After a few seconds, Ginko noticed the look on his face and sighed quietly, lowering the jar. That was not the expression of someone who suddenly understood why he had been so insistent on checking the water.

He took a small knife from his pocket and started to prod experimentally at the algae in the jar, as if he was looking for something, as he explained. It would have to be brief, unfortunately; he still needed to decide whether this well was safe or not. "A type of organism that a lot of people can't see. Most aren't dangerous, but a few can be.

"Suiko are one of the latter; they just look like water, but any living thing that ingests them will become increasingly dependent on water. Eventually..." With a small, satisfied hum, he lifted the knife, balancing a couple blobs of algae on it. The bits that had been closest to the water, previously hidden by the greener parts on top, had already turned transparent. "After this happens, it's not usually long before they turn to water entirely, and evaporate."

Enjoy that new information, James.