middaeg | [ open + closed ] In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man

( the task is simple enough that it’s tempting to relax. to forget the dangers he’d encountered during that last visit to the cave.

he knows better.

this time, his magic comes easier. whether this is because of practice or because of whatever strange magic that had kept the place in its thrall, it’s difficult to be sure. regardless, he is quick to summon a globe of light as soon as they make it to the first room. )

Careful, there are still holes everywhere.

Edited 2019-08-11 19:48 (UTC)

[She takes soft steps despite the boots she's wearing. Her own hand is held up, providing the light she needs to see with. This is technically her first time venturing outside of the city proper, but she shows no signs of nervous. Once as a girl it might have unnerved her. But now she steps carefully only for the reasons he's mentioned.]

How far do you think they go back?

[She's come to find herself trusting at least his summation of things. Sansa doesn't think highly of her own abilities, but she is good at making judgments of situations and people. Trying to navigate this place is no different, and all of this seems to come much easier to him than it does to her.]

Far enough.

( while the lower-levels were considerably less pockmarked, they had their own dangers.

a quick glance reveals they’re in a chamber with several enchanted pools — he recognizes their runes, still intact and twinkling like winter stars. soft and blue.

the witch light follows him as he moves deeper into the room; it orbits his head like a small moon, casting light outward and exposing a nasty looking sinkhole in the middle of the floor. )

Mind the pools — they’re likely infected.

[Sansa has a natural disposition to be wary of this place as it is. She is becoming more accustomed to magic, but that doesn’t mean she trusts what she doesn’t know. Raising the light higher, she watches as the light dances across the top of the water. It is enchanting here, making her pause for just a moment as she continues on behind him.

He seems to have more of a goal with this than she does, offering what help she can. This isn’t her forte, but she’s not useless either.]

I would say there’s little here I do trust. [Though she does wonder about this place. About the other places in this world.]

Is this one of the places people have dreamed of? I remember a forest, though this is my first time venturing out of the city itself.

[And she had received a number of requests from mirrorbound at Parliament about it.]

Then you're more astute than most.

( though given that the lure of the caves had been sufficient to snare even some of the more senior witches on their initial expedition, he wouldn't be surprised to find that this was all talk. a boast to seem better prepared for the uncertainty of what lies ahead. )

I don't know what they say.

( he moves toward the tunnel to the right of the sinkhole, stepping cautiously.

given the lack of specifics offered when he'd signed on for this quest, he can only assume that they don't care where precisely he settles in for the night, only that he does — preferably avoiding death by misadventure in the process. )

Only that the Coven has an interest in this place.

[She will take that as a compliment from him, not thinking he gives them away easily. Sansa doesn't trust easily though, and the last place she would is some foreign place they've sent them off to to explore. Arya would like something like this, but even as a girl, Sansa would have complained if she'd gotten mud on her dress. Now her cloak drags just lightly against the cave floor, but she is careful enough of where she's stepping.]

A few have come to Parliament, remembering places they have never been. I was wondering if this place was one of them.

[Now that Lady Denholm felt comfortable enough seeing to her own tasks.]

The Coven seems interested in a great deal. [Not all of it transparent or at least with much reason given.]

A vague description.

( to be blunt. the impression given is of someone fishing for information, though whether it’s for herself or someone else’s benefit remains to be seen. she’d mentioned being apprenticed to one of the members of parliament – perhaps the government had taken an interest in the caves?

and hadn’t petra said something of the sort? that it would be interesting to see how the city chose to respond to them over time. eventually, space would become tight, resources taxed.

perhaps he’d been wrong. perhaps they really were looking into ways to send them back – doubtful, but still possible. )

Is that not its purpose? ( beyond the education and training of those with an ounce of magical ability. his head cants, considering her as if she's said something particularly unexpected. )

I do not have much more-- only that people seem to collectively remember these places, as if in a dream. I have one, too. But it is... brief, and I know not enough about it to say.

[She remembers a feast at a table. There were others there, even someone she has since met here, but she doesn't remember much more, and she rarely talks about it for fear of coming off as mad or a fool.

