Bismuth

This was the scariest part of his return trip, Bismuth was almost completely at the mercy of the lions here, they wouldn't make any sounds, and would be able to see him long before he would be able to see him, and with that, he could be being stalked by them for a long time without ever knowing. Keeping himself as low as possible Bismuth made the long and quiet journey through the long grass, somewhat blowing and whistling in the wind. His camp was more centered in the middle of the plains and it would take a bit of time to reach it, especially at he pace that he was able to walk.

Luckily, it seemed like lady luck was on Bismuth's side this time, and he was able to get all the way back to the basin that housed his camp with no signs of trouble, and with it being well past dark, Bismuth was glad to see his tent and campfire, though he wouldn't be lighting one tonight at all. Bismuth crawled into his tent, and laid down, content to go to bed after his long journey. It wasn't long before Bismuth felt himself fading away into sleep, glad to have his glasses, so that hopefully he would be able to track down that golden eagle.

Stalking through the lowlands was about as much fun as stalking through any large flat swathes of just grass, it made Bismuth feel like a hunter hunting a prey, much like the lions in the adjacent Nemean Plains. The task was slow and in the dark any sound that bismuth heard would make him have to pause for moments as he had to make sure that it wasn't one of the patrols of hoplites, or even something worse. at this point it was really dark, and Bismuth practically couldn't see anything and was just having to go based almost completely on his knowledge of the area, which while being vast was not perfect.

Travelling through the plains in the dark wasn't the most difficult thing he had done, and didn't take all that long, and soon enough Bismuth found himself on the edge of the Nemean Plains in the total darkness. Bismuth crouched there thinking, the lions that roamed these plains were not only more active at night, but also had better night vision than Bismuth could hope to have. He was going to have to be very careful when he entered the plains in order to get himself back to his camp. Bismuth sighed as he took his first step into the plains.

The trip back to the main settlement of this floor took an equally fast amount of time, and he found himself crossing into the forest town across one of it's many log bridges. Bismuth found himself at the teleport gate in no time at all, and called out for Athenaia, the main settlement for the seventeenth floor, a flash of blue light enveloped Bismuth as he found his forest home replaced by Greek architecture and the different beauty that could be found in it. Bismuth walked himself through the town making his way past the gate guards and to the same area that he had used to climb up the mountain in the first place. The look down was almost as horrible as the climb up, and the climb wouldn't be pleasant either, almost being enough to make bismuth just use the path patrolled by Hoplites, almost.

Bismuth began the climb, making sure that he had his placements just right, especially since the sun had set at this point, Bismuth needed to take the journey even slower than before. Taking over an hour of hard pressed climbing Bismuth found himself placing his feet on solid ground, glad to have that hard part behind him Bismuth smiled, at night the Hoplites in the lowlands would be easier to avoid, and that would make the journey easier, although he would still have to be more careful than he had been on his journey on the third floor.

The shortest journey of them all was before Bismuth, and by far the least dangerous, Bismuth lived in the Town of Flora in a small tavern called The Bistro that he owned, and that town had a main road leading all the way to it, where no monsters spawned, and Bismuth would be able to walk without any worry at all, a welcomed reprieve when compared to the long journey he had faced before. The walk through the forest was peaceful and beautiful, and Bismuth took his time, he couldn't help it even if he was in a rush, when he was here on this floor, he felt like he had a place, and that he completely belonged, which was something that he had never had before. The border of the Town of Flora was soon reached, and his tavern even sooner after that, opening the door bismuth made his way up to the single actual room in the building, the one that he used as his room.

Papers were strewn everywhere as Bismuth opened the door, his research taking up most of the "bedroom" With a large desk taking up most of the room. On that desk among a pile of maps was a pair of round golden glasses neatly folded and placed in one of the few non cluttered areas on it. Taking them and putting them on Bismuth smiled, the glasses made him naturally more perceptive, and would also make material nodes glow with a blue aura when he was looking for them, which after finally training himself to pay attention for, made the act of gathering a lot faster.

