[Sarah]

Baian Swamp was not a place Lilian ever thought she’d be. It was wet and muddy and horribly wild. She carefully picked her way over the terrain. “When you said you wanted me to go with you…” she took her eyes off the ground long enough to spot her guide, “I didn’t think you’d want to come here,” she finished saying. Perhaps she had done something to piss him off. Surely he knew how much she abhorred disgusting places like this.

[Sarah]

“No one wants to come here. We’re looking for something,” Her guide, Taylor, explained. He just had to have all the answers. Everyone else was kept in the dark to his schemes, even over the littlest things. Whatever he was looking for had to be good to drag her all the way out to the middle of nowhere. Lilian had been interested to go, even when he hadn’t specified where. When they approached the swamp, her curiosity rose with her dread.

[Sarah]

“Yeah. You haven’t exactly been clear on that either,” she complained. Taylor was always getting into trouble, but he found fortune about as often as he didn’t. Whenever Lilian had come along on his adventures, they always seemed to go home wealthy. Their success rates combined were enough for her to put mostly blind faith into the mad-man. This time would be no different, but it was the least desirable place they’d ever find fortune in.

[Sarah]

“You’ll know it when you see it,” was the only reply that came. If Taylor didn’t bring money to everyone, he interacted with people would absolutely hate him. Plenty of people did hate him. He was self-important and had no qualms manipulating people for his own amusement. Lilian felt like she knew when he was doing it to her and chose to ignore it, but sometimes she wasn’t so sure. Taylor had plenty of strings to pull on – there was no saying how many connected to her.

[Sarah]

“Are you always this helpful?” Lilian said dryly. He was, but normally they were somewhere more fun than a swamp. Vagueness was easier to handle when she had other people to take her frustrations out on. Normally she at least knew what to look out for. This was the first time he was keeping her so totally in the dark. Being in the middle of nowhere on top of that was beyond annoying. Lilian was being forced to rely too much on him.

[Sarah]

“Don’t pout. You might actually like where we’re going,” Taylor said.

Lilian was a bit skeptical. She wasn’t even fully sure Taylor knew where they were going despite his confidence. This adventure was far more treasure hunter than any other before. “You know where we’re going?” Lilian dared to ask. She doubted she’d get a proper answer.

Taylor scoffed. “Of course, I know where we’re going,” he said. Lilian rolled her eyes, thankful he couldn’t see her.

[Sarah]

“What do you need me for?” she asked. If he knew where he was going and what he was getting, then she wasn’t really sure what use she had for him.

“I didn’t want to go alone,” Taylor said. For a moment Lilian thought she might have misheard him. Taylor had made it very clear from day one that he didn’t need anybody. Although not wanting to go somewhere alone wasn’t exactly selfless. Maybe it wasn’t so crazy for him to want company.

[Sarah]

He hadn’t exactly told her he needed her. In fact, he hadn’t said that. Lilian was still a bit puzzled as to why he chose her as his traveling companion – especially to a place like this. Wet and hot and difficult to navigate. Lilian specialized in people and dangerous situations. So far there was no one else but them in the swamp, and they hadn’t encountered anything close to dangerous. Danger had yet to look their way in all of this traveling.

[Sarah]

“I don’t really know where we’re going,” Taylor admitted after a few more minutes of walking. “I just had a general direction and what looks to be a trail that was obscured long ago,” he explained.

“Thank god,” Lilian sighed. “Honestly I was concerned for you. I didn’t think you could really be so thorough. Do you even know what we’re looking for?” she asked. The world was right again. Taylor never went in with a full plan and all the information. He loved spontaneity too much.

[Sarah]

“Yes. I do know what we’re looking for,” Taylor said. He sounded a bit dejected. Maybe Lilian shouldn’t have sounded so satisfied at learning he didn’t have everything together.

“Its part of your charm,” she said, feeling kind of bad. “Having to come up with a plan on the spot makes adventuring with you more exciting. I could do with less mud though,” she added. Taylor looked over at her and smiled. It seemed if she had hurt his feelings then all was forgiven.

[Wild Pet Found]