Chitter, Squeek, Squeek

It had only been a few hours since the arrival of the party at the Zipsum village, and Rei had already come to a very important conclusion: she disliked Zipsum. The party was in full swing, and high above the Zipsum village - barely visible through the canopy of the Sygola trees - the setting sun lit up the clouds like spun gold.

"Chitter, squeek, squeek," a Zipsum told her helpfully, holding out a wooden mug full of some sort of dubious purple liquid.

There were many chitters and many squeeks in the Zipsum language, and the young Biomade was beginning to despair of ever learning it. Despite her efforts in trying to work out the language, Rei was no closer to understanding it now than she had been yesterday. It would be easier if she could hear their thoughts, but apparently Karians all thought in triangles and mirror-mazes. At first she had been intrigued by their peculiar silence. By their triangles and their mirrors and their fractal minds. Now, surrounded by this vast crowd of incomprehensible Zipsum who were definitely not Her, and whose thoughts could only be approached through deliberate effort, her reaction would be better described as irritated.

"Chitter, chitter, squeek," the Zipsum told her again. It was a young girl in Cheldrun form, wearing some kind of rough fabric that Rei had never seen up close before. Her blood red eyes met the Zipsum's green, and after a moment's inner debate, she took the cup from the girl's hands and nodded her thanks.

The Zipsum smiled, and Rei wasn't altogether sure that there wasn't the slightest hint of mischief there.

Rei could see Moses across the deep, aquamarine lagoon that filled the center of the Zipsum village. A horde of tiny Zipsum in squirrel-form darted over his body. Nearby, High Dive watched the goings on in her Cheldrun form, and Rei thought she could hear the faint cry of, "Lefty loosey!" through the din. The sound of Cheldrun thoughts in her mind immediately calmed her, lifting that empty, confused feeling that had plagued her since her arrival in the village.

She wasn't sure where Kiyoshi was, nor Mokuzai. Una was the center of attention.

Una. High Dive. Kiyoshi. They seemed so very at home here. It came so naturally to them. They belonged.

Not for the first time, Rei wondered whether it had been a mistake to leave Cheldrun territory. What good was she here, out of her element, surrounded by unfamiliar and alien things? How could she keep the others safe if she herself had no idea how to plan for what might come next? It was a strange thing to be so dependent on others.

She drank from the wooden cup. It tasted like burning with a faint hint of some kind of fruit. Alcohol. Very concentrated alcohol. Very unexpected, very concentrated alcohol. Rei coughed and spluttered and dropped the cup. The purple liquid splashed out onto the ground.

"Chitter, squeek, chitter chitter squeek!" the Zipsum girl said, and laughed, her eyes dancing with mirth. A dozen other Zipsum laughed with her.

Rei grimaced. Damn Zipsum.