“I was thinking that we’d take some samples further down the river, but yes, we should probably try and cover more distance while the sun’s up,” Marla said. Though she’d prefer to take samples every inch of the way, that was neither a good nor practical idea, and she had to agree with Hanjae on that.

“I say we should make another stop an hour or so further down the river. That sound good to you, Number Two?”

Tucking the sample she’d referenced earlier into her bag, Marla took up post at the front of the boat. Judging by the clear sky, it seemed the crew was in for some heat today, especially since they’d be stuck on the river and in the sun. Had they been trekking, the leaves would have sheltered them from the rays to come, but Marla supposed that sacrifices had to be made for speed.

“Say, how about camping early and going on a trek today instead?” She pointed at the sky with a thumb. “Weather doesn’t look too cool after this mist clears up, so we might as well use this chance to get in some excursions into the jungle.”

For her research, samples from near the river were enough, but the nature of her research meant that her object of study was always expanding, and it was likely that samples from deeper inside the jungle would be pertinent in the future, if not now. She had, however, been hogging most of the spotlight when it came to sample-collecting, and she didn’t exactly want her first day as the de facto leader to be completely centered on her. As a friend, colleague, and fellow enthusiast of science, Marla felt that it was only fair to split the day fifty-fifty in terms of focus. Otherwise, the trip wouldn’t be mutually beneficial.

[@Scrivener]