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Description
* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao The cotton-like puffs of grey in the sky rolled across the horizon with an angry breeze, air hot and sticky with the obvious signs of a storm. From the leaf-covered Earth below, the silent footsteps of a lithe figure made tiny prints against already-moist soil. Running delicate fingers up through her hair, Qiao breathed out a gentle sigh; her plan for the day had been to harvest the plums and mangoes, beginning to ripen with the season, from the trees along the brim of forest, yet, the weather seemed to have another plan in mind. ((fjadkfj; just setting the scene with this post;;;; ))

* ZaiKataki Kaito "—Ah?" This wasn't the back-streets of Partaalla. This wasn't the cold stone of the palace halls. In fact, Kaito was quite certain that there was no place like this in Naara, at all. Maybe one of the other countries, then? No… Something about the air itself felt different here. The energy running through the land beneath his feet was different. This was nowhere near the prince's home. "Where… Am I…?" Kaito Jagare, of the ruling clan of Naara, a country located on the world of Delanaire, looked around him in a very confused manner. His jacket was the first item of clothing to be removed, then shoes, and after that his rather expensive looking pants were rolled up (and ripped a bit) and the sleeves were ripped off of his shirt. "Well, that's better." At least he wasn't boiling now. But he was still completely and utterly lost on a strange world. "Probably best to just stay where I am for a moment or two. Collect my thoughts. Who knows what sort of dangers I might wander into if I'm not careful? Right? Dad always said that if I got lost, I should stay still. Someone will find me eventually." Talking out loud was making him feel a little bit better. "Of course, that was in the city…" And now it wasn't. He decided to start off by looking for water. And keeping quiet. Who knew what monsters lurked in these surrounding shadows and this sticky air?

/* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao Readjusting the cone-shaped, straw Douli hat on her head, the small-figured female ventured through the trees, glancing in each direction ever couple of minutes, and checking for signs of danger. Already, several drops of water had sprung from the sky, causing a tiny flicker of anxiety to spark in her chest; Qiao loved the rain, but the forests of Southeastern Xing had a habit of flooding from the rivers towards the center. In fact, the noirette had only just begun to near the edge of Narrow River- famously running in streams through the forest, and ending in the center oasis- and had taken note of its current height. Glossy hazel eyes darted up and down the riverbed, then to the banks along the opposite side-- when a small movement in the underbrush caught her eye. Flattening herself against the side of a tree, Qiao kept her gaze on the rustling leaves; it may have only been an animal-- though, if any larger, an animal could end up being a danger, even if on the opposing side of a river.

* ZaiKataki Kaito At first, Kaito just wandered for a bit, trying his best to be on alert, but kind of failing decently. His friend, Arane, said that he was too comfortable with the world around him, no matter where he was. Maybe it came from being raised in a place where he didn't have to worry about attacks, but at any rate, Kaito quickly found himself distracted by various plants, and the dirt beneath his feet. In all honesty, it was only a few minutes before the sounds of running water reached his ears, but it had felt like a longer time than that. "Hmm-mm-mmm… Could that be a river?" Sweeping strands of feathery black hair out of oddly bright blue eyes, Kaito began humming a tune to himself. He had never been good at keeping quiet for very long. And it was in a short time that he reached the source of the running water sound. Now, he finally remembered to be cautious, and tried to be as stealthy as possible approaching the moving liquid- but his version of stealthy really wasn't very stealthy, so he still managed to rustle leaves and break twigs, and generally make a racket. "—AH! Water!" A huge grin lit his face as he stepped into the river, making sure to get wet only up to his ankles. But even just at that, it was still a relief. And he was so focused on the running water around him, that there could have been an elephant waiting on the other side of the waterway for all he would have noticed.

* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao 'It's only a man...' Almost instantly, relief flooded through Qiao's core, one hand pressed gently over her heart. It wasn't unusual to see another person along these parts of the forest, here or there; the natural reserves were popular tourist attractions, no doubt, and every so often, a group of adventure-seekers would travel out towards the brinks, in hopes of being able to go cave crawling, and viewing the vast caves of which the rivers had carved back so many years before. Peridot orbs sparkled excitedly, as their host began to step away from the tree. Puffy pant-legs had been cuffed up, as the girl stepped into view along the riverbanks, making quick work of pulling the Tai Chi shoes from her feet, before waving to the person on the other side. "" Her Xingese was hopefully projected across the rushing waters, arms frantically flailing in greeting above her head.

* ZaiKataki Kaito "Huh?" It took Kaito a moment to process that the sounds just shouted to him were a language. From a person! "AH!" The boy's face lit up once again, and he began waving enthusiastically. It then occurred to him that he had no idea what the girl across the river had said to him, and that he should probably say something back. Well, the language had sounded similar to a language from his home world that he had recently been learning- so he should at least be able to say hello! Naturally, the garbled mess he shouted back across at her probably sounded nothing like hello. More likely, it was something like 'pancakes make good feet' or 'I just ate a tree spirit' or something similarly horrific or strange. This is going to be fun, I can already tell.

* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao .....did he just ask her if the pigs were alright? Blinking in confusion, the waving hand was lowered, now fanning out to delicately cover her lips, disguising an amused giggle. Yep. He was definitely a tourist. Wherever from was uncertain-- but she figured that at least most people knew Amestrian; although it wasn't her /best/ language, she could at least make slight conversation. "H-hello there! You are not from here, correct?!" As her words rang out over the flowing waters, the weather, again, took a turn for the downside, rain now sprinkling down from the heavens. "You have place to stay?!"

* ZaiKataki Kaito "Ehhh… Is it that obvious?! Sorry! Yes, I'm not from here!" He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he shouted this, his smile not fading, "And no!" The hand lowered, "I don't have a place to stay!" Well at least he had run into someone that seemed nice. He looked around himself for a moment, thinking on how best to get across the river. Well, swimming was probably the best idea, right? Right. Kaito was decided, and, being the impulsive person he was, dived right into the river. He wasn't a hugely strong swimmer, but luckily the current wasn't all that strong. Yet. So he made it over alright, albeit a few yards to the right of where he had been aiming. The boy bounced up when he got over, soaked hair plastered to his head, and looked around to reorient himself.

* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao Blinking a few times, an amused, cheshire grin crossed the girl's expression. A foreign, clueless, dripping-wet, /cute/ boy, who was lost in the woods and had nowhere to stay? Oh, let the teasing commence; it wasn't often that Qiao had many visitors, aside from a few messengers, or neighbors every so often. "Ah, shi, I see. Wet and tired you look, yes? You stay at my house! Have soft, warm bed, and dry clothing!" Smiling warmly at her male companion, she took each of his hands in hers excitedly, gently tugging him backwards. "Come- it rain. I make warm dumplings at house."

* ZaiKataki Kaito "Ah, notsomuch—Stay at your house?" He smiled a bit, "I wouldn't want to impose—Dumplings?" The boy's eyes lit up and an even large grin blossomed, "-Alright! Sure- if it's not too much trouble, that is." Dumplings sounded awfully good right about then. He didn't care if was warm out. There was always room for good cooking. "So- which way is your house?" He squeezed her hands lightly, following her as she tugged him, "I'll take it, it's this way?"

Qiao "Shi, shi! This way, sir!" Giggling slightly at the other's friendly demeanor, the Xingese teen began to lead him up the gently-sloping hill towards the edge of the forest. By now, the rain had started falling in a light drizzle- which, as Qiao had learned, would morph into a torrential downpour within the next half hour, and, living in such warm climates, would often last for the next few hours as well. "Make you good dumplings, yes! Get you warm and dry." One hand released its grasp on his, moving back to press a gentle palm to his back. The man's clothing was drenched from both the rain and the riverwater-- Qiao's clothes not much better, itself, plastered to her figure, and dripping with water.

