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[latkje]

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[latkje]

[ Nash keeps walking, the scarf around his neck not concealing his grin. ]

The missus says I should cut it. Impractical, you know. But I think we all deserve one vanity.

[ And, well, he'd look even more Harmonian if he were to cut it shorter. ]

[trueltning_fury]

[look, he can't judge with that shaggy mop of his, if anything everybody shoudl have long hair. It's great.]

Grow it out to spite her. Maybe a ponytail. Be a real rebel. [snort]

[latkje]

With my cheekbones? [ Tch. ] I'd be spiting myself.

[ Is he joking? Does it matter? ]

[trueltning_fury]

[it doesn't, but it makes Geddoe snort all the same. Keep this up and they might actually become friends.

Their path reaches a true crossroads, no way forward and two equally suspicious causeways leading in opposite directions. Geddoe pauses, genuinely not remembering which way leads to the center. He needs a moment to think, and stands there silently turning his head back and forth, listening and feeling any slight currents of air that might give him a hint.]

[latkje]

[ Nash lets Geddoe stand there between the two pathways for a good thirty seconds. Then his voice cuts through the silence. ]

I don't remember this part.

[ He pulls a piece of chalk out from a pocket that it isn't obvious he had. ]

But we can at least mark where we've been already.

[trueltning_fury]

[ah, that old trick. Geddoe nods his approval; if they have to wander, that's the best way to do it]

Which do you want to take first, left or right?

[as he likewise goes for a pocket and pulls out a single potch coin to flip, if it comes to that.]

[latkje]

[ His voice isn't alarmed, but he wants to make sure he hasn't misunderstood: ]

You don't think we should split up?

[ That seems like a terrible idea, given both their objective and the type of monsters that lurk these halls. ]

[trueltning_fury]

No. I meant both of us. If you have a preference I'll go with it but if not, I'm flipping a coin.

[waving said coin in the air like a threat]

[latkje]

[ He nods. ]

Let's leave it to fate.

[ Let's also hope that fate isn't listening. ]

[trueltning_fury]

All right, then.

[no arguments here. Flip, catch, slap...]

Left. Mark our position, so if it's a dead end we can get back.

[latkje]

[ Nash draws a circle in the wall with his chalk, a small dot in the center, and an arrow pointing left. The scratching noise can't be helped. ]

You think those monsters can read signs?

[trueltning_fury]

[...huh. Things he's never thought about. Can they? A whole lot of things in this world could go the wrong way if it turns out they can.]

Guess this is as good a time as any to find out. [strolling off in the direction of the arrow, as usual looking completely nonchalant to hide just how alert he really is] A discovery like that could make you famous. Assuming we live long enough to find our way back out with that knowledge.

[latkje]

A famous spy is also not a very good one. I'd have to change my name.

[ Nash, too, is keeping his senses turned outward, letting Geddoe take point with the shorter-range weapon. While Nash can't figure out where they're going, at least it's still quiet.

The air is dusty, though, either from staleness or something else. ]

[trueltning_fury]

Again?

[not a very powerful tease, but more than he usually manages.]

If it worries you that much, I'll take all the credit.

[it is fairly stifling, isn't it? Geddoe can taste the dust in the air, there's a stagnancy that other passageways lack, but there is only so deep the fresh air can penetrate these ruins even if all roads were clear. The stillness magnifies his heavy footfalls, and the crack of a stone skittering from under his boot is almost deafening. Well, shit, that probably got something's attention.]

[latkje]

[ In truth, Nash picks a new name out for every major mission. He rarely needs to use them. ]

After I went through all the trouble of—

[ And then he freezes, the rest of his sentence dying a premature death. The stone skitters across the ground, and Nash is perfectly still, listening for whatever might have heard that.

And really trying hard not to sneeze. ]

[trueltning_fury]

[Geddoe doesn't need to raise his hand to caution them to both wait but he does anyway, turning his head this way and that. This time, it seems, their noise hasn't led to any trouble. Lucky, just this once.]

Right. Watch your step.

[says the guy who actually made the troublesome noise this time.]

[latkje]

[ Nash nods once, not hearing anything coming for them. He's generally good at this kind of listening. After a pause, the space of a few breaths, just to make sure, he says: ]

I think this might be a dead end.

[ It would explain the stuffiness. Still, it could be because something is blocking the way forward. ]

[trueltning_fury]

[the eyepatch really does do the opposite of help with sharper vision, times like this he has to admit it]

Chance a stronger light? A bit of lightning, maybe. Just enough to see further ahead.

[if it's a dead end hopefully that end is within view, it would be extremely helpful to just check from here rather than keep going and have to come all the way back. He raises a gloved fist, ready to shoot off a low-level spell if it'll help.]

[latkje]

[ Nash nods. Even if it's a dead end up ahead, there might be something on the walls. These were old ruins, after all, and they hadn't had enough time beforehand to translate all the old markings. ]

I think we can risk it.

[ But he puts his left hand over his elbow, just in case, ready to fire on whatever comes up behind them. ]

[trueltning_fury]

All right. Guard yourself.

[not that he needs to tell Nash, the guy's already on top of it, but fair warning is fair. It's not like either of them can hide their eyes from the flash or they'll miss the important things they're looking for.

Rather than the True Rune, though, Geddoe uses the weaker Lightning Rune on his left hand to cast the spell, to use the weakest one possible that will still create enough light for the briefest moment to illuminate their surroundings. He aims low, in case there's something approximately monster-height lurking in the shadows just ahead, and fires off a Thunder Runner. Everything leaps out in sharp relief for that moment - the high, arched ceilings, the crumbled pillars of a blocked passageway to the left, the very stones beneath their feet.]

[latkje]

[ He squints in the sudden light, which has the effect of making him look even more shifty. When the spell's gilding is spent, and the room falls back into darkness, Nash blinks. His eyes are going to take a minute to adjust, but it can't be helped. ]

Did you see it?

[ He means the blocked passageway. But maybe Geddoe saw something else. ]

[trueltning_fury]

Yeah. [strike one] What about on the right side?

[his blind side - he doesn't instinctively look that way as often as he should, especially when the illumination is so short-lived.]

[latkje]

I think it's a room.

[ A room without doors. He grabs a pebble from off the floor and tosses it in that direction, listening for the echo.

There might be something interesting in there, but it's not another long hallway. It might not even be a way forward at all. ]

[trueltning_fury]

[oho, so it is. He can hear the pebble bouncing away into the gloom. Well, they're looking for a Rune crystal so every corner needs to be checked.]

Better check it out, if only to rule it out.

[he takes point again, stretching with his free hand to find the doorjamb and keeping his sword angled forward with the other. It's not enough that he doesn't really sense anything, it's an unreliable feeling and he'd rather verify with his own good eye that they haven't missed their target.]

[latkje]

Strange to have a room here. [ But he doesn't understand what this complex was built to do, really. So much of the stupid things people do can be blamed on a lack of information.

The rest, he supposes, can probably be blamed on people.

Nash runs his hands along the walls, following Geddoe. ]

I think there might be writing here.

[ But he can't tell, touching the stone through his gloves like this. It could be something else. ]