Author's Note: Sorry guys, but another short chapter. I really can't keep up with this chapter a day anymore. I dunno why, but I just can't do it. I'm so exhausted from staying up late to finish them every night, and I simply can't keep doing it I don't think. I'll keep trying, but I think I have to stop and reduce it, maybe do one every two days. Or do shorter chapters. I dunno yet. I might just need a break. It isn't writer's block, I'm just finding it hard to actually write! Which is surprisingly odd, because I do really enjoy it. So sorry for another substandard chapter.

On a lighter note, TheFrogKiller says that he knows from experience that experiences assassin or not falling in mud still makes you want to take a bath. As per his review. I just hope that's experience of falling in mud, not being an assassin! And it reminded me, the whole concept for that came from when I one time was up on our nearby moores, and took a shortcut back to the car. Of course, this shortcut cut out a huge amount of the journey, but was a marsh. Luckily I didn't fall over, all I succeeded in doing was getting my feet muddy, but it made me think that (I was in an adventurous mood) if you tried to do anything exciting, you're movement was really limited to being careful each step to make sure you didn't sink and get stuck. Which made me vow to write a story in such a setting. Or at least, a part of a story, to make the deal more interesting. Of course, I turned the marsh into a swamp, and the whole original concept faded, but that's why I had a swamp there! That's where the concept came from!

That wasn't really interesting, was it? At least it might have made up for the shorter chapter with that nice and useless insight into why I do things.

CHAPTER 29

INTERLUDE

Taken from Arcadia's diary:

The journey through the swamp is now over, and I am glad for it. I fear that the smell of that wretched place shall linger with me for a long while yet. If not for the fact that Trevia landed in it that no amount of washing will sort for a while, and Suse has decided to bring a creature she seems to have made friends with along.

At least I can handle the terrain of the jungle better, even if my feet are causing me much pain from all of this walking. I just hope the campsite is up ahead, I am weary even while we are resting, and do not think I shall recover for some time. We are preparing to depart into the jungle again. I can only hope that this journey shall be a short one.

A drop of sweat trickled down Arcadia's neck as she walked through the jungle, cautiously tightening her fists as she saw a large snake move in the branches above. She stopped in her tracks and let out a low shriek as she felt something jump onto her back.
"Suse!" She snapped angrily as the frog crawled up onto her shoulder. "Get it off of me!" Suse skipped up behind her, cupping her hands and taking the frog off of Arcadia's bare shoulder.

"Hey. He has a name, you know?" Suse said in a childish, yet upset sounding, tone.

"It is a frog." Arcadia grumbled, straightening out her dress and getting her wits together again.

"He's a frog." Suse replied, sticking out her tongue. "He's called Fred." She held him up to her face and looked into his eyes. The frog's tongue shot out, touching Suse on the nose and she giggled.

"How do you even know it is male?" Arcadia asked, confused.

"Look!" She held the frog up to Arcadia's face, and Arcadia turned away.

"Please." She said distastefully, holding up her hand.

"Would you two stop bickering?" Olose asked as if he was a parent scolding two naughty children.

"She was nasty to my frrrrog!" Suse complained.

"Now there's a sentence you don't expect to here." Olose sighed to himself. "Arcadia! Apologise to Suse's frog!"

"Fred." Suse corrected.

"Yeah, apologise to Fred." He ordered with a grin. Arcadia rolled her eyes and sighed.

"You know?" Trevia asked. "Therrrre's something nice about the jungle. It's just so pleasant. All the wildlife and creatures, the huge towering plants and trrrrrees, and that lovely warmth of the airrrr."

"Congratulations. You have just listed all the reasons why I hate the jungle." Arcadia whined.

"I love it." She smiled.

"So, you're a Kazham girl I take it?" Olose smirked.

"What do you find funny, exactly?" Trevia asked, folding her arms.

"You." He answered. "You're a hardened assassin, not somebody who skips through the jungle. Next you'll be picking flowers."

"I-I will not!" Trevia protested. "I was just commenting on how pleasant it was! Um, not that I find it anything special. Oh no." She tried to deepen her voice and sound serious. "I just thought Suse might be enjoying it, that's all." Olose laughed and Trevia looked annoyed. "Okay, fine. I'm not totally could hearrrrted you know?"

"I know." Olose answered, still laughing. "But you have to admit, you do try to act cold hearted and professional most of the time. It makes it funny when you let your guard down." Olose grinned as Trevia folded her arms, frustrated.

Saria seemed to pick up her pace, rushing between the trees before bursting out into a huge opening, her face beaming a smile. They were at the base of the plateau. Olose quickly caught up with here and grinned.

"Alright." He turned to the others, sounding quite weary, but in charge. "Let's set up a camp here. You know the plan."

"We do?" Arcadia asked, pushing a long leaf out of the way before pulling back her hand and wiping it off on her dress, instantly regretting that simple action.

