<div style="background-color:#FCFAFA; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#6594A8; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#D1E85D; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#630908; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><span style="font-family: papyrus;"></span></div></div></div></div><br/><div style="background-color:#FCFAFA; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#6594A8; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#D1E85D; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#630908; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><span style="font-family: papyrus;"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;"><br/>Susannah wasn't armed, dropping Xpiayoc's caution. Her longing for companionship and knowledge of far away worlds was too great for her to continue to be defensive. Her pride of self caused her to retain the authoritative state of speaking that she had had when Susannah was a possible threat. She was an ajaw, after all.<br/>This allowed Xpiayoc to openly stare in wonder at the objects now displayed in front of her. The items that Susannah produced were in a progression from unusual to otherworldly. The silver necklace in the shape of a cross was understandable. The beads, jewels, feathers, fabrics, and very stones of her life were embedded with symbols of her and her people's gods. Many were to bring protection. The next item looked like a gray stone with carved protrusions, yet the woman said it was for communication? Xpiayoc didn't understand what she meant by that, but then, she was from far away. Perhaps it was another religious talisman for clear speech and thoughtful words. <br/>The tube that Susannah pressed to her lips was strange. The material itself looked like a chalk stick, and despite its bright, beautiful colour, none of it came off on to her lips. Xpiayoc reached up and touched her own lips, rubbing her fingers lightly over them. This time of the year was hot, with beautiful rain that added a buzz and warmness to the air, like a steam bath, so her lips were smooth. In the dry months, her lips would sometimes crack and dry, but she had never thought there was something to seek relief from it.<br/>Carrying water was of no shock to Xpiayoc. She had often used a limeta, made with a cut and hollowed luch, the orange kind with with the curved middle. It always gave the water a special, pleasant taste, different from taking it directly from a reservoir, cave, or spring. The thing that was interesting about Susannah's water was the carrying device itself. It was clear, and made a strange crinkling noise as Susannah put it down. Xpiayoc watched as the water lapped from side to side of the bottle before finally settling. Xpiayoc turned her attention to Susannah, staring firmly into her eyes before slowly crouching down on to the ground, not letting go of her knife as she began examining the items with one hand.<br/>Hun Hunahpu took this as the cue to put down his guard. He let out a cheerful yap, lunging towards Susannah and vigorously sniffing her clothes from foot to hair. His tail thwacked Xpiayoc in the face; she pushed his hindquarters out of her way, letting out a huff and adjusting her dark hair. She wished that Hun Hunahpu could speak, and tell her what he learned from Susannah's scent. "if he bothers you, tell him binel and he <span style="font-style: italic">should</span>," Xpiayoc shot an annoyed glare at the overly excited dog, "leave you alone." Xpiayoc reached for the water bottle, letting out a surprised breath at the texture of the container. It was smooth, like a polished stone, but crinkled like a thick sheet of paper when she held it firmly. She fought with the cap on top of the bottle, the hard round object refusing to budge. Finally it twisted open, and in Xpiayoc's hastiness, some of the water spilt to the ground. Xpiayoc continued her investigation unabashedly, tipping the bottle to her lips and taking a small sip. It tasted wrong, with none of the freshness from the water of a luch limeta. Xpiayoc put the cap on the bottle and offered it back to Susannah, face twisted in a slight grimace. "Your water is bad," she said, her eyebrows drawn firmly over her dark face. The stranger didn't seem like a fool, but her water carrying device didn't seem very effective.<br/></span></span></div></div></div></div><br/><div style="background-color:#FCFAFA; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#6594A8; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#D1E85D; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><div style="background-color:#630908; border:1px solid black; margin:10px 10px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px;"><span style="font-family: papyrus;">Notes: limeta means bottle / luch means gourd / binel means to go</span></div></div></div></div>