Her footfalls are careful as she bends over a pool to look into its waters. She's careful of it, but it's hard not to wonder. Turning to look at Kylo, she isn't sure how to address that statement.]

I think it has many purposes. It seems more useful than Parliament itself, but it's boundaries are the witches. It seems to host more of the history of this place than anywhere else, save for Parliament but even that is... [She purses her lips to try and be as diplomatic as possible.] Convoluted. I believe they mean to help here, above all.

[And she isn't being optimistic here. Sansa did not trust them at first, and part of her still doesn't. After all their arrival still benefits this world. But she does find some in the Coven genuine, and that is a rare thing.]

( ah, he understands.

or at least he believes that he does. he'd experienced something similar, himself, when he'd first arrived. had found himself walking the length of a dark forest, one infested with the cwyld.

rey had been there and had lead him back to the light. something that had become a habit, of late.

he deliberately avoided dwelling on it — though it remained tucked away in the corner of his mind.

sansa's displeasure is evident, however. lips pursing as she searches for words that will convey her meaning without having to outright name them. he recognizes that expression all too well. )

Do monsters not serve in Parliament?

They do. I do not know much of them though. Lady Denholm has me working with the mirrorbound specifically.

[Though one would think they would want to go to their own, but many do not trust anyone who isn't mirrorbound. Probably for good reason.]

It is a large-- council of sorts. The bureaucracy makes it hard to do anything. It is frustrating at best.

I'm aware of the concept.

( it reminds him of the senate — and with that connection comes the acidic bite of disdain. mistrust. it's difficult to look at prior experience and to expect that somehow this time it will be different. )

We do not have them back home-- at least not in Westeros. I am sure it might work for some, but it seems almost useless here. [No, she's far more used to an oligarchy, and it's hard to shake that off.]

I am fortunate to work in my position though. I just want to do something.

[Which is why she finds herself nearly crawling through the caves with him.]

Edited 2019-09-02 02:03 (UTC)

Then do something. ( something other than this. much as he understands the desire, she doesn't exactly strike him as suited to this particular task. there are risks, here. dangers enough to give even him pause.

and who is she? what does she bring with her beyond dead weight and conversation? a conversation that seems to be less directed toward him than at him. as if she's trying to talk her way to some kind of resolution.

whatever.

he pushes deeper into the cavern, mindful of his steps, and heads toward the leftmost tunnel. it's the same tunnel he'd taken, before. the mission brief had been left just broad enough that he's reasonably confident in the choice. )

Do you know what is required of you?

[She isn't surprised by his bluntness. Mayhaps as a younger girl she may have, but now she find it more refreshing.]

In some ways. [She walked along, throwing her light a little farther to try and see, mostly to watch where she was walking.]

I am an apprentice, I suppose. I learn mostly, help where I can. I am used to the politics, but there is often little action taken by them. A lot of it is paper work. I am-- unused to it.

[She sighs, not wanting to sound ungrateful for what they have given to her. Sansa is used to giving orders herself. Now that Winterfell is Jon's, she has ruled in his stead. Things worked a lot faster when she had loyal bannermen. It isn't so easy to just do something, but she was playing their game in hopes of eventually being in a place where she could do something.]

( the journey is familiar.

this time, they journey further, heading out past the rolling farmland that surrounds the city. kylo ren is quick to make use of the opportunity, peppering the accompanying wilders with as many questions as he can think of. much of what they choose to share is things he already knows or could have guessed. it's tempting to take offense.

eventually, the forest thickens. kylo watches the surrounding foliage, searching for any radical shifts in color, a mark of the cwyld’s presence. there's nothing of note, but that does little to reassure him. )

Can you hear anything?

( because they've already established by now that her senses are sharper than his. if it were not for her, it's likely he would have been gored by the little plague deer, half-mad with its infection. perhaps he might even have been infected, himself. )

Edited 2019-08-11 16:34 (UTC)

[ Luck had spared them the last time. Here and now, they've been awarded an opportunity to redeem themselves, to put into practice the knowledge they've acquired and the practice they've put in — but for all that she is hopeful they might prove themselves capable of defending this world from the spread of infection, an ominous air has enveloped this space.

