"As far as not dying goes, food and water and shelter ain't difficult to find." In a rare streak of good mood, Verdant contributed to the discussion through a mouthful of fish. "No rescue's coming anytime soon though. We must've drifted quite far southward."

Going back to civilization would be harder, but by no means impossible. Enough sailors survived, that if they were able to somehow kludge together a large enough barge there's a good chance for them to simply paddle back to civilization. Navigation should be their strong suit, right? Though, another storm can easily smash them back to this island. Maybe she wont be as lucky at that time.

Shrugging, the serpent sat back down and stopped talking. Two sentences was all the socializing she's willing to provide for the moment.

@wierdw

Ezekiel turned his head towards the one that created the fire, he felt somewhat uncomfortable when he was being addressed. However, if he had someone with him, then his chance of survivability would be quite high. “Our name is Eziekal Jarrett. Student of the dark arts, and follower of Chaul’lu.” His voice was of a whisper, as he didn’t want the others to know of his occupation. To them, he was just a very eccentric mage that could not hurt a fly. So now he assumed he would have to play nice with Ember, or have his secret known and his body being roasted on the fire next.

“Do you suggest we explore the island after everyone is asleep?” He had his fill of food, for the time being, he was not much of a glutton like regular people. He looked down at his robes, they were quite torn because of the shipwreck. However, he would be able to fix them himself, if he was able to find his sewing kit. Speaking of that he would need to find it quickly. Standing up as Ember left to deal with the old woman, wandering the beach looking for his sewing kit. Muttering something about “not thinking about anything obscene involving him and Ember.”

@Pakde @Remuri

As Sonia introduced herself and addressed the group with discussion about the situation and what to do, the sailors gathered around looking thoughtful, but most didn't seem to have much to contribute. Evidently being lost on a terrestrial land mass wasn't their specialty, especially without their captain. A few did speak up though - the first of which was a woman looking to be in her late twenties, with brown hair in a bob-cut that could have been neat on a normal day. "We should look for the captain, and the others who are missing. It's possible that they washed up on a beach nearby. We could send scouting parties in either direction." She glanced around along the coast, squinting slightly as she took in the distance. A few of the other sailors nodded in agreement - it seemed they were fairly motivated to regroup with their captain and the others in their crew. Surely many were missing and worried about their shipmates.

The quartermaster spoke up next, stroking his chin in a discerning manner. "Certainly, but ensuring our own survival is of foremost importance. We should try to locate a source of sustainable food, as well as secure shelter." He glanced at the cooking fire, the smell of roast fish a pleasant reminder to his nostrils. "Nice haul, by the way," he said to Nanashi with approval. "I suppose you're not all troubles and headaches."

Talk of leadership and elections caused a very moody but equally pompous Sir Landon to enter the discussion, stepping into the midst of the group tailed by his squire. "I should lead things here, of course. I am royalty, after all, just a few hairs away from the King, really," the nobleman declared proudly, to the dissenting groans of the sailors. "First off we need to build some chairs and beds - my joints are killing me. You lot are probably used to sleeping on dirt and rocks but a refined noble like myself needs something more fitting for my class," he ordered, assuming leadership despite a general sense of dissent from the sailors.

"Of course milord, why don't we all prioritize our efforts building you a throne for your tender little ass? Seems more important than safety, survival, and gettin' back to civilization," one of the sailors jested, to Lord Landon's irritation. A bit of commotion and tension was starting to develop between the nobleman and the sailors, as Landon's page tried his best to quell the situation.

Meanwhile, the traveler with the roguish leathers and wide-brimmed hat stepped towards Sonia, flashing a mysterious smile. "Pleasure to meet you, Sonia Al-Hathya. Name's Ryland," the man tipped his hat in smooth fashion, his rugged handsomeness smug under its shadow. "You know, if I had to be stuck on an unknown island, I'd definitely choose to be stuck there with a beautiful, capable lady like yourself," he said with a lift of his eyebrows. "Who knows, maybe this whole thing could turn out to be rather auspicious in end, hmm?" he shrugged, still wearing his charming smile. It seemed the man wasn't being particularly subtle with his advances!

