WHAT... is your favorite color? ][ open

[baguablade]

Who: Cain (baguablade) & you!
What: A questing we will go...
When: January
Where: Olympia
Warning(s): none

( a: disturbing the dead )

[ The crypt is hardly the most welcoming of places, but Cain and his partner are making do. Sure, there's the general unfriendly atmosphere of cold stone, disgusting dripping walls, and so many twists and turns that Cain's head is spinning. Not to mention the way the whole place is rigged as a death trap. From the spikes that had nearly taken off Cain's head at the front door, to the giant rolling boulder that had nearly squashed the two of them until they managed to duck into a lucky crack in the wall, to the alligator pit, the less said about that, the better.

Deeper in, and the traps only get worse. Cain's a bit fraught, streaked with dirt, completely on edge from having to keep an eye out for the next fun thing that'll try to kill them. He's given up on even trying to keep a hand on his sword hilt; there's no point when the danger comes from the environment rather than an attacker.

Still, despite the many perils, he's pretty sure they're close to finding the Ivory Hogs' cache. The layout of the tomb makes an odd kind of sense, a layout that's maze like in more than just its confusing turns. There's a center to the passages, Cain's quite sure, and they're near it — and the treasure. But that just means the traps laid for trespassers are getting more dangerous.

Cain pauses midstep, his hand stretched out to the side to stop his partner, too. ]

Did you hear something?

[ Was that a low, moaning howl? Or maybe the sharp click of some sort of mechanism arming itself? ]

( b: a day in the life - closed to yona )

[ Cain's a little wary of any partner recommended to him by Voss. It's nothing to do with Yona, personally. It's just that he trusts Voss a significantly shorter distance than he can throw him, and that extends to anyone Voss trusts. Still, Cain's willing to give Yona the benefit of the doubt. He knows better than to think that appearances like Yona's mean that she's harmless, but Cain himself is here, working for Voss for his own reasons, hoping that despite the shady nature of who he's received his task from, the information he's gaining will let him discover just what kind of corruption is lurking in Olympia's upper ranks.

Besides, Yona's earnestness is catching. Cain's not sure he's ready to trust her entirely, but he's usually pretty good at reading people. He'll take the risk; after all, if they get caught, they'll both be in trouble here.

Which is why Cain's shown up with two hooded cloaks, conspicuously bearing the symbol of the Royal Guard, one of which he's currently draping over Yona's head, tugging it down to hide her face in the shadow. He's awfully good at it, his expert appraisal as he pulls the hood to a bit more of an angle speaking of lots of experience. ]

There. [ He's also brought a pair of handcuffs, which he holds out to Yona. ] What do you think? Should I play a fellow guardsman, or am I a prisoner you're escorting to the cells?

Comments

[cutefaced]

Hmm...

[Last time she did something like this, she gave herself black hair; this time, it's blonde. Yona adjusts the hood slightly, brushing some loose strands of hair away from her face and tucking them further inside, and considers their options.

Then she reaches out for the handcuffs and gives them a little shake. Weird. She's never seen these before.]

It might be better for you to be a fellow guardsman in case we have to split up... they'd think it was weird if they saw you on your own later.

But two unfamiliar guards might make them suspicious of us, too...

[Her brow furrows.]

Can we hide that cloak under mine and have you put it on if we do have to look into things separately?

[baguablade]

Easier, I think, to pull off the cloak and slap on the cuffs if it comes to being discovered. They fit into a pocket better than wearing two cloaks.

[ She makes a good point about needing to split up, after all. They need to sneak in and have enough time to look around and find the information they've been sent after. One of them in a cell isn't going to be much help, even if it might get them through the more trafficked areas of the guard post.

With a flourish, Cain whirls the cape around his shoulders. Then he spends a moment tugging it straight after it whirls a bit too far, oops. He shrugs, settling the fabric, and pulls up his hood, far enough that the shadow of it covers his face. ]

Although hopefully we can avoid running into anyone altogether. If anything happens, you make a run for it.

[ And he'll hold them off, the implication. ]

[cutefaced]

[...she's not sure she likes the idea of making a run for it and leaving him behind, but she nods anyway. Arguing about it might not do much good. If she agrees, she can make a run for it...

