Grass growing on rocks.

How did it come to this? Senah was just wandering near one of the ruins of what was once a wizard tower but apparently its destruction was not thorough enough that when she approached it, 3 golems suddenly circled the ruins and begin to chase after her. Senah's only defense were words and natural herbs towards the 5 senses, none of which is effective against animated beings. She thought that by getting some distance that she would be outside of their designated area. She was mostly right as 2 of them golem stopped and returned but one of them was continuing to pursue her for reasons unknown.

Senah weaves and ducks under various low lying branches and leaping over bushes in sheer panic as the sound of branches cracking and bushes being trampled being her, a metal golem pursing her. While golems are generally not very fast, Senah herself wasn't exactly the fastest runner either and is also slowed down by navigating the native floras in which the golem plows haphazardly through. It was then that the chase through her to arc shaped formation that restricted her mobility except turning back- CRACK! the sound of splintering wood makes that endeavor a bad idea. She was trapped!

Except she found a small opening that she would barely squeeze through and even a sturdy golem would have trouble smashing through it...hopefully. She grits her teeth as the edge of the rocks was scraping scrape her skin from how fast she was forced to squeeze through but she was able to make it through with only a minor wound to show for it. However she continues backwards for a bit in the case the golem does try to break through. It does step towards the opening and stopped. That answered the questions on which is would win a war of attrition.

However, she had a problem, the golem is now blocking the only exit out and the other way to going deeper into whatever this rock formation is. Senah decided that wait out a bit while tending to her wounds. She reaches to her belt into her satchel to pull out her Aloe Vera salve mixed with honey and smear a very light layer over it but not too much to delay the healing, while ignoring the initial cold sting while her eyes remains watchful of the exit...

--2 hours later--

The golem still has not moved and when she made motions of wanting to exit, the golem stirred and grabbed at her, though unsuccessful due to still being too far in the cave. Apparently it would be impossible for her to exit through the opening and the golem can literally wait forever for her. Her only option now is to go deep into the cave into unknown territory. She shudders. While she is very much home to the outdoor nature, caves are another thing altogether. While she is not terribly claustrophobic, she still feels uncomfortable going deeper into the earth. With a heavy sigh, she steels herself and heads inward, leaving the opening and the golem behind.

Her finger reached into her backpack into the smaller opening and take out what appears to be a seed before clasping it with both of her hands. After about 5 minutes of standing still, a small flower seems to be sprouting seemingly to possess a bit of a light of its own in a strange form of bright bio-luminescent light...well bright for bio-luminescent anyways which only grants her about several feet of visual range.

--Unknown amount of time later--

She has no idea how long has she been treading inside here for at least an opening but she was rather disheartened. Her trail of luminescent seeds "bread crumb trails" was running out and though the flow of air does seems to suggest an opening to freedom it actually seems to be tilting downward instead of upwards as she wanted. Well if her trail leads to a false exit or dead end she can always back-track. However, her eyes caught in the sight of light up ahead. An exit?! Actually it seems more orange and brown rather than the blue, yellow, and white that she was expected.

Unfortunate, Senah should have watched where she was stepping towards and not be distracted by the light as her foot rest in air and a sharp inclination downward. With a shriek, her body tilted downward and started tumbled down along the side of a rock formation before finally coming to a harsh stop on a more flatter surface. However, she was heavily battered on the way down and she isn't laying down, still sitting up, but her body was fatigued and numb from the fall. She was fortunate that the formation was a slope and not a straight vertical drop or she wouln't have survived. On the other hand, she wasn't sure the extend of how badly injured she is and if she broke anything. She justs sits there in front of an opening with her eyes closed as she moves each part of her body slowly to try to access her body's state.

Meanwhile, a very happy oni was singing a jaunty tune as she effortlessly navigated the rocky tunnel's treacherous terrain, having done so many times before.

"Saa, hi no sode tamagushi, suzu uchinarashi! Omae ni hare no hi, tada mau taraba!"

A big burlap sack was slung over her shoulder, the handle of her trusty club sticking out the top as it clattered noisily against the various trinkets and baubles she'd accumulated from her adventures on the surface. It was an impressive haul, even if it wasn't her biggest—it seemed there was never a shortage of cool stuff to take from people who happened to want her extremely dead.

"Kagoyama, yasaka ki, no eda nigikake! Yooouuu, yooouuu, hi-bi-ke! Tomo ni asobaseeeee...!"

She continued to sing in her strong voice as she practically skipped through the tunnel, easily jumping down from overhanging stone to land on the path below. She took in another breath and was about to sing the next verse when a shriek pierced her ears.

Toushiko froze on the spot, her mind racing to figure out where it had come from. It didn't sound like it was behind her, so it must've been further down the tunnel system. Her loose run turned into a sprint, her feet pounding into the rock with every step. She had no idea who'd be dumb enough to be this far down the tunnels—this close to the goddamned Underworld—without being strong enough to deal with its hazards, but it didn't matter.

She didn't hear anything else from the mystery voice, which could've been either a good sign, or a very bad one. Either they weren't too seriously hurt, or... Toushiko grimaced. She wasn't here to play hero, but she wasn't just gonna let someone die in here if she could help it.

Eventually, the tunnel opened up into a much wider space, a giant hollowed-out area that served as the convergence point for some of the countless tunnel exits.

And sitting against the rock below one of the tunnel exits was none other than a human girl, cradling one of her arms with the other, her eyes shut in pain.

Toushiko's eyes snapped wide. "Hey! HEY!" She leaped out of the tunnel, and landed hard against the floor of the converging area. Without missing a beat, she ran toward the girl and quickly knelt down next to her. "Y'alright, girl?! C'mon, say something!" Her eyes trailed down the girl's body, noting various cuts and bruises along her skin, some more serious than others. She drew a sharp breath when she saw the girl's leg.

Her foot...was not supposed to bend like that.

"Shit," she hissed. This complicated things; whatever happened, there was no way this girl was getting out of here under her own power. Toushiko looked back up at her. "Can y'hear me? How do you feel?" she asked. Probably better to make sure she's still conscious first, she decided.

After that motion testing and some winces, she determined that she had badly twisted her ankle, perhaps broke it.  Even at the best case scenario, she would not be able to get back up the way she can up the first place.  To further exasperate her problem, she cannot even sprout any herbs here due to being almost all rocks and no soil and can only use whatever she has to fashion a wooden board so not to aggravate it further.  The various wounds on her body was less of an issue and needs to be disinfected when she at least deal with the foot.

A very loud thud  and very fast motion shakes her out of her assessment as she looks up, her eyes widen at the large red woman with horns adorn her head.  She felt a chill at the intimidating figure and instinctively scoots back- and crumples as the sudden movement alone was enough to send a jab of hot pain on her foot and ankle.  It was then that she realize that it was a rather foolish move that only made things worse for her especially now that she can hear the words and that the woman initially mean no harm to her seeing that she is still alive.

