were even more impressive. "They make your spikes look... Extra... Extra spiky..." she added, with some vague hand gestures. She didn't think the ant woman needed to do all that much to make herself look not like a target, but every little bit would help. Even if they were just for show, most animals had more sense than to go after something with that many pointy bits.

She clapped her hands together. "That's good... If you can see it... We can... We can beat it...?" She wasn't completely sure of this, because after all, there would still be some fighting to do. But they'd have an advantage. Hopefully, it would work out. "Right?"

((Who wouldn't have money riding on you being a dork? That's just silly!))

If she had to take any guess, Sesselav believed it was probably the swarm that made people think twice about Hasea. Maybe they thought she was the walking dead, or maybe they thought she was just one of those nature people, the ones who communed with the animals and the plants...and the insects. However, if people had just...decided to get to know her, they would have found that Hasea was not a bad person at all. Really, Sesselav was sure that she wouldn't hurt a fly. Maybe one of the swarm, but not something that did nothing to her.

She could understand if she did of course, since they were...well...killing her in a way. Still, if people just...looked past the swarm to the woman inside of it...they'd be surprised.

"Thank you, I am glad that you like them." Sesselav looked back at her wings, they looked like dusty cobwebs but they were actually quite strong in fact. She couldn't fly, but she could glide when she needed to. OF course, she hadn't needed to in a long time but they were now here to make her look a lot more fearsome. Mainly, they made her look bigger, and that's what she needed, to look bigger, more dangerous, like she shouldn't be attacked because she was stronger.

She only hoped that they worked on the leopard.

Sesselav looked to Hasea pointedly when she said they could beat it if they could see it. "Right Hasea." She wouldn't dare tell her friend that it was a possibility that they wouldn't be able to. Hopefully it would be smart enough to just stay away from them and there would be no fighting.

((Um, people who aren't very observant, obviously. >.>))

"Of course... Of course I like them..." giggled Hasea. "Hee hee... They're all... Wing-y..." She brought her hands up to shoulder height and wagged them happily. It was kind of stupid, she knew, but she hoped it would lessen the tension somehow.

She was just as unsure as Sesselav, really, but she always had to find a bright side. In her kind of situation, turning to pessimism simply wasn't an option. "Yeah... Because we've... We've got... Teamwork..." Maybe a little too much teamwork, she thought, itching yet another swarm-induced tickle. Still, that had been the point of quite a few moral-of-the-story things she'd been told when she was little. If people banded together, they could beat much worse things than they could alone. She wasn't sure if this extended to two women versus a leopard, but since they both had experience working in teams... A lot of experience... They might come out all right.

And frankly, the two of them were owed a whole lot of good luck.

She glanced around all the while, trying to make out some stealthy shape in the waning light. There didn't seem to be anything when she looked, but she was still uneasy. What she didn't see was the form, pressed low to the ground, scuttling expertly from long grass to bush to tree, always about two hundred yards behind them. If easier prey came along it would leave them be, but it was so, so hungry and right now, it would take what it could get.

((Well, obviously.))

"Yes, they are pretty...wing-y aren't they?" Sesselav agreed with a smile as she looked to her wings once and gave them a little flex. They were intimidating, sharp looking, but also beautiful. A man had complimented once on her wings, and she at least understood what the man at meant. Of course, she had no idea that the man had a fetish for wings or anything like that. She had left the tavern pretty quickly after getting directions, though the man had looked increasingly forlorn about the whole thing. She just assumed that it was one of those human things.

"Yes, because we have teamwork. Two heads are much better than one...and...I guess...one million heads are better than two." Sesselav eyed the swarm and Hasea for a moment before shaking her head. She was sure the swarm could be very handy but...still, she didn't want to make Hasea use them. It really wasn't...she wasn't comfortable. The woman didn't seem to use them all that much so...she wasn't sure it would be a good idea.

Sesselav continued to monitor the air, sniffing at it cautiously. She wasn't sure if there was anything there....the air didn't seem to have any colour to it, everything seemed...well...normal. Grass...Hasea...the swarm...herself...ground...there wasn't anything there. Nothing out of the ordinary. The creature stalking them was smart, staying downwind and all. "We should hope....that the swarm might be able to sense the creature or see it before we can. They are many after all..."

((Sorry this took longer than I said it would. I would've posted yesterday but I was pretty much asleep by the time I got in. >.<))

Hasea squealed excitedly and clapped her hands when Sesselav twitched her wings. "They... They moved!" They were funny and delicate-looking and so, so lovely, and she had the urge to reach out and touch them. She resisted it, though. That would just be rude.

She followed Sesselav's gaze and looked around herself before realising what was meant. "Oh... Yes... They... They will help... Probably..." Her voice would have had a hint of sarcasm, if she was any good at it. "They wouldn't want... Wouldn't want me to get... Get killed..." They didn't really care all that much if she got injured, so long as it wasn't life-threatening, but if she died they'd really be in trouble. An empty body was no use to them; without the host mind, the queen would die and the rest of the colony would surely follow. It was in their best interest – well, their only interest, really – to protect her.

Sensing Hasea's heightened state of nervousness, the swarm began to spread gradually outward. They'd done this hundreds of times before they'd learned to tell actual fear of something from their host's general uneasiness at the entire world, so they knew what they were doing. Each individual could sense only a small range, but together they could cover a much larger area, and they drifted out in a careful, methodical circle so as not to miss anything.

The leopard followed, keeping its distance, waiting for the right time to reveal itself. It would be only a short while before the swarm covered enough ground to spot the pursuing animal, but with the light fading, it was hard to say which would reach its target first.

((Tsh tsh, think nothing of it!))

"Well...they are part of me Hasea...I can control them with a thought." Sesselav said as she looked over her shoulder at the wings and flexed them once more with a smile. It had been quite a while since she had had to use them actually. She almost wished there was a place to go right now that she could use them...but then Hasea wouldn't be able to follow, and that would be saddening.

Sesselav nodded, slightly sad that her friend would have to use the creatures that were killing her, and admit that they were helpful on some small level...she didn't much care for it but...it was something that had to be done. If they could prevent Hasea and Sesselav from being attacked, then...well, then it had to be done didn't it? They could help after all, little by little they could help...but Sesselav and Hasea would probably never let them go...they would have to die eventually, or leave Hasea's body completely.

Sesselav remained calm as the swarm passed around her. It was a little disconcerting, she could hear some of the thoughts...some of the images clearer...and she really didn't like them. It was...just plain weird. Some of them involved her, but she wasn't sure what they wanted from her. Maybe they didn't see her as a threat, which was most likely.

Once more the queen twitched her wings and shook her head. "Let us maybe...keep walking a little faster." Sesselav couldn't deny that she didn't feel right...that there was something wrong...and as the wind shifted there was a new smell in her sights. Quickly Sesselav turned around to see if she could follow it with her senses. "It's out there. It's behind us, stalking us!" Sesselav began to panic. What should they do?! It was stalking them, and it was smart! It wasn't frightened by her at all, and she couldn't get an accurate look of where the smell was coming from.

"Should we run? Do we...try to hide...or should we stand our ground?" She knew that if they ran, if they tried to escape from it, then the creature would end up giving chase, and more than likely Hasea would be the one to stumble and fall and she'd be the one to get attacked by the leopard. Oh this was bad...this was very...very bad.

((If you say so... ^^))

"Yeah... I guess to you they're... Just like arms... Or legs..." Hasea swung her arm a little to illustrate her point, not that it needed it. "Only nicer..."

Hasea's eyes widened at Sesselav's warning and she turned to look also. "Behind us... Are you sure..." she started. Of course Sesselav was sure! She'd spent most of the day calming Hasea down from ridiculous panics, so if she wasn't, she wouldn't be saying it. "Yes... You are... Aren't you..."

She started to blink faster as she thought as hard as she could. What could they do? Running and fighting would probably both turn out badly, and they couldn't hide if they couldn't make it lose them. She twitched her fingers nervously, trying to recall the movements that would call up a spell, any spell, and the swarm fanned swiftly out behind the pair without needing to be told. "I think hiding... But..." She looked around desperately but couldn't make out much on the plains. If there was a good hiding spot, she couldn't see it. "Can... Can you see... Anywhere we... We could be safe..."

The leopard noticed the thick black cloud moving toward it, and remembered what happened earlier. Those things again! It was too hungry to scare this time, and it wasn't going to lose another meal to them. It eyes fixed on its prey and it prepared itself...

((I do say so, that's why I said it duh!))

"Oh? And I thought that I had nice arms and legs." The queen crossed her arms over her chest and tried to look rather indignant, but...exoskeletons had a bad sort of way about them. In the end, she just laughed and uncrossed her arms. "Only teasing Hasea. I know that my wings are much nicer, it's okay." She didn't want her friend to think she was insulted or anything along those lines. She really wasn't, she knew how beautiful her wings were after all.

"I am very...very sure Hasea." Her tone said it all really, she was completely serious about it. It wasn't something that she could joke about, no, this was real, and it was happening. It was a very scary thing at that, but all through it, Sesselav found herself caring only about her friends safety. That's all she could really care about, because she was completely sure that Hasea would be the one to get injured the most...having soft fleshy skin and all.

Sesselav took her eyes away from where the leopard was to look for any place to go. There was nothing though, flat land...a tree wouldn't work either because...well...the trees could be climbed by the leopard as well. They saw that already. "No...I don't think there is any place." So they would have to stay and fight then...plain and simple. Well, it wasn't really simple...and it wasn't really a good thing either...still...it would have to do.

"Get ready Hasea...if it leaps at you...then try to use your magic to scare it...maybe blow it away with something?" She had seen the capabilities of magic to some degree...fire...lightning...earth...wind...ice...if Hasea could any of these, it would work out great for the pair. Just anything...would do.

((You could be lying! D:))

"Well... Arms are boring... They just do... Just arm stuff..." Hasea poked herself in the shoulder and winced slightly. She was bony and bruised easily, so that wasn't a very smart thing to do. "Wings are... Different..."

Nowhere to hide, then. "Oh, that's... Oh... Yes..." She nodded frantically. If it came down to it, and it would, she'd have to use her magic. It had been a long time since she'd had to cast any spells at all, and even longer since she'd had to try and fight with them. She needed to try to relax a little, to concentrate, but that was next to impossible in such a situation. It would help if she could close her eyes, but she had to see what was happening. She tried to control her breathing, make it easy and slow, feel the littlest currents in the air around her.

"All right..." she whispered, straining to extend her control further and further out. "All right... I could... I can do this..." She shuddered with effort, but her hands were completely still, held in front of her as if gently cupping something. She had to close her eyes, just for a moment, just for that little bit more strength...

And of course, that was when the leopard moved. It burst out from its hiding spot, aiming to break through the thickest part of the swarm before they could start biting. They clustered around it as it closed the distance, but it could ignore them for now... It was just so hungry...

((I would never ever lie to you Quills <3))

"I suppose that wings do a lot more than arm and leg stuff." Sesselav agreed with a smile, her mandibles pulling up into that classic odd look. She was getting much more comfortable with smiling and emotions. They were difficult to emulate with her limited ability but she was finding a way.

Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, nowhere for them to escape this predator...and they had to do something...they had to find a way to combat this single threat. At least that's all it was...just a single threat. Sesselav still couldn't imagine being attacked by even one thing...and here she was...being attacked by one thing! It would never have happened in her world, where she was always watched usually...now she wished that she had some sort of...well, she wished that she had a drone with her...or a good knife.

Wait. She had spikes didn't she? She could try and use that to her advantage!

First though, she'd hope that Hasea could somehow manage to scare it off. She really didn't like the idea of...killing. In the poor beasts defence it was hungry, it had its meal eaten by the swarm, and so it was really just...hungry. She wished that something could be done...but all they had were the onions...and even then...the creature probably didn't much care for onions.

"Please let this work." Sesselav spoke quietly as she flapped her wings gently, trying to look as intimidating as possible.

((You're lying right now! D8))

The leopard was close enough now that it had to choose a target, which wasn't difficult. Not running directly at pointy things was a basic life skill, and one of the pair was considerably pointier than the other. Neither was trying to run, which worried it somewhere deep in its little animal mind, but that also meant it'd take less effort to catch one. So, the obvious thing to do was to head for the least effort, just standing there, non-spiky prey.

And just then, Hasea opened her eyes to see it charging towards her, and she whimpered. Not even sure what she was doing, she reflexively flailed into something that she hoped was a spell, sending a small whirlwind rippling across the grass. The leopard smacked into the wall of churning air and stalled. What just happened?! It was not used to prey that did that.

It snarled and weaved from side to side, deciding whether to have another try or just give up. On one hand, it was starving and the wind could have just been a fluke, but on the other, these two seemed like too much trouble and the damn insects were biting it again.

"Should... Should I hit it again?" Hasea looked nervously over to Sesselav. She didn't want to hurt it any more than she needed to, but she didn't know if it was going to go away. Overhead, clouds started to gather, obscuring the appearing stars and hastening the nightfall. A rumbling noise made her blink and tilt her head curiously, but she was too focused on the poor confused cat to work out what it was.

((I can't lie, that's impossible! You're the one who is lying!))

Sesselav wished that she could have gotten into the creature's mind and remembered that she was incredibly prickly looking, very undesirable when it came a meal. She was hoping that she could look intimidating enough that it would be scared off. That however wasn't going to work now was it? The creature didn't seem like it was going to be scared off so easily. Not just by Sesselav being all spiky and larger than it.

Poor Hasea had to be saved though, she wasn't spiky or dangerous looking. She was actually quite the opposite at this point. She was very meek and tender looking...she was very much a meal for the leopard. Things would have to be changed then wouldn't they? They would have to figure a way to make her more dangerous. Maybe they should have stopped and gotten some sticks and made her look like some sort of spiky creature.

It was too late for that now though, wasn't it?

She tried to get in front of her friend to block the leopard from getting to her, but it wasn't needed as some sort of wind picked up and ran into the leopard, suddenly blowing it away from her. Sesselav could only gawk slightly as she witnessed the beast get dispatched so easily by her friend. It was quite...well, strange to see magic work this way, to see magic work at all...but it was impressive! Sesselav just watched carefully as the creature got back onto its feet. Now, how were they going to get the creature to actually run in fear? They had to figure something out.

"No, let me try something instead Hasea." Sesselav took a few steps toward the creature and focused on it. There had to be a way to get it to run, to scare it away...but how could they manage that? Sesselav did not want to kill the creature after all, as it was quite innocent in all this. Hasea's little swarm, which she had no control over, was to blame in the end. The beast began to charge at Hasea again, but this time it was Sessleav who intervened. Sesselav was quick to suddenly jump, using her wings to propel herself upwards over the creature. Her feet came down up the creature's head and back, forcing it down onto the ground once more. The creature gave an unimaginable howl, turning to swipe at at Sesselav. The claws of the creature raked over her exoskeleton, causing a most annoying noise to sound in the air.

There were now large scratch marks along Sesselav's back, and she was actually rather glad she had unfurled her wings and avoided having them ruined.

That however...just sent it on the defence...it was trapped now between Hasea and Sesselav...and that meant that it would probably end with Hasea being attacked again. Sesselav hoped that her friend would be okay.

((Lying or not, you inspired me to do a crappy 5-second doodle of Sesselav gluing sticks and shit to Hasea until she looks like a little kid's arts and crafts project and that, sir, is a far greater crime! >.>))

"Ah..." Hasea started when Sesselav went forward to protect her. The leopard got a hit in, and her hands flew to her mouth. "Oh!" Her friend seemed to be all right – she was still standing and she did have that shell – but that sound. It wasn't a good one. There wasn't time to ask, though, as the creature rounded, only made angrier from the women's attempts to defend themselves.

The swarm hadn't missed anything that was going on, and it was angry in a vague, nebulous way, not just at the animal that wanted to eat their home but also at what they saw as a usurper. Oh, it was nice that Sesselav was defending their hive, it was so helpful of her. No! That was their job! They knew what Hasea had been trying to do and if the host didn't even need them as protection any more, it was yet one more reason for her to try to get them out. Obviously, that was bad news for them.

They were jealous, and they were about to show it.

Where they had been content to just bite and sting, they flooded into the animal's nose and mouth. The ant queen thought she was so hot, huh, Hasea's new special friend? Well, they could choke a leopard to death so she'd better not get any funny ideas. They'd done the same thing to a bear some time ago, to make the point to Hasea that she needed them.

It wasn't immediately apparent what was happening, but Hasea had seen it before. She sank to her knees, her hands still covering her mouth. "Oh... Oh no... Not again... Poor thing..."

((xDD It doesn't sound like a crime at all! It sounds like awesomeness!))

Well this could have gone better than expected.

The creature wasn't persuaded to leave them alone, it was just angrier and angrier at them. Sesselav had just wished that it worked. She really wished that it would have just gone away after seeing how futile it was. That didn't happen though, it really didn't even seem to phase it. There had to be a way to get rid of the damn leopard! Sesselav was really out of ideas, but it looked like...it looked like the swarm had something going on.

The swarm was attacking it.

Not driving it off either. The things were just trying to kill the creature! She could see what it was doing, as it panicked! This was not an impressive use of their powers or their size. Sesselav looked to Hasea, as she became visibly distressed. She could certainly understand why of course, the creature was choking. So how to fight THAT? How to stop the ants? There was only one way. One way, and one way only. Sesselav closed her eyes and concentrated, opening that part of her mind that allowed her to talk to her own kind...and the other kinds like her.

She couldn't be sure of their intelligence, if they understood things like speech. However, they would probably understand visions and pictures. She was quick to show them a fate if they continued with what they were doing. Fire. All consuming fire, cleansing and burning them away into nothingness. Then there was stomping, squishing, bursting from their little exoskeletons by an unknown force. It was what would happen to the little buggers if they kept up with this.

It was what Sesselav would promise them if they kept upsetting Hasea like this. She would make them suffer far greater than anything that they had ever done to something.

((I think the phrase you are looking for is 'crudely drawn' (//http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/8833/sesselavgluesthingstoha.png) XD))

It seemed that the swarm's ploy didn't work; Sesselav wasn't intimidated by them at all. She was fighting back and while they had no idea how she planned to achieve what she showed them, they certainly couldn't top that right now. It was probably not a good idea to call her bluff.

She was going to be trouble for them.

They retreated from the animal and clustered resentfully around Hasea, far more thickly than normal. The leopard looked wildly from side to side, growling and thrashing its tail. If it had been less hungry, it would have given up much earlier. As it was, they hadn't been worth the effort. It had been confused, kicked and choked all for nothing, and if it stuck around any longer worse would surely happen. Pressing itself close to the ground, it scooted backward before turning and loping unsteadily away as fast as it could manage.

Hasea, however, couldn't see a damn thing through the mass of little brown bodies. She heard the growl, and another roll of thunder in the sky. She wasn't being chewed on, so that was good, but as for what was going on she had no idea. "Um... What's... What's happening... I can't see..." she called, her voice muffled and drowned out by buzzing. "Are you... Are you all right?"

((That is hilariously adorable. I love the bunny too xDD))

Suffocating an animal wasn't very intimidating, all things considered. More so when she didn't have the ability to be suffocated by them. She did have a nose and a mouth that took in oxygen like the poor leopard did. At least they backed off from the poor creature before it died.

Eventually she would bring fire to those nasty insects.

Somehow she would ruin them.

The sound in the sky was a little frightening, it made Sesselav jump in surprise. Thunder? That meant rain didn't it. Oh not rain...she hated rain. Rain hated her too, well it would if it was alive. It was just water though. She heard her friend calling to her from within the swarm and she turned to look at her. She couldn't make out the words though, she had to get closer. She stood in front of the swarm, eyeing it carefully. How to go about this then? Her mind was still open to communicating with the swarm after all.

So she sent the message to part, to put distances between themselves so she could see and talk with her friend. They would really have to do something about the swarm soon, they were starting to really aggravate Sesselav. "I am fine Hasea, it was nothing but a scratch." The Queen told her friend as she tried to feel the scratches along her back. They were definitely there, and they were now grooved into her exoskeleton. Well, this just meant she'd have to get rid of her exoskeleton. Eventually. It meant a lot of eating to boost metabolism to create a new skeleton. That would be annoying.

((Well would you wanna fight someone with a live rabbit glued to their arm?))

Hasea looked up and smiled, swatting idly at the parting bugs as she got to her feet. "I'm glad... I'm glad you're all right..." She peeked around Sesselav and smiled even more happily. "The kitty... It's gone too... So everyone... Everyone is all right... That's good..."

Or maybe not.

She blinked hard when a first stray raindrop hit her right between the eyes. When she'd cast, one hand had been slightly off – well, she was casting the first spell that came to mind, which just so happened to be two completely unrelated spells. Oh dear. Sesselav didn't like rain, did she? And now, because of Hasea's mistake, here it was raining. And after all her friend had done for her! This was terrible! "Um... The storm... I might have... I haven't used magic in a while... Sorry..." she mumbled, looking thoroughly ashamed of herself.

She could try to fix it, but that might just make it worse if she messed up again. The best thing was to own up to it, and then see if they could find some kind of shelter where they could wait out the storm. "We should... We should look for a place to stay?"

((No, I really wouldn't. That's a person who is ready to do anything!))

At least they were starting to listen, which was very good. If not, she'd make their parting an unpleasant one. She closed off her mind, ensuring that the damned things wouldn't be able to guess any of her next moves or the like.

"Yes...everyone is alright, and the...kitty has left." It would think twice about attacking them again. It would think twice about doing anything again no doubt when it came to insects. Carefully Sesselav folded her wings back up until they were once more against her back. No point in having them become wet after all! Then they'd get ruined and she really didn't want to have that happen. After all, Hasea seemed to really like her wings, and she liked her own wings as well so...best to keep them dry.

"It is...it is okay." The queen said as she looked skyward, a few drops hitting her exoskeleton and rolling downward and off her body to the ground. In truth, rain didn't hurt her, it didn't affect her really, but she still hated it. She could survive in it easily, she couldn't get a disease from it affecting her immune system, not like it could do with Hasea.

"If you believe that there is a place for us, then we should look for it." In honesty, the grasslands weren't named for all the trees and caves there. It was grass. A lot of grass and flatlands. The only thing they could hope for was to find some plainspeople that were travelling around, or a merchant with a wagon. Sesselav wasn't so confident, and was sure that they were just going to be rained on.

((Rabbits: nature's pocket knives.))

For once, something was going right! Sure, there were still some problems but everyone involved was alive and reasonably well, which to Hasea seemed almost like a perfect outcome. It was so unusual for things to work out like this, and it was wonderful. It was a sign that her luck was looking up, and Sesselav's too for that matter. She just hoped that this little encounter hadn't used it all up.

Sesselav really didn't like the rain, not one bit, but if she said it was okay then Hasea had to trust that she meant it. They'd had this conversation earlier. "Oh... If you say..." she smiled. Still, she couldn't help but feel bad about it. Hopefully they could come across something sheltery and get out of the damp. Lightning flashed, illuminating the vast, almost featureless, expanse of grassland. It didn't look too good... But since when did thinking like that get her anywhere? There was always something, there had to be! She turned to face the direction she was sure they had been travelling in. "Let's... Let's walk, then... See... What we can find..."

Maybe it was time for a snack, something good to balance out the bad. That was something she could do. She brightened up and started fiddling with a sleeve. "Do... Do you want an onion?"

((xDD Imagine if she had glued the rabbit from Monty Python to her arm. She'd be unstoppable! Also I totally found out more about the Sehra Plains, it's very much like...this. (//http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Konza1.jpg)))

Sesselav saw this as a win for sure.

Everyone was alive, the nasty little insects were behaving, and though it was starting to rain, it was still better than being plopped into a river, or having to watch Hasea die from the big cat's attack. Still, if only it could have killed all the bugs first, but they weren't lucky for that bit of serendipity. No matter though, at least things were...better than they had been before.

The lightning did a bit to help light things up, and Sesselav could actually see more now in greater distances. She could see the perfect thing that would help them, it was only...well maybe a mile away or so? It looked like a large bush of some kind. While it wasn't a tree, the bush would be a smarter thing to hide...under? Inside of. Yes, that one. Trees in a thunderstorm was a bad idea. "I see something already. Let us head forward." She told her friend with as calming of a smile as she could manage. As it was said before, hard to really make an emotional expression with her face.

"Oh, an onion? Yes, that would be quite nice Hasea!" In all the excitement, the ant queen had almost completely forgotten about the onions! After such a fight like that, she really could do with a nice bit of food.

((That would be like gluing a nuclear warhead to yourself – kind of awesome, but also crazy and suicidal! :O

Aaah, I was thinking more African savannah. I blame all the nature shows about lions I watched as a child. >.> Just gotta recalibrate the headpicture aaaaand DONE *nod*))

"You... You do?" Hasea asked in surprise. She hadn't noticed anything, but then the lightning hadn't given her time to get a very detailed look at the landscape. She tried squinting into the darkness but that obviously wasn't going to help at all. No matter, she was more than happy to take Sesselav's word for it. "That's perfect... We can... Have a rest..."

She'd last slept... Well... She hadn't been keeping count, exactly, but it was definitely an unhealthy amount of time ago.

She let out a giggle of happiness, which she immediately stifled in case Sesselav thought Hasea was laughing at her. It was just so nice to do something right, that was all. "Um... Let me just..." she mumbled, fumbling awkwardly with the sleeve she'd been keeping the onions in. Since her night vision was somewhat lacking, she was finding the tie on the end of the sleeve rather hard to undo, especially since she was holding her arm at a strange angle to prevent the onions from just falling out. She was sort of glad for the darkness, really, because she was sure she looked ridiculous.

"Aha!" she announced triumphantly, finally retrieving an onion from somewhere near her bicep. She flourished it in Sesselav's general direction and said, "Enjoy..."

((Kinda very awesome!

xDD It's okay, I thought the same thing too because it was near the desert. Then I asked an admin and they didn't know, so they made a definitive answer and it was like "Yay, now I know what it is!"))

"That was my hope." Of course, Sesselav didn't really require sleep, she could sleep in a manner of speaking, but it wasn't anything long or drawn out. She was able to simple fall asleep for an hour and be rested for almost the rest of the day. All of her people were like that, and she assumed it was because they could then be doing something productive for the rest of the day instead of sleeping. It worked for everyone really!

It would be interesting, sleeping on the ground, but she had done it before once she came to this world. At least there would be some protection of some kind. Maybe. She wasn't sure sleeping with those bugs around was such a good idea...but she would see what would happen no doubt.

Sesselav waited patiently for her friend to retrieve the onion from her sleeve. It took her a few moments, but soon she was brandishing it happily. Sesselav took it from Hasea gratefully, smiling at the woman. "I shall do just that." Then she began to eat. Well, she turned away from Hasea to eat, because it was slightly disgusting to see. The mandible gnashing at it as she sucked it into her mouth and crushed it into tiny pieces. Digestive juices splashing onto it at first to break it down even more before it got swallowed into her stomach. She quickly preened herself with a hand, cleaning her face and mandibles before turning back to Hasea. This whole process took less than a minute to do surprisingly enough.

"That was just what I needed after a fight like that. Thank you Hasea. Shall we proceed?" She gestured toward the thicket of bushes she had spotted not far off. She then began to walk toward them, her pace somewhat fast. The rain was starting to get heavy and she wanted some form of cover before it got too bad.

((AND KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE (//http://www.yogadork.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/nbc_the_more_you_know1-300x197.jpg)))

Hasea wouldn't mention that she thought it was slightly rude that Sesselav ate facing away from her, but then the noises started and she had to reconsider. Of course, the ant queen wouldn't eat like a human, would she? It was politeness that made her turn away. Hasea probably wouldn't have been able to see too much of it in the darkness anyway, but it was better not to take the chance.

She was obviously enjoying it, though, and that was all that mattered.

"I'm... I'm glad you liked it..." she smiled. Nodding agreement, she turned and followed her friend. It would make sense to get to shelter as soon as possible. The rain had already made the ground start to soften, and it wouldn't be long before it made walking difficult. Lightning flashed again, and this time she spotted their destination, blurry through the rain and the haze of little insects. It wasn't far at all, really. "I see it... I see it now..."

(((YO JOE!))

If she had to offend someone instead of letting them watch her eat, she'd rather offend them. It was much easier to offend them a little bit than to let them watch her eat. It was nothing too pretty, and really Hasea probably didn't want to see it. One of those things that would ah...well probably disgust her. She remembered eating in front of one fellow who had looked positively sick afterwards. Then again, he had said something about how he thought her mandibles looked sexy and was really into...oral presentations.

She never really understood that, and had been too polite to ask anyone about it.

"It was very delicious, something that I needed." It was really something that would help to keep her strength up. Combined with a nice nap that would hopefully soon come, she'd be perfectly ready for the next day. In fact she was sure of it! Hopefully the day would come early, and by the time Hasea woke up the sky would be normal once more.

Sesselav nodded and hurried her pace with Hasea to the bush. The rain was heavy but they got there quickly to the large bush. Sesselav immediately began to check it. No thorns! She knew that Hasea couldn't do with thorns. Her skin was all soft and easily ripped. Sesselav helped Hasea inside the bush, to find it was more of a collection of a fewer smaller bushes, giving them a small place inside that was covered by leaves but there were no branches or stems, just flat ground. "Perfect. Sometimes nature is really kind to those in need." Sesselav smiled as she sat down and looked upward. The leaves were doing a terrific job of keeping the water from touching down to them, and even if it did it was more toward the roots and the middle of the bushes, getting absorbed into the ground.

((>.>))

Hasea hadn't been sure from a distance if the bushes would be large enough to fit both of them, but as they got closer it was clear that wouldn't be too much of a problem. She stood back as Sesselav checked the plants over for their suitability as shelter. Her friend then held some branches aside for her, and she crawled into the shrubbery, as she passed saying, "Oh... Thank you..."

She settled down inside the bush, nodding in appreciation. If they had to sleep inside some kind of plant, this was an excellent choice. It wasn't very scratchy or leaky, and spacious enough that they wouldn't have to huddle together unless they wanted to. Even the colony trying to crowd in as well wasn't too bad, since most of them had retreated into their intangible hive. It was lucky that this little thicket was here. "It's nice..." she commented. "It's very nice in here... I could... I could sleep well..."

She curled into a sleepy ball, but sat up again when she felt something round and hard against her arm. Oh yes, she had the other onion in there, didn't she? She took it out of her sleeve and set it gently on the ground by Sesselav. "I'll... I'll leave this here. In case... You wake up first... And are hungry..."

((What? That's what we yell. ;_;))

It was a suitable shelter to say the least. "Of course Hasea." In her little world, Sesselav had slept beneath a large grouping of trees, the roots had been exposed underground and she slept surrounded by them. This was almost the opposite and it amused her in some way. It was just one of those things that only she would find amusing, while all others would just stare at her blankly.

The swarm was behaving as well, not eating away at their shelter. They could of course be those kind that didn't eat plants and meat, just meat...and then if they were to start eating the plants they'd just be a bunch of little jerks. However, everything seemed to be going nicely. Sesselav nodded at her friend's comment, smiling. "Yes, I could sleep well here too." She really could. If she had been like the others of her race, she might complain a bit...but she had been in this world long enough to know that if you could find a safe dry place to sleep, you slept there.

Sesselav chuckled as her friend began to retrieve the other onion from her sleeve. "Thank you Hasea...but that one is for you. In case you want to eat something instead of letting them...make food for you." Sesselav could last a while now, she would have a good sleep and had an onion before, she was going to not need either of those for a couple of days. "Have a good sleep Hasea." With that being said, the ant queen settled down and got comfortable before letting her mind enter a sort of hibernation and sleep cycle.

((You can yell whatever you want *headpat*))

Hasea smiled as well. If they could both get a good night's sleep, they would both be feeling much better tomorrow and then they would both be happy and everything would be all right. That was the idea, anyway. It probably wasn't quite that simple.

She took the onion back, looking a little sad. Her friend didn't want it after all, but it was wrong of Hasea to feel bad about it since Sesselav was being so kind to her by letting her have it. She was really too tired to work out what exactly here she should feel guilty about, only that she should feel guilty about something. It would be weird to eat again, but she should try, if only to show gratitude. Not tonight though. "Oh... Thank you... I'll... I'll eat it tomorrow... Good night..."

She curled up again, nestling the onion safely in her arms, and fell almost immediately into a deep, exhausted, dreamless sleep.

((B| I might yell something very not nice about you.))

"Yes, good night Hasea." Her sleep was just as dreamless as her companion. Of course, her sleep only lasted for about an hour anyway. She awoke without a start, without a movement. She suddenly had her eyes back, they worked once more, and she slowly sat up. Tired. Not back home either. Still in the bush with Hasea.

That was alright though, she didn't mind waking up like this. It did mean she'd have to wait a few hours for her friend to get back up. She had no idea how long Hasea would sleep. After all, Hasea was different from most people, she didn't even eat the normal way, which meant she might sleep different. However, she noticed that the rain was starting to come through the bush onto Hasea.

A frown.

That would not do at all. Sesselav set about trying to fix that, picking up falling leafy branches from the bush and holding them over Hasea. Soon she had two in both hands, and one in her mouth, but her friend was no longer being rained on! That was good in her book. Of course, she knew she might have looked a little silly but...the only person who would see her was Hasea. She could live with her friend seeing her as a little silly.

