Layla was right, Tsukiko wasn't used to having to climb up cliffs or do much traveling on foot at all really. Her only experience had been recent, with her trek from Freetown to here, and even though that had been a crash course it was still quite unfamiliar to her. Back in Japan, she had barely ever left the estate of her family, and when she had she had not been walking but had ridden in some device or another. To her, the term "walking" until now simply meant taking a peaceful stroll through the many different gardens that were on the lands owned by her parents. It had never been strenuous or unenjoyable to her before. Now she knew that it could be both those things. It was kind of Layla to offer to carry some of her things, but it was unnecessary. Tsukiko had carried them this far already, a little further would not hurt. Besides, in this bag were all the possessions she had left to her. While she didn't think the other woman untrustworthy, what she had was too valuable to set into other hands. "Thank you, I will keep it in mind."
If she liked what she saw here, in this Dahlia de Mai, she would be quite anxious to meet this Conor. The idea of needing to ask permission from someone of authority to stay somewhere was a bit intimidating, seeing as she had never been put in that position before, but hearing Layla speak of the qualities of her leader made the task seem less daunting. If he were this well liked by his underlings then surely he was a kind and understanding man. Hopefully, if she decided to present herself to him and ask for his shelter, she would have nothing too much to fear. The more she heard and saw of Layla's pack, the more she was thinking this would be the best place for her to stay, if she were allowed.
The black and white woman looked back and seemed to be surprised by the fact that Tsukiko showed some hesitance when it came to the trail that had been pointed out by here. She quickly explained that she didn't believe the name meant anything and the Shimazu daughter sighed in relief. "Oh, I see. In Japan, if a trail were named that, it would mean it was a path to be avoided," she said by way of explanation. It still seemed strange to her, that they would name it that with no intention of a bad connotation, but perhaps that was just the way here. She nodded, indicating she was ready to move on, and followed as Layla lead them down the trail to a river. The woman once again went into the water and Tsukiko watched her with interest. The proposition that was offered made her eyes grow a little wider, taking the meaning that Layla meant to catch some fish if she wished. "Oh yes, that would be very nice, thank you." It had been too long since she had tasted fresh fish.
Setsuna jumped down from her shoulder and sat herself in the grass, elegantly wrapped her tail around her paws. Tsukiko carefully unshouldered her pack and set it upon the ground. She then knelt down close to her friend, a hand reaching out to gently stroke the feline's back as she watched Layla in the river, glad for a moment of rest and the promise of something for her stomach.
.fujimoon b {font-weight:bold; color:#A4B3EB; letter-spacing:.0px; }
.fujimoon-ooc { font-style:italic; padding:15px; font-family:georgia, serif; font-size:11px; text-align:center; }
.fujimoon p {text-indent:10px; padding:3px 10px; margin:0px;}
.fujimoon {margin:0 auto; width:447px; background-color:#C6C9EA; background-image:url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/ ... jimoon.png); background-position:bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat; border:1px solid #EDEBF5; padding: 10px 0px 330px 0px; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size:12px; color:#E7E7F2; line-height:15px; letter-spacing:.0px; text-align:justify;}
</style>
[/html]