She takes a deep breath and tries to still her turbulent emotion of fear and distaught along with the constant pain and numbness that surrounds her, trying to form some semblance of thought to words.  "Ankle is swollen, maybe broken."  She then pointed upward from where she fell from and did a double take.  That is quite a height that would incapacitate most beings tumbling down.  While she felt fortunate she suffered less than she thought, he sheer distance of climbing it would take to get back is beyond her mean even healthy!  It was then that she felt her vision blur.  "What is...What is wro-"  It was then that she collapse from sheer fatigue and pain

Toushiko looked up at the girl's face when she spoke in a halting voice. The oni nodded at her words. "Yeah, I can see that," she muttered. "How'd you get here, anyway?" The girl weakly pointed up, and Toushiko's gaze followed until she saw the tunnel exit the girl likely fell out of. Her eyes widened in surprise. "All the way up there?" She let out a chuckle. "Well, you're hardier than ya look, kid. I'm sure you'll be just..." Her voice trailed off as she looked back at the girl.

She was slumped over.

"Kid? Hey, kid!" Toushiko grabbed the girl's shoulders and shook them around. "C'mon, stay with me!" Her efforts had no effect, though, and she soon relented for fear of causing even more damage to the poor girl. She gave a frustrated sigh, and stood back up as she considered her options.

If she walked away, this girl was dead. No buts about it. Starvation, dehydration, hungry animals, or if she was really unlucky, another demon coming through the tunnels and whisking her away for their own purposes. No, she couldn't just leave her here.

Toushiko looked back up at the tunnel exit above, and cursed under her breath. Getting up there with the girl wouldn't be impossible, but if she made a single misstep and fell, the girl would have a lot more than a broken ankle to worry about. Even then, the journey back up from here was a long one, and would have much more climbing than Toushiko was comfortable with if she had to safely carry an injured girl the whole time.

Toushiko glanced over to the other side of the room, opposite all the various tunnel exits. There was only one path that way, a cavernous passage that extended further down. She knew well where it led: the Underworld itself. With the tunnel exits being a no-go, she was only left with one option: instead of taking the girl up, she would take her down.

Toushiko bit her lip. In theory, it shouldn't be too much of a problem (aside from having to abandon her sack of loot in order to safely carry the girl, which would be painful, but manageable). Her home wasn't too far, and it wasn't like she hadn't carried countless opponents back to her home before anyway. But this was different; the girl wasn't some hardened warrior who'd earned the oni's respect (and insatiable lust) through combat, she was someone who'd probably wandered down this far by sheer dumb luck and almost gotten themselves killed! Was someone like that really ready to face the dangers lurking within the Underworld?

Hmph. With any luck, she won't have to, Toushiko thought. She's got me, after all. With that in mind, she walked back to the unconscious girl and knelt down next to her, eyeing her belongings. She knew she didn't have any medical supplies left in her own pack, but maybe this girl had something with her that could help. Toushiko reached over and opened the girl's backpack, peering inside. Her brow furrowed in confusion when she saw the contents.

...Seeds?

Yep, and lots of them. Toushiko had no idea why the girl had so many (and so many different kinds!) of them filling up her backpack, but she wasn't going to accomplish anything by pondering that question, so she resumed looking through the other compartments. She soon found some basic medical supplies, which were quickly used to somewhat haphazardly bandage up most of the girl's major cuts. She was also lucky enough to find some wood and string within the girl's multitude of belongings, using them as a makeshift ankle brace to try and keep her foot straight as she moved.

Toushiko knew that this was all only a temporary solution (as well as a major breach of privacy, but she had a feeling the girl wasn't going to care). What she needed to do was get her to a healer, and fast. She took the rope from her burlap sack and used it to sling her club behind her back, then turned and gingerly scooped up the unconscious girl in her arms. Making sure to keep her hold on the girl as steady as possible, she started making her way toward the other side of the area, where the wide path slowly dipped down further into the earth.

Toward Toushiko's home...the Underworld.

——

When Senah came to, the first thing that hit her was the heat. Stuffy and uncomfortable, she'd already begun to sweat.

The second, far more intense, was the smell.

The potent scent of alcohol hit her nostrils as soon as she was conscious again, making her wish she wasn't. Instinctively recoiling from the sensation, she winced as a sharp pain emanated from her foot from the movement. Was it still broken? With the pain came her sense of touch, and she realized she was laying in a surprisingly huge bed, with soft sheets below her and a thick blanket draped over her. She looked around her through bleary-eyed vision, and saw countless knickknacks and items she couldn't possibly identify strewn about the room and on the walls before her eyes eventually fell to her backpack, sitting faithfully beside the bed.

Two indistinct female voices drifted into her ears. She didn't recognize them, nor could she make out the words they were speaking—in fact, it sounded like a different language altogether.

What the hell was going on?

Fire...heat...light...lavender, she could not make much of the dream.  It was so blurry and her condition did not help with a coherent thought especially within a dream.  She was one of the better lucid dreamer but not at this state as it was so hot and the smell of alcohol was cau- alcohol?  

The dream ended.  Senah's eyes open.  Wait, where was she and why was it so hot?  It was these these condition that causes her to stiffly sit up from her position, her effect hampered by her being still very sore for some reason.  It was then that she decided look around to see where she was.  

The first thing Senah notices that she had a blanked draped over her that was part of a bed.  A rather big bed actually.  At first she thought that she was in a bed make for two before she realize that the height of the bed is also big as well.  That means whoever was sleeping here had considerable height  It was then that she was able to gather some sense of what happened that occurred...oh right that large red woman; perhaps this bed belong to her.  Senah did make a note of asking what is she as it would be impolite to call her that, even mentally.

The next two things she notice is of two things that, she realized, brought her out of her dream state.  It was quite hot, not hot enough to be harmful but enough that it makes her a rather uncomfortable.  The second is rather distinct, the smell of alcohol and very strongly, it is was if her uncle and his friend decided to go on a celebratory binge.  Her nose wrinkle from the strength of the aroma of the alcohol which was probably enough to lay him out for an hour.

Now that she was able to partly parse her environment, she then tried to recall everything before, albeit in reverse chronological...the big red woman, the fall, the evasive of the indigenous creatures, the trek downward for an exit, the golem she was chased into the cave.  That would explain why she was feeling so sore all over.  She slid the blanket from her body a bit and notices that her foot was swollen from the injury, yet curiously reinforce from aggravating it further by a wooden brace.  It was then that she also realized that her other wounds has been treated, albeit a bit hastily done but Senah can forgive her for doing what was needed for her.

Does that mean that the woman had to use some of Senah's supplies?  Carefully she scooted towards the edge and immediately saw her backpack laid to the side and gave a sigh of relief as her backpack was mostly intact with some minor tears in the woven fabric.  Unwinding the strap, she saw that some of the seeds has been crushed but was not numerically lost that she could generate more, her other supplies was able to withstand the impact much better thanks to being in containers of polymer rubber of a sort that her mother made.

