I have found my time in the Throat less successful than I had hoped. My attempts at further understanding this Tio character and the threat he poses have given me the knowledge that he was taken hostage by the Foothills, and I have only just now heard (apparently it happened some time ago) because rumors take so much longer than a good direct source and are not as believable. As it was I had to hear it a few times before I let myself trust it. I think I can let that issue lie, for now.

Then I have come to find that my desire to speak with the previous member of the Plague has also ended in futility. He too has found himself bound in irons and alas I fear he will dead before the 'morrow. I will have to investigate beyond the lands if I wish to find anything further on that topic, but I will save such traveling for later.

There is also Ree to consider. Prior to arriving here I didn't know she'd resided her, but as of today I've caught a few glimpses of her in the distance or in passing, but one way or the other we're both too busy to stop. Maybe I'm kidding myself though, maybe she's just avoiding me. The thought makes me frown. I try not to dishearten myself, but it's difficult when there is so much disheartening to be had.

With a dismal sigh I meander through the desert finding a pang of homesickness lurch in my gut as I remember fondly the veil of fog the Edge would so gracefully place between my hide and the sun. It is hot here and the heat is oppressive and there are few shadows for a spectre to cling to. I wonder if Kaj and Rishima have had more luck. Mostly I've been feeling alone, but that's nothing out of the ordinary.

My interest is piqued then when I see a gathering ahead. I pause, my initial instinct to join beaten down with the knowledge that it is not my place to join, not here. Yet... I must know, I did not leave my rank behind me and we are sisters after all aren't we? Still, to be safe - I disperse into a black mess of ink, reforming as a snake rich in obsidian hue. I stick to what shade I can find, slithering with a trail of darkness following me like some sort of deranged snail. It burns off fast enough, but hopefully no one is paying enough attention to notice it appear before then.

Coiled up in a nearby shrub I listen to what Ophelia has come to offer, and in doing so, can strike my last objective off my list. The Assassins then are no longer a threat either. I think I've been slower to learn in my attempt to expand than ever before. Maybe I'm just a lonely crow in the edge of the world, but at least I'm a knowledge lonely crow. Now I'm just a dumb snake boiling in the desert.

Why anyone would ever want to get out and explore the world I'll never know. You find something good and comfortable you should stay there.