Yes, "if"... I asked to examine one of the bodies when we first arrived, but- I am afraid I have not been able to confirm things.
[Not that she blamed them- they had come from an unknown place and time to this world, and she hardly thought it odd that they might refuse to let one of their own be autopsied. Studied. Even if it was vexing in that it left her blind in some respects.]
But while they are very strong, I do not think they live as long as a human... their organs must be under more strain- weaker by consequence...
[Theories, and she did say them in a musing tone, even as she pointed towards a particular area, where some fisherman could be seen setting up nets.]
[Haise takes note of the direction she's pointed, veering toward the crowd. Although he has to be careful to avoid the pools that have formed where rock dips away in shallow pockets, he doesn't lose stride]
Do you think it might have anything to do with their Gifts? If they relied on powers over physical labor before, it might have affected their development.
[That is, of course, speculation on his part. Something like that would have occurred over an incredibly long period of time, many generations over, and there's no way to test whether that is the case. Particularly not when their means to learn about Nalawi physiology are so limited]
Though I guess whatever the reasons, the bottom line is we have to work with things being what they are.
Hmm, perhaps... but they are powerful physically even without the Gift- they hunt the many-toothed sea dogs with next to nothing.
[Sharks, she means... sharks. Having never seen the ocean, she wasn't quite up to date on her sea terminology yet- beyond what she'd read in books, anyway.]
But we have what we have, that is true... you may put me down, now, I shall walk the rest.
[It was only a few meters, at this point- it wasn't as if the Nalawi hadn't seen her being carried... but, in the same vein as how she'd told him to call her Master Sullivan while amongst others... it was sometimes just about the appearance.]
[He echoes the term curiously, torn between trying to match the description to a creature from Earth or picturing some kind of literal oceanic dog. Given the strangeness of their surroundings, he can't be entirely too sure which is the correct image to conjure...
When told he can set her down he finds a spot where the rocks seem the most level, to make things a little easier on her. While he could lope easily regardless, he's quite sure that walking takes more out of her than it does him. So he picks the most favorable location he can to halt, sinking to a seat neat that spot for her to get down and holding her pack so the contents aren't jostled along the way]
I don't believe I've seen tide pools for myself before, actually.
[An idle thought as he waits for her to climb down]
[The ocean being new to her, she gave most everyone the benefit of the doubt regarding it, even though she was getting the impression that... most people were familiar with it.]
They have proven a very useful glance into ocean life.
[And as a therapeutic tool, seeing as she used salt soaks on her feet, and she could comfortably sit on the edge of a tide pool to do so.
It's more of an awkward maneuver to slide off his shoulders than it had been to get on, but she manages it, taking a moment to shake out her skirts before she... goes for Haise's arm.
Being escorted was apparently what she meant by "walking by herself".]
[Now that description Haise understands - at least, it certainly sounds like something he's heard of. Much of his own understanding comes from printed matter, since working for the CCG doesn't allow him free reign to travel wherever he wishes, but he's fairly sure he knows she's describing]
So they have sharks here? How interesting...
[He can't help but wonder if they're different in certain regards, being on an entirely different world. It's a fleeting thought, however, something he puts aside as he straightens now that Sieglinde is on her feet.
It must be difficult to walk that way, and with that in mind, it's a relief when she reaches for his arm. While he wouldn't want to be rude in offering some assistance where it might not be wanted, what he's seen suggests that walking on her own would be difficult, so he considers this fortunate]
I'll do my best to keep up with you, then.
[He offers with a soft smile before they make their way over to the group]
[The group of fisherman are busy, and it's apparent that even though they tolerate the instruction, and one or two at a time might pay attention while the others are casting nets or trawling, their priorities are food- and besides that, they still had faith.
Nalanni would restore their gifts when she returned to them... surely.
But Sieglinde was stubborn and she didn't tolerate much ignorance, and with Haise's support they at least manage to get through a good ol' demonstration of some first aid for cuts, broken bones, and bites before the fishermen moved on to another site, leaving Sieglinde sighing somewhat dramatically.]
- The village elders are far more sensible about things, you will find. We shall visit them next.
[She'd had more success with other groups, but it was still important they knew such things, so. They try nonetheless.]
But first, we shall break bread.
[Brunch was an important meal, not to be missed, and Sieglinde doesn't take his arm this time, instead dragging her pack from where it was on the shore and tottering over to the nearest tidepool, using the stone surface to sit on, awkwardly lowering herself and pulling off her shoes and swiveling around to dip her bandaged feet into the saltwater, (multitasking), before diving into her bag for food.]
