(M) A Familiar Face

You decide that, for now, it's best to simply focus on survival, learning, and staying flexible. After all, a Nameseek takes at least a year for most people, and many years longer for some. You have time to make the big decisions. By the time you climb into the tree that will be your bed for your first night alone in the swamp, you're well-fed and equipped with a sharpened stick. The primitive stabbing tool wouldn't do much good against a swamp tiger or a mudhound, but it would let you skewer a fish, perhaps, and was better than nothing if you wound up getting in a fight with another Seeker.

Sunlight and the call of a Kuriyo wake you from your light sleep early the next day, and you decide to move roughly Eastward. You're already past the growth of Visionweed that many Mudheel nameseekers visit to begin their quest, but there are plenty of other interesting things in this direction you're curious to see: distant villages, ancient ruins, a glimpse of the Mountains... You're further from your birthplace than you've ever been before, and your journey is still just starting.

Around noontime, you hear a noise that brings you to a halt, quickly shifting to hide behind a nearby tree. Not quick enough to evade the gaze of the person whose footfalls sent you there, though. You clutch your sharpened stick, preparing for the worst.

"You'll have to be quicker than that. Come out, I'm a friend to these parts." You let out a sigh of relief and obey, for the woman speaks true: she is a friend to these parts, and one you're somewhat familiar with. Treefox Nineflowers, a traveling merchant from a distant tribe. She first started visiting the Mudheel Village a few years back, after finishing her own nameseek. During her time alone in the swamp, she had learned many secrets of its plants, earning the name Nineflowers for a special flower-petal tea she brews, though you never learned what makes it so special.

Nineflowers was also one of the first women you realized you were attracted to. She's only five years your senior, and her constant travel keeps her in excellent shape. She's always dressed in close-fitting, pocket-laden clothes, and always has flowers woven into her thick, hip-length hair. You've often imagined what she looks like without these accoutrements, but the two of you have barely spoken in the past.

"Ah, Mudheel kid." The smile of recognition she gives you makes you uncomfortably aware of your nudity, but you make an effort to keep that nervousness out of your body language. You correct her, letting her know that you're neither a child nor a Mudheel any longer, but a man grown, Seeking your name.

"Ah, it's that time of year again, huh? I lose track, traveling between villages so often. A man grown, huh?" She examines you carefully, and it might be your imagination, but you feel that her gaze lingers on your exposed manhood for a moment before she nods and beckons you closer.

"Well, if you're on your Nameseek, perhaps you'd be willing to help me out in exchange for a bit of advice? See the bulbs growing on these vines? You can get an oil out of them that helps keep your skin healthy. I try to top up my supply when I come out this way, but picking them is delicate work." She waits until you're within arms reach to demonstrate the precise way she wants the bulbs plucked from the vine, from the base, with a rolling motion to avoid squeezing too much and wasting the precious oil. Looking around, there are dozens of these vines in the immediate area; you don't know how many she needs, but it could take her hours working alone. If she's willing to exchange some of her valuable knowledge, though, it could be a good use of your time.

"You'd be doing me a big favor. What do you say, Seeker?"