Bismuth sighed as he placed his hands on the jagged almost complete cliff, the climb would be hard, and if he lost his footing it would be a long way down. Bismuth made fast progress for how hard the climb was able to find purchase on small outcroppings of rock as he climbed, not having many issues at all, looking down Bismuth could see that he had climbed hundreds of feet up the mountain, and knew that he wasn't anywhere near done. Reaching up for his next handhold Bismuth felt his heart leap as the rock broke tumbling against the cliff face below, leaving him gripping with only one hand and his feet. The hang had only lasted a few seconds, but to Bismuth it seemed like it lasted forever, bringing his hand back Bismuth made sure that his handhold was stronger before continuing up the mountain.

the rest of the long climb had went off completely without a hitch, and after an hour with almost no breaks Bismuth found himself at the peak of the mountain outside of the gates of the town of Athenaia It wouldn't be much longer until he found himself home. The walk through the Greek inspired town was short when it was compared to the journey that he had just went through, soon finding himself at the amphitheater that housed the teleport gate for this floor. Calling out the name of the main settlement for the third floor bismuth smiled to himself, this floor was beautiful and the main settlement was no different. The flash of blue light dissipated as the mountain top was replaced by a forest filtering a small amount of light from the setting sun, Bismuth would be home soon, and would be able to get his glasses.

The slow trek was agonizing to Bismuth, if he was strong enough to have just completely run through the area, he would have been able to make it there in half the time, but the safety that his sneaking provided him was more than worth it. Bismuth wished that he had gone to Astreya for this, he had promised her that he would go to her before he went about finding a familiar, but he had not expected that this normal foray would have turned into a hunt for a bird. He would go and invite her, but he didn't want to leave for long enough that the bird would be gone, he was already taking a massive risk in climbing all the way back up to the town in order to get his glasses, but he knew that it would be worth that risk with the slight bonuses that he would be able to gain from the glasses he had left at home. 

The lowlands weren't the largest section of the journey, that would be the mountain, and the climb would be by far the most arduous, though, not the most dangerous. The mountain was growing closer and closer and Bismuth pulled out his notebook again to make sure he had a good path in mind. He couldn't take the main path up the mountain because of the regular intervals of hoplites that guarded it, so he would have to scale it on his own, and if he chose the wrong spot, then the fall would surely cause more damage than any of the hoplites could. Resuming his arduous walk, Bismuth reached the base of the mountain without much more time passing. Crouching there in the shadow of the mountain Bismuth gulped, the mountain looked even taller than it had on the way down.

"I can definitely do some sashimi." Bismuth slowed down after a bit, letting his much heavier armored companion catch up, it was an unfair race, and Bismuth didn't want to just be ahead of her the entire way to get to Nemo, which didn't take long. "Heya there Nemo, How's it been?" Bismuth didn't hold a grudge against the man at all, after all he had just been protecting what was his home, a place they had invaded, and taken for granted. Today's mission wasn't for the material per say, but rather for the cataloguing that he was going to be able to accomplish in Nemo's garden, with all of the rare materials that were there. "The Garden is thriving, care to join me?" Nemo's response was simple as the pair reached him, and the invitation was quickly accepted by Bismuth. 

"It's nice to get out, with all the work, I haven't been able to go out like this, thankyou for joining me." Bismuth smiled over at Nari, the tired eyes seeming a bit brighter, but still more dim then when Nari had first met the man. Bismuth looked around as they passed through the edge of the Town of Flora, it didn't have any fences or walls, and just sort of slowly petered out, being surrounded by nature beyond it's borders. "I can never get over how stunning it is here. This floor has always been my favorite. The peace and serenity of nature, a humble village life, everyone has their place." Bismuth stared around them, finally looking up at the sky, the stars weren't visible, but Bismuth imagined them all the same. "Here the Night sky is the most beautiful, all the stars are more vivid then you could ever imagine. Sometimes when I can find the time, I will come out here and I will just watch the stars." Bismuth looked over at Nari, a hard to pinpoint on his face, seemingly about to ask a question before lightly shaking his head and looking back forward, seemingly content with his monologue. 

"Well that sounds neat, at least the rewards will be okay. Hopefully the skill ends up being useful, I could really use a boost to my power." Bismuth smiled as he looked towards the sandstorm that seemed to be raging through the desert sands in front of them. Bismuth quietly smiled at his own luck, he had glasses, and thanks to that, he wouldn't have to worry about the sand getting in his eyes, though he couldn't speak so confidently about the rest of himself. These glasses were more than just for show though, they provided him with a better ability to see the materials that he needed to collect, making them shimmer with a blue aura, something that he had grown accustomed to looking out for by now. 