[Efforts to teach the Nalawi are a good experience, Haise believes, even if some of them are understandably resistant. He can't fault them their optimism, though it's difficult to hear when he knows they're wrong. Those abilities they've relied on are gone now and they won't be returning.
But he does ensure that he tells them Nalanni's message. Some believe him, others question and doubt. If he'd met the goddess, where was she now? That's likewise not surprising, but he hopes they'll remember the words. At some point, he suspects they'll need them.
With this first lesson behind them, Haise follows her over to one of the little pools, taking a seat beside her once she's settled. He won't need any food himself, and he'll have to find a polite way to decline if she offers, but for now...]
I thought you were very informative, so... I'm sure the effort won't go to waste.
[And what's more, it's something the Nalawi can make good use of in the future]
We can only hope that they remember our teachings once the dream has ended and we are gone...
[Sieglinde couldn't quite imagine, how this must seem to the Nalawi. Their world turned upside down, their goddess vanished, and suddenly these strangers from another world, descending upon them like gods themselves perhaps, with powers intact, different shapes... would she heed them, if it was her own world they'd come to?
She couldn't say. Instead, she nodded a bit to herself in thought, pulling out a cloth-wrapped bundle that she began to undo in her lap, pulling out a piece of jerky that she promptly shoved in her mouth without an "itadakimasu", grace, manners, or nothing, only then offering a piece to Haise.]
[It's a response that buys him a few moments to think, when presented with a piece of beef jerky. Even with his sense of smell dulled, the scent is acrid to him. By now he's well-practiced in masking the revulsion that human food prompts from his body.
While Haise understands it's pleasant to others, what he knows should be a smoky aroma is instead something resembling burned rubber. And since they're traveling together today, he'd be hard-pressed to find a moment alone to throw it back up before it made him too ill to function.
Perhaps it will be as simple as declining Olivia's offer to share a meal]
...Thank you, but I'm not hungry. I wouldn't want to waste your supplies.
[Sieglinde was a growing girl, which is the excuse she liked to use for the fact that she stuffed her face almost every chance she had. It wasn't her fault that there were so many delicious foodstuffs in the outside world- she was making up for lost time.
It made her pause that he passed on the chance, and not just because she had trouble understanding why people wouldn't be as delighted with food as she was. It had only been a day before that they'd spoken of the ghouls of his world, and their inability to digest human food...
But despite the fact that she stared up at him for a moment, inquiry on the cusp of her tongue... she didn't say anything, instead shrugging and putting the jerky in her own mouth, speaking with full cheeks.]
Suit yourself.
[Whether he simply wasn't hungry, was that polite, or actually might be a ghoul himself... that was information that was up to him to clarify or not. As much as the Green Witch despised lies... she told them constantly about her own life.
So she focused on her snack, and using the tidepool for a quick salt soak. After this, they would move to the village elder's and fishwives...
no subject
[Not that she blamed them- they had come from an unknown place and time to this world, and she hardly thought it odd that they might refuse to let one of their own be autopsied. Studied. Even if it was vexing in that it left her blind in some respects.]
But while they are very strong, I do not think they live as long as a human... their organs must be under more strain- weaker by consequence...
[Theories, and she did say them in a musing tone, even as she pointed towards a particular area, where some fisherman could be seen setting up nets.]
no subject
Do you think it might have anything to do with their Gifts? If they relied on powers over physical labor before, it might have affected their development.
[That is, of course, speculation on his part. Something like that would have occurred over an incredibly long period of time, many generations over, and there's no way to test whether that is the case. Particularly not when their means to learn about Nalawi physiology are so limited]
Though I guess whatever the reasons, the bottom line is we have to work with things being what they are.
no subject
[Sharks, she means... sharks. Having never seen the ocean, she wasn't quite up to date on her sea terminology yet- beyond what she'd read in books, anyway.]
But we have what we have, that is true... you may put me down, now, I shall walk the rest.
[It was only a few meters, at this point- it wasn't as if the Nalawi hadn't seen her being carried... but, in the same vein as how she'd told him to call her Master Sullivan while amongst others... it was sometimes just about the appearance.]
no subject
[He echoes the term curiously, torn between trying to match the description to a creature from Earth or picturing some kind of literal oceanic dog. Given the strangeness of their surroundings, he can't be entirely too sure which is the correct image to conjure...
When told he can set her down he finds a spot where the rocks seem the most level, to make things a little easier on her. While he could lope easily regardless, he's quite sure that walking takes more out of her than it does him. So he picks the most favorable location he can to halt, sinking to a seat neat that spot for her to get down and holding her pack so the contents aren't jostled along the way]
I don't believe I've seen tide pools for myself before, actually.