* ZaiKataki Kaito "Alright!" Still looking a bit lost, Kaito followed the girl, doing his best to keep to the same pace as she was going. "This place is beautiful. Where is it?" Cue the making of conversation during the walking towards the house-age. "I don't recognize these plants…" He descended into a trail of mumbling as he continued to look around, raising the newly released hand to reach out and touch a passing leaf. He didn't react to the hand on his back really much at all- he had never really grown a personal bubble. No one was ever quite sure why, but he had always been fine with strangers being close to him. He didn't always understand when people objected to him leaning or touching them, but he was starting to grasp the point a little bit. Oh well. Most of that was just to make the post look longer- heeee.

* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao "Where? We are in forest of Souteast Xing, sir! And that plant..." Leaning sideways, she snaked one arm up against the other's front, in order to pluck one of the leaves from said looked-at plant. "If leaves are crushed, plant is used for healing, yes." Flicking the hand holding the leaf upwards, a coy grin slithered over her lips, and she tickled the tip of it below his chin.

* ZaiKataki Kaito "Southeast… Xing… Okay then." He had never heard of it. But that supported the feeling he had had earlier. Different world it was. He had heard of those before—oh look, she was talking again. "Oh, you can use it for healing?" Kaito's eyes lit up a bit, "Do you think it would be alright if I took some home wit—ahkpft—Ahaha! That tickles!" He giggled and squirmed his face away from the tickling leaf. He grinned despite himself. It really did tickle.

* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao Lauging softly, hazel eyes sparkled with good humor, as she drew back her hand. What a sweetie~! "Yes, yes, we come back after rain. Pick good plant-leaves for you!" Again, she took one of his hands in hers, leaning up against his arm, and brought said appendage to chin level. Unrolling his relaxed fingers backwards, she placed the leaf to the center of his palm, patting it gently, and grinning contentedly up at him.

* ZaiKataki Kaito Smiled again at the girl. She was certainly very friendly. Kaito considered himself very lucky. "Okay, that sounds good! Thank you so much for all your help!" Gringrin. "How effective are they?" Healing had always somewhat fascinated him. Mostly seeing as how there weren't a huge number of healers in his country, he had made it something of his mission to find out as much as he could on the subject. The prince continued to smile at the strange woman as she placed the leaf in his hand, "Thank you very much~"

* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao It was really all she could do not to just deadpan in amazement at the man's complete obliviousness. Were all Amestrians so.... unconscious about their surroundings? Gosh darnit, how could he /not/ be even the slightest bit embarrassed?! "Sh-shi, shi. Of course! Is not problem at all!" Grinning innocently, the girl had taken up the walk once again, the rain now absolutely pouring down on them. Thankfully, the dense foliage provided at least mild shelter- but not enough to keep the ground dry; several steps later, Qiao "accidentally" lost her footing on the slippery mud below her feet, falling sideways with a tiny yelp of surprise, and landing atop her companion. "A-aiyah--! I sorry deeply, sir!"

* ZaiKataki Kaito Walking along peacefully, the boy had once again taken to contemplating his surroundings. Yes, at this age, he's not only incapable of embarrassment, but he's also completely oblivious. He did get a little less steady as they went on and the ground got more slick. Apparently, though, not as unsteady as the girl he was walking with, "—Oof! Ah— are you alright?!" Being already slightly unbalanced, he had easily been taken down by the fall of the other. Now, they were both laying in the mud, the girl on top of him. "Haha, gets slick when it rains, huh?"

* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao She blinked a few times, peridot eyes locking in on Kaito's oblivious gaze. Not even a blush? Or maybe the rain dripping down his cheeks simply hid the color? Legs straddled over his middle, one arm to his side, and one against his chest, Qiao leaned in close to his face unblinkingly, grinningsheepishly. "I-i so very sorry! I alright, yes. Yourself?"