Or what little space there is, at any rate. The foliage is too dense to offer more than a claustrophobic experience, the thick canopies offering little sunlight (and for the better; she can't risk exposing any of her skin to it). Rey's pupils flicker, dilating to adapt to the relative shadows. Searching, more than that, as she holds up a hand to quiet him from any further commentary.

The skittering is everywhere. Pinpointing a location is impossible as it echoes around her from all sides, gaze springing in each direction until: ]

There. North of us.

[ She points, confident. Follow the spiders, they'd advised, and she can see what they meant now. Ahead of them is a trail of skittering black mass, almost too small to be perceptible, diligently flowing in the same direction as if hypnotized. Answering the call of something, the same way creatures had flocked to Jakku's fresh carrion.

Rey takes a step forward instinctively and then halts, heels digging into dry earth. ]

Do you see it?

( at first, all he can see is darkness. however, the longer he looks, the easier it is to pick out the skittering trail of insects from the rest of the oily shadows.

he doesn’t move to pursue, glancing back over his shoulders to find that their guides have already departed. )

You don't think it strange that they didn't tell us what precisely we were meant to do here? What we should be looking for?

( "follow the spiders" had been an order, yes, but one lacking in specifics. and he doubts a large stick is going to be enough to fight back whatever dangers might lie in store. )

They recruited us for a reason, Ben. They want to see what we can do on our own this time.

[ Her opinion is kinder, less prone to the cynicism and suspicion Ben has floated in the past and presently. Where he suspects there is more to it — setting them up for failure, maybe — Rey chooses to view it as their attempts to measure the full extent of their capabilities without a hand to guide them through it again.

Barring that, letting them move independently is an exercise in trust. They've been successful once before; they have no reason to believe that they should need any help in this. The assistance they wouldn't receive, anyway, if they were formally invited among their ranks as more than just recruits. ]

It's a test. That's all.

[ It brokers no argument. He needs to stop expecting the worst of other's intentions. Rey moves forward, then, to take the lead — and winces back when her fingers brush old, sticky webbing. ]

( the steel in her tone stymies any argument. she's right, of course, in that he finds suspicion far easier than trust — and perhaps he is still a little bitter at their previous forays into the wilde, for all that he is glad for the opportunity to expand his knowledge, given that both had ended in injury and near failure.

it's something that he'll have to work on.

but, he dips his head. not quite an apology but a concession to her point. more than he would give anyone else, because as far as he's concerned there is no one here that he owes quite as much as he does her. so for her sake he will try to contain the worst of his wariness. )

It really is like the cave. ( said of the sticky mess of web glued to her fingers. not as large as the tunnel spider's had been but large enough to be concerning. )

[ A chill crawls along the ladder of her spine. Forgetting the gruesome treasure trove of scattered bone, human and monster alike, isn't an image easily washed from her mind. Rey widens her fingers, shaking her hand to dispel the sticky strands, and continues onward.

The gut-twisting sense that something is amiss only grows. ]

I don't like it.

[ The branches close in on one another as though constructing a cage. Luring them — another attribute it shares in common with the cave. It very well could be; whatever creatures lurk ahead, they've clearly survived long enough to claim this territory for themselves. The familiarity of the land already grants whatever they're searching for an advantage. ]

It feels like we're walking into a trap.

Edited 2019-08-13 09:15 (UTC)

( as tempting as it is to go "i told you so", it doesn't help them much in the immediate. he offers her a scrap of cloth for her fingers before they continue on. )

Then at least let us do so with our eyes open.

( he conjures a witch light. pale and shining and no larger than her palm, it darts between them like a firefly, casting light against the shifting shadows.

stepping cautiously, he scans the ground, the trees, trying to pick out any signs of movement. fingers itching at his side, wishing for a weapon. )

[ Temporarily stunned by the blurring light, she blinks once, twice — trying to clear the overwhelming sparks from her too-sharp vision. Eventually, it evens out a handful of seconds later, pupils narrowing to slits to better adapt.