((Go for it! I find it amusing when people insult me. 8D))

Hasea stirred slightly, feeling an erratic drip from the branches overhead. However, as soon as she noticed and was readying herself to move, it stopped. Through half-opened eyes, she saw a dark figure over her and almost panicked... But, no, wait, she was with her new friend, wasn't she? It was all right.

"'Nk you..." she murmured and went back to sleep. As she drifted off, she had a few jumbled, troubling thoughts – there was something odd about the figure, and she couldn't quite recall that nice person's name – but it was the middle of the night and she was tired and not thinking straight and everything would be fine in the morning.

Everything would be... Fine in the morning...

((But see, I never would because you are Quills, and my friend!))

Sesselav smiled slightly as her friend murmured a thank you before going back to sleep. It was hard to hold a branch in your mouth and smile at the same time, but she managed to do it. Luckily the rain stopped a few hours before the sun rose, and Sesselav was able to put the branches down. She just sat there quietly, humming to herself softly as to not wake her friend up. She had nothing to really do until Hasea woke up.

Soon the sun was up and Sesselav was stretching, her joints slightly stiff from having not moved in a few hours. She was very good at pretending she was a rock or some uninteresting object. It worked out really. She hoped that her friend would wake up soon, and that she had a good sleep none the less.

((Awww! Hugs all around! (^3^)/))

Slowly, Hasea woke up. She opened an eye, brought a hand up instinctively to shield it from the light and winced at the cramp in her neck. Her mouth tasted funny and her vision was blurry... Yep, it was a morning, all right. She aimed a faint smile at the indistinct figure across from her as she rubbed her eyes. "Did you... Did you sleep well?"

She whimpered quietly as the world came back into focus. Oh. Wow. That was not a person. That was not a person at all. Where... Where was her friend from yesterday? They should be here to help her! As she backed up against the bush behind her and started to look frantically around, it dawned on her that she didn't remember anything about them. The memories of what they did were there, and she knew she did all those things with somebody, but when she tried to think about them there was just a hole where a slightly odd person should be.

The little bastards had been at it again.

((Yay! *HUGS!*))

Finally her friend was slowly waking up. That was good to see. "I slept very well Hasea, thank you. I hoped that you slept well too." She replied politely. It was nice to see her friend wake up...she just really didn't like the look of the bugs still. They were such evil creatures, and she wished that they hadn't woken up. It would have been nice for all them to have just dropped dead.

No such luck though.

Something was suddenly wrong though as her friend whimpered and almost seemed....frightened of her. Actually she seemed confused and frightened. Oh no. Sesselav knew immediately figured out what had happened. Her mind put everything together. Hasea had those damned bugs in her head, and they were eating her! They had eaten away everything that had happened to her. Sesselav's hands covered her mouth as she gasped. "Hasea stop! My name is Sesselav. We spent all yesterday together. We fought off a leopard together. I'm...an ant queen from another world...you said you liked my wings." Maybe she just couldn't remember! Maybe Sesselav could jog her memory. "We got...onions together. You still have one that I gave to you last night." Something had to work. Sesselav was half angry, and half saddened. She wanted to destroy these creatures now. Oh how she wanted to just destroy all of them. That couldn't happen now though. Not yet.

They would have to find someone who would know how to defeat them.

((EVERYONE LOVES HUGS))

Hasea looked at the creature, wide-eyed. It spoke to her so nicely, and it seemed familiar, but she didn't know why. It was possible that this was her friend from yesterday, but she didn't think it was likely. A creature so bizarre and yet so fitting, and she'd met and befriended it all the way out here? The odds were low... But that didn't mean it couldn't happen.

"I know... I know what I did... But..." Hasea looked confused. The ant woman was so strange, but she knew everything that had happened, so she had to be telling the truth. "But it was you... That did it with me? It... It does make sense..." The wings, the finding of the onions... A human would have been badly injured by the leopard attack, but her friend had shrugged it off like it was nothing! It all fit together.

Sesselav had done so much for her, how could she just forget? Just like all the other important things she had forgotten, it was the bugs, she knew that, but it still didn't feel right. "I'm... I'm sorry..." she said, almost in tears. "I can't help it..."

((EVERYONE!!!!!!))

How could those damned creatures do this? Hasea was their HOST, they were supposed to keep her alive! They weren't symbiotic though, that was probably the problem. They just...used and abused...they just...did as they wanted, killing their host without a care in the world. They would be gone soon...somehow she'd find a way to help her friend out. Someway to make it so her friend could never forget her.

"Yes Hasea, it was me. Sesselav. You have to remember me." Her friend having forgotten her was incredibly painful...she had done so well with her friend too...they had gotten along like old friends...but now...now she didn't know her anymore. This was incredibly...saddening to Sesselav. It must have been the same sort of feeling for Hasea though...to wake up suddenly with a stranger...in a bush? That must have been...incredibly uncomfortable for poor Hasea.

Sesselav moved close Hasea, taking her hands into her own and smiling at Hasea carefully. "It's okay Hasea...At least you remember the things we did together right? You just have to...remember that it was me that you did them with." The ant queen told her before she put her arms around her friend and hugged her. That was what humans did, they pressed their bodies together when they were sad, or really happy...or sometimes really angry. It seemed like one of those appropriate things. Sesselav was just careful the woman didn't get spiked or spined by her exoskeleton.

((You made me squee too much to write again! DAAAMMMNNN YOOOUUUUU *shakes tiny fist*))

Hasea nodded slowly. Sesselav was her friend, not a stranger, no matter how different it felt. She could never really put those memories back the way they should be, but she could at least treat Sesselav as what she was, the person who had spent that day with her.

She looked up at her friend and smiled weakly. At least Sesselav would forgive her, so it looked like things could maybe go back to normal. She wasn't expecting the hug, though, and let out a surprised giggle. The laugh turned into a quiet whine as she put her own arms around her friend, sliding her hands under those beautiful wings and clinging on. "Sesselaavvvv..." she whimpered. The ant woman's hard shell was uncomfortable against her own bony frame, but it didn't matter. It didn't matter at all. "It's... It's going to be all right... Isn't it? For both of us?"

((xDDD What'd I do this time?!))

She was trying her best to fit in with the humans, as she'd be spending a lot of her time with them no doubt. She was good at learning though, she was good at trying to blend in now...it was a little difficult because she couldn't do all the things they did...but...this was good enough. She barely felt her friend's arms around her, but she could feel it to some degree. She could feel Hasea's heat for one...it was nice though, kind of like having the sun on her, but more concentrated.

"Yes Hasea...it will be okay for both of us." Sesselav spoke quietly, her hand slowly rubbing in small circles on the woman's back. Honestly...she was scared that it wouldn't be okay. Hasea had a little bit of power and strength...but if after one night she could forget who a person was...Sesselav figured that there was no doubt some possibility of her forgetting much more than that.

However, you had to put on a brave face and say that everything would be okay.

((The hugging! That stuff is like kryptonite to my delicate fangirl soul! SOFRIGGINCUTE ;o;))

Hasea felt a lot calmer now, head resting awkwardly against Sesselav's shoulder. She knew that her friend's words were nothing more than comfort, but here it felt so much like they could come true. She could almost believe that they had, if not for the swarm's constant presence. The two of them would just have to keep working towards that wonderful goal. She lifted her head and joked, "It... It won't be if we... If we just sit here all day..."

She pulled gently away and smiled at Sesselav. They'd been heading towards the desert, hadn't they? Last night's rain had made the ground a bit softer than it had been the day before, but the sun was shining and the morning was only just begun. They could make some good progress today. "Should we... Should we get going?"

((xDD You are a such a silly girl. But that's okay!))

Hasea was calming down, the Ant Queen had time to get to know the particular brain patterns of her friend. She wasn't able to read her mind or anything that extreme, but she could feel the emotional energy. That's what it was. Emotions. She was picking it up on her crown as it were, which was acting like antennae of a real ant. Just slightly more sophisticated than most ants were. Sesselav gave a small giggle at her friend's comment, glad that she could provide some humour. Sesselav was still working on her humour, it wasn't great but it was getting better.

A lot better than it used to be.

Sesselav nodded as her friend pulled away, getting to a comfortable crouching position as she looked to their way out of the bushes and nodded. "Yes, we should start walking again, before it is time for us to stop again." Would they sleep again? Sesselav was unsure. She wouldn't need it...but Hasea? Hasea was human, but at the same time...she would be afraid to sleep. That she would forget Sesselav again. Leading the group, being her, Hasea, and the swarm out of the bushes, Sesselav looked to her friend as she began to walk again, remembering which way to go.

"What do you remember of me?"

((Silly? Or adorable? No, wait, I'll stick with silly))

Hasea crawled out of the bushes behind Sesselav. Once out, she started trying to brush the dirt off her dress as they began walking. Even though they'd found maybe the driest place in the area, she'd still managed to get quite muddy.

She looked up from picking at a spot of dirt on her leg to contemplate Sesselav's question. She was quite sure she remembered everything that happened yesterday, but even things she remembered tended to get fuzzy afterwards. Blinking in concentration, she tried to get her thoughts into some kind of coherent order before answering. "Um... Let's see... You're super nice and... And you were all alone... And we fought a... A huge cat thing but it was all right in the end..." She frowned as she tried to think of more. There was something else...

Ah, yes. She was carrying the something else. Hadn't she been hugging it last night? "Oh, and you got me... You got me this onion..." She held it up and smiled, then stowed it gently and safely back in her sleeve. It had been a gift from her friend, and it would be terrible if she was to lose it.

((Why not just go with Silorable? Or Adorabilly?))

Sesselav was rather pleased that she didn't have to worry about silly things like getting clothes dirty and what not. OF course, her exoskeleton could get dirty and what not, but she didn't mind. She could be cleaned! Just no baths. She'd rather just use a damp piece of cloth or something like that. Even then it was a little iffy but...it was better than nothing.

She smiled as her friend began to list off things that she could remember. Those were really the most important things...she quite liked how her friend had said she was super nice. It was always something good to hear. She could fill her in on the things that she didn't know anymore. There weren't really any bad things of course...most of them weren't important anyway. As Sesselav thought about it, were they really something she would need to know? Like she was away from her world? No...those really weren't important things.

Sesselav gave a chittering giggle as Hasea brought out the onion. "Those are really the best things to remember. So long as you can put me into the place of what we did yesterday, it's like nothing happened!" Sesselav clapped her hands together, making a thunking sound as she did so. That didn't work out so well...but it didn't matter. "The storm has gone...the grasslands are back to being grasslands...and hopefully we are not being chased by a big cat." Sesselav looked over her shoulder...she couldn't see or smell anything. That was a good thing, a very good thing.

((Adorabilly! I love it! It's my new favourite word. ^^))

Hasea smiled brightly despite still not feeling quite right. It wasn't easy to keep reminding herself of what had actually happened, and it was unlikely that she'd ever feel like she'd really done all of those things with Sesselav. Still, her friend didn't need to know this. It was better that she didn't. Hasea could and would pretend that everything was fine, for her sake.

She nodded and scanned the horizon. The sky was cloudless, cleared by last night's storm. The rain wouldn't come again for some time now, hopefully. In a way, it was lucky that she'd accidentally cast that spell at a time when they would have been seeking shelter anyway. This way, they wouldn't lose any walking time.

"Today should... Today should be normal..." she stated firmly with another nod, attempting yet again to bludgeon the world into compliance with sheer force of optimism. "Nothing bad will happen..."

((Woo! I'm glad you like it!))

Sesselav was quite happy that Hasea appeared to be alright. She didn't know her friend was having some inner turmoil. To her, everything was a-okay! At least...well at lest someone was happy right? At least Hasea was a good enough friend and person to spare Sesselav of any hurt feelings. That was the kind of friend that you really wanted to have on your side.

And no more rain! Despite it have been Hasea's accident, that's all it had been, an accident. The woman didn't look like the kind of person who would do anything like that on purpose. Sesselav was quite sure of it, and was quite okay with it having happened. Just an accident after all!

"That's right Hasea, nothing bad will happen today. It will be a very normal day." As normal as a day could be for a giant ant woman travelling with a woman who was effectively a hive for a strange bunch of flying ants. Oh yes. Normal like a two headed green pig.

((Sorry if this post's a bit crap – my brain has been making demands and I do not negotiate with terrorists B|))

Hasea nodded furiously at her friend's agreement. If they both said that nothing would happen today, it was that much more likely to be true. The world had to listen to them sometime, after all. It couldn't keep throwing things at them while also denying them what they wanted. That was something only a jerk would do.

The plains were tranquil this morning, with not much conversation to be made. While there were things that could be discussed, it seemed that neither of them wished to bring them up and so the two walked in a pleasant silence. After a little while Hasea found herself in the sort of vaguely thoughtful daze she often found herself in when walking alone, and not soon after she began humming tunelessly just for something other than the swarm's quiet buzz.

((Stay the course, send more troops!))

It'd be a boring day of course, but after all the excitement they had last night...it was best if they just had nothing happen to them. She really was hoping things would be uneventful...if everything was just...calm and collected. Hopefully the universe would be kind enough to let them have a nice day.

The quiet was nice really, just walking beside her friend through the grasslands. Just like...two normal people going for a stroll. It was so calm...so peaceful...if it weren't for the sound of the swarm buzzing it'd almost be...normal. One day soon though, they'd change Hasea's luck and get her brain back. Then everything would really be normal for the woman.

It was a few hours later when Sesselav stopped, her face raised slightly upwards to the wind. "I smell something strange." She spoke softly as she looked around the land. There were creatures out there...just over a small hill as it were. Sesselav suddenly ran toward the hill, getting down onto her knees and crawling as she reached the top of the hill. On the other side of the little rise was something that made Sesselav gasp.

Horses. Wild ones from the look of it. There was no one around it appeared, and they definitely looked like they were a little wild.

Hasea stopped humming, jolted out of her disjointed thoughts by her friend's observation. She looked up to see Sesselav suddenly rushing off towards a hill and followed her at a more leisurely pace. From the looks of it, there was something interesting up there. "What are we... What are we looking at?" she whispered, crawling up behind her friend. When she popped her head over the crest of the hill, a smile lit up her face.

"Oh! Ponies!"

They looked so happy down there, grazing peacefully and running about. There was even a little foal. She watched them with a silly grin on her face until a thought struck her. "Should we... Do you think we'd... We'd scare them away?"

She certainly didn't want to do that. They would have to approach with care, and make sure the swarm didn't do anything stupid, which was easier said than done. Thankfully, they'd kept to this side of the hill so far, but there was no telling when they might decide to just ruin everything.

Sesselav had, at first been worried that the creatures on the other side of the hill would be dangerous. They didn't have the same smell as the leopards, so she was glad of that, but it could be anything! It could have been a pack of six legged, four armed creatures with two heads and teeth that could snap a tree in half!

Hasea however, had the right idea.

"Yes, ponies. They are feral...no...wild creatures. No one is herding them...not anyone I can smell." And she could smell for a nice distance. Just what should they do though? A horse, as she learned, was used for transportation, bearing heavy loads and what not for humans. If they could...if they could get one, they could probably use it to get across the grassland. Though, she remembered that horses didn't like the desert...but it would be quick to get them to their destination quicker.

"There is a possibility that I would...though I think I can try to get them to like me with a scent...and you can try offering them the onion if you don't want to eat it." That would always work wouldn't it? She could offer food, and Sesselav could try and controlling them with a pleasing scent that wouldn't make her out to be a threat or enemy. Wild animals spooked easy after all, so she would have to be veeeery careful.

Sesselav was actually looking forward to it, all things considered. It might be...fun to try! She didn't get such opportunities as a queen so...this could really be fun!

"Oh... So that means... It wouldn't be... Wouldn't be stealing..." That was very important. Hasea didn't like to do anything that might upset someone. If there was a handler down there, they could have asked to borrow a horse, but considering how the two of them appeared, they'd probably frighten the poor person. A giant spiky ant and a ravenous bug cloud with a woman in it: how could they not? That was worse than stealing, really. It was better that the horses were wild, even if it did make them more of a challenge.

A challenge, incidentally, that Sesselav already had a plan to overcome. She was so lucky to have a friend with such resourcefulness and quick thinking. If it was just her, she'd probably go down to pet them, they'd get scared and stampede and then the swarm would retaliate to protect her.

Best not to think about that.

However... Her onion? But that was her onion, a gift from her friend! It was true that she probably wouldn't eat it, but... She loved that onion. Then again, it was Sesselav herself suggesting to use it, so it wasn't like she'd just be throwing it away. She supposed that she could offer it and hope it didn't actually get eaten, and if it did, well... She would just have to live with it.

She nodded. "That... That sounds like it... It could work..." Once more, she pulled the onion out of her sleeve and brandished it. "I'm... I'm ready..."

"No, we wouldn't be stealing, this is just...taming." The horse could find it's way back if they managed to calm one and convince it to take them along to the grassland edge...she hoped the swarm would behave because she really didn't like the idea of them attacking horses. She had no magic, and she had no material to do so, but she was pretty sure she could create a fire with her anger along to burn them alive.

That would be nice, for everyone. Except for them, but they already proved they were unfeeling monsters so she wouldn't feel bad about it.

Sesselav had an idea already how to overcome the problem of the horses stampeding, and she had done this before in her own world. Not for horses though, she had done it for visiting people, she and her daughters would release a pheromone to ensure that the people would be comfortable. Like...the bunnies.

Ahem.

Sesselav really hoped that she would use the onion for some reason, because she had said that she didn't really eat, that the swarm ate for her...so it was better than just carrying the thing around until it rotted and became bad. At least someone would get some use for it.

"If it doesn't, we may need to run from them." If they started to stampede and trample, serious damage could be done, even to Sesselav! She was worried that Hasea might be in trouble with this. She'd have to be careful now wouldn't she. The first thing to do would be to start releasing the pheromones, and let it catch on the wind, and the horses could get used to the smell. When Hasea was ready, Sesselav slowly stood up and began down the hill toward the animals.

Oh she really hoped everything would be okay.

The animals were slightly nervous when Sesselav and Hasea approached, but they were for the most part...calm. A few whinnied nervously, or stamped their hooves but...they didn't run yet. The trick was to find the strongest looking horse, the one that would be able to carry them both...not that they weren't incredibly light though! The both of them couldn't possibly weigh that much.

"Look for the strongest one...we should try to ride that one." They probably hadn't seen too many people...Sesselav did remember that someone said there were people of the plains, but the only person on the plain she had met was...Hasea. So these animals had probably never seen a human, and an ant person so they might be okay with them.

Hasea smiled cheerfully. Taming was fine, in fact, it was good. It would mean they were making friends with the horses, and that would mean that the horses would want to help them. She'd hate to be making them do anything against their will.

She followed along a short distance behind her friend, letting Sesselav do her insect thing before the swarm could do theirs. Up close, it was easier to see that the horses were definitely wild, with unkempt manes and tangled tails, but they were still so pretty. They were unexpectedly docile, too, but that was probably the scent Sesselav had talked about. She sniffed the air curiously. Maybe it was something only horses could smell.

The strongest one... Hasea looked around for it. It might have been easier to spot from a distance, but really, almost any of them would do. "That... That one's... Quite big..." she ventured, pointing at a brown and white stallion. "I'll... I'll try to make friends..."

She tiptoed up, hoping that the swarm didn't frighten the horse away. They'd been unusually well-behaved so far today, probably still sulking from the leopard encounter the night before, but she never knew what they might do. Plus, she'd never been much good with horses. There had been a couple of draught mares in the village when she was a child, and no matter how nice she was to them, they always ended up trying to bite her. They were so friendly with everyone else... It was a mystery. Hopefully today, she could escape with her fingers intact. Gingerly, she held out the onion. "Here, horsie..." she cooed softly. "Here, horsie, horsie..."

Sesselav saw the horses really as an opportunity, while Hasea saw it as a chance to make new friends. How strange this pair was together. Sesselav saw a chance to to get them to the desert faster, so they could avoid any more incidents like the leopard or...Hasea's memory problem. It didn't matter though, at least they both were on...somewhat the same page. They needed a horse.

She just kept exuding her pheromones in an attempt to keep the horses from doing anything, from stampeding or running away from them. This was looking up honestly, none of them were particularly angry at them, so either they were incredibly curious of them because they had never seen either a human or a Skirr, or her pheromones were working. Probably both were helping them at this point.

Hasea pointed out one of the larger horses and Sesselav nodded. Yes, that was the one that would probably be best for them. If only the damned swarm knew to stay back and not scare it. "Be careful Hasea...be really careful." There was worry in the Skirr Queen's voice as she watched her friend carefully. Oh this just could go so wrong and she was really worried.

Sesselav did not want to lose her friend.

She watched, fidgeting on the spot as her friend approached the large horse with the onion out. While it was one of those moments that made Sesselav think Hasea was a bunny and should be hugged and petted for being so adorable, it was also one of those "Hasea is going to die oh no!" sort of moments. With the pheromone blasting at full force, Sesselav just watched the interaction between horse and swarm woman, hoping for the best.

Hasea certainly hoped that this would work. She shot occasional glances back behind her. Sesselav seemed so concerned over there, and she'd hate for her friend to be sad if things went badly. Luckily, it didn't seem like either of them had anything to worry about, right now.

The horse continued grazing, ignoring Hasea's offering. She crept closer, still trying to charm it with baby talk, but it didn't seem to care. Eventually she decided to try just walking up and patting its shoulder, which also completely failed to elicit a response. Even the tiny insects now crawling all over didn't faze it; it just flicked its ears and tail at them in vague annoyance.

It was certainly relaxed all right. Just how strong was that scent, anyway?

"It's not... It's not doing anything..." she observed, happily stroking the animal's neck. If a horse had ever let her pet it without a fuss before, she couldn't remember it. Being wild, it wasn't as soft as it could have been, but it was still kind of nice. "Now what... Now what do we do? Do we just... Climb up?"

It almost seemed too easy. There had to be more to it...

Bad things came in pairs.

Sesselav didn't know this of course, her people didn't have a particular saying for it because they weren't really focused on such things. However, their bad things had already come and gone. A leopard and a tough memory loss. Did Sesselav have any real idea what it must have been like for Hasea to remember all the things they talked about, and all the things they did, but not with whom she did them with? She didn't. It was something she couldn't even picture, because of how scary it really was, of how serious the situation was.

Still, her friend now might get kicked in the head by a horse and lose all memory. Another really scary thought that she didn't want to have happen.

Her fears were misguided however, as the horse really didn't appear to care that Hasea was there. It was like there was nothing wrong. It just stood there, eating grass and flicking the bugs away with its tail. Well, this couldn't have gone any better now could it? "It looks like it doesn't care..." Sesselav replied as she tilted her head. The beast just seemed more interested in eating than anything. Well. This was good...this was...really good. To some degree.

"I don't...know." The Skirr carefully made her way over to the horse, which also seemed very disinterested in her. It was like they were just...horses to it. The only thing would be...riding it. The horse could be docile now, but she was sure that it wouldn't be too happy about them trying to ride it. "I think I should try to get on top of it first...if it starts trying to get me off of its back and I fall, I won't be hurt." Sesselav really didn't want her friend being thrown from the creature and then end up hitting her head on a rock or or knocking into another horse and causing a stampede. There were too many ways that poor Hasea could end up dying, and she really didn't like that idea.

This was her friend after all, the woman who wielded an onion and carried food in her sleeves.

She didn't like to let her friend face all the danger alone, but she knew it made sense. Sesselav had that shell, so she was tougher. Hasea nodded slowly. "All... All right... I'll... I'll stand back..."

She moved away from the stallion, keeping an eye on her friend as she sidled towards the foal. It was small and cute and, encouraged by her success with the other horse, she really wanted to pet it. Awww, look at its wobbly little legs and fuzzy baby mane... She grinned stupidly.

It probably wasn't the best idea to go for it yet though, she decided. Even stoned out of its mind on Sesselav's pheromones like the stallion was, the mother horse might not be too happy about Hasea moving in on its baby. She didn't know what might happen and even though she was sure that she and the foal would get along wonderfully, it was best to only do one risky thing at a time. She stopped a safe distance away and watched her friend eagerly.

Oh, she hoped it would work. As far as she knew, Sesselav had already taken a nasty hit for her yesterday and it would be just terrible if it happened again. Just terrible... She brought her hand up to her mouth and gnawed nervously on her  thumbnail as she waited to see what happened.

"Thank you...it...should be safe really." She tried to reassure her friend, hoping that she wouldn't worry about her. She had a strong outer shell, it would protect her from anything that the horse could...probably do to her. Maybe. It looked like those hooves might be pretty strong

She probably also would have told Hasea to stay away from the baby foal. If the mother were half as protective as she was toward her own children when they had been born, Hasea could end up in a lot of trouble. Luckily the mother probably didn't have access to a horde of drone workers willing to kill and die for her. So she would probably be alright...still it was best not to mess with a mother and her child.

Sesselav wondered how easy it would be to get onto the horse. It was pretty tall, but Sesselav was light, and rather acrobatic. She hopped suddenly, vaulting up onto the stallion suddenly. The creature at that point looked up and over his shoulder at Sesselav for a moment. The horse was much too strong and large to even really notice that she was there. Well, it may have felt something, but it really didn't seem to care. The pheromone was working its magic.

Still...she was really surprised at how this creature was acting.

"Okay Hasea...if you come over here I should be able to help you up onto the horse..." She wasn't sure that she knew how to make a horse move or walk or do anything that they wanted...but they could at least sit on top and...uh...look around from its back?

"Oh... Oh..." Hasea hopped up and down in frantic anticipation, waiting for Sesselav to make her move. In a flash, the ant woman was in the air and then on the horse. "Oh!" Hasea covered her face with her hands, unable to watch. She wished her friend had given her more warning, the suspense was almost too much to bear...

And then Sesselav was calling over to her, so things had probably worked out pretty all right. She peeked between her fingers, and saw her friend sitting quite comfortably and safely on the back of the unconcerned horse. That was easy... She glanced back longingly at the foal. They probably shouldn't push their luck, she decided, so it was best to leave the little thing be. She let out a tiny sigh and made her way back over to the stallion.

"I've never... Never ridden a horse before... Though I always wanted to... This should be... This should be fun!" She smiled up at Sesselav, holding an arm out for her friend to pull her up. At the same time, she braced her other hand against the horse's back so that she could do at least a little bit of the work. Huh... Its back was... Well, horses were wider than she remembered, and she'd never been particularly flexible even when she was eating properly. She tilted her head curiously as she considered the problem. "Um... I can't... My legs don't... I'll sit sidesaddle, okay?"

She hadn't meant to give her friend a start, but she wanted to be on the horses back, grabbing onto its mane as quickly as possible in case it started to get rowdy and tried to kick her off. Both of their fears were unfounded as the horse just didn't care. She figured this must be one of the most uncaring creatures she had ever met. Not that it was a bad thing, it meant that the creature would be relaxed and wouldn't try to knock them off.

"Yes, it should be a lot of fun, shouldn't it?" Sesselav agreed with one of her classic Skirr smiles. She had never ridden a horse either, though she had seen some before. And she'd seen people riding them. Of course, those were tame horses that were trained...she was pretty sure that all the things she'd seen humans doing to make horses go forward and what not wouldn't work. Giving the animal a squeeze with her legs didn't make it go at all. It just snorted, as if amused by the antics of the thing on its back.

"Oh, okay, that should...that should be alright." It wasn't going to be a good idea to go TOO fast then would it? No, that would be bad then. She reached down and took her friend's hand, helping her up onto the horse, to sit sideways on the large horse. Okay now...to get the horse to move. Oh! They forgot one important thing though didn't they!

"Before we go...um...should we name him? He might be with us for a while...I don't think he'd like to be called horse all the time." Sesselav said as she looked past Hasea to the horse's tangled mane and head, who gave another snort. Yes, horse wouldn't be very fitting for this creature.

With Sesselav's help, Hasea clambered ungracefully up onto the horse. It took a few shifts in position before she was sitting in a way that felt sort of right, perched awkwardly behind the animal's shoulders, and a little more fidgeting before she was happy she wasn't just going to slide off. This horse was about the most apathetic thing she'd ever met, and right now she was glad of it.

"A name..." She looked thoughtful for a second before smiling. "Yes... He should... He should have a name... He deserves one..."

She sat for a little while, thinking hard. It was probably a good thing right now that the horse was refusing to move. It made it easier to concentrate. She didn't want to give him a name that didn't fit, because then the poor thing would be stuck with it. He needed a good name, and she should probably try to come up with something that would give them luck too, to get to the desert quickly without trouble. It would have to be the perfect name.

No pressure, though.

Gazing up at the clear sky, she let her mind wander... A blue sky meant good things to both of them, and it held so much promise for today, too. So long as the sun shone and the sky stayed blue, they would be all right. The sun... Shining so brightly... Oh! She had it! "Let's call him..." She looked down at the horse and then smiled back at Sesselav. "Let's call him... Ray... Like sunshine..."

Satisfied with Ray's shiny new name, she swung her legs cheerfully. The breeze was cool, the sun was warm, it was nice and comfortable and relaxing up here. She was looking forward to taking the rest of the journey like this, if they ever got started. She frowned slightly. "Er... How do we... How do we make Ray work?"

It would be an awkward ride, with Sesselav trying to hold onto the mane of the horse while Hasea rode sideways in front of her. Though, it meant it would be easier to grab the mane and keep Hasea steady, which was a good thing. Still, she only hoped they could get the horse to do ANYTHING. It really seemed to want to just graze.

"If he will take us to the desert on his back, we should at least call him something." She was no good at naming things. Hell, the bunnies that used to visit were called...well...she didn't call them anything. They were bunnies after all, and probably didn't respond to names anyway.

Still..the horse needed a name. Cazin? Seckhar? Sesselan? Now she was just pulling out the male form of her name. This wasn't going to work. She didn't know male names...it wasn't in her nature. Hopefully Hasea could come up something though!

Her friend was quiet as they both tried to come up with something. Well...Sesselav was pretending she was coming up with something, while Hasea hopefully was actually thinking of names instead of staring at the sky. For a moment she wondered if her friend would stare at the sun too long. However, she suddenly spoke up and Sesselav smiled. "Ray. That is a good name for this horse." Ray worked for her, it would be something to call him!

"I...I don't know...Ray...let's get going." But still, Ray did nothing. Ray just flicked his ear and tail. Sesselav had a somewhat grumpy look on her face as she stared at the horse. "Ray. Forward. We have to go." But the horse did nothing. Sesselav tried to remember some humans riding horses and got an idea. With one hand in his mane, her arm stopping Hasea from falling forward she reached back and gave the horse a swat on the flank. THAT got it moving. While Ray didn't burst in a gallop, he did began to trot, though he didn't appear that happy. He probably was having a nice time grazing...but Sesselav and Hasea had something they needed to do! With both her hands now in his mane, it was easy to steer him left and right...she was gentle but firm, making sure not to hurt him, but all it required was to get him to look in a direction and he'd start running that way.

Good thing Ray was an easy going horse!

Hasea smiled nervously but happily. "I hope it... I hope it brings luck..." She'd thought Sesselav would probably have been happy with any name at all, but she still didn't know. It was good that she liked it. That meant both of them liked it, and hopefully the horse liked it too. He probably didn't care much, really, but she'd like to think that he was happy with it.

She sat expectantly, still clutching her precious onion, and watched with interest as Sesselav tried to get Ray to do something. Her friend seemed to be getting annoyed with the horse, which wasn't good. She shifted slightly when Sesselav leaned back to... She wasn't going to hit Ray, was she? Her friend didn't do things like that, she was kind and wonderful!

Oh! Ohhh. That was the idea. Well, that was all right then.

Ray was moving! It wasn't as comfortable now, actually kind of bumpy in fact, but that didn't matter at all. Why would it matter? She was riding a horse! This was just about the best thing ever, even if he was very very slow. She clapped and giggled, overjoyed. It was all thanks to her friend, too! There was no way she could have done this alone. If it was up to her, even if she could have managed to get on the horse, which was unlikely, she'd have just been sat there all day. She turned a beaming smile in her friend's direction. "You're... You're amazing, Sesselav..."

Ray could probably care less that he had been named. He seemed to not care much about anything. They were probably lucky that Ray didn't just lay down instead and not go anywhere. For being such a powerful looking horse, he was very apathetic. It was better than him being a bucking bronco however. "It will bring us much luck Hasea." Sesselav assured her, though she couldn't see how naming the beast would give them luck. She just assumed it was one of those human things.

While she would never hit an animal like Ray, the horse needed a little goading. It wasn't as if she would just start abusing it. Ray just needed some encouragement on what they wanted. They wanted to go forward. The slap on the flanks got that into his head quickly at least. At least they were going faster than they could walk...sort of. She'd have to make him go faster somehow.

At least Hasea seemed really happy and excited, it made Sesselav smile. Hasea should be happy, plain and simple in Sesselav's mind. She shouldn't be sad or worried about anything...the woman should just be...carefree. She'd help her get free of those bugs...those terrible rotten bugs that gave people like her a bad name. Her friend's comment made her smile even more, if that were possible. "It's why I was the queen, Hasea." Sesselav joked, trying her hand at sounding humorous. She wasn't sure how well it worked, she just knew her voice sounded a little...buzzy-er.

Hasea laughed daintily at Sesselav's comment, hands covering her mouth. "Hee hee... You couldn't... Couldn't not be the queen... You know how to get things... To do... Things... Um..." She trailed off, fidgeting uncomfortably. That was that joke ruined. Well done, Hasea. She couldn't be down for too long, though, not when everything was so perfect, and it was mere moments before she was smiling again.

