[@Regitnui] [@Esailia]

Zeke smiled in response to Rhen, though it was only a courtesy.  Affected since birth by monochromatism, Zeke was completely unable to distinguish any color.  He only knew of color from the words of others, though was never able to grasp the concept.  As such, he often forgot entirely of its existence, as was the case here.  To him, it seemed as though the shadows on the changeling's face and hair shifted to the other side, with the occasional dark band in between.

He tried to hide his confusion, but honestly Zeke had no idea what he was looking at.  Instead, he focused on Rhen's words.  They were indeed correct about him not being interested in girls, though he didn't really care to mention that.  Unfortunately, he had already revealed it by failing to recognize the flirtatious nature of the changeling's smile.  [color=DB70DB]"Well-"[/color] he realized, too late.

[color=DB70DB]"Erm."[/color]  He decided against saying something else, and instead maintained a prolonged silence.  [color=7D26CD][i]Good job.  You were not only unsuccessful in conversing with the changeling, but you've also made yourself into an awkward fool.  Congratulations.[/i][/color]  Zeke touched the tip of his nose with the knuckle of his index finger.  [color=DB70DB][i]Well, maybe so, but this is normal behavior in this regard.  If anything, it makes me look more relatable.[/i][/color]

[color=7D26CD][i]Perhaps.[/i][/color]

He continued working at the wood, vaguely paying attention to what the others were saying.  [color=DB70DB]"Maybe there are no animals because a large group of strange people just appeared from a foreign magical device,"[/color] he muttered.  Magic was viable here, since the portal could bridge and Rhen had obviously just used it, but that didn't mean that magic was actually an aspect of this world.  What if they had introduced it by coming here?  From what Zeke knew, magic could be self-contained, so this was entirely possible.  And were there humanoids here to begin with?

Then he had another idea, one so profound and probable that it actually made him stop walking.  The only form of life they had seen were plants.  What if this was a relatively new ecosystem?  These grasses would be the pioneer species, unable to support more than one or two tropic levels in a food web.  He knelt to feel the ground.  The soil was rough, which could indicate rocks had been recently broken down.  The grass was the same way, a hardy species adapted for survival.

It made perfect sense.  Zeke scanned the horizon - there were a few flowers and trees, but not many; the next stage of succession was underway.  It fit too well.  His heart pounded loudly, he couldn't breathe.  Was it the truth?  Would he be able to study a fresh, uncontaminated ecosystem?

But as he examined the mountains, Zeke released his breath in dismay.  They were sedimentary, clearly eroded over time by wind or water or dust.  They were not very tall.  What reason would there be for old mountains to be near young plants?  Unless it was the erosion of the mountains that helped create the soil?  He thought furiously, though didn't have an immediate answer.