[she answers them as best she can, having picked many of the answers out of the locals' heads when she was doing her own prepwork for this commission...
but when he speaks up about being curious, she looks up at him.]
Not as often as I'd like! I end up taking on a lot of commissions through the guild in Mondstadt and normally I'd feel bad just leaving them hanging, but the Traveler came by recently so a lot of the commissions are already handled... so here I am!
[she shrugs.]
The desert's beautiful, don't you think? I mean, I know it's a lot of sand and all, and it's really hot out during the day, but I still think desert sunsets are the prettiest.
he looks up at the sky, frowning at the position of the sun. it would be easier if he could just check his phone, but he's now used to judging this kind of thing the old fashioned way. ]
[she sounds amused - she's never really thought about it that way. she knows what she likes, and desert sunsets are among them.]
Aaaanyway... I hope we'll be able to see whatever the "strange sightings" the Guild was talking about are. I'm gonna be kind of disappointed if we just get out there and it's a totally normal day in the desert.
We should be! They're paying for our time going into the desert and the investigation we're doing to get them answers. "There's nothing there" is still an answer, even if it's one they don't want.
[she shrugs]
If they try not to pay us, it's gonna be a problem... for them.
[she will mind read them and find something to blackmail them with so they pay if they try to cheat them :/ ]
[this is truly a terrible duo to cheat money from so hopefully the adventurer's guild will not do that!
in any case, the rest of the trek to aaru village is easy enough. sure, they run into a few more hilichurls along the way, but that's nothing they can't handle. no sandstorms to speak of, which means the people back at caravan ribat were just paranoid, or they're going to have some trouble when they head further into the desert.
it's a bit before sunset when they arrive.]
I don't know why people back there were so worried. That was an easy walk.
[sheba stop judging people you barely know challenge...]
Anyway, we made pretty good time. It's probably safest if we set out for our investigation in the morning - unless you prefer to move through the desert at night when it's not as hot?
The heat doesn't necessarily bother me. I came pretty prepared for it.
[ so, he doesn't mind either way. ryo isn't particularly tired, but he realizes it would seem strange to not be even a little after they traveled so long and he isn't supposed to be used to desert travel, so. resting is fine.
We might as well get some rest and set out in the morning, in that case.
[better safe than sorry. sheba also doesn't feel particularly tired - but who knows how long that will last once they're trekking through the sand again.
she stretches a little as ryo digs through his bag, tilting her head slightly to one side with curiosity.]
I can gather some information from the locals tonight, too. The researchers we're looking for traces of likely stopped here on their way to their research site.
[so, maybe she can pluck some info out of their minds - even if they don't want to share it.]
[ hm, she really is a curious one. which has its pros and cons-- being stuck with someone on a mission who doesn't notice their surroundings usually ends up being a headache and more like babysitting. the downside is that she is obviously nosy.
he pulls out a small book. ]
I like to take notes.
[ which isn't a lie. sometimes you used to be a scholar and the habits do not die. ]
well this is weird. he is fairly sure he did not imagine that odd feeling earlier when she tried to mind read, but since it didn't happen again and he has no idea what it actually was, he can't really question it too hard.
for now, though, he reorganizes his belongings and will take this time alone to go through his phone. unfortunately childe is useless for asking things about sumeru and on the assumption that scaramouche is even alive in this timeline, that bitch doesn't use his phone so he is also useless. he puts his stuff away for now and will just take notes on what happened today. ]
[sheba has a couple of nice, pleasant conversations!
whenever she asks about the scholars they're looking for traces of, she gets the same answer - the scholars did pass through, and they did purchase some supplies, but they headed off into the desert on their own and haven't been back since. from what the people in the village are saying, how they vanished and what happened to them is a mystery.
but people don't always say everything they know, and as sheba concludes her last conversation with someone within ryo's line of sight, he'll see that as soon as she turns away from the villager, the smile drops off her face and she frowns.
once they've regrouped and found somewhere to talk (me, not remembering if there's an inn or if they're going to have to camp out) - ]
...they're hiding something. Everyone's telling me the scholars went into the desert on their own, but I overheard someone talking about how they'd brought along one of the Village Keepers with them.
[she actually read their mind and heard this, but unfortunately, the person whose mind she read did not think of the person's name.]
I guess it makes a little bit of sense that they might have accompanied them... Village Keepers were scholars at the Akademiya once. What doesn't make sense is the fact that the villagers are hiding it.
[ so it really is some sort of weird conspiracy then. it would be a lot simpler if it was just that they had gone into the desert unprepared and gotten horribly lost. those kinds of stories are pretty common, but...
ryo sighs. ]
Did they say which direction they went off to? It may not help narrow it down too much since the desert's large, but it's better than nothing.
They were going to head west first, to examine the area around the Mausoleum of King Deshret, and then head north from there to try to find the Eternal Oasis. Or, at least, that's what they were saying.
[she frowns, crossing her arms.]
...but I did overhear one of them mumbling about how they didn't know how they planned to get past the Tanit camps.
[ ryo's first thought is that this girl is somehow very good at eavesdropping at the right time.
his second thought is that at least they have a direction to head to. the problem with the desert is, again, even if you are headed to a specific location in it, it's so easy to get turned around-- all it takes is one bad sand storm. but knowing what spots they should have hit along the way would give them a general idea of the path the group should have taken. ]
... interesting. We can head that way in the morning, then. You're all stocked up?
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but onward, once again. ryo is quiet for a lot of the journey, only occasionally asking questions about where they're heading and the like.
after a while, though, ]
I'm curious about something.
