Welcome to the Jungle[Lanying, Raen]

[Zack]

Zack continued behind the two, until Lanying suddenly stopped. It was kind of a relief since they had just been mindlessly trekking through the jungle, without even any idea as to where they were headed. Lanying then answered his question, saying that she wasn't sure about any people but she had encountered a large spotted cat. Sounded like there were at least animals here then, which was kind of expected but it was odd they hadn't really ran into many yet.

Then afterwords, it began to rain. It was a very heavy rain, though Zack wasn't bothered by it. Though Raen seemed to not enjoy it, zipping up his jacket and putting his hood up. Zack couldn't exactly do that himself, but he didn't mind the rain, enjoying it since now it would feel a bit cooler than it had been. "Oh c'mon, Raen its not that bad." he told him trying to cheer him up. "A little rain never hurt anyone,"

Though that's when he noticed that the tracks they were making had been washed away. Well that wasn't good, they couldn't follow their footsteps back to the ship. That didn't get rid of Zack's mood though, he was sure they'd find a way back. For now though they could keep exploring. He then continued onward, hoping they would run into something besides jungle, otherwise this was going to get a bit dull.

[Aerith]

A Much-Needed Time-Out

Rain was exactly what they needed right now. If only she had known the sky would open up like this a little while ago. She would certainly not have gone swimming and thoroughly embarrassed herself in front of her companions. The situation had been bad enough, but now it turned out to be utterly unnecessary. Where had that impulse come from? She had been spending too much time around Zack.

The downpour made it even more difficult to tell where they were going or where they had already been. She noted their tracks and their only means of sure direction washing away. Meanwhile, the two men currently in her life were just standing there. Raen had his hood up. Zack was at least trying to be optimistic. He started walking a little ways forward, and Lanying decided to quickly move ahead of him, taking the lead. She still felt better if the other two could not see her face.

Unfortunately, by a combination of the rain and the vestiges of her flustered state, she missed the giant hole in her path. With an exclamation of surprise, she tumbled down for a little while but at least landed in fairly soft dirt. Rain was pouring into the hole but looked like it was dispersing into other underground areas, so at least she wouldn't have to worry about sitting in standing water. This latest event was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back for Lanying. She just sat there in the hole, but she did have enough sense to shout up at the sky. "I'm all right! There is a hole here, though!" That should have been obvious, of course, but she could not help giving an explanation as to why she suddenly disappeared into the ground.

For now, she had no interest in attempting to climb out of the hole. Instead, she folded her legs beneath her and closed her eyes. Needing to regain her usual composure, she sat as still as possible and tried to imitate the emperor. Her focus was solely on the sound of her breathing mingling with the rain.

[Nothingness]

Fun and Games(?)

Raen half regretted having picked on Lanying earlier, seeing as how she was obviously upset at him and for good reason. Still, the other half couldn't help but think that she needed to lighten up a bit. The three of them certainly hadn't had a very enjoyable last few days what with nearly dying, his choosing of the darkness over the light, and Zack's flying skills. He felt responsible for all three of those because he pretty much was. And despite his own tendencies to worry about his decisions even he knew when it was time to just relax and just wind down. If you ran at full steam all the time then you'd eventually burst, which is what Lanying looked like she was about to do. "I should probably apologize."

That would have to wait for later, though, since she just fell through a hole in the ground. He immediately stopped, not wanting to fall down himself. Hearing Lanying's voice call up to them made him sigh with relief; she was okay. Walking around the hole, he tried to get a better look, but it was too dark to see. "Hold on a sec, I'll see if Zack and I ca-whoa!" He took a quick step back as the ground beneath where he had been standing gave way. "Dammit, this place is littered with these. Uh, Zack, you got any ideas?" Worst case scenario in his mind was that the hole filled with water and she drowned, or it caved in. Neither of which were pleasant thoughts to him. Of course, he also realized the possibility that he was overreacting due to the fact that it's hard to apologize to a dead person. Or perhaps he was just overreacting in general and she could simply climb her way out. Probably the latter.

[Zack]

Zack watched as Lanying walked ahead of him, taking the lead. That was fine with him, he was just moving forward so they could keep on going. Though he was glad she had gone forward cause soon enough she fell into a hole. It just did not seem to be her day today right now. He was gonna ask if she was okay, but she already yelled out that she was. Though now they needed to get her out.

Raen went around the hole trying to see down it, however the ground beneath him gave away and he almost fell in. Raen then asked if he had any ideas and Zack started thinking. He looked around and then had an idea. "Yeah I just got one. Let's get some vines and tie it to one of the trees. Then we can use it as a rope," he told Raen. He turned around and went off to get some vines they could use. It didn't take long and soon he was back with some vine.

He picked a tree closest to the hole and started tying the vine around it. He then lowered the vine down. "Hey, Lanying! Grab the vine and Raen and I will pull you up!" he called down to her.