@Zim0cron

Sonia felt her confidence restored when the elf approached her to say such kind words.

"Any help will be appreciated and since building shelter will be one of our priorities, that could prove valuable."

She paused, and had they were not mere acquaintances, she would have affectionately ruffled her hair and give the promise to protect. But now, she would settle with just a warm and reassuring smile. "And miss Vivian, thank you for trusting me."

@Eviledd1984
The mage with the goat mask finally shared his opinion. Quite a hasty plan, essentially similar to what the black-haired fellow had previously suggested, and Ember responded to this plan and raised a valid point. Fresh water, another priority they have to secure immediately.

However, the opinion was challenged by a certain... woman? Teenager? Clad in an orange bright overalls that seemed to have been salvaged from a certain someone's container. She raised another important point; doing any exploration was a gamble with uncertain rewards, but it had to be done. Sooner or later they would need water, and they couldn't always rely on coastal vegetation to sustain their daily intake.

The majority seemed to have favored the exploration to be held as soon as possible, for any reason that had nothing to do with surviving. How did she know? A hunter's intuition perhaps. It was not like she was completely against the idea, but treating it as a mere adventure was inadvisable.

When the demoness considered every option available, the crowd became more vocal with their individual opinions. A certain young woman suggested they should look for the captain first, which was a sound plan, if only they know where to look for. The beach exploration sound quite feasible actually.

Then there was the quartermaster's turn.

Then the nobleman and his unreasonable demand.

Then everything becomes more chaotic. Was this madness? Nah, just democracy.

Then this one particular survivor who was so relentless with his advance. She admitted he was rather handsome, and it was actually rare for a human male to be interested in her in that way. Whatever it means, Sonia was not used to it, and now was not the time either.

Between the hectic discussion below and the man's wooings, Sonia had had enough and retreated, politely dismissing Ryland's advance by gesturing that she will get back to him in a moment. That moment passed, and Sonia, now armed with her crossbow returned to the podium, eyes observing the commotion with a murderous glint, and within a swift aim, opened fire at the sand next to the nobleman.

The bolt landed with forceful impact, hurling sands at the nobleman and his page. Was that magic or a technological marvel, it was a company secret, courtesy of Alhazen Industry.

Now, as the man's attention now diverted to the demoness, she already had a bolt loaded. Finally, some quiet, and Sonia enjoyed this brief tranquility as she gradually lower her weapon.

"That bolt can take down a wendigo with a single shot. Has everyone here ever seen a wendigo?!" she yelled, nobody answered, so she continued calmly. "A nasty, big, green, bipedal menace, very territorial. But the pelt is a very prized commodity."

"Like a bigfoot?" one of the sailors cracked, to Sonia's amusement.

"Yes, similar to that! Petty smart fellow aren't you?"

The praise left the sailor grinning ear to ear. Sonia then returned to the crowd, particularly to Landon. "Now, I beg your pardon, I am not one to use violence to make a point, but certainly, a little sand hardly counts as one, don't we all agree?"

"All right then, now that all of us have agreed to put that little distraction behind us, I think it's my turn to speak. It will be a bit obvious, so please bear with me. I am a hunter, which means I make a living by surviving in the wilderness. Now I don't claim to be the expert on every terrain, if you think you are better than me, you should speak up, and tell us your plan, if there is none..."
There was a brief pause, and Sonia glared directly at the pompous nobleman.

"Well, don't let me stop you. If you want to be a king, so be it. But the king is nothing without his subjects and who will be the subject of your rule, milord? Obviously not this humble venerer, neither those sailors after their derisive commentary to your rule. Are we traitors now? Go ahead and arrest us then. Can you even enforce your rule with sticks and harsh language?"

She snickered, scorning the very being of that nobleman almost like how a demon should.