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but when he speaks up about being curious, she looks up at him.]
Yeah? What about?
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[ and from monstadt to sumeru is no short distance, for people who are forced to walk like non-traveler genshins are apparently forced to do. ]
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[she shrugs.]
The desert's beautiful, don't you think? I mean, I know it's a lot of sand and all, and it's really hot out during the day, but I still think desert sunsets are the prettiest.
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but he considers it. ]
I don't normally watch sunsets.
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[she smiles.]
I'm kind of looking forward to it!
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he looks up at the sky, frowning at the position of the sun. it would be easier if he could just check his phone, but he's now used to judging this kind of thing the old fashioned way. ]
You sound like a romantic.
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[she sounds amused - she's never really thought about it that way. she knows what she likes, and desert sunsets are among them.]
Aaaanyway... I hope we'll be able to see whatever the "strange sightings" the Guild was talking about are. I'm gonna be kind of disappointed if we just get out there and it's a totally normal day in the desert.
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[ so
there is a real chance they might just find nothing. ]
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[she shrugs, unconsciously bringing up a hand to fiddle with the fake vision clasping her cloak shut.]
Well, I guess if we don't find anything out of the ordinary, that's an answer in and of itself.
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[ like
if you don't know what you're doing, it wouldn't be too difficult to just die in the wilderness ]
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[she shrugs.]
If that's what happened, it's not gonna be easy to find anything unless we get really lucky.
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Would we still get paid, you think?
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[she shrugs]
If they try not to pay us, it's gonna be a problem... for them.
[she will mind read them and find something to blackmail them with so they pay if they try to cheat them :/ ]
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[ unfortunately ryo would just shoot them.
this is a really bad duo to try to cheat money from actually. ]
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in any case, the rest of the trek to aaru village is easy enough. sure, they run into a few more hilichurls along the way, but that's nothing they can't handle. no sandstorms to speak of, which means the people back at caravan ribat were just paranoid, or they're going to have some trouble when they head further into the desert.
it's a bit before sunset when they arrive.]
I don't know why people back there were so worried. That was an easy walk.
[sheba stop judging people you barely know challenge...]
Anyway, we made pretty good time. It's probably safest if we set out for our investigation in the morning - unless you prefer to move through the desert at night when it's not as hot?
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[ so, he doesn't mind either way. ryo isn't particularly tired, but he realizes it would seem strange to not be even a little after they traveled so long and he isn't supposed to be used to desert travel, so. resting is fine.
he goes to sift through his bag. ]
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[better safe than sorry. sheba also doesn't feel particularly tired - but who knows how long that will last once they're trekking through the sand again.
she stretches a little as ryo digs through his bag, tilting her head slightly to one side with curiosity.]
I can gather some information from the locals tonight, too. The researchers we're looking for traces of likely stopped here on their way to their research site.
[so, maybe she can pluck some info out of their minds - even if they don't want to share it.]
...looking for something?
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he pulls out a small book. ]
I like to take notes.
[ which isn't a lie. sometimes you used to be a scholar and the habits do not die. ]
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[she will not be taking notes, but that's because she has a good memory for this kind of thing (and can just read minds for a refresher anyway).
she makes a mental note to read his mind again once she spots him writing. for now, though...]
Okay, I'm gonna go ask around about the scholars. I'll let you know what I find out!
[away she goes to be social...]
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well this is weird. he is fairly sure he did not imagine that odd feeling earlier when she tried to mind read, but since it didn't happen again and he has no idea what it actually was, he can't really question it too hard.
for now, though, he reorganizes his belongings and will take this time alone to go through his phone. unfortunately childe is useless for asking things about sumeru and on the assumption that scaramouche is even alive in this timeline, that bitch doesn't use his phone so he is also useless. he puts his stuff away for now and will just take notes on what happened today. ]
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whenever she asks about the scholars they're looking for traces of, she gets the same answer - the scholars did pass through, and they did purchase some supplies, but they headed off into the desert on their own and haven't been back since. from what the people in the village are saying, how they vanished and what happened to them is a mystery.
but people don't always say everything they know, and as sheba concludes her last conversation with someone within ryo's line of sight, he'll see that as soon as she turns away from the villager, the smile drops off her face and she frowns.
once they've regrouped and found somewhere to talk (me, not remembering if there's an inn or if they're going to have to camp out) - ]
...they're hiding something. Everyone's telling me the scholars went into the desert on their own, but I overheard someone talking about how they'd brought along one of the Village Keepers with them.
[she actually read their mind and heard this, but unfortunately, the person whose mind she read did not think of the person's name.]
I guess it makes a little bit of sense that they might have accompanied them... Village Keepers were scholars at the Akademiya once. What doesn't make sense is the fact that the villagers are hiding it.
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[ so it really is some sort of weird conspiracy then. it would be a lot simpler if it was just that they had gone into the desert unprepared and gotten horribly lost. those kinds of stories are pretty common, but...
ryo sighs. ]
Did they say which direction they went off to? It may not help narrow it down too much since the desert's large, but it's better than nothing.
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[she frowns, crossing her arms.]
...but I did overhear one of them mumbling about how they didn't know how they planned to get past the Tanit camps.
[she heard them thinking that, actually.]
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his second thought is that at least they have a direction to head to. the problem with the desert is, again, even if you are headed to a specific location in it, it's so easy to get turned around-- all it takes is one bad sand storm. but knowing what spots they should have hit along the way would give them a general idea of the path the group should have taken. ]
... interesting. We can head that way in the morning, then. You're all stocked up?
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