"Play nice Irawaru, she's trying to communicate."

Aden returns to his senses, though speachless around the nude form.

Sorry about the delay, I missed Irawaru's post.

Irawaru:

You've gained a lot of information about the woman and incidentally about the island. The woman is calm and ready to cooperate as best she can, absent a common language. Success.
Complexity 2, Level 8 = 2 * 350xp = 700xp. 700/5 = 140xp. Grand total: 8090/10000.

Next steps?

Irawaru grins, "I like a big gal." he says with humour.

"It's a new one on me feeling small." Hasnett looks from her own not insubstantial height to the woman. "Now I know how Hoku and Ryne feel."

Smiling at the woman, Hasnett tries to indicate that the party would like to join her.

Having received at least some kind of reaction with primordial, Elohir will repeat Hasnett's words using that tongue.

The woman shakes her head at Elohir, then nods to Hasnett and turns and walks back the way she came.

She is, in fact, wearing heavy sandals (though nothing else). You notice that, perhaps remarkably, her skin shows no sign of abrasions or scratches from the foliage.

The dwarves shrug their packs back on.

"Time to play follow the leader."

Hasnett follows.

"How many people can say they played that with naked woman before"

Irawaru grins mysteriously.

After a few hundred yards through dense undergrowth, you come across another trail. The woman points out three large baskets on the ground with fruit spilled around them. As you look about, it is evident that (people?) were picking fruit from the bushes around here.

She stoops to pick up a large stick; the size of a quarterstaff for her.

Cautiously staying a good distance from the stick, Hasnett looks for signs of sudden flight. If she doesn't spot any, she'll try and ask (by gesture?) if the fruit is good to eat.

The woman eats a small piece and smiles.

Elohir nods along with the comments of the other men but doesn't really seem to get the humor. Seemingly, the giant's nudity has little effect on the half-elf.

At the fruit basket, Elohir will tentatively grab a piece from the basket and inspect what kind of fruit it is and whether it is likely safe for him to eat before taking a small bite.

"Looks good."

Hasnett also picks a piece of fruit and examines it. "Ryne, you should take a note of this. The seeds would be worth collecting." Is the fruit remotely identifiable?

Aden watches as his comrades pick at the fruit. Hoping there heads don't explode or they turn into sheep or pigs.

Hasnett reckons the worst that might happen is she'll grow a lot and that isn't likely to be immediate. Looking at her companions, she can see a lot of advantages to being eight feet tall.

The fruit is not dissimilar in appearance, texture, and aroma from what might be found as edible in jungles anywhere you've been.

Elohir:

Hasnett shrugs. "We're here to make discoveries. If Elohir and I grow suddenly or start acting oddly, knock us out." She eats the fruit.

Not wanting to have to strike Hasnett, Hoku slips over to the vicinity of Elohir.

Hasnett can read Elohir's spoiler

"Good fruit. Try some."

Hasnett eyes her own legs for sudden, rapid growth.

Hasnett eyes her own legs for sudden, rapid growth.

Irawaru takes a bite with gusto, "Good stuff, eh?"

The woman smiles, and points toward the baskets, the bushes, and you, in that order.

Elohir giggles inanely between bites.

"I think our guide is putting us to work."

"Fine by me." Hasnett loads fruit into the baskets, pausing to look at the woman and smiling once more.

"Is this what you want help with?"

The woman says something brief in her own tongue and smiles.

Elohir giggles inanely between bites.

Does anyone other than Hasnett help with loading fruit?

Irawaru grins and with frequent glances at the giantess, helps Hasnett.

Sotto voce to Irawaru - "If you're hoping for sudden growth, you might be out of luck ..."

"Ha, I got yer sudden growth," Irawaru replies lewdly with an obscene gesture.

"Just pick the fruit."

Aden places his palm a on his head as Irawaru makes his jesture. He sighs, "Well atleast I'll be entertained with these people", he thinks to himself. A smile appears on his face.

Elohir watches the exchange between his party with some interest, still grinning occasionally.

He happily picks the fruit and mumbles things to himself occasionally.

Irawaru winks at the giantess.

The woman laughs (a beautiful sound, actually), then, when the baskets are filled, gestures with the stick for you to follow her down the path (inland).

MY DOT, it is gone!

"Landing here I didn't see ourselves picking fruit and mingling with native. Though I didn't expect giant lizards either."

"Flex those muscles."

Hasnett picks up her own basket and follows.

Depending on the weight, Elohir begins pulling the basket behind himself or else carrying it tentatively with both arms. The lifting is tough, but he never breaks a sweat.

As you follow the woman along the path, she suddenly stops and signals that you do the same.

Hasnett:

The woman then lifts her head and lets out a high, loud ululation for about a quarter of a minute, then returns to silent and still.

Hasnett:

"More company ..."

To the woman, hoping to make herself understood and using big facial expressions and hand gestures ... "Is this good or bad?"

The woman makes a sudden slashing gesture with her free hand, clearly signalling for silence.

Soon the others detect what Hasnett has -- more figures, five or six, converging on the group. They seem to be humanoid, but they are difficult to see in detail yet.

Elohir stops dragging the basket and looks around suspiciously. His eyes dart around and he glares at the giantess.

"What's happening? Who are these people?"

"No clue", he draws his blade, "but I have no problem with a good spar"

The woman whirls on Elohir and Aden, taking an offensive stance with her staff.

Elohir stares unblinking at the woman, his eyes have turned black as midnight once more. Other than that, he simply waits to see where she thinks she's going with this.

Hasnett glares at Elohir and raises her finger to her lips indicating silence while nodding at the giantess.

Irawaru clamps a meaty paw round Aden's mouth and looks stern.