[Remedy]

((Hunting for a Jirbii! Feel free to jump in if you see this and want to embark on this desert exploration with me. If no one joins I'll treat it like a self-RP but seriously feel free to jump in anytime~))

It had been months since Monzano ventured from his place in the Tuun Mountains. After a long autumn, he was finally aching for adventure and weary of the cold. Somewhere he'd heard of a new, beautiful desert creature and longed to see it for himself. With determination, he set out on a journey into the desert in search of an oasis.

The trek across the rocky terrain was already tiring and it was beginning to get dark and chilly. It would've been nice to have a creature to ride on, but he was content with making the journey on foot. According to his map, the oasis he sought would only take a day to get to - it was fairly close to the edge of the desert. It would serve as starting point where he may be able to get some advice before he continued on his journey.

"You're going the wrong way," a quiet voice interrupted Monzano's thoughts. He looked to his right to see an odd creature tip-toeing through the sand beside him.

He stopped for a moment, cleared his throat, and asked, "Excuse me?"
"I think you are going the wrong way."
"How do you know?"
"What?"
"That I'm going the wrong way. How do you know?"
The creature paused. "Well, where are you going?"
Monzano sighed and kept walking. "The nearest oasis."
"Ah," said the creature, and continued walking beside him. "You're going the right way."

There was an awkward silence before the enigmatic desert creature spoke up again, "My name is Gila. I am a desert spirit. It is easy to get lost in the desert, so I will help you to make sure you get to the oasis."

Monzano sighed. He knew of the desert spirits, and how many of them were tricksters. "You can come with me, but don't expect me to take any of your advice," he warned.

[Remedy]

"That is fair," Gila nodded with its reply. After walking for a few minutes in silence, the spirit piped up again, "Why are you going to the oasis?"

Monzano sighed. He was used to solitude and honestly didn't enjoy interacting more than he had to, but it seemed he was stuck with this creature for now. "I'm searching for an animal I haven't seen before."

"Ah! There are many animals in the desert, but they are often hard to find. If you venture too far out you will get lost," the spirit said. "What animal are you looking for?"
"A Jirbii," Monzano replied shortly.
"Oh! I hope you mean to bring them no harm," Gila cautioned. "Many hunt for Jirbii and hurt them..."
"I just want to see one. I hear they are beautiful little creatures, though I've heard that's why they are often killed."
"You are traveling all this way just to see a new animal?" the spirit questioned, sounding suspicious.
"Yes. I enjoy seeing new things every once in a while," Monzano said defensively. He didn't know how much more of this talkative little spirit he could take.

[2]

[Freezair]

((I hope this is still open! I'd love to pop in. If not, I'll... go... over here.))

Like all young people, Meteor needed a little enrinchment. His horizons needed to be broadened. His mind needed expanding. And how lucky he was, getting to see the world at only a few months old!

"Just a mile or two more until we hit that outpost!" Gizma called, punching the air with her talon. "Forward, march, Meteor!"

She looked back behind her.

She saw a head sticking out of the sand, the rest of his body buried in a pit.

Gizma gave an angry squawk.

She yanked at the tendrils on Meteor's head and tugged him upward. "Come on, buddy! Up and at 'em! This is no time for sandbathing, and I don't CARE if this is an 'optimal environment' for your species! It's not an optimal environment for ME, and I wanna reach that outpost! We need a home base while we're huntin' for Jirbiis."

"This hunt remains illogical, Master," Meteor replied. "Jirbiis are small and bony. They provide little caloric value."

"I keep telling you, WE ARE NOT EATING IT!" She patted the jewel on his head with her talon. "It's gonna be your new brother or sister!"

"Illogical," Meteor replied. "We are not biologically related."

Gizma rolled her eyes. Why had she bothered helping to make this killjoy? Being a mother really was thankless work.

[Remedy]

((yeah it's still open! Thanks for joining! <3 Just so you know, I'm RPing Monzano in human form but Gila is taking the form of an Everdrys.))

The chattery spirit seemed to quiet down as they neared the oasis. They could already see buildings and trees as they neared the small settlement that was established around the only source of water nearby. Monzano was surprised by the peace and quiet, and feared saying anything would break the spell of silence that seemed to come over the enigmatic little creature. They were almost to their destination, so the silence would likely be short-lived as they were bound to meet someone in the settlement.