...and come back with help. Or something.]

All right... so, we just have to act like we belong there!

[She takes a breath and nods once, determined.]

As long as it looks like we know what we're doing and where we're going, most people probably won't even give us a second glance. Oh, should we make up fake names in case someone stops and asks us who we are, though?

[baguablade]

Fake names, and a fake company that we belong to. I'll be Takasugi, and you can be Yue, okay? And if they ask what we're doing, we'll say we're on clean up duty.

[ He tilts his head enough that the hood falls back, letting him slant her a reassuring grin. It's pretty obvious from her demeanor that she's not used to these sorts of endeavors, but Cain's an old hand at them. Still, she understand the basics and she's thinking of sensible preparations. Yona's by far not the worst partner he could have for an infiltration mission, and her determination is more than enough to make up for any inexperience. ]

You've got the most important part down, though. As long as look like we belong, we probably won't get stopped.

[cutefaced]

Yue... ooh, that's a pretty name!

[This is an alias she might just be making good use of in the future. Thanks, Cain.]

...all right, Takasugi! Let's do this!

[She's ready to give this a try. So she smiles brightly at him before turning her attention to the entrance. ...they're going to act as if they belong here, so...]

We'll just walk right in.

[And once he gives the affirmative, she'll go ahead and do just that.]

[baguablade]

Walk right in, but let's still try to stick to the empty areas.

[ His voice is a little wry as he nods to Yona, reaching out to open the door for her, holding it to let her pass. It's a time of the day when most of the guards aren't in the outpost, out on their rounds, or sleeping in preparation for the night shift if they're not on duty. Hopefully that'll leave the halls empty enough that they can avoid having to prove they belong where they are in the first place. ]

The best way to sneak around is for no one to know you're doing it, after all.

[ He follows Yona in, light on his feet. So far, so good, no one in sight, but they still have to find the office of their target and, more importantly, something of interest to bring back to Voss. ]

[cutefaced]

[She nods. No more talk of sneaking once they're inside, but she does smile gratefully at him when he holds the door open for her and has to resist the urge to curtsy.

The struggle...

This was a good time to come in, with everyone gone. It's pretty easy for them to pick a path and start down it, and Yona does her best to make sure that she doesn't look even the slightest bit uncertain as she makes her way down the hall... until, after a few long moments, she glances back up at Cain.]

Oh, remind me whose office we were going to be cleaning?

[Some of the doors have labels, she's noticed - they just have to make sure they pick the one that matches their target.]

[baguablade]

Sergeant Nivyna. Apparently he's made such a mess that they needed to assign us specialists.

[ Cain winks at her as he answers, hidden by the tilt of his head as they pass by one of the guards, heading out from the barracks. Cleaning specialists, right. Something forgettable, unremarkable.

Easy to forget they even exist, except to be glad not to be that poor sap.

Cain tilts his head once the guard's down the hall and out the door, slowing as they near an office with the matching name plate to their target. He tries the handle, but it won't budge. Hmm. ]

Keep an eye out, okay?

[ Without any fanfare, Cain drops to his knees, pulls a pair of lockpicks from his sleeve, and sets to work on the lock. ]

[cutefaced]

I wonder how someone becomes a sergeant if they're that messy...

[That corrupt, she means. Enough that someone from the Temple is concerned enough to hire refugees to spy on them.

...not that she thinks Voss himself is necessarily squeaky-clean, but she doesn't really have the perspective needed to make that call. She figures if she follows this path far enough, all of that will become clear in time.]

Mm, I'll keep watch.

[And she does! While he handles the lock, she scans up and down the corridor for anyone approaching. A few minutes tick by; it's silent. No one seems to be coming this way...

Until, from the far side of the hall, she hears footsteps.

Yona casts a quick glance in his direction and lowers her voice.]

Are you almost done or should I head them off...?

[underwhelms]

[ On a scale of 1 to 10, JJ would rate his usefulness since they'd wandered into this crypt a solid -56. He's screamed a bit, and he can run fast enough that they haven't wound up in any pickles. Right now he's gripping Cain's hand probably hard enough to crush his bones, not that the other man has said anything about it. This job had turned out to be a lot less Aladdin and a lot more Silent Hill than he'd anticipated.

