This is about as far from the town center as one can get without being in full wilderness. Shepherds may venture this far, and bed their flocks for the night - but it's generally a good idea to be vigilant. A light can be seen through the trees to the east, coming from the tower window of Dontgointhe Castle, but even that seems a small thing. The sounds here are mostly wind related, causing the trees to gossip, and as usual the darkness is heavy as Sylvania's perpetual cloud cover blocks the stars and Procession.
The solitude is exactly what Aviri enjoys. There's just enough grass around in case he gets hungry, and the trees keep out the wind. The only animals nearby would be Kalvin and his flock, but even they are far enough that Aviri can't hear them.
Aviri walks through the forest, eyes half-closed as if navigating by rote memory. Out here he was a different person, moving in a relaxed and easy manner as if he had not a care in the world. Seemingly at random he plops himself at the base of a tree and, removing a well-worn book from his satchel, flips to a page somewhere in the middle and starts reading, his eyes moving quickly over the text.
After reading a few pages the Lapi moved a few dozen meters to a small fairy circle. He pulls himself up and begins poking this, measuring that, and picking the other, all the while making notes in that same book.
For Lin, the forest is not so comfortable. It's far from the river and fast escape (nevermind that she had to swim back up the Milk Run after reporting to Emmett. There's still chalk in her fur from that). The trees aren't like the giant chestnuts in the Kadie holds, which are spaced apart and cleared of underbrush, not the mangroves of the swamp. These are smaller, and more closely bunched. On the plus side, they're easier to climb! It takes all her concentration to remain quiet as she stalks her prey.. who seems to be involved in some odd ritual.
Aviri seems to have finished whatever notes he wanted to make there and moves away from the mushrooms. An observer might notice he's smiling a bit, though for no apparent reason. He stops suddenly at a tree, as if startled. Moving to the bark he stares at a small clump of moss very intently.
The otter peers through a gap between two trunks, flinching then the Lapi stops suddenly, affraid he saw her. She ducks her head below the gap and shuffles to make sure every limb and appendage is accounted for and out of sight.
Aviri, still staring at the moss, starts muttering to himself, the words incomprehensible though the tone would indicate he's almost arguing with himself. Finally he looks away from the tree and flips through the book, almost frantically.
Lin peeks up over the edge of the gap, trying to decipher the meaning behind the huried page flipping. She absently pulls at a bit of clumped chalk dust and fur on the back of her arm with her teeth, darned stuff tastes like- well it tastes like chalk!
The Lapi finds the page he was looking for and compares whatever's on it to the moss on the tree. After a few moments he turns to another page and does the same. Finally, he sits down on the ground as if overwhelmed. He just sits there for a while, looking bewildered at the tree though his eyes seem a bit out of focus.
Linyala uses the pause to start sneaking around behind the Lapi, if only she can see what's so important in that notebook. She creeps towards a tree that has a clearer view the space where the Lapi is sitting.
Aviri rouses from his odd state and gets back to his feet and re-approaches the moss. He flips through pages once more in the book and reaches into his pocket. He stops moving quite suddenly.
The sneaking otter freezes, hardly daring to breath.
"Really?" The Lapi says quietly. "You really came all the way out here without....?" He searches his other pockets quickly before sighing heavily. "Guess I'll do it the old way," he says to himself and puts the book back into his satchel. Then, he resumes his apparent passtime of staring at moss.
Lin is getting really tense from all of the starting and stopping and tries to maintain her composure for the last stretch to the better cover of her targeted tree. She scans the ground ahead of her for any unfortunate sticks or dry leaves, the fur around the back of her neck is starting to stand out from the stress.
Aviri continues his stare, trying to commit the moss to memory. He looks away briefly, to check the position of the sun. He takes a step to his right, then back to the left until he's north of the trunk. He takes a step back and holds his hands out at arm's length, partially covering the moss from his vision for some odd reason.
The otter takes a few deep breaths to calm her nerves before starting to climb, picking her way up then out over Aviri. She balances between two branches to distribute her weight better and inches out to see what he's doing.
There's a flapping sound, and Lin suddenly feels something land on her butt. Something with sharp little claws.
Linyala barks involantarily and twists to see what decided to land on her.
"Odd," Aviri says, lowering his hand and tilting his head at an angle. "Grows in sunwaugh!" he cries, leaping away from the tree and whirling about to see what in the trees would be barking.
There is a green and yellow creen clinging to the otter. It lowers it's serpentine head and fans its wings to make itself look bigger - and hisses at Lin! Creens can be a bit territorial.. especially if there's a nest nearby.
Lin franticaly tries to scramble around the other side of the tree and shake the angry creen off her backside. One of the branches gives a sharp creak and gives way, dropping the rest of her weight onto the other one which gives an oninous creak. The creen flaps around her head and tries to bite her hand, she lets go of the branch and tries to get her feet under her so as not to get hurt by the ground.
Aviri easily spots the flailing otter and takes another leap backward, too stunned for words.
The otter rolls when she hits the ground and bounces to her feet. "Lots of fun dropping by but I really have to go!" She chatters at Aviri and makes a break for cover.