She tilted her head back with her eyes closed to better enjoy the sunshine as Ray trotted along at a pace that could only be called leisurely. Dozing quietly, she noticed a pretty smell wafting up toward her and opened her eyes to see what it was. Flowers! They were walking through a little patch of some kind of fragrant plants, which were crushed under the horse's hooves as they went through. Too bad for the flowers, but they did smell nice.

"So pretty..." she commented happily with a sigh. "I wonder if that's... That's how that scent you made... Smelled to the horses..."

"It's just one of my many gifts. I know how to motivate." That was the word that she had no doubt been looking for. She did hope that it helped out Hasea a little bit and didn't make her feel so bad. The poor girl had trouble with things, and Sesselav wasn't going to make her feel any worse by pointing it out. She really did like this woman, she was like a lost little rabbit of sorts.

Sesselav stayed quiet as her friend began to sleep. It was worrying, considering what had happened before when she had slept. Nothing bad happened though...she seemed to awake and she didn't seem at all worse for wear! It was really good to see, and it made Sesselav smile. She didn't freak out...fall off the horse...or spook the horse...she just...woke up and everything was good.

"I...have never asked how it smells...but it must smell like this..." If only Hasea could see what she could see...if only Hasea could see all the colours dancing around her, whisking by them...merging and dancing together...if only...maybe..."Would...would you like to try and see the colours of the smell Hasea?"

"Yeah... Yeah you do..." agreed Hasea with a smile. "You motivate... Really well..." She was grateful to Sesselav for correcting her without further comment. It was so good to have someone around to remind her of things she might have forgotten, even if it was only little things like this. Her friend was so kind, and patient with her. She was lucky to have someone like that.

Hasea frowned, slightly confused. Smells had colours? Oh, yes, Sesselav, or at least she knew it was Sesselav, had mentioned yesterday about seeing in smell. It sounded really weird, and as for her being able to see it too, well, she had no idea how they'd go about achieving that. "I... I don't know what... What you mean by that..." she admitted. "But... It sounds nice, so... Yes?"

She looked back at Sesselav with a vaguely hopeful smile. Where exactly her friend was going with this was something of a mystery, but she was looking forward to finding out.

"I'm glad you think so." She smiled at her friend, nodding. Hasea was a rather good person to have around. Though she didn't like to be worshipped and to have people grovelling at her feet...it was nice to have someone to compliment her. She tried to be very sure of herself, but she was still new to this whole...doing things on her own. She was probably one of the only queens of her species that had ever done something like this. To think she was riding a horse! Outside, under the open sky!

It was rather exciting.

Sesselav wanted to have Hasea see something that she got to see...no doubt she would really like it after all! It meant they would...sort of use the swarm in some way...but Sesselav was rather confident in this. She opened her mind to those around her, searching out the bugs in Hasea's mind. It was simple enough...to give them access to her mind in a way...which would then give Hasea access. She had to be very specific with this, only give the hive access to what she wanted...and use the hive at the same time to get into Hasea's mind.

It took her a moment but hopefully it worked. Sesselav would pass information on, and then hopefully Hasea would see the colours that she saw...without seeing herself. No doubt that would be a little weird. "Can...can you see anything different now?"

Hasea blinked and rubbed her eyes. Little patches of colour were beginning to float across her vision, and yet not her vision, and it was kind of weird. Her mind felt twitchy, too, as if the colony was up to something in there, and she gritted her teeth and clutched at her head and then the colours were everywhere, swirling all around, even when she closed her eyes...

"Aaah!" she yelped as her senses seemed to go haywire on her. She covered her face with her hands, but that didn't actually help. At all. "Aaah!"

If she was thinking straight, she'd be trying as hard as she could not to worry or insult Sesselav, and to be thankful for this new, interesting experience. But she wasn't, so she whined, "I don't... I don't like it! Turn it off!" And then, because she could never really stop trying to be polite, added, "Please!"

Hasea's sudden yelling confused Sesselav, and worried for a moment. She shouldn't be yelling. She didn't think....ah. She didn't think. Hasea wouldn't be used to seeing the world...and the smells of the world. It would be a whole new, probably terrifying experience. Sesselav had been born this way so she was used to it by now, but for Hasea..it would be way too much sensory information.

Sesselav was already fiddling with her mind when Hasea yelled that she didn't want to see it anymore. It took some doing, but she put all her blocks up and stopped the hive from accessing her mind. Slowly everything would go away for Hasea until her vision was back to normal. Their horse had been a little...confused by what was going on. He had stopped walked and was looking over his shoulder at the two of them, one large brown eye just...staring at them. Before he started to eat flowers.

"I'm sorry Hasea. I thought...you'd enjoy it. I didn't think you wouldn't like it." Sesselav told her friend quietly as she avoided looking at her. This was...not what she had expected to happen.

Hasea pawed pathetically at her face until the floating colours went away, then sat for a moment, breathing hard and blinking. She stared around, wild-eyed, making sure there weren't any more patches of madness hiding in the landscape. Satisfied that she was back to normal, and not about to be ambushed by fifteen different shades of purple of which four weren't even possible, she could turn her attention to feeling bad.

She looked almost but not quite at Sesselav, and mumbled, "It's... It's all right... You didn't... You didn't know... I'm fine..." Her friend had just tried to do something nice for her, and she'd been so ungrateful. She was pretty sure that right now she really was the worst friend ever.

And thinking back to it, it hadn't even been that bad. In fact, now that she knew what to expect, she probably would enjoy it some other time. Now would probably be awkward, and besides they had places to be, but when they had time to kill it might not be the worst way to spend it. She placed a hand tentatively on Sesselav's arm and smiled at her. "It was... It was actually... Kind of interesting..."

Sesselav waited for her friend to recover...she really had thought she would enjoy it but...there were so many colours to look at. An untrained mind probably wouldn't enjoy it all too much...and Hasea was a very untrained mind if you thought about it. She hadn't of course...and wished that she had. It had been a really stupid thing to do, and she would hopefully learn from her mistake now.

"I'm glad to hear that." She told her friend as she laid a hand upon her shoulder and smiled at Hasea. The young woman was very emotional at times, and she didn't want her to think that she hated her. She was sure that she couldn't ever hate Hasea...she was like a bunny to Sesselav. An injured bunny that needed help!

That was a pretty good way to think of it.

"You just weren't...ready for it." She told her friend with another smile. Yes. That's all it had been. Hasea just wasn't ready for such an experience. When would she be ready for it? Ironically...as Sesselav thought about it...she'd be ready when the swarm was gone...and at that time...she wouldn't be able to show her the colours. Funny how that was.

It was all right. Sesselav wasn't mad or upset, and their friendship wasn't in any kind of danger. Hasea sighed quietly in relief and turned a bright smile back towards her friend. "I'd like to... I'd like to try again... Some day..." She hadn't been ready for it, that was what it was, and it wasn't anyone's fault. Just a simple misunderstanding, cleared up with a few words. If only everything were so simple.

Like getting Ray moving again. Words didn't do a whole lot for him. Hasea peered down at him, saw him chewing up all of the pretty flowers and decided that perhaps they should get back on their way. She tried a stern voice, which sounded more like she had a sore throat. "Ray... Move..." Nothing. Remembering how Sesselav spurred him on before, she gave him a little slap on the neck. He ignored it. Huh, this was harder than it looked.

Even more reason to admire her wonderful friend!

"Someday we will try again, but let's not think of that now. Plenty of time later." Though, they both might know that there would be no time later for her to try it. Maybe in the desert, where the only thing one would be able to smell was the sand. That might be better...oh but then...they'd have their own smells...and well okay the desert would also be a bad place. Back to knowing that when Hasea was ready, she'd no longer be able to see the scents.

Not that she was really missing out on things of course.

Sesselav was rather amused by Hasea's attempts to try and get the horse moving again. He wasn't having any of it really, and she really didn't know what else to do. Even giving him some encouragement with a slap on the neck didn't do anything. Sesselav wasn't worried about her doing damage to the horse after all. He was much too large and muscular to really be hurt by her. Unless she used her wind powers but...Sesselav was sure that she wouldn't. It'd be kinda mean after all.

Sesselav reached back and gave Ray a pointed slap on the flanks, which, after a snort from the horse, got him moving again. "I bet if we let him, he'd stay here and eat all the flowers."

Hasea nodded decisively. They'd definitely have to try again some time. She hadn't given much thought to how Sesselav had actually accomplished this, and so didn't know that the swarm was necessary. For her, it was one more reason to look forward to getting rid of them, so that she could finally be strong enough to handle such things.

It wasn't as if she needed another reason to want them gone, but any and all were welcome.

And yet again, her friend was being magnificent! She didn't expect any less from someone who'd kicked a leopard in the face. Well, that wasn't exactly how that had gone down but it was how she wanted to remember it, and since she already had to make an effort to place the ant woman there she might as well embellish a few more things. Her friend was even as concerned about the plants as she was! Oh, how wonderful it was that they'd met each other... "That's why... That's why we had to move him... Poor little flowers..." Hasea looked back sadly at the trampled meadow, then smiled up at Sesselav again. "But you saved them so that's... It's all right now..."

Sesselav was quite happy to not try it again. Her friend didn't like it at all, almost to the point where it sounded like it hurt. She wouldn't want to inflict that on her. While Hasea didn't know the mechanics or the implications, Sesselav did...and it made her feel terrible. Using the swarm...and making her see like...the swarm saw...it was terrible for someone who was trying to escape that life.

Sesselav nodded and smiled. "Yes, we had to stop him from eating everything...at least they will still grow despite being walked over." Some might die, if the stems were cut, but Sesselav was sure the meadow would still continue to be there. It was pretty here, and it smelled wonder, and even look-smelled good. She knew how important the flowers were too, they ensured a lot of things could live and eat after all. It only took a couple of minutes for them to leave the flowery area and get back onto grass where they wouldn't be trampling anything. From horseback though, Sesselav couldn't see any end in sight yet...

It was all just grasslands. They'd be in here a while then...wouldn't they? Not that there was anything wrong with it...but Hasea's condition was a worry. What would happen when...she remembered nothing and was just a vacant host for the swarm to live in?

It was...a sad thought for Sesselav. Hasea was her friend. Her true and honest friend.

"And soon they'll be... They'll be beautiful again..." Hasea nodded in agreement. Plants were pretty hardy, after all, and some of them could even grow back from just the tiniest piece of root left in the soil. That was bad if you wanted to get rid of them so that crops would grow better, but good for these. It was good in general, to know that they could come back from nothing to be as lovely as ever. It gave her hope.

She looked around them cheerfully, enjoying the sun and the sights again. Peering back, her face lit up when she spotted something. "I think that's... That's the hill... We saw the horses from..." she smiled, pointing behind Sesselav to part of the landscape. "Look... How far... How far we've come already... Ray... He's a big horse... He has very long legs... Doesn't he?"

They still had a long way to travel and it seemed like they were going so slowly, just ambling along at a comfortable pace, but she was sure they'd reach the desert in no time! Then all of their problems would be solved, and they'd be happy. In no time...

"They'll be quite beautiful again." And no doubt some would be a little more beautiful, considering that Ray had no doubt left some...fertilizer in the field.  The horse really didn't care what happened, it didn't even seem particularly bothered by anything. Sesselav had stopped feeding pheromones into the air long since they started the ride, and Ray just seemed to keep going, as if two birds had landed on his back.

Such good luck they had sometimes.

Sesselav looked over her shoulder at her friend's words and nodded. "I believe that is the one yes...it looks like our hill." Hasea was a very...childlike figure, she seemed to be so simple in her ways, and it was absolutely refreshing. People in the city and what not seemed so busy and bothered by everything. It was nice to have someone carefree like Hasea with her. "Yes, he has much longer legs, it's much better to ride than to walk, he's getting us moving quite quickly."

She wanted to go a bit faster, but it was hard to hold onto Ray's mane while Hasea sat in front of her, and not to mention she had to keep Hasea stable with her arms on either side of the woman. There was just too many errors and bad things that could happen if she spurred the horse on faster. Best not to risk it, best to just...enjoy it.

Hasea sat quietly in Sesselav's arms for what seemed like a peaceful eternity, looking around at the sky and the scenery with that vague, cheerful smile. Even through the permanent dark haze of the swarm, everything was so bright and so wonderful, brimming with hope. The minutes and hours passed by in a happy blur as Ray plodded dutifully through the grasslands, heading south to what might be her salvation.

It was a good day.

Except for her hands itching. No, they really itched. She broke her pleasant daze to look down, see what was going on there, and was horrified to see little horrible bugs crawling over them, even more than usual. No... No, they were going for the onion! There was plenty of other food around here, why would they do that? Didn't they know how much that meant to her?

They did, they had to. That was why they were doing it. She shook her hands to try to dislodge the awful things but just as many clustered back on. She whimpered helplessly as uncharacteristic rage built up inside her, and stared at the swarm. "It's not yours..." she whispered. "It's mine... It's mine!"

She twitched her fingers, almost casting a spell on them, but at the last moment decided against it. Even to hurt the swarm, she couldn't bear the thought of scaring or even hurting Ray. She just wanted them to let her have what was hers, whether it was her memories or just a vegetable. They weren't going to take anything from her any more. They weren't.

The thing that she did not want to have happen, was to have her friend suddenly slip off the horse. It was a little odd, holding onto Hasea like she was some sort of...well she wasn't even sure. But there she was...just holding onto Hasea as they rode on this horse, sandwiching her between her arms. At least the pace wasn't too fast, or else Hasea would have to ride the horse like Sesselav was, or else she would surely fall off.

But...everything was calm and relaxed...even the swarm was behaving itself.

Oop, shouldn't have talked so soon.

Something was going on, something strange. Hasea was doing something she was...looking at something. She even heard a whimper and then something quiet being whispered to the swarm. Hers? What was hers? They were...all over Hasea and that's when she realized mostly where. On her arm...going for the onion. For Sesselav, it was just food...for Hasea...it probably meant something more....it seemed really important for her after all. The way she had looked at Sesselav when she told her that the onion was for her...it had been something...strange. Like awe and...giddiness. It had been a really odd look, but it made her feel...good.

It had been a nice look though...now she would have to help.

She concentrated, opening that part of her mind. Hopefully this could get them to...back off from the onion. She showed them eating an onion...then keeling over and dying. Each of them falling over and their legs twitching as they died. Trying to tell them it would be poison for them. Hopefully that would change their mind.

Just trying to talk to the swarm, watching them, it wasn't enough. It wasn't going to stop them. Hasea would have to do something. No matter how angry she was, accidentally hurting or scaring ray was out of the question, so she would have to do something else. Something she hated. She closed her eyes tightly and...

Concentrated.

She never liked this, becoming temporarily more than just their home but their leader, telling them what to do. A lot of the time it didn't even work. Perhaps their queen still gave orders against her? She didn't know, she couldn't hear it. She could never tell if they were even listening to what she wanted. However, she had to try. As quickly as she could, she gave the order to leave and opened her eyes.

They were doing it! Not just trailing off like they'd rather not, but quickly, almost as if they were fleeing! Maybe they knew how close she might be to destroying them and wanted to make themselves seem like less of a nuisance. Maybe they were getting scared of her. Whatever it was, it was heartening to see that she could affect them so much. The onion hadn't made it out perfectly intact, having had a couple of fairly large holes made in it already, but at least she still had it. "Look..." She grinned up at Sesselav. "They... They left me alone..."

It looked like even her friend was trying something, perhaps trying to talk to them as well. Hasea probably had no idea that Sesselav was actually in their minds and showing them death. She didn't like communicating with the swarm, because she could see Hasea's brain. It was...wrong. It made her slightly sick. However to help her friend, she'd have to do this. Ignoring the feeling of disgust, she soldiered on giving them the message that it was poison. If they ate all the onion, it'd kill them. A complete bluff, but how were they supposed to know that?

It even looked like it worked! Sesselav's eyes were upon them as they began to flee from the onion. Sesselav could only smile, though her friend looked up at her suddenly. Sesselav nodded and smiled still. "They did...the onion is still safe then. That is good." Sesselav wasn't going to say she had done anything, though she slowly closed her mind to the swarm. She couldn't leave that open to them, it wasn't going to be something particularly nice if she did. Eventually their queen might find a way to get inside her mind, not literally, and see what was going on, all the intricate plans that had been made.

And then try to do something about it, like remove Sesselav from the picture...or hurt Hasea and force Sesselav into some form of slavery.

Both were things she didn't want to see happen.

Hasea smiled and hugged the onion close to her, ignoring that the fumes from the holes in it were making her eyes water. It didn't matter. It was still hers. She leaned gently against Sesselav and sighed happily. It looked like today her luck really was changing for the better. Hopefully this would be a permanent change, or at least a long one. She could use a year of good fortune. Both of them could.

Crisis over again for now, she went back to watching the landscape slowly drift past. It was mostly quite samey, with only the very occasional tree to break the skyline, but that was also very relaxing. She made herself a little game out of spotting different kinds of grasses, not that she was very good at it. It passed the time.

Sesselav could see that her friend was really an odd...odd person but...honestly? She wouldn't have any other companion. There was just something about Hasea that Sesselav liked. She was one part helpless bunny, one part curious cat, one part free soul...and five parts good friend. Though she could defend herself with that strange power, and the swarm, she screamed silently that she needed help. Sesselav was going to help with that as well...before Hasea forgot everything that happened.

She almost felt like she was raising a daughter again...with the woman slightly leaning against her, it was actually very pleasant. It reminded her of home...the good parts of home, not the fact she could never return to her hive, but the good parts...the really nice parts. It made her smile. As they descended a hill, Ray started walking a little faster than normal, even for going downhill. Sesselav had been more paying attention to the skyline than anything...and that's when she heard the tell-a-tale sounds of...something walking into water.

Was it a really big pond? No, not really. Was Ray more or less getting himself something to drink? Of course. Was Sesselav now standing on Ray's back, a rather displeased and worried expression on her face? Well, yes, but the expression was more her mandibles all pulled in she was looking in front of them with fear.

Water. Evil...pooled water. Just wanting to drown her no doubt. It would love to get the chance wouldn't it? Oh how it just wanted to drown her. Stupid water. She was all the way up here though! "H-hasea...you need to make Ray g-go now." In actuality, after clambering up to stand on Ray, Sesselav was frozen solid. She could keep her balance, but she did NOT want to move. She was far enough from the water thank you very much.

Hasea roused from her daydream when she felt Sesselav start to shift next to her. Her friend was... Standing up? What was going on here? Whatever it was, her friend definitely wasn't happy about something, but she couldn't quite work out what it was. Then she looked down. Oh yes, they were standing in water. She remembered Sesselav having a thing about that.

Well, that wasn't good. She had to do what she could to help her friend, even if she didn't quite know what that was. Moving Ray was obvious, but her previous attempts weren't exactly promising.

She tugged on the horse's mane, trying to make him turn around. He moved his head to the side, but otherwise stayed right where he was, gulping down water. If they didn't move him, she wondered how long it would take him to just drain the pond. However long it was, it was probably too long for poor terrified Sesselav. She leaned back, careful not to knock against her friend, and gently slapped Ray's flank. She didn't want to make him move too fast, not that there was much danger of that. He raised his head and looked back at her. "Ray... Move..." she commanded, fixing him with a stare and striking him again, a bit harder this time. Eventually, he did slowly start to turn and grudgingly walked back towards dry land.

"Um... If we... If we get off him... I think we could use a break... And Ray... Ray can have a drink... Okay?" She smiled uncertainly up at Sesselav, not sure if the ant woman could manage to jump even the small distance to get out of the water. It seemed like a good idea to her, anyway. They'd been walking for hours, and it probably wouldn't be healthy for Ray not to get a drink now.

Hasea seemed quite alright with all this water around, but Sesselav was not. She was terrified of it because...well there was so much of it. Sure, Ray was able to stand in it no problem, it barely got to his ankles but still! That was enough to cover a lot of her body, ruin her wings, and even block a lot of her breathing pores. It would kill her for sure! Sesselav was sure if she tumbled off the horse...or if it DID get deeper (Though she could see where the little pond ended) they might all drown.

At least...Hasea was there to help.

Sesselav just stood, rigid, terrified but dignified upon the back of the horse as Hasea tried to get Ray to move. Sesselav might find it adorable if it wasn't for the fact it was so scary. She just...waited, flexing her fingers, waiting. If this didn't work, she'd just...unfurl her wings, jump, and glide as far as she could away from the water. It would have to work really...it was the only thing that she could think of.

However, now Ray was starting to move again, he was starting to trudge out of the water. Sesselav was standing on Ray's back, crouching slightly just in case something were to happen. It helped to keep her balance on the big horse's back. "That...is acceptable." Sesselav said, her voice somewhat strained as she looked around at the pond.  However...Ray was slowly walking out of it...and soon they were back on dry land. Sesselav's wings unfurled and she jumped from the horse's back, her wings beating and helping her to get away from the pond more and more until she was on completely dry land. Of course, Ray stopped as he approached Sesselav, and the ant queen pulled her wings back, folding them so they disappeared. It made her feel better to have done that, like she was in control.

She approached Ray carefully, knowing that Hasea would need some help off the horse.

Wow, Sesselav really didn't like water, did she? She seemed to even have a problem with slightly damp ground, if her flying was any indication. Hasea couldn't fault her for that, though. Other people feared stupid things, like, well, harmless bugs. Lots of people were scared of those. At least Sesselav's fear was something that could actually potentially hurt her. Hasea herself was probably scared of something silly, not that she knew what that was any more. It would be just like her. She just hoped she didn't have the chance to find out.

"See... It's fine... You didn't even... Didn't even get wet..." She smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner, and cringed inwardly. Was that patronising? She was sure it was patronising, but she'd said it now so there wasn't really much she could do. Just let it be, hope it wasn't too awful, and plunge headlong into another subject.

Like, uh, Ray. Ray was tall. Really tall, now that she'd suggested getting off him. She didn't want to fall and hurt herself, although she was sure her friend wouldn't let that happen. She'd probably just be really awkward and stupid though, and that was almost as bad. She considered the problem for a moment, and decided not to deal with it. With a mad, bright grin, she suggested, "Um... I might... Just stay up here? So that... So that I can get Ray back... When he finishes drinking..."

That almost sounded like a proper plan! She was definitely getting better at this.

She was allowed to have her silly little fears, and one of her silliest (But all too real) was water perhaps. Humans could at least hold their breath, and could swim, but Sesselav breathed through her exoskeleton, and THAT meant if a lot of her body was underwater, she could die! She'd heard the cries and calls of many of her people who had drowned, and it was horrible. She actually felt a little happy that she didn't have their thoughts in her head anymore...but it was quiet.

"And I am definitely glad for that." Sesselav said with a nod as she checked her legs once. Nope, not wet. Though things were a little damp, and she felt a tad...agitated by it, she didn't mind too much.

Sesselav was surprised by Hasea's initiative actually. It made sense to her really...because Sesselav wasn't going to fly onto his back and try and guide him back. Though part it of it might have been the fact that she would have trouble getting off of Ray, and then onto his back once more. Sesselav gave a nod and a smile to her friend. "That sounds like a good plan Hasea. I will wait over there away from the...water." With that she headed back toward the little hill they had crested, and when the ground stopped being wet and dewy, Sesselav stood there, hands behind her backs, feet firmly planted in the ground, waiting.

Things were turning out okay for the two of them. It was nice.

Hasea smiled. Sesselav was happy again, so she was happy. That was the way things went. It was too much to hope that this would be a constant thing, so she didn't. She was just glad that it could turn out all right like this even sometimes.

There was just one problem here, that she wasn't sure if she could replicate her amazing feat of horsemanship. She'd only managed it because it was serious, and she'd had to. It wasn't certain if she could do it again. The horse just did whatever he wanted, mostly. "Thank you... It... It's not much of a plan though... Oh..." She cut off as Ray started turning around almost as if on cue, and tugged gently on his mane in the direction he was moving. "That's it, Ray... Back... Back to the pond..." She turned back to her friend, blushing pink and not quite looking at Sesselav as she started moving away. "See, I can... I can make him do stuff now... Um... See you later... I guess..."

Now that she didn't have her friend here to steady her any more, it was slightly more awkward to stay seated on Ray's back. She slid a little way back for a bigger surface and a little more stability, and held tightly onto his mane with both hands, her onion bouncing gently off his neck with each step. Falling off wouldn't be too much of a problem since the water wasn't that deep, but she didn't want to worry Sesselav. As soon as she got comfortable, however, Ray stopped and put his head down to drink again. Given a chance to relax a bit, she turned around and waved merrily at her friend back on the shore, to let her know that everything was fine.

Wow, Ray was thirsty. She sat there just idly wiggling her feet for ages, long enough for a particularly fast cloud to cross the sky, while he drank and drank. She could have sworn the pond was indeed a little bit smaller when he was done.

And then he started moving again. In a straight line. Great. She feebly tried to grapple with him, turn his head to make him turn too, but it didn't work. If she put any more effort in, she'd probably fall off. She waved desperately back at Sesselav and called, "Um... Maybe go round..." She raised her voice and gestured around the pond as wildly as she could without unseating herself. "He's not turning... Walk round..."

Sesselav decided not to say anything to her friend as Ray started...no...as she started to direct Ray back to the pond. Of course she really wasn't directing the horse, considering Ray mostly did what he wanted to do but...she wasn't going to call her on it. Her friend really liked the idea of being in control like that, and it would have been pretty mean to say anything like that. It was kind of adorable in a Hasea kind of way. "I see that, yes...you two have fun...by the water." Sesselav wasn't going to go to the water of course, but if Hasea and Ray wanted to then they could.

Sesselav was just going to stay where she was, though nervously fidget as she watched Hasea. She was kind of worried that her friend was going to fall off the horse and hurt herself. She'd fall in the water but...Hasea wasn't all there so...it was kind of really scary actually. She didn't want her friend to get hurt after all, and she didn't really want anything bad to happen to her friend. She waved back to her friend as she turned to wave at her. It was rather nice, this grassland.

But she couldn't wait for the desert.

However...something was going wrong.

Ray and Hasea was starting to move now. Of course, they weren't coming back to her, but they were in fact walking...straight through the little pond. Okay that wasn't going to be good now was it? Sesselav stood up and fidgeted nervously. Okay this wasn't...this wasn't good. If she could bite her lip, she would but she didn't have those. Hasea did have a good idea though, and Sesselav was going to go through with that. She started to walk around the pond, giving it some wide berth of course. She then waited for Ray and Hasea to finish traversing the pond and approach her.

Either the water was slowing Ray down, or Sesselav was that eager to meet them, or both, because when they reached the other side of the pond she was there, waiting for them. Hasea smiled and gave a little wave as they trotted up to meet her. Only, oh, it seemed like Ray was perfectly happy to turn when he felt like it, and... Was he just going to walk right past her?

Yes he was. "No, Ray... We have to... We have to let Sesselav on..." She pulled hard on his mane in a futile attempt to make him stop next to her friend, but he wasn't paying attention. Why wouldn't the horse just listen to her? He did what Sesselav told him, most of the time, anyway. She couldn't rely on her friend for everything, though. She had to do something for herself sometimes. She looked down at the ant woman as Ray passed obliviously by and smiled nervously. "It's okay... I can... I can do this..."

"Um... Ray... Ray, stop..." Tugging at his mane was doing absolutely nothing. This was one apathetic horse, for sure. Although... She vaguely remembered hearing that horses didn't like to walk backwards, so maybe if she got off and stood right in front of him, he would have to stop. It could work! If she could just manage to slide off him, then she could deal with this problem. She felt oddly proud of herself already.

Knowing their luck, and knowing this damn horse, though... He'd probably not even care, and just back up as if he did it all the time. Well, it was more than worth a try.

Sesselav was quite eager to meet them and be away from the disgusting deadly water. However Ray seemed to have other plans...very odd...other plans. She wasn't sure just what Ray was going to do but it looked like...it was walk right by her. If Sesselav could have an unimpressed look on her face, she no doubt would as the horse just trotted right on by. This horse was turning out to be a real apathetic jerk.

With a sigh she turned on her heel and began to walk after him.

"Ray stop!" Sesselav said firmly as she moved up to the right side of the horse. Ray didn't of course, he merely looked at her and snorted like "Are you kidding lady?" Of course, this wasn't TOO much of a big deal now was it? Sesselav was light and acrobatic, and she had wings...so why she didn't just decide to use them, she wasn't sure.

Unfolding her wings she beat them a couple times, getting some air as she jumped, allowing herself to be carried upwards. She stopped fluttering them when she started heading toward the horse, furling them back up as she landed on his back. The horse...did not seem to care. She was careful though, making sure not to disrupt Hasea and accidentally knock her off or kick her with a stray leg or arm. It would have been painful.

"Next time we should get a trained animal."

So her friend was going to do it for her after all. Hasea was mildly disappointed by this, since she sort of wanted to make herself useful, but it was also kind of a relief. At least she wouldn't have to try to dismount now, and she got to see Sesselav flying again! It was so pretty, her wings sparkling a little bit in the bright sun. "Yay, Sesselav... I love it when... When you fly..." she beamed, giving her friend a small round of applause after that neat landing.

Feeling more secure now that her friend was back beside her on the horse, she nodded in reply to Sesselav's observation. If they had a trained horse, they might well have reached the desert already. Well, probably not, but they'd definitely be a lot closer. Showing his perfect timing yet again, Ray chose this moment to stop walking and chewed on a bush. At least he hadn't changed direction solely to annoy them, but that didn't make it any less annoying. The swarm, as well, seemed a little perked up by the large succulent berries, and the ever-present buzz grew slightly louder as they fed. He didn't seem to mind that his prize was being stolen literally out from under his nose, but then this horse never seemed to mind anything.

"He's not... He's not the worst horse in the world..." Hasea looked down at Ray, then back to Sesselav. "He hasn't... Hasn't bitten me yet..." That was probably tempting fate, but it was true, and it was about as much praise as Ray was going to get right now.

"I only wish that you could fly too Hasea..." Then they'd be able to fly and not worry about having a horse...they'd just be able to fly. Of course, this was working out alright, with Ray, then there wasn't that much strain on Hasea, though the woman appeared to be alright with walking. Still, it was nice to be able to relax a little bit. She only wished they had a trained horse with one of those seat things on the horse so they could go really fast. They were making good time though, so it was alright.

That is, until the horse began to eat a bush.

And then the swarm began to eat the bush!

"Apparently it is time for a food break, according to them." The swarm of course just ate out desire to eat, while Ray was at least eating because he might have been hungry. From the trampled ground where they had found the horses, they hadn't really travelled much...that no doubt was their place to be as they seemed to just...stay around there. No doubt because their leader, which might have been Ray, was a lazy, easy going horse.

"No...he is not the worst horse...and yes, he has been very good to us." He hadn't tried to buck them off, bite them, kick them, or shake them off...he had just started walking. It was the best sort of luck that they could hope for. Things had actually started to go their way! Soon they'd be in the desert, and then they could find a way to save Hasea!

"Hee... That would be fun..." giggled Hasea. She could just imagine how wonderful it would be to soar through the sky with only her two favourite things, Sesselav and the wind, beside her. Then again, she'd probably get disoriented and freak out, or else do a lot of crash-landings. After all, she wasn't exactly the graceful type. It was probably for the best that she couldn't fly.

"I suppose... I suppose he deserves it... He must be happy to eat something... Something tasty and new..." These shrubs were probably all over the plains, but this bush, this particular one, was one he hadn't eaten from before, and she liked to think that made a difference. Maybe it was a little bit sweeter, or juicier. She hoped so. The swarm eating so much of it was a shame, but at least Ray got to have some before it was all gone. They weren't that interested in the leaves, either, so they were all his.

With the colony helping, it was only a very short while before the small bush was stripped bare of its fruit and its foliage left sparse and patchy. Now fed and watered, they could finally get back on their way.

"Maybe one day soon it can happen." It would be a beautiful thing really...it would feel just like it did with her daughters. Where they were able to float upon the winds like fish in the ocean. However, Hasea probably wouldn't be all that good at flying right now...the swarm would no doubt be a very big hinderance, and she might end up hurting herself.

When the swarm was gone however...that was another story.

"Yes, he must only get to eat grass...this must be a delicacy for him." Sesselav agreed with her friend, smiling and nodding. She was quite right, the horse mustn't get a lot of different thing to eat...though, the swarm was helping to decimate the poor little bush. Sesselav knew that if Ray was a goat, the poor bush would not survive the fateful meeting, he'd probably end up pulling up the entire thing and eating it. However, the bush would survive...though...the bush was now nothing but sticks.

"I hope you are ready now Ray." Sesselav held some of his mane in one hand, to pull him in one direction while her other hand gave him a light slap on the flank. He began to walk again, pulling away from the bush and heading in their original direction. Sesselav smiled and put her arms back around Hasea, holding her in place while she held onto the mane of the horse. This was working out quite nicely.

Wait, she might actually be able to fly? Hasea couldn't imagine that she'd just sprout wings any day now, and if it was a possibility, she'd be less excited and more worried about the pain. Maybe she could use her magic to do it. She hadn't thought to do it before, but it could work. Maybe Sesselav would just carry her. Her eyes went wide with astonished delight as she considered this. "Can... Can it? How?"

She smiled as Sesselav agreed with her. Ray certainly did seem to be enjoying his meal, chewing up the dark leaves in great mouthfuls until there was almost nothing left. Her happy expression remained as they started moving again and she leaned back gently against her friend's arm. They were on their way again, soon back to the steady pace they had been moving at before. She didn't know how far from the desert they were now, but she was sure they would only be travelling for a few more days at most.