It almost makes it worse. The glare of it bounces off of every branch, every trunk, every hanging web — allowing the shadows to play tricks. Rey's gaze darts side to side, cautious as she examines their surroundings. ]

When did you learn —

[ Her breath stutters in her chest, seizing in her lungs, at the creak of cracking branches overhead — groaning beneath the what of what scurries across them. ]

( belatedly, he’d realized his error but it was too late to correct it now. the witchlight continues to perform its purpose while rey recovers, her pupils large enough that they practically swallow her irises whole.

when her head snaps to the side, eyes narrowing, he’s quick to follow, squinting into the shadows. )

What is it?

( though this time, if he listens hard enough, he can make out the chitter-chitter of chitinous legs rubbing together. that unsettling, prickly noise of insects scuttling across the earth.

instinctively, his hand falls to the weapon at his side — not his lightsaber, which was little more than a glorified night-light now, but the light blade he’d “borrowed” during their preliminary training.

he’d return it … eventually. )

[ A dry crackle is the only warning they have before the branch snaps, skittering legs following its momentum to the ground. It lands with a heavy, thudding quake that rocks the ground just as Rey knocks her shoulder into Ben's chest, deliberately sending them both out of range of its long, spindly legs.

Another of those creatures, Rey realizes, bigger than she would have estimated with its lumbering body — towering above them with a hiss that sends a putrid spray of saliva outward. It clings to her cheek, sticking.

But it's gone just as quickly. It skates away with a screech that rings shrilly through her ears, skittering back into the dense foliage. ]

It's gone. [ She says, carefully, skeptically. It can't have been that easy. Rey amends, warily, ] For now. We need to find somewhere to hide before it comes back for us.

[ Somewhere above ground, with a better vantage point. Somewhere they have the element of a surprise in an ambush. It's the only use of her talents she can take without much more than her staff and her strength, and both require the risk of close range. Range she can't get, if it sees her coming. ]

( when it happens, it happens quickly. so quickly, in fact, that were it not for rey's timely intervention he would have likely been caught gawking at the spider as it lands. it's not even the size that's the issue — though it's certainly among the larger he's seen — as it is how quiet it had been, darting away from them and the light almost as quickly as it had appeared. )

The tree.

( he jerks his chin toward one of the nearby ones: it has a thick trunk with large, sturdy branches that could probably carry her weight. )

I can give you a boost.

[ It isn't the worst idea. Elevating herself will allow her to survey above the treeline and spare them another unwelcome surprise. Rey nearly gives a nod before it clicks into place, examining the thin, willowy line of each branch. Sturdy enough to support her, but Ben — ]

What about you?

[ He's bulkier, yes. Less adept at knowing where to step than a seasoned climber like Rey, used to enclosed spaces, wobbling heights, and the potential for a fall. The scrapes from childhood, transforming into silvery, barely-there scars as mementos of her first attempts at scavenging, speak to experience. But it also divides them, leaves them too far from one another. ]

I won't leave you behind.

( a gesture extinguishes the hovering light and darkness crashes over them like a wave. )

I'll think of something. ( he's already pulling up the hood of his cloak. the fabric is thick, dark and it seems to blend into the shadows that surround them. enchanted, then.

so they weren't entirely exposed.

his hand goes to his side again, and he curses softly beneath his breath. )

Quickly, now.

Fine.

[ The concession isn't hard won — they've no choice but to enact on his plan — but the begrudging quality to it highlights how reluctant she is to agree to his terms. Any other protests would be a waste of their precious time, already ticking down.

The rustle of the trees reminds her of it, muddling her senses as she listens sharply for the sound of movement. Finally, with a huff, she gestures for him to get into a crouch in order to boost her upward, expectant. ]

Don't do anything reckless.

Edited 2019-09-02 07:01 (UTC)

I'll contain the urge.

( settling onto the ground, his fingers lace together, forming a basket for rey to step into. it shouldn't pose a challenge, lifting her. she's not quite as undernourished as she'd been when they'd first met but the early weeks spent here had stripped some of the softness from her body — they would have to fix that, later. )

If it comes to it, you need to run. Get help.

( she's faster than him. perhaps she'll be able to catch up to the wilders that had brought them here. )

No. [ Forgetting their predicament, it bursts out of her, vehement and firm. She won't let him take advantage of their urgency to try to impress that upon her when she has no intentions of following that order. ] I won't leave without you.