The creen abandons its attack when it sees that it has one. It chirps its victory cry.. and then flies up higher into the trees.
"B...wh..." stammers the Lapi. "N ... what were you doing in that tree?" He makes after Lin. "Were you spying on me?!"
Lin stops abruptly and turns to run the other way. "Yep! You caught me but no prize for you!" She tries to evade the Lapi.
Aviri dashes after her, pulling himself back momentarily at the trunk--at the moss. He shakes his head and continues his persuit almost immediately. "Nono," he says, "moss less important."
The otter can't help but stop, stunned that moss should hold such fascination with anyone that it would keep them from a chase. She runs again but fouls herself on a protruding root and lands face first in a clump of ferns.
Aviri quickly catches up with the fallen otter. He stands over her, albeit at a distance of a meter. "Well, spy, did you find anything of import? Aside from that tree root?"
"Something 'bout a magic cup and underwater map and you can find Swampy?" She acuses and tries to extricate herself from the plants. "What's the secret in the moss?"
"New moss," Aviri says. "Never seen it before. Grows in su ... well, partial sunlight." He shakes his head. "Hold on ... why were you spying on me?"
"Cause you were bein' 'spicious!" Linyala states, righting herself, "Why were you out in the middle of the forrest lookin' at moss? I've to find out what you're plot-ting for Emmett."
"Plotting?" Aviri asks. "I'm not plotting anything. I'm studying. Came out to follow up on some observations. Found a new moss. Forgot my pen. What's Emmett got to do with moss? He going to steal my moss?"
"No! Yes." Linyala whines in confusion, "Emmett doesn't want to steal your moss! I just need ta follow you and find out what you're doing with that magic cup and Swampy." She skips back a step or two.
"Swampy? I want nothing to do with Swampy. Had enough already." Aviri's eyes go out of focus for a moment before snapping back quickly. He advances, making up the distance Lin took. "Though, now that you mention it, what do you want with Swampy. Or ... Emmett. Not you want, but Emmett with ..." his words fall in on themselves and he stops talking, looking almost confused.
The otter continues to back away, the Lapi looks like it's about ready to start foaming at the mouth. "Are you allright?" She asks, wondering if he's infected with some terrivle brain sickness.
"Yes, fine fine," Aviri says. "Didn't answer question. What does Emmett want with Swampy?" He pauses again and says to himself, "Though possible she does as well." Louder, to her, "Or you? What do you and Emmett want with Swampy?"
"He didn't tell me, I'm just spying! Why're you sneaking around with maps of the bottom of the swamp?" She counters, panicking somewhat as she's not used to being caught very often.
"That..." Aviri says, "was ... research. For the swamp. Er, plants. Plants in the swamp. Flow of nutrition very important in botany. Example: the fairy circles. Rings of mushrooms ... you're the sneaker Trillup spoke of, aren't you? Lin ... al ... Linyala! Right?"
"That's me. But what about the cup?" Linyala asks, grapsing at straws, "You were talking about a cup!"
The Lapi smiles a bit, having deduced the identity of the otter. "Cup? Just some old cup that's enthralled Jack." He pauses and adds, "I think he might be a little crazy."
A third person shows up - another Lapi! This one is short, wearing a patchwork coat that might have started life as a colorful quilt, carries a shepherd's crook and.. has antlers. "You're being loud out here," Kalvin complains. "Aviri, you said you wouldn't be loud when you came out this way. You're being loud. Can't you wrestle your girl more quietly?"
Aviri looks up at Kalvin. "Right, sorry, Kalvin," he says. "Linyala was spying on me. Had to find out why."
"But you! He!" The otter spins to face the new Lapi, turns back and lets out a pitiful whine.
The mutant Lapi looks from Aviri to Linyala and back again. "Was it nice?" he asks Aviri.
"Nice?" Aviri asks. "No. She fell out of a tree just when I'd found a new moss. Did you know there's an odd moss in this forest? Anyway, hardly had time to catalogue it when she got attacked by a bird. Rather distracting. Haven't even had time to see if it survived."
"Odd moss," Kalvin repeats. "Is it high or low? I didn't know otters fell out of trees. Where you supposed to catch her?"
Linyala backs away slowly, hoping they'll be distracted enough by each other not to notice.
"How could I catch her?" Aviri asks. "I didn't even know she was there? She was trying to be sneaky." He points accusinly to where Lin had been standing and his eyes follow the gesture to a now-empty spot of grass. "Where'd she go?"
Kalvin points with his crook. "That way. I'm pretty sure spying isn't wrestling then, or flying or jumping. Try to make less noise, or you'll wake up my flock." With that.. the odd Lapi turns and vanishes back into the trees, although in the direction of the pastures.
Aviri nods and goes after Linyala once again.
Linyala stays still, hiding behind a tree.
Aviri mutters to himself as he searches for the otter. Linyala might hear something about invading something or other, or something along those lines, but for the most part Aviri is quiet and thourough in his search.
Linyala continues trying to sneak away, tree by tree, fren by fern. She berates herself in undretones for bungling her spying so badly.
Aviri stops his search to look into the sky. Wordlessly he breaks off the search and heads back toward the warren.