Sen passes the frog-stick-thing back to Rin; it's not needed, so they ought to have a little fun magic. Maybe they can polymorph a frog WITH the frog. Something like that.
He also pauses and, when no one's looking, kisses one of their horns. [ You were and are and ever will be magnificent. ]
Faolan reaches out, hesitates with his hand hovering above Dmitri's shoulder, then lightly touches him. (Comforts him.) (It's aching, the first time they vanish.) There's a shift of his hand that might be a tracing back of Dmitri's hair.
"She'll find you again. Soon, now she knows where you are. What you are to her."
A beat and, "We're not out of the woods yet, Dmitri."
His hand lifts and turns, palm up in offering, in invitation.
<.>
Sometime, yes.
Sometime— Maybe. If Dima wasn't mistaken in what he felt. If it wasn't only his wishfulness.
It's a little easier to believe when Faolan speaks.
When Faolan touches his shoulder, seems to brush with his hand. Signs Dmitri takes as commiseration. Signs Dmitri takes as suggesting that Faolan saw what he felt— And. And given the way Faolan spoke of his wolf, looks at his wolf and seems so easily to communicate, Dima suspects he knows much of these companionships.
(If only.) (There's time; there's so much time, and he doesn't want to push her. Doesn't want to force a thing at all.)
He looked back when Faolan touched his shoulder, feeling half within a dream. Now Dima turns to face the man, one hang still lingering on the cage, and the other—
The other reaching out, of course. Immediate, instinctive, and Dima feels just a little more settled, a little more grounded (and at once, curled through with gratitude) with his hand in Faolan's.
"I'd like to believe so."
And he nods, the details of the day, the place they're in, the work they have yet to do filtering back in slowly. "I appreciate what you've done— What all of you have done.
"For now— Yes. I think we move along."
<.>
The party collects themselves and find the chanting is louder still as they approach the two corridors leading from the reliquary room. The corridor furthest from the stairs slopes down 20 degrees into murky water and ends at a portcullis. The other seems to continue on and turn right.
As there's little else of value to be found or done here, what would the party care to do next?
Rin looks down at the water, shakes their head. "Guess this gives us an easy option." And, after a moment. "What do you think; send scouts ahead to take a look in the dark, or take the risk of light? ...I don't love the thought of splitting up, so there's that."
Dima's going to add, "Light or no light may not matter; I expect whatever's down here is accustomed to the dark."
[q: Is the chanting in Common? a: The chanting is indeed in Common.]
In that case, Dima's also going to ask if anyone has by some chance got any idea what these fucking chants are about, or what 'The Land' might mean.
<.>
Faolan shakes his head and sighs. "We'd better stick together. They know we're here. They must know where we are, after -"
He motions to the now-empty cage.
"If no one knows what the chanting means, it's time we go find out."
Sen, thinking perhaps Rin might be a little disappointing there won't be any stealthing, whispers, "If it's a cult of shitheads, turn one of them into a frog."
And if there are no objections, Faolan's wolf will lead, with Faolan not far behind, following the light it casts.
<.>
No objections!
And Rin latches on to that suggestion; *that* could be fun! They'll just keep the frog wand close at hand.
Dima will, of course, follow after Faolan.
<.>
The corridor they follow leads them into what appears to be a prison. Against the walls in alcoves are shackles with traces of remains, though the majority of the bones may well be upstairs in the "dining hall".
Faolan follows the path to where it dead ends, and turns back to the group in confusion.
<.>
Dima, to the surprise of everyone, would like to go around and take a close look at the remains. To see whether there's anything to identify who or what these bodies were and how long they've been here.
Also, you know. To snag some bones.
Dima also doesn't want to leave Faolan, so he'll cast a glance toward him, an unspoken 'Follow me?'
Rin's brow is furrowed. "We'd better not be going through that water. :/ But. Maybe there's something here? A hidden passage? Seems like something a place like this could have." They look at Sen, they lift their eyebrows. "Have had already, though I guess that one led tO the skeleton."
