35th of Autumn, 518 AV
Nuit and mortal had their reunion at the precipice of the fork in the path. There was a very quick show of the Nuit's linen gloves, but not quite enough time to delve into her theory of their magical nature. Savis Maren watched the rippling pools before she suspected anything was amiss. The pair were just off the waters of the ocean, and it was a somewhat natural occurrence for quakes to rumble about when so near the ocean. However, the quaking of the walls wasn't accompanied by a shifting of the tide. The pools did not grow, and water did not slosh against the two pairs of feet.
This realization caused Savis far more alarm than the fact that the quaking transpired. She knew not if it was some miracle of fate or luck, but as the rock fell from the ceiling, the quartz stalactites threw the echo of what was to come for the Nuit. Savis propelled herself backward, towards the fork and into the entryway to the room she'd just vacated from. The Nuit sheltered herself from the falling rubble with the organic archway that led the forked path to that room, and she waited out the tremors until the entirety of the entrance was blocked off from the Nuit's sight. Savis Maren felt a surge of dread color her senses as falling rubble crushed against more rubble. It stacked to greater and greater heights, but she couldn't see just how high it rose for the moment. A cloud of dust obscured her vision, but she need not blink away the dusty air.
The Nuit allowed a slight hand to brush its long fingers along her chin. The smooth linen on her fingers clashed against her cool flesh as she mused, her silver gaze holding to the debris that blocked her from escape. There was nothing Savis wanted to do more than leave. The idea of exploration seemed absurd, and the vague notion that more tremors might follow dissuaded her from the appeal of further exploration. How unfortunate that the Nuit was caught without her automatons. How useful Sil woul've proved, with his small stature possibly allowing him to sift between the rubble and take with him a note calling for aid. However, as she thought more on it, she wondered if Sil was complex enough to even understand such a desperate plea, and if he'd merely get lost in a fruitless search for altruism.
It's best this way. Elea and I will see this through, she assured herself Savis was quite fortunate that the cave-in didn't result in any injuries on her behalf. She couldn't say the same about Eleutheria, who moved with a limp that might've suited a Nuit with an elderly and poorly-kept corpse shell to wear.
"I'm fine. How's your leg?" she asked, unsure if the limp was focused in any particular area. The Nuit didn't pay attention to it for long, as Eleutheria seemed content to ignore it and muse with her as to the nature of the cave-in. The girl mused on the strangest things, a contrast between 'design' and 'nature' exhibited in her words that the Nuit didn't agree was the proper musing to have. It hardly mattered what was natural or if some nefarious plot against them had them at their wit's end. The result would be the same if they didn't escape.
"We have no ways out," she corrected. The blockage of their only obvious exit made that no longer a viable means of escape. Savis Maren wasn't the sort to waste bells on a futile task. Even if they had the strength to move the boulders, Eleutheria's injury wouldn't have the woman be useful as a force of manual labor, not to mention her mortality and how hunger might factor into their likelihood of success.
"We have an effective barrier to passage, and we have an unknown path behind us. The fork led to one dead end, at the very least: mine. I'd assume that yours was, as well? Unless you found a path on your side, we really only have one option. Moving forward. We should take our approach slow and keep our wits about us," she reasoned, hoping that movement and freedom were synonymous in this situation.
This realization caused Savis far more alarm than the fact that the quaking transpired. She knew not if it was some miracle of fate or luck, but as the rock fell from the ceiling, the quartz stalactites threw the echo of what was to come for the Nuit. Savis propelled herself backward, towards the fork and into the entryway to the room she'd just vacated from. The Nuit sheltered herself from the falling rubble with the organic archway that led the forked path to that room, and she waited out the tremors until the entirety of the entrance was blocked off from the Nuit's sight. Savis Maren felt a surge of dread color her senses as falling rubble crushed against more rubble. It stacked to greater and greater heights, but she couldn't see just how high it rose for the moment. A cloud of dust obscured her vision, but she need not blink away the dusty air.
The Nuit allowed a slight hand to brush its long fingers along her chin. The smooth linen on her fingers clashed against her cool flesh as she mused, her silver gaze holding to the debris that blocked her from escape. There was nothing Savis wanted to do more than leave. The idea of exploration seemed absurd, and the vague notion that more tremors might follow dissuaded her from the appeal of further exploration. How unfortunate that the Nuit was caught without her automatons. How useful Sil woul've proved, with his small stature possibly allowing him to sift between the rubble and take with him a note calling for aid. However, as she thought more on it, she wondered if Sil was complex enough to even understand such a desperate plea, and if he'd merely get lost in a fruitless search for altruism.
It's best this way. Elea and I will see this through, she assured herself Savis was quite fortunate that the cave-in didn't result in any injuries on her behalf. She couldn't say the same about Eleutheria, who moved with a limp that might've suited a Nuit with an elderly and poorly-kept corpse shell to wear.
"I'm fine. How's your leg?" she asked, unsure if the limp was focused in any particular area. The Nuit didn't pay attention to it for long, as Eleutheria seemed content to ignore it and muse with her as to the nature of the cave-in. The girl mused on the strangest things, a contrast between 'design' and 'nature' exhibited in her words that the Nuit didn't agree was the proper musing to have. It hardly mattered what was natural or if some nefarious plot against them had them at their wit's end. The result would be the same if they didn't escape.
"We have no ways out," she corrected. The blockage of their only obvious exit made that no longer a viable means of escape. Savis Maren wasn't the sort to waste bells on a futile task. Even if they had the strength to move the boulders, Eleutheria's injury wouldn't have the woman be useful as a force of manual labor, not to mention her mortality and how hunger might factor into their likelihood of success.
"We have an effective barrier to passage, and we have an unknown path behind us. The fork led to one dead end, at the very least: mine. I'd assume that yours was, as well? Unless you found a path on your side, we really only have one option. Moving forward. We should take our approach slow and keep our wits about us," she reasoned, hoping that movement and freedom were synonymous in this situation.