It was near the edge of he bed that she clearly was able to make out two voices conversing with each other but they were not spoken neither her people's dialect or the common tongue here (which she is not entire fluent with). The first one, she presumes, was the voice of her host but the second one was unfamiliar. Unfortunate she could not look into it any further as she was still limited in mobility due to her injuries.

After some time, the two voices stopped talking, and Senah heard footsteps approaching. A large red hand emerged from between the two thick door-sized drapes that presumably served as the room's entrance, pulling one aside to allow a vaguely familiar face to poke in. The red woman gave Senah only the briefest of glances before turning around and pulling her hand back.

Which was suddenly followed by her zooming back in, much faster than before. "Oh, shit, you're awake!" She laughed as she lifted the drape further to allow more of her body through. "Sorry 'bout that, didn't think you'd be up so soon."

She turned around and said something excitedly to the owner of the other voice, presumably reporting that their wayward traveler was awake. They exchanged a few more words before the red woman walked further into the room and let the drape fall back down. Now that Senah was able to get a good look at her, she realized just how big this woman was. Not only was she much taller than Senah was, she also had thick muscles running through her entire body, filling out her figure.

Senah was rather more uncomfortable from the sight of the woman's...developed chest, which certainly wasn't helped by the fact that the woman was barely wearing enough fabric to cover her most sensitive areas. The woman didn't seem to notice her discomfort, though, instead stepping over all the items strewn about the floor to kneel down beside the edge of the bed.

"So, uh...I know ya probably have a lotta questions, an' you're probably wonderin' where you are, 'n' all that." She sheepishly ran a hand over the back of her neck. "Only makes sense. You passed out in a cave, and now you're in some stranger's bed? I'd sure as hell be confused. But first things first..." She pointed her thumb at herself. "I'm Toushiko, an oni from the Underworld." She gave a chuckle. "If that sounds scary, don't worry. I'm just here to help ya."

Toushiko looked over Senah's injuries, wincing slightly when she saw her foot. The ankle brace certainly seemed to be helping, but in the end, it was only a stopgap measure to keep it from getting worse. "Sorry about the brace," she said, gesturing toward Senah's foot. "It was all I could do myself, and the healer ain't around." She looked back up at Senah. "But we'll get to that later. For now, how're ya feelin'?"

It wasn't until that she was in the middle of sorting something near her backpack that  she hear the sound of someone approaching the room that her attention was brought towards the door where someone was coming.  It was the same red woman that she had seen before.

Even when she saw her once and even when she was her savior, Senah still felt a little intimidated seeing her, even moreso when she can see how well toned her body is through the more lack of coverage.  Then again this area is quite hot so Senah felt that the lack of coverage may be justified.   She was also aware of how much larger Toushiko is overall.  Senah was a fairly small person as it is and the size different is distinct between the two.  At least she wasn't instinctively backing off (and making her foot worse) this time.

Senah gesturing to herself briefly before she introduces herself almost seemingly to mimick Toushiko's sentence structure while being oddly methodical and a lot more quieter.  "I'm Senah, a human from the forest."  A brief pause was given in her words before she speaks again, more slowly.  "I thank you for helping me.  But what is an oni, and where is the Underworld?"  This was followed by a confused tone and expression as it was the first time she even heard of those.

In the midst of this, she decided to very carefully move her fingers to the ankle and foot, biting her lips briefly from the pain as she applied some minimal pressure before she closes her eyes briefly but still upright so not to alarm Toushiko as she feel the other injuries through the sensation all over her body alone before she open her eyes and speak.  "I feel tired and sore.   Ankle and foot is fractured but fortunate not out of place.  There are many cuts and scrapes that I need to disinfect.  I think I have or had a minor concussion."  

It was then that she breaks out a fairly unexpected small smile before she gestures to her backpack.  "I should have the medical supplies for most of them, the ankle and the foot is what needs the most time though."  She wipes the sweat from her forehead from the heat and takes her shirt by a small part of the front and tugs to create a bit of air circulation through her body to cool herself off a bit.

Toushiko opened her mouth to answer Senah's question, then paused. What...how was she supposed to answer that question, exactly? 'What's an oni'? Well, to her, they were just people. But to this Senah, they'd probably be something to be feared if she hadn't been saved by one.

After a moment, Toushiko just shrugged. "I dunno. What's a human?" She snorted. "Well, I guess I could be a little more helpful," she said. "We're pretty similar to you guys, actually. Only difference is, we're usually stronger, tougher, bigger, pretty much immune to alcohol poisoning, and apparently our skin color's weird." She smirked and gestured toward herself. "As you can see."

Her eyes drifted upward, toward the two horns curving out of her forehead. "Oh, yeah, we got these, too," she said, flicking one of them with her finger. "But, uh, other than that, there ain't much to note. As for your other question..." Toushiko trailed off as she considered how to answer it.

It was...probably wise to cut a bit from the full answer, she decided. If there was one thing Senah probably didn't need to hear right now, it was "you've been carried down to Hell, congratulations". Even if she didn't know what the Underworld was, Toushiko was pretty sure she knew what that was. No need to frighten the poor girl, now.

"The Underworld's...kinda what it sounds like," she said, giving another shrug. "This big ol' place deep underground where all kinds of different people live. Beasts, spirits, magi, demons...pretty much anything goes." She flashed a reassuring grin. "But don't worry yourself about any of 'em. Right here is where the oni live, and none of us would ever think to hurt'cha."

Another little white lie; there were certainly still some oni around who bore a grudge against humanity for forcing them underground in the first place, so many centuries ago. But what Senah didn't know couldn't hurt her—as long as Toushiko beat it to the ground first.

The oni listened to Senah's report of her health. "Yeesh, a concussion?" She shook her head. "Well, you're still awake and talkin' sense, so it probably ain't too bad." She edged forward on her knees to get a better look at Senah's backpack. "More supplies in there, huh?" She nodded. "Well, no harm in using 'em now, then. Our resident healer ain't around at the moment, but I'm sure I can get ya some more stuff when he gets back."

Before she could start treating Senah's injuries, she noticed the girl's visible discomfort from the heat. "Oh, yeah," she muttered. "Sorry, it's probably a little too hot down here. That's just the Underworld for ya, I'm afraid," she said with a rueful shrug. "I can get ya some drinks to cool ya down, though." She stood up and started for the door, then stopped. "Oh, but, uh, they're alcoholic." She coughed. "Like...really alcoholic. I have some lighter stuff, but I dunno if I'd even trust that, given your injuries...I can get somethin' clean, but it'll take a little while to prepare." She pointed her thumb toward the drapes. "You want me to go get that? Think you'll be okay on your own for a little bit?"