Whatever the case, Rin's going to look for inconsistencies in the architecture, places where the dust might be a little less thick, or any object that might seem odd in its placement.
[PERC, r: Rin thinks this prison isn't cool enough for secret passageways and their attention is diverted by the presence of earthworms.]
Rin is now prodding a couple of earthworms with their frog wand.
<.>
Faolan follows along behind as Dima inspects, searches, and loots the skeletons. In one alcove, they happen upon a skeleton wearing the remains of the same robes they found in the Dursts' room upstairs.
Further inspection will turn up a gold ring on one of its fingers.
[q: Regarding the ring, does it bear any resemblance to the ones Dima's wearing? a: It does not, nope. q: Are there any markings or particularities of design on the ring? a: Nope, just a gold ring!]
Sen thinks that Rin has a good idea searching for secret passageways, but then sees what they're doing with the earthworms and finds that far more interesting.
<.>
While Dima searches the alcoves the the eastern side of the prison, Faolan leans against the wall and watches him, head cocked introspectively. The light from his wolf flickers against his skin; Faolan isn't aware of the tempting picture he is but the DM really thinks Dima ought to take advantage of the moment.
<.>
Dima's taking a look at the ring, is reaching to work it off the skeleton's finger, when he happens to look up—
He.
Well, he.
He's never seen anyone so heart-stammering, and though he thinks Faolan would steal his breath in every light, something about this light, flickered with shadow and flame, suits him especially.
It is and it isn't only the man's physical beauty. It's something in his eyes; a glow complimented by the fire. It's a twined softness and restrained fury; the look of a man who's lived his own kind of burning, who knows both the damage and the mercy fire can bring, and who's learned to make his home among fire. (Perhaps among ashes. Perhaps this is a fire he grew from wreckage; a resurrection in brilliant human form.)
Faolan is astonishing. Dima's heart is racing. And he thinks— He forgot somewhere to breathe, of course he did. And he doesn't know how long he's been staring.
<.>
Faolan realizes Dmitri is staring at him (and maybe he was staring back, but this is different, this is other) and raises his brows a little.
He could be coy and ask 'what?', or (do like he once did, bite his lower lip and incline his head in invitation-) (No.) he could acknowledge the look.
Or pretend it isn't happening.
Or -
Just. Smile faintly.
He looks down and shifts two fingers at the wolf's fiery nose, then cuts a glance up again to see if he's still being watched.
"Had your fill of skeletons already?"
<.>
He's. Been caught.
He'd be worried, he might be a little, little bit ashamed, but that faint smile sets him at ease; if nothing else, Faolan doesn't seem to be upset. So Dima ducks his head softly, hair falling just a bit before his eyes, and huffs a soft almost-laugh. "I doubt I'll ever see the day."
And, looking up again. "Firelight suits you. Your wolf suits you.
"Here in the bowels of nowhere, your spirit still shines through.
"It's commendable, and I—
"As I told you, I can't promise I won't watch.”
[WIS save, d: 11; Dima has the uncontrollable, overwhelming, and absolutely impossible to resist desire to throw himself bodily at Faolan, almost as though a child has tried to smoosh them together like dolls.]
Dima, with all the grace in his edgelord form, is going to do just that, rising and just about leaping to wrap his arms around Fae.
<.>
Faolan's too startled to even consider dodging, and he gets hit with the full force of the, er, 'attack'. The weight of Dima's pounce combined with Faolan's causes a portion of wall to shift and open.
Faolan falls backward onto moist earth with Dima on top of him; confused, he looks upside-down at the cavernous space they've fallen in to, then calls out, "Sen. Rin. Was this what you were looking for?"
As for Dima, he gets a flicker of childish arrogance from Rose.