Not that she wanted this trip to be over. She was quite enjoying it just as it was. It would just be nicer without the swarm, that was all.

"That part is still a mystery...but I am sure there are ways in this world for a person to fly without wings." Of course, she saw that a great deal of people needed wings to fly...though there were a few in a grand city that had the ability to fly without wings. That of course was magic, and if Hasea didn't have the swarm, she might regain her mind, and that might make it so she'd be able to remember all her magic...and then they could fly together on the winds. It made logical sense in Sesselav's mind at least.

With Hasea leaning back onto her arm slowly, Sesselav smiled...it felt just like when her daughters were young. It made her feel...like there was a purpose to her life, to her being here. It was to look after Hasea! To make sure that no harm came to this woman, and that she survived and lived on.

"Soon night will come...and we should probably start looking out for a place to camp once more. Hopefully if we stay in a bush again, Ray will not try to eat it." Sesselav said, half amused at the thought of him stripping another bush of food. Though...maybe if they were smart, they would find a place that the swarm could eat and then they wouldn't eat Hasea again.

"I... I hope so..." agreed Hasea with a smile. She didn't remember having travelled much outside her small village before the illness, and afterwards she'd tried to avoid people as much as she could, so she'd never met anyone with such an ability. However, this was a wonderful world, with infinite possibilities, and she'd love to think that this was one of them.

She looked back at Sesselav again when her friend mentioned stopping again for the night. It was probably a good idea, and she hadn't noticed Ray starting to become more alert as the sun inched toward the horizon and the sky slowly turned orange. The horse knew from experience that the predators of the plains preferred to hunt after dark, but Hasea had no clue that this was the case. All she knew was that it wouldn't rain tonight, and that her friend had mentioned needing little sleep, and that they would get further if they kept walking.

However, she also knew that Sesselav wouldn't make suggestions without a reason, and she was perfectly happy to go along with whatever that was. "If you... If you want to rest..." She sat up straight, looking around for anything that could count as shelter. The grass was long and thick here, though, and it wasn't easy for her to spot a place to rest. "Erm... I don't... Don't see anything yet..." she mentioned, shading her eyes against the low, harsh sun as she squinted around the landscape. "If I do... I'll... I'll tell you..."

"As with everything Hasea, we will find a way." She reassured her friend with as comforting as a smile as she could. She'd promised herself that she'd find a way to help Hasea, to free her from the swarm, and she would find a way to help Hasea fly...even if she had to carry her. It might be difficult, but if they found a cliff, she could definitely glide Hasea and herself along, which would be sort of like flying right? Maybe they'd find a magic user who could enchant something to make Hasea fly, like...a chair or a table.

Sesselav was somewhat looking forward to a little more time to let Hasea sleep. She wanted to avoid the previous night's problem however...with the memory loss, but she supposed if she found something good enough for the swarm to feast on...they'd perhaps not decide to eat away at Hasea. It still got her angry...and while she wanted the swarm to die, she knew that they'd feast on Hasea and probably Ray and herself before then, so she had no choice but to give them some sort of offering.

A tribute perhaps, instead of just threatening them. Eventually that wouldn't work, eventually they'd stop being scared and would test her. She wanted to use that only in extreme situations.

"I am waiting for the familiar smell of a bush or tree, I think those would be the more...prudent places to sleep." There was something on the wind though, something that smelled like a tree. While this place probably didn't hold too many of them, there would no doubt be some around. Sesselav started to direct Ray to a hill, she could see some strange scent coming from the other side. It was...familiar...it definitely was a tree...and there was something else...something...about it. She couldn't place it until they got closer and Ray started to climb the hill. When they crested, on the other side, hidden behind the hill was a tree. It wasn't incredibly large, but it was definitely old...and it had strange things hanging from the branches. It took Sesselav a moment...but if her eyes could light up they would.

"Apples. There are apples in the tree Hasea." They didn't look overly large, no doubt they were crab apples...but they were starting to grow at least. "I believe this is the place we want to stop. The tree was in full bloom, and would provide them excellent protection in case it rained again, and the low hanging branches would definitely keep them hidden from predators, it almost looked as if the branches were doming around the tree.

Oh yes, this was the perfect spot.

There was always a way with Sesselav. They would overcome anything, if they could just persevere and find the correct approach. Hasea had always hoped that such a thing was true, and had lived by it, and her friend just kept confirming that she was blessedly right. She smiled back and relaxed, confident that flight would be worked out eventually, and shelter would be found, and everything would be taken care of.

Sesselav really did know how to hunt things down, and it wasn't long at all before she seemed to have found something for them. Hasea sat up expectantly, as eager as her friend to see what it was. Ray, as usual, just didn't care. She smiled widely as the got far enough up a small hill to see what was on the other side, and it certainly was something. There was a little round tree, covered in white blossom, glowing beautifully in the golden evening light. If that wasn't enough to finish off a good day...

"Apples?" She clapped cheerfully. "You can... You can have all the apples you want now... Sesselav... Ray too..." Nobody was going to go hungry tonight! They didn't even have to tell the horse to stop; he drifted to a halt right next to the tree to pluck off a small green fruit, just because it was there. She considered sliding down to the ground already, but didn't much like the idea of maybe falling. Plus, it was polite to let her friend dismount first.

Sesselav was an optimistic creature at heart, of course, when she had been a Queen, there had been almost zero reason to be anything but that. Everything always looked up, and everything usually went the right way. This place was even more special than her own world, it had so much more in it, and as such, she was very sure that her friend would one day get to fly, would one day get to do whatever she dreamt.

Of course, Ray was going straight to the tree to start attacking the branches for food. Well...attacking was a harsh word...it was more like...gentle plucking at it. She was really quite surprised to see the horse eat more and more. She wondered if he ever got full really. She chuckled quietly as she dismounted the horse, then went to carefully help Hasea off the horse. "Just use my thighs as step." She told her friend as she bent her knees slightly in front of her friend, putting her hands onto her friends legs to steady her slightly.

"Slide forward off of Ray, I will keep you from slipping off of my exoskeleton."

Hasea had the horrible feeling that she would just tumble off Ray and fall right on top of Sesselav, even with the help. Her shell (and Hasea's own lack of weight), would mean the ant woman probably wouldn't be hurt, but it still wouldn't be a very nice thing to happen. She'd just have to be very very careful.

Concentrating intently and making scared little whimpering noises, she slid forward and placed one foot on Sesselav's leg, and then the other on the grass. It was... Surprisingly easy, actually. Of course, Hasea was no clumsier than any average person, but the fear of stupid trips and falls made it hard for her to appreciate that. Thankfully back on steady ground, although with a slightly numb butt from a day's horse riding, she was pretty sure she could manage to stay upright. She turned to face her friend again, hands clasped behind her back. "Ah... It worked..."

She reached out, smiling, to brush her fingers over some low-hanging blossoms. "Now we can rest... And eat all the apples... All the apples we want..."  Tonight looked like it would be peaceful and comfortable, totally unlike the evening before. A good night.

Sesselav was being incredibly careful, trying to act as the best stepping stool she could manage, as well as making sure her friend didn't just fall off the horse and tumble onto her in a big mess of Hasea and Sesselav. It wouldn't be very fun, and with all the little sharp parts on her, Hasea could end up in some trouble.

When Hasea started making scared whimpering noises, Sesselav in turn responded with...what she used to do for her daughters...which was click. It had a slight soothing quality to it, and it was almost an unconscious action, she barely even realized she was doing it. When her friend stepped off of her onto the grass, the gentle clicking stopped immediately. She'd deny doing it of course, she hadn't clicked since her daughters were young after all! She was a dignified ant lady person!

"That worked very well." Sesselav said with a nod and a smile. She faced the tree like her friend and gave a chittering little giggle. "If we include Ray in this, there will be nothing left tomorrow morning." Already the horse was starting to pick more fruit from the tree, and she reached over to pluck a couple, handing one of them to Hasea with a nod. "They smell somewhat sweet...they should be good."

Hasea gave Sesselav a mildly quizzical look when the ant woman started making funny clickety noises. Obviously she had a reason for it, since she hadn't done it before, but it was still kind of weird, not that Hasea would mention it. That would be mean, and besides, it was actually kind of relaxing somehow, like her friend was saying that everything would be fine and not to worry. It probably even helped the dismount go more smoothly.

She followed Sesselav's gaze, watching the already large horse fill his belly even more. She wouldn't doubt Ray's ability to strip the lower branches of this tree too, especially with the colony's help. They were already swarming over it, its pretty blossoms dulled inside a buzzing black cloud. Still, Ray was trying his very best to compete. She let out a girlish giggle to match her friend's, and commented, "He's going to be... The giantest horse... When we wake up tomorrow..."

"Oh!" she started in surprise. "Thank you..." An onion, and now an apple? Sesselav was always giving her such wonderful gifts! She took the fruit happily and looked down for a moment at it, then back to her friend, smiling all the while. Just then, she had an interesting thought... Most of the bugs were on the tree. There were a lot fewer around her than usual, and none, right now, on the apple. It had been years since she'd eaten anything, and she didn't feel particularly hungry despite her emaciated state, but maybe... Maybe it was worth a try. Slowly, hesitantly, she lifted it towards her mouth.

None of the horrible little things had better interrupt this.

And, through some stroke of luck, they didn't. With a little effort, since the fruit was harder than she remembered, she took a dainty bite. Wow, it was sweet! She chewed the tiny mouthful thoroughly, revelling in the taste, unable to contain her joy. "Try it... It's so delicious!"

She'd have to be very careful about clicking wouldn't she? Though, Hasea had seemed a little more relaxed so maybe she would remember it and occasionally click to calm the nerves of her friend.

She watched as both swarm and horse ate the fruits of the tree, and could only smile. Everyone was...kind of happy. Of course, there was a tiny bit of hatred and anger for the swarm still but...they weren't doing anything wrong for anyone. They were just eating the tree...just like Ray was. They weren't eating Hasea, and they weren't attacking her, so really there was nothing bad going on now was there? This grasslands could definitely have a nice peace to it, something very enjoyable and kind. If anyone deserved something kind and enjoyable, it was Hasea of course. "Yes, he will definitely be the largest horse...able to carry six of us if he keeps eating...though not very far."

Sesselav nodded when Hasea thanked her for the apple, smiling. "You're very welcome Hasea." It was always good to be polite of course! Manners were instilled in her and her daughters. She wondered if her friend would actually eat it, or if she would just keep it in her robe again. To her surprise though, she actually lifted it to her mouth and took a bite of it. It was really quite something to see! She smiled even more if possible, taking the apple and turning away from Hasea to eat. Just like the last time, it wasn't out of disrespect, but for respect in all actuality. She consumed the apple quickly, turning back to her friend and nodded almost enthusiastically. "You're right, it is very delicious! Very sweet too...it is a good taste."

Hasea giggled quietly, then imagined waking up in the morning to a horse sixteen feet tall and got worried. That would be dreadful! She had trouble with him now, at a manageable normal-horse size. A giant horse just wouldn't be any good at all. Both she and Sesselav were quite little, and what if Ray just couldn't see them? And they got squished?

"I hope he doesn't... Get too tall... We won't... Won't be able to climb on him..." She turned back to her friend with a concerned look. Maybe she was going just a little bit over the top, but even if it was pretty much impossible, it seemed to her like a valid worry. After all, today had been amazingly lucky, and although she hoped it would last, she knew it couldn't.

It just couldn't.

She inspected the apple again for bugs, but there were still none. She'd been looking out for a gritty, bitter speck in the bite she'd just taken, and there'd been nothing there, either. It was like some sort of miracle. Well... Might as well eat while she could. When Sesselav turned back, Hasea had also crammed as much apple as she could fit into her mouth, the core of the fruit grasped tightly in her hand. "Mmmph," she agreed, blushing and feeling slightly ashamed of herself as juice dripped off her chin.

A short, flustered while later, she managed to finish eating and wiped her face on her sleeve. "I'm sorry... That was rude..." She looked guiltily at the floor. "It was just... So tasty..."

Was...was Hasea actually worried about Ray becoming a giant horse?

"They taste like normal apples...so they shouldn't make him grow tall...just a little around sides." Sesselav assured her friend as she patted the horse on the side of the stomach. The horse just gave a small little snort and continued to munch on apples. He must have been getting near full, because he was slowing down and just...chewing on the same apple. Then of course...he knelt down and just started to rest right there. He wasn't sleeping, but he seemed to be incredibly comfortable.

"We should find a way to make him do this when we want to ride on him...it would make it easier." Sesselav commented, her tone slightly humorous as she looked from the horse to her friend.

After her little indulgence into the apple, she turned to her friend who also was doing the same as she had, Sesselav had to cover her mouth to stop herself from laughing, though it didn't really help because...well she wasn't human. So instead she just starting chittering in an amused manner. "It's okay Hasea, you at least can hide the food in your mouth." She told her friend as she reached out and put a hand on Hasea's arm. "Let's get under the branches now...before it gets too dark." Sesselav mentioned as she started under the branches, looking at the soft grass around the tree. There were a few brown patches of dead grass, but it wasn't too bad. Sesselav began to clear some of the dead branches and sticks...making some clean ground for Hasea and her to sleep on.

"Oh! That's all right then... He'll just be... Just be extra comfy..." Hasea's eyes widened with surprise, and she smiled, then wandered over to pet the horse. That was all right then! He could eat all he wanted if it meant tomorrow his back would be nice and secure and pillowy soft. Plus, it was just nice to know he was happy.

She stepped back when Ray sat down, not wanting to to disturb him or have her feet laid on. It would be a lot easier to sit on him like this. She nodded at Sesselav, half wanting to try it out, but it would be mean to intrude on the horse's comfort. He was so much shorter when his legs were all folded up like that, but then his legs were really long, so it was only logical. Hasea was good at logic, she thought.

She looked back up at Sesselav and smiled, with a relieved giggle. Her friend was always so relaxed, and never minded anything Hasea did. She definitely worried less around her. Really, she shouldn't worry at all but there was always that little fear that she'd done something wrong. It never came to anything though, which was the wonderful thing. She smiled more and nodded again, before darting under the tree to help her friend clear the area. Sticks were moved into a tidy pile and wilted petals brushed half-heartedly aside to make a comfortable space for them to sleep.

"Aaaah..." she sighed happily, plopping herself down on the cool grass. "This'll be... So much better than... Than the bush..."

"Exactly, there will be just more room for you to sit on." She looked a lot more comfortable with the idea of Ray just becoming fatter than taller. She didn't think that eating a lot would make something taller but...well Hasea was a strange one. Not that she cared of course, Hasea was her friend, and a good one at that.

Still, she'd have to figure out a way to make Ray lay down like this when they wanted to get onto his back. It was a heck of a lot easier for both of them. Poor Hasea couldn't sit normally after all, and Sesselav wasn't sure she liked...showing off her acrobatic skills to her friend...it just felt mean, even though she knew that her friend would never think that way. How someone so nice could ever end up cursed like she was, Sesselav would never know, but she would help break it.

With a space under the tree properly created, avoiding any of the roots that were sticking up, Sesselav slowly lowered herself onto her stomach, keeping herself propped up with her elbows. She didn't technically need to sleep, but she would to ensure that she didn't have to eat too much. All food would be reserved for the swarm as much as possible. If they were full, they wouldn't eat Hasea right? She at least hoped that's how it worked.

"I agree...it is much nicer than the bush...much softer...this grass is very nice." It wasn't as long as some of the grass outside, which was both a boon and a danger because of the length...but still...it was nice to have something soft for Hasea to lay on. Hasea could have a nice sleep hopefully. "Are you getting tired Hasea? The light has almost gone from the sky..."

"I wasn't..." She held her hand up to her mouth to stifle a small yawn. "But now... I'm kinda sleepy..." She patted the grass a couple of times to flatten it down and flopped sideways. Looking at Sesselav, then Ray, and then out across the landscape and the red sky, she felt peaceful. This was the right place for her. In the last two days, so much had changed in her life. Everything that had happened... Wasn't just coincidence. It couldn't be. Everything that had happened... Was supposed to be.

"The stars... Are out tonight..." She smiled, lifting her arm to point out a tiny white dot just visible past the tree's leaves. An idea surfaced in her mind, not quite forgotten. "Sesselav... This is where... You make a wish..." Hasea didn't need to. Anything she could want was either here right now, or it was coming. She'd thought so a few times before but this time... This time she was sure.

It was pretty funny to see Hasea just fall over onto her side. It was almost like she had fallen asleep right then and there. Sesselav let out a small chittering giggle but quickly stifled it. No need to be rude after all! Her friend was busy looking around at things, while she was more interested in just watching her friend. Was there a way to save her, or were they just...were they just kidding themselves? Sesselav had hope that her friend could be absolutely saved, that her mind could be restored and everything...but she secretly worried her friend would be different.

What would she be like if she didn't have the bugs?

She refused to believe Hasea would change dramatically though, it just...didn't seem like it would be right or possible.

Sesselav slowly followed Hasea's arm upward to the sky, looking through the trees as best she could. Stars? Sesselav had trouble seeing things like that, considering that mostly what she saw was colours everywhere. Of course right now she could only see a few colours, the smells of the surrounding grass, tree, swarm, Ray, and Hasea. Still, she looked up and took her friend's word for it. If Hasea said there were stars up there, then there were stars up there.

"A wish? Oh...okay." She had heard of this before. In slightly different contexts of course, but she knew what a wish was. She focused on where she thought the star probably was, and made a silent wish. It was silly perhaps but...it was sort of nice to be able to do this. Just like having her daughters around again. "I hope that it comes true."

Hasea waited patiently while her friend made her wish. Sesselav wasn't quite looking in the right direction, but wishing was a tricky business that needed concentration, so she left her to it. She wouldn't ask, since that would mean it wouldn't come true, but she did wonder what it was. Her friend might be wishing for her, because she was just that kind of person, but then she also wanted to go home, didn't she? Hasea would be a little sad to be alone again... But Sesselav's happiness was important. If it could be done, she'd make sure it happened.

"So do I..." she nodded, rolling onto her back. "That's why... That's why it's a wish..." She stifled a yawn. Last night hadn't been particularly restful, with the leopard and the rain and the bugs, and it had been even worse than how she usually slept. She wasn't used to having food in her belly, either, and that just made her even sleepier. "Mm... Maybe... Maybe sleep time now..." she murmured, her eyes already closed. "G'night... Sess'lav..."

If only wishes could come true.

Even just a simple wish like this. In a simple place. With simple companions. It wouldn't be possible for the wish to come true though, after all it was just a wish. A simple fancy to pass the time and to make them both feel better. Sesselav did feel better, but she noticed the swarm was still around, and that wasn't very fun. No matter though...you couldn't have everything go the way that you wanted it to.

"Goodnight Hasea." She smiled at her friend before she faced the ground, drowning everything out as her body started to relax. When she woke up in what she assumed was about an hour...she noticed something was different under the tree. The swarm still seemed to be buzzing around the tree eating...but Ray was...under the tree with them. He had curled up on the ground between Hasea and Sesselav. For a moment all Sesselav could see was Ray...and slowly she got up and climbed over Ray, who didn't seem to matter. Hasea was still on the other side, and Sesselav slid down beside her friend, sandwiching herself between Ray and Hasea.

So now it was just a matter of...waiting for Hasea then. Sesselav decided to just stay there and watch her friend, waiting for the woman to wake up. Well. She'd wake her up when the sun began to crest through the tree. For the time being...it was just time to wait. She just let her mind shut down and go on autopilot, until light started to appear. When it got bright enough, slowly Sesselav reached out and put a hand on her friend. Please let her remember me. Please let her remember me. Sesselav silently pleaded. "Hasea...it is time to wake up."

At her friend's touch, Hasea rolled over and said in a small voice, "Sesselav... My tummy hurts..."

She probably shouldn't have eaten all of that apple. Her body just wasn't used to it, and her stomach had woken her up to complain. She'd been lying there all curled up for two hours, keeping quiet in an effort not to wake or worry her friend. Just because her good luck couldn't last until daybreak didn't mean everyone else's night had to be ruined too.

It had been better than last night, though. The lack of sleep gave the swarm little chance to dig through her mind, so she still knew who her companions were. It was a good feeling. Ray had even come to lay down with them, which meant he really did like them, and that made her happy too. She gave a weak smile and went to sit up, bending slightly in the middle. "How... How was your night?"

Sesselav gave a concerned click when Hasea rolled over and complained of her stomach hurting. However, there was elation from the fact that Sesselav was remembered, that Hasea hadn't forgotten about her! It was a nice surprise, very pleasant, and it made Sesselav want so smile. "It must have been the apple...it will be okay." She told her friend as she put a hand onto Hasea's stomach and began to gently rub it. She knew this was a way to help, though she had never had to do it for her daughters. You didn't feel this sort of thing through an exoskeleton...and she was already releasing some pheromones to help with calming Hasea down a little.

She almost felt like a mother again, but...she felt more like...a friend. Like a good friend. It made her feel good.

"Mine was very good. I was surprised to find Ray had joined us. I hope that we can wake him." Sesselav continued her gentle rubbing of Hasea's stomach even as she sat up, as well as running her other hand up and down the woman's back softly. She hoped the feeling would pass. "Are you feeling any better? Should...should I stop? I am sorry if it doesn't help."

"I thought... My tummy would be happy... Why is it... Why is it angry with me?" Hasea wasn't upset so much as she was slightly confused. Eating again was good, right? It shouldn't make things like this happen. Hopefully she could make it stop if she ate regularly, but she didn't know how easy that would be. Perhaps it was best not to worry about it right now and just try to avoid it. While she had them, the swarm gave her almost what she needed. She'd gotten by like that for long enough now, so she could wait a little more.

Sesselav's aid wasn't helping with the pain all that much, but it was helping Hasea to relax and ignore it, which was almost as good. She sat up straighter as her friend rubbed her stomach, feeling a bit like she was wrapped in a big warm blanket. It was an odd feeling, but a nice one. That was probably her friend's doing as well, she decided. It was typical of Sesselav to be so lovely. Sesselovely, in fact! No, that... That was stupid and she was kind of glad she hadn't said it out loud.

"A bit... A bit better... Thank you..." she said drowsily. It was really quite comfortable here, but she couldn't go back to sleep. It was almost time to start moving again. "We can... We can go... When Ray gets up... It'll give you time for... For breakfast... If you want..." And it would give Hasea a little extra time to snooze. Not that she really wanted to, no. That would be lazy and lazy was bad.

"It might just not have expected the apple? So it's...confused." It probably wasn't used to eating. Hasea had said the swarm fed her somehow, so with her actually eating after a long time of being sustained through the swarm it probably wasn't used to the whole thing. Sesselav didn't much care to see her friend in pain though, it wasn't very nice to see really, and she did hope that her friend would start feeling better.

All her efforts did seem to help her friend relax a little bit.

"That's good to hear." She smiled at her friend, glad that she could be of any use. She didn't know how things worked in this world, alls he could really hope for was that she could just give her friend comfort when she needed it. When Hasea talked about the horse, Sesselav looked over to the great beast, who was snoring lightly and flicking his tail occasionally. She couldn't be sure, but it was almost like he was actually awake and just trying to pretend to be asleep. Maybe they had woken him with all their moving and talking.

Sesselav slowly stopped rubbing Hasea's stomach and back, getting to her feet in a crouched position and taking a few apples from the tree. It wasn't actually a bad idea to get some food before they left. "I think that is a good idea, I shall indulge a little." She turned her head away from Hasea and began to eat the apples she had picked. The noise of her eating was enough to make Ray turn his head to look at her. Now...she didn't think animals here were altogether intelligent. They weren't capable of actual language and what not...but she knew they had some intelligence. She was definitely sure of this now because Ray was looking at her like he was saying 'Really? That's how you eat? Do you have any manners at all?' It was sort of...discouraging but she continued to eat, staring down the horse.

She didn't like being looked at like that, by a horse who's life goal was to grow fat by eating everything it seemed.

"Yeah... I think... It's not used to company... So it doesn't know what to do... When it makes a friend..." Hasea looked down at her grumbling stomach and patted it softly. Maybe they had more in common than she thought. Well, duh, it was her stomach, it was part of her. It was a bizarre line of thought, and there weren't many people who could feel genuinely sympathetic towards their own organs. That probably made her weird.

It did, didn't it? She didn't want to be weird.

Her suggestion was good! It made her happy that she'd said something right, and now Sesselav was going to enjoy a tasty breakfast because of her. She smiled at her friend, and laid back down to doze gently in the fading cloud of comforting pheromones. If she didn't close her eyes, she wouldn't go back to sleep. She just wanted to rest a little more. "I hope... I hope they're as tasty... As yesterday's..." she murmured as her friend turned to eat.

She peeked groggily out from behind Sesselav's legs at Ray, who was giving her friend a very strange look. From where she was sat she couldn't see much, but it was kind of like he was judging her. That would be rude, though, and he was a nice horse. Besides, it wasn't like the horse was in any position to disapprove of anybody else's table manners. Maybe he just wanted an apple. That had to be it. "I think... I think Ray... Wants breakfast too..."

Still slightly hunched from her stomachache, she got to her feet to try to pluck an apple from the tree. The swarm had eaten a lot of them during the night, but she quickly managed to locate one and held it out towards the horse, at first balancing it delicately on her palm like she fuzzily remembered she should. "Breakfast, Ray... Oh..." She picked it back up from the ground, dusted it off, and held it towards him again, held more securely this time. "Food?"

"Hopefully it will figure out that fighting its friend is not going to solve anything." She did feel sorry for her friend and wished she could help in more ways than just rubbing her stomach and back but...it wasn't as if Sesselav knew of any roots or herbs that grew native here that could help her. She only knew of one in her old world, and the drones would chew it up and sort of...deposit it into her mouth when she was feeling sick. That wouldn't do here because she didn't exactly know what it looked like pre-chewed.

And Hasea would probably not like the idea of her spitting food into her mouth. Humans didn't seem to appreciate that sort of thing.

"They should be just as tasty." Her friend was going back to laying down, which was probably for the best. Doing strenuous activities when you were feeling bad usually wasn't the best thing in the world. She'd let her friend enjoy laying there for a bit, because it was probably helping.

"Oh Hasea, you should be laying still." She chided her friend, noticing that she was hunched slightly as she walked, and not just from the low hanging branches. However, her friend was all ready in motion. Sesselav stayed quiet as she watched her friend try to feed the horse an apple. Her first attempt made it land on the ground, but the second attempt looked promising. "Palm flat...he might nibble your fingers." But the horse seemed uninterested for a moment till he sniffed the apple. Then in one motion he pushed his tongue out and managed to shove it in his mouth, without taking off any of Hasea's fingers.

Though her hand was now covered in copious amounts of horse saliva. "You would think he'd be full by now..." The ant queen observed critically before shaking her head. That horse was just a bottomless pit for food to go into. Well, they could be thankful he hadn't decided to ah...choose this as a spot to let his waste go. Then again, animals were smart and usually did that away from where they slept. Smart of them at least.

"We should try and get him to start moving again...we have a long way to travel still I believe."

"Yeah... It... It knows that now..." winced Hasea, still holding her hand to her stomach. The pain was finally  beginning to subside just a little, and although it wouldn't be gone by the time they set off, it would be easier to ignore. The movements of riding a horse would probably make it hurt more, and she wouldn't enjoy that one bit. The journey was supposed to be a peaceful, nice time. Being with friends was the most important part, though, and that bit was just perfect.

Sesselav clearly enjoyed her apples, and that made Hasea smile. Breakfast was the most important meal of the day, after all... Or was that brunch? It was some kind of morning meal, anyway, and whichever one it was, her friend had had a good one. Now Ray just needed one too, and all of them would be set for the day. She forced herself to straighten up a little more so that her friend wouldn't be so worried about her, and tried to look healthy. It didn't quite work. "It's... I'm all right... Ray just needs food... That's all..."

And he most certainly did. At first it seemed like he was going to ignore her, as if being given food by a human was some kind of terrible insult, but the lure of juicy, delicious fruit was too much. How was Ray supposed to resist that for more than a few seconds? How, indeed.

"Ha... Haha... It tickles..." she giggled as the horse took his food, then looked down at her drool-covered hand with a perplexed expression. "Oh, yuck... Hands don't... Don't taste good... Do they, Ray?" She wiped her hand on her clothes, wiggled her fingers experimentally and then crouched so she could make sure she got in between them as well. She wasn't too concerned about dirtying her dress. After all, it had started off white and... Wasn't any more.

"A good start to the day... Is... Is healthy for him... He should... Should be extra energetic..." She nodded in agreement with Sesselav's proposal. Ray had chewed down the apple in record time, even faster than her friend did! He had to be ready to move now. The sun had been up for a little while already, too, and it would be a good idea for them to use as much of the daylight as they could. She wiped the last of the saliva off her hand, then stood and waited awkwardly. How they were going to move the horse, she didn't know. He was as stubborn a creature as she was ever likely to meet, although her friend seemed to have some luck with getting him to do what she wanted. Sesselav always knew what to do.

Hopefully Hasea would be able to endure the morning ride. She wasn't too keen on getting her friend onto the horse and back on the road, but they couldn't waste time here. They had to make it to the desert, where hopefully someone could help with Hasea's problem. Then she'd...be less likely to uh...lose her memories and forget everything. Scary thought really....but hopefully it wouldn't be one that comes true. Hopefully they'd free Hasea and she'd be able to do whatever she wanted. Sesselav didn't know if Hasea would stay as she was, or if she would change and become something else but...she still wanted her friend to be saved from the curse of those blasted creatures.

"Does he? I think that Ray could afford to skip a few days and he'd be fine." The horse was a little pudgy, but only because the thing just seemed to like to devour anything in his wake. It was amusing to some degree, but at the same time it was bothersome, since he liked to stop to eat quite a bit. They did usually make good distance, much faster than walking.

Sesselav watched in amusement as her friend's hand got covered in saliva. At least it wasn't too bad...though Sesselav imagined it was worse for creatures like humans whose skin could feel weird things.

"Is that even possible for Ray? If he does become extra energetic will we even know?" It was a valid question considering the horse seemed to have one general look to him and nothing more. It would be funny to see Ray more...energetic but she was sure that it wasn't possible. Now...how to get him moving again. She plucked another apple from the tree and held it toward Ray carefully. Of course, she held it just out of reach of the horse's mouth. He slowly moved forward to get it, but Sesselav moved backward, and the horse would have to move again. She wasn't honestly sure how well it was going to work but apparently it was working very well!

Soon Ray had crawled out from under the tree, following Sesselav and the apple. Of course he had stopped a few times to grab a few uneaten low hanging apples but once he was outside it was perfect. He hadn't even stood up, he had awkwardly crawled along the ground. It showed a testament to his laziness, since he probably didn't want to stoop to get the apple when he stood up. "Hasea...now would be a time to sit on Ray...while he is still low to the ground."

"But he'd... He'd be sad..." Hasea was a little dismayed herself at the thought of Ray going hungry. Eating was the one and only thing the horse seemed to pay any attention to, and that he seemed to enjoy. It would be like her having to go without Sesselav! Of course, she'd done that successfully for quite some time, but now she couldn't imagine going back to it. Applying that to Ray was just heartbreaking. He wasn't an animal that should be sad. It didn't seem right. As far as she was concerned, he could eat all he wanted.

Her friend's observation made her stop and think for a second. Ray wasn't a creature of great variation, and the image of him doing anything that could be classed as energetic was just strange. Whether it was frolicking like a foal or bucking like the stallion he was meant to be, anything that involved giving a care just didn't suit him at all. A few dazed moments later, she offered, "Maybe he'll... He'll walk... A little faster... It'd be good if... If he did..."

It made sense. Apart from anything else, it'd get him to the next food source sooner.

She nodded. It'd be good to be able to do something under her own steam for once, even if it was as simple as this. Regarding the horse uncertainly, she walked over and lowered herself gently onto his back. She vaguely feared that he might stand up while she was doing it, but then Ray was a nice horse, wasn't he? As it turned out, he did, but was slow enough that her butt had already made contact with his back. She cried out in surprise and grabbed a handful of his mane, wobbling slightly, but managed to stay on. "Hee..." she giggled cheerfully. "I... I did it..."

Ray, for his part, cared about as little as usual. He completely ignored Hasea and stepped towards Sesselav, eyes still fixed on the delicious apple. Food was the centre of his horsey little world, and the ant woman seemed to enjoy fruit. If it was to be his, he had to eat it before she did.

"I don't honestly think he'd really notice Hasea...we can be happy in knowing that he is a very oblivious horse. I think he just eats and eats and doesn't notice when he's full or empty." Sesselav commented with a comforting smile to her friend. She seemed worried that the horse wouldn't get to eat, and that was...well it was kind of adorable.

Not unexpected either.

Sesselav watched her friend carefully as she tried to sit on the horse, trying her best not to laugh. Of course, a couple of little chitters were escaping her as she observed the two. She stepped forward when her friend started to struggle as the horse stood up, but Hasea was already seated upon it, grabbing onto his mane and trying to keep her balance. However, Sesselav wasn't needed as her friend was perfectly alright. He didn't even mind that someone was grabbing his mane either, which was good. He was probably used to it by now. "That you did Hasea!" She replied to her friend cheerfully. She let Ray take the apple from her before she went back around and hopped up behind Hasea once more.