Bismuth chuckled a bit at Corvo's joke, smiling "I don't think I have ever heard that one before, I have to add it to my repertoire." Bismuth could tell that the man who had arrived here before them was an odd character, and the grin he wore at the thought of killing made a shiver run down Bismuth's spine, making a mental note to watch out for him as they walked out into the storm, which didn't seem so bad for now. There were no blue auras, which were going to be really hard to see in this storm, but hopefully not impossible. Bismuth "I appreciate the help Astreya, I don't know how I would ever make it out of town without you or Nari." Bismuth thought back on almost every quest he had been on, which so far seemed to involve one of the two of them, except his foray with Freyd, and their help had been immense so far on his journey and research.

Thread Summary

Bismuth:

2,530 EXP: 500 Quest, 2,030 Thread Contents

<Boar Jerky> T1 Perfect Consumable 2 DAM 1 MIT: Quest

<Tealeaf Blade> T1 Uncommon Dagger 1 DAM: Quest

600 Col: 500 Quest, 100 Thread Contents

Nari:

2,530 EXP: 500 Quest, 2,030 Thread Contents

<Boar Jerky> T1 Perfect Consumable 2 DAM 1 MIT: Quest

<Tealeaf Whip> T1 Uncommon Whip 1 DAM: Quest

600 Col: 500 Quest, 100 Thread Contents

Koga:

7105 EXP: 7105 Thread Contents

1,165 Col: 100 Thread Contents, 1,065 Paragon LVL 5

NIGHT:

11,165 EXP: 11,165 Thread Contents

1,774 Col: 100 Thread Contents, 1,674 Paragon LVL 5

The walk to the town of beginnings from the plains that the boars had been in was a short one, and getting there took them less than a minute. There was still no sign of their higher level companions, and it seemed like Nari didn't really care, so Bismuth didn't really question it at all. Stepping into the blacksmith Bismuth could hear the steady hammering of a man at work, looking around the shop it was clear why, their were of course weapons and armor here, but it seemed like the man also produced crafting supplies for the town, which seemed to always be in high demand. "We got those boar tusks you were asking for." Bismuth placed his pouch of the small tusks on to the counter. The Blacksmith looked up giving the due a nod "I wasn't the one who took out your loan, I don't deal in loans, But the jobless ingrate Pete Larkin could use the Charity, try him." Lyle returned to his work before pausing as if remembering something "Oh and go ahead and grab a set of armor and weapon on your way out. They aren't good enough to sell, but they should do as payment for your services." 

"Thankyou." Bismuth turned towards Nari smiling, it was another quest well done, and it had been nice doing it with friends. "Thankyou for inviting me to come along, I heard you were in the tournament soon, I thought to throw my hat in the ring too, so I guess we both aught to go prepare." Bismuth gave a small respectful bow as he turned towards the door looking back "Contact me when you want to find this Pete Larkin fellow, let me know, I would love to help." With those parting words Bismuth made his way home in order to prepare for the tournament, maybe he could manage to make it past the first round, and actually get somewhere.

Nari's words were a reassurance as Bismuth looked back to the boar, You are not alone, the statement was simple and obvious, but as of so far Bismuth hadn't lived a life where that phrase was common, filled with a confidence uncommon to himself Bismuth looked at the boar, readying another charge at him, what was he doing? This was the first floor, he was stronger than this, and he wouldn't let this boar, who seemed so much smaller now, best him when he had so much left to accomplish. A cry sounded from Bismuth as he charged the boar, his crimson dagger held out before him, two oppositions meeting with headlong charges, and only one could be the victor, and no one could take that from Bismuth in this moment.

Plunging his blade to the hilt into the boar, as it barreled it's full weight into him at top speeds, sending him tumbling backwards to the ground, Bismuth let a small sigh of relief out as the boar exploded into blue crystalline data. All that was left in the Boar's place was a curved Crimson red dagger, and a hunk of what seemed like jerky. Looking back at Nari from his spot on the ground, he smiled "I think I did it." The foe was small, but it was more than he had ever accomplished, and having someone that he considered a friend nearby to share it was overwhelming in a sense. "I don't think I like Boar's very much." Bismuth stood and brushed himself off, looking around for their other companions, finding nothing he looked back towards Nari "Shall we? I think the blacksmith is waiting."

Bismuth watched as Astreya nearly decimated the four moss wolves that had launched themselves at the duo, Astreya was full of grace as the frost from her blade glistened all around her, like a frozen warrior at home in battle. Bismuth was, in this situation, the princess who needed protecting, and Astreya was the prince charming. His legs locked as he stared at the snarling maw of the wolves around him, feeling the helplessness envelop him as he stares, memories of the past flooding his mind. But why, was all Bismuth could think, this was nothing like that, in here he could fight back, in here he wasn't helpless, Bismuth shook his head somewhat clearing his thoughts.