"Of course you can't. This is my hunting ground, not your court. I have a weapon and expertise, you don't. Now have you ever seen a Wendigo? They have horns, just like me."

"Wendigo? Big foot? Never heard of it." Nanashi replied in curious manner.

He stood up and prepared his straw hat and ready his katana. "I shall scout a little bit to check some nice soil for the burial. I don't mind accompany if you are concern."

"You guys (the sailors). Find or make some tool that we can able to dig up. About that faithful woman mother over there. Give those perished a peace. I'm a foreigner. I guess you know your common folks religion.

Nanashi head inside the forest. He is fine if someone willing to follow him. He does not go deeper, just to look for a good spot to bury for a mass grave.

Leaving the nobleman to deal with his newfound existential crisis, Sonia returned to her favorite boulder and sat there, crossbow perched on her lap as if a symbol of authority, seized from those who dared to step forward and propose unworthy proposals--"

She sighed, shaking off the thoughts, and returned to reality. Being a leader had never been her strong suit. It was the fact, and yet she still try to bargain with herself. Was that a statement based on incompetency or cowardice? Probably both. But the problem with being partial with your answer was it showed your duality, making you undecided but can be arbitrary at the same time.

But perhaps now was not the day, she would prefer to keep it balanced.

"The basic of survival is shelter, water, and food." She announced. "All three are in that order. But since we have it easy on the first day, we can shift the priority but still adhere to that three basic rules. Now I understand some of you wanted to find the captain and possibly your kin. We shouldn't do that today."

Sonia could hear murmurs coming from the sailors. The woman with a daughter was still trembling and confused, probably didn't hear what she said. Only then did she realize that another layer of politeness had to be discarded.

"Now hear me out. Ensuring our survival is more important than finding the missing. We don't know where they are, and sending yourself on a wild-goose chase unprepared is not only foolish but also suicidal. Until we have secured our basic needs and have the area of this island mapped, we can't do anything about it but hope they are as fortunate as we are. this will be as far as my advice goes. After that, you are free to decide how you will survive on this island. I have informed you of my general capability, and you may choose to whom you would listen to. I have no problem with everyone for himself, nor would raise an objection if the majority prefer to be under sir nobleman's rule, as ridiculous as it sounds."

"If you choose to listen to me, I would expect you to be fully committed to that decision. I am not promising anything, not even a guarantee of your survival. But if we work together, our chance to stay alive until the rescue comes would be a lot higher."

One would be forgiven if they think she would ask 'who's with me?' to the crowd, but thankfully she didn't. Speaking for this long had been a strenuous task for her, and the last thing she need was to give a closing statement like an unconvincing politician.

Now, to address the exploration plan, and for those who decided to listen.

"We can start trekking into the forest as soon as possible. But it is inadvisable to have a party of more than four. The terrain can be dangerous, and most of us are not in our best condition. Additionally, we need to construct a shelter, preferably soon. Tonight the sky will be clear and we can combat the chill with a proper campfire, but we can't predict tomorrow and the days after that. Even the rain can be deadly if we keep exposed to the elements."

"So we also need people to be here and secure the base. And if there is no objection, I will be in charge of that exploration team. The objective is to search for the source of fresh water. How far the exploration will go? It's still undecided, but I would prefer for us to return before dark. Any question?"

The black-haired man on a wheelchair is not there, as well as his wheelchair. A perceptive person could possibly detect the trail of two lines being dragged across this sandy floor, while those who would happen to just be staring at him would notice him venturing into the forest by himself. In fact, he would have noticed them back and gestured an index finger close to his mouth to indicate silence.

Silence. Indeed. Away from the mortals and their incessant talking. It's not quite as silent as being in the deep ocean, but the usual forest sounds are a nice change of pace. Not being submerged in material that induces rust and moss is a boon, too.
To reminisce from several minutes ago, he so immediately felt the befalling of pure cringe -- a feeling he didn't even imagine he could feel until then -- as Landon began touting his lineage, that he could not have heard Sonia's response to it. Sonia Al-Ha... Hay...t...? Sonia. Just Sonia. Yes, at this point she's probably the de-facto leader of this troupe. Not that he cares for it. Might be valuable information for later.

