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Post by bepbopbren on Jun 16, 2023 11:07:16 GMT -6
The mention of "dinner" made Layla remember about the dangers of the jungle. She had been so foolish by overlooking something so obvious, what else would a snake could want from her if not a meal. She tried to close her eyes, she tried to squirm again... She tried to fight the pulsating rings reflecting on her eyes but it was futile. Layla's breathing became heavier. She could feel sweat droplets forming on her forehead, sweat coating her palms. "T-That's not... that's..." Suddenly, she managed to blink. Her eyes were still locked on the snake's but she remembered, she had a plan. The pulsating rings kept washing over her mind, a faint smile began to crept on her lips and slowly, she brought her hand closer to the snake's face. Suddenly, her palm opened revealing a small bottle of perfume she used to carry, an habit acquired after working in an office for so long. She gathered all her strength to blink again and right after closing her eyes, she sprayed their faces with perfume. The strong scent made her sneeze, an unexpected aid in snapping out of whatever the snake was doing to her. Layla squirmed again, fortunately, the commotion seemed to have worked in her favour. She squirmed until slowly, her body found the way down through the snake's coils. Her legs opened enough room for her to scurry out of the snake's grasp. She fell onto the dirt, in all fours, panting as she tried to catch her breath and then, clumsily, she began to run towards the village.
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Post by June on Jun 16, 2023 11:19:54 GMT -6
"That's riiiight~ - just give in now, time for us... Well, time for me, at least - to eat!" He laughed, now quite openly mocking the girl's predicament. He merely squeezed tighter with his coils as she squirmed, lowering his guard as he told himself that the tourist was now quite thoroughly caught. However, it seemed that it was Jalan that would be caught - caught by surprise, that is, as in a flash Layla had sprayed a perfume bottle right into his eyes. He screamed, even as the particles invading his nostrils burned and tickled such that he began to sneeze. This combination quickly led to an intense worming and writhing throughout the entire snake's body, the kind that Layla would have never thought possible, but which also easily allowed her escape. As she made to run away, however, Jalan managed for a split second between scream and sneeze to growl with rage, and lunged at her with fangs bared. He tried to clamp his jaws shut around her right forearm, but only lightly bit her before another sneeze forced his mouth open, and he was reduced to a coughing, spluttering, screeching mass of writing coils as Layla ran off into the distance.
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Post by bepbopbren on Jun 16, 2023 11:41:07 GMT -6
The blood rushing to Layla's head made it hard for her to notice many of the things that happened. She could recall the snake's voice and worming vaguely but it remained as a blurry image in her mind. Two things she can recall clearly, the village never had seemed more perfect for her than that day and the weak stinging pain that the snake's fangs left in her skin after having pierced it. As she ran, she didn't thought of anything but getting to the village, not even whether the snake was venomous or not, not even the severity of the wound... All she did was run and keep running with a stamina she didn't knew she had. She ran, occasionally stumbling, resting her hands on the trunk of a tree to catch her breath before running again. Even though the village was near, getting there seemed to have taken an eternity, only the sight of a villager crossing the small bamboo arc that marked the end of the jungle made her stop.
Layla rested her hands on her knees, still breathing heavily she smiled before glancing behind her briefly and deeply into the jungle. It seemed like the snake didn't chase her, fortunately for her. A long deep sigh left her lips and then, leaving the haste and anxiety of the odd encounter behind, she paced towards the village, tasting a not so sweet victory not only against her aunt but against the strange snake she met that day. She didn't told anyone about what happened that day, not even her relatives, after all, her business in that small village were so brief that it wasn't worth it in her eyes. When the time to come back to her relative's village came, the stubborn Layla accepted happily to take the easy way and hop on the canoe that a villager friendlily offered.
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Post by June on Jun 16, 2023 12:13:22 GMT -6
When the village sentry announced from the tower that Layla's canoe had arrived back, Kumi ran excitedly to the riverbed to meet up with her. Kumi was not as traditional as the rest of the family, and she liked to learn about Layla's world and her way of doing things, even if ultimately Kumi preferred her life as it was. Cousin Layla's visit had made for a refreshing change of pace from the daily drudgery of chores too, so she loved to take the opportunity to spend time with her when she could. "Hey Layla!" Kumi called down to her, dashing down the bank in bare feet that were used to rough surfaces and uneven terrain. Layla had gotten Kumi to try wearing shoes, but she was so used to feeling the ground directly that she found herself too clumsy in them. With a leap, she embraced Layla in a hug, being perhaps a little too overbearing as she grinned ear to ear - but her face fell when she saw a red mark on Layla's forearm. The bite wounds had sealed up, so Kumi couldn't tell that's what it was, but the irritated skin concerned her. "Are you alright, Layla?" She asked, now looking worried as she released Layla from her embrace.
