Though the desert of Issiq was wildly different than the mountain peaks of Rekes, Bloodstone thought there were some similarities. The difficulty of growing food and plants and the severity of the weather… she thought they could compare some notes. Thinking similarly, or perhaps merely wanting to get out of the mountains for a time, Noodle and Snickerdoodle had accompanied her.

They stepped onto the stones of the streets around the transit center for Boti's tribe, and the heat hit them like a physical wall. Most of the tribe lived in the ravines below, but the transit landing port was on the plateau for ease of access. Boti waved at them from the path down, the familiar form of Gerralt coiled next to them, and the three hurried over.

"Staying to help out more with the reservoir?" Snickerdoodle asked cheerfully.

Gerralt snorted. "You kidding? I'm staying for the pool."

Sensing the other's confusion, Snickerdoodle introduced them. "Gerralt, Bloodstone, and Noodle."

"Nice to meet you," the three chorused at each other, then shared a laugh.

The group began to move into the shade, ravine walls starting to rise around them, the temperature dropping as they slipped further into the shade. The path down was compressed sandy dirt, small pebbles scattered through it. It was the same tones as the walls around them, evidently eroded stone, and soon the walls loomed far above so that all that was visible of the sky was a thin crack of blue.

"So I know you want to meet Norm," Boti said, "but their residence is way down and they're hearing complaints right now."

"Hearing complaints?" Noodle asked curiously.

Boti nodded. "They schedule some time each day to hear some of the tribe's thoughts! Anyone can come in and complain or ask for something or whatnot."

"And Norm actually listens," Gerralt added, slithering beside them, "I complained about the pool being awkward to get in and out of, and they added a ramp!"

Bloodstone nodded thoughtfully, mentally taking notes. Snickerdoodle folded their wings in and sighed. "Feel like I should be complaining about these walls," they grumbled half-heartedly.

"Oh I knowwwww," Boti groaned, their own wings folded in tight. "But that's one thing we can't do too much about without risking structural integrity issues. Everything's connected down here."

"Pitfalls of building into the mountainside," Noodle agreed.

They emerged into a bustling marketplace, and Boti lead them through it deftly, though Noodle and Snickerdoodle paused to gawk until Bloodstone shoo'ed them along while Gerralt laughed, amused.

"Oh, as if you didn't do this yourself," Snickerdoodle grumbled.

"Least I didn't do it with company," Gerralt snorted.

Soon, though, the small group was crowded inside Norm's receiving room. It was a comfortable looking room, thickly carpeted after a rug to scrape the dirt off their feet. The walls were covered with colorful art, and a few bookshelves held even parts books and mementos.

"Ah, travelers!" Norm greeted while Boti introduced them and stepped out. "Come in, come in… Boti told me some of what you want to speak about, but I'd like to hear it from your own mouths."

Bloodstone hesitated, then spoke up hesitantly. "Well… I was thinking. Your soil here is sandy, like ours… what sort of things have you found that worked well for you?"

Noodle chimed in. "The air here is so dry - water evaporates really quickly, like home, with it's altitude. I was wondering if you had any thoughts on stopping that?"

Gerralt nodded. "You get even less rain than Mireh does - what sort of strategies have you found to efficiently gather it?"

Norm laughed and waved their tail at them. "Slow down, slow down! But yes, these are good questions." They settled down, coiling their body on themself comfortably. "I think some tours would illustrate best, no? But let me give you a brief overview…"

Norm spoke for some time, answering their original questions and follow-up ones that those initial answered created. Snickerdoodle mostly sipped the offered drinks, listening, while Noodle, Bloodstone, and Gerralt were more interested in what Norm had to say. Eventually, Norm had to move on to other things, but they told them to talk to Boti about doing some tours of their facilities.

"There's only so much I can describe with words," they commented thoughtfully, holding the door open. "Some things really do need to be experienced."