49 What to explore (2/2)
”No, I didn't mean like that. You are just the first talking mons... creature I've ever seen, so I'm not sure how this all works. Can we start over? I'm Hera nice to meet you,”
She attempted to hold out her hand but changed her mind midway giving the apple a slight bow.
”Oh, that was creepy. Do you always go around bowing to people?” the creature asked.
”Well, no. But you are not actually people,” Hera replied with a smile.
The apple squinted while staring at the recruit.
”Touché, maybe you are not as slow as it seemed. I'm Peaches. Nice to meet you.”
”Peaches? But you look like an a...”
”I LOOK LIKE WHAT?”
Before Hera could finish the sentence, Peaches yelled towards her. Hera was taken aback, not only by the reaction but by the fact that even without a nose or eyebrows, peaches seemed to be frowning.
”Like an... an... adorable teddy bear. Calling you a fruit seems unfair,” she finally said.
Peaches squinted even harder at Hera.
”You know, I don't like you. Too flattery, too absent-minded. Get lost so I can go back to my nap,” the creature said while looking back towards the creek.
Hera frowned, why Peaches was so mean to her? She did nothing to deserve that.
All she did was poke him with a stick...
Wake him from his nap...
Treat him like a monster…
Said she wanted to eat him…
And called him an apple...
Realizing she was in the wrong, Hera agreed that it was better to leave him alone. The problem remained, she needed some information.
”I'm sorry for disturbing you, Peaches. And I don't want to cause you any more trouble, but can you tell me what's around here?” she asked.
Letting out a lengthy sigh, Peaches turned around again.
”Around here? There is a forest, then trees, then forest, then trees, more forest over there, and more trees that way, a bunch of wood through there and more forest here. What else do you expect to find in a place like this?”
While talking, Peaches tilted his head towards various directions, Hera paid attention to where he pointed. It almost formed a compass rose. She picked her tablet and quickly made a note about it on the map, along with marking the point where he mentioned wood. It could be nothing, but it was a weird way to talk about trees.
”Thank you. I'm just going to drink some water and be on my way then,” she said.
”Why are you telling me? Just do whatever you want,” he grumbled.
Hera kneeled near the water and activated her [Inspect].
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Mineral Water
H20 - Polar inorganic compound
Title - Universal solvent
Water from a mineral spring.
This drinkable water is rich in calcium and magnesium.
It is considered hard water.
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There weren't any apparent problems, so Hera drank some water. It was colder than she expected, and it had a distinct flavor than the water she would buy in a store. It was more refreshing in a way.
Hera looked at Peaches, who was still with his eyes open, looking at the forest. She wanted to know what type of creature he was. However, remembering what happened when she used that skill on Helena, she thought it was better not to invade his privacy.
Before getting up, Hera washed her face with the water.
”Thank you for your help. I will be going now,” She said, unsure if that was the right thing to do.
Peaches just looked at her before closing his eyes. Hera started walking in the direction he said there was wood. For some reason, his phrasing was bugging her. She moved closer to the first tree before looking back at the river. That giant talking green apple was there, unmoving as an old man resting by the river. Before leaving, she quickly activated her [Observe].
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Peaches
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She let out a sigh.
”Well, I guess it was too much to ask.”
Turning around, she kept going in the direction of 'wood', hoping she would find some sort of clue about what to do next.
As she left, the giant talking apple opened his eyes and saw a notification.
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Target by low level [Observe]
[Disguise] in effect
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”Honestly, this new batch has no manners,” Peaches mumbled.