Before he gave himself a moment to think about what he was doing, Bismuth launched himself at the three wolves that were mostly hurt, trying to alleviate some of the pressure off of his knight in shining armor, of sorts. His curved sword danced around him as he spun through the enemies his blade meeting it's mark on two of them, as one dodged out of the way snarling at him for but a moment before turning back to the more worrisome enemy, Astreya. Bismuth turned back to charge in, not letting himself think for even a moment, running completely based off of the knowledge and instinct that he had garnered in all of his research.

Bismuth smiled, he was already planning on going out on an adventure anyways, but seemingly he had just gained two companions stronger than himself, especially one of them was his friend. "Well it's nice to meet you Corvo." Bismuth smiled at Astreya nodding at her when she said that they should get going, "Probably the exploration, and the materials around here aren't bad either." Bismuth wasn't really keeping himself quiet as he responded to Corvo's question. "I'm glad I ran into you both, though where did that other guy get off to?" Bismuth looked around a bit, not having noticed his exit "Well, I guess no matter. I was heading out to get some ingredients, but I can do that while we do this quest." Bismuth was clearly more talkative then usual, his tired demeanor being abated today.

Bismuth walked somewhat behind Astreya as she left, excited himself for the potential adventure to come, and hopefully the materials that he could garner from it. "So, what exactly does this quest entail, other than the escort?" Bismuth had joined in rather late, and so wanted to be filled in on their task, because as it seemed he was the only one that didn't know what was going on fully.

Bismuth was reassured by Nari's presence, he was still scared, but Nari was a much better combatant then himself, so her saying that she had his back was comforting. Though the long sharp tusks of the man sized boar in front of him quickly squandered what confidence he had garnered, logically Bismuth knew that he was firmly able to take a hit from the boar, but logic was the farthest thing from his mind right now. Firmly on its feet now Bismuth watched the boar's health deplete from his recent bleed damage, hoping that the bar would deplete fully before he did another charge.

Luck was not on Bismuth's side this time, as the bar stopped short of fully gone, the boar turned to face Bismuth anger flaring in its red eyes. A charge was imminent, and Bismuth was pretty confident in his dodge, knowing that a charge would leave the boar open, though the speed was something that Bismuth wasn't expecting, leaving him barely enough time to dodge, and most certainly not enough time to retaliate. Bismuth looked at Nari fearfully, though seeing her with her full plate, and massive weapon, his confidence resurged again, though who knew how long it would last.

Bismuth noted the way that she very obviously avoided his question, but it wasn't his place to push, and he wasn't going to do that "I am glad you ended up liking it, I would love for you to come back, I can make something even better next time."  Bismuth followed behind Nari as she took the charge, it was weird, when he had first met the woman she had been a bundle of nerves, almost incapable of talking to another living person, but now she was taking the charge, it was a good change. "What do you like to eat? Maybe I can make it for you next time?" Bismuth was pretty excited for a relaxed day of just gathering, especially since he knew Nari could take anything they encountered in the dungeon, the last few days had been rough, and getting out and just gathering would be a perfect change of pace. 

At the exclamation that Nemo was here Bismuth smiled, going back to the wonderland that was Nemo's dungeon would be amazing, and he made sure that he had replaced his charcoal pencil for a fresh one, this time he would make sure that he got some quality sketches from the adventure. "Well then I guess we should probably hurry it up." Bismuth smiled at Nari as he took off, running to reach the exit "Last one there has to pay for dinner." Bismuth hoped that Nari would be willing to join him in his run, he was in a better mood then earlier, especially at the site of Nemo.

Bismuth chuckled at his friends words "It isn't open just yet, but I have it bought, on the third floor in the town of flora, my own little tavern." It was his new home, it wasn't big, and he didn't honestly cook in there very often, but it was his, and it definitely beat sleeping in the overpriced inns on the beginner floor, hopefully someday he would be able to actually have a home, but for now his tavern would do. The chuckle died down though as he thought about his lessons quest, Koga wasn't at fault, but a grudge was easy to hold, used again, by someone he was hoping would be a friend. A look of surprise covered his face as Astreya guessed Koga, did she know, did other people know? Bismuth could feel his heart up in his throat as he simply nodded, though the nod was lost as four wolves stalked out of the bushes, and a yell from Astreya for him to stay back.

