It's Safer in the Jungle

The heat was actually suffocating.

I don't remember it being quite this impossibly hot when I lived here, Metztli thought to herself, shifting the pack on her back to a more comfortable position. It had a been a long trip, a week and a half on the water and then another few days over land, and finally she and Filippa were on the last leg of their trek. Tall, overgrown trees hid the sky from them, and animals chittered and scuttled just out of sight all around them. She glanced back at Filippa and smiled, too hot to say anything. They had packed away their heavier clothes and purchased lighter Runan wear for the hot weather, and Filippa looked adorable in her poncho.

They walked in companionable silence for a few more minutes and then Metztli saw a familiar set of steps leading around a curve. She looked at Filippa again, grinning. "We're here!" she said, excited.

"Hey, well look who it is!" A voice called out, and a young man stepped out from the treeline. He was handsome, with close-cut black hair and laughing dark eyes. "Back from the big city, huh? You figured out how to use a dagger yet?" He opened his arms for a hug.

Metztli sighed with playful exasperation and gave him a hug. "Not yet, Chimalli." She stepped back. "How's the village doing?"

"Same as ever, same as ever." His eyes slid over to Filippa. "Who is this cute girl you've brought?"

Metztli scowled at him. "This is Michi, my girlfriend."

Chimalli groaned. "Girlfriend! That explains a lot." He extended his hand to Filippa. "Nice to meet you."

"Can we walk and talk, please?" Metztli asked, shifting on her feet. "I'd like to get there today."

Filippa blushed at her introduction. It was strange- but such a sweet feeling- being called Metztli’s girlfriend out here in the heart of Runa, when she couldn’t even own up to such a title in her own hometown. She smiled wide and offered a sweaty hand to the man.

“H-hi! Nice--- to meet you ---too, uhm, Mr. Chimalli!” she said, as she caught her breath. “I’m sorry you--- had to meet me like this but ---ah well I think I’m a bit out of shape, yes?”

She looked around at the lush forest, amazed simply by the amount of GREEN. She’d never seen so many plants all in one place with such giant leaves- she could live underneath a branch and get as much cover as from her own caravan!

“What a hike—but also what a view! And, uhmm—sorry how do you know Metztli?”

Chimalli laughed and started walking. "We grew up together. Since Metz is pretty useless at sparring, she'd skip out on training, and poor idiot me followed her like a lost puppy." He grimaced amicably as they walked further up the path.

"Man, all this time and you never got why I was never interested?" Metztli laughed. She felt at ease here, comfortable in the dense foliage.

Chimalli rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, you know I'm not one for subtleties."

The path opened up suddenly into a village. Thatch-roofed houses sat a few feet above the ground. Further back, the trees still blocked the sky, and treehouses connected by suspension bridges peeked through the leaves.

"So, Michi, what do you do?" Chimalli asked, while Metztli set their steps across the village, towards her parents' house. "How'd you end up with this grouchy cat?"

The Legati stared out into the village, taking its novelty in. It was such an amazing sight, the way the trees just opened up to reveal a whole civilization hidden away! Her family had always steered clear of Runa in their travels-why would they venture into a jungle full of people who didn’t like them? Filippa felt a shiver run down her spine, as if she was crossing the threshold into something’s lair.

It took her a moment to realize Chimalli was actually speaking to her.
“Oh, what, me? Sorry, this is just very strange. My family moved to colonize the Obsidian isles pretty darn quick, so I never really got the chance to explore the South… It’s so amazing and lush and, I don’t know- there is something about it being so hidden in the trees, it’s hard to describe. But sorry, you were asking about what I do?”

Filippa cleared her throat of any lingering accent and continued into her well-practiced speech:

“Well, by trade I’m a gem crafter. I like to help out with the guard back in the Obsidian Isles- no one needs magical support more than the guard down there-- and I just happened to met Metztli through it!”

She smiled. It was the best of lies- primarily because it was all true.

“I guess she was kind of my boss, how terrible!”

Chimalli laughed. "Your boss, huh? Well I'm sorry you had that experience."

Metztli rolled her eyes. "Better save a couple of your jabs for later." She stopped outside one of the buildings and looked at Filippa. "We're here!" Excitement had her head spinning a little; it had been years since she had been home.

"Catch you guys later! It was nice to meet you," Chimalli said, and walked briskly back to the entrance of the village.

Metztli tooke a deep breath and smiled encouragingly to Filippa. "Thanks for coming with me." She walked up to the door and knocked.

A beat passed, then two, and the door opened. "Oh! You're finally here!" Metztli's mom stepped out of the house and gave her a tight hug. "We've missed you so much!" She was small, like Metztli, with long silver hair pulled back into a ponytail.

"I see the government has finally let you travel," Metztli's dad said, stepping out behind her. He was tall and dark, with a little paunch. He waited a moment and Metztli gave him a hug too.

"Come in, come in," her mom said, waving Metztli and Filippa forward. "Put down your bags. You must be Michi, Metztli said in her letter you would be coming! I'm Quetzalli and this is Tochtli. I'm so happy to meet you!" She hugged Filippa, ebullient. "Would you like anything to eat? You must be hungry after your trip!"

As much as she loved Metztli’s scowl, Filippa was glad Quetzalli and Tochtli weren’t as stoic as her girlfriend --Spirits, imagine three Metztlis in one house. She let them pull her in for a hug, trying to hide her jittery nerves. They were so amazingly warm and comforting- and for a second she felt like she was at her own home.

But she quickly remembered that she was in the middle of Runa, and shivered. What if they think she’s strange, or she doesn’t know some custom, or her accent comes through and the whole fascade is lost! Or what if everything goes fine and she’s perfectly believable and they just don’t like her? Or what if she comes off the right way but they end up liking her for something she’s not- for a lie—and then she has to memorize her whole act and keep it up for who knows how long?

“H-hi!” she whispered. It was like her whole voice was gone (an unusual problem for her of all people)! She glanced over to Metztli for reassurance.
“I would love something if you are offering, ummm, Mrs. Fa’Itzcua?”

She tried to register their names, but they all were so… Runan.
Is this what she makes people feel like when she spits out her own full name? She suddenly felt guilty and only more nervous- nothing like what she usually felt doing spy work. Why was this so much harder?

“Your house ees uhm- it’s so beautiful- and the walk here too!” she said in hopes of starting conversation. But as she looked around, she noticed it was indeed beautiful!