+5 Study the plant life of a neutral territory (x2 exp. boost) +5 Collect herbs (x2 exp. boost) Early evening found the wraith by the ocean, her ashen silhouette all but invisible when set against the brilliant pigments of the sun as it fell into the horizon of black water. Elora paid this striking view very little heed; even with its light diluted, it hurt for the woman to gaze upon it, and she could not justify the discomfort for anything as cliché as a sunset. Instead, her attention centered on the granite beneath her paws and its cradles of sea and flora and trinkets. This was where her primary interest lay, for she was invested in both its flora and fauna; the thin woman obtained most of her meals from easy scavenging, and she was also curious as to what sort of flora this foreign land might offer. Perhaps some would be familiar to her, and she might finally be able to restart her gardens and cache. The lioness approached one of the largest and deepest pools, her rose hues flitting across its surface before she found a somewhat comfortable surface of stone to settle upon. With precious little in the way of fat deposits, it hurt to press too firmly against the stone, but she made do as she inched forward, draping her forepaws over the edges and peering over into its depth. Her tail coiled restlessly behind her as she reached into the water and retrieved a clump of seaweed, her brows wrinkling with a mixture of consideration and irritation. A sigh pressed passed her lips as she set the soggy clump of slimy plant in front of her, her ears falling backwards against her skull as she glanced briefly away, her eyes glassy with preoccupation.

code // art

+5 Learn a character’s full name and rank
+5 Practice hiding your scent
+5 Study the landscape of an area

He roamed the beach lazily, taking it all in. He had been here several times before, but he did so enjoy it. There was always something new to see given the myriad species of marine life that flocked in the shallows or washed up on the shore. It also made it easier to hide the scent of the Hollows by wading through the brine and rolling in the sand, leaving him with the salty scent of the shores.

With that accomplished, he was free to roam the rest of the shore without leaving a scent trail behind. Of particular interest to him were the tide pools, given their ability to trap numerous creatures within them that he wouldn't otherwise get the opportunity to see. Not to mention the various plants and shells of course.

There was also a woman there that he didn't know, and naturally Tobin approached her. "Looks unappetizing," he commented.

@elora

It was the voice of a stranger which plucked the woman from her reverie, the unexpectedness of the arrival inspiring a rush of panic to pour into her bloodstream as her skull pivots in his direction. Tension ripples through her thin figure, a tightening of weak muscles across her skeleton, curving forward of folded ears, and boney toes clutching the stone beneath her; the colorless wraith is brought to full attention. Her pale rose-petal eyes flitted over his silhouette of obsidian, her focus immediately drawn to the striking gold that encircled his neck, before her consideration turns after a moment to the stranger’s façade as her unwarranted panic reduces into simple surprise. He had spoken, but so lost in her daydreaming as she had been when he arrived, the wraith had not picked up on his words. So, she managed a faint smile up at him – a valiant effort to warm away the tension that likely lingered in her expression. “I'm sorry?” She inquires an invitation and apology, her tone saccharine with courtesy and she hoped her surprise and subsequent distraction had not offended him. @Tobin

code // art

+5 Study the landscape of an area

He wasn't sure if he had startled her or if she always reacted in such a way whenever someone new greeted her. Or even when someone greeted her period. He politely chose to ignore it as she smiled at him in lieu of commenting on it herself, instead expressing confusion about his comment.

"Your meal," he clarified, gesturing to the clump of seaweed with a paw. "It looks... less than thrilling." He was joking, of course, and didn't actually think she was going to eat the clump of plants from the ocean, but whether or not she would pick up on that remained to be seen. He had a rather dry sense of humor and delivery, after all.

He briefly scanned the tidepool, looking for anything useful or interesting that might be in it. For the latter, there was the usual variety of fish, anemonies and, of course, seaweed, but for the former... not so much. A pity, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the ocean washed up something useful.

@elora

His clarification turns her eye to the sea-bedraggled tangle of vegetation that lay unappealingly between her front paws, and the ashen wraith considers it with a sharp breath before returning her gaze back to his. “Yes, well, I hadn’t planned on eating it unless as a last resort.” She hadn’t intended to be so candid with the older stranger either, but occasionally Elora had trouble siphoning the myriad thoughts she had into appropriate conversation—a byproduct of solitude, she supposed. Somewhat aware of her misstep, the lioness pulled her tail tightly around her narrow figure, and catches notice of his wandering gaze. She nods to the tidepool, her folded ears flicking forward. “Looking for anything in particular?” She lifts her chin to him, her tone curious but remaining courteous. @Tobin

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She took him seriously, but he had somewhat anticipated that and didn't argue the point. The only thing worse than a joke landing flat was attempting to salvage it by explaining it. They were quickly on to another topic of conversation anyway, likely prompted by her noticing his gaze roaming the area to take it all in.

"Just learning about the area," he replied. "Seeing if any of it is useful in any way. That and admiring the many colorful creatures that live in the pools. I'll admit I spent most of my life in an area that didn't have this much water." He was slowly making up for that at this point, spending what few good years he had left seeing other lands and meeting as many as he could.

@elora