* ZaiKataki Kaito Reaching up to rub his head lightly, Kaito grinned sheepishly as well, "Ah, yes, I'm fine! … Although I think I'm covered in mud." He looked down at himself and the girl, noting that his shirt and pants were most definitely ruined. Better that than either of them had hurt themselves, though- there was always more clothing to be had. "And you don't have to be sorry, it wasn't really your fault." He shot her another smile, "I fell too."

* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao Sighing softly, the girl decided that it was time for her to stop her current shenanigans for the time being, as they were seemingly having no adverse effect on the man at all. "....okay, then. We get up now, yes? I get you new clothing." Rolling off of him, Qiao scrambled to her feet, and held out a hand to him. "....my name Qiao, yes. Yours is....?"

* ZaiKataki Kaito "Hm? Ah, yes, thank you very much!" Kaito grinned again at the girl, trying to scramble to his feet faster so that he could help her stand. Of course, he failed, she got there before him. He grasped her hand and stood, "My name is Kaito. It's very nice to meet you, Qiao." Cue another beaming smile. And, he turned this way and that, "Which way now?"

Qiao "Kai-to.... that is cute name, hee~!" Patting his shoulder a few times, hazel eyes glittered happily, still admiring the man's kind demeanor. A loud clap of thunder rumbled across the sky, sending a new wave of water showering down from the clouds. "Ah, yes- we go this way, now." Once again, she'd grasped his hand in hers, now hurrying quickly past the trees. Thankfully, they were already near the edge of the forest, and therefore did not have such a long way to go until the exit.

* ZaiKataki Kaito "Ahaha, thank you! Qiao is a very pretty name, also~" He continued to grin at her- his natural face setting, it seems. "This way? Alright~" He followed her quickly, not minding that she still had hold of his hand. "How much longer do you think?" He wasn't sure whether he wanted to leave the beauty of the forest yet, but he was definitely soaked- and getting more soaked by the second due to the rain. So shelter sounded awfully nice. And dumplings sounded amazing.

Description
* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao The cotton-like puffs of grey in the sky rolled across the horizon with an angry breeze, air hot and sticky with the obvious signs of a storm. From the leaf-covered Earth below, the silent footsteps of a lithe figure made tiny prints against already-moist soil. Running delicate fingers up through her hair, Qiao breathed out a gentle sigh; her plan for the day had been to harvest the plums and mangoes, beginning to ripen with the season, from the trees along the brim of forest, yet, the weather seemed to have another plan in mind. ((fjadkfj; just setting the scene with this post;;;; ))

* ZaiKataki Kaito "—Ah?" This wasn't the back-streets of Partaalla. This wasn't the cold stone of the palace halls. In fact, Kaito was quite certain that there was no place like this in Naara, at all. Maybe one of the other countries, then? No… Something about the air itself felt different here. The energy running through the land beneath his feet was different. This was nowhere near the prince's home. "Where… Am I…?" Kaito Jagare, of the ruling clan of Naara, a country located on the world of Delanaire, looked around him in a very confused manner. His jacket was the first item of clothing to be removed, then shoes, and after that his rather expensive looking pants were rolled up (and ripped a bit) and the sleeves were ripped off of his shirt. "Well, that's better." At least he wasn't boiling now. But he was still completely and utterly lost on a strange world. "Probably best to just stay where I am for a moment or two. Collect my thoughts. Who knows what sort of dangers I might wander into if I'm not careful? Right? Dad always said that if I got lost, I should stay still. Someone will find me eventually." Talking out loud was making him feel a little bit better. "Of course, that was in the city…" And now it wasn't. He decided to start off by looking for water. And keeping quiet. Who knew what monsters lurked in these surrounding shadows and this sticky air?

/* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao Readjusting the cone-shaped, straw Douli hat on her head, the small-figured female ventured through the trees, glancing in each direction ever couple of minutes, and checking for signs of danger. Already, several drops of water had sprung from the sky, causing a tiny flicker of anxiety to spark in her chest; Qiao loved the rain, but the forests of Southeastern Xing had a habit of flooding from the rivers towards the center. In fact, the noirette had only just begun to near the edge of Narrow River- famously running in streams through the forest, and ending in the center oasis- and had taken note of its current height. Glossy hazel eyes darted up and down the riverbed, then to the banks along the opposite side-- when a small movement in the underbrush caught her eye. Flattening herself against the side of a tree, Qiao kept her gaze on the rustling leaves; it may have only been an animal-- though, if any larger, an animal could end up being a danger, even if on the opposing side of a river.

* ZaiKataki Kaito At first, Kaito just wandered for a bit, trying his best to be on alert, but kind of failing decently. His friend, Arane, said that he was too comfortable with the world around him, no matter where he was. Maybe it came from being raised in a place where he didn't have to worry about attacks, but at any rate, Kaito quickly found himself distracted by various plants, and the dirt beneath his feet. In all honesty, it was only a few minutes before the sounds of running water reached his ears, but it had felt like a longer time than that. "Hmm-mm-mmm… Could that be a river?" Sweeping strands of feathery black hair out of oddly bright blue eyes, Kaito began humming a tune to himself. He had never been good at keeping quiet for very long. And it was in a short time that he reached the source of the running water sound. Now, he finally remembered to be cautious, and tried to be as stealthy as possible approaching the moving liquid- but his version of stealthy really wasn't very stealthy, so he still managed to rustle leaves and break twigs, and generally make a racket. "—AH! Water!" A huge grin lit his face as he stepped into the river, making sure to get wet only up to his ankles. But even just at that, it was still a relief. And he was so focused on the running water around him, that there could have been an elephant waiting on the other side of the waterway for all he would have noticed.

* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao 'It's only a man...' Almost instantly, relief flooded through Qiao's core, one hand pressed gently over her heart. It wasn't unusual to see another person along these parts of the forest, here or there; the natural reserves were popular tourist attractions, no doubt, and every so often, a group of adventure-seekers would travel out towards the brinks, in hopes of being able to go cave crawling, and viewing the vast caves of which the rivers had carved back so many years before. Peridot orbs sparkled excitedly, as their host began to step away from the tree. Puffy pant-legs had been cuffed up, as the girl stepped into view along the riverbanks, making quick work of pulling the Tai Chi shoes from her feet, before waving to the person on the other side. "" Her Xingese was hopefully projected across the rushing waters, arms frantically flailing in greeting above her head.

* ZaiKataki Kaito "Huh?" It took Kaito a moment to process that the sounds just shouted to him were a language. From a person! "AH!" The boy's face lit up once again, and he began waving enthusiastically. It then occurred to him that he had no idea what the girl across the river had said to him, and that he should probably say something back. Well, the language had sounded similar to a language from his home world that he had recently been learning- so he should at least be able to say hello! Naturally, the garbled mess he shouted back across at her probably sounded nothing like hello. More likely, it was something like 'pancakes make good feet' or 'I just ate a tree spirit' or something similarly horrific or strange. This is going to be fun, I can already tell.

* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao .....did he just ask her if the pigs were alright? Blinking in confusion, the waving hand was lowered, now fanning out to delicately cover her lips, disguising an amused giggle. Yep. He was definitely a tourist. Wherever from was uncertain-- but she figured that at least most people knew Amestrian; although it wasn't her /best/ language, she could at least make slight conversation. "H-hello there! You are not from here, correct?!" As her words rang out over the flowing waters, the weather, again, took a turn for the downside, rain now sprinkling down from the heavens. "You have place to stay?!"