He halted from this rocky trek, his wheelchair enduring the bumps of several tree roots like a wagon let loose on a hill. He took from his inner pocket a flask of what seems like water but is most likely not, pulled down the cloth concealing the lower half of his face, and drank it.

@spiral origin

@Pakde

Sir Landon flinched as the arrow struck the sand near him, looking startled and then appalled. He could do little to argue with Sonia's points however, having the vast majority of the crowd against him already. All he could do was stutter a few hapless words in the form of "how dare you!--" and "this is outrageous!--" but in the end he seemed to realize the truth that here in the wilderness he was at best a self-declared ruler with no subjects. So he huffed angrily but subsided from further pushing his entitled authority, at least for the moment.

Meanwhile the sailors looked approving of Sonia's leadership, many of them nodding to her ideas and proposals. Even Luca, the nobleman's page, seemed look upon her initiative favorably, despite attentively tending to his lord's wounded pride.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Ryland commented, looking ever more impressed with the demoness. "I'll be joining our thoughtful leader in exploration, if she doesn't mind of course." He unsheathed a dagger from his belt, skillfully twirling it in his hand in a show of dexterity.

"I'll go as well," the female sailor who spoke up about searching for the captain said willfully, seeming eager to set afoot and do something.

The rest of the sailors seemed a bit undecided between staying and going, as they looked amongst themselves. "So what sort of shelter should we build?..." one of them soon asked, looking a little confused as he scratched his head. It seemed he wasn't so familiar with such kinds of construction, and many of the others looked to be in the same boat.

"Perhaps some sort of hut could be viable," the quartermaster offered, eyeing the trees nearby. "I'm no expert on building shelter but these trees look thin enough to be chopped down and used as basic support. We could use the leaves and such as roofs. We'd need some way of holding it stably enough together though, perhaps with some of the more sturdier vines." He looked back to the group tentatively. "I could stay and help with erecting our lodgings, though I'd certainly prefer if someone more experienced in such matters than myself were in charge."

@spiral origin

Before he proceed inside the forest, he is willing to do helping hand. "This one?" He pointed on the exact tree that fit on the quartermaster's word.

"Stand back a bit." He pose to ready his Iaijutsu. He put faith on his katana as he quick draw it and slash. It seems nothing for the few seconds but as he put back his blade on his scabbard it become to fall down on the opposite where no one there. He then do it again and again on the qualified trees.

After, he bow to them and proceeding to scout a bit inside the forest.

"I'll go with you." Verdant, after some deliberation, decided to join the exploratory team. "I'm in better shape than most of everyone here." She added as an afterthought, just in case someone would contest the claim. As unlikely as it were. It wasn't even a lie, she's in remarkable shape.

It was simple risk-reward, really. The horned woman seems to be the best fighter out of the group, so it's better to stick around her. The unknown in the island didn't sit quite right with the serpent, and sooner she figured it out the better her odds. And should things went south, she's confident enough to slither out of any tight spot with three big slow humans taking the attention of whatever nasties were further inland.

That's as good as it could get, really. Not to mention that if the nobleman's attention fell on her for whatever reason she may ends up gutting the pig where he stood, so best to be away as soon as possible.

@Grade

Trekking into the forest alone, Wheelo soon found himself in the midst of nature's greenery. The vegetation seemed to grow more exotic the further in he went, and there was something subtly unfamiliar about it all. Maybe it was the dragonflies the size of human palms flying about, or the eerie sound of barely audible ambiances in the distance, or the vaguely alien aromas that lingered in the air.

As he went along, he couldn't help but get the feeling that there were unseen eyes on him, trailing him stealthily from the shadows. From the odd flickers of a silhouette in the trees, to the snap of twigs from movements that weren't his own, it seemed there was something out there very aware of his presence. Or it was just this place, playing tricks on his imagination?

