She was out in the hideaway tonight, having risen just as full dark came. Why? Because Kireena was after something she didn't want many to know. Poisons. The medic needed to know what to keep around for antidotes as well as to have some things for Andraesa to work on her own skills.

Etain would do well with learning about poisons, but she didn't want the two youths out this far without an escort. Especially as that bitch from the Oasis was likely skulking about in the area. She didn't want to put either young girl within striking range of the tripod. so she found some of what she was looking for - Desert Rose - or as she knew it Cactus Flower and started to carefully excavate the roots of the plant.

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Since joining beneath Helah's reign, Abdul had been keeping to the Oasis and getting to know it quite well. But now he needed to go out on an adventure and look for other things that may help him in the future. Or may not help him. It was all rather interesting to the tiny creature as he prowled through the Hideaway during the dark. However, instead of keeping himself content with the Oasis scent Abdul had found himself a rather large pile of mud and began to roll in it. No one needed to know where he lived, in case he met one of Helah's enemies. Dear lord would they try to eat him? It caused him to roll another round before going deeper into the hideaway and soon smelling a familiar scent. His gigantic ears twisted on top of his rather small head and he glanced around with yellow jewels. Following the scent he would glance around until he found her. Kireena? He wasn't entirely sure it was her but he still voiced it.

+5 Practice covering your scent

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Her name came - and her head lifted, ears swiveling towards the young fox before the red woman grinned. "Well hello little friend. I'm glad to see no one has made you a snack.." Kireena would pause where she was currently digging up the plant, looking @Abdul over and seeing the little guy seemed to do well and be in good spirits.

"What are you up to this time of night?" She supposed that it might be easier for him to wander at night, truthfully. Given that he was small and often seen as a snackrifice by others of her kind. That and the unrelenting heat of the desert would lift at the end of the day as the sun faded into the bossom of the moons evening light.

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So it was her. It caused a smile to crack across his features as he would glance around and find himself a nice boulder to jump onto and lounge on while he watched @Kireena do whatever it was she was doing. Not yet anyways, but I've been trying to keep out of the lions territories. Sort of. The lie came so smoothly off of his tongue that Abdul could have easily believed that it was the truth. He wasn't sure if Kireena would pick it out but the mud that was now caking his fur hopefully hid the truth. Abdul had done it for many things besides hiding the Oasis on his pelt.

I've come looking for treasures. And learn about plants in these areas. A truth. He could give her the truth on some things right? Kireena was someone he could trust.. Right? She hadn't eaten him on their first meeting so why would she eat him now when she clearly thought of him as a friend..

+5 Practice hiding your scent 2/2
+5 Tell a lie without getting caught 1/2

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A smile touched the lips of the giant before she nodded towards @Abdul. "Treasures and plants? Well I can't much help you with treasures - but I can help you with the plants.." In fact, his dexterous paws maybe better suited to what she was doing anyway. Though - unaware of the lie that had fallen from the fox's lips, the woman didn't press for more information.

"I'm trying to dig up this plant so I can take it back home to my garden.. It will work well in creating antidotes as well as teaching the young what to pay attention and watch for." It WAS a poison, after all. "Would you like to learn about it...perhaps you can help me dig it up and I can pay you back by teaching you what I know." It was fair, right?

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There was no notion, no anything that suggested that @Kireena had caught onto his lie and he was silently grateful about it. A smile twitched across his jaw then as she offered to help him with plants and he found himself bounding off of the boulder in one swift jump to come to her side. Though he looked like a mouse compared to her, Abdul would be honored to help her. Oh yes please. The eagerness in his voice was visible, clear and perhaps he sounded a bit too eager. He couldn't help it. His yellow jewels glanced over towards the herb she was trying to dig up and he tilted his head at it. So, what is it called and how do I dig it up? If this was poisonous, from what he caught about an antidote, he wanted to be very careful on digging it up and removing it from the ground. He was still learning but he was patient. So while he waited for her to explain what the plant was and how he needed to dig it up without poisoning himself, Abdul circled it carefully and studied it, from the purple flowers and green leaves to the size of the entire flower itself.