* ZaiKataki Kaito "Ehhh… Is it that obvious?! Sorry! Yes, I'm not from here!" He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he shouted this, his smile not fading, "And no!" The hand lowered, "I don't have a place to stay!" Well at least he had run into someone that seemed nice. He looked around himself for a moment, thinking on how best to get across the river. Well, swimming was probably the best idea, right? Right. Kaito was decided, and, being the impulsive person he was, dived right into the river. He wasn't a hugely strong swimmer, but luckily the current wasn't all that strong. Yet. So he made it over alright, albeit a few yards to the right of where he had been aiming. The boy bounced up when he got over, soaked hair plastered to his head, and looked around to reorient himself.

* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao Blinking a few times, an amused, cheshire grin crossed the girl's expression. A foreign, clueless, dripping-wet, /cute/ boy, who was lost in the woods and had nowhere to stay? Oh, let the teasing commence; it wasn't often that Qiao had many visitors, aside from a few messengers, or neighbors every so often. "Ah, shi, I see. Wet and tired you look, yes? You stay at my house! Have soft, warm bed, and dry clothing!" Smiling warmly at her male companion, she took each of his hands in hers excitedly, gently tugging him backwards. "Come- it rain. I make warm dumplings at house."

* ZaiKataki Kaito "Ah, notsomuch—Stay at your house?" He smiled a bit, "I wouldn't want to impose—Dumplings?" The boy's eyes lit up and an even large grin blossomed, "-Alright! Sure- if it's not too much trouble, that is." Dumplings sounded awfully good right about then. He didn't care if was warm out. There was always room for good cooking. "So- which way is your house?" He squeezed her hands lightly, following her as she tugged him, "I'll take it, it's this way?"

Qiao "Shi, shi! This way, sir!" Giggling slightly at the other's friendly demeanor, the Xingese teen began to lead him up the gently-sloping hill towards the edge of the forest. By now, the rain had started falling in a light drizzle- which, as Qiao had learned, would morph into a torrential downpour within the next half hour, and, living in such warm climates, would often last for the next few hours as well. "Make you good dumplings, yes! Get you warm and dry." One hand released its grasp on his, moving back to press a gentle palm to his back. The man's clothing was drenched from both the rain and the riverwater-- Qiao's clothes not much better, itself, plastered to her figure, and dripping with water.

* ZaiKataki Kaito "Alright!" Still looking a bit lost, Kaito followed the girl, doing his best to keep to the same pace as she was going. "This place is beautiful. Where is it?" Cue the making of conversation during the walking towards the house-age. "I don't recognize these plants…" He descended into a trail of mumbling as he continued to look around, raising the newly released hand to reach out and touch a passing leaf. He didn't react to the hand on his back really much at all- he had never really grown a personal bubble. No one was ever quite sure why, but he had always been fine with strangers being close to him. He didn't always understand when people objected to him leaning or touching them, but he was starting to grasp the point a little bit. Oh well. Most of that was just to make the post look longer- heeee.

* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao "Where? We are in forest of Souteast Xing, sir! And that plant..." Leaning sideways, she snaked one arm up against the other's front, in order to pluck one of the leaves from said looked-at plant. "If leaves are crushed, plant is used for healing, yes." Flicking the hand holding the leaf upwards, a coy grin slithered over her lips, and she tickled the tip of it below his chin.

* ZaiKataki Kaito "Southeast… Xing… Okay then." He had never heard of it. But that supported the feeling he had had earlier. Different world it was. He had heard of those before—oh look, she was talking again. "Oh, you can use it for healing?" Kaito's eyes lit up a bit, "Do you think it would be alright if I took some home wit—ahkpft—Ahaha! That tickles!" He giggled and squirmed his face away from the tickling leaf. He grinned despite himself. It really did tickle.

* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao Lauging softly, hazel eyes sparkled with good humor, as she drew back her hand. What a sweetie~! "Yes, yes, we come back after rain. Pick good plant-leaves for you!" Again, she took one of his hands in hers, leaning up against his arm, and brought said appendage to chin level. Unrolling his relaxed fingers backwards, she placed the leaf to the center of his palm, patting it gently, and grinning contentedly up at him.