Senah looks a bit sheepish at asking the question of what is an oni, cheeks turning red from embarrassment at the potential rudeness of her inquiry but fortunately her host seems to be nonchalant about it.  In summary, what Toushiko is describing oni as just simply larger, stronger, technicolor skin beings with a tolerance for alcohol, probably loves it judging from the smell.

As for location, the description doesn't really paint much to give her any familiarity or comparison other than the fact that there is a large region under the earth that is quite hot in here, another pull on the collar of her shirt to cool herself down reaffirms this.  She also does not know of or who or what would be dangerous to her.  Dejected, it seems that she is going to need to rely on the physical protection of Toushiko, not that she didn't want to as the oni seems to be amiable but she does feel like she is imposing herself as a burden.  She would at least try to adapt to Toushiko's culture, at least to alcohol since it seems that is the more dominant part of her culture, and her liquid supply, though not until she feels more healthy.  

"Yes please.  I do not think I can drink alcohol yet."  Then Senah pauses for a moment.  "If you do not mind me asking.  Where do you go for food and drink?  I am not well verse in the Underworld and I feel like..what is the phase...fish out of water."  She gestures to her backpack "Many of the plants I grow will have trouble surviving here and only being of some druidic magic."  It was then that she held her hand to her forehead briefly trying to endure a dizzy spell.

Toushiko nodded. "Right, I'll go prepare some water, then," she said, standing up off the bed. "Got anymore questions before I take care a' that?"

The oni grinned at Senah's question. "Ohoho, don't even get me started. Y'see, oni are known around here for havin' pretty big appetites." She gestured to either side of her. "So demons are always comin' by and settin' up shop to sell their wares, and a lot of it is food." She shrugged. "Drinks, not so much, but only 'cause everyone knows they can't beat an oni brewmaster at their own game."

Toushiko gestured toward Senah's backpack. "So, in other words, I know we'll be able to find somethin' you like when ya get hungry. Y'know, so you can save your supplies for when ya need 'em...not that you'll be able to use most of 'em, down here." The oni's smile faded. "Since, uh, I think you're right about your plants. Most of the ground here's just stone or ash, and the soil we do have is pretty hostile to anything that wasn't made for it." She shrugged. "So, sorry. Not much we can do there, I don't think."

Senah's curiosity satisfied for the moment, Toushiko moved toward the hanging drapes that separated this room from the next one. "All right, I'm gonna go get that water for ya. Just hang on tight, I'll be back in a bit." She stepped through the drapes, leaving Senah alone in the room once more. She heard the oni have a short conversation with her presumed friend in that foreign language again, and it was only a few seconds before Senah heard more footsteps approaching her room.

This time, the visitor stepped through the drapes without poking her head in first. Senah could only assume that this was the owner of the voice she'd heard talking to Toushiko: a blue-skinned oni with softer features, long black hair that flowed past her shoulders, and a single horn protruding straight out from her forehead. She stood just as tall as Toushiko did, though she wasn't quite as muscular, looking a little thinner overall. She was also dressed just as loosely as Toushiko, to Senah's continuing discomfort, though at least her breasts were significantly smaller.

The newcomer eyed Senah for a moment, then said something to her in that foreign language of hers. After it was obvious that Senah couldn't understand her, she set her mouth in a thin line and narrowed her yellow eyes. Then, in a halting voice, she slowly said, "Is...English, okay?" She gestured toward herself. "I...Akane." She pointed toward Senah. "You...?"

"Setting up shop..."  As Toushiko is leaving, she mulled at the possibility of a new civilization which does pique her interest.  Although trying to get back to the surface is still her goal, should that become impossible or at least in progress, she could look into try to learn about everything here as she  accompany Toushiko.  Her gaze land woefully to her injured foot.  Eventually...

It was a disappointment to her that plants in generally have problems surviving down here but she is interested in looking into how the native ones do manage to here.  Perhaps she can grow a new generation of plants that are more resilient and adaptive for herself, though she should make sure they are not too prolific outside her influence.

It was then that she heard someone coming into the room.  Thinking it was either Toushiko or perhaps the other person she was speaking to a while ago.  Her question was answered when an entire different face (and color) peeks in before coming in.  She did take a moment to note that this other oni isn't as toned (or shapely) as Toushiko though.  Senah is curious of what profession both of them are that makes a fairly big difference in how their body developed.

The foreign oni language spoken to her only result in a slightly confused look on Senah's face with a sad shake of the head before the familiar words of the outside language, apparently called English, was spoken as her eyes lit up in reocgnition.  "Yes, I speak English."  She slows down her pronunciation and sentence while using more basic words seeing how the oni didn't had as firm grasp of the language.  "I am Senah, it is nice to meet you." Senah mentally notes to ask Toushiko about learning the oni language both to speak with Akane better and to others within the Underworld.

"Ah. Senah." Akane nodded. "I, apologize for..." She furrowed her brow in concentration. "Speak...slow. And, bad." She gave a quiet laugh at her own stumbling over her words. "But Toushiko, good friend. She speak English...often. Many foreign, guests." She shrugged. "I slowly...learn. Talk hard, forget many...little, things. But, listen...understand. Better." She beamed a confident smile at Senah. "So speak...without, fear."

Senah noticed a large rounded flask in the oni's hand, with paper talismans covered in calligraphy plastered all over the hard glass. As she watched, the oni gave a small sigh at the mental exertion of speaking an unfamiliar language, then brought the flask to her lips and knocked back a couple hearty gulps. When she was done, she gave another sigh—this one much more satisfied—and Senah was almost bowled over by the overpowering smell of fresh alcohol.

Not seeming to notice her discomfort, Akane wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and went right on with the conversation. "Toushiko say...you have, many, er..." She pursed her lips for a moment as she searched for the word. "...Seeds. Plant, seeds. Gardener?" She gave an amused chuckle. "Not, lot of soil, in cave, you know." She leaned in closer and looked over Senah appraisingly. Her breath still reeked of alcohol, and Senah did her best to scoot away without letting the oni notice, and possibly end up offending her. It seemed like she didn't have much of a sense of personal space, and Senah briefly wondered if that was the case with most oni.

Akane was once again oblivious to Senah's behavior as she studied the girl. Her eyes briefly paused whenever they came across a wound, with particular attention paid to her injured foot. "Not, ordinary gardener," she mused. "If ordinary..." She drew back and looked Senah in the eye. "You die, or worse, before Toushiko find you."

Her chuckle afterward made it hard for Senah to tell if she was joking. She suspected she wasn't.

"But no, worry. You...here, now. Safe." She crossed her arms and gave a toothy grin. "Anyone who, fight oni...lose." Her physique certainly seemed to back up that statement—she wasn't as muscular as Toushiko, but she still looked like she could break Senah in half without a second thought. If this was the typical oni specimen, then Toushiko's earlier assessment was right on the money: an entire nation of techni-colored, alcohol-loving strongmen.

At least Senah's plants were safe from unwanted consumption. These people didn't seem like big vegetarians...