Again she put one arm about the woman in front of her before giving the horse a small slap to get him to move again. Once more after that, Sesselav was hugging Hasea in a way to keep her from falling off, grabbing the mane in front of her friend to ensure they could steer and didn't fall off. All in all the day seemed pretty good, the horse was off and walking at a steady, but lazy pace.

"I... I guess... That makes sense..." Hasea nodded, cheering up as the imaginary crisis was averted. If the horse couldn't tell when he was full, it stood to reason he didn't really get hungry either. Ray probably couldn't get hungry. He seemed like the kind of horse that would find something to eat absolutely anywhere. If he had to take to gnawing lichen off rocks, there was no doubt that he would, and enjoy doing it. Besides, lichen might be tasty. Hasea hadn't tried it, so she wasn't going to judge.

She beamed proudly while Ray chewed his second breakfast and her friend hopped up behind her. There was a momentary feeling of guilt where she worried that she might be a little smug about this... But she'd achieved something! It was acceptable to be happy about it. If it wasn't, Sesselav would tell her, right? Her friend wouldn't let her look like a fool.

Leaning her head against Sesselav, she sighed happily. The pain in her stomach was now more of an ignorable ache, the sky was as blue as ever and even the tree seemed to have made it through the night all right. Sure, it looked sort of tattered around the top where the swarm had either been feeding or just ripping it up for kicks, but it still had a decent portion of its foliage left. All in all, the day was looking to be nice and peaceful.

Please, please, let it stay that way.

Hasea was easy to placate, but Sesselav noticed that she worried over the oddest things. It was adorable, but worrying at the same time. Yes, her friend was simple but...Hasea was her friend, and really it was something that Sesselav liked about her. She saw things in such a way that it was nice and refreshing. She worried about the things that others wouldn't worry about, and ignored the things that most would become worried over.

As her friend leaned against her, she could only smile softly. It was odd to think of this situation. If it was back in her homeland, this would be a mother daughter sort of thing...but here, this could be anything. Secretly, deep down inside, Sesselav wished there were people around to see them. The idea of someone misinterpreting the situation was almost...funny to her. While she didn't know what her sexual preference would be here (considering that her species laid eggs, though humans seemed to be able to mate with just about everything) she knew that it may one day come up.

Again. There had been a few times when some rather...strange individuals had wanted to ah...enjoy her company and explore Skirr mating rituals. They would not have been happy.

"I am going to try and make Ray move a little faster." Sesselav said as she scooted closer to her friend, almost to the point that Hasea could curl up against her exoskeleton. This would allow Sesselav to hold onto Ray's mane better and keep Hasea from falling off. She didn't want the horse to start running, but some sort of...lope would have been better. She reached back with one hand and gave him a little bit of encouragement on the behind, sure enough the horse started going faster...but not too fast.

She quickly grabbed the mane once more, and secured Hasea from falling off. This was much better...though Ray probably didn't agree. She wanted some speed, she wanted the horse to get them to the desert faster. That's when the real test would happen.

Hasea nodded and scrunched up more tightly against Sesselav. She was getting better at this balancing thing and would probably be able to stay seated all by herself by now, but she was still grateful for the support. While it was unlikely, falling off Ray would be scary. If that happened, she might break something, and then travelling would be really hard! Her friend would have to carry her... She already felt a bit bad about how much help she needed, and didn't want to be any more of a burden. So it was best to be careful.

Feeling a little more confident, she unfurled herself and poked her head up. While they still weren't moving as fast as they could be, it seemed to Hasea that the scenery was zipping past at an incredible speed. She watched it with a dazed smile for a few minutes, turning her head occasionally to follow small trees or bushes as they went past. "Hee... This is fun... We might... Might get there today..." She paused to watch another tree go by. "But I don't mind if we don't... Because it's fun!"

It was just too bad that the swarm was keeping up. She knew they could, though. They could fly for miles to get food, and find their way back to her every time with no trouble no matter how far she'd gone. How they did it, she didn't know; she guessed teleportation, since she never saw them flying back, but the mechanics of it didn't seem to her to be important. The swarm was just... Always there.

Sesselav saw nothing wrong with trying to protect her friend from injury. After all, it was what people did when they had more experience and what not. While Sesselav didn't really have a whole lot of experience when it came to horses, she was definitely able to make it seem like she knew what she was doing. This was probably just...the easiest way to do things. If Hasea fell off the horse, there might be some trouble, this was just the safest way of doing things.

The ant queen was pretty amused when she watched her friend start to look at the different things that passed by her. It was pretty funny, seeing her head snap back and forth as she looked at different things. It was nice to see her friend enjoying herself on the open...plains. "We may very well Hasea." Sesselav nodded, a little optimistic about the whole thing as well. It would be quite nice if they could arrive there today, but then...where could they sleep?

Oh dear, that could be a problem. The desert didn't really have anything to sleep under...except for the sky. And would it get cold? Sesselav didn't really feel the temperatures all that much, but Hasea would, and all she had was that robe. Maybe if they didn't make it tonight...she'd try and do something for Hasea.

If Hasea thought they'd get there today, and Sesselav agreed, then they'd definitely make it. They hadn't asked Ray's opinion yet, since he was a horse and as such couldn't give much of one. But maybe... Maybe his willingness to break into a trot was a sign that he thought they were nearly there too! Her smile widened, and she turned a more cheerful grin back to the passing grasslands.

After a while, she got bored of watching the landscape and switched her attention again to the sky. The view was nice enough, but it was just earthy and grassy and after the ninth or tenth tree went past it all started to look the same. The air, however, that was always changing, bringing new and exciting weather patterns with it. Or at least it should have been. Even compared to yesterday's balmy sunshine, the blue of the sky was almost unbroken, and what few clouds there were all followed along behind the trio, moving uniformly south. It was a good sign, though; if the desert was all dry like she'd heard, it would make sense that the rains wouldn't reach it. The emptying sky meant they were getting close.

And besides, there were still some interesting things to look at.

"Hey... Sesselav... That cloud... It looks... Looks kinda like you..." She pointed to a roundish blob with a couple of holes in it and some vaguely spiky-looking offshoots, that might possibly have resembled her friend's face only because she really truly wanted it to. She looked at Sesselav and back to the cloud, comparing them with a contemplative frown. "Except... You're prettier..."

Well, she could try to fix that. Hopefully she could avoid making it rain again if she had time to concentrate properly on what she was doing, and she had all day. It'd give her something to do, at least. All right, so even if it worked it wouldn't last at all, but it would still be worth it to put her friend up in the sky, just for a little while.

Sesselav honestly wished that she knew how far it was until the desert. It was really hard to know just how far they were, and how far they had walked...they had to be getting close perhaps...but really she just decided to say anything to help her friend feel better. It made her feel better a little bit in all honesty too, just thinking that they were getting close. Maybe they were actually! Maybe they were really getting close to the desert. It was getting warmer after all.

Her friend seemed to be paying more attention to the sky now, which probably wasn't too bad, she may have decided that watching the scenery wasn't that exciting really. Sesselav was more focused on keeping the horse heading in the right direction, and keeping the both of them from falling off. She was concentrating on what she was doing, barely paying any attention to the swarm around them, or the scenery around them. However Hasea said something and brought her out of her concentration. "Cloud?" She looked up at the sky, toward the cloud and laughed. "It does look...like me doesn't it? And no...I am not prettier, but thank you Hasea." The ant queen told her friend with a polite smile. Of course, most smiles on Sesselav's strange face just looked like...a normal smile.

"That does make...an interesting...idea." Now that she thought about it...being up in the sky was actually a pretty good idea. She had wings too...she could probably just...fly up there and see how far they were from the desert. It wouldn't be hard to see the desert, considering how big it was supposed to be and the bright sand reflecting sunlight. Maybe she should do that...but...a big problem was Ray and Hasea. Ray might keep going this fast, and Hasea might fall off. When they stopped for the night and they weren't in the desert, then Sesselav might fly up and see what was going on.

"You... You are... Prettier..." giggled Hasea. For someone so wonderful, Sesselav really was modest as well! There was always something new to like about the ant woman, and it made her happy to find it every time. Her friend deserved everything nice she could do for her. She began to prepare her magic, spreading out tendrils of influence to sense the surrounding air, but paused when Sesselav spoke again. She hadn't been able to make much progress in those few seconds anyway, but even if she was ready to start using her magic, she'd still stop to listen. To do anything else would be rude, and her friend deserved her full attention.

"It does? Thank... Thank you..." She blushed furiously at the thought that she might have acted as some kind of inspiration. It wasn't a lot, but she was glad she could do anything to help. Whatever Sesselav was going to do with her idea, it would be amazing. It couldn't be anything else.

She went back to what she had been doing, focusing on feeling the air moving around her. It was more complicated with Ray's movements, their speed causing a rush of wind past her which had to be accounted for, so it took even longer than usual – perhaps an hour, she couldn't be sure - to tune her senses far enough into the atmosphere to be able to affect a particular cloud. By then, unfortunately, the little Sesselav in the sky was no more. She blinked once or twice in confusion at the sad little tufts of remaining cloud and sighed. "It's... It's gone..."

"Well thank you Hasea, I should believe you since you have such good sight." The ant queen said sincerely. Though Hasea was sometimes a little out of it...she knew when rain was coming after all, there wasn't just something anyone could do. If she hadn't had Hasea around when the storm came, she might have been in real trouble. She smiled at her friend, very thankful that they had met.

"Yes, it gave me a great idea...but I just have to figure some things out." Sesselav smiled at her friend, almost laughed at the fact that her friend was blushing so intensely. It was kind of cute really! Ah, she wished she could be like Hasea...being able to show emotions so easily.

She just needed to figure out how to stop Ray for a good few moments...she also needed to find a good spot to do so. She was looking for the right spot until Hasea spoke up and said something, said something about missing something or...something being gone. She looked up at the sky and smiled. The cloud was gone, that's what she meant. "Well, if it's anything like me, it probably had to go and find the Hasea and Ray cloud." She explained to her friend, hoping that might cheer her up. She tugged on Ray's mane again and finally the horse stopped in his track. "I have to do something though Hasea...I need to be in the sky like the cloud...stay on Ray, I will be back."

Slipping off the horse's back she looked at him, making sure he didn't start moving. Nope...he started eating the grass. Good enough for her. She spread her wings out and began to flap them faster and faster until she took off. Usually she just liked to glide, but when the time called for it she could fly with those silky looking wings. She climbed higher and higher, Hasea and Ray becoming smaller and smaller. Soon Sesselav was surveying as far as she could from her new position. She could see something bright on the horizon actually, dunes and sand. That...that had to be it. That had to be the desert!

Sesselav began to descend, soon touching down on the ground near Hasea and Ray, smiling hugely at her friend and the horse. "Guess what Hasea!"

Hasea giggled again when Sesselav accepted her compliment. Of course the ant woman was pretty, with her delicate wings and big black eyes. Not even the fluffiest, whitest clouds were a match! And they certainly weren't as smart. Not only was the as yet unspecified idea a great one, she was even putting a lot of thought into it before doing it. That was definitely important, Hasea thought as she nodded along in agreement. There was no point wasting a good idea by messing it all up. Sesselav was so smart!

"I hope it does... Find them... It did look a bit lonely..." She wished her friend was right as she gazed at the empty sky, unfocusing her magic and letting it slip away. Even clouds needed friends, she supposed, and out here where the sky was so blue was no place to find them.

Her attention returned to Sesselav when she felt the ant woman leave her side. Was this the idea she was talking about earlier? Although being away from her friend made her a little uneasy, it would also be good to finally find out what the plan was. She held tightly onto Ray's mane to let Sesselav know that she would be fine on her own, and nodded. "All right... Be... Be careful..." Nervously, she watched her friend gear up to something, and when she took off flying called out, "Don't fall..."

She watched Sesselav fly up higher, and higher still until she almost couldn't be seen against the glare of the sun. There was just enough of Hasea's concentration left for her to use a little of her magic, easing the strong winds that blew that far up in the sky, so that her friend didn't have to worry about being buffeted this way and that. From what she could see, it seemed to be working. Eventually the tiny black dot began to grow larger, until it could be recognised as Sesselav again, descending to the ground with what passed for a big grin on her face. She had news!... And she wanted Hasea to guess it? Well, that was weird, but she wasn't going to let her friend down!

"Uuhhhh..." Her brow creased gently and her head tilted up at the sky again as she tried to work out what it was. Seeing as how Sesselav was so happy about it, it had to be something good... That she had found way up in the air... There weren't any birds around that Hasea could see, so it couldn't have been that they had a new friend to travel with them. But you could see really far away from high up, couldn't you? She inhaled sharply and her eyes widened as she figured it out. "Are we... Are we nearly there?!"

"If I could have found you, then I bet my cloud will be able to find yours as well." It was one of those things that Hasea talked about and you just sort of went along with. She didn't believe that a cloud actually felt loneliness or anything like that, since it was just a cloud, but if her friend felt good about the idea then who was Sesselav to dare say anything? It wasn't her place to make Hasea sad. She just smiled at her friend, glad to have her company.

As Sesselav waited for her friend, she was almost sure that the woman wouldn't be able to guess what was going on. However, after a few moments of her thinking, the woman seemed to have got it. "Yep, it's on the horizon but we're almost there." She informed Hasea as she approached Ray, climbing back up onto the horse with ease and sitting behind Hasea. "There are a few little hills we need to go over before we can actually see it, but soon enough we'll be in the desert." It still worried her, the desert that was, taking her friend there when there would be little food and water, but it would perhaps be okay since the swarm was able to protect her.

She could only hope.

With a smack on the rear to Ray, the horse started moving again, and another light hit to the rump got him going faster. Sesselav was actually excited. No more rain. There would be puddle of water for the oasis and what not, but there would be very little rain, and there would be...sand and hot. That was the important thing. There might even be someone to help Hasea out. She could only hope they'd be able to free her from the swarm somehow.

"Yeah... Yeah, it has to..." nodded Hasea with a smile. Of course the clouds would be together. It was fate. Like their real counterparts, they'd find each other, help each other and then live happily for the rest of their lives. Their cloudy lives... Well, at least she hoped the two of them would end up that way. Their meeting had been so perfect that it couldn't just be coincidence. There was something great waiting for them and only them. She knew it!

Hearing that she was right and they were indeed almost there, she squealed and clapped, bouncing a little on Ray's back. Even losing her balance and almost falling couldn't dampen her enthusiasm. She simply grabbed his mane to steady herself and kept right on smiling with an embarrassed giggle. Once again, the horse's remarkable inability to care had come to the rescue. Hasea, however, cared a whole lot. She turned to Sesselav with a grin that was cheery even for her and said breathlessly, "I'm so... So excited... The desert!"

As the horse started moving again, she too was more animated, swinging her legs gently with a nervous energy she hadn't had before. They were actually nearly at their goal! They'd done it, they'd made it, and now nothing could stand in their way. Anything was possible, anything at all. She could just imagine... As she pondered, she watched the landscape pass with renewed vigour, knowing that each step took them that much closer. "I wonder... Wonder what we'll find..." Snatches of long-forgotten stories whirled in her mind, her excitement growing with each new idea. "Magical... Ruins? Or... Or a genie? I bet... We'll have to see one of them..."

Sesselav was worried when she saw Hasea was about to fall, and moved quickly to try and help steady her but...it wasn't needed as the woman managed to steady herself. Sesselav was quite relieved to see that her friend was fine. Oh that was definitely nice to see! Once she was back on the horse she could help steady her friend though. "The desert will be good for us. Not for Ray though...so he'll stay here in the Grasslands." That was the proper idea, make sure that Ray stayed alive by sending him back towards his group. Sesselav really didn't know why the horse let them do all they did, but she was really glad he had.

Sometimes things just went the right way for them.

Sesselav noted that her friend seemed to be a lot more...lively than before. It was pleasant to see, really it spoke about her character. Despite her situation, the woman was still cheery and happy about no matter what. She really liked Hasea for this particular thing, it was something that just made the woman so much better. "I don't know what a genie is but...I'm sure that we will see lots of interesting things." Magical ruins would be something interesting at least, but she had no idea what a genie was. It was alright though! As long as the two of them stayed together they'd be fine.

"Oh... I'll miss him..." She looked sad for a moment and gently stroked the horse's neck. "I suppose... He wouldn't... Wouldn't have anything to eat... In the desert..." For an animal like Ray, that wouldn't be any good. While Hasea would be upset to see him go, she also wouldn't want to see him unhappy. The grass was already becoming sparser, now a dull, dry yellow instead of the vibrant green it had been around the apple tree. She hadn't seen any trees for a while either, for that matter, with thorny brown shrubs breaking up the landscape in their stead. This was no place for a horse that tried to eat everything he saw.

She nodded vigorously when Sesselav agreed with her. They'd see all kinds of amazing things, and even if they didn't it wouldn't be so bad. After all, they'd still have each other. It was kind of sad that her friend didn't know what a genie was, though. "Oh, a genie is... Um... It's a thing... That lives... In the desert..." Huh. Apparently she didn't know either. She flicked a bug off her collarbone as she tried to remember more details of that particular story. It was definitely set in a desert, and had a genie in it, but as to what that was or meant she didn't have a clue. "Maybe it has magic? I don't... I can't remember..." Lizards lived in the desert, didn't they? Maybe a genie was one of them. A... Magic lizard. It could be. She didn't know.

"We wouldn't want him to not have food. That's his favourite thing after all. He'll be fine...and I am sure in the desert we will find more animals to be friends with." Sesselav told her friend with a smile. She didn't want Hasea to be sad, but they couldn't take Ray without having him probably die. It was sad, but Sesselav was sure there were riding animals in the desert of some kind. Those that were more suitable for desert life. Didn't they have some sort of...hump backed horse in the desert? She couldn't really remember what they were called but...she knew there was something.

Sesselav listened intently as Hasea explained what a genie was. She really didn't actually know what it was, but it sounded interesting. It was one of those things that was beyond her scope in her world. She usually dealt with the little things in her kingdom, though she would occasionally learn a few things that were outside her world. In this place, she was learning a lot more though, and it was definitely proving useful.

"Interesting...magic is fascinating...I only wish that I knew more of it." It might be a way to get Hasea free, and to get herself home...though at the same time she didn't really want to go home. If she did, then all they had done would be lost wouldn't it? She'd no longer have her friend, and she didn't want to just uproot her friend from her world. Besides, she knew that there was nothing really left for her at home...unless she wanted to find a drone and have a sizable amount of children again. That wasn't really appealing.

Hasea nodded slowly. While it would be sad to leave him, it would be horrible to make Ray go somewhere without food. It would be like making Sesselav go to sea, and she wouldn't want to do that either. There were many times when it was kinder to let a dear friend go than to force them to be unhappy. Besides, it didn't have to be forever. Maybe one day, when she was better, she could return to the grasslands to see him again. It was one more thing to look forward to afterwards.

Replacing him wasn't a solution... But then they weren't going to. New friends didn't mean you didn't care about the old. Plus, it would be really hard to replace someone like Ray. She knew little about desert animals, but what she did know suggested that they probably wouldn't be as accommodating as the horse was. Still, the desert was even bigger and emptier than the plains, wasn't it? A creature could get lonely in a place like that. "They won't be the same as him... But... But I'm sure they'll be happy for company..."

Magic was kind of interesting, her friend was right. There were so many kinds; the kind that you just had, and the kind that you learned, and the kind like hers that was a bit of both. Sesselav probably couldn't do the first or the last kind, or she'd know it already, but maybe she could still learn some if she really wanted. Then she could be even more amazing than she already was! Hasea hadn't thought such a thing possible, but if her friend did decide to do that, then it was even something she could help with! She giggled happily at this, and added, "You don't... Don't need it, Sesselav... You're so wonderful already... And you can fly! But I'm sure... If you wanted... You could be the best at it..."

Sesselav wondered if they'd be able to find a creature like Ray in the desert. Not a horse though, but perhaps some sand eating creature. That'd be the only real way to survive, is eating sand really. So they'd have to find a four legged creature that just ate massive quantities of sand, like Ray ate grass. That'd be actually kind of interesting to see, and really Sesselav was pretty sure this weird world would have it. After all, she was on a horse with a woman who had these strange insects that lived in her brain and could...do so many strange things.

"It must be lonely in the desert, so I could see how it would be good if we came upon them." Sesselav agreed with her friend, smiling somewhat at the thought. They wouldn't really need another companion, but it might be an idea to find something that could get them through the desert quickly to...well any city or town or anything really. Something that had people, something that had people that could help Hasea for that matter.

Sesselav chittered and looked away, almost embarrassed as Hasea complimented her some more. She really wasn't used to someone just...complimenting her as much as her friend did. Okay...maybe she WAS...but not like Hasea did. Hasea was genuine, she ACTUALLY believed these things. Her old drones and daughters did it simply because she good. "You're too sweet Hasea. But I'll leave it to the people who are far more experienced in the matter. Like yourself!" And with that, she suddenly embraced the woman and chittered happily.

"I'm sure they'd... They'd want to be friends... Isn't that right... Ray?" Gently, Hasea scratched the horse between the ears. If he liked it, he wasn't showing it, but he didn't seem to mind either. It was just more of his endless nonchalance, and she'd miss it. Still... If anyone could get some desert animal to like them, it was her friend, with her usual quiet helpfulness. The occasional unexpected outbursts of joy just made it all even better. It was so nice to know when she'd said something, or done something good. This way, it made both of them happy.

"Oh... Hahaha! Sesselav... Careful..." she giggled, leaning into the hug and blushing. Truthfully she was... Well, not inexperienced, but she had forgotten most of what she knew about her magic. However, if Sesselav thought she was good, then she wouldn't argue. "But you should... You should really try it sometime... Could be fun..."

She wondered idly what sort of magic her friend would pick if she could. Earth and wind would both suit her, or maybe even fire. Water was definitely out, of course, and ice was even worse. Then there were things like fortune-telling or healing or shapeshifting, although she was sure that was one that couldn't be learnt. There was so much to choose from, and Hasea was sort of glad she didn't have to. A decision like that was too important to mess up.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Sesselav told her friend as they hugged. She wasn't going to let them fall, and if she did well...she wasn't sure what they'd do. She'd have to make sure that Hasea didn't land on her, because she was quite sharp...but at the same time, if she was careful to hold Hasea between her spikes, when they landed she'd be fine. However, that wasn't really needed as they didn't fall, and Sesselav finished hugging her friend, though she scooted a little closer to her friend. The contact was something nice, even if she could barely feel it.

Plus, she felt overly protective of her friend.

"Maybe I will one day! We just have to get to the desert and see if anyone can assist you." She didn't want to say 'help or 'fix' or anything along those lines because...she didn't want her friend to think that she was broken or something along those lines. She wasn't of course! She just had a bad parasite problem. That could be easily taken care of right?

"I... I know..." murmured Hasea, knowing that her friend wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. She was a very thoughtful and kind friend, after all. Still, it was always a good idea to keep safety in mind when doing risky things like walking along cliffs or following rivers or, as they were, riding horses. Hasea was generally fragile and as for Sesselav, it would be horrible if those pretty wings got all scuffed.

So there was yet another thing to look forward to, when she was better! It would be so much fun to try to help her friend learn magic, for both of them. She'd love to be able to do something nice for Sesselav, after everything the ant woman had done for her, and would do for her. Taking advantage of the slight increase in closeness but also making sure not to block the view, she snuggled up to her friend and laughed gently. "We can... We can find anything... In the desert... Can't we?"

Or at least it was beginning to seem that way. Their conversations populated the place with all kinds of beasts mundane and magical, and people who would help them in so many ways. At this point, she had to wonder if it really was the vast expanse of emptiness she'd heard about. Right now, it was sounding fuller than a city, and she just didn't know why she hadn't yet been to such a wonderful place!

She gave a comforting chitter, glad that her friend was alright with the new closeness of each other. Sometimes Sesselav wished she were more human so that she could enjoy things like this, but she supposed that the thought would do well enough. Hasea was squishy and fragile, she supposed that if she were human too she'd also be squishy and fragile. Now if Hasea was a Skirr, she'd be just like her! However, she didn't want her to be a Skirr, she liked Hasea as a human. Human Hasea was probably much better than Skirr Hasea. They'd end up fighting a lot not doubt.

"I'd say we can find just about anything we need in the desert. It seems like the best place for us!" It was warm and dry, and it had what would no doubt be something to save Hasea from the bugs. Truly the desert was a wonderful place, and Sesselav couldn't wait till they were in it completely. She just hoped that her friend would be able to handle it. Then again, she had the bugs to get her food and water so she'd survive, and after they got rid of them, well they'd be in a city so she'd be able to survive.

It was then that Ray slowed down to a stop and suddenly lay down. Sesselav noted that the sparse grass and brush had really become sand now. Obviously Ray knew this was the end, or at least, it was as far as he was willing to go. Probably for the best, considering it would probably take half a day to find himself some food and water. "I...suppose this is where we say goodbye to Ray." Sesselav said as she slowly got off the horse. He gave a little bit of a nicker, as if agreeing with her. Either that or telling her to get off him already. She didn't speak horse so she couldn't say for sure.

Hasea giggled and nodded in agreement. The desert really did seem like a good place, from what they'd been saying about it. Even if it wasn't, anywhere Sesselav wanted to go was the right place for them. Anywhere the ant woman thought they should go, she'd follow along behind. Well, that was if Ray didn't decide it was sleepytime. Why was he laying down anyway? It was the middle of the day... She looked around, and realised it as Sesselav did; there wasn't any food here, he knew it, and he wasn't taking them any further. This was as far as he would go.

"Oh... Um..." She slid off the horse and stood for a second, looking unsure, before kneeling beside him to gently wrap her arms around his neck. "Bye bye... Ray... I'll... I'll come visit you..." She sat for a few moments more, sniffling quietly, then gave him a final soft hug and got up.

Leaving their friend behind would be hard, but it also meant they'd reached the next part of their journey. It was strange being both sad and happy at the same time. The landscape only seemed to add to it, with its cheerful yellow sand and clear blue skies at odds with its eerie silence. Apart from the three of them, there was no life to be seen: no plants, no animals, not even any birds in the sky. It was disconcerting, but she was sure they'd find something to accompany them. "Well... We're here... In the desert..." A little smile broke through her tears as she turned to face Sesselav. "Just... Just don't let me forget him... Okay?"

At least the horse was smart right? It meant he'd definitely survive. Then again, it wasn't like he wouldn't. There didn't seem to be so many predators out here, and the horse could probably run really fast when he wanted to. He just hadn't needed to with them around right?

Sesselav found it quite adorable how her friend was acting. Of course, she'd miss their friend too, but she supposed she could understand why her friend might miss him more. She was very kind like that really. She smiled her best ant smile as she watched her friend hug the horse and then with her sentimental moment over, she looked at her friend carefully.

"I will never let you forget him." It would be interesting...she'd remind her friend every day about Ray, but it would probably get forgotten by her eventually. If not forgotten, she'd at least not remember as it would become less important. Then again...it was really important to Hasea, a woman who really couldn't remember much so...maybe she'd never forget it then! Maybe she'd always remember to tell her friend about Ray, the incredibly hungry horse.

Sesselav reached up and carefully wiped away the tears on her face. How strange mammals could be. "Let's go and see if we can't make some new friends, shall we?"

"Thank you... Sesselav..." Her smile widened as her friend helped her to regain her composure. So long as Hasea could remember all of this, it wasn't so bad that it was ending. She could think back to the time they spent with their faithful companion, and it would always be with her. Ray meant something to her, and she didn't want him not to. She didn't want him to become just another horse, the same as any other. It was all right, though. Sesselav wouldn't let that happen. She sniffed loudly and turned to look back at him, beginning to make his way home. With a small wave she called after him, "And thank you too... Ray..."

The golden sand crunched under her boots as she shifted and turned, and took her first real steps in the desert. It was definitely hotter than she liked, even with the shade from the swarm clustered overhead to keep her from getting sunstroke. The heat was sort of what Sesselav was here for, though, so she could put up with being a little uncomfortable. It wasn't like she couldn't just stir up a breeze if she got too warm, was it?

And this was it. This was where they would both get what they wanted, finally. She'd walked this far, in much worse conditions, mostly by herself; just a tiny bit more with someone wonderful like Sesselav beside her would be easy. She nodded and gazed up at the dune ahead of them. "I'm sure... There's a new friend over... Over every hill..."

"It is my pleasure Hasea." Sesselav told her friend, smiling just as big back to her friend. It was good not to see her friend sad anymore! She didn't like it when Hasea was in a bad way, it stressed Sesselav out a little bit when her friend was in distress. Sesselav waved with Hasea as Ray started to walk off. It seemed like the appropriate thing to do really.

It was now really nice, the desert was warm and dry, and it was absolutely perfect. She could only hope that Hasea didn't get hurt from the warmth. It wasn't that bad here in her opinion, but this was her environment really. She just hoped her friend wouldn't mind putting up with it. She probably would if there was a cure here, if there was a way to free Hasea. That was really Sesselav's main goal at this point.

"That could be very true...there might be a new adventure over every dune too." She commented lamely, not sure she wanted to break Hasea's spirit of saying there might not be a friend over every hill. It was highly unlikely they'd meet too many well...anything out here at this point but if her friend wanted to hope then she would hope as well.

"Hopefully we will be able to find places that are comfortable for you to sleep." If she remembered correctly, it would get cold at night, and hot during the day. If it were possible, they'd sleep during the day, and walk during the night...but she honestly wasn't sure how it would work with Hasea...they'd just have to experiment wouldn't they?

Hasea giggled as Sesselav kind of agreed with her. Of course new friends would bring all sorts of adventures with them! Hopefully not too many, though. It'd be fun, but they wouldn't want to get too far off track. Not when they were so close.

She nodded again and smiled at her friend's concern for her. "I can... I can sleep anywhere... The sand... Looks nice and soft..." Since Hasea only slept when she was too tired to keep walking, she'd ended up in some odd places before. Caves, cliff ledges – once she'd even woken up surrounded by bears with no memory of how she'd got there... Or for that matter, how she got back out. The middle of the desert was probably one of the better places she could sleep. Still, it was just like Sesselav to worry about her comfort.

As she spoke, they reached the top of the dune and were greeted by a wide, shifting expanse of yellow. It was so big, and empty, and Hasea just stared at it in wonder, and a little disappointment. There was nothing but sand, nothing until the horizon disappeared behind more dunes perhaps two or three times larger than the one they were standing on. This... This couldn't even be the entire desert, then, could it? "Over... Over the next one, then?" she said at last. "We'll... We'll find something..."

"It does look very...easy to sleep on." Sesselav vaguely knew that her friend might have a little trouble in the desert. Her skin was...skin, it was suseptible to many things, such as the desert sun. She was slightly aware of the fact that she might actually have some problems from staying out under the sun so much. Sesselav didn't know how to fix that right now though, there was nothing around really to put over Hasea to block sunlight. "You'll be very comfy then on the ground." She noted with a smile to her friend. They'd have to deal with the sun when they could...if worst came to worst she could shelter her friend under her wing.

That'd be acceptable.

The sight before them as they came over the dune was an impressive one. For Sesselav it meant very little, it was what she expected, and it was something grand for that matter. However Hasea seemed a little disappointed by the endless stretching desert. "We'll find something here in this place Hasea...somewhere." Perhaps not anytime soon or anywhere close but they would. She started off down the dune, carefully stepping as to not end up falling, though it wasn't very steep. Still it was better to be safe than sorry, considering that the shifting sand could spell disaster if they weren't careful.

"It's...almost kind of...fun sliding down the sand, isn't it Hasea?" She asked her friend with a large...well it was probably a happy sort of grin, if Sesselav could ever muster it. She was having fun really, though it was hard for her to express it.

Hasea nodded vigorously. She could sleep happily anywhere at the worst of times, and with Sesselav around even hard ground was as inviting as the warmest, cushioniest mattress. Ah, beds... Hasea missed beds. When they reached the city in the desert, maybe she could sleep in one again. That was really the whole point, wasn't it? If they found what they came here for, then it wouldn't matter if they didn't come across anything else on the way. It put it all into perspective. Her usual dazed expression hardened for a moment into one of determination. "We'll find everything, Sesselav... Everything that we need..."

The sand drifted away on this side of the dune, grains tumbling gently down the slope, and Hasea moved cautiously with high, precise steps so as not to dislodge any more of it. Walking like this was sort of awkward and not exactly enjoyable... But then Sesselav had called it sliding, and this certainly wasn't it. Perhaps it would be easier to let the natural movements of the sand guide her. After all, when she was using her magic it was always better to work with the wind rather than against it, and the same principle might apply here.

With a grin back at her friend, she changed her stance and started to skid a little. She was nervous at first, faltering every few steps, but before long she was more comfortable with it and leaned back slightly to pick up speed. Gliding the rest of the way down, she giggled and turned to wave at Sesselav just as she hit the bottom and overbalanced, falling backwards with a quiet thump. "Oh! It isn't... Isn't that soft..." she laughed, pushing herself back to her feet.

That was one of the wonderful things about Sesselav. Even tripping over was fun with her around.

"We will indeed Hasea. You can count on that." Her friend had suddenly changed for a moment, as if she might be seeing a part of her that she was before. That was an interesting thing, Sesselav did wonder what Hasea was like before her change...she might have been something completely different. Strong, confident, a leader, a real queen of people...It was an amusing thought really, quite interesting for that matter. It was fun to speculate.