"Yeah, me and Nadia head up the plateau while the rest of you stay with the camp." Olose explained. "Trevia and Suse form a second wave in case we don't come back. If they don't come back, Saria and Arcadia are to get back to the ship."

"So, how are we staying in touch?" Trevia inquired.

"With these." Olose handed out small link pearls to the group.

"Pink, Captain?" Nadia chuckled at the colour of the stones.

"They're Arcadia's. Not mine!" Olose protested.

"A likely storrrry!" Trevia laughed. Olose folded his arms angrily.

"It's prrrrretty!" Suse cried. "What does it do?" She added curiously after a pause. Olose rolled his eyes.

"It lets us communicate with each other." He groaned. "A link pearl. You know, communication via thought? We'll contact you, and you can keep updated on how it goes. When updates stop you know we're in trouble. Right?"

"I do not like the sound of that 'when'. It should be an 'if'." Arcadia pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah." Olose sighed. "Simple."

"How long do we wait beforrrre we look for you?" Trevia asked.

"I dunno. Improvise." Olose shrugged.

"Imprrrrovise?" Trevia repeated. "That's not verrrry good leaderrrrrship."

"True. Never said I was a good one." He grinned. "C'mon Nadia, to the top of the plateau!"

"Can't we rest first?" Nadia requested. "Set up camp, eat some food, stuff like that?"

"Dammed mortals." Olose muttered sarcastically. "Yeah, sounds like a good idea." He pulled out the tent. "Right. Anybody bring instructions on how to set this thing up?" The others laughed a little as Olose got to work.

It was some time later that the group were sat around the raging camp fire. Each held a bowl and hungrily ate the prepared food. Suse smiled proudly as they all took a mouthful. Only Saria and Arcadia showed their distaste.

"You're getting better." Olose smiled to Suse. Suse beamed back a grin, before continuing to eat the soup like substance she had created.

"Better?" Arcadia asked incuriously. "What did it used to be like?"

"You don't want to know." The Destiny crew said together.

"Hey!" Suse said miserably. "I'm learrrrning." She suddenly smiled. "Besides, this time I had Fred to help me!" Her pet frog climbed up on her shoulder and shot out its tongue, swallowing a fly.

"That thing helped you?" Arcadia said, forcing the soup down and dropping her bowl, clearly refusing to eat anymore.

"Fred!" She cried. "He's called Frrrrrrrrred."

"Indeed. Fred." Arcadia mumbled, looking quite pale. Saria laughed to herself, clearly understanding how foreign surviving in the wild was to her, and finding it endlessly amusing.

"Cheer up Arc, I could do us some tasty frog legs." Saria grinned.

"No!" Suse cried, springing to her feet with her hands cupped around her pet frog and running to hide behind Olose. "Don't let them hurrrrt Frrrred!" She whined. Olose sighed heavily.

"You lot are like little kids." Olose sighed. "Even you Arcadia, I thought you were meant to be mature."

"I can be mature when I do not have a frog jumping around near me." She answered. Olose laughed to himself, taking the frog out of Suse's hands and watching it crawl about.

"It is kinda cute." He smiled. "Look at it." He brought it over to Arcadia who turned away.
"Ew. No!" She exclaimed. He laughed and passed it back to Suse.

"You should open up to stuff like that, you know." Olose told her.

"It is covered in slime and jumps around. I do not need to see that." Arcadia answered with a great manner of distaste in her voice.

"Arcadia, look around." Olose laughed, holding out his hands. "We're in a jungle. You need to be prepared to deal with a few bad things. Compared to some stuff out here, that frog is paradise." Arcadia, while Olose had been talking, had slipped off her shoes and was in the process of cleaning the mud that they were caked in off with a rag she had found in one of the packs.

"Yes. Like mud." She answered bitterly. "I would rather kiss that frog than handle that swamp again." She began to clean off her own muddy feet.

"I'm afraid it's the only way back." Olose tried to tell her tactfully. Arcadia sighed in frustration.

"Would it be wrong of me to ask somebody to carry me?" She sighed.

"Yeah, you tease me, but I can walk through the swamp at least!" Suse cried, sticking her tongue out again at Arcadia.

"I did not mean to tease you." Arcadia stated. "I just find your pet rather repulsive." She paused. "Besides, it is rather difficult to traverse muddy ground in high heels."

"And who's fault is that?" Saria input, eating Suse's soup simply because she was incredibly hungry.

"Should you not be on my side?" Arcadia inquired with a slight smile.
"I go with the tides." Saria answered with a slurp. Arcadia couldn't hide how much she loathed Saria's eating habits.

"For a Lady, you don't eat very politely." Nadia observed.

"I know the rules, and I follow them when I have too." Saria answered with a shrug. "But who gives a damn out here?"

"Well said." Laughed Olose. "Now, I suggest we all get some rest. Tomorrow may be a long day."