a thing for gil

[circuitice]

[ Well! When he was asked to come with the Traveler to Dragonspine, he didn't think they'd actually be staying overnight. He would have brought a few more provisions. But, well, you know. Hindsight.

Luckily, he's not overly bothered by cold. So it could be worse, as long as they've got a fire and a good ghost story to share... ]

Have you ever spent the night here before?

Comments

[glidinglight]

[ She should probably be paying more attention to where they're going and what might lie ahead than their witty banter, but admittedly one is more entertaining than the other. ]

And if you get injured I'll carry you back in my arms!

[ There's a turn up ahead, and a faint light, its source glowing from beyond the corner. ]

[circuitice]

My hero. I'm so glad that that's one thing I won't have to worry about.

[ as they approach the bend, it's quiet. too quiet. he has a hard time believing that there wouldn't even be hilichurls guarding the area.

It's all the more suspicious. but as the source of the light grows closer, it feels like the cavern grows darker. It honestly wouldn't be a bad idea to have some adjuvant on hand, would it?

there's also... a hum? He can't quite place it. ]

[glidinglight]

[ She hears it too--but she's also not quite sure what it is. A low grinding in the distance? Or maybe some living creature? Hilichurls don't really hum like that, though.

As she's thinking about it, the octave of the tone suddenly rises and the tile underneath her left foot suddenly lights up--an eerie, ghostly blue--flaring out in a circle that extends well in front and behind them. ]

[circuitice]

[ -- ah. ]

Well, how unexpected!

[ it's almost exciting-- but also, he would have preferred no surprises, just this once. still, this trap was a little beyond the abyssal diaspora that he thought he was chasing? ]

I suppose you should always--

[ and the light surrounds them, cutting him off, annoyingly. what good is it if he can't even make a witty comment about his bad fortune? but also it feels like his head is filled with light-- and then emptied into the darkness.

he curses, instinctively, in a language unfamiliar, once he's able to get his bearings. ]

[glidinglight]

[ There's a feeling like falling, and for a moment she's reliving her fight in the Golden House, crashing through the floor. But there's no Harbinger here, and the sensation passes quickly enough. The light fades away, but as it does--so too does the entrance behind them. The path they'd walked moments before is replaced by wall, which, when she touches it, feels firm and real. ]

... Looks like the only way we can go now is forward.

[ She wasn't panicking by any means, but this was definitely not an ideal turn of events. ]

[circuitice]

It looks that way.

What a welcome.

[ for a moment, the smiling facade gives way to a more thoughtful one, as he ponders the path before them. ]

I wonder who was their actual target...

[ he says mysteriously ]

[glidinglight]

[ Who, indeed. There's a heavy, guilty feeling in her gut. ]

... It was probably me.

[ Lumine had never told anyone from Mond about what had transpired when she and Dainslief had gone down and found the tainted Statue of the Seven. Now she regrets it, immensely. Considering the danger she's put them in, she owes it to him to be honest now. ]

I didn't tell you, but--I found my brother. He's been working with the Abyss.

[circuitice]

[ he blinks as he turns to gaze at her, and then the smile is back in place, though he really is just attempting to be reassuring. ]

Well-- what a rude welcome from your brother, then. There are much better ways to admit that you'd like to see your sibling.

[glidinglight]

[ She frowns. ]

That's the thing, though. He abandoned me because he said that we had plenty of time to meet again. ... I've met a number of his servants, though. They haven't hesitated to try to eliminate me. This must be one of their traps.

[circuitice]

He sounds confident in your ability to outsmart them.

Perhaps I have even less to worry about, now.

[ and he takes a step towards their only exit ]

Shall we?

[glidinglight]

[ Trust Kaeya to be able to find humor in the situation. Then again, freaking out about it won't help either. ]

I think we shall.

[ They don't really have much of any other choice. ]

[circuitice]

[ at least she seems reassured, and that elides any further questions he might be reluctant to answer--

though, it's a bit of a relief when the cavern widens in front of them. less so, when it widens so much, stretching on into darkness that all he can see are distant lines of light. that's discomfiting, but he wouldn't want to overreact. ]

Now, I wonder which way we were meant to go...

[glidinglight]

You'd think if they were going to take the exit away they could have at least had the decency to keep the path linear.

[ in this darkness, they can't really see what's coming ahead--more traps? Invisible walkways? Who knows. ]