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Post by bepbopbren on Jun 16, 2023 12:27:41 GMT -6
The sight of a familiar face made Layla sigh and give in to the expected yet surprising relief that she felt. Even though she had been away for less than a day, the village that once looked dull in her eyes became lit by a different light. It was a rather amusing thought, to acknowledge that the safety of such place would be such an alluring commodity was something that she didn't thought would happen. As soon as she saw her cousin, her hand moved to her forearm instinctively, as if trying to hide the bandage for some reason. She smiled, waved and once her both feet were on the ground again she patted on Kumi's shoulder while sighing "Of course I am! ! ! It's just a scratch, you know, the jungle is full of uhm branches and the sort. I told you I could do it but you always make such a fuss over small matters... " Layla bent a tad, reaching into her backpack to pull a small paper-wrapped box out of it before showing it to Kumi as a proof of her success "See? It wasn't that hard" A slightly forced chuckle left her lips before she could begin to follow the path back to her aunt's "I imagine that not much have happened since I left? Where's your mom? She said it was sorta urgent so I imagine we should look for her" Layla's eyes wandered about the small village, deep inside her, she was hopping her aunt wouldn't be there so she could have some time to prepare before meeting her.
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Post by June on Jun 16, 2023 12:34:41 GMT -6
"Well, if you're sure you're ok..." She conceded, still looking concerned but dropping the subject. "Well, not much has happened until today. I guess you must not know - perhaps citydwellers don't pay much heed to the skies. Tonight's the lunar equinox, a red full moon, we're going to be having celebrations. Mom has been making preparations for it all day - where she is though, I don't know! She's been all over the village, she really could be anywhere. You'll like the feast though - it's in a few hours, I helped cook some of it!" Having been reassured, Kumi was back to her chipper self, and happily chirped all this information away at Layla. "I guess we'll have to go look for her!" She suggested cheerfully, craning her neck around as if looking for Layla's aunt that way would get them anywhere.
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Post by bepbopbren on Jun 16, 2023 13:06:48 GMT -6
"Ah yes... We have an app that tell us when that kind of things happen. Mostly a thing for hobbyists I guess...." Layla reached her pocket to peek at her phone, a small frown drew on her face after being reminded that there was no service in that place. She drowned the feeling in a sigh before looking at the sky, perhaps she could have a small glimpse of what Kumi said now that she had been around for a while. "Ah yes... you have been talking about that for a while. It makes me regret not having brought that small party speaker I bought at the mall uhm well probably the battery wouldn't have lasted long enough so nevermind" Layla would speak with a low voice, as if talking to herself. Her grasp on the box tightened for some reason after hearing a rather loud bird chirp nearby. "Yes... We should do that. After having walked all way down there I'm feeling rather tired and I could really use a shower" Layla stretched the muscles of her neck before stepping forward. Fortunately for her the village wasn't particularly big, even if her aunt's whereabouts were unknown they could easily find her in their way back to the family's hut. Despite the feeling of accomplishment in Layla's mind, she didn't rubbed much of it on her aunt's face when they found her. After a rather short conversation she found herself excusing herself perhaps a bit too soon. Her aunt, of course, wasn't opposed to keeping things to the point given she was busy with the preparations for the upcoming festivities. In barely a few minutes she and Kumi were back on their way to the family hut. Layla's expression seemed more aloof as they approached the "front door", suddenly, she brought up a rather strange question "Will the festival you mentioned start tonight?... I was wondering whether I could have a good night's sleep before that or not..."
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Post by June on Jun 16, 2023 13:12:41 GMT -6
"It starts tonight, yeah - when the moon rises!" Kumi chirped helpfully in response. She got a thoughtful expression on her face as Layla asked if there would be time to sleep. "Maybe a bit of a nap - could I join you? I wouldn't normally take a nap, it's too easy to oversleep, but you showed me that this f... f-oh-ne, phone that you have, you can make it beep loudly when it's time to wake up!" She pointed to Layla's phone poking out of her chest pocket as she suggested this, grinning to herself as the villager thought of herself as a clever and modern girl to think of this idea.