Senah was fortunately able to follow through what Akane is saying as she herself was in a familiar situation, though her grasps on the common (English) language was quicker due to similar roots from her forest language and English.  But to converse with the oni struggling with the language, she speaks to Akane with a slower pace of words.  "It's OK.  I can still understand you.  I should ask Toushiko to teach me how to speak your language.  Easy to talk to you, and other oni."  She was glad they were in friendly speaking terms despite the language barrier.  

The culture, however, was still really new.  As she note along with Toushiko, Akane loves her alcohol very strong as the scent does leave Senah coughing a bit from the strong scent.  And then her getting rahter up close, caused a bit of discomfort and a bit of scooting back from the combination of a very close oni and her alcoholic breath.  She really needs to get used to the scent if she going to survive here.

Seeing that Akane took a moment to look over the seed and deduct her profession which is partially right though Akane is right that she isn't a normal gardener.  "More than gardener, I am use plant magic to make new plant type and grow faster.  Each plant does something new and makes new product."  She then points to the floor.  "I can make rock floor into soil but it is very slow.  I do not have permission and many plants die to a lot of heat."

It was then that she clasp both of her hands together and holds them close to her chest, possibly in a symbolic gesture.  "Toushiko save me after falling off cliff.  Save me from worse fate than..."  Senah looks down to her foot. All things considered, she actually consider herself extremely lucky to have onis saving and protecting her out of all the possible things that could have happened to her. Having to learn how to bear the heat and alcoholic smell was a small price to pay.  "I thank you and Toushiko for saving me and keeping me safe."  Her sentence takes a while to complete as she is speaking slowly so not to tax Akane with trying to understand English.  

Akane laughed. "You, learn...language?" She shook her head with an amused smile. "What, you, think you...stay long?" She pointed at Senah's foot. "Stay only...until, good. Stay, more...bad idea. You, strong human, maybe." She shrugged. "But this, no place, for human." After a moment, she added, "Well, for no human stay." The oni leaned in closer and spoke in a conspiratorial whisper. "After...all, Toushiko bring, many human here. Not...stay long. Instead..." She chuckled. "...play, a little. Then...return."

She withdrew with a knowing wink.

Senah barely had time to consider Akane's words before she'd already moved on from them. "But, guest always...warrior. Fighter." The oni tilted her head, her eyes full of interest. "Magic...rare. Plant magic, never." Her gaze drifted away from Senah, and settled on an unspecific point on the wall. She was silent for a few moments before she spoke again. "You, know...Underworld is...nice. Good, fun. But...miss, many things." Her brow furrowed in concentration as she thought of the right words. "...Ocean. Sky. And, plant." She shrugged. "Some plant, in Underworld. But, different. Not green. Not...cool, to touch. No water. No field...no, forest."

When Akane looked back at her, Senah could've sworn she saw a hint of anger in the oni's expression before it melted back into a casual smile. "But...all in, past, now. And, all oni...live only, in present." She chuckled. "Or, so...they say."

"Hey, hey!" Senah almost jumped in surprise. She hadn't realized that Toushiko had returned until her strong voice had suddenly rang out inside the room. "Don't you be givin' her any funny ideas, Akane!" The red oni was shooting her friend a dirty look, though it was obvious from her grin that she didn't mean it. "I'll have you know, I've planned plenty of things hours in advance before."

Akane rolled her eyes. "Yes. Toushiko, master of..." She blinked. "...Um." She pursed her lips in thought. "...F-far...fore, uh..." After a moment, she cursed under her breath and took a swig from her flask. "Feh. Never...mind."

Toushiko gave her friend a teasing pat on the back. "Ah, don'tcha worry, you're gettin' better. As for you..." She looked back at Senah and held up her other hand to her, offering her an unlabeled bottle. The glass was completely transparent, as was the liquid inside. It looked, for all intents and purposes, like plain old water. "This should make ya feel a little better. Grade-A water, straight from the source!" Toushiko proudly placed the bottle in Senah's hands. It felt ice-cold to the touch—though that was probably at least partially due to just how hot everything else was. "I filled it up right to the top, so it should last ya quite a while."

Toushiko sat down at the edge of the bed, giving Senah a little more space than Akane was. "So, I didn't miss anything, did I?" She glanced between the two. "You guys weren't discussin' plans to take over the world without me, or anythin' like that?"

"No...not, yet." Akane chuckled. "Apparently, Se...Senah, control...plant. With, magic."

Toushiko raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really?" She turned to Senah. "Yeah, I think you said somethin' about that earlier. It'd sure explain all the seeds in your backpack...oh, uh, sorry about goin' through that, by the way." She shrugged. "Had to see if you had anything for your injuries."

Senah again looks a bit embarrassed of her suggestion to learn the language, even if it is for a kind-nature reason.  "You are right.  I was hoping we can talk more though me being here is another thing Toushiko needs to worry about and it is a too hot here for my plants, yes.  Plus..." she turns a bit red and not from the sweltering heat either.  "I do not wish to interrupt her."

She did catch the look from Akane's feature to many missing things to the underworld and wish she could help.  An internal sigh in response as such an endeavor would be way beyond her, she was not a force of nature and such action would create a lot of instability.

A voice jolted her body from the sheer sudden loudness.  Turning around, she discovered that Toushiko has re-entered the room.  A brief quiet laughter was resulted was given at the brief banter and the "take over the world".  "The plans to take over the world is underway.  Soon the world will be filled with greens."  Unfortunately her gentle demeanor and voice makes it sound like she is going to garden the world instead but at least the situation hasn't dampered her spirit.

"But yes I have druidic plant magic and some geomancy earth magic for some soil and rock forming and a bit of physical reinforcement of my attributes."  Then she quickly adds for Akane's sake.  "Makes me stronger and tougher.  But plant magic is my primary skill.  It is less about me controlling them and more about me making them grow much faster and create different seeds."  She gestures her seeds.  

She then makes that same hand over hand symbolic gesture once more close to her chest.  "It is no worries, I am simply grateful that you are able to treat my injury, rescue me and for doing this for me" She reaches over to receive the bottle of water, with a gracious "Thank you."  feeling how cold the bottle is though it is very refreshing due to the heat that Senah had some minor issues with.  A quick uncorking of the cap and a small sip was enough to refresh Senah to a good degree.  "Revitalizing...

"I see, I see," Toushiko said, nodding along with Senah's explanation of her abilities. "So it's not so much makin' vines burst out of the ground and tossin' people around with 'em, as it is havin' the quick utility of whatever plant you got on ya." She glanced at Senah's backpack, filled as it was with seeds. "Which is a lot of 'em."

Toushiko looked back at Senah and grinned. "That's still quite a power you've got, there. The very gift of nature, right at your fingertips!" She drew her hand across the air for emphasis. Akane nodded in agreement. "Yes. Now, under...stand, why you...hurt in, cave. No, soil for, plant...and, no time, for...er..." Her lips pursed for a moment. "For...make...soil, from...rock."