<.>
As Dima senses that flicker, he at once thinks ’Thank you’ and wishes she'd found another way to let them know. He's also scrambling off of Faolan and upward, cursing softly and apologizing, offering a hand to help Faolan up. He can't quite meet the man's eyes. He also— He liked how it felt to be against this man. He'd— Like to feel that again. He also wishes he hadn't full-on thrown himself at a man who's been so cautious around him, and has had cause for caution.
"I'm sorry, I—" He clears his throat. "The firelight."
Rin, meanwhile, finally looks up from the earthworms - look how they wiggle, Sen! do you think they have many feuds? - at the sound of a body slamming into the ground. "Shit??"
Maybe this dungeon's cooler than they thought. Well, whatever; Faolan and Dmitri had it covered, and the worms were great.
Rin's going to move over and step around the two who are... What are they doing lying in the mud? None of Rin's business, that's what, though they do Message Sen: [ Looks like you've got that bet locked down. ]
<.>
Sen arrives in time to step over them with a look that asks, And what were YOU two doing?
He smirks at Rin, then humbly replies, [ It's not over until it's over. ]
With Dima off him, Faolan - unsure what just happened, really - tries not think about it. Any of it. (How good it felt. How much he's missed being wanted. How much he's missed a warm body against his own.) (How good Dmitri feels with arms around him. On top of -) (Stop!)
He brushes mud off himself as he rises, nodding along that, yes, the firelight did it. The wolf, surely, is to blame.
He can't joke about it. Instead, he just manages a soft, "Later."
A talk deferred. (For as long as possible, he hopes.)
And he turns to send the wolf into this new space.
As each of them step into the room, the chanting stops. The smooth masonry walls provide excellent acoustics. Featureless stone pillars support the ceiling and a breach in the west wall leads to a dark cave heaped with refuse. Murky water covers most of the floor.
Stairs lead up to dry stone ledges that hug the walls. In the middle of the room, more stairs rise to form an octagonal dais that also rises above the water. Rusty chains with shackles dangle from the ceiling directly above a stone altar mounted on the dais. The altar is carved with hideous depictions of grasping ghouls and is stained with dry blood.
no subject
He also pauses and, when no one's looking, kisses one of their horns. [ You were and are and ever will be magnificent. ]
Faolan reaches out, hesitates with his hand hovering above Dmitri's shoulder, then lightly touches him. (Comforts him.) (It's aching, the first time they vanish.) There's a shift of his hand that might be a tracing back of Dmitri's hair.
"She'll find you again. Soon, now she knows where you are. What you are to her."
A beat and, "We're not out of the woods yet, Dmitri."
His hand lifts and turns, palm up in offering, in invitation.
<.>
Sometime, yes.
Sometime— Maybe. If Dima wasn't mistaken in what he felt. If it wasn't only his wishfulness.
It's a little easier to believe when Faolan speaks.
When Faolan touches his shoulder, seems to brush with his hand. Signs Dmitri takes as commiseration. Signs Dmitri takes as suggesting that Faolan saw what he felt— And. And given the way Faolan spoke of his wolf, looks at his wolf and seems so easily to communicate, Dima suspects he knows much of these companionships.
(If only.) (There's time; there's so much time, and he doesn't want to push her. Doesn't want to force a thing at all.)
He looked back when Faolan touched his shoulder, feeling half within a dream. Now Dima turns to face the man, one hang still lingering on the cage, and the other—
The other reaching out, of course. Immediate, instinctive, and Dima feels just a little more settled, a little more grounded (and at once, curled through with gratitude) with his hand in Faolan's.
"I'd like to believe so."
And he nods, the details of the day, the place they're in, the work they have yet to do filtering back in slowly. "I appreciate what you've done— What all of you have done.
"For now— Yes. I think we move along."
<.>
The party collects themselves and find the chanting is louder still as they approach the two corridors leading from the reliquary room. The corridor furthest from the stairs slopes down 20 degrees into murky water and ends at a portcullis. The other seems to continue on and turn right.
