"Thank you kindly," says Vetareh, a little bit dryly.

James does not have on his helmet this time! So she notices his delight. She flashes him a quick smile before it's back to business. To the portal!

... Is it obvious how to use this thing, she hopes it's obvious, it would be terribly embarrassing to tell someone that she is an expert in ancient magical phenomenon, and then completely fail to have any idea how to go through a portal.

Nah it's pretty easy in a very internally intuitive way.

Oh good! Then she doesn't immediately discredit herself!

Through the portal, then. And hopefully to the device?

Yep. It's at the top of a rock outcropping closer to a volcano, north of the circus. James promptly activates the device.

"Two gone, two more to go."

She smiles brightly at James and the activated device. Another step closer to not exploding! Hooray!

"I believe it was the caldera next, then?"

"Yeah! We will probably have some climbing to do to reach it. I sure hope Taimi's crew will have had the good sense of installing a waypoint there."

"Eugh, no kidding. Well, no reason to put it off, it's not like the volcano's getting shorter. Aren't I glad I'm in practical shoes."

He laughs. "The circus did seem to have a waypoint so presumably they are stuck here of their own volition. Or maybe the asura were the ones who brought the waypoints here and they're new. Anyway, we can use it to go to the waypoint near the skritt encampment and start our trek north."

She nods; this seems like a good way to get to where they're going.

"The asura bringing the waypoints makes the most sense, and the wrecked ship implies they got here by accident. Otherwise, why would they stay? This is an objectively horrible place for a circus to be. No customers. But all of the equipment probably takes some time to move, and it's not like they'd have a new place to go lined up immediately just because there's now a waypoint." She pauses and considers this statement and its implications. It sounds like it'd be kind of fun to go to the bizarre inexplicable circus, now that she thinks about it. She turns a little sly smile on James as they head back to the circus waypoint.

"... So clearly if we want to go to the singular circus on the Fire Islands, it'll have to be soon after we're done preventing the islands from exploding. We can even buy tickets."

He grins widely at her. "That sounds like a delightful idea."

Her sly smile turns into delighted beaming. "Great! But only if another emergency doesn't pop up, because, you know." She waves a hand. "Fate of the world, responsibility, blah blah."

"It does tend to interrupt us at the most inconvenient times, does it not? But well, I think we should be going, we have a volcano to climb."

She nods. "That we do. Lead on, dear."

He does! Back to the waypoint ("Come back whenever!" calls the ringmaster) and then: they have a trek north to get to the volcano.

Indeed they do!

Except for the occasional attack from vicious enemies that want to kill the both of them, it's kind of boring.

"Soooo. Mechanics of inter-species sex?" she prompts, during a dull moment.

He sporfles at that. "Is there anything in particular you're interested in?"

"Not really? Put me down as having general anatomical curiosity mixed with some 'I said I would ask so I'm gonna.'"

He laughs again. "Well, Norn are straightforwardly big. If it were not for the shapeshifting and the lack of cross-fertility you would think they are merely bigger versions of the same species."

"... Shapeshifting?"

"Have I not mentioned? All Norn can shapeshift into a creature inspired by one of their great spirits. Individuals tend to favour specific spirits to shift under, but they all straightforwardly have the innate ability. I'll introduce you to Braham sometime and he will show you his Bear form."

"Oh. Huh. All right. Giant human-alikes that also shapeshift into bears, and other things." Pause. "Have I mentioned how weird Tyria's gotten? It's gotten weird. Anyway. Okay, intercourse with that one sounds pretty straightforward, if.... brave."

He grins again. "Brave, foolish, your pick."

"I'll stick with brave. Thinking the best of my beloved and all that."

"You are a delight," he accuses, and plants a peck on her forehead.

She giggles. "Thank you! All right, continue, please."