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Even if he hadn't been born here, in this settlement, Jauhar was Lerin's home, and he held no fear of the jungle darkness regardless of whether or not this particular patch of it was expressly familiar to him. As a child, he'd always been left to his own devices for long stretches of time, so even if he wasn't alone now, and even if he had much more of a town to explore than he'd ever had at home, it still struck him as uncomfortable to remain so entrenched within a bustling civilization for too long.

He preferred the darker, quieter, less inhabited by earthlings region near the forest floor. Though all manner of vicious beasts lived in the murk, particularly now that a new threat had revealed itself, Lerin couldn't bring himself to be frightened of 'normal.' He understood the habits of menzuri and wadana, though dretch were still wildly unfamiliar to him.

Those monsters ought to be more frightening. But if they were a race of heathanistic bug mages, what use could they have for abducting one meek, physically weak boy? He wasn't so presumptuous that he thought they'd have any interest in him. And if he did go missing, he couldn't imagine anyone would miss him.

Either way, nothing to fear.

So Lerin breezed through the underbrush with a certain degree of nonchalance, looking for nothing and with no goal in mind. He only wanted to see the roots, bushes, and mosses at the base of the trees, and feel comfortable in their embrace. He would need to return eventually, to tend to his creatures and see if Ziari needed anything of him, but for now, the silence and seclusion was a welcome comfort-

Silver eyes narrowed on a splodge of something that distinctly didn't look like it belonged lingering alone on the forest floor. Was it... a girl wearing pink? He supposed that wasn't too strange on its own. From behind, she looked like a Leaf earthling with short red-brown hair, tanned skin, and a diminutive stature. Taleian then, and so not even especially far from home. Lerin leaned forward just enough to try and have a better look at what she was doing.

Was she tasting-?

"Um, Miss?" he questioned softly from still several yards behind her, though hesitantly moving forward. She almost looked like a child, but that couldn't be correct... No one would've left her to wander alone, he was sure. "You- you know Jauhar is known for its extensive list of dangerous and versatile toxins... You really oughtn't put anything in your mouth, I think..."

Ought he argue with her? Perhaps tasting with the 'tip of her tongue' wasn't exactly putting it in her mouth, but the toxic spores many mushrooms produced tended to linger on the surface. Ingesting even as much that could be collected from dabbing at them as she had could be enough, depending upon species, to cause an unpleasant bodily backlash. Some could even do it from just brushing against it with the barest touch.

But he supposed the deed was already done in this case, and likely wouldn't cause her any damage this time. He tried a hesitant smile. "I have never been to Tale's forests," he admitted. "But I have always been told that there is no more dangerous a place than Jauhar's jungles. Everything here wants to kill you: the animals, the plants, the amazons... But given proper technique, you should be able to kill most things in turn."

Lerin's smile flicked briefly to something almost amused. "Though, as a general rule of thumb-" He put a hand on his lip and cocked it to one side. "I advise you not to use your mouth in the killing process."

She looked so young, and so small. He'd assumed she wouldn't be out here alone. Why would she be? What would draw a lone girl to this place? But no one appeared to be around, and she seemed to be interested in discovery, though her methods were certainly peculiar. "Ah, yes. As much as you're a girl, I would imagine... My name is Lerin. What's brought you so far out here, if I may ask...?"