<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/><span style="font-style: italic">A friend! Suku'um!</span> Xpiayoc thought excitedly, pleased at such a response from Susannah. As Susannah sat down near the windswept girl, Xpiayoc rolled to be beside her, staining her plain brown clothes with that slight, sweet-smelling green colour that came from the lush grass. Having caught up to her breath, she popped up and drew her knees up to her chest. The light breeze from behind caused her huipil to carry in the wind, making a satisfying fabric noise. Hun Hunahpu continued to sniff at the foreign girl's hair, with the same enthusiasm as he had shown before. Ixchel wouldn't trick Xpiayoc with such an obvious sign, would she? No, no, this felt right. Xpiayoc had prayed for a friend, and she had received one. It wasn't that she had no friends, or was lonely. So many people knew and loved her. But this... this felt so different. <br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">As long as I am here?</span> Of course, Susannah was a traveler after all. At some point she would have to leave, to discover people and things Xpiayoc would never see in her life. Would she meet the crocodile? Could Xpiayoc... go with her? Xpiayco shook her head suddenly, dark hair flying. She couldn't be so quick like that. Her father always told her so. And besides, her people needed her. Some day she would be able to go on trades, if she convinced her mother and brothers, but she couldn't possibly just run away, and never come back. If Susannah was traveling all the time, that meant wasn't tied to anyone but herself. Did that make Susannah the lonely one? Was she really the one who needed a friend? <br/><br/>"Before we go inside," Xpiayoc began, sitting up on her knees and taking a few 'steps' to be in front of Susannah, "you must know this is a sacred place. The gods gave it to us, and the gods' it is. We're only using it, and so we also have to take care of it for them." Xpiayoc stood, brushing off her huipil and skirt for a moment before giving up on the fruitless project, and walked over to the entrance to the cenote. It seemed all too much like a big hole in a short hill, with trees and tendrils growing at the top and hanging over, looking slightly unstable. The hole was dark, but Xpiayoc wasn't afraid. At least, she wasn't afraid any more.<br/><br/>Realizing Susannah was a far outsider, being from Ireland, as she called it, Xpiayoc decided to give more explanation of what the cenote meant. As she crouched and pushed back the dark green overhanging of foliage, she began to explain. "We find the cenotes all over the forest, already formed and chiseled by the gods. At the bottom, there is always beautiful, clear water, even in the dry season, when our chultuns begin to run low. Whenever we find them, we clear them out and make them beautiful, and carve stairs. Sometimes we have sacrifices in them, to make sure the gods will keep giving us water." She began to make her way down the helical stairs carved into the stone itself, feeling the hanging moss and carvings in the wall. She kept herself from looking up, knowing the ceiling's spears would cause her to worry about them falling on her. They never did, and gave the ceiling an amazing depth and texture, but she still couldn't bring herself to it.<br/><br/>Xpiayoc reached the bottom of the stairs, where there was rocky siding around the incredibly azure, shimmering water that inhabited the majority of the area. Standing on her tip-toes, she peered into the water. It was very deep, so deep you couldn't see the bottom. As always. She glanced up towards the entrance, which was now so bright you could barely look at it. Its stream of light fell near the other side of the pool. Turning to Susannah, she snatched the woman's water container and poured the contents on the rocky ground. Since they were friends, that now meant she was allowed to take and grab, was it not? "Fill your crinkly water-carrier with this," she commanded, bending down to cup it with her own hands. She took a satisfying draught, closing her eyes to savor the moment and feel the coolness.<br/><br/>The moment of peace was interrupted by a certain dog giving a mighty leap into the water from a higher stair, splashing both girls with a mighty amount of water.<br/><br/>"Hun Hun!" Xpiayoc spluttered admonishingly, standing up and looking at her now soaked clothes, "bad, bad dog!" Hun Hunahpu ignored her, continuing to paddle happily in the middle of the pool. Xpiayoc glanced over at Susannah, letting out a sheepish chuckle. "Our clothes will dry quick, if we bring them to the entrance." Xpiayoc wondered how the foreigner felt about being unclothed. In front of young children and women Xpiayoc was unabashed, like most of her people. She threw off her huipil and unwrapped her skirt, throwing it over her shoulder as she sprinted up the stairs. At the entrance she kept her eyes in slits, to be sure she wouldn't get spots in her vision. She laid her clothes out, hiding them slightly in rocks. She imagined they were alone, but she could never be sure. When the monkeys were cheeky, they were known to take clothing as well. It was best to stay safe.<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: Suku'um means friend / ceiling spears refers to stalactites</span></div></div></div></div>