Akane let out a sigh and went silent for a moment, recovering from the mental effort of stringing together so many foreign words at once. Toushiko just grinned and waved her hand nonchalantly at Senah's expression of gratitude. "Pfft, it was nothin'. Just did what anyone else would've done."

She tactfully decided to leave out the part where she had to completely abandon weeks' worth of loot to carry the girl. The stash was no doubt already picked clean by demons going to and from the surface the old-fashioned way.

Toushiko took a moment to quietly deal with that painful reality, and Akane watched as Senah took a satisfied sip from the bottle. "So..." She looked over at Toushiko. "Water bug...still work, then?"

Toushiko froze, then slowly turned to glare at Akane. "Why, yes, it does," she said, through clenched teeth. "Remember when I said not to talk about it? Out loud? In English?" Akane chuckled mischievously. "Nope." She then gave what was quite possibly the least-convincing "innocent" smile ever attempted by a sentient being. "No idea...what, you...saying."

The only response Toushiko could give to that supreme bullshit was a drawn-out groan. "Come on. I didn't wanna gross her out, y'know." Akane shrugged. "You, heard...she thinks, water, good." Toushiko sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "Yeah, well, let's see how long that lasts..."

She turned toward Senah. "Look, first off, it's nothin' to worry about. The water ain't poisoned, or diseased, or whatever. It's perfectly safe, tastes good, cold, clear, ya get it." She waved her hand dismissively. "There's a reason I didn't mention where it came from, though. Figured you wouldn't wanna drink it if you found out; damn near had to force-feed the last guy who did."

She tilted her head toward Akane. "It'll be faster if you show her yours." The blue oni looked surprised for a moment, then nodded. She uncapped her rounded flask and brought her finger to it, hovering it above the lip. She gave a low whistle, and gently tapped her finger against it a few times. After a moment, Senah saw...something emerge from the flask and crawl up onto Akane's finger. The oni lifted her hand a little to give Senah a better view of the creature, which seemed to be some sort of disturbing cross between an eel and a centipede. It circled around Akane's finger as if confused, then lifted its head up and probed the air around it. All the while, it secreted a clear liquid, which dribbled down Akane's hand and fell back into the flask.

"That," Toushiko declared, "is a sake bug. Otherwise known as 'an oni's best friend', due to its ability to constantly churn out alcohol." The so-called sake bug stared right at Senah, and softly chittered. "We've had these things as long as anyone can remember." Toushiko shrugged. "The sake they make ain't the best, but it gets the job done. It's the best you're gonna get for free."

The sake bug started crawling around faster and chittering louder, clearly distressed at being out in open air for so long. Akane gently led it back to her flask, and it quickly crawled back inside to resume its life of lazily swimming through the liquid. "On the other hand," Toushiko continued, "there's the water bug. Instead of making sake, it takes in sake and converts it to water. So it's...pretty much useless for most oni." She chuckled. "Luckily, I ain't most oni, and it comes in handy whenever I've got a guest." She nodded toward Senah. "As I'm sure you'll agree, even if you think it's a little...well, y'know."

"Of course..." She rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't have to deal with that knowledge at all if somebody hadn't had such a big mouth," she said, staring very pointedly at Akane, who just gave a teasing grin in return. "Oh, Senah, strong," she said casually. "Can handle...little, bug. Right...Senah?"

Water bug? Oh is that where the water comes from? She wasn't sure what to predict on that, mostly what the bug is like. However, that curiosity was later answered as she first saw the sake bug that emerges from the flask? Huh it is that small? Many many different questions was flowing through her head at this particular moment.

The water bug was later explained, rather odd food supply in her opinion, which also raises quite a lot of question about the creature. Her gaze moves from the sake flask to the water bottle that she was holding, and she caught sight of the bug floating in the water.

Of all the expression she could have made, curiosity and awe may not have been what the onis were expecting nor were they expecting the response that came out of her. "This is quite amazing. To think there are creatures like this..." From that voice, it sounded less like a girl trapped in a hot region with bugs in the drink and more of an entomologist discovering a new specimen. And it doesn't stop there. "So the sake bug, what is it that ingest to be able to create the sake? The water bug has has a symbiolic relationship with the sake bug? How do they avoid getting drunk in their home? Do the bugs share a colony together. Oh, a colony of these two can be a mobile oasis." It's official, she's geeking out and her mind is going 9,000 mph.

Both the oni blinked in surprise at Senah's enthusiasm, and they glanced at each other. Akane's surprise quickly faded into a smug grin, while Toushiko's face just twisted up in confusion. "W-wait, so you don't think it's gross, or anything?" Clearly, this hadn't been the response she was expecting.

She had little time to think about it, though, as she soon found herself hopelessly overwhelmed by Senah's rapid barrage of questions. "Well, uh, I think it takes in ambient, er, magical ener—n-no, I wouldn't really say they have a—th-they cling to the bottle, see, an'—no, if you put 'em together, then y'don't get any—y-yeah, I guess, but we don't really need water..."

To say that Toushiko was a little taken aback by Senah's intense curiosity would be the understatement of the year. All the while, Akane looked on in amusement, unable to keep up with the conversation herself, but enjoying her friend's predicament nonetheless. She took a swig from her flask and grinned at Toushiko. "See? I, said, she...handle it."

Toushiko ran a hand through her hair, exasperated. "Yeah, uh...clearly. I guess it sorta makes sense...y'know, with the whole plant thing." She gave a shrug. "Well, kid, I've gotta give it to ya: you're not as easy to spook as I thought." She smirked. "That's another point in your favor."

With that strange tangent over with, the room fell quiet for a moment until Toushiko spoke up again. "Y'know, now that I think about it, the doc's probably back by now..." She slowly got up off the bed, and leisurely stretched her arms. "Probably better if we took care a' that sooner, rather than later. Your foot's still lookin' pretty bad." She covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. "Unfortunately, he doesn't, uh...Haaaaaah...he doesn't make house calls, so we're gonna have to go over there ourselves." She walked over and knelt down next to Senah. "How's about it? You think you're feelin' good enough for me to carry you over there, or do you need to rest some more? It ain't a long trip, but I understand if you're not up for it yet."

Senah covers her mouth, looking thoroughly embarrassed after rapid-firing questions after question at Toushiko of her moment of loss of self-control.  "I apologize for my rudeness.  It is just that this is the first time that I have seen bugs that that create perfectly consumable water and sake.  And water is a very valuable resource to us.  Even if we have enough, we always try to store enough for when we are short on it.  I suppose we love water as much as oni loves alcohol."

She pauses to take a brief sip of the cool water once more despite the presence of the bug, though that is now to be expected as the onis now know that she doesn't fear the bug in her bottle, though she is meticulous to not stir the bottle too much to allow the bug to keep its grip in its home.  

