A Lesson in History. [Amara]

Why rush, when they had a solid, safe camp with plenty of supplies and no way for anyone that could be chasing them to find them. Better to take their time, wait out the aftermath of everything that he'd started back home; they weren't really that far from the borders, less than three days; so no one in their right mind would think to hunt for their camp here. It was too close, far to close, for normal ninja to hide out. No, they where safer here than anywhere, really; but only because he was smart about his planning and such.

Because he was felt safe enough; both because of his confidence in his own skills and his planning; he was willing to take Amara deeper into the desert, and all the way to the village of Yokuchi. She looked enough like him that she could pass for a native from the coasts, where the sun and climate wasn't quite so harsh; and he looked far more like a native of Yokuchi than he ever did of Ama. This would be good for them both, it had been years since he'd been through here, so he needed to touch base with old contacts and family; and he could start to teach her about her family and their culture. He and Ai had plenty of that to do; in their own individual ways.

He'd watered the horses and packed them with enough gear and supplies to get them safely to the village, without sticking out; they would look like common travelers using the main road, and their horses; while not the perfect animal for the desert; where of desert stock, so they would be fine for the trip. They'd leave Ai behind to her books and scrolls, saved from their former home, as well as the library of this new camp. Safer that way, all around; even with her training she would stick out as a foreigner, she was too pale and had the wrong features to fit in here. Better she stay, and keep the special seal on the door active; so long as someone was in the dungeon encampment, the door would only appear for the 'master' of the facility, which was Raijin, now.

He and Amara where above ground now, the sun was still a good half an hour from rising properly; the twilight dawn was enough light for him to work by, and it was blessedly cool still, so they would make amazing time. If nothing happened, they could be able to make it to the next oasis by noon; they could wait out the worst of the heat there, it was the half way point and a small village in and of itself. "We won't make it before dark, but we'll be able to wait out the worst of the heat at the next oasis. The water is deep and cool, it's a good place to swim and rest. We'll spend a week or so in Yokuchi, then come back for your mother. Sound good?"

Amara was quite happy: in fact, that was a bit of an understatement. Despite the early hour, and the fact that Amara had proved to like to sleep in as late as possible, she was beaming with happiness. Not only was she getting the chance to go on a little trip with her father, but it was to another village – she had never had a chance to see anything outside of Amagakure before, so this was a whole new learning experience. That was also added on to the fact that her mother had presented her with a gift before leaving: the very outfit she was currently wearing. It was something her mother had apparently picked up at the last minute (outfit in the picture) – and was specially made so that while it would keep her skin covered and protected by the sun, it would also be breathable so she wouldn't overheat; plus it was in layers which would allow for easy removal if needed – and the layers were so different that she could essentially change the way she looked quite easily.

Amara had been busy pretending to be a monster, and even making rawring noises, when she heard her father speak and paused to look at him. She giggled happily, and nodded to his words. ”Yay! I like swimming!” Of course she did; with her underwater breathing ability she was for all intends and purposes like a fish.

Aya, her monkey, had a white sheer cloth covering her: the monkey had been pretending to be a ghost in response to Amara's adorable monster pretending. The cloth also had another purpose; given Aya's size if she were covered she could easily be looked over as a young child – which, calmed the monkey, as she had been worried about the merchants they would come across in Yokuchi: Aya was quite worried someone would try and eat her.

”Daddy, we should get mommy a present while we're there.. something pretty.”

"I was thinking the same thing, really. The markets in Yokuchi are full of amazing things, artists and merchants from all over the world peddle their wares here. We can dig around for a day or two, see what we find. Maybe even find an artisan to commission something really special, eh? We need to pick up some supplies for me to work with too, and you, if you want to learn how to craft things. Your mother and I can teach you all kinds of arts." He was checking the belts on the horse's harnesses and saddles, he was taking both of the riding horses, leaving the draft to peacefully graze the little oasis above the entrance to their camp. Amara didn't know how to ride, but the mare was gentle and well behaved, so long as he was leading, she could ride by herself. It was safer and smarter to have both horses, more water they could carry, and less stress on all of them. She was small, but the sands made the trek harder overall; so both of them riding a single horse would be too dangerous.

Satisfied that everything was ready to go, "Come here, dear. Let's get you up." He'd shortened the stirrups on her horse enough that she could use the properly, and while the saddle was a bit large, that wouldn't be a problem. She'd be able to comfortably sit in it either way, so long as they where walking. There wouldn't be a reason to run, hopefully.

