Silva shrugged his pack further up onto his shoulders to stop it sliding down, which made his little mending 1 Solar sign clatter lightly. He breathed deeply the air of this magical wood and relished in a feeling that was for once... familiar. Places like this held firmer spots in his memory, maybe because of how many senses he used traversing them or simply because the very similar surroundings changed slowly over the years even as they held the familiarity. 

"But you see the Lantern Light woods is such a beautiful place. Useful for so many things too... magics and potions and the like. I have taken friends here many times before and I always seem to remember another bit of information amongst the foliage. That's why I am stopping by this trip... then I heard someone was stealing all the blooms and if these disappear and are farmed out well... Moonglade loses a valuable resource. In my opinion a beautiful resource. Romantic if you like that sort of thing!" He pushed some leaves out of his way and held them for the pirate behind him.

"I am very glad to have a friend with me again! I wasn't expecting any of the crew to be so interested in the Flora like I am." His smile was wide as he let Tsarra push past him. "But we should be able to see the light of them soon. Just a little deeper down this path. There should be a little pool surrounded by the blossoms even."

Blah blah blah blah. Oh boy, was this one a talker.

Tsarra follows along the silver haired man who was more than happy to yammer on about the forest and how he's acted as a guide and how things are disappearing and on and on and on.

Uuuuuugh.

She resists asking if they're there yet, her impatience gnawing at her like a hungry shark with a jaw full of dull teeth. 

It seemed like an easy mark. Rumors of the these rare plant thingies that are being eaten up or taken by something and people getting all antsy about them going extinct or whatever had been circulating even the seediest of shanty bars in the area. These glowy plant bulbs would surely go for a hefty price in the smuggling rings should they actually dwindle to the point of needing to be protected by local authorities and hired sell swords. The more something is protected, the more it fetches on the black market. 

As such, Tsarra decided to take a closer look at the situation and maybe bag herself a few samples before the pickings got too slim. Who knew how many other smugglers had their eyes on this prize that couldn't even defend itself or run away. Funny how something as simple as a plant could actually be worth anything. Aren't plants supposed to be farmable? Why not just grow more? It was a silly situation, but one she would take advantage of nonetheless. 

Speaking of taking advantage of, this guide she found better get to the point so she can nab what she needs and make a break for it. They've been walking through this forest for hours now and haven't seen a single bulb to pick. For all those hours the guide has gone one about all sorts of things, acting like they were all chummy with one another. Tsarra has played nice enough so far, but her patience was dwindling much like the light of day above them. She couldn't wait to ditch them and get her spoils back to the ship. 

"Ha ha, aye, good company and all that."

She looks ahead as they continue down the path to the spring with a small creek feeding into it from some rockfaces, forming a gentle babbling waterfall. 

He was a little quieter as they continued on. He would have expected to see their faint light by now.. Around the corner or even a few blossoms blooming on the trail. But there was nothing yet. He checked the tattoo on his arm a few times and looked at his companion.



“We should have already started to see them…” He looked back at the path and the lack of glow around the pool ahead. He carefully parted some of the nearby foliage to check. “That it got this bad without anyone seeing who did it..?”



The buzzing started up without him noticing. Insects disturbed by his rustling as he moved along the pool. They began to gather up behind him as he moved almost frantically along the pool, checking more and more sections. Maybe it was memories that made him feel so sad to see the place changed or maybe simply for the fact that he had remembered something.



“Ah wait! They are here just… dark? They look cut or ripped into and some of the flowers are gone…” He ran a finger along a leafy stem and caressed a petal as if it was an injured friend. “This doesn’t seem like poachers… wouldn’t they also take the leaves and stems? And in fact any damaged flowers too. Why would anyone just destroy these beautiful things?”

Tsarra looks around the dim pool as Silva investigates what has happened to all the lantern light bulbs. Her ear twitches as the buzzing starts to grow louder around them. Was that normal? The triton woman was still not the most savvy on land and she barely knew anything about creatures that inhabited the forests, plains, and mountains of Charon. 

The swarm is hard to miss though, but the man pays them no mind, so the triton isn't sure if they are a threat or not until they gather and loom over him with their pincers and stingers primed to attack. 

"Oi! Watch out!" The triton shouts as she tackles the man into the pool of water as the swarm dive bombs him.

She pushes him under the water's surface, liquid filling her lungs and her webbed hands giving her an edge in the depths of the pool.^[1,2] Seeing that the bugs do not follow them into the depths, she pats Silva on the head and a luminous aura of magic briefly enshrouds the man before seeping into him, giving him the freedom to breath underwater.^[3]

"Salina's tits, what are those things?" The triton looks at the swarm angrily encircling the pool above them. For now, the water was protecting them, but they couldn't stay down there forever. She looks over at Silva. "Ye alright? Sorry for the plunge, but it looked like they were makin' to turn ye into a snack."

---

[1] Gills
[2] Webbed Digits
[3] Breath Water