He had walked some ways into the woods by now, but its depths seemed to stretch on much deeper. One could easily get lost in this place if one wasn't careful.

@Pakde @A5G

The old man amongst the survivors seemed to take particular note of Wheelo's venturing off on his own, as he stepped up towards Sonia and the expedition group. "I'd like to go as well," he said in a firm voice that made his matured age seem like an asset rather than a liability, even in adventuring.

He then glanced off in the direction Wheelo went, his already stern look growing even more grim. "I saw that fellow in the wheelchair roll off into the forest on his own. We shouldn't be wandering off by ourselves like that. Best to stick together in a situation like this."

"You sure you can handle yourself old fella? This isn't some light nature walk we're going on." Wyland commented, giving the old man a discerning look.

The old man glared at him, the hardness in his look saying more than any words could. "I might be old but I can hold my own. You best be sure you can as well, sonny."

Wyland smiled, raising his hands in concession.

"By the way, name's Gideon," the old man stated, placing his hand at his sword belt where an ornate rapier clung. "I'll be ready whenever."

It unnerved the black-haired man on a wheelchair, this feeling that he's being watched. The forest seemed endless too, he could get lost for real if this goes on. He does have this constant, vague sense of where north is, and wherever 'here' is right now, it still seems to be working.

Is it paranoia or something's surveying him from a distance? Is it just all the animals? Either way, they need to be taught a lesson on dominance hierarchy. He backs up towards one of the closest trees around him and fully elbows it with his left arm, with the intent of carving out a huge slice of the trunk and making the tree fall down.

@spiral origin

@Remuri

Despite the intense quarrels at the beginning, It seemed most survivors had acknowledged the necessity of cooperative will and began to do their parts. The black-haired traveler was the first to act responsively to the plan, responding to the quartermaster's inquiry by slashing down the trees using his dextrous swordsmanship. It was quite an amazing display, and most importantly had provided them with the beams and supports they needed to construct the shelter.

@A5G

As the quartermaster and the other sailors started to work on their humble lodging, Sonia was approached by a teenager dressed in orange. "I'll go with you. I'm in better shape than most of everyone here."

Sonia turned to her with one of her generic smiles. At a first glance, her physical stature did not look quite worthy of her own assertion. But being this close, Sonia's intuition as a hunter told her there was something more than meets the eye with this girl. And it was a sinister one just by looking at her eyes. Utterly and completely out of her marbles, yet it was still the eyes of a predator. And one that does not discriminate between friends and enemies.

What are you and what do you want? Any experienced hunter worthy of the name would have asked that in a heartbeat, or just pelt the creature with arrows or bolts already. But now the situation calls for a more diplomatic approach, and being a freak herself (why with those eyes and horns!) suddenly Sonia felt she was too exaggerating, and...rude.

Extending her hand to offer a handshake, that was more than just a first step to a civilized introduction, but was also an act to redeem herself after making unspoken yet crass assumptions.

"Nice to meet you. Let's take care of each other from now on!"

Verdant glanced at the offered hand for perhaps a teeny bit too long for it to be proper. Ah, this was one of those weird human custom wasn't it? Not the first time she encountered it, though usually she refuse random touching like this. But the situation kinda calls for it, ugh.

"...I'll do my best."

Suppressing a shudder and with a businesslike fake smile, the snake shook the hunter's hand as she suppressed goosebumps. Her own instinct screamed at her to lunge forward or away, but the animalistic influence was muted in this form. She'll be fine, yep.

She did broke contact perhaps a bit too fast to be properly polite, but that's already way better than her average encounter.

"...I'll do my best."

The handshake was brief, but from such a simplest of touch, Sonia could feel the calluses of her hand. Typical for someone who regularly handles short, hilted tools such as knives and dirks. A fellow hunter perhaps? While the long-range weaponry was preferable, a good hunter needed to hone their melee capabilities as well, from skinning the game to protecting yourself in the highest corner, you couldn't survive long enough in this line of business without a proper skill to handle a knife.