[ He's human. More fragile, whether he'd like to admit it or not. Leaving him to these creatures seem as though it would be a death sentence. She shakes her head, unnerved and disgruntled as her expression twists, and steps up into his hands. Her arms raise skyward, waiting for a branch to come within her reach. ]

Asking me to do that counts as reckless, Ben.

( there's something like relief; the fear, buried deep, that she will take the opportunity to turn from him given the chance. they've come a long way, all thing considered, but some wounds are still raw enough to twinge. this is one of them.

but that's beside the point. )

Rey. ( exasperation is pushed into the word. she's justified in her fear, of course, in the fact that even someone as capable as he is would struggle if too many swarmed him at once, but they are dealing in possibilities not certainties. not yet. )

I'm not as fast as you are.

And weaker. You're only human.

[ Delicate. Mortal, rather than monstrous. Pushed to acknowledge it, she has no choice but to draw attention to the fact. Much as she has rejected what she is, it works to her advantage to announce it. ]

You won't survive alone.

[ It isn't a kind reminder, but she isn't interested in sympathy when he is asking her to leave him for dead. It's a gamble, in truth, that risks him doubling down to prove his strength, but Rey isn't having an of it. ]

I'm staying.

[ Without allowing him room for argument, Rey latches onto the next branch, hoisting herself up higher toward the treeline. ]

( air rushes over his teeth in a frustrated exhale.

her refusal to yield means that they can either stand and argue until the suspected threat become very real or he can capitulate, and while there's still a chance of at least one of them dying, there's an equal chance of her surviving, perhaps to intervene. )

Fine.

Now hurry, before they return. You'll have a better view of the area from up there.

( weapon’s training should be easy — it’s not as if this is the first time he’s used a training staff, though it has been years. but, while he appreciates that they are hoping to play to their strengths, the implication that as a witch he should hang back and provide back-up is just laughable.

the primers, though.

the primers are interesting.

kylo spends much of his time practicing alchemy — a discipline that requires patience as much as skill — or illusion. conjuration and enchantment are also interesting, though it’s difficult to imagine being able to summon a living creature at will. and who'd have thought a pocket mirror could be used in divination?

he also listens in on the monster primers where possible, paying particular mind to the classes for vampires. he recognizes some of the traits through experience. )

Edited 2019-08-11 19:18 (UTC)

( the journey is long but otherwise unremarkable, with most of the time spent either observing his surroundings — the route they take is like the one taken to smugha cave — and the barriers themselves. the runes are unfamiliar, but he recognizes the shape of several of them.

something prickles at the back of his mind. a suspicion that grows, and when he's finally seeing the camp, it coalesces into a realization.

could the cave have just been another outpost?

from the dock, they're lead inside. the living quarters, mess hall and healers wards are the first pointed out. otherwise, the meet and greet is kept mercifully brief.

claiming a bed is his first priority. stashing his pack — which contains clothes and a collection of writing supplies he's told he will not need — beneath the bedframe. then it's on to the arena, where most of his time is spent observing matches. the pairs come in a range of experience levels. many of the older pairings seem to fight in near-perfect synchronicity, while the younger pairs are still adjusting.

he thinks of rey.

he thinks of the throne room and even the more recent encounter with the tunnel spider. wonders whether or not this nascent bond of theirs will place them in the first category or the second.

then, when that's done he heads down to the mess hall to get something to eat. the food is better than expected but still nowhere near as flavorsome as the coven's fare. still better than ration bars, though.

finally, he'll head out to do some solo training. the self-repairing dummies are of particular interest, and he wonders if there's any way to outfit his cottage with some of them once he returns to the city. )

Edited 2019-08-11 17:57 (UTC)

[ open + closed ] In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man

» QUEST: CAVE SURVEILLANCE (OPEN)

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» QUEST: WILDER'S RECRUITMENT (LOCKED TO REY)

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» WILDER'S TRAINING: PRIMERS (OPEN)

» WILDER'S TRAINING: CAMPSITE (OPEN)