She watched as her friend changed her stance and started to slide along with her. She smiled a little to see Hasea get the hang of how to move down the dune. She waved back at her, though rushed to her friend as she suddenly started to fall. There was a concerned, or as concerned as she could make, expression on Sesselav's face as she rushed to her friend to help her. Everything was fine it seemed though, and the woman was even laughing, so Sesselav joined in with a relieved little chitter as she helped the woman up.

"We'll have to practise that so you'll be able to slide down any dune we come across." Sesselav told Hasea good naturedly. It was good to see her friend not hurt, and that she was enjoying herself. Looking over her friend once more just to ensure she wasn't hurt she nodded to her and put her arm on the woman's shoulder, starting to walk again. "We should look for the places with the most plants...they would be a good place to find...water if you need it." She wouldn't really need it but Hasea would probably need to drink eventually right? They had no means of storing water long term but...they could try to run across whatever water they would need hopefully.

"Hee... We'll be... We'll be really good at this... When we get to the city..." laughed Hasea, nestling closer to her friend for a little support as she dusted herself off. Although she hoped there weren't too many dunes between here and the city, so that it wasn't such a long way, it'd be a lot of fun travelling like this. Maybe they'd even look sort of impressive, sliding their way through the gates – unless everyone else got around like that. Oh, that would be horrible if they all crashed into each other! It just wouldn't work.

"Oh... Yeah... Water... The swarm will... Might bring me some..." She wasn't totally sure that it would, but it gave her nearly enough of everything else that she needed so she wouldn't be surprised if it could get her something to drink too. Still, it wasn't like it bothered about her comfort so much as keeping her alive, so even if it could help out she'd still be pretty thirsty the whole time. Sesselav would worry, she knew, and she wouldn't want that. She smiled over at her friend, and added, "But I'd like more..."

Plants, huh. She hadn't seen any yet, so how were they supposed to find them? There was that smell thing that Sesselav had, but she didn't know how far away that could work from. If it could work over dunes, or through them, that would be incredible. Her friend was pretty incredible anyway, though, so she had faith that it was possible. She'd always believe in Sesselav!

"We'll be the best dune sliders that they've ever seen." She agreed with her friend, clicking happily at the thought of it. It could be quite fun to keep sliding around the place. She'd have to ensure that her friend wasn't going to hurt herself if she started sliding down dunes with her. Of course, now Sesselav was going to ensure that they didn't go on many dunes, or if they did they'd be careful to walk along them as much as possible.

"Then we'll make sure to get you some." Sesselav assured her with a smile back to her. She'd start looking for places that her friend could get water. The swarm was good for something, and if only they could learn to coexist with Hasea...then she would be so against them. However, they had already done so much damage to them and well now...they wouldn't be forgiven even if they did start being nicer to Hasea. It was much too late for that really.

As they moved on, the golden sands started to become dotted with sparse vegetation. A lot of them looked like they were surviving on very little water, it was however a good sign. It meant that this desert was full of some very interesting things. It meant...there was a possibility that she could be healed. That her friend...could be free here. It made her smile all the more.

((I just read the descrip for Essyrn/Moraki and it appears it IS covered with low growing shrubs. It's not like...Saraha like I thought xDD))

((OK then! Man, everything keeps turning out totally different to how I imagine it XD))

Hasea nodded happily, replying, "And... And you..." She didn't know how much water Sesselav would need, or if she could survive on only a tiny amount each day like with food. Even if she could, though, it probably wasn't nice. She'd been a queen, hadn't she? She would have been used to having everything she wanted right there at any time. She probably didn't enjoy having to go without like this, and was just too kind and worried about Hasea to say so. If that was the case, she thought, she'd just have to make more of an effort to find things her friend would like.

"Hey... A bush..." She noticed the plants a short while after Sesselav did, and pointed excitedly at the first she came across. It was far from the greenest or prettiest she'd ever seen, but it was wonderful to find it here. However, just as she drew attention to it, the swarm rushed over and covered the bush in a hissing, black blanket, and when they cleared again it was gone. All that was left was an indentation in the sand where its roots had been, with nothing else to indicate that it was ever there.

Why the swarm had decided to eat a thorny, dried-out ball of sticks she didn't know, but she was sure it was supposed to tell her something. Maybe it meant 'we really like sticks'... Or 'stop pointing at things'. They were annoyingly cryptic any time they lowered themselves to communicating with her, so after a moment of confusion she just settled on that last one. It wasn't too hard to fold her arms, after all.

((I know, it's like they spring it on us when we least expect it Dx))

"I won't need...much." She told her friend slightly nervously, just the thought of a bunch of water wasn't something she really wanted to encounter. She could handle a little puddle...hopefully that's all they'd run into. The environment was nice, it was rather calm here, it was nice and hot and the sand wasn't too bad. She had friend with her too, and that's all she really needed!

Sesselav looked toward the bush with Hasea and smiled. "It's kind of small, but it probably is a good size for it." The other bushes didn't really seem to be much bigger than it, it kind of looked like all the other bushes. However...now the bush was gone actually...because the swarm suddenly took it.

Sesselav just stared in some horror at the plant as it...was gone. The swarm had been really quick to just suddenly devour the entire thing. They didn't leave a single thing actually...just a hole in the ground. That was quite scary actually. Sesselav just shook her head, rather disgusted sometimes by the behaviour of the swarm. Well, disgusted most of the time. She would free her friend for sure. "I...wonder what would happen if they ate some of those...plants." Sesselav pointed toward a couple of cactus plants all huddled together. "They look very...spiky and painful."

"Oh..." Hasea looked over at her friend, and remembered the thing with the rain. And the pond. Of course she wouldn't want large amounts of water – that was kind of why they were even in the desert in the first place, wasn't it? It was all right, though, because even if they did find a lot of water, Sesselav could just stay away and Hasea could bring a little bit to her. A perfect solution, but, well... She looked around. "I don't... Don't think that... Will be a problem... Here..."

She tilted her head curiously, watching the swarm now scurrying in and out of the hole in the sand. They'd never done that before, that she'd seen; they had a home of sorts already so they didn't need to do much digging. It was definitely odd behaviour for them, and all she could think was that maybe... Were they trying to find... Water? Even if they were, it didn't change anything. They could try to be as useful as they liked, she still wasn't going to keep them.

Then Sesselav spoke and she snapped out of her daze, blinking distractedly. Her friend was pointing at something - spiky painful plants, apparently? She really should pay more attention... She tried to make up for her lapse in concentration and followed the other woman's gaze, giggling when she saw it. "Those... Those are plants?" They looked a bit weird, all squat and leafless, but they had an endearing quality... They were pointy like Sesselav but fat and round like Ray, and green like grass after a rainstorm. She shook her head. "They... They can't eat them... They're... Too cute..."

Sesselav didn't really think that the rain would be too big an issue honestly. There was always a chance that there could just be...water everywhere suddenly. It was a fear of course, irrational and silly but...she was just allowed to be that way. Being a queen after all, and being an ant person for that matter. "No, I don't think we'll have a lot of problems." The water would be small amounts and they'd be fine wouldn't they?

Their new behaviour was by far one of the strangest that Sesselav had seen. What were they doing, digging a hole? It was bizarre, and of course, from a Skirr perspective she knew they were digging a new colony of some kind perhaps. That wasn't right though was it? Why would they be digging a hole?

However the plants were a little bit of a distraction at least. The plants were strange, but they had to be plants didn't they? They were green! They were the only sort of green in the sand and around the sparse brush. "I think they could eat them...but I don't know if they would want to..." Sesselav got close to the cactus and lowered herself down to get a better, closer look at them. She used all the senses she had to observe the strange little plants. She wasn't sure what there was...they had...something stored in them, like a liquid of some kind, and they gave off the smell of plants...and liquids but...strange liquid.

"These are...interesting...maybe we should let them eat one...they are...plants but...they are full of liquids...I can see the smell of the liquid but...the plants have another scent of being...plants." She wanted to see what would happen, and she really wouldn't want to test it herself. There was no telling what could happen...

Hasea squirmed a little, finding it hard to make a decision. The more she looked at the plants, the more adorable she found them, but she was also sort of curious about what it was Sesselav could smell. She seemed eager to find out too, which meant it wasn't something she'd come across before... And still the plants were just unbearably cute. Even if they only sacrificed one to the swarm and left the rest alone, it would be inhumane! And yet, she still wanted to see what would happen.

Here was a dilemma, and Hasea never had been good at making choices. Suddenly she had an idea, and began rooting through her sleeves for the onion. Hopefully it was still... Ah! There. Bitten side down meant she'd let the swarm eat one. It was cowardly to leave it to chance, but she had to pick somehow. She smiled nervously at Sesselav and tossed the onion in the air, holding her breath as she watched it land.

"Um..." Looking down at the onion, she shuffled her feet in the sand. "That one..." She pointed shakily at a medium-sized plant; even though it was horrible to play favourites, the largest might have been too much and the smallest was too lovable by far. Maybe fortunately, the swarm completely ignored her. Her brow creased in confusion and she pointed again, a little more forcefully this time. "That one!"

Still nothing. It was almost as if they actively enjoyed defying her. She turned to her friend with an expression somewhere between puzzlement and distress. "Sesselav... They won't... They won't do it..."

It was rather funny actually, watching her friend look between all the plants. She was trying to decide which of the plants should be eaten, and which of them shouldn't. She didn't really understand why her friend was having such a dilemma about the whole thing, but it was still quite amusing to her. Her friend seemed to be having some sort of trouble with the choice but...that was alright by her though. Her friend had all sorts of silly little habits and quirks, and they were quite fun to watch.

She watched as her friend got her onion out, slightly confused as to what she was doing. When she tossed it in the air, she just looked at the onion, then to Hasea. She had no actual idea what was going on. However, this was just her friend being her friend.

"Okay...let's hope they go for it." The swarm didn't go after the plant thought, they just did whatever they wanted still. She wouldn't want to try and eat the plant herself, though she honestly could. It didn't really seem like they wanted to listen to her anymore. It was quite confusing to say the least. Still...they didn't do anything, even despite her saying it again with more conviction.

"I see that...I wonder why they had before..." Sesselav shook her head and sighed. Maybe they wouldn't get to know how they tasted or what they were after all. She could always open her mind to them. Slowly she did so, focusing her mind as she looked at the plant, trying to command them to harvest the one that her friend had pointed at.

Hasea just kept pointing nervously at the little plant, unaware again that Sesselav was trying to talk to the swarm. She wasn't threatening them this time but after the last one she didn't need to, and their buzzing increased for a short while as they decided what to do. They were definitely a little suspicious of the women's motives; they'd been told off for their feeding throughout the last few days, and now they were being commanded to eat this new, slightly odd-smelling plant. It did seem to have a lot of water in it, which was good, but they had no way of telling what the larger insect thought was going to happen. She was altogether too eager to get rid of them... They had to be careful.

The smallest, weakest and therefore most expendable of the bugs began to land on the plant, coating it in a thin layer of bodies. This wasn't even a hundredth of the colony's full population, and they could well afford to test the new possible food source. They were hampered in their efforts by the plant's tough outer coating, but their jaws were capable of chewing through almost anything given enough time. It was nothing, really, and soon they reached the plant's succulent innards, so sweet and watery.

"Oh no..." Hasea couldn't bear to watch the poor little thing get attacked from every side, and peeked between her fingers at it. Even if it wasn't good for them, she was sure that it wouldn't be happy to have all those little holes chewed in it. She didn't think plants felt pain... She really hoped they didn't. All it had done was to stand here, and it didn't deserve this onslaught. Poor, poor thing.

Each time she pointed at the plant, the swarm didn't do anything. Sesselav was doing her best to try and get the swarm to eat the plan, but they were...well they were not really going for it. She could understand that, she had been telling them not to eat, she had been telling them to behave, and now she was trying to get them to eat. She knew they were intelligent, but this proved there was quite a bit more to their intelligence than she had first suspected.

The swarm finally sent some scouts to the plant, and Sesselav sighed in relief. Well that was good. She had no idea what the strange plant would do to the Swarm, she doubted it would matter much if it killed them. The plants had to have some quality to them that was different from all the others, because the plants were here still. It could have been that all the creatures were worried about the spikes, but why didn't smaller insects eat it?

A great mystery that would hopefully be solved soon.

She looked to her friend, who seemed very appalled by the plants being eaten. She put a hand on her back, rubbing in slow circles again. "It's okay Hasea...you don't have to worry..." She seemed upset at the plants being eaten, and that wasn't something that Sesselav wanted to see. Why she felt that way, she wouldn't know.

Sesselav's gentle comforting did make Hasea feel slightly better, and she was usually right about these things so maybe there really was nothing to worry about. However, the swarm hadn't seemed like they'd be stopping any time soon. "Are... Are you sure...?" she asked, uncovering her eyes just long enough to see that the plant was indeed still covered in tiny black dots. "Oh!... They're still... Still eating it..."

Her momentary glance hadn't exactly told her everything about the situation, though. The fact that there were still bugs on the plant didn't mean they were actually eating the funny-smelling, foul-tasting stuff. They were just stuck. As they struggled, the viscous fluid coated them more and made it increasingly hard to breathe. Those unfortunate few wouldn't have long left, and it seemed that the swarm was wise in its caution.

That still didn't help Hasea a whole lot. The colony wouldn't make the same mistake again, and not enough of them had been wiped out to have any effect on her condition. As far as she knew, the poor little plant was defenceless against the invaders, and she felt just terrible for it.

(((awww, I thought they were gonna get high)))

"They might be hungry, or just as curious as us." She offered up that particular notion to her friend, hoping that she'd be okay. Sesselav didn't exactly know how to offer any other support than that...well, and the back rubbing. Both of which were apparently helping her friend, which was really good to know. Sesselav made sure to close the bond between her and the swarm, knowing there could be great amounts of trouble if she left it open too long and the Queen got involved. While she was easily superior to these creatures, there was still a good chance that the entire hive mind could end up causing her to join them and act like that.

Having a large ant woman perching on your head was probably not comfortable, and Sesselav did not want to end up in that situation, trying to explain it to her friend.

While it was interesting to see the swarm die, and to see the thick fluid in all her senses, it was remarkably unimpressive to her. There was nothing special happening...there was nothing amazing...it was just...well it was just a thick liquid. Sure, it was causing the ants to stick to it, but she expected...well she had hoped that it would do something more. Be a poison that would kill them and only them perhaps, or that it would be safe for them to consume...but it was not...at least...she wasn't sure. No they'd have to keep looking it seemed. "Let's...keep moving Hasea. We shouldn't be out in this heat." Of course, she meant that Hasea shouldn't be in the heat, but Sesselav was enjoying it. Of course...there was the horrifying thought of baking alive in her exoskeleton...but it wasn't THAT hot...not yet anyway.

((They might have done, if they weren't so busy drowning XD))

"They still can't... They can't have everything they want..." stated Hasea, with a touch of poorly-practised indignation. "They need to... Need to learn..." The swarm was nothing less than appallingly selfish. Not only did they live entirely at the expense of others – at her expense – but they took so much else at their own undecipherable whims. All they ever did was take, and it just wasn't right. She'd tried to teach them, at the start, but it never did stick. It probably never would.

And they still wouldn't leave that poor little plant alone! Horrible things.

Upon Sesselav's suggestion, she tore herself away from the sad sight and agreed with a docile nod. While she was used to never quite being the temperature she wanted to be, this was definitely getting to be a bit much. The swarm, as usual, was giving her just enough shade to stop her getting sunstroke but not enough to keep her comfortable, and she'd feel a whole lot better if she could whip up a little breeze. And as her friend said, getting out of the sun completely would help, but... She looked around. "Where... Where should we go?"

((Well it's not my fault, they're so drownable.))

"It's alright, they don't have everything they want, and they won't have everything, not if we are around." Sesselav tried to calm her friend down, smiling at her pleasantly. She wanted to make sure that her friend didn't get too...angry or wanted to try and fight them when they weren't prepared. It could all go downhill from there after all. She just hoped that her friend wasn't too angry about this little experiment.

At least she was able to be distracted, somewhat.

It was probably still on her mind but...well she could only hope that she forgot about it, or that she was able to get passed it. Right now she would have to distract her friend...and...find themselves some place to sleep...while the terrain was vastly changing, the sand become denser and more packed, with sparse brush appearing every which way...well she could hope that they could come across a place to rest. "We...we should just keep moving forward." They had to find a place that was not inhabited, and that didn't get blasted by the sun as it made its trip across the sky. Sesselav was keeping her eyes peeled, as well as looking for any indication with her scent vision.

((Didn't say it was :P))

"You're... You're right..." she conceded, her slight frown smoothing out and her shoulders dropping a fraction of an inch. Anger, even a tiny bit of it, wasn't a very nice thing to have and Hasea didn't really want Sesselav to see her like that again. Getting mad at them hadn't been any help before, anyway. They didn't care. The only people it affected were her and now her friend, and that wouldn't solve a thing. "I'm sorry... Sesselav... I'll... I'll remember that..."

Just keep moving forward... It was something of a mantra to her, and she was pleased that it worked for someone else, especially for such a good friend. "All... All right..." she smiled, nodding eagerly and falling into step beside Sesselav. Just keep moving forward, and everything will be all right. And it certainly didn't mean they had to be uncomfortable while they did so...

"Do you... Want it a little cooler? Just while we... While we look for some cover..." she asked, already spacing out and preparing to read what few currents moved in the almost still, hazy air. Even though the winds weren't anywhere near as strong as she was used to, she needed to be just as careful, if not more so. The smallest variations made all the difference and she didn't yet have the finesse to be able to rush in. Depending on how Sesselav felt, she'd have to work it differently too – she could easily aim the breeze to avoid her friend with the right trajectory. It was all about the start.

((You were thinking it though.))

"It's okay Hasea...it is...very natural all things considered." Her friend wasn't in the right frame of mind, but at the same time she was. All her base emotions were still there after all! She didn't think her reaction had been wrong honestly, it was pretty normal. She didn't like the bugs eating everything they could, and to put them on the plants like that had been a little...wrong but...it was better than Hasea or Sesselav suddenly dying right?

"That...would be nice Hasea, thank you." She smiled at her friend, grateful to have her around. It was good to know that she could count on her friend to be so ingenious with her special powers. She was envious, but her destiny didn't need such things, not while she had Hasea to look out for her. If she ever lost her friend...well she didn't know what she'd do. She was practically her daughter by this point.

Sesselav started walking toward a large hilly dune, wondering what may live there. Once she reached it, she got onto her knees and put her hands on it carefully. She'd be able to feel what she needed from here. There were small holes, from whatever may live here...and...a large hole. It was really actually quite large. Something had dug out a hole in the side of the mountain! Quickly she got up and turned to Hasea with a grin. "Something is here Hasea. There is a big hole in the side of the mountain. I will...have to release a pheremone...just in case it is dangerous." Already she was scenting the air with the subtle scent before she took Hasea's hand and carefully started to lead her up the side of the hill to top. Their possible salvation was right around the corner...er....right...over the bend?

So... It was all right to be angry? Well, of course Sesselav would say it was, she was always so supportive, but Hasea wasn't totally sure. Even if her friend didn't mind, it wasn't a very nice thing to be, or to see someone else be, and she'd rather not do it. Although... Sesselav might not be happy that she was holding herself in for her sake, but it was more because she wanted to... Oh, but then that made it selfish, didn't it? This was all so complicated and hard to get right! It didn't matter now anyway, though, and she was very sure that her friend didn't want her to bother herself like this, so it was best just to move on. That was always best. "All... All right..." she smiled, looking up. "I won't... Won't worry..."

With tiny, precise movements, she twitched the fingers of one hand to help the wind move. She didn't change it, didn't fight it in any way – she merely let it do what it wanted and amplified it, helping it to breathe. After just a few passes it was noticeably cooler, a gentle breeze brushing against them and lifting the prickling heat from her skin. And that was enough. She let her hand still, removing all but the lightest feel of it from her mind. It might need a soft touch of encouragement later, but probably not. It was happy.

And now so was she! There was even more life here, so soon after they arrived. They had all the luck these last couple of days, didn't they? She giggled, and eagerly followed along behind Sesselav. "It'll... It'll be just like Ray... All over again..." Beaming her delight around the landscape as she turned her head, she looked around to see if she could spot what might have made the hole her friend spoke of. Almost immediately, a face peered at her from behind the hill, catching her gaze, and she tilted her head to match it. "Hey... Look... A doggy..."

"That is probably the best thing to do." Sesselav agreed with her friend, smiling at her. It was no doubt the best thing to do...anger at something that had happened and was somewhat out of their control was probably not a smart move. It would just waste their energy and their time then. This way, at least Hasea was back to being happy, and that was all that Sesselav really wanted, was to have her friend be happy!

Sesselav didn't know how her friend managed it, but even she felt that it was getting cooler. She felt like she wasn't baking as much, and she could feel on the sensitive membranes that there was a breeze. "You truly are remarkable Hasea." She honestly spoke to the young air caster. She hadn't...seen her do anything, she didn't say anything, the wind simply...was there, the air was suddenly cooler...it was simply...done.

"That's right, though if we make another friend we'll have to call them something else, because we don't want to get confused with multiple Rays." She could see her friend naming the new friend as something sun related perhaps. What that would be, she didn't know exactly, but she had confidence that Hasea would choose the right name again. She was barely paying attention when Hasea pointed something out to her. There was a head there...sticking up from behind the hill looking at them curiously. "It...looks...uhm...there are more." Indeed, suddenly more heads began to raise from over the hill top, three more of the strange canine heads appeared.

All of them looked like they were sniffing the air to some degree, and all of them were looking straight at them with the same tilted head expression that Hasea had. Sesselav slowed down to a careful walk as they approached the top of the hill to where the...doggies were. They were now getting very close to them. The dogs all seemed to be about the same size, they wouldn't quite reach Hasea or Sesselav's waists when standing up, but they were still pretty big! And they all had...big mouths and big teeth...though right now their large pink tongues were lolling out the side of their mouths and...they didn't look all that dangerous.

"Oh!" Sesselav's praise took Hasea by surprise, her grey eyes growing large and round in a brightly-blushing face, and her hand flew to her mouth as she let out a nervous giggle. It was kind of embarrassing to be told she was special, but she wouldn't argue with her friend about it, of course! If Sesselav thought her magic was impressive, then it probably was. And it was so nice to be useful. "Th... Thank you!"

Still smiling from the compliment, although worrying slightly if she might get too smug about it, she shook her head in agreement with her friend. "No... Not Ray... They should have their own name..." She did wonder vaguely what they would end up calling this new companion. It had taken her long enough the last time... But maybe Sesselav wanted a turn at naming something? Besides, neither of them would know what would fit until they met their new friend, so there wasn't much point trying to work it out now.

It wasn't like they had long to think about it anyway.

Her already wide smile only increased when more faces appeared, each as lovable as the last. She had no idea they'd get such a warm welcome from the animals of the desert! "Wow..." she grinned. "So many... Nice doggies... Hello..." She gave them a small wave and turned to Sesselav, practically vibrating with excitement. "They're all... All so happy to see us... Do you think... Do you think I can pet one?"

"I should be thanking you Hasea...and I do thank you for coming with me on this quest...and for being yourself." She told her friend warmly. Truly, it was nice to have someone like her around! She was optimistic, simple, but not as if she were stupid, but the world was plain and there for Hasea. It was really quite nice to see, and it was good to have her around. It was also funny to see her blushing. Not funny in a mean way, but her people weren't capable of things like blushing. It just wasn't something they did...mostly because they lacked the particular pieces to do such things.

"That seems appropriate. Hopefully it will fit what they are." Hopefully they'd respond positively to the two of them as well. Sesselav could undoubtedly keel most things under control with her pheromone. They worked on Ray and his kind, none of them had decided to flee or got spooked so whatever they were going to come across would have the exact same love for them. At least that was her hope.

"I don't think it should be a problem...just...let me go first just in case." She wanted to find out just what would happen. Hasea would stay in close proximity to her anyway, so they could share the smell of the pheromone, but she did have to really ensure that these creatures just weren't acting, pretending, or curious then hostile. She approached the small group of four 'doggies' as Hasea had called them. They were...cute, she'd admit. They weren't bunnies, but by the looks of their long sharpish teeth they wouldn't be friendly with bunnies. All of them began to sniff cautiously as she approached, but none of them seemed like they were going to attack.

Once she was standing almost right in front of them, they still did nothing. Sure, they were looking at her and sniffing still, but they seemed friendly. The biggest doggie moved to her, sniffing at her legs and suddenly circling her. Sesselav made no movements though, she was safe, they'd not be able to hurt her. At least that was the hope. Finally with the inspection of the new creature done...the doggie sat back on its haunches and looked up at her, tongue lolling out the side of its mouth in an amusing way. With a sight of relief she gave the creature a pat on the head, which it didn't seem to mind. "Okay Hasea! You can come over now!" She called to the woman over her shoulder, using her free hand to wave the woman over.

Hasea only blushed more, her face almost as red as her hair now with Sesselav's continued praise. "Stop!" she giggled. "You'll make... You'll make my head... Get big..." Was that the right phrase? She wasn't totally sure, and she was embarrassed enough as it was. If she'd said the wrong thing, her face might just explode with all the blood in it! All right, that was actually kind of a disgusting thought, so it would definitely be better if her friend didn't know about that one.

It was sort of nerve-wracking again, watching Sesselav test the animals' behaviour like she'd done with the horses. It had worked once before, which was promising, but if it didn't then they'd have four angry dogs to deal with, and even one would scary enough. Thankfully, it wasn't long before it became clear that the ant woman's scent had worked its strange magic again, and the dogs were acting like, well, ordinary dogs, even if they were larger, yellower and scruffier than most.

About to burst with joy, she laughed and scampered up to join the group. "H... Hello... I'm... I'm Hasea..." She leant down to scratch one of the animals between the ears, then reached out and did the same to another. They were actually letting her pet them! And from their expressions, they seemed to be enjoying it. Oh, she was so glad they could make friends! There was a problem though: there were four of them, and she only had two hands. She couldn't pet all of them at once, and she certainly didn't want the other two to think she didn't like them as much, but... She smiled up at her friend. "You... You pet those two... Sesselav... Then... Then it'll be... Fair..."

Between them, they had exactly the right number of hands! It was fate, it had to be. Beaming cheerfully, she moved to scratch the first dog under its chin and wondered what sorts of names would suit them. Since there were so many, it would be hard to come up with them all on her own, unless she could work out a theme... Hmm... She glanced over to Sesselav. "Do you... Do you want to name yours?" she asked. "I don't... Don't mind... If you do or not... Though..."

"You're much too modest for that Hasea, it'll be alright." It was adorable to think that Hasea might have an ego. She was a woman who was about giving to others, she was not a selfish creature. It made praising her nice, because she was so honest and so unaware of how great she really was.

Honestly, Sesselav didn't know there were multiple species of these animals. She had seen dogs before in a city...and had seen them come in different sizes and colours but...she assumed that was like humans. To her, these were just dogs without any owners out here in the wild. Of course, that could make them any kind of personality, and they might view Hasea as something delicious. They might...view herself as something that would give them an upset stomach.

The moment that she had told Hasea that it was safe, the woman came running over. She did so love to see her face light up like that, it was rather adorable to say the least. She could only smile at her friend as she started to introduce herself to the group. "Pet...? Oh yes...right..." Carefully she followed the example of Hasea and began to pet the dogs. They seemed alright with it, but they were probably still quite under the influence of her pheromones. They would be under them as long as they stayed around them too. "I believe it's...fair now. Everyone is getting their heads rubbed." It seemed like a silly thing but this was just Hasea being Hasea really, and it was adorable.

"Name them? I...would like that." Of course, names weren't her speciality. She had to kneel though to look for...well identifying markers. "This one...this one is a boy and...this one is a girl." Well, that wasn't too bad. Now she just had to think of the names. "This...this boy looks fast doesn't he? Uhm...he'll be Dart." She said blandly, knowing it was a terrible name but still. She was trying! Then she looked to the girl and pet her behind the ears. "She'll be Dusty."

Yet more praise! Oh, this was just too much! Hasea held her hands up to her face to try and cover her cheeks, which she was sure had to be purple with blushing by now. "Hee... Sesselav... You're so nice..." she managed, even her embarrassed giggles devolving into helpless wheezing. It seemed like being flattered was hard work, and she didn't know how, say, leaders could take so much of it without needing to go and have a lie down. Maybe it was a thing you had to learn.

The dogs were a lot easier to handle, though, just sitting there with silly happy expressions as the two women made a fuss of them. And as Sesselav said, it was fair! Everyone was making friends, and it was lovely. "See..." she smiled. "Now they know... They know we like them all..."

Idly, she scratched her dogs' heads as her friend chose names for the other two. She didn't know if Sesselav was really comfortable with doing it first, or coming up with a theme, but it seemed like she really wanted to try it. She didn't do badly, either, for all her trepidation. Short names starting with the letter D... It gave plenty to work with. Hasea grinned. "I think... I think they like them... Now let's see..."

Copying Sesselav's movements, she too bent down to look under the dogs. Innocent as she was, she'd grown up around animals and spent the last several years with no other company, so she was decently acquainted with the differences between male and female. She just didn't usually think to check. "I have one... One of each too... Um..." She cocked her head to look more closely at the dogs. One had a slight cloudy shading to its coat, which was really pretty, and the other was, well, staring into space. It kind of reminded her of herself, and she laughed quietly. "She can be... Daze... And he's... Uh... Dapple... And now... Now they all have names!"

"And so are you Hasea." The ant woman was smiling largely at her friend, incredibly amused by this whole thing. Her friend seemed to not know how to handle praise, and it was just all the more adorable. She really liked that about her friend, it was nice to see that she was enjoying herself. It made this whole thing worth it really! This whole trip, all the hardships that she might encounter would be all worth it.

Sesselav gave a small laugh and a nod. "Yes, they seem to like it too." Of course, it was probably also her pheromones that she was releasing but...they generally seemed to enjoy the contact as well for whatever reason. It was reassuring, hopefully they'd all share the big hole in the side of the hill that they had made. While it may be cold during the night, the day was a far worse time to walk no doubt.

She was glad to see that her friend also thought her lame names were good. She could only smile a little bit at that thought. She waited for her friend to name her two dogs as well. Dart and Dusty seemed content enough to lay down, tongues still lolling out the side of their mouths. "W-whoop...come back here doggies..." Sesselav had to get down a bit lower to continue petting them. She wasn't sure when she should stop petting them, but probably when they didn't want to be pet anymore. She smiled at her friend as she came up with names for her two dogs. "Dapple and Daze...they definitely seem to fit...so we have Dapple, Daze, Dusty and Dart...now should we find out where our friends live?" Sesselav slowly stood up, looking down at her two furry friends as they looked up at her with...as confused an expression as they could muster. Sort of like saying 'Why'd you stop with the petting?'

Hasea couldn't even bring herself to make words any more, but her wheezing and squeaking and blushing probably said everything that she would have done anyway. Sesselav really did think she was great! It was good to know that her company was appreciated, and although she knew she could be difficult at times, it made it easier to relax. It still felt really weird to be so complimented, though.

She smiled at her friend's approval of the names and then began to move towards the burrow, still crouching slightly and waggling her fingers just in front of the dogs. Hopefully that might entice them to follow, so that she could continue her petting. Dapple obliged, but true to her name Daze merely sat and stared into space some more. Well, one doggie was better than none, so she'd be extra nice to the one that did come with her. She thought it was sort of rude to invite themselves into the animals' home, but it wasn't like they had much of a choice. It really was best to stay out of the sun, after all. Hoping that Sesselav could ease her worries, she ventured, "I hope... I hope there's enough space... And that they don't mind... Letting us stay..."

Sesselav couldn't be sure if her friend was having breathing troubles or was just embarrassed really, but it didn't seem like she was in any undue stress so she just went with the embarrassed thing. It seemed like the right thing after all. She'd have to be careful though how she spoke now, she didn't want her friend to end up wheezing this labouredly on their trip.

Sesselav didn't feel obligated to invite the dogs along as she walked, but they seemed to follow her anyway. It must have been the pheromones, and that was okay. She found it somewhat funny that one of Hasea's companions was just like her, staring off into space without a care in the world. as they came to the south side of the hill, Sesselav slowly started down it. It was obvious to see where the den was, and the ant woman could only smile. It was big. Big enough for them. She made sure that Hasea followed behind her, as to not accidentally slide down the area where the den was and have a nasty fall. "It definitely seems like there is Hasea." Carefully she moved along the den entrance to peer inside. They'd have to stoop, but the Den was definitely dug out enough. She could see bones of small animals and carapaces of desert insects, but she didn't see much more. "I believe this will do nicely...it even feel like there's cold air coming from inside." They'd stay out of the sun, they'd be cooler, and they had some friends...this was really a good day.

Hasea followed Sesselav carefully, placing her feet just so in the sand to avoid sliding around like earlier. If she fell, her friend would worry for her and she did enough of that as it was. Thankfully, she managed to make it to the hole in the hill without any mishaps, peeking curiously over the ant woman's shoulder to see what the dogs' home was like. She couldn't get much of a view, but what she saw made her clap excitedly. It was round, and much neater than she expected, and large enough for the six of them if they all squeezed in and curled up together. "It's... It's perfect... There's space for... For all of us..."

Well, not quite all of them. If the swarm were to try to cram themselves in here it'd be extremely uncomfortable for everyone involved except them – business as usual for them, really. They seemed to be enjoying the burning sun, though, so hopefully they'd continue exploring and leave the rest of them in relative peace. They could usually be counted on to ruin her day, but maybe this time they'd decide they couldn't be bothered. She may as well wish for it, anyway.