Bismuth could feel the fear flowing through his veins, his heart picking up pace as the greenish wolves came out of the trees around them, Bismuth knew that Astreya was strong, and could handle herself, but he couldn't help the fear, and the flashbacks, shaking Bismuth took a few steps backward, holding his blade in front of him hard, his knuckles turning white, it was moments like these where he forgot he was in a game, felt like he was transported back to one of his many homes, back to being a scared kid. Astreya was here though, and that would be enough to keep Bismuth from completely falling to the fear.

Bismuth watched the flying strike from his friend, and was very impressed, it was a clearly hard maneuver, and it really showed the difference between the two of them, there was no way he would have ever been able to pull anything close to that off, Bismuth's response was cut short though, as he heard something coming from behind him. Bismuth didn't need his high perception to hear the charge of a large boar, they weren't the most intelligent or agile creatures in Aincrad, and that was even more so the case for the larger ones.

Bismuth froze for moments at what he heard, fear clenching at his heart, this wasn't a baby, there was no way he would be able to just one shot it like he had the boarlets. But he couldn't just stand there and take the hit, without looking Bismuth dove to the right at the last second, his crimson red blade a flash of light as he sliced it along the boar's throat causing it to fall to the ground, unable to complete its charge. Bismuth turned, and all he could notice were the tusks, deadly and pointed, shaking he looked over at Nari "I. . . I think I found papa." Bismuth's face was more white than normal, even though this was a simple fight, something that probably couldn't kill him, Bismuth couldn't shake the feeling of helplessness that enveloped him as he stood there watching the boar stand.

All of the Crafties:

Bismuth was uncharacteristically whistling as he walked, but that was because today was special, he had finally been able to get a full nights rest, no work keeping him up, and no nightmares to wake up to, the rings around his eyes were still noticeable, though hidden somewhat by his golden glasses. Bismuth decided that it would be nice to celebrate by spending the day out in the hot glaring desert gathering materials and just exploring, that may not seem like any fun to most people, but to Bismuth that was a perfect afternoon. The sun was shinning off of his glasses as he walked through the city heading for one of the many gates that led out of town, It was his plan to just have a quiet and solitary day, but that changed when he noticed one of his two friends, Astreya standing at the gate chatting away with a group of people.

"Astreya!" Bismuth started jogging waving at his friend as soon as he noticed her. It didn't take long before he reached her, and made note of all the people around her two of them seemed to be players, and one of them seemed to be an NPC. "You going on a quest?" Bismuth was just planning on gathering today, but perhaps joining Astreya would be more fun. "Oh how rude of me, my name is Bismuth" he reached a hand out to shake each of the other men in turn. His long somewhat curly brown hair was tied up in a bun, a pair of round golden glasses partially his a pair of tired brown eyes, a curved sword hanging at his hip, the only armor he had on was incredibly light, made of nothing more than cloth. A warm smile still plastered on his face as he held his hand out.

Even More Crafties:

Bismuth wasn't nearly dexterous enough, nor fast enough to find any sort of footing after his flying kick, and so just felt the air rush past him as he fell directly on his back hard on the mat, with a groan, the air knocked out of him, that was going to be something he felt for a while, but with the tumbling his opponent did, so would he. Bismuth didn't want to get caught on the ground so before his breath fully came back he scurried to his feet, his breath labored as he held his sword shakily, that kick was mostly just luck, something hat Bismuth knew well, he was just getting lucky in this tournament so far, his opponent was much more skilled with a blade than he was, and if it wasn't for the luck, he wouldn't have made it even to the second round, but luck was what carried Bismuth, and it would be what saved him now.

Bismuth's face grew a serious tone, his tired eyes focusing, the lax smile on his face turning into one of serious determination, luck was all Bismuth had, and he would use it to his advantage. Bismuth stood with his curved sword out, his right foot forward so that his body was facing away from his opponent, a true duelist's stance. His opponent had gotten cocky again, though his stance made Bismuth think that maybe that was for a reason, but that cockiness would be what led to an opening, the strike, a blur of bokken through the air as an impossibly fast attack came at Bismuth.

