William
**The macen had already taken a seat against the tree trunk, propping her back against the length and arching one knee in a lax sitting position. A mild sense of umbrage registered on her pert face, hearing the Uzhi question her about living condition.** "Tch, what did you expect, a palace? I thought you'd know what you were in for following me here in the first place. I've been living like this for a long, long time, ever since my village inland rejected me and cast me out for my... Let's just say... Nefarious reputation..."

**The girl finished with a distasteful leer, and bad tempered inflection. Mercy went quiet for a moment, seemingly lost in a bout of contemplation, as she absentmindedly changed her demeanor watching Serena de-scale the fishes.**

"...Mhm. After my father died, they didn't want me there anymore, and I'll leave it at that. I think I'm going to die soon. I just... Don't feel right. This deep, strange feeling resonating in me, everywhere I go I feel like I'm being watched, and my time is limited... It's been like that, it's the reason I'm so far out here, isolated from everything else. I doubt you Uzhi people live in fear..."
James
"Oh, a village? It's best that you left, in my opinion. Villages are dumb. They're sheep willing to abide by and do nothing, constantly getting raided, unwilling to change, unwilling to stand up for themselves. That's what *Individuals* Do."

*Serena finishes scaling a fish, handing it to Mercy. Her expression seems grim, as if Mercy's words caused sour memories to surface.*

"Here. Skewer it with a stick or something, through the mouth. Many people call elders wise. That they have experience. What they don't realize is that many of them are *Stupid.* They're so bent on tradition and 'old ways' that they refuse to change and adapt to new conditions."

"Feeling like you're being watched is normal. It's a defense mechanism, it means you're on guard. Which, I really should have been. Thankfully, you seem like a nice girl. Believe me when I say that we're not always as tough as we look. My village was raided over and over by bandits. *I* Sought help. *I* Trained my ass off. I learned to fight, use magic for war. I basically gave them their freedom from them. And what did they do? Refuse. Refuse to fight back. So I left. It wasn't worth helping people who won't help themselves."

*During the rant, the scaling began to get a little messy. Pieces of flesh began to be cut out as well as Serena's movements unconsciously began to become faster, almost furious as her grip visibly tightened.*

"If I'm going to be completely honest, don't rely on anyone. It's good to have benefits and friends, but they can always be a detriment."
William
**Mid-way through Serena's explanation, Mercy not only realized that the Uzhi was going off on a tangent, but the fish! It was getting filleted more than she probably meant to, and the hungry macen couldn't bear let any morsel of meat go to waist, thus she quickly interjected when the moment arrived.** "D-Uhh—Serena! Oh my gods, you're taking off more meat than bone..." **She sighed, forgetting the fish for a moment to ponder even deeper about the slime's words of wisdom, in spite of her fervent disposition.**

"So... You know what it's like. Well, that and you've been through troubling times like I have. Does that even begin to sum up your story...? Why don't you just have a seat... Let the fish cook and relax. We're in nature—you *Love* Nature. I love nature, you love nature, and nature?..." **Mercy snickered, leaning her head against the trunk and sighing in relief, then inhaling again, a deep, healthy breath, unto an exhale of equal strength.**

"...Nature loves is. It doesn't talk back, no judgements, just... Our native hearth, us Macen. Guh—Oh uh and I suppose yours too. Slimes. You belong here too."