So they were going to sleep the day away. She couldn't say she was all that tired since she'd been sitting down all morning, but it definitely wouldn't do to waste such a cosy resting spot. Still balanced awkwardly behind Sesselav, she turned her smiling face to her friend and gave her a gentle nudge forwards. "You... You found it... So you should go in first..."

She was definitely glad to see that her friend was able to make it down the side of the hill without sliding or following. She smiled calmly as she looked to the dogs, who were slowly standing outside of the cave. It wouldn't be too bad really, with all the dirt that was down the hill and built up around it, she was pretty sure that it got a bit bigger on the inside. The coats of the dogs weren't too dirty, so that meant that either they groomed themselves nicely, or there wasn't a lot of dirt where they slept.

That bode well for them.

"It looks like we'll be...comfortable." In all honesty, there was excitement in her voice. The reason? It was underground again. Like how she used to live. That was something that excited her to no end. She didn't sleep much, but being underground again was something to be treasured. She was still fantasizing about being underground again when her friend gave her a nudge in the back, causing her to look at Hasea strangely. "Oh...no, you should go first Hasea. You require more sleep then I do, so if you go first, I'll be able to leave without disturbing you. Plus the further in you go, the colder it will get." She told her friend politely, smiling at her all the while.

When she woke up, she could go scouting while Hasea slept, looking around the surrounding area and figuring out the best way to go.

"Oh... All... All right... I don't suppose we'll be able to... To move around much inside, huh?" observed Hasea. The hole was big for a burrow in a hill, but it wasn't really room-sized. She wasn't sure where Sesselav intended to go that meant she'd need to leave without waking her, but it didn't worry her too much. She was her friend! She'd never do anything to hurt her. Returning the ant woman's smile, she squeezed past and began to crawl into the den.

"It's... It's so nice... And cool!" she called back, enjoying the gentle draught that wafted from deeper inside the burrow. There was a few slight dents in the ground, no doubt where the dogs usually slept, and while they weren't quite large enough for the two friends to curl up in, they would still add a little comfort. At the back of the cave she turned around and awkwardly pulled herself into a sitting position, the top of her head just brushing the roof of the den. "We're... So lucky..."

"I don't believe we will...it will probably be wide enough for two dogs to lay together...Maybe some little ones." But big enough for humans? A tight fit probably but still, they'd dig down a little bit to ensure they could move and that the air could stay cool. It really seemed like the dogs had done a good job with their den, and Sesselav was thankful for that. She smiled placidly as she followed after her friend, luckily able to see in the darkness.

"It is rather nice...we are very fortunate." Their luck was up and down for the most part, but right now it was up and it was being good to say the least. As they got near to the back, Sesselav just slowly got onto her stomach. The dogs were doing their best to get past her, one stepped on her, Dusty or Dapple, and went straight to lay between her and Hasea.  She smiled a little bit at the dog, who just gave a rather large yawn before lowering its head. "Very lucky. It appears the dogs want to ah!" Sesselav gave a little twist to turn about and look at a dog at her foot. It was Dart, and he was licking her foot. "N-no Dart! S-stop! St-stop licking my f-foot!" She wasn't ticklish, but she could feel the dog still licking her foot. It was completely strange to say the least.

Finally the dog stopped and flopped over onto its side, looking at the ant queen. She smiled at the dog before turning to look at Hasea again. "Do you think you'll be able to get some sleep Hasea?"

As she quietly listened to her friend speak, Hasea was startled when Sesselav cried out suddenly and she jumped slightly, bumping her head on the roof. All right, it wasn't very loud so it couldn't have been too serious but it was still a surprise! Happily, it was just one of the dogs making friends with the ant woman's foot, and she just rubbed her head and giggled at her friend's reaction. It was too bad that she couldn't see it properly from back here in the gloom, but it had to be really cute.

"I... I can probably sleep... Until nightfall..." Clumsily, she lay down on her side with her back to the wall, curled up tight, and resumed petting the dog in front of her. Even though the ground was hard underneath her, it was still pleasantly comfortable with the gentle breeze blowing through to keep things cool. Something didn't feel quite right, though, and she couldn't work out what... Oh, yes! She fumbled in her sleeve for a few seconds and brought out the poor dented, grubby, slightly wilted onion. There, she could hug that and then even if Sesselav went out for a little while, she'd still be with her.

With a soft smile, she folded her arm around the onion and closed her eyes. "Good... Good afternoon... Sesselav..."

"Well, rest as much as you can Hasea, I will do the same...then we can continue our journey." She would expect it to get cold, so they might have to leave during the sundown, so their bodies would adjust to the cold. The only thing that worried her is what if Hasea got...too cold? She'd deal with that...later. She watched her friend as she got out the onion and smiled to herself. Hasea was an adorable person, and Sesselav was very glad to have met her. She might have to spend her life looking after the woman, but it wouldn't be a chore, it'd be like a parent looking after a child. It would be fun and an adventure!

"Good afternoon Hasea." With that said she got herself ready to sleep. It was only a couple hours later when Sesselav slowly stirred. All the dogs were still there, and even now Daze had joined them! Carefully Sesselav managed to make it out of the den and into the hot sun. She saw the swarm buzzing here and there, apparently diving into the cave periodically to bring something to Hasea then leaving again. Shaking her head in mild disgust she headed out, deciding to go look for...well, anything. She marked the hill first with a little bit of her saliva, which would carry on the wind for miles, at least with her special vision, then set off.

She eventually found what she was looking for. Human life. A little caravan set up by a bit of water and plantlife actually! She wasn't surprised, she knew what an oasis was, but it was one of those things that you just wouldn't expect. Then again they were close to the border and what not, so she would assume there would be some underground springs nearby. Ugh. Underwater rivers and springs were deadly and dangerous, and she hated them. Still she loved digging underground but it was so dangerous. She crept upon the camp, the people of the three wagons were more occupied with the water and what not.

That gave her time to shop.

Carefully as she could be, the ant queen rummaged, looking for warm clothes. She eventually found a nice blanket and some thick clothes that looked like they'd fit Hasea. She even managed to find a a rucksack to carry it all in. If she had money, she'd have left it, though what she did have was a small precious stone. Gems and jewels weren't really money to her people, they were digestive aids. Swallow a handful of diamonds and you had some permanent stones to help break up any tough foods you encountered. They wouldn't puncture her stomach, and they wouldn't go through her body! Coughing them up was easy too, so she left a diamond on a crate and was on her merry way.

Of course, Sesselav had to hold her stomach as she walked, as it wasn't too happy about having to vomit, but she didn't much mind. The feeling passed by the time she made it back to the den of dogs. They were all still sleeping, so she took to lounging at the front entrance. The sun would disappear in a couple hours, and they'd be back on the road again.

She only hoped that Hasea could leave the dogs.

After a few hours' nap, Hasea drifted awake and lay in the darkness, blinking slowly until she remembered where she was. All of her memories seemed in order and the situation made sense, which was nice. Carefully, so as not to disturb any of the warm bodies around her, she sat and slipped the onion back into her sleeve. She could just about make out some shapes in the gloom of the burrow, and none of them looked ant-shaped at all. Sesselav was gone, and that worried her for a moment, but with four sleeping dogs between her and outside it didn't seem like she'd be leaving any time soon. Besides, her friend would come back for her when she'd finished whatever it was she was doing. There wasn't really any reason for Hasea to go anywhere.

After a pause to collect her thoughts, she leaned back down to pet the dog in front of her again. It had been Dapple there when she'd gone to sleep, but it was possible he'd switched places with another one and it was impossible to tell without being able to see details. They were all lovely and fluffy, though, and she was happy to be with any of them. She did worry slightly that whatever Sesselav did to make them so friendly might have worn off in her absence, but they seemed to tolerate her presence well enough. If they'd be dangerous, her friend wouldn't have left her alone with them.

Running her fingers gently through the animal's fur, she smiled. It was so peaceful. She was startled slightly when it let out a quiet growl and rolled over, thinking she might have annoyed it, but it almost immediately resumed its canine snores. It was probably just dreaming... How cute! She giggled and leaned forward again to scratch softly between its ears, whispering, "Good dog!"

At least the influence of her pheromone was still in effect despite not being there. She had been worried that it was going to wear off, but as far as she could tell the Dogs were still sleeping peacefully with Hasea. That was very comforting, it had worried her to say the least. She was pretty sure it wouldn't have mattered, the dogs didn't even seem to care really. Then again, they were sleeping. She wondered if this was part of her pheromone, making things sleepy. It would be incredibly handy though wouldn't it?

She'd test it out more later. Maybe she'd see if she could affect people too. That'd be something interesting to say the least. She'd never had a need to try such a thing, but it might be an experiment she could try.

She heard something from inside though, it sounded like Hasea saying...well something. Sesselav wasn't able to hear the entire thing that she said but she couldn't mistake her friend's voice. Smiling to herself she looked into the cave and clicked a few dozen times. "Come on out Doggies! Here doggies!" She called out, hoping to get the dogs out of the den. It took a few moments, but soon the dogs began to stir, and she could see them inside the den. Slowly the dogs began to come out, all of them looked very tired. However, one was missing...Daze of course but...hopefully Hasea would be able to get out.

"Can you make it out Hasea? I got you some...things that would hopefully help during the night walk." She called into the den, trying to see if her friend was able to make it out. She also hoped that she'd be able to remember her...that was a fear when the woman went to sleep but...it didn't seem like she had been freaking out about waking up in a dark hole with a bunch of dogs, so that was a plus.

At last a familiar voice drifted into the peaceful burrow, and while the dogs didn't seem too happy at the disturbance, Hasea at least didn't mind at all. Sesselav was back! Still, it would be a bit difficult to get to her while the animals were blocking the exit, especially now that they had woken up. There was plenty of time, though, and she didn't mind waiting for them to go first. It was sort of sad that she didn't get to pet them any more, but it wasn't like she couldn't do it outside, with her friend. It was better that way.

"Aw, Daze... They... They left you..." she noticed sadly, the oblivious dog apparently not bothered by the commotion. Well, she wouldn't be Daze if she reacted any other way, so Hasea supposed that was all right. She still might have been lonely though, so she paused on the way out to give the sleeping dog a gentle scratch behind the ears.

"I'm... I'm all right..." She smiled up at Sesselav, pushing herself to her feet and dusting down her knees. At last she noticed the pile on the ground next to the ant woman, and had to blink to make sure it was really there. "Wow... How did you... Find all that..."

Well at least the dogs didn't react badly about being disturbed. They had mostly been following Sesselav and Hasea no doubt. Two strange two legged creatures, one emitting a strange smell, they'd definitely follow that! She only hoped that they didn't want to follow them when they went to leave. They were wild animals, and she couldn't be around them all the time to ensure that they didn't...attack, or get attacked. These were some strange dogs that were built for life in the desert, they had the teeth for it after all. She doubted that they'd find too many dens like this out in the world.

Hopefully as they travelled to the city though, their luck would hold out and they'd find more of these large dens.

Sesselav smiled at her friend as the woman came out from inside the den. She remembered her, she seemed fine, no missing parts, so that wasn't too bad right? She still wished the damn ants would just...leave forever but...hopefully the desert people knew. Hopefully someone there would know how to get rid of the ants and then everything would be proper and right again. "This stuff? Oh...someone left it lying around not far from here. It was very odd." Sesselav told her friend with a smile and a small shrug of her shoulder. She didn't really need to know that she...kind of stole it. Sure, she left a stomach acid covered diamond for them but...she didn't want her friend to think any less of her. "It had some of the right stuff that we needed, and there wasn't anyone around so...I thought we could use it more than the non-existent person."

"Oh..." was all Hasea could immediately reply to Sesselav's explanation. It made sense, of course, but it also raised a whole lot of questions her fragmented mind wasn't quite equipped to work through. As she struggled with it, her face slowly transitioned through a series of expressions: impressed with her friend's resourcefulness, then puzzlement, and finally vague worry at the fate of their mysterious benefactor.

"I hope... I hope nothing happened to them..." she managed at last. It would be awful if their good fortune was at the expense of someone else's. Then again, it didn't look like the blankets had any blood on them or anything else that might indicate a mishap, so it probably was just as Sesselav had said; they didn't need them any more. Yeah, they probably were fine! And since the blankets didn't even have very much sand on them, they might not be too far away either... Which meant more potential friends! "Maybe... If we run into them... We can say hello..."

No matter the story that Sesselav told, it wouldn't be the best, and the only comfort was that it was slightly easy to trick poor Hasea. She felt a little terrible about it, but this was for the best. No one got hurt, but she had been dishonest in a way. She just...wasn't sure how people could handle there being an ant woman in their midst wanting to buy clothes. It was just...so much easier this way. She tried not to look her friend in the face, which was thankfully easy as her face was going through many conflicting emotions.

"Oh no, I think they just dropped it Hasea. There were wagon tracks all around it so they probably won't miss it. Since wagons are always full of things." She just wanted to get off the subject, but of course Hasea was very good at being focused on one single subject instead of many. That was who she was though, and Sesselav did love her friend for that. "Oh, I think they were going into the Grasslands....so they're probably gonna run into Ray. That'd be nice right? Ray will get to say hello for us." There, hopefully that would turn things around a little bit.

She could only wonder what Hasea will be like when they cure her of the ants...she was both fearful and curious. The ants were obviously keeping her personality in check, so if they left and her brain started...working fully...what would happen? "Well, shall we get moving Hasea? We've got lots of ground to cover and the cold will be here soon." She stood up, taking up the backpack as she did so. She'd be able to carry it easily...having slung it over head and around her neck. Not like it could choke her right?

"All... All right... Lucky for the blanket that... That we were here... Then..." Hasea sighed a little in relief, glad that everybody was indeed safe. It was disappointing that they wouldn't get to thank the people that helped them, however unintentionally, but they probably had places they needed to be too and it would be rude to expect them to change that. Besides, it was nice to think that their horse friend would have some company on his journey home. She smiled and nodded. "I think Ray would... Would like that..."

She nodded again and stood, scratching the nearest dog gently behind the ears as she did so. It'd be sad to leave their new friends so soon after meeting them, but they did need to move on. Every day the swarm took a little more from her, and besides, if they stayed in one place for too long they might get bored. She'd hate to think what could happen if they decided to amuse themselves.

Trotting quietly along behind Sesselav, a noise like a yawn suddenly floated up from somewhere near her knees and she glanced down. There was Daze, looking appropriately sleepy as she followed the women. Hasea couldn't tell what the dog was thinking here, whether she wanted to accompany them or was just curious about where they were going. And this one was dopey enough to have any number of other reasons that might not make any sense at all, so there wasn't much point wondering really. She giggled, "I think... I think Daze wants to come too..."

"Yes, it was very lucky for it. The poor soft thing would just get buried in the sand if it wasn't for me." She smiled a little bit, glad that her friend was so trusting. Well...glad and a little sad that she was taking advantage of it. At least it wasn't in the wrong way, but she worried that she'd be overstepping her bounds eventually. She was going to have to watch herself from doing anything like that. They were friend, and taking advantage of it would be pretty wrong of her to say the least. "I'm sure he will...either that or he'll just keep walking and eating." Sesselav said impishly, grinning over at her friend.

She didn't want to leave the dog so soon, considering that Hasea was having so much fun with them to some degree, but they'd have to keep moving. They were on a very appropriate mission, they had to save Hasea from the deadly swarm that would eat her brain. Maybe when they got her better, they could come back to this place and visit their new friends.

Sesselav looked to the source of the sound as well, doing her best to smirk as Daze appeared beside them. The dopey little dog was obviously going to come with them, and there was probably no way to stop her. Sesselav could continue to let her pheromones go and keep the dog under the control, she didn't honestly think that the dog would do any damage even if she wasn't under the influence. She seemed naturally like she was this bad. "Well...I suppose Daze can come with us for a little while...it is probably going to be a long time till we get there anyway." It would probably be best to keep the dog from going into any city that they came across, but until they reached that place it would no doubt be fine.

Hasea couldn't help getting a little teary-eyed at the thought of the blanket being lost and buried, stuck forever all alone and unwanted under the sand. That was no way for something so soft and warm to end up... But it was all right! It was with them now, and they'd take very good care of it. It would keep them warm in the night and for many nights to come, although she didn't quite yet understand how such a warm place could get that cold. Anyway, there was nothing really to be sad about after all. There never was, with Sesselav.

"He... He can do that too..." she giggled quietly at her friend's actually pretty accurate joke about Ray. It probably would be surprising if he even noticed that anyone else was around. Still, she had the feeling he appreciated company more than he let on. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but that was her favourite kind anyway.

An excited smile lit up her face when her friend gave her verdict on the dog. Sesselav said they could keep her! That meant it was okay! She crouched slightly to tickle Daze under her fluffy chin, which made walking slightly awkward... Oh, it was so worth it though. Her goofy grin shifted to another vaguely worried expression, and she turned her head to look back at the dogs' burrow where the other three sat watching the women walk off, their faces already too indistinct to interpret. "I just... Hope her friends won't... Won't miss her too much..."

If Sesselav didn't know better, and she usually had a keen sense for these things...Hasea was actually getting a little teary eyed at the thought of the lost blanket. She didn't understand how someone could be so attached to such an idea, but this was Hasea, her friend. She'd just...go along with it for the time being. She loved her friend but sometimes she worried she'd regress too far into simplicity and then nothing could be done for her.

She'd sooner die then let that happen though.

She smiled as her friend giggled at her lame joke. She probably found it actually funny, but Sesselav was just trying to introduce more...humanity into her ways. It was actually a little difficult, she had a bit of a hard time trying to get it integrated without it seeming like...she didn't know what she was talking about. Which for the most part she didn't. She had to inject a little...confidence into the whole thing.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be fine Hasea, seeing as they still have each other. Besides, I'm sure if Daze wanted to, she could find her way back, or they could find her. They have a very good sense of smell remember!" She tried to cheer her friend up, hoping she'd b okay with it now. Though, this seemed to be a habit of theirs now, run into a large group of animals, pick one off to take with them. Of course, Ray had more been out of desire to travel faster, Daze was just...following them.

Hasea nodded along with her friend's words of reassurance, considering them deeply and, at last, smiling again. Daze would be all right, she was with them and if she decided to leave, well, she lived in the desert. She knew how to survive around here. It made perfect sense... Of course it did, Sesselav said it! "I suppose..." she added. "If Ray can do it... Then she'll have no problems, right?"

Yeah, Daze would be fine. She wanted to be with them, as well, so why shouldn't she come along? They'd journey together, peaceful and happy, helping each other out like the great friends that they were. It'd be the most wonderful time!

The sun set so gradually that Hasea barely noticed until it had almost disappeared behind the horizon, the landscape gently bathed in an orange light. The last sunbeams warmed the air enough for now but chill winds were beginning to blow in from the east, kicking up a fine dust as they passed. Her thin dress had never been much good at keeping out the cold, and she shivered a little before twitching her fingers ever so slightly, calming the breeze. That was more comfortable for sure, and would hopefully delay her needing the blankets for another half an hour or so. Yes, Sesselav had picked them up so that they might be used but... Hasea wanted to be useful as well. She felt bad, always having to rely on her friend for so much. Her friend didn't mind, she knew, but she still couldn't help feeling like a burden.

She was glad to see her friend cheering up a little bit. "Not for an intelligent creature like Daze." She agreed. This was hopefully going to be the end of that particular discussions. She liked her friend of course, but having to reassure constantly about something this small wasn't bad...it was just...it wasn't something she was used to. Her friend needed that reassurance though, and Sesselav would give that to her.

The tiny hairs on her body reacted suddenly to the wind suddenly changing. At first it had started strong...but then it suddenly went soft. The dust being kicked up and suddenly stopped. She cast a glance toward her friend and smiled slightly. This had to be her doing to say the least. She seemed to have the control over the winds, and she was glad of that. It appeared that she'd be able to keep herself a little warm...though not as warm as she'd need to be. The warmth would stay for a little while longer, but eventually it'd all be gone and it would get quite cold.

"How are you feeling? Did that sleep help a little bit?" She still didn't know how much the swarm did for her friend. For all she knew, all the sleeping was...for Sesselav's benefit. That was actually an interesting idea, but she wasn't sure about it. It just didn't seem like her friend after all.

"Oh... Yes... It did... Thank you..." Hasea nodded happily, despite not expecting the question. She barely had to think about her answer, after all, since she was so comfortable with her friend. While she could get by on barely any sleep, it was amazing how much more easily she could think when she was getting enough. Everything just made a whole lot more sense these last couple of days! Before that, it had all seemed like such a blur. She didn't know how much of that was because she forgot bits of it, but she definitely remembered being confused at the time. With Sesselav around though, she could sleep easily and dream of hopes instead of worries.

Even stifling the wind hadn't totally removed the chill from the air, and she shivered again and wrapped her arms around herself for warmth. It would be so nice to curl up with Daze, bury her face in that lovely fluffy fur, but they had to keep travelling. The whole point of walking at night was that it would be easier without the heat of the desert sun, and besides, there was still comfort to be had. "May I... May I have a blanket now... Please?"

Sesselav gave a smile and a nod, glad that it had. It meant that her friend needed it in some way. She was glad to know that she was still human in that respect at least. It meant that putting Hasea to bed would be a beneficial thing and they weren't just wasting their time. That would be wholly wasteful for the both of them if they were just...fooling each other. She wouldn't honestly be surprised by that too, the two of them were just polite enough that it could happen.

When she noticed her friend shivering, she was about to get out the blanket for her when she spoke up, requesting it anyway. Sesselav smiled as she got out the blanket from the pack slung about her shoulder and helped Hasea wrap it about the woman. Once it was secure and snug she smiled and nodded. "There you go...now you'll warm up again. Good thing Daze doesn't seem cold." She looked to the dog in question, rather sure that even if she actually was, the dog really wouldn't care.  It didn't matter though, it was time to keep on walking.

"Mm, Daze has... She has all that fur..." agreed Hasea, snuggling gratefully into the thick blanket. "It's so lovely... And soft..." She could have been talking about either subject at that point, and it really didn't matter which. Both of them were wonderful, so why choose? They were both right here too. If she could have managed to lift the dog and carry her, she probably would have done. As it was, she was pretty sure she'd end up dropping her, which would be a very bad thing, so until they stopped for a rest there'd be no hugs for Daze.

With the landscape darkening as evening set in, she couldn't help but think of the leopard attack, and the Sesselav-shaped empty space that had protected her. Nights were dangerous, weren't they? Because that was when all the hunters came out. This was different, though; this was the desert, and there wasn't so much to eat. If there was anything big out here, it would be desperate, more desperate even than the cat, but... How would it have survived in the first place? No, nothing would be a threat to them here, and besides, they had Daze now. The dog would know what to avoid. The sun had dipped completely behind the horizon by the time she worked all this out in her head, and at last – more to reassure herself than her friend, who had no way to know what she was pondering in any case – she said, "Yes... We'll... We'll be fine..."

"Yes...that it is." She honestly wasn't sure if Hasea was talking about the blanket or if she was talking about the dog but agreeing was just easier than clarification. Making Hasea think on the subject probably wouldn't be completely nice, and she probably didn't want to have to choose anyway. Really, she didn't want to overtax her friend...even if it didn't make her think hard, she still didn't want to risk it. Besides, it didn't really matter did it?

This place at least seemed barren and rather...well, devoid of monsters. Well, not monsters but that large predatory cat was pretty bad to say the least. She didn't really like the idea of being attacked one more, but then again who would? She really hoped they wouldn't have any such encounter tonight...they at least had Daze, which would help to stop most things from coming close. Then again...if they got into real trouble, she could just pump out a bunch of pheromones and hope for the best. She should have tried that before with the animal but...she wasn't that on top of things yet.

Soon though.

It was actually good though that none of them really had to eat. The swarm could do as they pleased and feed Hasea, while Sesselav didn't need to eat so much. Daze of course probably knew how to hunt so...if they needed some food then...that would come in handy.

Walking through the night, a comfortable silence hung over the group like the soft blanket about Hasea's shoulders. Though the landscape barely changed, her thoughts were enough to occupy her. There was just a sliver of a moon in the sky, but it seemed larger here than anywhere else and with the lack of clouds it gave more than enough light for her to see by as her eyes adjusted to the gloom. The sand that had been so yellow in the daylight now had a monochrome cast of white and silver, prompting her to look over at Sesselav's wings, and she giggled happily to herself. They looked so delicate and pretty in the pale light of the moon – not that they weren't pretty all the time, of course! They were just even nicer now, was all.

Even the swarm was quiet and sparse, fanned out across miles of desert in an effort to find objects of interest. A short way ahead of the trio, a few oddly square stumps of rock wedged in the ground drew no more attention than any other trivial landmark in this barren place. They gave no heed to manmade things new or old, and they couldn't comprehend the inscriptions carved deeply enough to still be half-visible in the weathered stone. Whatever they had been didn't concern the insects, and whether the women would care when they stumbled across them later didn't concern them either. They were just rocks, invisible and pointless. To them, anyway.

The desert was as alive for Sesselav as it was for the swarm no doubt. She saw many different colours around her, many different scents floating around her. Hasea, the blanket, the swarm, Daze, the desert, the sands, ground, and many...many different things that she couldn't identify. It was nice though, to know this world was still so alive even though it looked so barren. She looked to her friend, hearing a small giggle from her friend and just smiled. She didn't know why she giggled but...this was Hasea, who knew why she did a lot of things.

When they came upon a small rise in the dirt and sand, Sesselav had to stare at the strange rocks cropping out of the ground. It was completely strange to see, and it looked...she wasn't sure if it was natural or man made, but it looked...out of place. Like it shouldn't be there. "What is that..." Sesselav said with hushed tones as she started her approach straight for the rocks.

"Huh?" Hasea blinked, roused from her daydreaming as Sesselav spoke, and broke into a skip to try to keep up with her friend's sudden increased pace. The equally spaced-out dog beside her, however, wasn't quite so easily distracted and trailed along behind them, oblivious as usual – not that Hasea was much more observant.

She peered around, trying to work out what her friend was so focused on. It was still too dark for her to see the carvings from here, and she hadn't noted the regular shape and spacing of the rocks as anything odd, nor the slight depression in the sand between them. If it wasn't for the ant woman's reaction, she would have passed them by without comment. With a puzzled smile she turned to Sesselav, gave in and asked, "What... What are we... Looking at?"

She was surprised that her friend hurried along to follow her, while the distracted Daze simply kept walking slowly after them. Or maybe she was just walking in a straight line...both were equally possible with the dog. It was adorable and tragic at the same time. She could only wonder why she was acting just like her friend Hasea...couldn't have been a swarm at least, which was good news.

"The rocks...there's...I'm not sure but I see things on them." As she got close to the rocks she peered at them curiously, running a hand over the runes, her fingers going between the carved letters to try and see if she recognized them. She wouldn't doubt that they would probably be in a completely different language than any that she knew. "This is...very odd...I don't think these are natural...well. The rocks are natural but...ahem." It was best to just...leave that be.

Tilting her head slightly in confusion, Hasea followed Sesselav closer to the rocks. She still didn't see what was so weird and unnatural about them. They were just... Rocks! Still, her friend was usually right about things like this, so she crouched down and copied the ant woman's movements, feeling the rough surface. And... There was indeed something odd about it. It wasn't totally flat, but it wasn't as randomly craggy as most of the other rocks in the desert either. The holes made lines, that joined up like pictures. Or words. Pushing her face towards the symbols, she strained her eyes in the dim light to try and make out what they were. "Oh..."

"Do you mean... Do you think... There are people here..?" she asked at last, a mixture of hope and apprehension in her voice. People might mean new friends, but they were also complicated and they could get upset with her, and that was scary! If they were nice like Sesselav it would turn out all right... She was pretty sure she wouldn't meet anyone else who was very much like her friend, though. Besides, the rest of the area didn't look a whole lot like anyone lived here. Apart from the rocks, there wasn't any sign of people at all, and if there weren't any people then what were the carvings for? This was kind of making her head hurt...

It was incredibly odd and strange feeling to say the least. Sesselav couldn't read them, they weren't a language she knew, but then again she didn't know a lot of written languages. It was definitely strange feeling, and it wasn't as if she could see them all too well. They just...were strange symbols on rocks. She decided to stare at the rocks, just looking at them and hoping that they somehow would make sense to her. They didn't though...they were just...strange and alien to her. However they weren't doing anything. They were just...she didn't even know. She couldn't figure it out, nor was she wanting to in the end.

"I don't...think it does. I can't say for sure of course..." She really couldn't say anything else. They were just there. She couldn't read them, she couldn't figure them out. They were just...symbols on rocks. That's all it really was.

"Maybe we should just keep moving...if it does mean people, they could be anywhere around us..." but they knew which way they had to keep walking. Straight toward where they were going. South.

"Good... Good idea..." nodded Hasea, giving the rock one last pat as she stood. No matter what mystery they posed, it was obvious enough that they wouldn't find anybody here. It was best, as always, to keep moving. Anything could be beyond the next hill, beyond the horizon. If she just kept walking, with Sesselav, everything would work out.

The sand shifted under her feet, a normal occurrence on the slopes of this landscape – the fact that they were on relatively flat ground now escaped her: for a few moments, that was. Ahead of them the earth moved again, more violently this time, and a black shape began to rise against the twilight sky, sand spilling from it as it revealed itself to them. An enormous spider-like creature emerged, and though Hasea couldn't be sure in her sudden terror and in the dark, it seemed like it had too many legs. There wasn't time for her to get drawn into pondering such things, though, as it fixed its gaze on the pair and began to rub its front limbs together, giving out a nerve-wracking rattling noise.

"Sesselav... What... Do we... I don't think... I'm scared..." she whispered, at last managing to voice an entire thought. For one, that thing didn't really look like it would want to be friends with them... Daze caught up now, bumping gently into the backs of her legs and peeking around her in confusion, only to shrink back with a whimper. If even the dog was worried, this couldn't be good...

It was a mystery that they wouldn't solve any time soon now would they? Neither of them could read the language, and in the end it was a trivial matter. It probably didn't say anything of importance, because if it did it would probably be written in more current languages. Even if it did say something important in an ancient language, the information probably wasn't relevant. For Sesselav she was really just going to ignore it and let it escape from her mind. It was of no consequence to her in the end.

Until the ground started moving.

The dirt and sand shifted under their feet. It didn't feel natural. Sesselav could feel the tiny tremors and movement of something that wasn't just the sands shifting. This was very...bad perhaps. It was a monstrous bug of some sort, and Sesselav's wings were out already just in case she had to flee suddenly. She'd grab her friend and pull her as far as could be, but Daze would have to be on her own. She could only hope the dumb dog would run in terror instead of trying to nuzzle the large monster before them

"It's okay Hasea, it's okay..." Even the whimpering of Daze got Sesselav worried. How could this possibly be a good thing? Sesselav would have to try something extreme. Her wings beating fast she suddenly vaulted herself upward toward the strange beast. It was just another insect, and she'd had relative success before with the swarm and other creatures with both her pheromone and her mental abilities. She would just have to...combine the two...hopefully it would work.

"Oh... Be... Look out..." Hasea called after Sesselav as her friend launched herself towards the monster. It seemed awfully dangerous, but she knew what she was doing, right? She wouldn't do anything silly. All the woman could do was hang back and watch, cowering against the sand. After all, she wasn't agile and strong and tough like her friend, and she'd only get hurt. There was always her magic, which she readied in case it was needed, but until she knew it wouldn't interfere with her friend's plan she kept the wind quiet, still.

Focusing its large central eyes on the small shapes before it, the creature was momentarily confused when one began hurtling towards it. This wasn't usual, and it wasn't quite sure what the little insect was doing, but if the food wanted to come to it then it supposed letting that happen might not be a bad idea. And for some reason, it was feeling oddly... Friendly... Towards the tiny things... But for now, dinner was more pressing. Keeping its gaze firmly on Sesselav, it brought its front legs up and together in a pincer movement, aiming to snag her with the sticky barbs on its feet.

Unable to watch her friend's peril, Hasea squeaked and covered her eyes. No, she had to pay attention! If Sesselav really was in trouble, she'd have to know so that she could use her magic! Peeking out from between her fingers, she noticed the black cloud of the swarm gathering around the scene, pouring back in from across the desert. Their host was in danger, and they needed to act. Quickly, they streamed towards the monster and covered it with a second buzzing skin, exploring it for sensitive orifices they could block, as they had with the leopard. They'd found nothing so far, but everything had to breathe.

Her concern was probably well warranted, but she was the one who was supposed to protect her friend right? She was a queen, and Hasea was her...princess? She didn't dare want to say drone, that would make herself feel bad, as if she were taking advantage of the woman. No, She was not one to do that! Definitely not.

The rather large beast was staring at her, and it was...definitely something strange to see. However, it wasn't attacking her right now. It was...well it paused for a moment, it had hesitation, which meant that she could act! Of course, the legs were a little bit of a problem, and she was going to have to avoid them...and she just barely managed to avoid it, her wings going a little faster as she felt the leg swish underneath her.

THAT had been too close.

It was really strange how the swarm was helping to fight too. She could only watch from above as the swarm went down over the other insect and try to...do something to it. Would they be able to do anything like that anyway? It was awfully large to say the least. She had to help though, she had to see what she could do! Sesselav swooped down, landing on the head of the creature behind the eyes, trying to get a focus on it. Sesselav tried to assert her will onto it, trying to see if it had a sense of reason or how great it's mind was.