"I am sure you will," Sonia assured, acknowledging the awkwardness showed by her new party member and decided to not observe her any longer. "We will depart soon, there is still time to prepare if you want."

And then she left.

The demoness found the black-haired swordsman returned from his small survey. Probably continuing his plan to give the perished proper burials in the soil that has less sand in it.
@Remuri
"Mister Traveler, may I have a moment of your time? We will be searching for water sources in the outlying forest, and I wish you can coordinate with mister quartermaster and others after you are... done."

Sonia was obvious that her words were far from sympathetic, but the priority for the living outweighs the priority for the dead. She wanted the survivor to quickly have some security, in addition to an extra helping hand.

Done with that brief instruction, she returned to the boulders-- supposedly their rendezvous point. Upon her arrival, she was greeted by the female sailor and Ryland, who expressed their initiative to join the expedition. Sonia didn't mind of course, since they seemed capable and armed. However, another fellow approached the party, bearing some ill news about a certain disabled man rolling his wheelchair towards the heart of the forest.

"I did say it clearly that everyone is free to decide how they will survive this island." Said Sonia with clear frustration despite the aloof nature of her sentence. "If he wants to do that, let him be and we will be his trouble no more."

Interestingly she had no idea which man was it with a wheelchair. Must be some desperate imbecile seeking an easy way out.

"Let's not occupy ourselves worrying over people who may have their own plans."

The group nodded, except the old fellow who instead announced "I'd like to go as well."

There was an objection from the young Ryland, but the old man easily dismissed his doubt convincingly. Sonia however still thinks that their group was a bit too large with five people in it.

"I think you should stay. I am not saying that because I am doubting your capability, but rather the security of our base camp being compromised with too many capable people leaving it behind."
"But like I said before, I can't stop you. Perhaps...not now. You can tag along if you insist, and I will still consider you part of the team."

Preparing, huh? Yeah, Verdant will prepare alright. Glancing around, she settled next to a relatively flat rock before rummaging through the bundle of makeshift bag - carefully not to reveal the serpent skull. There's no need to invite weird questions, even if the people around seems to treat the man with severed goat head with nonchalance.

She fished out a series of colorful lace, salvaged from a weird dress that was more lace than fabric and (she was relatively certain) would barely cover any skin when worn. Took a while to disassemble the entire thing, but the lace was strong and stretch-resistant. It would make for decent rope once she's done braiding them into form.

First thing first, though. A few of the shorter length was braided together into a sling, the tapping sounds of a sharp rock echoed as she used a particularly sharp piece to trim the length. The resulting sling was... offensively colorful, but functional enough. Sure beat having to identify, harvest, and braid the local plants that she had no experience with.

Those coconut leaves looked promising though. Something to check out in the future.

Newfound weapon loosely wrapped around her dominant arm, Verdant set on to crate the rope. Wouldn't be too long, in the end. Probably a bit longer that she's tall, and even if it's longer she'd probably not trust her weight to it. But eh, beggars cant be choosers.

@wierdw

Ezekiel meanwhile was searching for his sewing kit, frantically searching through the many dead bodies and the wreckage of the ship. Going into a manic state, throwing the wreckage and other belongings over his shoulder. Suddenly came to the realization that his sewing kit was lost in the wreck. Cursing under his breath, before walking back towards the group. He risked being found out by the others of the reason he came on this voyage. And felt even more paranoid that they would soon figure out he was a necromancer. If the creepy tailor could figure it out, then the others would soon enough. “Damn it, how the hell are we supposed to go to H’eylr with these fools around?” The necromancer thought for a moment of his options. He could go with Ember, who seemed to have more of a connection to the E’tha than the others.

“That is what we must do…Or at the very least go by ourselves.” The strange mage walked towards Ember. “We are ready to go venture into the forest. Are you prepared to encounter the Tas’ka’ra? The dark beings we mean.” He was whispering as he didn’t want the others to hear him. He could hear their thoughts, and what most of them thought about his appearance. Already speculating that he could be a necromancer.

