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Description

These caves are a unbelievably large and thriving ecosystem. The ocean entrances are encrusted with organisms, waiting for high tide I imagine. Plant like structures grow in the light streaming out of massive pits that open to the sky. The equivalent of fish flash in the water under our skiff. Even in the dark places, we can hear small creatures scuttling about or flapping past.
Amelia is perfectly at home. I assumed that her climbing skills and nimble claws developed from living on a plane for years, but I wonder now if it is inherent. The claws she used to cling fast to ceilings and cargo nets she now sets upon any and every surface of the caves. She can grapple slime, foliage, even smooth metal ruins with ease. Any human, even an expert with appropriate spelunking gear, would be far out matched.
Not even water can stop her. The gills that give her stamina on land work even when submerged. She never touched the water while disguised, and what a shame! Those claws and teeth would have been priceless out in the ocean, and she might have been just as confident navigating sunken ships as she is here in the dim caves.

I can't help but notice small differences between her and the penti we've met out on the water, and I wonder if the brindle penti, P. Tigris, are native to large cave systems such as this one. I might even speculate- that perhaps the common relative of all modern penti was a cave going creature, and maybe Amelia belongs to a very old lineage that retained these traits to colonize the tidal caves. This would account for the universal lack of penti eyes, the hyper scent and sound detection, and the loss of flight. It's pure speculation, but exciting to think about!

I could of course just ask her, but I have not yet built the courage. I'm sure she'd love to share, but I'm worried reveling information about her people and culture to the university could lead to tragedy at this time. I don't necessarily have to say anything, but I hate to lie and I don't trust myself to withhold information.
I don't want to be the cause of any ill fortune on my crew member or her people, so for now I'll simply observe and speculate.

Description

These caves are a unbelievably large and thriving ecosystem. The ocean entrances are encrusted with organisms, waiting for high tide I imagine. Plant like structures grow in the light streaming out of massive pits that open to the sky. The equivalent of fish flash in the water under our skiff. Even in the dark places, we can hear small creatures scuttling about or flapping past.
Amelia is perfectly at home. I assumed that her climbing skills and nimble claws developed from living on a plane for years, but I wonder now if it is inherent. The claws she used to cling fast to ceilings and cargo nets she now sets upon any and every surface of the caves. She can grapple slime, foliage, even smooth metal ruins with ease. Any human, even an expert with appropriate spelunking gear, would be far out matched.
Not even water can stop her. The gills that give her stamina on land work even when submerged. She never touched the water while disguised, and what a shame! Those claws and teeth would have been priceless out in the ocean, and she might have been just as confident navigating sunken ships as she is here in the dim caves.

I can't help but notice small differences between her and the penti we've met out on the water, and I wonder if the brindle penti, P. Tigris, are native to large cave systems such as this one. I might even speculate- that perhaps the common relative of all modern penti was a cave going creature, and maybe Amelia belongs to a very old lineage that retained these traits to colonize the tidal caves. This would account for the universal lack of penti eyes, the hyper scent and sound detection, and the loss of flight. It's pure speculation, but exciting to think about!

I could of course just ask her, but I have not yet built the courage. I'm sure she'd love to share, but I'm worried reveling information about her people and culture to the university could lead to tragedy at this time. I don't necessarily have to say anything, but I hate to lie and I don't trust myself to withhold information.
I don't want to be the cause of any ill fortune on my crew member or her people, so for now I'll simply observe and speculate.