* ZaiKataki Kaito Smiled again at the girl. She was certainly very friendly. Kaito considered himself very lucky. "Okay, that sounds good! Thank you so much for all your help!" Gringrin. "How effective are they?" Healing had always somewhat fascinated him. Mostly seeing as how there weren't a huge number of healers in his country, he had made it something of his mission to find out as much as he could on the subject. The prince continued to smile at the strange woman as she placed the leaf in his hand, "Thank you very much~"

* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao It was really all she could do not to just deadpan in amazement at the man's complete obliviousness. Were all Amestrians so.... unconscious about their surroundings? Gosh darnit, how could he /not/ be even the slightest bit embarrassed?! "Sh-shi, shi. Of course! Is not problem at all!" Grinning innocently, the girl had taken up the walk once again, the rain now absolutely pouring down on them. Thankfully, the dense foliage provided at least mild shelter- but not enough to keep the ground dry; several steps later, Qiao "accidentally" lost her footing on the slippery mud below her feet, falling sideways with a tiny yelp of surprise, and landing atop her companion. "A-aiyah--! I sorry deeply, sir!"

* ZaiKataki Kaito Walking along peacefully, the boy had once again taken to contemplating his surroundings. Yes, at this age, he's not only incapable of embarrassment, but he's also completely oblivious. He did get a little less steady as they went on and the ground got more slick. Apparently, though, not as unsteady as the girl he was walking with, "—Oof! Ah— are you alright?!" Being already slightly unbalanced, he had easily been taken down by the fall of the other. Now, they were both laying in the mud, the girl on top of him. "Haha, gets slick when it rains, huh?"

* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao She blinked a few times, peridot eyes locking in on Kaito's oblivious gaze. Not even a blush? Or maybe the rain dripping down his cheeks simply hid the color? Legs straddled over his middle, one arm to his side, and one against his chest, Qiao leaned in close to his face unblinkingly, grinningsheepishly. "I-i so very sorry! I alright, yes. Yourself?"

* ZaiKataki Kaito Reaching up to rub his head lightly, Kaito grinned sheepishly as well, "Ah, yes, I'm fine! … Although I think I'm covered in mud." He looked down at himself and the girl, noting that his shirt and pants were most definitely ruined. Better that than either of them had hurt themselves, though- there was always more clothing to be had. "And you don't have to be sorry, it wasn't really your fault." He shot her another smile, "I fell too."

* MasterSergeantFuery Qiao Sighing softly, the girl decided that it was time for her to stop her current shenanigans for the time being, as they were seemingly having no adverse effect on the man at all. "....okay, then. We get up now, yes? I get you new clothing." Rolling off of him, Qiao scrambled to her feet, and held out a hand to him. "....my name Qiao, yes. Yours is....?"

* ZaiKataki Kaito "Hm? Ah, yes, thank you very much!" Kaito grinned again at the girl, trying to scramble to his feet faster so that he could help her stand. Of course, he failed, she got there before him. He grasped her hand and stood, "My name is Kaito. It's very nice to meet you, Qiao." Cue another beaming smile. And, he turned this way and that, "Which way now?"

Qiao "Kai-to.... that is cute name, hee~!" Patting his shoulder a few times, hazel eyes glittered happily, still admiring the man's kind demeanor. A loud clap of thunder rumbled across the sky, sending a new wave of water showering down from the clouds. "Ah, yes- we go this way, now." Once again, she'd grasped his hand in hers, now hurrying quickly past the trees. Thankfully, they were already near the edge of the forest, and therefore did not have such a long way to go until the exit.

* ZaiKataki Kaito "Ahaha, thank you! Qiao is a very pretty name, also~" He continued to grin at her- his natural face setting, it seems. "This way? Alright~" He followed her quickly, not minding that she still had hold of his hand. "How much longer do you think?" He wasn't sure whether he wanted to leave the beauty of the forest yet, but he was definitely soaked- and getting more soaked by the second due to the rain. So shelter sounded awfully nice. And dumplings sounded amazing.