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Bulbous had been missing something. Well, relatively speaking, he’d been missing a lot of ‘some things’. His precious moths had not taken to Halloween proper very well and several had in his words, ‘obtained use’. Alas, he mourned them not. His precious ones would adapt as him and the rest of the horsemen would. If they did not they would die. That was the cycle of all things. Moths aside, he was missing ingredients. Many of the native plants from the isles had been lost, and the seeds were stubbornly not taking as deep a root as he’d hoped. One of the old lairs might still have what he needed but as it stood they were too much of a rich to venture alone. Not, just as his precious moths had to adapt, so did he.

Native Halloween plants were far less potent than the ones he was used to and it had taken much longer than he wanted to find suitable replacements for the normal ingredients. Only problem was, the replacements were almost as difficult to obtain as the originals in this Halloween. Looking down as his pestle and mortar, he ran a finger through the powder. It was fine, and once sifted he might filter it for a proper potion. Alas, making do with what was around would lessen the quality and usefulness. Looking out of his tent he gazed around the famine grounds. His people were hard at work but what of the others? He hadn’t a clue. But he did know that without more ingredients, he’d not have enough for the clan proper. It was time to bring in a few little helpers.

A brisk walk to the camps he left a little note on a few doors. No one in particular, but why bother with particulars? He just needed able bodies. The note was crudely written, but it clear enough. Get the ingredients and bring them to Bulbous for a reward. Didn’t say what kind of reward but hey, he was an honorable horseman thank you very much. With the enticement of a reward, the horseman retreated to his tent to refine what he did have. With any luck, the clan’s stockpile would grow, and they might expand. That was just in the future, for now, Bulbous would focus on the present.



Once all things are gathered you can go to Bulbous, who with a grin take the herbs and hands you a small vial. “It’s not as strong as the real stuff”, he says before getting to work with the herbs you’ve brought to him, “but in battle it will give you enough of an edge. Now get going before you muck up something.” The vial is small and holds a faintly glowing green liquid. If only you could have gotten some tokens…

Senga was here to make sure Ying didn't kill herself IMPRESS UPON JAY HIS INDEPENDENCE FROM HER STUPIDITY.

Actually, he was there for one reason, and one reason only. Senga's impatience and restlessness had been building ever since his friend had ignored him. Sparring partners were still scarce; War was more interested in rebuilding and collecting FEAR than they were honing their skills, and while the little wolf felt just the same, it was rather harrowing to go days and days with pent up energy and no one to spend it on. So as soon as the flyer for help had come up, Senga had leapt on it like a starved wolf on a buffalo's back.

It probably wasn't the smartest idea either. Senga hadn't interacted much with the Famine clan, though he'd heard tales of the strange methods they used. He'd seen the desert lair and the horsemen within it, and he could honestly say that he preferred the damp humidity of the jungle to anything he found there. Still, the restlessness lingered, and so here Senga was, rummaging around for plants in the dirt like a common herbivore.

How mundane.

The first plant had been apprehended easily. The second... well.

Senga was a cautious clansmen, but apparently, navigating your hand through a bush full of thorns still came with danger. The horseman hissed, yanking back his hand as a thorn punctured the fragile flesh between his thumb and forefinger and a blistering pain swelled up just beneath the surface. It was like jostling awake a bunch of angry bees in his skin, and it hurt. The executioner flapped his wings viciously a few times to externalize the force of the burn, shaking his hand back and forth as though that would do something. When nothing calmed the stinging pain, Senga stood up, nearly thought about setting the bush on fire, and stormed away in a flurry of angry wing flaps and glowers.

He returned later after forcing someone to fix it for him, though his hand still ached, and he wasn't quite sure he wanted to go sticking his fingers where they didn't belong again just yet. Still, pride spurred him on, an angry, hot bubble of burnt dignity smothering out the sanity of his thoughts. It was just a plant, how hard could it be to get one on the second try, right?

Yuzhi moved closer and offered Ying a steadying hand. Her shoes and draping bits of clothes were becoming muddied but she didn't seem to care since the wellbeing of a fellow clansman outranked her personal appearance for now.

"I can only offer to steady you, I did not think to bring a towel," she said with a small smile.

As she offered Ying a steadying hand she leaned to get a bud that looked like something she needed but in the process of plucking it up, her fingertips clamped about it and she was pricked. The flinch in reaction forced her to clutch it a bit more tightly than need be.

A hissing sound past her lips as the nectar burned her skin, she quickly moved to wipe it away on a part of her clothes that wasn't close to skin, "Blast it," Yuzhi cursed.

"Wow, you're really bad at this." The horseman treating Senga's hand said, treating Senga's hand. The executioner glowered, and was regarded with an optimistic grin that said 'I hope you fail and I get to treat you a billion more times.'

"Oh well! What is it those idiots say? Third times the charm!"

Senga was going to push someone off a cliff.

He did, however, manage to get the stupid first plant a second time with no trouble.

Thank the gods for that.

Ying prepared a much simpler outfit. This was an easy outfit, one she could damage and cover in paint if she wanted to.

Also gloves.

And boots.

Ying was ready.

She tugged on her own root, pulling it out and putting it into a small sidebag she'd brought for carrying the herb. "Yes! Surely we will succeed this time."

Ying reached into the thicket to get her bud. Her hand ALMOST touched it, but then Yuzhi shouted. The sudden noise caused Ying to jerk too, and right into an enormous thorn. Though she was wearing gloves, the thorns were too big and jabbed straight through the cloth.

Ying's yelp mirrored Yuzhi's, and she stared at her now-burning hand with newfound horror. She quickly pulled a salve out of her back and rubbed it all over her hand. She handed the bottle to Yuzhi and urged her to do the same.

Unfortunately, in the same move her bag dropped straight into the swamp. She'd lost her herbs, and had a stinging hand.

Great. "I'm sorry friend, we'll have to look for more ..." Jing just got a glare because he was a big stupid-head.

Jing was not as pleased being out and without a sun hat, the arid climate did not agree with him. Watching his sister fall in the muck however was enough to put him in better spirits if not for a moment.

"Dont' you look...... you sure do look dear sister." he finished quickly, stowing his laughter behind the fluttering fan in front of his face. it was something all right. but they did not come here for games, he sighed and closed the the fan with a tap and tucked it away in his sleeve.

It was time for non sewing manual labor and a good gardening skill. Which he did not have, finding an aggressive mini instead of the plant in question. The mashers roared in disapproval as the horseboil tried to soothe the beast and rebury it back into the soil.