As they walked into town, Gila finally spoke up again. "Lets not go near the water - or, uh, you can and I'll wait for you somewhere safe."
"The water isn't safe?" Monzano questioned, concerned by the implications.
"Well, um. Bodies of water always carry a mystery in them," Gila replied. "I am more comfortable with the dryness of the desert."
"That's fine, you can wait wherever. I need to find somewhere to buy supplies and a map," Monzano informed the small spirit.
"I can be your map," Gila offered.
"No, I don't trust you." Monzano replied shortly, though after seeing the disheartened look on Gila's face he felt a twinge of guilt for hurting the spirit's feelings. He had no idea why this creature was so set on accompanying him on his journey, but he did know not to blindly trust a spirit. Still, the sad look in its eyes... "Well, at least not yet," he added, providing Gila with a glimmer of hope.

[3]

[Freezair]

((Cool! Both Gizma the Soveris and Meteor the Akail are in pet form.))

After a period of yanking tails and antenna, Gizma finally managed to drag Meteor all the way to the outpost. For a place in the middle of the desert, it seemed surprisingly bustling. People just tended to congregate around the one place to get water for miles around, apparently.

"Alright, sweetpea, momma's gotta go get us a map and some supplies. You... stay here. Go--go sit... in the shade... over there." She gestured with a talon, then bustled off.

Meteor did not mind the suggestion. It seemed logical--conserve energy while they had the chance. He had just spent an awful lot of it crossing the sands, and laying idle for a while was a logical choice.

However, his logic was about to be tested.

Meteor's eyes suddenly hit upon one of the visitors in the outpost. To an untrained eye, they were an Everdrys--but Meteor was not untrained. Something was strange about this creature. In Meteor's vision, hardwired to see unusual things in the Great Autumn Color Drain, he could see something peculiar about this individual.

No one had bothered to give him social inhibitions. Carefree as you please, Meteor waltzed up to the Everdrys. "Hello," he said. "You are perplexing my visual cortex. What are you?"

[Remedy]

Gila stood in the shade, waiting for Monzano to return with the map and supplies. It knew the man didn't have much trust to give, but surely he would return to bring Gila with him across the desert... right? As Gila sat pondering this, its thoughts were interrupted by the voice of a curious green creature.
"Hello," Gila happily returned the greeting, "I am a desert spirit. I help those who are lost in the desert. Are you lost?"


Meanwhile, Monzano found a seller of maps and traveling supplies and stood arguing with the seller about the wares. "This map doesn't even show any major landmarks!" Monzano huffed.

"There are no major landmarks in the desert, sir. It does however have the locations of each major outpost," the seller offered as helpfully as possible. "Between the outposts you must stay on the main path, or you will get lost."

"I'm not going to find what I'm looking for on the main paths..." Monzano grumbled, but figured the map was better than none. "Whatever, I'll take it." He figured Gila might be good for something after all, if it could help him fill in the blanks on the map. Surely the creature knew more about the desert's structure than this seller did. He figured he could at least give the spirit a chance to prove itself.

[Freezair]

Lights flashed within the jewel on Meteor's head. "You are... a.. spirit?" The lights danced in arcs, looking for all the world like Christmas lights. (Maybe Gizma had cheaped out a little bit in Meteor's construction.) "Spirit: Noun. An ephemeral entity. The soul of one deceased, or the soul of an otherwise nonliving thing." The lights darkened. "I am not the one guiding this journey. I do not control the destination of this trip. Ergo, I cannot be lost, for I cannot be lead away from where I am meant to be."

He looked backwards at Gizma, who, it seemed, was now arguing with the map seller.

"She, however, may require assistance. Her decisions are often very illogical. I calculate there is a high possibility of her being lead astray."

Gizma, puffed up like an angry songbird, pounced on Monzano. She'd seen him purchase a map from the same seller, and, woe betide him, had decided to confer with him. "You! Did you get a bum map from this guy, too?" She peered over his shoulder. "I swear, we should demand refunds! These maps are terrible!"