[@Regitnui]

As they neared the mountains, Zeke paid attention to the sun.  There was nothing out of the ordinary about it, though he'd need a few nights to be sure.  He didn't know whether this was a heliocentric or geocentric earth - that was, if it was even a planet at all.  An idea struck him.  What if it was a moon?  Were they orbiting a greater planet now, and was that one orbiting still yet another planet?  The thought was absolutely ludicrous, though fascinating and thus worth contemplating.  But another time.

Kneeling momentarily, Zeke gathered a few solid rocks.  They were abundant in this area, so he decided it would be best for him to take some now.  He quickly stored them in his pack and pulled out a few of his wood rods.  In order to help him make sense of this new world, he would need to run a few tests.  That was precisely why he brought these rods, and so he began to work at them, boring holes and cutting notches with a utility knife.  Hopefully he'd be ready for his first test by the time they set up camp.  If he wasn't, though, it was hardly an issue.  Being an astronomer, he'd have to stay up through the night anyway.

Zeke nodded slightly as Esailia talked, but refrained from asking her any more questions.  Other group members wanted her attention, and he didn't feel like fighting for it - especially when he had nothing worthwhile to say.  When she mentioned that he might work with others to determine cardinal directions or otherwise develop a map, he wasn't very enthusiastic, especially considering the people he was to work with.  The halfling - Shel, was it? - didn't seem so bad, but Rhen was a different story.

As soon as Zeke was aware that a changeling would be entering the portal with him, he knew there would be problems.  How could anyone trust a creature with the ability to change its appearance at will?  It put him a little at ease that the changeling seemed so unsophisticated, and thus less of a threat, but still he couldn't know for certain whether that was accurate.  Rhen could be hiding anything.

But as much as the changeling was dangerous, Rhen could be an even more formidable ally - provided Zeke would be able to withstand their apparent lack of maturity.  It was for this reason that he approached Rhen and tried to strike up a conversation, thinking long and hard about the first thing he would say.  [i]Do you often use your face as a projection of your personal qualities?[/i]  He coughed.  "I've not met a changeling before.  If you don't mind, er, what kinds of forms can you take?" he asked politely though curiously, absently whittling.