[Aerith]

Learning to be Less Self-Reliant

Lanying might have been able to stay in at least a semi-meditative state had she not felt a foreign object brush up against her cheek. At first, she thought it might be a snake, but since she was working on maintaining her serenity, that idea did not cause her to jump out of her skin. That did not mean she was not relieved when she opened her eyes to find a vine dangling next to her rather than a pair of beady, predatory eyes.

Sighing, she grasped the vine and shouted up at Zack. "I have it in my hands now!" Truth be told, she was not very comfortable being rescued like this, and she probably could have climbed out of the hole herself. But then again, she knew she needed to work on trusting and relying on others a little more than she was used to. This would be a good, non-lethal first step. In no time at all, she was out of the hole, still wet, but she was out of the hole. She faced Zack and Raen, a now-calm expression on her face. "I suppose I should be a little more careful. It was rash of me to wander off on my own in the first place and then blindly take the lead just now." She offered them both a slight, apologetic bow. "We are...um...a team, yes?"

[Nothingness]

Teamwork (and Friendship and Rainbows!)

Raen was rather impressed by how quickly Zack came up with a plan, and quickly helped in pulling Lanying out of the hole she had found herself in. It wasn't difficult at all with the two of them pulling her up, though her not weighing much in the first place certainly didn't hurt either. Once they got her out and she got to her feet, Raen couldn't help but find it odd that she was the one apologizing. And now she was bowing? Raen smiled and sighed, chuckling to himself a little. "We are a team, and first thing's first: you don't need to be so apologetic. Everyone makes mistakes, and I will admit, I am kinda sorta at fault here."

For some reason, he had a rather stupid thought come to mind that he voiced before thinking about. "Tell ya what. To make up for all the crap I've had you deal with," he pointed to his stomach, "Right here. Just one good shot, c'mon. I won't hold it against you." Once again, this was something he'd probably regret later.

[Zack]

With Raen's help, it didn't take them long to pull Lanying out of the hole. It was good quick thinking on Zack's prat and he was glad they didn't have to leave her in there for very long. As soon as Lanying came out of the hole she started to apologize and bowed towards them. "Of course we're a team! No need to apologize either," he told her.

Raen also added in that they were a team and that she didn't need to always be apologetic. He even offered to give her a free hit at him. Zack stood back to get out of the way of Raen and Lanying. "Ooh, a free hit. Better take it while the offer stands," he teased. He wasn't sure if Lanying was going to do it or not, but if she did it would definitely be interesting to see how hard she could punch.He watched, waiting to see what would happen.

[Aerith]

I Accept

When Raen pointed at his stomach and offered to let her hit him, Lanying hesitated. She had just finished saying that they were a team, and in her mind, members of a team did not fight amongst themselves. Would this qualify as fighting, though? A free hit implied that he was not going to hit her back. Even if she did decide to punch him, she would probably hold back a good bit, so it would not even be worth it in the end.

On the other hand, he had really upset her in more ways than one in the past few days. That was a feat in itself, and she did not usually let anyone get to her like that and then walk away unharmed. She looked up at him for a moment, weighing her options, then suddenly turned away from him. "I thought we were friends, Raen. Friends do not harm each other, even if it is invited.

She took one step, then immediately whirled around and slammed her small fist into the center of his abdomen. All of her frustration that had been building since their encounter with Zexion was behind the punch. It felt so good. "But if the friend deserves some correction, I will not shy away from administering it." Her tone was dead serious, and she was not sure herself if she was still speaking solely about Raen's teasing. She was not the type of woman to roll over and bemoan her situation should it turn unpleasant. If the need arose, she would defend herself, no matter who threatened her life.

[Nothingness]

OW!

Yeah, that was a mistake. He really wished that he had put some thought into that before offering her. It felt like someone had just chucked a steel baseball going at 90mph into his gut and it HURT! Raen knew not to judge a book by its cover, but he never expected Lanying to have such an arm. Of course, he couldn't voice any of these opinions because he was too busy gripping his stomach in pain trying to catch the wind that was knocked out of him. With what little air he had inside him, he managed to wheeze out, "Good one."

After a good minute of deep breathing he finally had enough in him to stand up straight and actually talk. That's not to say that it still didn't hurt like hell, but it certainly wasn't as bad as it was immediately following her truck-like fist. Raen smiled again, albeit a very painful smile, telling Lanying, "Well, you feel better?" Turning to Zack, he muttered, "Smooth move, backing up." That's when he noticed that the rain had let up. Flipping his hood off and unzipped his jacket, he looked around them. "Well, shall we head back? If we can find the river then it shouldn't be too hard to find our way back." Frankly, he was just hoping that walking would help get rid of some of the pain.

[Zack]

Zack watched as Lanying hesitated for a moment and then turned away. It looked like she wasn't gonna punch Raen. Zack relaxed for a moment and then in the next instead he jumped back in surprise. Lanying had suddenly turned and punched Raen in the gut. Hard. Zack's stomach hurt just from watching Raen get it, he didn't think she had such a good arm. "Note to self, never get on Lanying's bad side..." he thought to himself. He then turned over to Lanying. "Man, you should try out for the Games sometime with a punch like that!" he told Lanying.

