"… That is a somewhat valid point and I suppose none of them have killed me yet but I'd just like it to be known that I object to this. At least somewhat."

Elleira nods and smiles encouragingly.

Eugh.

So she goes and taps the red rock.

Nothing horrible happens to her!

Unless being covered in a small splash of water coming off the mysteriously appearing man counts as horrible.

Who's this, then?

He blinks and looks around at them, then looks behind and– seems confused by the absence of something.

"Where am I?" he asks in English.

… Is that an osprey standing on top of the red rock?

"… Uh."

"Was he caused by the rock or did he just happen to appear here?"

"He appeared when I tapped the rock so– probably the rock but I don't know?" She tries tapping the rock again.

Nothing happens.

"Hello?" he asks, in Cantonese this time.

Yeah, I can hear you, she signs. Just a sec.

Blink.

"Try asking him."

Did you see anything shiny? she asks.

Then she goes to tap the 'male' rock because ugh this is weird.

"Nope," he says, using English again. "I'm Formed."

"He says he's 'Formed', whatever the hell that means."

… He looks briefly surprised by the change.

"Ask him what that means."

"I'll just… translate what he says when he says it. I can probably do that."

To the mysteriously appearing guy, he signs: What does that mean?

"That I only just came into existence?" he says. "Most people know what the Formed are."

Relayed (in sign language).

"Suppose that answers the question."

"But it raises some new ones. Like what kind of culture has a word for that."

"It's the regular one for that language, just meaning… to form something, but as an adjective," says Thario, also signing the conversation to the newcomer. "What's your name?"