The sandstorm hit unexpectedly. Quite a bit of shouting had been involved as Roam tried to get the group to safety, with four of them it was hard to keep track of everyone in the limited visibility, and he would never have forgiven himself had he lost anyone in the sandstorm- especially Fawn. He eventually found a ledge, and the group quickly hid under it, managing to squeeze in all four. "Ah- guess we're staying here for a while then, right?" Bang said, awkwardly. "We can rest here until the storm settles down. When it settles even slightly we should find a more sturdy shelter." Retreat mused, looking outside. The storm was still raging on, and for now, this was the best they would get. Roam frowned, picking up his torch. "I didn't have much time to check whether this place was safe or not " As he looked around the small cave, his light shone on a oddly coloured belemoid. Roam made a startled noise, before regaining his composure. He was pretty sure he recognized this belemoid, after all. "Uh- hi! You're Sygale, right? Carus told us about you." The belemoid nodded, not looking too amused. "Didn't think I'd

be sharing today but- yes." Sygale smiled. "Carus is an old friend of mine. I take he's doing well, then?" Roam nodded "He joined our colony, did he not tell you? He seemed quite fond of you when we spoke. I'm surprised you haven't heard yet." Sygale couldn't quite hide his surprise at that "A colony? Didn't think he was the type for all that, really." "He's settled in quite well!" Fawn called out cheerfully where she sat, trying to get some of the sand out of her coat. It seemed to be an uphill battle, more flying in trough the cave entrance as she cleaned herself off. Bang chuckled softly "He's settled in *very* well, seeing how well he's been getting along with Morgain as of recent." Fawn rolled her eyes "You shouldn't gossip like that, Bang." to which Retreat snorted "We can all see it though. We're happy for them- it's not like it's a big deal." Sygale seemed interested, although her eyes gave away a twinge of jealousy as the colonists spoke. "Hmmm Didn't expect that from him at all." Bang frowned "And you said he didn't let you know he had moved at all? What poor

behaviour! He's usually all grumpy, but I somehow still expected better from him. I'll make sure to tell him to write to you when we get home, alright?" Sygale shook her head "No need- I tend to roam around a lot, so there's not really a way for mail to reach me. I do miss him, though." "You can always come back with us, tell him hi in person!" Fawn suggested excitedly. "Yea! I'm sure he would love to meet up with an old friend- he always complains about how the Issiqi are so much better to chat to- I think he misses home a bit." Roam quickly added. Sygale raised hey eyebrows in suprise "Is that so? Hmmm, in that case maybe I should pay a visit sometime. Where are you guys located?" "Over in L'hatzif, in the fungal forest. If you want, you can just come along with us. We have an extra spot on the ship." Retreat added, knowing that the others likely wouldn't mind the invitation. Sygale seemed hesitant. "Hmmm I thought you guys were on your way somewhere? You're not heading to the coast, so I assume your business here isn't done yet." Bang made

an awkward noise "ah- you're right, actually. We've been looking for some desert fruits, we need the seeds back home " he frowned. ? But we planned to be back to the dock in two days- if you meet us there we'd be happy to take you with us! Sygale considered it. "Hmmm. I'm not sure yet. If I'm there I'd be happy to come with you guys, but if I'm not then don't wait up for me, alright?" The group nodded, a tad disappointed, and the conversation stilled from there, devolving into some light small talk. Eventually the storm laid down. "Looks like we should be alright to go again, guys." Fawn spoke, poking her head out of the little cave. "Thank you for sharing your hiding place with us, Sygale." Roam said kindly, as he prepared to step out of the cave again. "Just let us know if you need anything!" Bang added as he crawled out of the cave. Retreat was last to leave the cave, giving Sygale a small wave as he went.