Jiao Jie had tried to follow Li but quickly lost him when he became one with the surrounding forest. Startled, she barely ducked an overhanging low branch and peered about her. The forest wasn't her home; she was used to cities, to scores of servants at her beck and call. Alone in the valley she felt out of her depth, and lost. She took another step and tried to see what direction she was going. The monk's spirit had pointed to the entrance of the valley and she hoped to gain a sense of direction by measuring the distance between the camp and the attack site by his directions. The stench of rot surrounded her and she shivered. This was madness... Anger rose in her for the teacher who had invited her and then left her to find her own way with a loose ogre nearby. Of course she couldn't know he planned to be rid of her as soon as possible.<br/><br/>Her strides faltered and she stopped, pressed close to a tree trunk for cover as she listened to the sounds. Even if she had only been gone for a couple of minutes, the camp seemed far away and the threat of the ogre so close by. She regretted her decision to leave Madame Shu's silver and jade pins to the better fighters; now she had no way of defending herself alone. It had been foolish to think they would defend her. Now what? She could carry on and hope her ancestors would guide her or try to return to the camp. Another shiver trailed down her spine and she stood motionless, trying her hardest to ignore the oppressive stench.<em>What am I doing here?</em>, she wondered.<em>I am rich. I can have anything I want. Why am I here?</em>It had all seemed so much fun when they all showed up to help a stranger, but somewhere along the road the fun part had passed. Her teacher had forgotten her as soon as new and more interesting things beckoned. Perhaps she should not blame him. In the cities she was an asset, but these roads were new. She didn't know what to do or how to act and struggled with the strange mentality of these rogues. Trusting Li to guide her, she had found herself flailing and alone. And yet, she thought he had been pleased with her efforts until Wei had joined them. It was then when he had seen the difference right before his eyes. A warrior, confident and capable. And a lady of noble birth, used to finery and servants. Without as much as asking her opinion they had decided to go after the ogre, and if she were honest with herself, that stung. She might be a student and ill accustomed to their lives, but to be so easily discarded hurt her pride and worse, the trust she had felt in her companions.<br/><br/>And now it seemed to come together in this valley where she had not wanted to go.<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;"><em><br/>(Result: 4, 3 = 1 + water 3/stealth 1)<br/>(Result: 8, 4,=4 + water 3/survival 0)</em></span>