"This has to work." The ant queen muttered to herself. If not, she'd grab her friend and then...run.

Sounding like the dog, Hasea whimpered when her friend disappeared out of sight between the creature's legs... And then almost immediately reappeared on top of its head, completely unharmed. Of course Sesselav would be fine! She was too wonderful not to be! Forgetting the danger for a moment in her relief, the woman smiled and clapped, calling out, "You're... You're too cool... Sesselav..."

The monster paused again when its target went out of view. Where had the little fly gone? An itch on top of its head caught its attention and it raised its front leg again to try to wipe it off, but the movement of the tiny figure on the ground made it change its mind. Oh yes, there was other food, wasn't there? Food that seemed like it might be slower, and easier to catch. It fixed its eyes on its new quarry and shifted its legs forward to start a rush, but stopped dead in its tracks. There was a weird feeling inside its head, like its ideas were tickling it, and it kind of seemed like it... Didn't want to eat the small white thing after all? This was new, and strange, and confusing, and it didn't like it one bit.

It was staring at her. The creature was staring at her and all Hasea could do was stare right back, unmoving. She was so stupid! Her friend hadn't really needed her encouragement – she was doing so well on her own – and all it had done had brought the monster's attention onto her and given Sesselav more to worry about! She had to help now, but what could she do to it that wouldn't put her friend in danger also? Even the swarm seemed to have found something, packing themselves in under its belly.

Tearing her gaze away from the creature's, she looked around her and an idea slowly formed in her mind. Trembling, she twitched her fingers, coaxing the air between her and it into a small whirlwind which started to pull in loose sand from the ground. It wasn't enough yet, but she hoped it would help.

Sesselav was pretty focused on her work at hand...but she could hear something from Hasea on the ground. Too cool? Oh, right, she thought that she was fabulous? Was that what it meant? It meant something...right now she was a little more focused on the fact that the great spider was wiping a leg over its head at her. Sesselav was prepared to jump and fly above it but...it stopped for some reason. She stared at confusion as the spider just...

Oh no. Hasea.

She had to do something...she had to...what the hell was going on? The swarm was doing something, she could hear their thoughts too. Something was off...they were doing something to the giant spider. She was rather confused by all of this but...she had to focus on what she was doing. Her mind opened and expanded, trying to instill a sense of friendship. Her pheromones were going wild too, she was doing everything she could to try and just...make everyone friends. "Come on...come on...." If Sesselav could close her eyes, she would, trying to focus all her energy, all her mind on one specific task.

"You will sit...and...be...GOOD!!!!!" The scream was of frustrating, but the psychic shout that went out would probably make quite a few insects in range suddenly go prone or sit back in obedience. She had to succeed, she couldn't let the swarm kill it, and she couldn't let Hasea be eaten. She would never forgive herself if anyone died.

Desperately, Hasea flicked her fingers faster, drawing the mini-cyclone into a more rapid spin and sucking up larger and larger quantities of dirt. Quickly it bulked up to the size of a person, and she guided it to one side to see if it had worked. The monster seemed to follow it at first, bobbing towards it to see what this new moving target was, but there was one thing missing. Heat. No warmer than the air around it, it couldn't be alive and so it wasn't a suitable dinner. Disregarding the distraction, the spider fixed its sights again on the little mage, and she shrank back with a frightened squeak.

This was it. She'd failed her friend, and now she was going to get eaten. The dog probably wouldn't be too happy with her either, come to think of it. "I'm... I'm sorry..." she whispered, shutting her eyes, when Sesselav shouted out. Even though it wasn't meant for her, Hasea immediately found herself cross-legged on the ground. If she'd ever doubted that the ant woman was a queen (and she never would!), this would be proof.

Stunned into obedience, the creature shuffled its back legs oddly, tangling them together in an effort to sit down like it was told to. It didn't know how to sit, didn't even know what sitting was, but what it did know was that right now, it had to do this strange new thing. Eventually it managed a kind of facsimile of a human seated position, its limbs angled forward and its abdomen touching the ground, and stayed there. It still kind of wanted to eat something... Just not these things. How bizarre!

The swarm, too, slunk out from underneath the monster and settled into a thick black sheet on the ground. They kept buzzing, though, even louder than usual, like a sulking teenager slamming a door. With them down, there wasn't a sentient life form in the area that wasn't paying attention to Sesselav. Even Daze had her ears pricked forward. All eyes, ears, and various sensory organs were on the ant woman now.

Sesselav didn't have a lot of time to watch what her friend was up to. She was too busy holding onto the monster and invading its mind. If it was going to get close to eating Hasea, she would have to jump, but for now it just seemed like it was really confused by something strange. She didn't have time to figure out what it was, but she could feel a change in the wind...the air was...different. It wasn't something she could worry about though...

Things worked out though...

The large creature beneath her started to move and she held on as best she could, crouching low. At first she thought something bad was happening but...there were no screams...and there was nothing bad going on beneath her. It slowly stopped moving, and she noticed that they were much closer to the ground. Carefully she spread her wings and jumped from the large creature, propelling herself to land near her friend with a worried look on her face. She was okay though...just...sitting. Daze was sitting...the large creature was sitting...even the swarm was upon the ground in a thick black sheet.

Sesselav looked around before she helped Hasea up. "Sorry, I didn't meant you Hasea...I just...was scared something bad might happen." And something almost had but...luckily everything was okay in the end. She turned her gaze to look at the large creature sitting before them. "What...what should we do with it...?"

"You were just... So... Commanding..." blushed Hasea, taking her friend's hand and allowing her to pull her to her feet. Trust Sesselav to get a great big monster to do what she said! That was why she was so wonderful. She had all these mysterious powers, and she only ever used them for good. If she could make something like that behave itself, she could probably do all kinds of things.

Although she did have to remember that it was still there, and her friend's question was something she should have been thinking too.

"I don't... I don't know..." she mused. They certainly didn't want to hurt it, and sending it away would be mean too, since it seemed to live here. There was the option of trying to really make friends with it, but even if it worked she didn't like the idea of it maybe taking a dog-shaped snack while nobody was looking. She felt a little bad for thinking so unkindly of it but, well, it had just tried to eat her. This time, she was probably justified. "I think... He would be too dangerous to... To ride..."

A big spidery Ray would be nice, but it wouldn't be so funny and cute if it was trying to eat more than just plants. It wouldn't really be like Ray at all then, would it? Not that she was looking to replace him, of course not! He was unique and lovely and this was not the time to be getting distracted by a horse that wasn't even here. Sighing, she glanced back at the creature. "Maybe... We just leave him... Leave him here..."

"When you have as many free spirited daughters as I did, you have to learn how to command." She tried to pass it off as nothing, as if it were just some thing she did. She didn't want Hasea to think she was bragging, so if she didn't see it as a big deal, Hasea shouldn't either...right? She sometimes forgot how these things worked, but no one could blame her. She wasn't human after all!

"It certainly is...good that it isn't attacking us at least." It was kind of adorable in her opinion. Some massive colossus just sitting there like a dog or something...kind of like Daze. She felt more kin to it because it was an insect, but...she was also a lot like Hasea so...she just wasn't sure really. "If we had...some sort of saddle it might be easier but...then again who knows if it would listen. We should probably not...try that." As fun as it would be of course, and no doubt it would be a lot faster...plus if they needed shelter it could just stand over them and cast a shadow. It would be incredibly useful but...

It would probably try to eat them.

"That...is probably the best idea...but I still wonder what...what it was doing here." Idly she began to walk toward her, her eyes focused on the large creature before her, mind stretching out to touch it once more. "Why are you here?" She thought to it, wondering if it would even understand. It probably didn't have a concept of language, but pictures would have to do...either that or...feelings. Some insects didn't have the proper concept of keeping memories, at least, not regular memories. They kept the most basic memories...favourite foods, favourite spots to go, what to avoid, and were able to convey that in basic instinctual feelings. She hoped that this one at least could use pictures.

"Wow... My mother... Wasn't that forceful... Well... I don't think she was... She'd be... She'd be... Like me... Wouldn't she?" mused Hasea, never sure what was a real memory and what was an imaginary scenario she'd made up to replace what was lost. She remembered her mother as warm, and softly-spoken, and smelling slightly of fresh soil... But anything else was a mystery, and she was sure at least some of that had managed to get mixed up with Sesselav anyway, which complicated things. Lost in thought, she pondered this a little longer, keeping half an eye on her friend to make sure everything continued to be all right.

As if guided, the creature thought of her eggs, nestled safely in the square corner of a large cave under the sand. It wasn't perfect, being far too smooth for her liking, and not nearly round or cosy enough, but it was dug out ready and was always there when she needed it.

She bristled for a moment, ready to protect her brood from these interlopers, then relaxed again. They wouldn't hurt them, she felt, not sure just how she came to that conclusion. But they were safe enough and friendly, and that idea meant they were all right to have around, however strange the idea itself seemed. Plus, the smaller insect was in charge. If she thought about it too long it was really weird that she was letting herself be bossed about by something so tiny, but it just felt like the most natural thing in the world to do what she was told. So she'd keep doing it.

"Well, you're very relaxed and easy going Hasea, so she probably didn't need to be very forceful." The queen told her friend with a smile. It made sense to her of course, Hasea had probably been very well behaved after all. At least, she could hope that was how her friend had been before these insects in her mind. She couldn't really...handle the idea of her having been completely different and now she was...completely changed.

Sesselav could only smile slightly as the creature thought of why it was here. It was guarding eggs! It was a mother then, and it wanted to just protect its young. That made her hearts swell just a little bit at the thought. She understood why the creature had been both hungry and defensive.

"She, as I have discovered, is guarding her eggs. She's just a mother protecting her young. It has probably been here for a very long time protecting them." Sesselav said as she turned to talk to Hasea, smiling a little bit. He still wondered just what was under the sands here. If this spider had found something...what else might be here? "Under the sands. Show me under the sands." Sesselav thought, sending the thought out to the large creature. She wished it had a name, and that it was much more intelligent but...this would do for now really! They could name it later after all.

Hasea nodded half-heartedly at Sesselav's assertion. That... Was probably right, wasn't it? She had the faintest of suspicions that she hadn't been the perfect daughter, but then such a person probably didn't exist. So it was all right to not be her... She hoped, anyway.

A joyous grin lit up her face when her friend told her what the creature was doing here. Guarding eggs! How wonderful! That meant there'd be lots and lots of little giant monsters running around the desert someday, which if she thought a tiny bit harder about it probably wouldn't be such a good thing... Or so little... But right now it sounded absolutely lovely that such a terrifying thing could be so motherly. Those baby spiders were so lucky.

The creature shifted uncomfortably at the continuing psychic effect, not used to having to do so much thinking all at once. An image of going through the sand was in her head but not in front of her eyes and that was weird, and now the image was down past the sand to... What? Blackness? Well, yes, blackness and – her mind filled in the missing gap, a large square space underneath the desert, her eggs piled in a corner against the wall. Branching off from the main cave were lots of smaller square spaces, maybe passages to other caves? She didn't know for sure, since she was too big to fit into them and the cave walls were aggravatingly hard, too hard to dig through. But she'd never seen or smelt or felt food down there, so it wasn't like she was missing anything.

She really did hope that her friend had been very relaxed and very...much like herself now. Just with a better memory. That was the only thing she really wanted to change about Hasea. Oh and the swarm being gone but that was really just a given wasn't it? Still, she was sure that Hasea was just like this in her former life before the swarm...she had to be.

She was very glad to see her friend's face light up. It made her very happy when she saw that her friend was happy, which happened a lot considering this was Hasea.

Sesselav carefully listened to the large creature as she told her about the underground. There was...something more down there? It was...there was something big down there. This seemed like something that they probably shouldn't ignore. Just because it was an adventure and all that. She liked the idea of going down there and seeing what was there. "There's...there's a big cave system under the sands it...it looks made by people." The ant woman said as she turned to look at her friend. "Should we try to go down and explore it?" If Hasea didn't want to, then that was alright, but she couldn't imagine the woman didn't want to.

"There could be something neat down there...we'll just have to avoid the eggs." If there was one thing that she knew, it was not to mess with a creature's eggs. If she herself was any indication, then no matter how much mind control and pheromones could protect them.

"Oh?..." Hasea replied, her mind working through what Sesselav told her. A cave under the sand? Made by people? So that meant there had been people there, and those symbols probably were some kind of writing... So what might be down there? If she was alone, she probably wouldn't go down in case bad things happened or it was scary, but with her friend there to look after her it was all right to indulge her curiosity. "That sounds... Sounds... Like it could be fun..."

She nodded furiously at the mention of avoiding the eggs. Yes, she'd have to stay far away from them! They were probably all fragile, and if she tripped and fell on them she'd hate to think what would happen to the poor little things. Plus, she didn't think their mother would be very happy about it and that would be dangerous for everyone. It was definitely for the best not to go anywhere near them.

Looking around, she couldn't see any kind of obvious entrance but then she couldn't see a whole lot of anything in the dark. Maybe they could find a way in around where the big spider came out of the sand but, well, it was sitting on it at the moment. While it was still docile, she wasn't sure how safe it would be for her to go near it and she shuffled her feet nervously. "So... How do we... Where do we get in?"

"I think so too. In the very least it would...offer us some protection during the day..." She was sure that they could spare the night and day to stay down there. It would be cool to some degree, and it would protect them all from anything bad. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but they could spend a few hours traversing the underground. The only thing would be light. They'd need light wouldn't they? Well, they could deal with that when they got to it.

Sesselav wasn't sure what would be a good thing to do, but she was curious...so very curious. While she didn't know how bad the swarm was going to get for Hasea, she had lived a long time with them...while she felt bad about doing this to poor Hasea, the woman seemed like she wanted to explore it too. Hopefully the mother was going to let them...she just had to make it clear that they weren't going to hurt her eggs.

"I don't...know...I will ask." Sesselav once more looked up to the large spidery creature before them. Alright now...how exactly to go about this? "How do we get down? We want to see the other caves, the ones away from the eggs." That was something she wanted to make sure it understood...that they wanted to explore away from the eggs.

Hasea nodded again, content to stand back and let Sesselav deal with things for now. It was so impressive how the ant woman could talk to the monster, and even apparently have a proper conversation! She'd love to know what it was like to speak to something like that... Although if she was doing it, she'd probably be too shy to say anything. Even if it was a person, her friend would have to be the one handling the talking.

Another image of the space beneath the sand flashed through the creature's mind, and she made a quiet rattling noise as she tried to work out why. Though there wasn't any danger around, that much was clear, she had a sudden urge to go down and check on her eggs. They were probably fine... But maybe they could have started hatching already. Yes, that might be it!

Rising to her feet, she shook each leg carefully in a precise dance to get rid of the uncomfortable sensation from being in such a strange position for so long, then began to dig. Sand pulled out from under her piled up behind, pushed into heaps by her back legs, and it wasn't long before she was half-buried. The swarm rose from the ground as she did so, not wanted to be squashed or trapped, and once more the air was filled with the black buzzing cloud. Wanting to move closer but unsure if she should, Hasea gave Sesselav a quizzical look. "What... What does that mean? Should we... Should we follow?"

If only Hasea realized how difficult it was to talk to the giant spider. Well. It wasn't really that difficult, the mind was open, but it wasn't capable of actual speech. Just images, which were a little hard to figure out at first but...once you got the hang of the fact that the creature had multiple eyes well...things started to work out okay.

Sesselav gave a small smile as the creature began to make a strange rattling noise. It wasn't that quiet, considering that the creature was incredibly large, but it was still kind of cute. From what she could understand...it was less like asking questions and more like...mind control tricking. She wasn't sure if she was okay with that, but it wasn't like they were hurting the creature. Besides, a mother did need to check on her eggs regularly.

She remembered countless hours of having drones run back and forth to the spawning nest to tell her how her eggs were doing. Granted she could have just lived in there, but the drones were so much better at taking care of eggs than she was. They could keep the temperatures perfect without needing to touch them, while she would have been picking them up a lot and stroking them and being very...disruptive.

She watched the creature as it began to dig, rather impressed with the ability. Then again, it was a very large creature so it could move a lot of sand and dirt quickly. "I...believe we should yes..." Sesselav started heading toward the creature, looking at beast as it started to dig further into the ground. She saw an open spot under the beast, where there was enough room for them to go under. She took Hasea's hand and smiled at her. "I know where we should go...don't be scared, we'll be safe." More than likely. With that she started off with her friend, heading under the giant spider as it began to dig. The creature would keep the sand off their head, so long as it didn't...suddenly lay back down on them.

"M... Mmm," nodded Hasea, following her friend to crouch under the creature's body, crawling along with it as it dug out more space ahead. It was nice to be holding Sesselav's hand. It made her feel even safer, and just having the ant woman there made her feel safe enough! Even though they'd squashed themselves between the sand and a huge monster that had tried to eat them just a few minutes earlier, she was absolutely certain that nothing bad could possibly happen. There was no way!

The hole closed up behind them as the creature dug and for now the swarm couldn't be bothered to follow. They doubted there was much in the way of food or water under the sand, and they could easily teleport home if and when they needed. Only a few scouts followed the women, to keep an eye on them. If they tried anything untoward, the full swarm would be summoned to stop them. For now, however, Hasea was allowed a few moments of relative peace.

The true entrance to the underground space wasn't very far below the surface, and it didn't take long for the creature to burrow through. Though she couldn't see anything in the darkness, the feel and sound of the air ahead told her that this place was big. Really big. Of course it was, though – where else would something like this want to lay her eggs? Reaching upwards to make sure the creature above them had moved on, she stood unsteadily. "What... What can you see? Is it... Is it wonderful?"

It was a very odd turn of events, there was no denying that really. Just a little while ago she had been flying above this creature trying to fight it, and now they were crawling under it as it thought to go check on the eggs it had buried. No one really could have expected this incredibly strange turn of events. It wasn't as if this was a bad turn of events, it was actually quite nice in some regards. Of course, they just had to make into the chamber without being squished and they'd be fine right?

Sesselav led onward as the creature dug, taking the two women deeper and deeper into the ground. This was really quite fascinating, and it made Sesselav homesick as she thought about it. It wasn't exactly like her underground home but...just being underground again was nice. Reminded her of Daze's den a while back...

"It is very...interesting." The room was incredibly large, she was rather impressed by the size of it all honestly. She assumed that this was from...many...many years ago and had just been buried by generations of sand and wind. That's what it had to be. Unless it was a race like hers who had made something underground to suit their needs. Sesselav kept her friend's hand in hers, looking about. This wouldn't be very good for Hasea would it? All this...darkness. "We...I wonder how we can make it so you can see too." Sesselav hoped that they could find anything to help let Hasea find her way without being led around. The ant woman would feel terrible if she had to describe everything for her friend.

"I... I don't mind..." Hasea replied automatically, adding, "Unless... Unless you do..." Sesselav would be nice enough to lead her around if she had to, make sure she didn't fall down any drops or bump her head or step on spider eggs or any any of the thousand other things that could go wrong down here in the dark, but that didn't mean she'd necessarily want to if there was another way. After all, it wasn't the most fun they could have in ancient ruins! And honestly, she did kind of want to see them for herself.

Turning her head from side to side, she squinted and strained her eyes to try and make out any glimmer of light but it was pitch black all around, and she gave up after a few moments. That wasn't going to get her anywhere. If there was to be light here, they'd have to make it themselves. And with neither of them being light mages that she knew of, that meant fire.

She'd learnt to make fire three times now, not that she remembered the first two, and wasn't bad at it. All she needed were the tools which, unfortunately, wouldn't be easy for her to find in the dark. It was lucky for her that she had her ant friend, wasn't it? Oh, but maybe Sesselav wouldn't like fire, seeing how insects in general seemed to not like it and how scared she'd been of the water earlier... But she could at least ask! It'd be silly of her to make her friend guide her around if she didn't need to, after all. "Um..." she started. "Do you... Maybe... Do you see anything... I could... That we could burn?"

"Oh, it's quite okay, but it would be nice if you could see it all too!" She was glad that her friend didn't mind, but she really didn't just want to lead the woman around in the dark. It'd be very unfair to her. This adventure was for the both of them! If Sesselav got to see something that Hasea didn't, it'd feel less like a two person adventure. She just...had to hope that they found something to light on fire. And then some way to light the fire. Okay so it might be a little difficult but if these people lived underground here, they'd have to have that right?

So now it was time to go on a hunt.

"Not...yet...but there must be some things here." She told her friend as she led the now blind Hasea along with her. The passages out must have something! In a place this big, they'd have to put torches out front. It made sense to her at least! As she led Hasea along to a large wall with a passageway in it, she nearly let out a breath of relief. If she could. She couldn't technically but she made the noise anyway. There were torches in holders out front of the passageway!

"Here we go!" She took down one of the torches and inspected it carefully. It was still wrapped up in a large amount of cloth and what not. Dry maybe but...if it had been treated, it'd still work right? "I found something Hasea." She told her friend as she turned around to look at her, taking her friends hand and bringing it to the torch. "It's a torch, and it doesn't look like it had been burned yet...will this work?"

Stumbling along behind her friend in the dark, all of Hasea's concentration was used to make sure she didn't trip and fall. She trusted Sesselav to lead her safely around, but the ant woman couldn't account for every uneven patch of floor. It was all right though. It wasn't long until they came to a halt, with no mishaps on the way, and to make it even better her friend had found something they could use!

"I... I hope so..." she nodded, the torch heavy in her grip. There was only one way to tell, and that was to try and light it. Now all she needed was something she could use to do that. With a dazed crease of her brow she patted herself down, in case she'd secreted a flint somewhere on her person and forgotten about it. Apparently not though, as her cursory search didn't turn up anything vaguely rock-like. All she had with her was her faithful onion.

With a curious little noise, she crouched and began feeling around on the floor. The stonework was surprisingly smooth under her hand, as if nothing had disturbed it since it had been laid down however many years ago. That was probably right, actually. Still, it didn't help her much at the moment. "Can you... Can you see any... Rocks... Or something..."

Sesselav didn't register it too much, but she did make sure to take her friend along a path that was easy for her current condition. There was a bit of rock here and there, no doubt from centuries ago, but most of the ground was in good condition, which was a pleasant surprise honestly. It meant the structure, whether it was buried over time or built underground was stable and sturdy. She wouldn't have to worry about the roof coming down on them.

Which was always a possibility with the giant spider over to one side.

She watched her friend as she patted herself down. What was she looking for? Oh! Probably something to create fire. She didn't have the magic for it after all, so she'd have to find something to strike against something. Oh she wished that she knew the exact thing to do, but they didn't need light in their tunnels.

If she was ever able to create a new colony she'd make sure her daughters were able to figure this out. The little noise made Sesselav tilt her head slightly, wondering if that had been her friend. It must have been. Now she was...on the floor rummaging around. Getting down as well she started to...well she wasn't sure what she was looking to until her friend spoke up. "I'll...see what I can find..." She started to search, which took her away a little bit from Hasea to a small mound of some kind. It looked like sand and dust and webbing of some kind. Perhaps from the spider? It had been here a long time though, so it could have been the itsy bitsy "Unable to swallow you whole" kind that one would usually find in a place like this.

As she got closer to it...she noticed it was a person. Or had been a person. A long time ago. Carefully she looked over her shoulder at Hasea, who was still busy on the floor it seemed. Carefully she inspected the dead person, noting a couple of old daggers in the belt. Carefully she pulled from the body before nodding. This would do.

She returned to Hasea rather quickly, not wanting the woman to go over near the body. "I found these Hasea! Metal daggers, laying on the floor." It wasn't a lie...they were just...laying in someone's belt on the person's body on the floor. No need for details. She clicked them together. "Will they help?"

"That's... That's great!" Hasea smiled, standing up and taking one of the daggers from Sesselav, careful not to grip the blade in the dark. She didn't wonder too much how they got down here – this was an old city or a tomb or a temple or something, and there were bound to be old artefacts lying about. Maybe they wouldn't have been left on the floor, but the spider could have disturbed them. Nothing strange about that at all. They were thankfully quite blunt although not too rusty, which made sense with how dry it was in the desert. There wasn't any real danger of her cutting herself with them, but hopefully they'd have enough of an edge left to make a spark.

For a moment she faltered, moving her hands around uncertainly. She already had the torch and one of the daggers, so how would she take the other one? And how would she both hold the torch and strike the blades together and aim the flare at the torch and and and... She whined quietly. She'd have to ask for help again. Handing the torch back to her friend, she asked, "Um... Could you... Could you hold this? Just... Just for a little while..."

Now that she could hold the other dagger too, she did so, fumbling slightly as she tried to find Sesselav's hand by touch. This was going to be maybe a little clumsy, since she'd have to try not to stab herself trying to bring the blades together. Slowly, cautiously, she moved her hands toward each other until metal touched metal, then quickly scraped one edge against the other. A tiny flash of white light illuminated the two women for a split second, and Hasea yelped in surprise. Giggling, she tried again, moving the daggers closer to the torch. "Nearly... Nearly got it..."

The third try was the charm, and the little spark caught the end of the torch. Holding both daggers in one hand now, she used the other to coax a soft breeze over the torch to feed the baby flame and soon a flickering orange glow bathed them both. Squinting slightly as her eyes adjusted to the light, she grinned excitedly at her friend. "I made... I made fire!"

Fire wasn't her friend, honestly speaking, but she didn't like the idea of her friend not being able to see really. She'd be able to brave it easily, after all...it was just fire. If she kept it at arm's length it couldn't hurt her! In reality, it couldn't hurt her too bad all things considered. Her exoskeleton was protective against such things...but just like water, if there was too much of it then it could stop her from being able to breathe.

The idea of suffocating was not a favourable one really.

Sesselav smiled lightly as she took the torch from her friend. "Of course Hasea, anything you need." She was happy to help, especially since she wasn't able to really help. She didn't know how to do this sort of thing, but she would eventually learn it wouldn't she? If she stayed around Hasea, she'd learn many more things no doubt.

She watched with a little worry as her friend started to do things slowly and carefully. She could understand her hesitance, not being able to see anything at the time. "Take your time Hasea...you don't want to hurt yourself." Though she had jumped at the sudden flash of light from the two weapons, she held the torch out a little bit toward her friend, trying not to get near that fire.

Again, the spark happened and she had to look away. Having eyelids would have helped right here. However she soon looked back to the torch and nodded her approval. "Yes, that's great! Now you'll be able to see as well." She told her friend with a large smile. "Do...do you think you could hold the torch instead of me? The fire is...a little...hot."

"Oh! Of... Of course..." Hasea nodded and took the torch from her friend. It didn't feel all that hot to her, but she didn't mention it. She was sure that Sesselav had her reasons for not wanting to hold it. Besides, the torch was only for her benefit anyway, and it meant that she could direct the light wherever she wanted without having to ask. Now they could both enjoy the ruins more, Hasea actually being able to see them and Sesselav not having to constantly look after her.

Holding the torch high, she turned to look around the room the were in for the first time. It really was big, so big that the flame couldn't illuminate it completely, and all the more impressive for the ornate carvings and murals covering the walls. There wasn't a single patch left bare that she could see. Someone put a lot of work into this, and she couldn't help but think that they must be glad it wasn't going unnoticed. As she took it all in, she glanced at the spider tending to her eggs and clicking softly, and Hasea smiled before looking back to Sesselav. "So... Where... Where should we look first?"

"This tunnel... This one's fine... It's just, do you... Do you smell anything? From the others?" From the looks of it they had a lot of tunnels to cover if they were going to explore the whole thing, and they might as well skip to the interesting bits first. Not that it wasn't all interesting, of course! That wasn't what she meant at all!

"Ah, thank you Hasea. I'm not...very fond of fire. At least, being so near it." When you didn't NEED fire because you were a giant ant who could see in the dark and could eat most things without trouble, and knew how to thermal regulate your body and your cave systems...fire wasn't exactly a big thing for you. However, her friend would need it, so she would be okay with having it around she supposed.

Though she supposed having the fire did make it easier to look at as well. She didn't notice the total details of the entire thing, all things considered. She really should have paid more attention to everything, or else she would have missed the beauty of the entire area. It had such brilliant markings and carvings all over the walls. The ant queen had to look around for a moment to observe the entire area, carefully taking in the different designs and patterns. Her caves and little underground areas had been nothing like this...well built sure, but her people didn't have a huge understanding of 'beauty' as it were.

Not like this anyway.

"Smell anything? Oh...that's...a good question." she didn't actually think about that. She smiled at her friend as she looked around for any scents that seemed different or unfamiliar to her. She looked about at the whirling cacophony of scents, the absolute myriad of different colours that she could see. "That one. It has stale air I think. Lots of old air so it must go down somewhere that can't be seen."

Hasea nodded and smiled, making doubly sure to hold the torch far enough from Sesselav for the ant woman's comfort. It was the very least she could do for her friend. Expectantly, she watched her sniff out the best way for them to go and followed her gaze with another smile. Nodding again, she started across the room towards the opening indicated. "Mm, that sounds... Sounds like a good choice..."

Sesselav was right, this hallway definitely went somewhere they couldn't see from the main room. The sloped passage was long, very long, and winding, and as they walked along it became narrow enough that if they stood side-by-side their shoulders would be scraping the walls. As for the walls, the already impressive decoration was filled with even more opulent designs and the soft light of the torch reflected back from inlaid patterns of gold leaf, some of which had began to peel gently away as the years went by. Clearly, whatever this led to had been very important for the people who built this place.

Finally the end of the tunnel came into sight, the opening into the room beyond standing out dimly against the shining walls. As they neared it, the light illuminated the edges of shapes inside – tall candlesticks long since burnt out, to one side of the room what looked like a chair with... something... still in it, and in the centre a large stone box which seemed to be covered in the same lavish decorations as the walls, set on a raised platform. The air was almost unnaturally still, which didn't help to make her feel at home. Hasea frowned slightly, and guessed, "Is this... A... Tomb?" She glanced nervously back at Sesselav. "Do you... Do you think we should...?"

"It should be as good as any, if not better." Underground again. This was nice. It was good to feel like she was sort of home again. Maybe after all her adventure was done she could come back to this place. With Hasea of course. They could have a nice life under here, exploring the desert, being warm all the time with a nice cool place to go to if it got too hot...now if only they'd be able to do something about the giant spider wanting to eat everyone.

"I wonder who built all of this...and why...and where they went." When humans built things, they didn't just...leave them empty. They tended to use them a whole lot! At least that's what she had found. Sure they might get redecorated and perhaps rebuilt but...they always were still in them. A slightly worrisome thought was that the giant spider had moved in and ate everyone and no one came back after that but...it looked more like it had been long since abandoned.

"No...tombs...I mean...this looks more like a throne room of some kind maybe?" Sesselav murmured as she looked at the chair in the middle. You didn't often just...put a chair there for your dead did you? She thought humans liked to bury them in the ground, or if they were rich and powerful and respected you put them in a big stone box of some kind that was pretty with decorations. She really just couldn't figure it out.

"But we can go in and pay our respects anyway right? Maybe we can figure out who the people that built this place were." Unless it was just...you know, a tomb raider who met an end here.

"It... It could be..." Hasea nodded. There wasn't really a whole lot inside the room that could say one way or the other, she supposed. It could have been almost anything, like a nursery or a shrine, or a place they kept baby bunny rabbits. Well, maybe not that one. That was probably for the best, since if it was it would have had bunny bones everywhere and that wouldn't have been very nice. She frowned a little at that thought, then looked back at her friend and smiled again. "Mm... We could... Have a look..."

She hesitated for a moment inside the room, leaving just enough space for Sesselav to enter also. Though she didn't really want to, she knew it might be best to go and see what exactly was in the chair and she crept towards it, torch held out in front of her as if the fire would shield her from any danger. It was quickly apparent that the occupant was just about the only thing bonier than Hasea herself: a skeleton. While the pile of bones had fallen to where they now lay, it was clear the person had died seated in that very chair, although the lack of clothing remnants hopefully hinted that this wasn't any kind of recent development. Not that this helped Hasea much; she backed towards the wall with a whimper. "S... Sk... Skull..."

((OK so my idea for it was that there was like a dead queen buried here in the big old box and the skeleton was a priest that was meant to watch over the body forever and ever and stuff idk XD It is hard to describe from character's point of view and also make everything clear so I am just telling you instead because I am a lazy writer haha :P))

((lol, we'll figure it all out don't worry. Then we shall have our grand adventures and be king! KINGS I TELL YOU!))

"So let's go find out." Her friend was in the lead, plus she had the torch so that would help her out a bit more. It didn't seem to be anything dangerous, but she couldn't tell from here. It was an unfamiliar scent, and she was sure meant something...good or bad really. It was about fifty fifty at this point. At least it didn't smell threatening in some way? Her friend crept ever closer as she stayed near the back, watching as she illuminated the chair and the occupant.

A dead person.

Well, not exactly a dead person really. It was just a skeleton, a very old skeleton that was probably very close to just...falling into dust. She had never smelled a skeleton before, at least one that was probably human and this old, so it stood to reason why she didn't know what it was. Her friend however seemed scared, and Sesselav was there quickly to put her arms about her shoulders. "It's alright Hasea...it's just a very old pile of bones...It's not able to hurt you...and from how he's seated I think he went peacefully." He hadn't been tied down, it didn't look like he struggled, and there no arrows or any obvious...weapons in him. Hopefully that would help Hasea.