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Post by bepbopbren on Jun 16, 2023 13:26:55 GMT -6
Kumi's words made Layla sigh before frowning slightly. She started to wonder whether she would have the energy for attending the festivities with her family or not. Her frown became even more evident after the image of her aunt lecturing her for "not spending quality time with her relatives" turned the scale in her mind towards attending the festival. Then, just as if her cousin had read her mind, Layla nodded. Indeed, she had been thinking of a shower but a nap crossed her mind too. Perhaps that was the formula to mitigate exhaustion's effects long enough for a night out. "Ah yes... We have to save battery though. It should be okay, I just need a shower and a nap..." While walking, Layla began to think of her outfit, the food or basically whatever that helped to keep her mind distracted. "I might wear boots with the skirt I had planned to wear... It will be a strange combination but somehow now I'm much more fond of this boots than before. Let's go~" Suddenly, Layla's demeanour changed towards her more cheerful self again. "I hope you didn't ate all my chocolate... It would be hard to find more here" And just like that, Layla rushed to the hut. Happy to have a shower and a hammock waiting for her in the near future.
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Post by June on Jun 16, 2023 13:42:12 GMT -6
"N-no, I didn't even touch your chocolate..." Kumi lied sheepishly, having buried the wrapper a few days ago. Kumi didn't notice Layla's unusual behaviours or changes in mood, and simply happily followed her into the house. Kumi had a wash too, just with a basin and jug like she was used to. The shower was really for guests from the outside world - she'd tried it before, but Kumi simply preferred to go the easy route and avoid change. When both the girls were washed, clean and dry, Kumi hung up the hammocks for them, and watched with rapt attention as Layla showed her how the alarm was set on the phone. They talked for a bit before finally settling down to sleep. "Night Layla..." Kumi mumbled sleepily, right before her eyelids closed and the gentle rocking of the hammock lulled her away into her dreams.
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Post by bepbopbren on Jun 16, 2023 14:01:24 GMT -6
Surprisingly, even for her, Layla's actions after setting foot in the hut were what people might have called automatic. Despite having frowned and complained the first time she had to shower in such rural conditions the water running down her body felt so good that there were no other thoughts in her mind but the soap and bubbles at the time. After a rather long shower and while having a towel wrapped around her head, Layla followed her cousin to the hammocks. She sat on hers and for a few seconds, Layla allowed her mind to become abstracted by thoughts. For some strange reason a flashback of her encounter with that strange snake filled her mind and then a weak pinch of pain in her arm made her snap out of it. She brought her left hand to rub the bandage and then glanced at Kumi who seemed to be already sleeping. Layla smiled and while kicking her legs playfully leaned back to contemplate the ceiling. Herr body felt numb and her eyelids felt heavy. She blinked slowly, each time struggling more to keep her eyes open. Before she knew it, she was already laying on the hammock, then, one she blinked one last time before the darkness of a deep pleasant slumber rendered her oblivious of everything... That, until the alarm of her phone woke them up.
Lazily, Layla opened her eyes and stretched her arms and legs while on the hammock. She rolled to her side to check on her cousin and after making sure she was awake too, Layla hopped off the hammock, heading towards her luggage to start preparing for the night. She held the skirt she had been wanting to wear between her fingers to feel the soft cotton and then, with a smile still tinged with bits of exhaustion she proceeded to change into her night's outfit. It took her probably much more than what one would have expected but by the time the dusk had already settled, Layla was wearing a floral skirt to her knees, a loose teal blouse and had already arranged her hair into a bun. Her boots were perhaps the only thing that seemed to stand out, they made a rather loud sound whenever she walked. Layla went back to the hammock them, using it as a swing while waiting for Kumi.
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Post by June on Jun 17, 2023 9:02:37 GMT -6
To Kumi, it seemed that she simply closed her eyes, and that upon opening them again, it was suddenly darker. She knew she had slept though, since she heard the alarm on Layla's phone. She yawned, stretching her limbs wide out of the hammock, then rolled out and onto her feet in one swift, experienced movement. Like Layla, she decided to dress up, and went through to another room to change. She put up her jet-black hair in a ponytail, and removed her work tunic and loincloth to exchange them for an embroidered crop-top and a patterned skirt, her 'formal' clothing. Once dressed, she opened the window of the changing room and looked up into the sky, where the red moon had just risen, and loomed completely full and larger than usual in the night sky. I've got to show Layla this! I bet she's never seen a full moon this big out in the city. Smiling to herself, she went back to her and Layla's room and clapped excitedly at Layla's outfit. "Ohh, it's lovely! That pattern on your skirt, and these boots..." She breathed, pointing at each element as she noticed it - partly her enthusiasm came from learning how Layla dressed normally, when she wasn't all decked out in her jungle gear. "We've still got a bit of time before the festivities start, do you want to go out back and look at the moon?" She asked, brimming with energy in spite of a short time asleep.