As there's little else of value to be found or done here, what would the party care to do next?
Rin looks down at the water, shakes their head. "Guess this gives us an easy option." And, after a moment. "What do you think; send scouts ahead to take a look in the dark, or take the risk of light? ...I don't love the thought of splitting up, so there's that."
Dima's going to add, "Light or no light may not matter; I expect whatever's down here is accustomed to the dark."
[q: Is the chanting in Common?
a: The chanting is indeed in Common.]
In that case, Dima's also going to ask if anyone has by some chance got any idea what these fucking chants are about, or what 'The Land' might mean.
<.>
Faolan shakes his head and sighs. "We'd better stick together. They know we're here. They must know where we are, after -"
He motions to the now-empty cage.
"If no one knows what the chanting means, it's time we go find out."
Sen, thinking perhaps Rin might be a little disappointing there won't be any stealthing, whispers, "If it's a cult of shitheads, turn one of them into a frog."
And if there are no objections, Faolan's wolf will lead, with Faolan not far behind, following the light it casts.
<.>
No objections!
And Rin latches on to that suggestion; *that* could be fun! They'll just keep the frog wand close at hand.
Dima will, of course, follow after Faolan.
<.>
The corridor they follow leads them into what appears to be a prison. Against the walls in alcoves are shackles with traces of remains, though the majority of the bones may well be upstairs in the "dining hall".
Faolan follows the path to where it dead ends, and turns back to the group in confusion.
<.>
Dima, to the surprise of everyone, would like to go around and take a close look at the remains. To see whether there's anything to identify who or what these bodies were and how long they've been here.
Also, you know. To snag some bones.
Dima also doesn't want to leave Faolan, so he'll cast a glance toward him, an unspoken 'Follow me?'
Rin's brow is furrowed. "We'd better not be going through that water. :/ But. Maybe there's something here? A hidden passage? Seems like something a place like this could have." They look at Sen, they lift their eyebrows. "Have had already, though I guess that one led tO the skeleton."
Whatever the case, Rin's going to look for inconsistencies in the architecture, places where the dust might be a little less thick, or any object that might seem odd in its placement.
[PERC, r: Rin thinks this prison isn't cool enough for secret passageways and their attention is diverted by the presence of earthworms.]
Rin is now prodding a couple of earthworms with their frog wand.
<.>
Faolan follows along behind as Dima inspects, searches, and loots the skeletons. In one alcove, they happen upon a skeleton wearing the remains of the same robes they found in the Dursts' room upstairs.
Further inspection will turn up a gold ring on one of its fingers.
[q: Regarding the ring, does it bear any resemblance to the ones Dima's wearing?
a: It does not, nope.
q: Are there any markings or particularities of design on the ring?
a: Nope, just a gold ring!]
Sen thinks that Rin has a good idea searching for secret passageways, but then sees what they're doing with the earthworms and finds that far more interesting.
<.>
While Dima searches the alcoves the the eastern side of the prison, Faolan leans against the wall and watches him, head cocked introspectively. The light from his wolf flickers against his skin; Faolan isn't aware of the tempting picture he is but the DM really thinks Dima ought to take advantage of the moment.
<.>
Dima's taking a look at the ring, is reaching to work it off the skeleton's finger, when he happens to look up—
He.
Well, he.
He's never seen anyone so heart-stammering, and though he thinks Faolan would steal his breath in every light, something about this light, flickered with shadow and flame, suits him especially.
It is and it isn't only the man's physical beauty. It's something in his eyes; a glow complimented by the fire. It's a twined softness and restrained fury; the look of a man who's lived his own kind of burning, who knows both the damage and the mercy fire can bring, and who's learned to make his home among fire. (Perhaps among ashes. Perhaps this is a fire he grew from wreckage; a resurrection in brilliant human form.)
Faolan is astonishing. Dima's heart is racing. And he thinks— He forgot somewhere to breathe, of course he did. And he doesn't know how long he's been staring.