Hanging her duffle bag to dry on a nearby mangrove, Sonia finished her preparation by slinging a quiver containing a dozen of bolts and having her knife cleaned and sheathed. Wasting no time, it was time to depart, and they chose the path with less foliage blocking the way.

It was a standard single file formation, with Sonia leading the way, followed by the orange-dressed petite woman, who, after a few small talks claimed to be under the name of Verdant. And that was the only detail she would be willing to disclose. It went without saying that Sonia would respect the code of silence, for such was the customary amongst the traveler and adventurers alike.

Behind her was the female sailor, followed by the old Gideon and Ryland who regularly exchanged friendly remarks to each other. Sonia was too occupied to join their banter but preferred to have them keep breaking the ice. It was good to keep the mood stayed positive.

The forest was thick and the terrain was deceivingly uneven the party had to regularly adjust their path accordingly. Sometimes Sonia had to climb up a tree or use twigs and stones to determine their direction, and they kept moving to the south.

Judging from the height of the sun, one hour have passed since the exploration started, and nothing seemed out of ordinary. There were few signs of water erosion on the ground, and this path must be part of a small river when it rains.

Sonia glanced over at her party members. "look alive everyone! The spring can't be that far."
@spiral origin

@spiral origin

Nanashi nodded on red hair horned woman. Once they departed, he went to the sailors who incharge on burrying people who were perished and instructed the safe way and spot. To make it sure, he added few surviving sellswords for security. He also assigned some group of people who can able to swim and search for things from the shipwreck nearby the island. Maybe we can find something useful.

@Zim0cron
Later on, he seeks Vivian. Where is she?

@Pakde@A5G@Eviledd1984

Ember rubbed his head, then settled back in to nursing the cookfire. Despite his attempts to approach the horrid beggar woman, she seemed so much more vital than he did, and effortlessly evaded him without even attempting it. He would corner her and interrogate her later. --once his head cleared--

As for joining a search party, the idea of wandering off sounded both exciting in its prospects, as well as horrid in the same.

On the one hand, there was a chance at getting out of the sun, perhaps finding a natural source of water to wash off in, and generally an opportunity to shine-- the latter being something he very seldom shied away from.

On the other-- His head was swimming, he felt mildly nauseous, and he doubted very much that he could do much more than spurt some pretty sparkles from his wand at the moment. It would take him several hours of taking it easy to get back his proper vigor, at the least.

"You needn't worry about that too much, Sonia dahling... I wanted to apologize for my rash behavior; Rest assured, I'm already paying a heavy price..." Ember once more nursed his head, then poked another stick into the cookfire, before looking back up at Sonia. "I'll be quite content to say behind for the time being.. I'm afraid I've gone and tuckered myself out. I'd be more liability than asset, I fear-- but I can still make myself useful. I'll see what I can do with the resources we have-- such as they are-- and as my head clears, see that those we've found at least aren't wearing tatty rags..." Once more his thoughts drifted toward the spry beggar woman, and he fumed inwardly. He would find out where she got those from, for sure. Preferably once she returned, and that energy of hers had been used up, and his rekindled.

He leaned over to his more furtive companion in the goat-skull ensemble, and answered his query honestly, but discretely.

"I'm afraid not dahling. It will be some time before I'm ready to go off on an adventure. At the very least, I can keep an eye on the more ...unstable... of our number, and keep them out of trouble. Were you looking for something dahling? That was quite a show... I wish I had that kind of energy at the moment."

Despite his mild nausea, he knew he really did need to eat something. After a more than a moment of hesitation, he extracted one of the seared fish skewers from the edge, and timidly nibbled at it.

He sat still and silent by the fire, continuing to nibble, and sipping at the coconut vivian had given him, while the others formed a small party, and departed, leaving him and a number of other castaways behind.