He waited for her to come to him, then would lift her onto the saddle and do a last check of everything. A quick adjustment to the stirrups and a shifting of the cargo pack and she was ready to go. He tugged on the reigns of the mare and lead her over to his own, tying off a secondary, longer lead to his saddle so that she would follow his lead properly. He handed the reigns to Amara, "Hold on to these. You tug on them  straight back to make her stop, pull the right side to make her turn right, left for left. You shouldn't need to worry about it, but better safe that you know. You squeeze on her sides with your legs to make her walk forward."

Moving back to his horse, he jumped up onto her back and settled into the saddle, clicking his tongue a special way and nudging the mare's sides with his heels, signalling her to start walking at a steady pace. He turned her in the right direction as the slack on the lead for Amara's horse caught and she began to follow. The had many long hours in the saddle, and the faster they got moving, the less time in the sun and heat they'd have to suffer.

Amara grinned from ear to ear: the idea of being able to give her mother a present, let alone one unique and meant only for her, made her a quite happy child. While Amara loved gifts and toys she loved the act of giving them more then receiving – and she knew a present from her and her father would make her mother smile which would in turn make Amara and she was sure her father as well very happy.

Speaking of presents she had one for her father that in her sleepy and yet happy mood had almost completely slipped her mind. Once she was up properly on the horse, Aya choosing to sit in front of her so that she could better see – and so Amara could keep an eye on her so that she didn't accidentally slip off – Amara kept one hand on the reigns and slipped her hand into a hidden pocket of her outfit. She pulled out a bracelet that she had made – it was constructed rather interestingly: she had manipulated the beads and cording in such a way that halfway through the bracelet which was made almost entirely of yellow, blue, and purple beads there was a dragon. The outer edges that created the band of the bracelet itself spelled out “I <3” on one side and “Daddy” on the other. The cording had been specially picked out as had the beads - the cording had metal in the center of it that would make it flexible while giving it strength and the beads were made out of metal as well so they likewise couldn't be damaged easily.

It was easy enough, with her father's instructions, to get the horse moving and she couldn't help but giggle as she caught up to her father. ”I almost forgot daddy... I made you something last night.” Which was why she was so sleepy now. She would hold her hand out, and would drop it into Raijin's if he reached for it with a happy smile.

He took the bracelet with him to his horse and examined it while they got underway; a pleased smile appearing as he slipped it into his wrist. "A perfect fit, and wonderfully made. It's beautiful, love. Thank you.~" He nudged his horse to get her moving a bit faster, might as well while it was cool and they could risk spending the extra energy. "When the sun comes up, slip your hood over your head. The sun is dangerously strong in the part of the world, the less direct exposure, the better. If Aya doesn't want to sit in your cloak, I packed her one of her own. It might be a tad large, but it will cover her safely. It'd packed in the smaller bag attached to the left side of the saddle."

His attention was split between his daughter and watching the few landmarks that could be seen in the desert; a few rocky outcroppings and the occasional dead tree sticking above the sands signaling the dead oasis that time had forsaken. They made good time across the sands, with him telling her stories about the caravans and giving her lessons on the region's climate, the animals and such that lived in the sands, everything he could think of. The sun was just reaching it's zenith when they crested a large sand dune and the oasis they would rest at appeared before them; it was settled deep in a rocky bowl that was fairly obviously a collapsed cave system; it was full of water and grasses and trees and shade, as well a dozens of traveling groups and the permanent residents that maned the shops of the trading post and village within the oasis' protection.

He led their horses toward one of the many stables, dismounting and handing the lead of his horse to the stable hand that greeted them. "We'll be departing in a few hours. Make sure they're watered, brushed, and given a chance to eat, if they want. Do you have massage hands on staff?"

"Yessir."

"For both of them, then. I want them happy and ready in 4 hours."

"Understood."

He moved toward Amara and Aya, helping them down off their horse, "Come, dears. Let's get something to eat and somewhere to cool off. After we've rested a bit, I'll show you around the area, then we can go swimming. Sound good?"

Amara beamed from ear to ear when she realized her father liked the bracelet she had made him. Amara listened to her father's instructions about her hood, and of Aya having her own cloak if she didn't want to be within Amara's own. She nodded to her father. ”Okay, daddy.” Her hood ended up on not long after, but Aya chose to use her own cloak which was carefully placed on the monkey – though, Aya did end up cuddled up in Amara's for a quick nap halfway through their trip to their first stop.

When Aya wasn't napping both her and Amara were listening carefully to the lessons that Raijin was giving; both very eager and intent to learn and absorbing the knowledge like a pair of dry sponges.

When they arrived, and after their feet were both on the ground, Amara slipped her hand into her father's and then her other hand into Aya's. She nodded to her father's words and grinned from ear to ear. ”Yay! Swimming!” Okay, daddy. Come on Aya; don't let go of me.”

”I'm one very hungry monkey...” Aya stated, tightening her grip a bit on Amara's hand and keeping close.