Dangers of the Garden Path! (Closed and ready for grading)

"And thus, our intrepid explore Tatum, finds herself in a jungle of unknown origin.  A reliable contact as tipped her off to this jungle of wonders.  There may be hidden treasures or even a temple hidden in it's depths.  But one must be careful, for this jungle is watched over by the goddess Freya!  One wrong move and it's EXILE!  Treat her jungle with respect and she will treat you well!  She has no offerings for the goddess should she run into her, but Tatum has respect for all life!  Hopefully that will be enough to placate the divine entity."

Since Gabe suggested that she check out the Garden Path, she decided to give it the full adventure treatment.  It was a nice little place, with various vegetables, fruits, and berries to show.  She found herself glad to have been suggested this place.  There was a lot to see and she found that she was getting ideas.  If she could be allowed to make use of this location, then she could really save on some money and get some lasting food, right?  Well, maybe when she got better at it.  For now, it was a place to explore and look for any hidden gems that may worth discovering, or even any hidden gems that may have been abandoned by people long ago.  Sometimes she finds loose change that she can use for a quick snack during her explorations.

A snapping sound came from a mass of bushes not too far away from the child. Quick flashes penetrated through the thicket, which was visible to Tatum. Also, the bushes were waving about slightly caused by either the wind or somebody. Probably both, but something indeed was behind the thicket. Upon further inspection, a person stood behind them and their face closely pressed against a digital camera.



The person was a dark-haired girl with a toned complexion -- most likely in her teenage years -- fitted into a thick jacket and pants despite what the warm weather would demand. Beside her feet, a school bag left opened and pointing out were shiny looking objects. the top  If child ever approached, the girl wouldn't notice  them since the teen was too adsorbed in her activity.

This definitely caught her attention. She looked up and saw the flashes and small movement. Confusion overcame her, causing her to tilt her head. She could just call out and ask, but that seemed a bit too invasive.

Investigation... Starto! she thought to herself, making a serious face as she approached.

As quietly as she could, she snuck closer to the flashing light. She only stopped when she saw that she was nearing a person. It was a person taking pictures, it seemed. That was perfectly fine, just a normal picture taking person.

Tatum decided to re-paint them to fit her imaginative needs.

A simple photographer? Or ninja in disguise! It is well known through history that ninjas will take common, mundane appearances and do mundane tasks while guarding important places. Is it possible that Adventurer Tatum has come close to the fabled Temple of... of... um... oh! Of Tat-Tum-Two Tun? Adventurer Tatum must be careful, for to arouse suspicion in this temple guardian would mean her capture, and eventually her doom...

With that, she continued her quiet approach, getting as close as she could manage without being seen. She pulled up on her jacket collar to obscure her face. She wanted to be sure that she was at her best should a conversation be started.

Her eyes locked on the shiny that was the girls school back. Curiosity got the better of her as she approached it.

What could the temple guardian ninja be hiding, Tatum wondered as she approached, she narrated, Tatum was sure that it was something she would need to get into the fabled temple of legends! A quick peek is all she seeks... Heheh, I made a rhyme...

Now that she feels close enough, she tried to get a look at what the shiney was in the girls bag. Perhaps this could get her in a lot of trouble if she wasn't careful, though sadly the child wasn't thinking of such consequences.

As Tatum drew nearer, the shiny object became clearer in shape. In the bag, there were a pair of silver looking pens, which were still gleaming. They had the initials S. S. on them. Another shining bright like the pens, was a slime case wrapped in plastic. Moving away from the camera, the girl began to press side buttons on the device, seamlessly shifting through each photo on the display screen. Her eyebrows arch as if she was questioning something in them. The teen placed the object into one of their jacket pockets as she kneeled down toward the school bag. Her eyes widen a bit in surprise when she saw the child trying to take a peek of . . .? Her gaze followed theirs until it led to the items shining in her bag.

'A little sneaky, huh?' A simple thought crossed her mind about the child.

A flash of recognition crossed the girl's face and quickly went away as it was replaced with a stone-like face. Not showing too much expression except a slight twitch of her eyebrow. She remained in a kneeling position and zipped up the bag.

"May I ask who you are?" It was a bit harsh sounding for a question that intended to be polite. She didn't want to ward off children even though her face appeared rather unfriendly.

I see now... she said as she looked through the objects.  She isn't just a temple guardian.  She is an adventurer as well!  See the gleaming treasures of past adventures!  One wonders what traps and dangers she had to evade before claiming these.  The daggers of Kulom!  The pens in question.  The Box of Pandora.  The slim case.  These are treasures among treasures.  Whoever this is, they are leagues above me.  I must be careful not to let my location be compromised.

"May I ask who you are?"

"MY LOCATION HAS BEEN COMPROMISED!" She cried out in surprised, falling to her rear as she backed away, "Retreat, evade the superior treasure hunter!"

The many possible responses Hikaru expected, screaming certainly wasn't one of them. She stood up quickly, jolting lightly while standing. She walked closer to the kid and said, "Hey now. Don't run away . . ." The teen normally wasn't this apologetic, but there's was something about children that made her soften up. Just a little. Their hyperactive nature reminded of herself way back.