"I think I can make the trip as I am refreshed enough with the water.  Thank you for that."  She pauses for a moment as if she realizes that she is missing a bit of information in her mind.  "Although, it is possible that I may have too much rest.  How long was I unconscious?"

(Hehe, apparently Toushiko can be defeated by talking her to submission.)

"Actually..." Toushiko gave a reassuring smile. "You're tougher than you think, kid, 'cause you were only out for a few hours. Somethin' like...four-and-a-half at most, probably." She chuckled. "I mean, considering I thought you'd be sleepin' through to next morning, that's pretty quick."

She slowly stood up and made her way over to Senah, picking up her backpack and setting it down on the bed next to her. "If you think you're ready to head out, then, you can go ahead and put that on."

As Senah did so, she couldn't help but wonder how Toushiko intended to bring her over to the doctor. She couldn't walk on her own, of course, but due to their height difference, she couldn't throw her arm over Toushiko's shoulder and limp along on one leg, either. What were they going to do?

Toushiko's answer to this was, of course, simple and to the point. Once Senah had gotten her backpack on, the oni simply swooped her arms under her and effortlessly lifted her up off the bed in a bridal carry. "All right, we're ready!" Toushiko declared. "Let's go see the good doctor!"

With a nod, Akane took one more swig from her flask before standing up and heading through to the main room, holding the drapes open for Toushiko to pass through. Though her vantage point was awkward, Senah could see that this room was significantly bigger and less cluttered with knickknacks and artifacts than the guest room—though it still had plenty of both mounted on the walls. Thick mats and pillows littered the stone floor, with chairs and a table sitting on one side of the room. There were a couple more drapes on the opposite wall, presumably leading to other rooms.

To put it bluntly, it was a bizarre mish-mash of clashing styles that left Senah wondering how much time Toushiko actually spent inside her own home. It almost seemed like this place existed more as a convenience for her, a place to rest for a while and store her belongings in before leaving again.

Neither of the two oni seemed to mind it one bit, though. Akane stretched her arms and yawned, turning back toward Toushiko. "Was, nice...see, you again." she said, and looked at Senah being carried in Toushiko's arms. "And, nice to...meet, you." She smiled. "Maybe, see...again." Waving goodbye, she walked over to what was presumably the front entrance—a set of heavy overlapping flaps that looked like they could be tied closed—and ducked her way through, holding one open for Toushiko to follow.

The red oni looked down at Senah. "Well, kid?" She grinned. "Ready to see the Underworld?"

Senah was only able to get one more sip before the backpack was placed on her feet as she was instructed to put it on. A nod of acknowledgment was given before she leans down to pick it up and sling each of the straps over her shoulder before she takes additional straps and pulls them criss-cross over her chest before they snap into place with a harness, securing them on her body.

Before she was able to inquire on how will they travel to the doctor, she lets out a brief startled yelp as she finds her being tilted and carried within Toushiko's arm. Well that answered the question alright and was within her line of logic.

As they pass through her home, she notices that there were quite a number of items that are scattered around the area. She was able to identify a few of them but mostly common things she has seen through her travels but many other left her stumped. How far did Toushiko traveled to obtain all of this?

She turned and waved at Akane with a bright smile, despite her generally gentle demeanor. "It was nice to meet you again, Akane. Thank you allow me to stay while I recover. I hope to speak again one day." Although part of her was a bit sad that should she find herself back to the surface, there lies a chance that it may be the last time she does. At least she has built some nice memories on the way.

She finally turn her head towards Toushiko, nodding. "I am ready." She does steel herself for more of the heat while keeping the water flask close hand as the source of coolness within hand is still comforting before she is ready to see another part of culture, one that lies below the earth.

Toushiko nodded. "All right, then, here we go. Brace yourself, kid..." She walked toward the entrance, Akane beckoning them forward under the opened flap. "...'Cause this might be a little jarring." With that, she stepped through.

And Senah was suddenly thrust into a completely different world.

Like when she first woke up, the first thing that hit her was the smell. The intense odor of alcohol was just as strong as it had been inside, but now Senah's nose was suddenly being assaulted by a whole new host of sensations. The first was the acrid smell of sulfur, seemingly surrounding her and making her face reflexively scrunch up in disgust. The second, only a little less unpleasant, was the familiar scent of smoke, which mixed with the sulfur to make Senah's eyes water for a few moments.

What...what was this place, that it was so hostile to simply breathe in? Did people really live like this?

A quick glance upward revealed Toushiko taking in a deep breath, and slowly exhaling with a smile on her face. "Ahhh, fresh air..." She looked down, and her smile faded. "Hey, you doin' all right? Just take it easy, there, you'll get used to it."

After taking a few seconds to blink the tears out of her eyes, Senah slowly looked around her new environment, her eyes drifting upward toward the cave ceiling. She hadn't quite been sure what the Underworld would look like—'a big place deep underground' wasn't exactly the best of descriptions, after all. Was it one giant cave? A sprawling network of tunnels, like the ones above? Some alternate dimension, even?

Wait.

Where was the ceiling?

For a moment, Senah thought that Toushiko had lied to her, and that the Underworld wasn't really underground. After all, if it was, she should've been able to see the top, right? An eventual ceiling of rock as the walls on either side of them slowly curved upward to meet one another? But no such formation existed here. The ash-covered stone of the ground had no counterpart up above—instead, Senah's vision faded and was eventually obscured by thick plumes of smoke that rose from countless rivers of flowing magma running across the landscape. But that smoke had to be...miles up, at least. It slowly drifted up and away, disappearing into a nebulous mass as high up as a cloud in the sky.

Emerging from the sky-covering "cloud" were gargantuan iron chains that softly illuminated the smoke with a fiery aura. Senah's gaze followed their path down, until they either buried themselves in the ground or disappeared over the horizon. She couldn't hazard a guess as to their purpose, but she occasionally caught glimpses of winged figures floating up and down the chains, seemingly checking every link. Likewise, she briefly saw similar creatures soaring every which way through the smoke, disappearing into it in one place and reappearing from it in another.

Just to complete the spectacle, Senah looked from side to side. No matter where she turned, it was almost always the same—no cave walls in sight. The only exception was behind her, where she saw the ground begin to slope up into a wall, and eventually disappear into the seemingly infinite smoke cloud above. The wall was pockmarked with countless holes, which Senah quickly realized must have been tunnel entrances, judging by the occasional silhouette passing through them. Did that mean that Toushiko was living on the edge of the Underworld, then?

"Hey." Toushiko's voice snapped Senah out of her reverie. She looked up at her, and the oni's concerned frown was still present. "You sure you're up for goin' to the doc? You seem pretty spaced out." She glanced uncertainly back at her home. "Maybe we should bring ya back inside, let everythin' sink in for a bit..." She chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry. I, uh, didn't really do a great job of preparin' ya for this, did I?"

