text; @majimagoro

[hikae]

Following up on Stargirl's question, here's the answer. The Embera are edible, taste like burnt chicken, kind of chewy— not much different from how reptiles usually do. That's not on itself the biggest revelation tho. Remember how they're warned about their fire-hot venom? How lethal they are?

It's just plain wrong. These sad noodles don't even have venom sacks or anything of that sort! Their bite is just that, a bite. Also, I'm pretty sure I don't have any secret resistances to poison, I'm as a regular human as I can get.

So here is a helpful guide for yer own snake dinner: Burn down something and bait them with ash, they'll slither over. They're pretty docile, but they will bite and stab if threatened, so it's better to hunt them from at least a little distance. Right, it's their tail that's their main weapon, there's a sharp blade-like bone at the end of it.

If ya wanna hints on how to prepare them on yer own in a variety of ways, just ask Zhao. Snake on the stick is possibly the easiest, tho. Making a snake soup could feed more people at once. Tho we can't all just gather for one big picnic, that could blow our cover— still, we got a few done, and ready, just let us know where you are and we can arrange a snack delivery.

—I can't stop wondering why they have such a bad reputation among the locals. If they experience Embera's bites like they describe them, then— everything is just making less and less sense.

Comments

[hikae]

That's some really good investigative work—! If this was a horror movie, everyone would be some kind of ash-zombies and Embera feeding upon them.

...

It's probably easier to break a curse than to find an Orb. But similar, uh narrative beat

[construing]

Aw, man, you jinxed us. Now the zombies are gonna come crawling out of the desert. Thanks a lot.

[ if they have to face a zombie sandworm, guess who's getting the blame. (hint: it's not gonna be her.) ]

[hikae]

D'awww—[ Ooops ] Fine, I'll take responsibility. Honestly, actual zombies would be an improvement at this point.

[construing]

[ you know what— ]

Okay, that's valid. Zombies would at least give us a clear direction. [ straight to the theme park mass zombie shoot-out, but a direction is a direction. ]

[hikae]

And there's plenty of open shooting space too.

[ Actual Zombies™ also come with that liiiittle problem of being highly contagious with their condition. But it's fantasy land right now, and everyone can be a hero— still that could come off as wrong so he hastily adds ]

—not that I'm suggesting opening fire to the locals, not at all!

[construing]

Thanks for the clarification that you're a decent person.

[ it could be sarcasm. but considering the types that sometimes pop up, it could also be genuine. we might never know. ]

[hikae]

[ Ah, sarcasm, that's how he does take it as ]

I ain't one really, but it's good to have standards.