"Returning?" Janet was asking him after hours exploring the ruins of this version of the village. Abandoned long before the last one, decades in fact, as a great conflict had reduced the island nation to a broken wreck according to the little Goddess "Why?"

Tarvek stood, watching to stretch, but was too weary after the travel between plane, after the God-Realm nightmare, and then, finally, the mission for a spirit. They were in the hidden structure he had just completed in those hours here, half-underground, with ritual circle and a perimeter established "Because am I exhausted, physically and spiritually. Attempting further travelling in such a state would be foolish at best. Returning, resting for some days, and then travelling forth from this spot is the preferable option"

"We could camp here?"

"We could" he agreed with her, as Mayuko sat nearby, wiping dirty gloves off with a cloth and water "But it would be less secure…and I wanted out of this armour, and to work on it and study the knowledge given. In relative peace if possible"

She sighed "I'd sort of hoped….I thought it would be longer"

"Some journeys of days and weeks can exhaust more than those of months or even years" he replied, as that was the situation now. They had travelled multiple planes, and avoided a hunter of some sort, followed by time travelling chronomancy…

Tarvek knew his limits and could guess at Janet's and especially Mayuko's better than they themselves did he suspected. Not only that, but Mayuko needed so level of training, and better gear than the cobbled together items she currently wore. That was why he had established the Waystation in the first place, and now he intended to make use of it – even if it was early than intended, or he'd have originally desired. Still…this trip had been successful in that they had traversed a great distance, and he had an inclining now at least of how and what to attempt in the next stage at least.

Worryingly they were far from the Light of Known Planes, but he could now at least see some flickers to Walk more confidently towards. The little goddess avatar was gone, and these lands only had very distant signals chatter. Leaving a recording receiver seemed the best approach, one cobbled together from the earth tech he'd received and now would regather from the Waystation to restock. Mayuko was curious of what was going, and annoying in that she was tired and bored as it took time, several hours in fact, for Tarvek to create a link through ritual circle. Night had begun to fall here, the moon rising as the sun set, turning the already gloomy 'hole in the ground' dark except for the lights of his armour and the two females suit helmets. Thankfully the 'wall' ignited soon afterwards, revealing another 'hole in the ground' that lit up as Tarvek stepped through, followed by the other two.

"So…not all that impress bossman" he ignored Maruko's words a moment as he accessed the camera feeds, revealing that everything was intact, and that the Waystation was marked as secure. Then he turned to her, hand reaching up and upping the concealed entrance.

"This is not the Waystation. The Waystation is a short walk from here instead. For safety. Follow me and stay close. Janet on guard at rear. Remember there is wildlife here"

'And that Mayuko isn't used to such things yet' he did not say, as both he and Janet were aware of that as he unlimbered his own heavy repeated once more. Closing and reconcealing the entrance grates once the pair had emerged up into the snow-covered forest as faint sunlight flickered through the leaves. Night was looking to fall in a few hours on this plane compared to the one he'd just linked to, but the air was much colder here even during that daylight. He tapped his displays, grunted to himself softly. Good and bad. They'd arrived before a major storm or blizzard it looked like, but also after bad weather according to the system updates received by his pip-boy wrist-comp from the Waystation.

'Still, we aren't far' he reminded himself, forcefully clearing a path with his armour as the snow was high enough to otherwise impede the two females not in power armour. The next lot of bad weather in a few hours should do a better job of hiding their passage than his and Janet's efforts as he focused on getting there quickly over stealth. He did a better job of it, using a cantrip, as they neared the concealed entrance to the Waystation, then opening it…deliberately after Mayuko's complaining.

"It's a rock wall and dirt?"