There's a sound that follows Cain's question, and the only reason that JJ doesn't answer immediately is because he's too busy straining his ears to try and listen. It's a static-y type of sound—jittery, like the crawling of a thousand spiders.

Whatever it is, it just makes JJ go all the more tense. ]

This was such a dumb idea. [ He whispers, voice slightly choked. ] Wandering into a crypt? This is going to be bad karma for days.

[ Every single time JJ wanders into one of these situations, he thinks next time I'll bring a weapon. And yet here he is, unarmed like a dumbass once again. ]

[baguablade]

[ By now, Cain's lost all feeling in his hand, but that's fine, it's not his sword hand. If JJ needs to squeeze the life out of it, he considers it a worthy sacrifice, especially if it keeps JJ from screaming and alerting anything in the crypt to their presence. He's proud of JJ, really, the screaming hasn't been nearly as loud, panicked, or constant as he would have expected!

Although Cain does reach over with his free hand to slap it over JJ's mouth. Shhhh. They're listening, not speaking right now!

After a moment, when the odd skittery sound doesn't repeat itself, Cain finally responds. Without removing his hand from JJ's mouth. ]

We'll be fine. [ He pauses. Was that the sound again? Hmm, no, nothing. ] There's no primal beasts in this world, so we don't have to worry about anything distorting our karma.

[underwhelms]

[ JJ normally doesn't take too well to being told what to do. Or at least, he hadn't in the past, but that sort of willfulness had been beaten out of him since arriving in El Nysa. He's more than willing to defer to Cain's expertise, going quiet once Cain presses a hand over his mouth, breathing heavily and trying to keep calm.

And listen, though there's nothing but the vacuum of silence around them now. (Which is almost worse, he'd appreciate seeing a mouse scurry innocently along now.)

The moment passes and JJ's eases slightly away from Cain, getting his reactions back under control and smiling just to remind himself that he can. ]

Right. There's nothing to worry about. There's no one here... but us.

[ And that's why all the hair on his arms is standing on end, why there's sweat beading down his nape, and why he can't exactly force his muscles to relax. ]

You don't actually believe in ghosts, do you?

[baguablade]

Believe in them...?

[ Cain lowers his arm, but he's ready to slap his hand back over JJ's mouth at a moment's notice. It's not that he doesn't trust JJ to handle himself, it's just that he trusts that JJ will let out a girlish scream if anything terrifying pops up, and part of Cain's job as a soldier escorting a civilian is to account for that sort of thing.

He peers into the dark, straining; he doesn't trust that the sound is really gone. ]

It's hard not to, but don't worry, the ones I've encountered weren't too hard to deal with.

[ You're welcome, JJ. ]

[underwhelms]

This isn't really the time for your teasing, Cain. Seriously—

[ It's not the sound. Though he's starting to think he might be hallucinating it out of anticipation soon. The crawling and jittering of some unholy beast waiting to erupt from the darkness. He can imagine it far too clearly; the downside of having a mind that wanders so frequently.

But what catches his breath in his throat is the sign of a body. Most media and movies might've prepared him for the sign of a skeleton, like something out of a pirate film, but what's actually haphazardly lying on the side of the corridor is a bonafide corpse: one arm extended, the skin pruning and peeling off, eyes sunken and face bloated purple.

JJ can feel him start to gag, the putrid taste of bile lurking too close but instead he takes a deep breath and miraculously frees Cain's hand so that he can start marching forward at a much quicker pace. ]

C'mon, c'mon. We're almost there, aren't we?

[ He's glad it was too dark to see clearly. ]

[baguablade]

[ Cain's about to protest that he's not teasing, he really has fought ghosts— but, well, with the way JJ's bent over and ready to gag just from the sight of an old corpse, he changes his mind on that. Maybe a little less teasing until they're out of here...

Especially since with JJ's alarm, he's being less than cautious. ]

Yes, but— [ A sharp click. Cain leaps forward, diving at JJ, dragging him down to the ground. ] Watch out!

[ A soft series of thwacks echoes as darts shoot from the wall, right at the level of JJ's head. Well. Now Cain knows why the corpse was bloated purple. ]

[underwhelms]

[ In what world is a rotting corpse not gag worthy?!

