After finding Dravite and Cye, she felt a little more at ease with where she had wound up. The news of the others following her was heavy on her shoulders, though Gemma was all about letting that shit go as long as it didn't come back to bite her. Things had happened and she was very interested in just letting it all be back there. She had lost many things after the fall and the separation, but she was choosing to blatantly ignore the pain and hurt.

That was what made wandering into the Dunes so abstract for the black and white woman. It was a blatant reminder of where she had initially come from. A desert-y place with sparse trees and cover when you didn't need it and none when you didn't. It was vast and it was warm - a travesty that left Gemma coming to a standstill amidst her stroll and pondering whether she should turn back now or face the wrath of the afternoon heat.

_{© LARS}

@Caligula

+10 Explore a territory and find something useful in it
+10 Discuss the features of a territory with someone
+10 Find a notable landmark in a territory

Caligula hadn't found a place to settle yet. He needed to, there were cubs to think of after all. And he was thinking of his cubs as he settled down into the sands of the desert. His bronze pelt didn't stand out too starkly from the golden sands if he placed himself within a patch of sunlight.

Half buried in the sand the maneless male watched a lizard scurry across the sand. Cali was waiting for it to get closer to him so that he could reach out and grab it. He wasn't the best of hunters and it was too warm out for him to be able to sneak up on the reptiles. But maybe he could be quick enough to snatch it up if it got close.

His attention became distracted by further movement among the sand. A dark figure with an almost mirage like appeal. He recognized that mirage. "Gemma." He spoke the name from his place in the sand. He was uncertain of what sort of greeting he would get. After all it was his fault that her life had gone to shambles.

@Gemma

Despite wishing for nothing more than to leave the past in the past, there were certain marks in those times that she did think about. A fair few figures that she had thoroughly enjoyed being around even through all the turmoil - @Caligula being one of them.

So when her name was spoken through the air was when she recognized she wasn't quite alone. Bright red eyes burning through the dunes and scouring the landscape before landing on a pair of eyes on a near camouflaged Caligula. Well considered me duped, she chuckled and shook her head in disbelief that Caligula was here after all. Cye had mentioned running into Sarthak so it made sense that the golden pacifist wouldn't be too far behind, I didn't quite expect to run into you here. Not that I would'a noticed you if you hadn't said somethin. The male had done his part in keeping himself relatively hidden from the unsearching eye.

_{© LARS}

"It hadn't been you that I had been meaning to fool. I had hoped to make a meal of the lizard instead." But the vibrations of him speaking out already had the reptile running off in the opposite direction. Giving the meal up for a loss the maneless male unburied himself from the sand.

Caligula stood up and shook the grains from his pelt. "What are you doing all the way out here? You don't strike me as the sort to fancy a lizard dinner." Why else would anyone be out here except to try for some reptile cuisine. There really wasn't anything else of abundance out here except for sand.

"I should probably also apologize for everything." Not that everything even began to cover the half of it. There was so much that he needed to apologize and make up for but he had no clue on where to even start with it all.

@Gemma

As soon as @Caligula mentioned a lizard, Gemma's ears twisted as she noticed the animal scurrying away from the lion-filled vicinity like its tail was on fire. It might as well be given its tiny body and fast run-speed, but it did fill Gemma with a small sense of guilt. A weight that she had ruined a meal for someone. Of course, a lizard wasn't much of a meal to begin with.

Making note of my surroundings. Best to be prepared when wandering through open territories. The last thing she needed was to get lost when being a rogue. The Satoshi woman needed to be able to know her way in and her way out in any given situation. Physically, she had it down pretty well but emotionally? She was a wreck and didn't know exactly how to address Caligula's apology.

Several moments passed as she shook her head, not wishing for the golden male to put the blame on himself when it was not his fault. Gemma saw absolutely nothing his fault. It had been a shame that things had panned out the way they had but blame was pointless right now. It's in the past, Caligula. Whatever you think you've done, you're forgiven. I don't know what you think you're guilty of but .. this is a new place where we can shake off what happened and move on. At least, that was how she was planning on rolling with things. Now, if Sarthak were to come knocking at her door she might be a little more cautious and hold that past is in the past bullshit to the side but for the most part she just wanted to move on.

_{© LARS}

Of course she wouldn't be interested in the lizard. It seemed as if it was only him that would make a meal of reptiles and invertebrates. Everyone else seemed to prefer the mammalian sort. Of course he ate that as well, he just was usually unable to secure such beasts on his own.

He could also appreciate that Gemma wished to learn more of her surroundings. Caligula was the exact same way and could often be found out exploring. "Well, over to your right there is a sand dune. Another sand dune to your. And way off in the distance to the northeast is some sort of scruffy looking plant." A paw was waved in each direction as Caligula introduced Gemma to all of the important sights of the desert. Though there was one he was forgetting.

"Now if you will just follow me." The bronze male turned and comically started prancing towards a spot behind him, just beyond the dune within which he had buried him. His head turned to look over his shoulder to be sure that Gemma was following before he proceeded too far.

@Gemma

Gemma had a tendency to focus on her surroundings as well as insert herself into those around her. Weaving her way through the web of social construct that everyone else seemed so invested in. Meanwhile, she wasn't as much the butterfly as she had been before but she was working her way there. Simply at a standstill as she struggled to find a purpose. Nothing really calling to her just yet and having not found a place that was really hers.

Quietly she listened and watched as @Caligula explained each particular sight in the desert one by one, even going so far as to point out the cactus' not too far from here. Though, interest was immediately piqued as soon as the male suggested, or demanded, that she follow him. To which Gemma shrugged her shoulders as a why not and wandered after him.

_{© LARS}

Caligula led the way to a round, striped fruit that he had found laying in the desert. What it was he couldn't say, other than that it had a hard shell. He hadn't been able to break into it to see exactly what was inside. It was one of the most colorful things out here, striped in green among all this endless brown.

"What do you think it is?" He asked once his treasure had been shown off. "There are a few further on." The bronze male nodded towards where the vine snaked across the desert sands with similar fruits attached to it. But this particular wild desert gourd had already been separated from the vine.

@Gemma

Cautiously the spotted woman followed after her old leader, wondering where he was leading her and why it was so important. @Caligula had always been a very friendly and open individual so it wasn't any surprise that he was quick to share and open up to her. Only when they landed next to a rather colorful object at the ground did Gemma begin to understand why he was drawn to it. Very intriguing thing, looked like a rather hard shell. I can't say I'm very familiar with .. whatever this is. Gemma lowered her head to sniff it but smelled nothing aside from the bite of the dirt and dust. A little bit of earthy tones that she was certain didn't come from this thing. Can it be opened? Several things often needed a little brute force in order to get to the inside so maybe this was the same situation. Perhaps they needed to jab something sharp at it.

_{© LARS}

It wasn't necessarily an important object but it was an interesting one nonetheless. But then it wasn't like Caligula was that picky with things that he found interesting. And it would seem Gemma shared his sentiment as she was making her own inspection of the fruit and had questions of her own.

"I'm not sure. It makes an odd noise when you hit it." As Caligula had already played a game with it, trying to swat it about to see if something might come of it. "It is almost like a tree that had fallen and is empty on the inside." That was the best way the bronze male could think of to describe the hollow sound that the fruit made when it was struck.

And to prove his point the maneless lion swatted at the gourd to send it rolling closer to Gemma.

@Gemma