The camp was getting closer, or rather, Luz and Amphi were getting closer to camp. With the night deepening, this came as a relief to Luz, who was not exactly afraid of dark, but certainly didn't enjoy being outside in new territory with bad light. "We're home!" she called out loudly when she had gotten close to the huts, and pleased to see a fire going, she immediately fetched a nearby pot and dumped some water in. She looked to Amphi. "Clams are supposed to be boiled right? ...Hell with it, I'm boiling 'em!" And with that she dumped the clams into the pot before setting aside the mangoes to be chopped up later.
Cook-Luz was taking over her mind. She bustled around, preparing spices and bread and flour, as well as horribly dry fruits and vegetables which she'd hauled along on the journey. She had carefully avoided the mermaid's question, but felt it hanging in the air. Finally her voice took on a solemn air as she explained.
"The mainland used to be a great place. I grew up there with my mother. Things...things changed, though. A dictator came to power. Brutality and misery and poverty, all became the norm. I owe my life to the Phoenix pirates, because they rescued me from that horrible place. We all came so that we would not live under the rule of a tyrant who doesn't know how to lead his people." She turned away from Amphi as she worked. It was painful to remember...all the wonderful times she'd had as a child, only to end with her mother's face as she convulsed under the effects of the poison.