Paks Liard and Riahana Gaidin
Paks paired up with a male Ji’Val who didn’t seem to impressed with his partner. He grunted at her and moved off, but Paks had no idea if he wanted her to follow. Given they were told to pair up, she opted to stick close, wondering what he was looking for. It was early enough in the day that dew still clung to the leaves. In fact, there was so much dew that the shoulders of her uniform were more than a bit damp after a few minutes wandering through the brush.
“Wouldn’t it be great if we could find a way to farm the dew?” Paks asked.
The Ji’Val stopped and glared at her, “I don’t understand why you are here, Drin. You clearly don’t care about your duty or that uniform you wear. Don’t chime in with little comments as if you expect it to make a difference. I’ll find water for us on our own.”
Ah, so he was going to be one of those. Paks simply folded her arms and smirked her eternal smirk at the man, “Oh Light! Here I thought I would die of dehydration and starvation, but the big strong Ji’Val is here to save my arse.” Tilting her head slightly as her expression became a bit flat, Paks dropped the act, “I’m not as worthless as you seem to think, and if you want proof of that, then I am happy to provide.
“You go see what you can do alone, but if you think perhaps you might want to be a part of the team we were intended to be a part of, I will be trying to figure out how to harvest the dew. Perhaps it is a waste of time, but perhaps not. A person doesn’t always find streams in mountains,” with that, the Drin turned on her heel and went back to the pack she left in the clearing.
Once there, she found Riahana Gaidin still there with her Asha’man husband, speaking in soft tones. The pair looked to her as she entered the clearing. Giving her husband a small nod, Ria approached the Drin, “Everything ok, Drin Liard?”
It was so odd hearing her last name when most called her Paks. She gave a small smile and nod as she knelt down by her back and started to remove the cloak that was given to them to help keep them dry in wet weather. An idea formed in the back of her mind and she dropped it around her neck as she took what rope she had and bundled it up, “Everything is fine, Riahana Gaidin. My partner thinks I am incompetent, but that’s nothing new. I have an idea and intend to run with it. If I’m wrong, then I learn and move on.”
The Gaidin watched Paks with a critical eye, and the Drin wondered what she was thinking. After a moment or two, Riahana tilted her head, “It is a good attitude, but you shouldn’t wander too far from your partner. If he gets into trouble, you might be his only hope.” She then nodded to the cloak and rope, “What idea do you have, then?”
Paks pushed herself back up to stand and reached for a nearby tree. Running her hand along the leaves, she held it up, showing droplets of water running down her palm, “Mornings this time of year mean dew gathered on leaves. If walking through the leaves for five minutes gets my shoulders this damp, then perhaps we can collect it….maybe not a lot, but I’m guessing any little bit helps.”
Riahana nodded, “Good thought. If you are going to be in one place for a while, you can certainly try and farm dew. It would be prudent to see if there are any other water sources near by too. Go on and catch up to your partner. If Ji’Val Vorda starts giving you too much grief, point out to him that this isn’t his first time on the survival course and last time he had to be transported back to the Tower as a quivering mess after a particularly nasty thunderstorm.”
The smirk grew exponentially, “Well now, isn’t that interesting. Thank you, Gaidin.” With that, she wandered back to where she’d left her partner, and started to hunt him out. Perhaps being partnered with him wouldn’t be all that bad after all.
Back in the clearing, Riahana looked to Gareth, her own slight smirk apparent, “That woman will make a fine, if unconventional Gaidin some day. More than anything, she just needs to believe in herself.”