<.>
Faolan realizes Dmitri is staring at him (and maybe he was staring back, but this is different, this is other) and raises his brows a little.
He could be coy and ask 'what?', or (do like he once did, bite his lower lip and incline his head in invitation-) (No.) he could acknowledge the look.
Or pretend it isn't happening.
Or -
Just. Smile faintly.
He looks down and shifts two fingers at the wolf's fiery nose, then cuts a glance up again to see if he's still being watched.
"Had your fill of skeletons already?"
<.>
He's. Been caught.
He'd be worried, he might be a little, little bit ashamed, but that faint smile sets him at ease; if nothing else, Faolan doesn't seem to be upset. So Dima ducks his head softly, hair falling just a bit before his eyes, and huffs a soft almost-laugh. "I doubt I'll ever see the day."
And, looking up again. "Firelight suits you. Your wolf suits you.
"Here in the bowels of nowhere, your spirit still shines through.
"It's commendable, and I—
"As I told you, I can't promise I won't watch.”
[WIS save, d: 11; Dima has the uncontrollable, overwhelming, and absolutely impossible to resist desire to throw himself bodily at Faolan, almost as though a child has tried to smoosh them together like dolls.]
Dima, with all the grace in his edgelord form, is going to do just that, rising and just about leaping to wrap his arms around Fae.
<.>
Faolan's too startled to even consider dodging, and he gets hit with the full force of the, er, 'attack'. The weight of Dima's pounce combined with Faolan's causes a portion of wall to shift and open.
Faolan falls backward onto moist earth with Dima on top of him; confused, he looks upside-down at the cavernous space they've fallen in to, then calls out, "Sen. Rin. Was this what you were looking for?"
As for Dima, he gets a flicker of childish arrogance from Rose.
<.>
As Dima senses that flicker, he at once thinks ’Thank you’ and wishes she'd found another way to let them know. He's also scrambling off of Faolan and upward, cursing softly and apologizing, offering a hand to help Faolan up. He can't quite meet the man's eyes. He also— He liked how it felt to be against this man. He'd— Like to feel that again. He also wishes he hadn't full-on thrown himself at a man who's been so cautious around him, and has had cause for caution.
"I'm sorry, I—" He clears his throat. "The firelight."
Rin, meanwhile, finally looks up from the earthworms - look how they wiggle, Sen! do you think they have many feuds? - at the sound of a body slamming into the ground. "Shit??"
Maybe this dungeon's cooler than they thought. Well, whatever; Faolan and Dmitri had it covered, and the worms were great.
Rin's going to move over and step around the two who are... What are they doing lying in the mud? None of Rin's business, that's what, though they do Message Sen: [ Looks like you've got that bet locked down. ]
<.>
Sen arrives in time to step over them with a look that asks, And what were YOU two doing?
He smirks at Rin, then humbly replies, [ It's not over until it's over. ]
With Dima off him, Faolan - unsure what just happened, really - tries not think about it. Any of it. (How good it felt. How much he's missed being wanted. How much he's missed a warm body against his own.) (How good Dmitri feels with arms around him. On top of -) (Stop!)
He brushes mud off himself as he rises, nodding along that, yes, the firelight did it. The wolf, surely, is to blame.
He can't joke about it. Instead, he just manages a soft, "Later."
A talk deferred. (For as long as possible, he hopes.)
And he turns to send the wolf into this new space.
As each of them step into the room, the chanting stops. The smooth masonry walls provide excellent acoustics. Featureless stone pillars support the ceiling and a breach in the west wall leads to a dark cave heaped with refuse. Murky water covers most of the floor.
Stairs lead up to dry stone ledges that hug the walls. In the middle of the room, more stairs rise to form an octagonal dais that also rises above the water. Rusty chains with shackles dangle from the ceiling directly above a stone altar mounted on the dais. The altar is carved with hideous depictions of grasping ghouls and is stained with dry blood.
<.>