'Was she and her friends playing here? I don't exactly see anyone with her.' She thought and sighed, 'I choose this place specifically to NOT be bothered.'

Hikaru arched her brow at Tatum's comment about a treasure hunter, "Wait . . are you looking for something?"

The superior treasure hunter was not trying to capture her, but clearly the misunderstanding has yet to be resolved! Tatum narrated in her head, Despite her fierce appearance... seriously, that's a scary look. I might have nightmares tonight... Oh, right, Despite her fierce appearance, Tatum has no need to retreat. She intended to stand her ground, even in the face of this danger! Besides, I'm gonna have to let her off the hook at some point, right?

Only now did she actually bother to answer her question, popping into a standing position.

"Salutations, fellow adventurer," she replied with a bow, "You speak to Tatum the Explorer, Expositionist extrodinare and world renown explorer of the mystical realms of Endymion! I can assure you, I am not terrified in the least!"

I am totally terrified, and I know it! But maybe she's friendly? Remember the story of Beauty and the Beast! The Beast... turned out to have a lot of hidden depth and need help bringing out his kinder side... the point is he did have it, it was just buried deep!

"You're not scared. Really?" There's a skeptical hint in Hikaru's tone, though she sped past the question and took a step closer in front of Tatum, "You're alone, huh? What's an explorer like you doing out here?" Perhaps her time shouldn't be spent hanging around children, yet she was still near the kid. Besides, there wasn't anything else to do afterwards except go back home, which doesn't really have anything noteworthy. So, she decided to let the child indulge in their fantasies. Something to past the time would be okay and to distract her from taking some rather lackluster pictures.

This caused her to flinch, taking just a brief step back.

Okay, admittedly, nervous, very nervous, but let's just follow through and see where this takes us. After all, adventure ho!

"W-well," she hesitated before regaining her nerve, "Well, as an explorer of Endymion, one must learn all the secret ways around everywhere. The common path reveals so little, but the hidden paths reveal so much. Even here in Sunlake Palms, this jungle has it's hidden gems! Thus, I, the Great Tatum the Explorer, have dedicated my life to learning all of the secrets of Endymion, for the knowledge to be discovered is sure to help enlighten the masses who sleep in this fair city! Plus, a really nice guy pointed me in this direction, and it's either this or go back home and do homework!"

Well, at least she was honest.

Hikaru's dark eyes stared at the little girl while she explained her reasons. She agreed with kid on some things. There was nothing much else to do for the teen as well, but to study for her one of class test. Was it two days from now or next week? She couldn't quite remember anything anymore. Though, the teen saw nothing overtly special about the Garden Path. Of course, it was and is a pretty place to see all kinds of flowering plants and what not. Nothing she would describe as 'hiding' something. Just a regular type of beauty.

The girl bent down, attempting kneel down to Tatum's height, "Have you found any of these hidden paths on your exploration?" The previously unfriendly tone soften into a calmer one.

Tatum couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. The sterness was fading. Was she being tested?

Might as well reply honestly.

"Oh yes, lots and lots of hidden paths," she replied with a grin, "But they're not for the average person to attempt. You'd have to be pretty athletic and acrobatic to pull off those paths, and fearless! To the untrained, it's a great way to get hurt, but to those who truly understand the paths, there is no faster or better or more fun way to travel! And me? I love to run!"

Hikaru gave out a little chuckle, "I bet your all those things too." Referring to Tatum's requirements for a person ever being able to find hidden paths. 'She might want to add energetic to that list as well.' The teen girl thought and brought herself back to the standing position. "I'm sure you'll do good finding them. More important than what's in here." She slightly shifted her school bag back and forth.

"To be fair," she replied, looking around, "It is a nice diversion. Sure there's not much, but it's nice, quiet, peaceful... if I ever get the money, I'm totally renting one of these! It might help me save some money to grow my own food here! Of course, since I'm just a kid, there aren't a lot of jobs for me here... you wouldn't happen to know a place that hires kids, would you?" Oddly, she thought maybe this one would know since they had a camera. Camera means photographer. Spider-man was a photographer. So that means this person works for a paper, right?

"There aren't many jobs for teenagers let alone children." Hikaru's gaze moved toward another direction, looking for a specific lady. Even though she has never met this Feya, the woman probably could have her do something other than gardening. It wasn't an affirmative answer. "Have you have met with the lady yet? You know, Feya? She could probably help. Other than that, there's not much to say."

"Feya?" She replied, trying to think of where she's heard that name before.

"Oh! The goddess who watches over this jungle!" She then exclaimed. Was it sad that she only remembered because of how she imagined Feya to be like?

"Well, maybe I should see if I can find her! Though, I'm not sure about this part of the time... maybe in the morning?" She could only shrug at the suggestion. "Though, working as a gardener, not the kind of job I'd expect for myself. Hmmm... I'll give it a whirl if she'll let me!"

It seemed she was becoming more curious about this teen.

"So here I am trying to explore and stuff," she asked not so subtly, "What are you here for? Are you writing a news article about this place?"