[Garden of No Return] Getting to Know You (Nasilia)

[Yanessavhanet]

As Nasilia seemed to have no real reaction to Vhanet's words the Dhani turned her attention back to her work. After separating the digestive fluid from the paralyzing venom she set to work concentrating and thickening the venom so it would be more useful when applied to a weapon.

Mixing in a few other things to help stabilize and accentuate the poison she poured the resulting concoction into a small vial and sealed it. She wouldn't know exactly how potent or effective the poison would be until she could try it, but with just Nasilia around that would have to wait until later.

Vhanet was about to start working on another dose when a male's voice cut through the silence that had been present in the area for a while, "Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

Vhanet paused, and then turned her gaze to Nasilia and whispered, "Did you hear that Nasssilia? Sssoundsss like sssomeone hasss become lossst in the maze. Ssshould we go try and find him?"

[Nasilia]

It was interesting how Vhanet worked the poison through the unusual tools. She tilted her head and whispered, "So much work for so little poison...I hate to know who would need such a toxin other than for digesting." Even then, she found this application to be rather useless unless in the hands of a Symenestra.

Then a sound? Someone lost in the maze? Nasilia lifted her head, sapphire eyes looking about to see who was there, but there was no face to this voice. Obviously a man, she didn't like the idea of searching for him. Strange men were just...unsettling. Nasilia bit her bottom lip and looked back to Vhanet, hesitating before responding, "Yes...yes I believe we should. I can't see any good getting lost in a place like this."

There probably wasn't any danger here save the oddball chance that a murderer got lost in here as well. While that thought didn't do well to motivate her in her search, she would at least be prompt and say, "I don't know how we'll find them...and I don't suppose you can cut straight through the hedge can you?"

[Yanessavhanet]

Vhanet simply smiled at Nasilia's comment regarding the work of the poison. Once she had the process down it would be much easier to create more poison for use, and it was certainly not for digesting. Well, other than holding Vhanet's prey still before she ate them.

Even as Nasilia expressed her hesitant agreement a delightful idea popped into Vhanet's mind. Shaking her head at the Symenestra's last question she quickly started to pack up her poioncrafting equipment, "No, I cannot, but we ssshould be able to find him by following hisss voice. It hasss worked for me before."

As she finished packing up her equipment she called out, "Hello! We hear you! Where are you?"

The man's voice responded back, obviously relieved at hearing someone else in the maze, "Oh thank the divine! I'm... Well I'm in a crossroads! There are bright red flowers near me!"

As the man's voice reached her Vhanet gave a soft frown, and spoke softly to Nasilia, "That voice... it sssoundsss familiar... Can you tell which direction it came from?"

Now, it was time for a truly fun game to begin.

[Nasilia]

Nasilia listened to the exchange and wondered how someone could be so foolish as to come here and get lost. She came simply because Vhanet seemed to know her way around, expressing her knowledge of how the place twists and turns randomly. But this was...well this was just odd. Thinking the man either a simpleton or a highwayman trying to trap them, she looked to Vhanet when she asked to identify the direction of the speech. She probably wouldn't guess right, but even if she had a direct path to him, the maze wouldn't allow such a path to be taken. They would have to navigate through the ever-changing hedge.

Still she'd play along and guess, "That way I believe," though it was mostly a shot in the dark, a generalization of where this one could be. Vhanet noted that he sounded familiar though it did little to ease her worries. She took a few steps in the general direction she pointed in and added, "I don't really see why the direction of the voice will do us too much good...I mean really you could have guessed it as well as I could, and if the maze constantly changes, then it just makes things that much more difficult."

[Yanessavhanet]

"I wanted to check to make sssure I heard the sssame asss you," Vhanet replied to Nasilia with a smile, "And the direction with the flowersss he mentioned should make it easssier to find him. Come, thisss way," Vhanet continued to speak softly as she took Nasilia's hand and started to lead her into the maze once again.

They followed the twists and turns, coming across a few dead ends, but after a few chimes they came across a section of the maze where the walls were decorated with bright red flowers, "We're near. Now, try to be quiet... I want to check sssomething firssst," Vhanet whispered to Nasilia as she released the woman's hand and started to creep along the side of the maze.