JJ doesn't get the chance to yell when Cain yanks him down toward the floor, his mouth dropping open soundlessly, letting out only a grunt when his butt hits the floor, looking disgruntled but otherwise all right. He stares for a moment at the darts now lodged in the wall, uncharacteristically emotionless.

It's like being presented with an insurmountable obstacle where he's fumbling left and right, and every decision is the wrong one. Normally, JJ would charge ahead until something works, but right now, he's keenly aware that Cain's own wellbeing is at stake. ]

Thanks. [ He sounds wary still, looking from the darts to the hallway ahead. ] That was a close one.

[baguablade]

Very close.

[ Cain waits a moment before he stands up. Then, he offers JJ a hand up and helpfully starts brushing the dirt off of him. He figures JJ will need the contact, some bit of reassurance. It's not like JJ's used to routing out monsters or digging through trap-filled ruins the way Cain is. JJ's a civilian, no matter what he's had to deal with in his time on El Nysa so far. ]

Too close. No matter what's in here, the environment's going to be the most dangerous thing we deal with, so take it slow, okay? [ He tilts his head up, grinning at JJ. ] I won't let anything happen to you.

aftermath - closed to percival

[baguablade]

[ The job, if it could even be called that, with Takasugi hadn't gone well. Oh, they'd completed the task, but Cain still has lingering doubts about whether Takasugi is really as innocent in his involvement of the slaughter as he claimed to be. Cain can still see the dead men every time he closes his eyes, the bodies lying on the grass, slaughtered, their blood sinking into the earth. He didn't save any of them. They died for no reason. The pang of that failure, that he didn't get there in time, hurts more than his own injuries.

He still has their blood on his hands, staining the soles of his boots and the hem of his long jacket. But it's not the only blood on him; his knuckles are bruised and broken, and a dark stain is spreading down his side from where Takasugi stabbed him. It's not a life-threatening injury, he's already put a makeshift field bandage on it, sloppy though it is, but he's noticeably roughed up, streaked with grime and smears of drying blood. It looks worse than it is.

He doesn't want anyone to see him like this. They'll worry needlessly.

Which is why Cain's waiting until dark has fallen to stumble back into the house he shares with Vane and Percival. He'd considered not coming back at all, but that absence would have been more telling, an aberration in his schedule, as erratic as it is, that might have alerted his housemates to things better left out of their knowledge.

He doesn't think anyone will still be awake at this hour; he's guiding himself by the moonlight spilling in from the windows, heading for the bathroom to wash off the blood.

When he turns the corner and finds Percival sitting in a small pool of light, reading by lamplight in the living room, he freezes, the wooden floor creaking beneath his feet. Is it too late to turn around and sneak back out, find somewhere else to spend the night? ]

THIS WAS 6 DAYS AGO??? oh my god

[tzaraisen]

[ Cain was free to come and go as he pleased. It was none of his business to wonder why, in all of the weeks that they've been living together, he had yet to come back home at such an ungodly hour. So, why was he still awake?

If anyone would ask, Percival would simply say that he was enjoying a read for the evening. Nevermind the fact that his gaze would periodically lift from the page and dart towards the door, that his attention would drift at the slightest sound. It was not his place or his business, but Percival had taken notice of slight changes in Cain's schedule. There were times in which he would return home, and in a tactic he'd seen employed too many times by Siegfried already, divert the conversation when asked about his whereabouts.

It's none of his business, yet here he is. He hears Cain before he sees him. ]

Isn't it a bit late to be drinking on a weeknight?

[ And if it weren't for the odd way that Cain's footsteps stop altogether rather than continuing, he might have continued the farce of being engrossed in his book. It isn't typical. Perhaps he's getting just a little better at reading Cain, too. His demeanor completely changes when he does look up, however, immediately alarmed by the sight of blood. He rises with a start, leaving everything else behind as he darts to his side. ]

You idiot! What sort of trouble did you get yourself into?!

i'll never forgive you......

[baguablade]

Ah—

[ Whatever attempt at smoothing things over he was about to make gets lost in the heat of Percival's gaze. That look of alarm has something twinging in Cain's chest. He doesn't want to worry anyone. He doesn't want anyone to look like that, not for him. He shouldn't have come home tonight and risked it, it'd been foolish.

