There was a dull thud a few feet away from the scene, quickly followed by two short clicks. To anyone not looking out for them, those sounds would probably go unnoticed amidst the ambient noise of the forest, but Marinette was sure recognize them instantly.
It was a code Grey had devised for alerting other members of the group of his presence when in potentially tense situations. While he and Marinette liked to sneak up on one another at camp all the time, they had determined that it would probably be best to have a few signals like this one in combat in order to avoid friendly fire. The one he had just used was pretty basic, essentially just a silent "It's me, don't shoot".
Sure enough, a few seconds later, the armoured figure of the cyborg emerged from the underbrush, carrying a few small leather bags over a shoulder and rummaging through a slightly larger one as he walked. His blaster was currently retracted back into his forearm, and his demeanor was calm and relaxed, like he was simply just returning from an evening stroll.
"Hey Mari!" he greeted the duo pleasantly, as though completely oblivious to the situation. "I take it your nap was enjoyable?"
"Ehh, can't complain... can't complain..." she responded with the same casual ease, almost as if discussing the weather. "I got mugged, but it didn't take. How was the uhh... walk?"
Finally finding what he was looking for, a plastic pack filled with unappetizing looking jerky, he sat down, back to a nearby boulder, and crossed his legs, carefully setting the bags next to him on the ground.
"Oh, I see. Quite pleasant, actually. I went to scout out a few locations for what we were talking about earlier, and I found a few spots that might be suitable." He gave a glance at the bags at his feet. "I hit a few caches I had laid out in the area while I was at it. Figured since we might be moving out soon, it could be a good idea to start packing things early."
He opened the packet and took a bite from one of the meat strips from under his mask.
"I got some dried meat on the way back, want some?" he offered.
"Is it wolf? You know that stuff is bad for you."
"Bear actually."
"Bear!? That's the good stuff! Almost as good as snake!"
At her feet, a certain individual of reptilian persuasion gave an apprehensive hiss.
"Oh be quiet, you know I'm only kidding." She admonished, rolling her eyes. She then turned her attention to Miko. "You hungry?"