The first instinct Senna did was cough when she was exposed to the sulfuric air.  She can handle the heat thanks to partually tredding through jungle before, she can handle bugs as they are sybiotic to her people.  Sulfur is entirely foreign to her.  Quickly she pulled her scarf over her mouth as if she is within a sandstorm, still coughly slightly as she rubs her eyes for a brief moment from the slight burning sensation.

While she gets her bearing, she observes around her.  She did see a brief glimpse of the underworld but she was far more concerned with other matters to really take notice.  Now that she can pay attention she sums it up with one word, huge.  A whole new biome exist this farm within the earth making her question how big is the world to go so far down and have so much room to almost literally fit a whole world underneath.

Senah rubs her forehead briefly.  "Give me a moment" She takes some breath before concentrating briefly.  Nothing seems to be happening but for some reason Senah seems to be slightly less daunted physically by the hostile environment, though she still looks uncomfortable within it. "It is still harsh for me but I think I can endure.  I will have to face it at some point."

Toushiko looked at Senah uncertainly before slowly nodding her head. "...All right, then, if you say so. Just tell me if it gets too bad, okay?" With that option in mind, she started forward again, her bare feet leaving shallow footprints in the ash-covered stone as she went.

After a few moments, Toushiko spoke up again. "So...other than the smell a' brimstone, what's goin' through your head, kid? Wonderin' how this place got so damned big, maybe?" She chuckled. "It's usually one of the first things people ask me when they see it, so I wouldn't be surprised. Although, honestly..." She shrugged. "...I'm not really sure, myself. I've heard that this place is bigger on the inside than the outside, due to some..." Her voice took on a joking tone as she grinned. "...Spooooky deeeemon maaaagiiiiic~!" She gently shook Senah a little to complete the effect. "...Though, I think it's got somethin' to do with those  big ol' chains." She gave another shrug. "I dunno. Might be somethin' to ask the doc when we get there...I'm sure he's told me half a million times already, but he probably wouldn't mind helpin' me jog my memory."

They were starting to come upon some more houses, now. It seemed like Toushiko lived on the outskirts of town, for there were only a few scattered homes when they'd first set out. Now the number of them was steadily increasing, and Senah was quick to notice how strange they looked—small, boxy homes with slanted roofs reminiscent of historical Eastern architecture, though instead of sliding doors, heavy flaps like the ones in Toushiko's home constituted the front entrances. Additionally, rather than being made out of wood, as their design seemed to suggest, the houses were built from hardy black stone.

Well, Senah supposed that made sense, what with all the fire and magma everywhere.

Of course, along with the mounting sight of houses came an equally growing number of oni walking about. The color of their skin was split between red and blue, with the former slightly outnumbering the latter. None of that seemed to affect their reaction to her, however, and Senah caught some curious glances directed toward her from both colors—as well as many more suspicious ones. Most of them shrugged and went back to what they were doing after a few moments, but there were a few who continued to stare right at her, muttering among themselves.

Senah gulped. Suddenly, being surrounded by seven-and-a-half-foot-tall strongmen who were giving her the evil eye while she had no way to escape didn't seem like such a good idea.

She felt Toushiko's arms give her a reassuring squeeze. She glanced up, and saw the oni flashing her a confident smile.

...That's right, she had Toushiko protecting her. The oni had promised her that she wouldn't let any more harm come to her, and Senah felt inclined to believe her. The knowledge was comforting, and helped ease her fear of this otherwise hostile place.

As they continued making their way toward the doctor's abode, Senah started noticing the occasional non-oni nearby. Always one-of-a-kind, it seemed—she saw a wolf-like woman with pitch-black skin and eyes that blazed with fire jumping from rooftop to rooftop, a heavy burlap sack slung over her shoulder. Soon after that, she spotted a cloaked figure walking silently in their direction, head hung down as if trying to avoid attention. Their face was hidden under a thick hood, and they didn't even spare a glance toward Senah as they walked past, apparently heading away from the town.

Soon, Toushiko stopped short as they came upon what Senah could only guess to be an impressively huge market. Beings of all kinds had set up their own stalls on either side of the busy street, and were hawking countless different wares to passersby. Aromas much more pleasant than the ambient sulfur and smoke so far wafted through Senah's nostrils, suggesting that food was one of the premiere goods being sold here, though she suspected that not all of it was particularly edible for someone like her.

Toushiko breathed deeply through her nose, appreciating all the different scents from the food for a moment. "Ahhh...I always love goin' here. Smells great, and y'never know what you're gonna find." She looked down at Senah. "Of course, that's not why we're here. The quickest way to the doc is to go right through, and lucky for us, the market ain't too busy right now. No festivals goin' on soon or anything."

Senah glanced back toward the market, where the street was absolutely bustling with people going from stall to stall, buying, selling, and browsing. This was supposed to be slow? For a moment, she was very thankful that they hadn't come at a "busy" time—they probably wouldn't be able to move an inch.

"But, y'know..." Toushiko gave a wry grin. "It'd be pretty mean a' me to take ya through here, with all this cool stuff around, without lettin' ya have any of it. So, tell y'what..." She cocked her head toward the busy street. "Since it's pretty quiet, if you see anythin' you reaaaally want while we head through—and it's cheap enough—then maybe Auntie Toushi'll get'cha somethin' real nice to take back to the surface with ya. How does that sound, kid?"

"Well I was going to ask of how does there so much space without the top not collapsing but I believe that is similar line of thinking, I believe." Senah coughs briefly before clearing her throat.  "Chains you say?"  She tries to look around the entire places for any signs of chains or linkage of a sort though considering the vastness, it was a bit hard for her and her eyes not quite adjusted to the underworld didn't quite help.  She decide to stow the curiosity for a later date.

Along the way she observes some of the structures made, it was a simply and practical design with a stable base and, from what she can tell, made of some stone material.  Makes sense due to how available it is compare to most other material and it does have to stand against the hostile environment...or an oni, the latter she wasn't sure it was that tough to stand against.  Now she feels a temporarily miss opportunity to find out the composition when she was at Toushiko's home to do so but she had other priorities during the time.

She met some of the denizens that occupy the area though was a bit uneasy with the glances from the onis especially ones that doesn't seem happy to see her.  She pretty much knew that not all onis were happy with humans, despite Toushiko's assurance that it was in the past.  Of course, the presense of the aforementioned oni that is carrying her does put her in some security but she is still not entirely at ease yet.  How strong is she compare to other onis?  Although she tries to be polite to anyone naturally, she will have to be more cautious not to offend any.  There were other people other than onis but she wasn't quite able to pay attention due to the onis though.

It was then that her sense of smell finds something other than sulphur as they near the marketplace which she was appreciative of not only because it was something else other than her surrounding but she actually recognize some of the scents as well.  At Toushiko's word, she looks a bit embarrassed, they haven't met for too long as already she is being treating like a family member.  "I will admit that I am curious of the goods offered here but I am a bit torn between sampling the food or finding tools along with nice crafts."