"No, tis a hidden entrance" he answered with a snort of amusement at her pouting, visible through the clear face helm she wore "Now we just step inside, get scanned, and then enter the next door"

Janet gave a chuckle of her own, tired sounding though, at Mayuko's mumbled grumblings as they all stepped through the door, then allowed it to close and lock. Once that was done, he activated the scanner, the green beams moving up and down them from the scanner system he'd rigged up. Then opened the second thick metal door manually, spinning the circular lock open and entering the Waystation as the lights had now activated inside of it. It was just as they'd left it, though Tarvek waited till the pair behind him had entered, and he relocked the door, before relaxing and heading over to the power armour station "Janet, show Mayuko where she can remove the suit and get into clean clothing. Also, leave the weapons and gear. Storage will be done in a short time frame"

"Sure, come this way Mayuko" Janet said, placing down her rifle and unslinging her backpack "We can strip these suits off and store them in a crate inside. Then we can rest and maybe eat"

"Em, yes, one is hungry" Tarvek agreed taking up the pair's weapons and packs, then stepping into the nearby power armour workstation as they headed through the passageway. Repairs could be made later, and the orc was just glad to get out of it, rolling his shoulders, and stretching arms with a groan after it clanked and clinked open for him to exit its confines. Taking a moment to secure the suit and its security, Tarvek took up the packs and weapons, heading for the secure room he placed them in to clean and work on later along with his own. With a yawning groan, Tarvek looked at himself in the mirror on that wall; - seeing tired eyes on his red tusked face, paler than his normal crimson for lack of being out of his power armour since being cast adrift. He gave himself a tired, mildly annoyed, smile. Yes, he needed some R&R definitely.

"So,...let us get to it then" he muttered to himself, running a hand through black hair and scratching at stubble he'd shave off his chin soon enough. The rumble of his stomach reminded him it had been quite a while since he'd last eaten, and that that had been a simple MRE, followed by a mission, then a long, soul draining, Planeswalk itself with a deity's avatar. Stretching his arms across his chest as he moved, Tarvek moved down the wooden façade covered hallway in to the 'long house' where the kitchen area, tables, and various couches were waiting before an as yet unlit great hearth. He'd done his best to give a good 'living' feel of home on Skartaris, but it wasn't quite there yet. It was…

"YOU HAVE HOTSPRINGS!"

…Travek groaned as Mayuko, clad in what were clothes slight too big for her "WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME YOU HAD HOTSPRINGS! WE SLEPT IN DIRTY BASEMENTS AND…"

"They were in another dimension" he answered to the short female gesticulating in annoyance at him, and then at Janet as she came into the long hall after her looking tired as well as the annoyed blonde female trailed off, waving her arms about "But, yes, there is a cleansing area and a heated cave pool. Which this soldier intends to use, after making a meal and drinking some mead"

"Uh! Uh! You've a weird viking-samurai home just…ugh!" Mayuko grumbled, adjusting her clothes as they weren't quite the right size "Fine! What do you want us to do?"

"Aid me preparing food perhaps"

"Not going 'me big chief, women cook while me drink!' on us?" Janet chuckled in amusement as Tarvek moved to, then opened up, the larder door to access the freezer "Oh, best tell if you have dietary issues Mayuko"

"Tarvek is cooking what Tarvek wants to eat, because I am hungry" he said back with a snort "Even chieftains cook time to time when feasting…"

He paused, thinking he wouldn't mind such a thing now. They could clean up afterwards "Indeed, a mini-feast might not go astray. Let us, together, cooking some small meals, or take from the larder sweet things, and simply relax after that…madness"

"Says the soldier that threw a boy taken from his drugged-up bed to throw at a girl on a fog night"

"Neither complained" he pointed out to Janet "And they married in the end according to the grown-up little priestess. I am very good at my missions"

"Yes, a regular Conan the Barbarian Cupid!"

Tarvek shrugged "One has no idea who that is"

"They. It's two, and…ugh, yeah" Janet grumbled, shaking her head as she guided Mayuko to take out items after telling the girl what they were "Sauces here. Some I have no idea what they are…"

"I've scanned her, and you, and neither of you are allergic to any of these" he said back as he checked the list on his pip-boy wrist-comp, pulling out two crates of drinks, mostly alcoholic to serve with the food he was going to cook or use the energy-oven to heat pre-prepared food items. Those were less tasty at times, but some of the hardtack and pemican in packs were actually quite tasty he'd found, and Janet had, begrudgingly, agreed when he had constructed the Waystation. Setting everything on the longtable came first, and then getting a cooking station organised came soon enough, and, like a breeze, was completed it felt like. Tarvek was glad of that as he settled into a seat, resting back with a mead in his hand, and the smell of several small snack meals in his nostrils. Yes, he thought as he took a gulp after picking up some wedged potatoes with melted cheese, onions, and bacon pieces, that hit the spot.