[An idle thought as he waits for her to climb down]
no subject
[The ocean being new to her, she gave most everyone the benefit of the doubt regarding it, even though she was getting the impression that... most people were familiar with it.]
They have proven a very useful glance into ocean life.
[And as a therapeutic tool, seeing as she used salt soaks on her feet, and she could comfortably sit on the edge of a tide pool to do so.
It's more of an awkward maneuver to slide off his shoulders than it had been to get on, but she manages it, taking a moment to shake out her skirts before she... goes for Haise's arm.
Being escorted was apparently what she meant by "walking by herself".]
Now, let us attend to this lesson.
no subject
So they have sharks here? How interesting...
[He can't help but wonder if they're different in certain regards, being on an entirely different world. It's a fleeting thought, however, something he puts aside as he straightens now that Sieglinde is on her feet.
It must be difficult to walk that way, and with that in mind, it's a relief when she reaches for his arm. While he wouldn't want to be rude in offering some assistance where it might not be wanted, what he's seen suggests that walking on her own would be difficult, so he considers this fortunate]
I'll do my best to keep up with you, then.
[He offers with a soft smile before they make their way over to the group]
no subject
Nalanni would restore their gifts when she returned to them... surely.
But Sieglinde was stubborn and she didn't tolerate much ignorance, and with Haise's support they at least manage to get through a good ol' demonstration of some first aid for cuts, broken bones, and bites before the fishermen moved on to another site, leaving Sieglinde sighing somewhat dramatically.]
- The village elders are far more sensible about things, you will find. We shall visit them next.
[She'd had more success with other groups, but it was still important they knew such things, so. They try nonetheless.]
But first, we shall break bread.
[Brunch was an important meal, not to be missed, and Sieglinde doesn't take his arm this time, instead dragging her pack from where it was on the shore and tottering over to the nearest tidepool, using the stone surface to sit on, awkwardly lowering herself and pulling off her shoes and swiveling around to dip her bandaged feet into the saltwater, (multitasking), before diving into her bag for food.]
Teaching is tiring work.
no subject
But he does ensure that he tells them Nalanni's message. Some believe him, others question and doubt. If he'd met the goddess, where was she now? That's likewise not surprising, but he hopes they'll remember the words. At some point, he suspects they'll need them.
With this first lesson behind them, Haise follows her over to one of the little pools, taking a seat beside her once she's settled. He won't need any food himself, and he'll have to find a polite way to decline if she offers, but for now...]
I thought you were very informative, so... I'm sure the effort won't go to waste.
[And what's more, it's something the Nalawi can make good use of in the future]
no subject
[Sieglinde couldn't quite imagine, how this must seem to the Nalawi. Their world turned upside down, their goddess vanished, and suddenly these strangers from another world, descending upon them like gods themselves perhaps, with powers intact, different shapes... would she heed them, if it was her own world they'd come to?
She couldn't say. Instead, she nodded a bit to herself in thought, pulling out a cloth-wrapped bundle that she began to undo in her lap, pulling out a piece of jerky that she promptly shoved in her mouth without an "itadakimasu", grace, manners, or nothing, only then offering a piece to Haise.]
Your efforts are appreciated, likewise.
no subject
[It's a response that buys him a few moments to think, when presented with a piece of beef jerky. Even with his sense of smell dulled, the scent is acrid to him. By now he's well-practiced in masking the revulsion that human food prompts from his body.
While Haise understands it's pleasant to others, what he knows should be a smoky aroma is instead something resembling burned rubber. And since they're traveling together today, he'd be hard-pressed to find a moment alone to throw it back up before it made him too ill to function.
Perhaps it will be as simple as declining Olivia's offer to share a meal]
...Thank you, but I'm not hungry. I wouldn't want to waste your supplies.
[At least it's true...]
no subject
It made her pause that he passed on the chance, and not just because she had trouble understanding why people wouldn't be as delighted with food as she was. It had only been a day before that they'd spoken of the ghouls of his world, and their inability to digest human food...
But despite the fact that she stared up at him for a moment, inquiry on the cusp of her tongue... she didn't say anything, instead shrugging and putting the jerky in her own mouth, speaking with full cheeks.]
Suit yourself.
[Whether he simply wasn't hungry, was that polite, or actually might be a ghoul himself... that was information that was up to him to clarify or not. As much as the Green Witch despised lies... she told them constantly about her own life.
So she focused on her snack, and using the tidepool for a quick salt soak. After this, they would move to the village elder's and fishwives...
Who were thankfully slightly more avid students.]