+5 Practice hiding your scent 2/2
+5 Tell a lie without getting caught 2/2
+5 Study a plant 1/2

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"This is called ...I think Desert rose by most of those here.. but I knew it as Cactus flower because it looked like a cactus flower." She grinned, stepping to the side to allow @Abdul access to the more delicate roots. "It's the sap you want to be careful of - normally if you're going to use it as a poison, you'd just break it off and collect the sap in a shell.. but as I'm intending to transplant it - we want as much of the root intact as possible."

The red giant gave the fox space to work as she indicated with her nose - a dip of her skull. "Be careful if you get any on your claws not to get it near your mouth. It can cause heart issues and problems - so you will need to be careful to wash your paws thoroughly if you get any of the sap on you. It works well fed to a victim - or to coat claws with it for battle.."

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As he circled it, taking note of @Kireena moving to give him space - not that he needed much of it - Abdul took note of every little detail. She spoke of the sap and there were spots that the fox could see where the sap was and made a mental note to not touch it or eat it. And if he did touch it, he would have to find water to wash it off with before returning to the Oasis and possibly contaminating anything he came near. He wasn't in the business to kill any of the Oasis members unless he wanted to deal with Helah's wrath.

That's good to know. He would muse, his attention solely going to the roots below as he found a suitable spot to start digging. His tiny paws kicking up dirt, and even tinier claws coming out to catch dirt and move it out of the way faster. His massive ears twisting as he listened to everything around them, on high alert as Abdul dug and dug. Moving around the plant until he felt that it was deep enough that majority of the root was out of the soil and out in the open. So, how are we going to get the rest of it out of the ground? His yellow jewels glanced up to the red lioness above him. He would have to remember this lesson for future uses.

+5 Practice hiding your scent 2/2
+5 Tell a lie without getting caught 2/2
+5 Study a plant 2/2

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"Now.. we use some of these.." She paused - glancing around before she spotted the wide leaves of the desert plants and carefully pulled a few off so that they could wrap them around the base of the flower. "We wrap them around and carefully pull the plant up. You should have enough of the roots exposed now..." She was careful with her jaws - making sure she didn't bite too hard and gave a firm tug.

With a spray of sand and dirt, the plant rose from its place and she grunted softly before she laid it down on the sand. "To make it into a poison that you can use..." She nudged open the leaf and used a claw to slice through one of the large sections, finding a rock and scooting it with that same claw. "You mash it up - so you can either smear the sap on your claws - or in your case.. perhaps you would want to insert it into someones meal." She did exactly that - showing @Abdul how to mash the plant with another rock.

"You will best be served to make it as soon as you're ready to use it - so the potency isn't lost.." Kireena hoped he wouldn't be upset with her telling him HOW to use it - but the best way to create an antidote was to create the poison itself.

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He was keen to watch her as she grabbed a large leaf, wrapped it around the plant and with a tug that was gentle enough to not break the plant but tough enough to cause it to come unglued from the ground he had dug the roots from before she placed it before them and began to explain just how to use it. Did she realize what she was doing? Teaching him how to make the poison that one day - not that he wanted to think about it - but he'd have to use it. Was she content with knowing she was teaching him how to kill? Who knew what Helah had in store from him.

But regardless, Abdul listened to her intently, watching her as she grabbed a rock and sliced open a large section of a leaf and then began to smash the rock onto the leaf. His massive ears twisted as he would watch her, keeping his curiosity on the low end of the spectrum so that way she didn't get any idea's of what his thoughts were. But he was a good student and would glance towards his teacher when she spoke that it was best served once it was made. Well that would make sense. And it did so he wasn't lying about that part. So how do you plan to make the antidote for it? He was just curious right.

+5 Practice hiding your scent 2/2
+5 Tell a lie without getting caught 2/2
+5 Study a plant 2/2

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