Approaching the next corner Vhanet peered around it caustiously, and spotting the nervous looking young man around the corner she quickly pulled her head back and brought a hand to cover her mouth, as if to muffle a gasp, "It'sss Vatak, I can't believe he found me," she opened her eyes wide as a show of fear, hoping to give Nasilia the impression that this boy was frightening to Vhanet, "Nasssilia... you ssshould ssstay back. Vatak is dangerousss, and I don't want you getting hurt."

[Nasilia]

Nasilia shifted through the maze quietly, footfalls like a cat's. She finally saw the red flowers indicating they were close though she frowned at the bad news that Vhanet had just conveyed to her. Peering just around the corner, she whispers, "You couldn't recognize his voice? Hm...what should we do?" She stepped back and watched Vhanet carefully. The slim spider woman remained in a sneaking posture low to the ground, knees bent and eyes narrowed.

A few things about this scene were a bit off to her. How come Vhanet didn't recognize his voice? If he was so strong, how did he get lost in this maze so easily? Was Vhanet simply weaker than she expected and thus was afraid of most ruffians? The possibilities were endless though she had a feeling that something wasn't true, that this was overly exaggerated. Still she would give Vhanet the benefit of the doubt for now.

[Yanessavhanet]

"It'sss been many yearsss sssince I ssspoke to him lassst," Vhanet hissed softly in response to Nasilia's question, "But I could never missstake hisss face."

"Hello? Are you still there?" the man called out loudly from his position in the crossroads, and Vhanet took a deep breath.

"You ssstay here," she hissed quickly to Nasilia as she pulled up her left sleeve to reveal her utility bracer hidden there, "I will go sssee if I can deal with Vatak."

Releasing the spring blade Vhanet took her small jar of Close Call poison and spread a bit of the yellow paste over the blade. Carefully latching the blade back into place and returning the jar to her pack she gave Nasilia a smile tinged with a hint of worry, "He will get violent, but I will try to handle him myssself. If thingsss do not go well... maybe you can ssshow me your ssskillsss with a dagger?"

Without waiting for Nasilia's response Vhanet let her sleeve fall back down as she quickly moved around the corner and started walking towards the man, "There you are. Are you unhurt?"

[Nasilia]

Nasilia nodded to Vhanet and watched her speak with this unusual male, but tried to tell Vhanet she did not have her weapon. Then again, she did have her fangs which were quite deadly on their own. The spider woman watched the exchange and waited for something to happen, unsure of what to expect next.

(sorry for short post, not much else to say)

[Yanessavhanet]

"Oh thank the Gods," the man heaved a sigh of relief as Vhanet approached him with a smile, "I was starting to wonder if I was hearing things," he rushed towards Vhanet and threw his arms around her in relief.

Vhanet made a bit of a show of pulling back slightly from the man's embrace, of appearing to push against his arms without actually doing so. After just a breath she gave her best attempt at making a strangled gasp and cried out, "Nasssilia!"

As she called out she dropped her arms down, pressing her utility bracer against the man's stomach and releasing the spring blade into his flesh. The man jumped back in surprise at the sudden pain, and Vhanet fell to her hands and knees gasping and choking a little, "Nasssilia... help..."

The man took a couple steps back as he held a hand to the wound in he stomach, his eyes wide with confusion and a bit of panic, "What?... Why did you do that!?" there was the first touches of anger in his voice, and Vhanet's lips curled slightly as she continued to play out having been choked.

[Nasilia]

Nasilia stared on in confusion. Vhanet appeared to be assaulted, though why would she go in just to be strangled? Not only that, but the man in there seemed to be confused to the situation as well? Was she...staging this? Nasilia felt a bitterness in her mouth at the thought of that, but the possibility that she was wrong and that Vhanet was indeed in trouble was also a great risk she was taking.

Sadly though, she didn't have time to think. Seeing how Vhanet blew her cover by calling out for her, she dashed for the man and hissed, saying, "Let go of her!" Without thinking too much, she bared her fangs and knew she had to make a quick decision to either kill him and save Vhanet, knowing she was possibly acting, or let this man kill a potential liar only to turn out to be a psychopath. Too close and too fond of Vhanet, Nasilia was biased in her choice.

She attempted for the man's neck, wanting to inject a potent level of venom as if she were about to eat (and quite possibly would right now). If she was successful, she'd taste his blood, careful not to drop any. It would have been in that moment that she would realize her god's rule on needless bloodshed...but this decision seemed so life and death that either decision seemed like the wrong one. She whispered, "I'm sorry..." but it was not to this man but her god.