But now he's caught. There's no hiding the blood that stains his sleeve, but he tries anyway, making himself straighten up, adopting a posture that doesn't look quite so gingerly held in pain.

Cain grins at Percival, devil-may-care, hoping that if he acts like it's no big deal, Percival will accept that much at face value. ]

Nothing too much. I was just a little unlucky, but don't worry, it's not as bad as it looks.

[tzaraisen]

[ Percival has, at least, enough experience in the battlefield to know to leave his questions for later. He's unhappy that Cain has gone off and gotten into some kind of spat, yes, but growing increasingly angry that he has the gall to smile at him right now.

Cain is bullshit.

He critically surveys the damage as much as he can, but since they're in poor lighting, he wordlessly grabs Cain by his uninjured arm and pulls him into the living room, unceremoniously pushing him onto the nearest chair. ]

I will go gather whatever supplies we have.

[ They are, thankfully, not naive enough that they wouldn't be prepared. Unfortunately, no one in the house is much of a healer (don't make me think about Vane's healing power GBF gives me headaches). He disappears into the hallway. ]

[baguablade]

Hey—!

[ An undignified yelp as Cain tries (fruitlessly) to dig in his heels. Percival's too strong, and he's exhausted from the long, long day. Besides, struggling too much would just be more suspicious. He sighs as he's dragged into the living room and shoved onto a chair. There's not getting out of this now. As soon as his clothes are off, Percival will see the full extent of the injury and how much he's trying to downplay it. His only hope is to keep that from happening.

By the time Percival returns, Cain's settled himself, angled to hide his injured arm. He's lounging, pretending at comfort, even though the position has his shoulder aching. ]

You really don't have to do all this. I just need to wash off the grime and I'll be good as new.

[tzaraisen]

[ This isn't how he'd planned to spend his evening, but Percival works quickly and efficiently at collecting the supplies. While he searches, his mind re-assesses the recent memory. Some of the blood on Cain seemed to be older and drier than the kind pooled around his wound. Either he has been bleeding non-stop for a while now, or that blood isn't his own. He hopes it's the latter.

When he returns, he's completely focused on the task, setting things aside in favor of peeling back his dirty clothes and getting access to the wound. Cain is sitting in such a way that makes it difficult for him to unbutton his shirt. ]

I don't want to hear another word. Move, so I can get a better look.

[baguablade]

[ Cain stares at Percival, studying him for a long moment, weighing just what kind of reaction Percival would have if he refused to comply. He wouldn't be like Leona, who was always quick see through Cain's protestations of health and retaliated with a swift, punishing demonstration of just how not fine he really was. No, there'd be no kick in the shin from Percival, no disapproving stare and guilt-laden scolding.

But what Percival would do might be even worse. The cold anger and disdain he thinks Percival would react with is just as unappealing a prospect as actually letting Percival see his wound and having to face whatever questions will arise from that.

No, it's worse. Even though he knows that he should push Percival away, that he should keep Percival from learning about what he's doing, from worrying — (from caring) — he can't bring himself to say the words that would send Percival into enough of a rage to spurn him.

With a sigh, Cain shifts, uncurling a little to let Percival get at his clothing, though he doesn't make any motion to help Percival peel away the shirt and jacket and get to the wound. He doesn't say anything. The truth of the injury will show itself, and nothing else he says will have any bearing on what Percival thinks of it. Instead, he just waits silently for whatever reaction Percival will offer. ]

[tzaraisen]

[ The blood may make the injury look worse than it is, but Percival reserves his judgement until he gets a good look. He knows better than to assume that all of this blood is his own. In fact, he hopes that's the case. He keeps his brow narrowed in concentration as he unbuttons his shirt and gingerly pulls back the fabric.

His fears are confirmed. The site of the wound isn't fatal, and fairly shallow, all things considered, but the idea that this could have been caused by some non-human creature seems unlikely. ]

You've been stabbed!

[ Quickly, he grabs Cain by the arms and guides him onto the floor. He may not be a medic, but he's seen enough of these on the battlefield to know that lying down was the first step to preventing further loss of blood. ] Who did this to you?!