Raen spent a few moments trying to catch his breath. Zack sure was glad he wasn't on the receiving end of that punch. Once Raen caught his breath he asked if Lanying felt better and then turned to him and muttered something. "I didn't think she'd actually do it!" he exclaimed to Raen, but he couldn't help but laugh a bit. At this point the rain had let up which was nice. Raen suggested going back to the ship.

Zack wanted to explore more, but they hadn't really run into anything and that was getting boring. "Yeah, I'm okay with that," he told Raen.

[Aerith]

Banter, Perhaps?

Yes. She most certainly felt much better now. It was amazing how therapeutic violence could be sometimes. Besides, she hadn't left Raen bleeding all over the place. He would simply be feeling the residual pain from her punch for a little while longer. While her the target of her temporary ire was doubled over, Zack was marveling (surprise, surprise) at how hard she had hit Raen. He thought she should try out for the Games, hm? Perhaps she would at a much later date. For now, they were stuck in a jungle with their previous tracks now washed away in the five-minute monsoon that had just stopped.

"I do feel better. Thank you." And then she did something that was becoming an increasingly rare action for her. She cracked a small, but highly amused, smile. As she turned around to survey their surroundings and try to determine the best path back to the ship, she added, with sigh containing just a touch of the dramatic, "I simply do not know what I am going to do with the two of you." Her scan of the jungle was proving to be fruitless. Everything looked exactly the same. Well, except for that giant hole she had previously occupied. "Perhaps one of you has an idea of how to find the ship again?"

[Nothingness]

Let's Go...This Way!

Raen walked slowly over to one of the trees and looked around at where exactly they were. He began muttering to himself, "Well, let's see, the hole is there, and we didn't take many turns, so..." His voice trailed off a little at that point as he began to almost robotically turn his head in various directions, pointing in seemingly random places. This went on for a good minute or so before he finally looked up at the other two and said with complete confidence, "This way."

Heading immediately back into the thick of things, he saw more or less the marks of Lanying's stampede through the jungle--low-hanging branches were snapped, smaller plants were smashed into the ground, and it seemed that a few of the larger leaves she had stepped on remained in the ground, the water filling her footprints. He could faintly hear the sound of the river in the distance as well. Turning his head to the others he told them, "Once we get to the river there should be a few markings I left behind so that we could get back to the ship. They shouldn't have moved, so hopefully we won't have a very hard time." He slowed his pace after he said that and let the other two overtake him. He could feel another jolt of darkness about to come over him, and he'd rather not worry them after their little display of friendship.

[Zack]

Zack looked around as Lanying asked if either of them had any idea of which way was back towards the ship. Thankfully Raen picked a direction and so he followed after him. Zack could even barely hear the river, which meant Raen had picked the right way, which was good. It meant they weren't completely lost then. Though suddenly he sort of stopped and let them walk past. He couldn't help but stop himself. "Are you all right, Raen?" he asked him.

Though he didn't wait for an answer as he soon heard something moving. "What was that?" he asked aloud, hand on his sword ready to be drawn. He moved closer towards where he heard the sound. However as he got closer he suddenly got hit and flew back a bit, managing to land on his feet. something had hit him, but there was nothing there.

He drew his sword, ready for a fight. "Something hit me! But I don't see anything...... he told the others as he looked around. Why couldn't he see what had hit him? Was it invisible somehow? Whatever the case they'd need to be ready for it if it attacked again.

[Aerith]

Invisible Enemy

Lanying half-heard Zack ask Raen if he was okay. She was more interested in the rustling sounds that kept growing louder and louder. Despite her most vigilant efforts, she could not spot the cause of the noise until it was too late. Zack was tossed a few feet backward, though he did not tumble over. His sword was suddenly drawn, and he stated the obvious. Some invisible force was attacking them. So, that meant it was not the jungle cat from earlier. Unless, of course, the cat had the ability to cloak itself so well they could not see it.

Since she did not know what sort of enemy they were facing, she was unsure whether to draw her sword or arm her bow with an arrow. Perhaps she should go with the sword. It would be easier to deflect blows that way. Allegretto was out of its sheath within moments. "I do not see anything, either. But whatever it is surely cannot stay hidden forever." With all three of them aware of the threat, they had a much greater chance of spotting their assailant.

[Nothingness]

A Gamble

He certainly wasn't happy with Zack stopping to ask if he was okay, but he also figured that Zack would find something odd. Smiling and shaking his head, he said, "It's nothing, I'm alright. Lanying just didn't pull her punch is all." Raen, along with Zack, heard the same rustling sound, although while Zack went to look for it Raen took that as the moment to let the constricting darkness take hold for that moment. As soon as that let up, he saw Zack fly right past him. "An invisible enemy? We can't fight it here--even with the three of us it has the advantage."

An idea came to mind. He started running towards the river, shouting to the others, "C'mon! The river is wide open--we draw it there and we know where his attacks will come from!" The major disadvantage was that their backs were to the river, so they were essentially cornered. Still, it was better than getting hit from all sides.