"Let's head out, then."

There's a little bit of a trail if you're looking carefully - most of the plants are quite springy and resilient but they did drag a whole camp up here, so the vegetation has been flattened out a bit.

Cynthia starts by tasting the chickpeas. She's curious about whether they're a different breed of chickpeas, and so would taste different.

They're maybe a bit firmer and nuttier than highly cultivated chickpeas? Someone has definitely bred out the bitterness of true wild-type chickpeas, though.

Next up is trying the oat biscuit! It sounds like it'd have to be made in some kind of weird way, to turn it into a biscuit...

It's a flat disc that is crumbly - an oatcake. Probably not much in there other than oats and maybe some vegetable oil. If you like the taste of oats fresh out of the husks it's pretty good.

She sure does so it sure is! Trevally has got to be better than tuna. And she'll wait with the berry mix, those sounded risky.

Trevally definitely has more of a taste to it than the tuna! Also a bit more structure, it's whole fish butterflied and flattened, skin and tiny crunchy bones and all. It's strongly fishy, quite salty, and slightly sweet.

It makes her think more... about the kind of food she liked back home.

Jeeee appears to be totally oblivious to human facial expressions and mostly determined to make good time. Ke is not quite setting a jogging pace but it's definitely a power walk unless Cynthia can't keep up with that. Ke sometimes pushes off convenient trees with kis wings for a little extra boost - or to catch kimself, because kis balance isn't great on uneven terrain.

Mostly the ground is quite forgiving on the trail that has already gone around most of the clumpy plants and tougher bushes, but sometimes the carpet of greneery conceals an unexpected slope. They're mostly going slightly downhill.

It's not too tough, although it's a bit unfamiliar as she's so used to walking on sidewalk or well-manicured lawns instead of wilderness like this.

After a while Jeeee gets bored enough to start talking again.

"So. Ground based groups. Most of them are mining, but there is also some manufacture and science.

Mining groups mostly live underground, some people really love living underground and stay there permanently, but most just rotate through to see if they like it, and enjoy the reputation boost and possibly whatever crazy experiment has led everyone else they've tried to live with to kick them out. I'm not going to sugar coat it, they are often pretty wild places, a lot more serious fights, if you get injured and nobody likes you then you might end up limping out into the forest to die.

Manufactories are generally a little more selective, depending on what they're making - there are some processes that are still just labour intensive and they'll take anyone who's desperate enough to belong somewhere, but most are highly specialised and full of fanatics who really want to improve that process or who just really want to contribute the best way they can.

Science installations are generally like that or more so. You only have a ground based science installation if you absolutely have to have somewhere with solid foundations and low vibration and so on to do the work, or if you're studying a natural phenomenon that doesn't conveniently move where you want it to be. Anyone who stays at one of those for long deeply cares about the work in one way or another.

Expeditions are generally adventurers like us - young, mostly healthy people who want to get stuff done before that stops being true - if you want to get into a manufacture or science group that's more selective and you're physically capable, doing logistics for them is a good way in, and it's also just a good way to see more of the world."

"Hmm... where I'm from people just about always care about contributing the best way they can! And both the science installation and the manufactory sounds very tempting... more the science I think, there are many awesome things I'm sure I can remember and come up with! Especially having a lot of energy, that did such an incredible amount for us. So I'll get in and start there. I think."

"I mean, we normally do too - it's just some people are built for being able to do that to the exclusion of, like, getting to see new things and some aren't.

...actually thinking about it, I expect that if you convince anyone you're real, you'll immediately attract a group of people who want to study you."

"Then I'll be happy to help them learn!" Cynthia smiles.

They make it to the shoreline fairly swiftly, but it's quite a way along the mound defending the planted area from stray waves until the boat comes into view.

It's - not the most aesthetically pleasing vessel. In fact it kind of looks like it was scrounged together out of the remnants of multiple predecessor vessels. It's a big yacht with plenty of deck space and a recessed living area with strips of window, two big sails, and there is stuff everywhere, including an absolutely bewildering antenna array. 

It's clearly having some serious work done on the hull by the two other Kastakians visible. 

Cynthia rushes up to take a closer look at the boat. She's curious about if there'd be something cool that's only possible because she has hands!

One of the boat maintainers notices the onrushing Cynthia, and starts making a terrible high pitched screaming noise! 

Jeee tries to run forwards loudly yelling that everything is fine, but trips over and rolls down onto the beach in a painful looking confusion of feathers. 

The other looks up, moderately startled, but doesn't seem all that concerned. 

Cynthia starts covering her ears. Ow that hurts a lot! Hopefully the screaming bird calms down and stops making people uncomfortable?

Jeee picks kimself up and continues to yell, "For goodness sake shut up, Loffania, you're hurting them!"

Ke is limping a bit now.

"It really doesn't look that dangerous," comments the extra Kastakian. 

Loffania doesn't care. Loffania is making an Alarm Noise and it seems to be working as the strange creature is definitely Alarmed and hindered in attacking them, like it clearly already has Jeee! Also Loffania can't hear a word anyone is saying. 

She's had self-defense classes but not against things with wings! She learned to run in them though. So she turns away from the screaming bird until it stops screaming.

Eventually, the third Kastakian with the boat pops out of the hatch, observes the situation (Meliashae is very deadpan but clearly highly amused, Jeee is limping gamely towards them, some unknown creature is looking fairly harmless a little way away, and Loffania is screeching endlessly), tackles Loffania to the ground and gets a wing-hand round kis beak, significantly muffling the noise.

"Shut up!" ke yells once it is at all possible that Loffania might hear kim. There ensues a bit of a scuffle.