Instinct, was all that bismuth could feel as he pivoted, bringing his free hand and sword up in one fluid motion, the sound of a bokken striking could be heard through the arena as dust enveloped both fighters, the mad dash from Takumi having sent up enough to cover the duo. The dust seemed to linger in the air for an eternity, slowly falling around them, settling back onto the floor to reveal the outcome to the audience. A bokken grasped in a hand, and a curved sword a few mere centimeters from a neck. "I don't think I need to dodge this time." Bismuth was uncharacteristically calm as he let go of the bokken, and let his sword hand rest at his side. Baldur calling out Takumi's point, the winning point of the match. Bismuth turned without another word and walked off stage as the shroud of dust finally dissipated completely. He had lost, but his luck had not yet run out, the win may not have been his, but victory had been, and to Bismuth that was good enough, though in the end, this was still no real fight.

3/3 @Snow

2/3 Bismuth

Bismuth listened to Astreya's murmur, he was too aware of his surroundings to really not hear it, but he didn't feel the need to respond to that, though the same thing was going through his mind, there were so many things here that he could use as ingredients in his cooking, and Bismuth didn't even know where to begin. There were so many options that Bismuth was honestly completely overwhelmed, walking over to a fruit the size of his fist, blue and covered in swirl like bumps Bismuth spoke up "I can't believe I never knew about this, and I call myself an explorer of the wilds." Bismuth shook his head as he picked the fruit and placed it in his inventory "All of these ingredients would be an amazing addition to my Bistro, and the paints I can make with some of these would be so vibrant." 

Bismuth was losing himself in all the possibilities, it took everything he had to not take out his book as they gathered, he could spend the rest of his life in here, and he would probably never stop finding new things to collect and draw out. "I am going to have to have a section of my compendium just for this dungeon, it looks massive. I might have to go on an expedition here myself some time, so I can map and sketch this all out." Bismuth's smile faltered at Astreya's last question, the tired look in his eyes seeming to just grow more tired as he thought about his first quest, he made a new friend there, one of only two, but the rest, with how Nari and NIGHT interacted, and Koga's kiss, and just the thought about having to leave Aincrad "Not as expected that's for sure, but I made a friend, and I had a very, very passionate kiss with a straight man." Bismuth's smile returned as he tried to make fun at the situation, but it was something that he still thought about, used again, it was clear with how badly Koga wanted Nari to see, that the kiss meant nothing, and therefore Bismuth meant nothing, again.

Bismuth wasn't used to the jarring sensation that would come from a heavy hit, especially since normally Bismuth would never had gotten himself into a fight in the first place, this sort of thing really wasn't his forte. Though silently the hit had made him proud, it was nice to know that when the fear was mostly gone, that he was, for the most part, able to put the knowledge that he had garnered to good use. He hadn't spent time practicing, and in a real fight, knowledge didn't mean a lot when it came down to it, he wasn't built for combat, and their was only so much that you could do to beat someone who hits like a bullet train when you his like a butter knife. 

Bismuth flinched at the aggressive words from his opponent, the venom clearly held back, but still there, anger wasn't something Bismuth handled well, and even the smallest hint of it could for the most part cloud Bismuth completely by the past. Even with that Bismuth kept himself aware of his surroundings, and with that the kick that was aimed at Bismuth's leg. Not thinking much before he did it Bismuth leaped into the air to avoid his kick, bringing his knees up to his chest before sending a kick of his own into his opponents chest.

2/3 @Snow

1/3 Bismuth

"I'm glad you liked it, for now it's all I can really make, but someday I will be able to make you a real meal." Bismuth stood his chair scraping slightly against the hard wood floor smoothing down his tabard as he does. "That sounds like a good idea, I would hate to miss out on that treasure trove." Bismuth didn't bother grabbing the dishes that were left on their table, as he turned towards the door, "Well then, you are the expert this time, care to lead the way?" Bismuth wasn't quite sure how to find Nemo, and while he was probably good enough out in the wild to have found him on his own, but Nari was capable as well, even if her specialty wasn't exploration like his was, and he was sure that putting himself in her hands with this wasn't going to steer him wrong. 

Bismuth opened the door, the bright morning sun glinting off of  his glasses, noticeably wincing at the light Bismuth took a step outside, he had been working inside for the last few days, and since he had everything he needed inside, he hadn't found himself making it outside very much. "So, I never had a chance to ask, what happened between you and NIGHT, if you don't mind my asking?" Bismuth asked curiously, hoping that his question wasn't too intrusive, but from what had happened in the second lessons, and all of the semi aggressive comments, that something had happened.