[ToxicShadow]

While it wasn't the most pleasant of places to visit, Sirana had chosen the swamp with reason: who would look for her in such an unpleasant, nasty little place? Ages ago, it seemed, her mother had told her to run and to never stop running, but there were only so many places that she could run to before having to run back to the same place again. She didn't know who she was running from, but she could easily guess that they wouldn't be all that inclined to visit this area, especially since so few wanted to step foot here.

Having stopped at a small town market quite a ways back on her journey, she had swapped out her old shoes for a pair of wonderfully tall, water repelling boots, knowing even then where her destination lied. Of course, trekking through the muck, all alone, she didn't expect anyone to be around; which was good, since her good cloak was now covered in mud and she felt that she looked like a wreck because of it. She could only hope that she found some somewhat solid ground in the area, a place to set up camp, before nightfall.

Reminded of the cooling air, she pulled up the hood of her cloak to cover her ears, and she blended in even more with the scenery. It was all a part of her plan to wear items that somewhat matched where she was, which was why she traded her original black cloak for a brown one. Now, she was sort of... one with the swamp.

[Azura Rayume]

These paths weren't made for dragons, that much was for sure. Deo scowled as the muck squelched up between his toes, nostrils flared in irritation. If he had more suitable clothing, he wouldn't have had to resort to such a form, but here he was, half wading through the mud and getting his scales covered in a thin film of what he could only describe as grime. He had a sneaking suspicion it was going to take him quite some time to get everything from he knees down clean again.

The Paragon paused in his walk, which caused the swamp to bubble uncomfortably around him, and swung his tail closer to his face, grateful for the warmth and light the blue flame provided. He was beginning to wonder what he was doing here, seeing as how there didn't appear to be anything here but mud and gray and scum. Typically his wanderlust lead him to interesting places with wonderful people, not to drab, dreary marshes that reeked of decay. There had to be something, some reason that he had been drawn out here. If there wasn't he was going to be very put out.

A shadow caught the light of his flame, barely a shift in the gloom that covered the place. Deo's frill drooped, and he stretched his neck out, squinting in an attempt to see what it had been. "Hello?" he called, hoping to catch the attention of the thing without frightening it off. "Is anyone out there?"

[ToxicShadow]

Far too wrapped up in her thoughts to have noticed the presence before it spoke, the young woman froze in place when she heard a shout. The last thing she had expected, of course, was another living being out in the middle of the swamp. Okay, so her plan didn't go so well, she would have to keep that in mind for next time, but right now, she had other problems. It was obvious that the other being had seen her, she could deduct that much with it calling out to her.

What she chose to do, however, was not the wisest of options. Sirana ran. Well, she attempted to run, but she didn't get more than three steps before one of her feet was fully submerged in the muck and wouldn't budge. Even worse, the sudden jolt of her foot not moving an inch had her toppling over with a sickening "slump" when she hit the mud.

[Azura Rayume]

Oh, my. Apparently he had startled the whatever-it-was, and the poor thing had caught itself in the mud. Most unfortunate, really, but he supposed it couldn't be helped. The knight felt horrible for the creature, of course, and realized after a moment that simply standing there was doing no good as far as the other being was concerned.

He waded through the swamp in the direction sounds had come from, the progress mind-numbingly slow. After a minute, though, he found a semi-solid patch of ground and a rather distressed looking woman stuck in the mud. Strange to see someone like her all the way out here, but he supposed she had a reason. After all, she had dressed for the occasion, dark clothing the color of the environment certainly would help her cause if she hadn't been stuck.

"Uh, excuse me, miss," he said as politely as he could. "Would you like some help?"