When Sai and Tenshi logged on, Tenshi was already in the area that Sai had last logged out in, so it didn't take the two long to be reunited. Despite the scene that had played out earlier that night, and despite all the time Tenshi had spent expecting to greet Sai with a snarky confrontation, their reunion was... pleasant. Too pleasant, almost. The tigress had ran right up to the wolf and wrapped him in a hug, expressing both physically and vocally then that she was glad to still have him. Whatever she went through between his last login and now was swept beneath the rug as she laid out a solid recommendation for something to do with the near future.
First, the duo had to travel up to Zalra, which ate up a lot of time yet gave the two plenty of time to visit and catch up. Yet Tenshi didn't say anything about a stolen move or mope too terribly much. In fact, she didn't even mention dancing at all. Instead she talked about some raid she had participated in, and how she stayed in dead melee of the main boss for the entire fight without dying. She seemed pretty proud of it, actually! There was a lot of very obvious improvement in her skill and power since the two had last played, and that was the primary reason she wanted to partake on this Zalra expedition in the first place. It'd certainly help Sai close the gap between the two.
The further the duo went, the more Tenshi began to shiver. Up to a certain point she just walked closer and closer to Sai until a point where she tested his boundaries and began to shiver right up against him. It was soon afterwards when she fell into a comfort distinct enough to make her purr that she paused to change outfits using her UI--she wasn't going to manually change with Sai standing right there anyways--to something more geared for traveling in the snow. Seemed like she took his advice from last time.
The two eventually arrived in Zalra, and traveled the more lived parts of Zakaden on their way to the place. Tenshi asked around the locals about a grove, and eventually found the mark... but not before hearing plenty of warnings. Warnings of an incurable disease: Zalrisis. The tigress had already been jogging whenever she could to stave off the mild chill she still felt through her winter gear, but the stories she and Sai were provided made her shiver for an entirely different reason.
One scratch, one bite, one scrape, that was all it took to become infected. Was dragging Sai along really such a good idea? Of course it was, for one reason and one reason only.
"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you. That's a promise."
Tenshi wasn't going to let Sai get infected. Her? She had a pretty morbid plan to prevent her own infection, thanks to her morphing abilities, but not any way to save Sai from it. That's why the plan first and foremost was stealth. Crossing the Shimmering Flats was probably the most risky part of the stealth mission, but Tenshi's plan was simple: move quick and don't leave tracks. Thankfully, the ground wasn't easy to leave tracks on to begin with, seeing as how it was made of a solid, crystalized substance. After a bit of following directions, they finally arrived at the edge of the grove. Eve's Grove, that is, known for it crystalized fruits.
As Tenshi neared the edge of the grove with Sai, she got a nice jump scare as a wolf leapt out of the crystalline orchard, camouflaging easily given that it was made of a very similar material. That was the split second where she realized that any number of monsters could be here, and the two wouldn't even know it. Maybe Sai with his Hyper Sense could pick them out, but Tenshi could only do so much.
As the crystal canine made for the much warmer and not crystal canine, Tenshi shoved Sai out of the way and let the wolf pounce her. As the two hit the ground, the tigress rolled backwards and shoved the wolf high into the air behind her, then quickly kipped up and looked herself over. No cuts, no scrapes. Her clothes had barely even been damaged by its claws, so it was their bite she really had to worry about then.
"All right, change of plans! I can't see them that well, so you pick them off and tell me if any are coming." She still hadn't transformed at all, which might have seemed a bit worrysome. After all, that was her entire build. Leaning into the whole tiger thing. Then again, if she tore her gloves, she had bigger problems to worry about. Namely, frostbite, which was just as bad as Zalrisis in her eyes. "If we have to come back later, we'll come back later. Don't let them touch you!"
@Sai
First, the duo had to travel up to Zalra, which ate up a lot of time yet gave the two plenty of time to visit and catch up. Yet Tenshi didn't say anything about a stolen move or mope too terribly much. In fact, she didn't even mention dancing at all. Instead she talked about some raid she had participated in, and how she stayed in dead melee of the main boss for the entire fight without dying. She seemed pretty proud of it, actually! There was a lot of very obvious improvement in her skill and power since the two had last played, and that was the primary reason she wanted to partake on this Zalra expedition in the first place. It'd certainly help Sai close the gap between the two.
The further the duo went, the more Tenshi began to shiver. Up to a certain point she just walked closer and closer to Sai until a point where she tested his boundaries and began to shiver right up against him. It was soon afterwards when she fell into a comfort distinct enough to make her purr that she paused to change outfits using her UI--she wasn't going to manually change with Sai standing right there anyways--to something more geared for traveling in the snow. Seemed like she took his advice from last time.
The two eventually arrived in Zalra, and traveled the more lived parts of Zakaden on their way to the place. Tenshi asked around the locals about a grove, and eventually found the mark... but not before hearing plenty of warnings. Warnings of an incurable disease: Zalrisis. The tigress had already been jogging whenever she could to stave off the mild chill she still felt through her winter gear, but the stories she and Sai were provided made her shiver for an entirely different reason.
One scratch, one bite, one scrape, that was all it took to become infected. Was dragging Sai along really such a good idea? Of course it was, for one reason and one reason only.
"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you. That's a promise."
Tenshi wasn't going to let Sai get infected. Her? She had a pretty morbid plan to prevent her own infection, thanks to her morphing abilities, but not any way to save Sai from it. That's why the plan first and foremost was stealth. Crossing the Shimmering Flats was probably the most risky part of the stealth mission, but Tenshi's plan was simple: move quick and don't leave tracks. Thankfully, the ground wasn't easy to leave tracks on to begin with, seeing as how it was made of a solid, crystalized substance. After a bit of following directions, they finally arrived at the edge of the grove. Eve's Grove, that is, known for it crystalized fruits.
As Tenshi neared the edge of the grove with Sai, she got a nice jump scare as a wolf leapt out of the crystalline orchard, camouflaging easily given that it was made of a very similar material. That was the split second where she realized that any number of monsters could be here, and the two wouldn't even know it. Maybe Sai with his Hyper Sense could pick them out, but Tenshi could only do so much.
As the crystal canine made for the much warmer and not crystal canine, Tenshi shoved Sai out of the way and let the wolf pounce her. As the two hit the ground, the tigress rolled backwards and shoved the wolf high into the air behind her, then quickly kipped up and looked herself over. No cuts, no scrapes. Her clothes had barely even been damaged by its claws, so it was their bite she really had to worry about then.
"All right, change of plans! I can't see them that well, so you pick them off and tell me if any are coming." She still hadn't transformed at all, which might have seemed a bit worrysome. After all, that was her entire build. Leaning into the whole tiger thing. Then again, if she tore her gloves, she had bigger problems to worry about. Namely, frostbite, which was just as bad as Zalrisis in her eyes. "If we have to come back later, we'll come back later. Don't let them touch you!"
@Sai
