The Traveling Swamp

Tallulah smoothed down the fins at her waist - Katey was always saying it was immodest to transform without at least keeping those - and took a few heavy, shaky steps away from the water and onto some more-solid ground. The roots she had been standing on bent under her weight and shifted unpredictably under her feet every time she tried to get her balance.

The first step was fine, and the second a little more wobbly. On the third step, her foot got stuck between some roots and she tripped, catching herself using, primarily, the shoulder of the man with the long coat like Katey's. What had his name been?

She blushed slightly as she tried to right herself, "Oh, sorry," she said, embarrassed at her own skillless feet. Maybe she should have accepted Kate's offer of dancing lessons. "I don't really use my human form that much," she explained.

It was even harder resisting the urge to geek out when Tallulah was right next to him, but Colt did his very best not to betray just how cool he thought this whole situation was.

"It's alright," Colt said. "I would have trouble swimming with a tail, so I understand your difficulty."

There was a pause. He looked her over again, studying her legs and her face. They barely knew each other, so she might be offended by his suggestion. But it also made more sense for to have some kind of support than falling off of the boardwalk.

"You can lean on me while we walk," he offered.

A part of Alex wanted to burst out in laughter, but the sad part of him, unfortunately, included his face and voice, so that wasn't possible.

Tallulah smiled, flashing shark-like teeth as she nodded, "Usually I have Katey's help," she said, "so a little support would be greatly appreciated." She really did only really use her legs when she was aboard Kate's ship. Kate liked to joke that she 'didn't have her sea legs', which was utter nonsense. Just because she was bad at walking didn't mean she wasn't from the sea.

Kiirion pursed his lips as Tallulah and Colt talked and sighed. They were figuring it out. He looked out towards the bridge and decided to start off in that direction himself.

Walking, he glanced back at the others. "Well, let's get going."

Alex quickly hopped onto another tree, never losing caution. The huge cluster of trees in the direction they seemed to be going to, offered him an opportunity to stay hidden till they reached wherever they were headed.

They started to head for the boardwalk.

Colt couldn't shake the feeling that they were being followed and watched. Maybe it was because of his instincts; maybe because he just inwardly knew the signs after all of the games he had played growing up.

He faltered the moment his feet hit wood instead of dirt; he hadn't been prepared for the sudden switch. But he was able to catch his balance, and soon they were heading towards the light in the distance.

Once they got a little farther down the path - Colt guiding Tallulah along - a little cabin began to come into view. It was hidden among the trees and supported high above the water by a wooden platform - much like the boardwalk.

Spoiler

The cabin is the one in the first post.

Tallulah perked up when she saw the house. Kate would probably call it by one of those over-specific names for houses that humans had. It was a frankly, pretty ridiculous part of their language.

But a house meant humans, and humans were usually pretty understanding about this kind of thing. If not, she could use a snack. It was a win either way.

Alex quickly climbed on to the roof of the cabin, making sure that he moved only when the group wasn't looking.

Kiirion took long strides ahead of the others and stepped up to the house, and before walking to the door peeked from the side of the window to see if there was anyone inside.

Alex dropped down behind and tapped his back.

"Hi."

"Gah!"

Kiirion jumped away from the touch and flipped around, grabbing for his Warhammer but lowering it when he saw it was just another human. Miffed, he sneered down at the new arrival and straightened up.

"You couldn't have made yourself known in some other way?"

He shook his head.

"You seem weaker than the rest." His face was plain.

Colt's plan for checking if anyone was inside involved flinging open the door and seeing if anyone was there - no one was - but he paused after the door slammed against the inside wall of the cabin.

He had heard someone climbing the cabin; it must have been their follower. He was about to turn around and say something about it, but then the follower decided to make himself known.

Was he supposed to feel proud that he came across as strong right now, or question the newcomer's belief that Kiirion was the weakest out of them? Either the symbols he had spelled into his jacket looked far more intimidating than they actually were, or the new guy was a seriously bad judge of character. Kiirion was loaded with supplies, and was also the only one of them with any kind of obvious weapon.

He turned around, hoping Tallulah got the idea and didn't stumble when he did.

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover," he said, giving the same kind of smooth smile he had given earlier. "He is the one with the weapon at his waist."

(Questioning the newcomer's judgement aside, Colt really was proud of coming across so intimidating. Apparently, this was just the kind of look he needed to be taken seriously. Why hadn't he thought of doing something like this years ago?)

"Oh. I'm not sure I saw you. I'm clearly wrong then." Alex said with a surprised look.