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Post by bepbopbren on Jun 17, 2023 10:21:55 GMT -6
By the time Kumi had finished dressing for the festival, Layla was idly swinging in the hammock, abstracted in thought in a way that perhaps nobody had seen before. Her eyes seemed slightly lifeless and the motions of her legs were rather mechanic. It was only after Kumi spoke that she blinked and as if waking up from a dream again, Layla’s attention shifted back to the world before her eyes. Layla’s green eyes moved to meet Kumi’s, she blinked slowly as if processing what she just had told her. Layla nodded absently and then hopped off the hammock. Her boots on the hut’s floor felt strange and for a second she stopped to look down at her own outfit, then, slowly she paced to the window, to her cousin’s side to contemplate the moon.
A cold shiver ran down Layla’s spine upon laying her eyes on the red hue of the moon. Her pupils widened as she brought her left hand to her chest. More slow blinks preceded a relaxed sigh and then a nodding… it was strange even for her. How long have she been staring at the moon?… she didn’t know, but one thing was sure. She had never seen a moon like that. It made her feel warm. It made her want to free her hair from the bun… it made her want to smile. She glanced at Kumi and nodded again, gleefully replying “It’s a beautiful moon! We should head to see your mom, she might lecture us if we’re not in time for the opening… besides, uhm I’m a b lit hungry for some reason…” *Layla chuckled and rested her hand on Kumi’s shoulder. For a few seconds, she glanced deep at her cousin before nodding again* “I didn’t know you had elegan clothes like this. They suit you nicely~” *After a few more chuckles, she stepped back out into the village, ready to celebrate an unknown festivity for an even more mysterious moon…
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Post by June on Jun 17, 2023 10:33:31 GMT -6
"Thanks - we bought them when we took a trip out of the jungle." She said, beaming as Layla complimented her clothing - but her face fell into a worried look as soon as Layla turned away. Kumi followed Layla out, concerned now for the first time. This was the first strange behaviour of Layla's that Kumi had noticed, and she took a moment or two to ponder whether she should even bring it up. "Um... Are you feeling alright? You seem a bit... Distracted." Kumi asked at last, after a period of silence while they walked in the dark toward the distant sound of the festivities beginning in the village centre. It wasn't as dark as the nights normally were, the moonlight was bright enough to just see their surroundings. "You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to..." Kumi added after another moment, unsure quite what to do or say. It really was most unusual for her dear cousin to act out of sorts in this manner. It must be something quite serious, if she's trying to act cheerfully to cover it up, Kumi thought to herself.
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Post by bepbopbren on Jun 17, 2023 11:45:31 GMT -6
A deep sigh escaped Layla's lips. It wasn't unexpected though, she knew that eventually they would ask about that... She brought her hand to the bandages, rubbing weakly before glancing at a nearby try, trying to avoid Kumi's sight. She wasn't used to lie, she despised it but that was the only way she could find to leave what happened behind. Not only the strange of the encounter but the fact that she was shown how dangerous the jungle was in such a harsh way. "Ah... This. I told you yesterday remember?... It's just a scratch. I was walking up to the low hill right before the other village and I stumbled onto a bush. One of the branches scratched my forearm... I don't want to catch any strange jungle disease so I covered it after having cleaned it thoroughly I just, don't want to cause anyone trouble. Perhaps I'm just being overcautious" Almost mumbling for herself, Layla tried to reassure her cousin. Then, instinctively, she glanced back at the moon for a second before commenting idly. "It's not as cold as I though it would be..." The same phrase she used whenever trying to avoid an uncomfortable topic. "I just hope that the weather stays like this. " She sighed, a subtle way to leave the thought of that behind. Then, Layla moved her attention back to the reddish glow of the fire lighting the path ahead of them, it seemed like the festival was about to start. Her eyes followed some of the shadows, all were walking towards the same direction. Before long, they both stepped into a small clearing where a fire danced soothingly right in the middle. Layla's eyes sought her aunt, just as expected, she was tending to the dinner, then, she glanced at the villagers who have started to gather around something or perhaps someone... A person playing a flute. Layla blinked slowly as a warm shiver ran down her spine. Her focus locked on the source of the melody and before she knew it she was already swaying her hips in sync... Following the music... Walking closer lured by an mysterious desire to dance. She didn't know when it happened but her hand had reached to undo the bun she had neatly made her hair into. Her hair fluttered in the cool breeze of the jungle and then, Layla began to dance not minding anyone or anything until the sight of her cousin made her snap out of it. She blushed and shook her head before hastily pacing back to Kumi's side "That's some uhm interesting music... Do you know them?" Her eyes wandered briefly at the crowd, to the source of the music.
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