Closed Search Party [Meville]

[Una Tanta]

Una gazed at him shocked, the boy was incredibly literal. Catching the small smile as she began to glow she breathed a sigh of relief, he evidently thought she was being at least remotely helpful. As they conversed Una began to wake up and was able to teeter along on her own. "You are very cheery even in the face of all this ice?" Una interrupted incredulous, "You must be moronically happy in good weather." She added muttering, she herself certainly couldn't maintain cheeriness when she was freezing to death. Having grown up in the salty cold seas between Thunder Bay and Avanthal she was remarkably adapted to the cold, and yet this man was out-competing her. The darkness that lay before them was the same as the darkness that lay behind them and even with the glow of her skin showing them the path Una felt despondent, as if she were floating in a never ending darkness. "How did you get Morwen's mark? I certainly could use the help." She chuckled as if the mark was something you could purchase at the market. Rubbing her fingers together dramatically to emphasize her point. As the moved deeper into the cave the walking warmed Una's muscles and slowly her walking became more fluid and typical. Distracted by their conversation Una almost stumbled when a figure appeared inches from her feet. It was one of the guards set at the next junction. His face was thankfully pressed into the ice out of sight. Rigid with ice the body lay like a fence before their path. "Oh..." Taking a step back Una stared at the body willing it to resurrect itself before her eyes. "Morwens mark certainly didn't save him..." She murmured to herself as she recovered from the shock. Bending down she shuffled through his clothes looking for anything that might be of use. Nothing. Removing his backpack was a painstaking process of kicking and shoving at the ice that was slowly gluing it to his back. Moving toward the wall she threw it breaking the frozen zipper. "Where is his partner?" She asked Meville suddenly looking along the floor deliberately hand hovering over the opening of the backpack.

[Meville Brightshade]

The conversation seemed to be helping the Charoda maintain functioning consciousness, making it all the more enjoyable as some of the weight she'd been placing upon him eased up enough for him to straighten up entirely into a more comfortable posture. "Ice has been a large part of my everyday scenery for the last twenty-some years of my life. I find it much easier to cope with the cold with a jovial approach than that of the drab and dreary depression." While cheery, Meville's voice carried in it the slight rattling of teeth and wispy quality that came with the chill of the tundra. "Moronically happy in good weather?" Another impish chuckled bounced around the cavern, a childlike echo that faded into a melancholy buzz. "Some would argue I'm simply that way in any sort of climate."

Una's next question was a bit surprising. Though he'd spent his entire life within the protective walls of Avanthal among the dark haired Vantha, he'd never actually been blessed with Morwen's mark. He'd had a plethora of opportunities to obtain it, or at the very least request it, yet he'd always diverted himself. In one sense, the mark meant he was one of Morwen's children; perhaps not nearly as loved, but certainly it acted as a claim of sorts: "I am Meville, marked of Morwen." The idea of being owned by someone or thing, even, was unappealing at best. The mark also branded him as belonging to Avanthal, not just Morwen, which he'd never felt truly as though he belonged in the icy city. His conversational Vani and foreign looks aside, the populace had never quite managed to integrate him. He was, and seemed as though he would forever be, and outsider within his own home.

"That would make two of us then." He chuckled it off, but gave Una a serious look before he continued, adding a bit of gravity to his voice. "The Vantha are the blessed people of Morwen while I - and maybe even you - are simply foreigners, visitors in her domain, if you will." He shrugged then, letting his tone return to his usual lilt. "Of course, I imagine it isn't the most difficult process. I've seen plenty a traveler arrive markless and leave marked." He clicked his tongue, shaking his head at the irony of his markless self being shadowed by those who had spent only a fraction of their lives in his homeland yet left with more reward from it than he ever planned to obtain. "It would certainly be nice to have one now, though."

The next thing he knew, the lay before them the frozen body of one of the members of their group. Meville's bright eyes quickly turned hard as he gazed down at the lifeless lump of icy flesh before him, his mouth drooping at the corners. The dead did not bother him as much as they should, though Meville still felt the pang of his own mortality reverberate within the confines of his conscious self, reminding him just how cold he was, influencing the quick opening and closing of his hands to make sure there was ample movement. Before he could say or do anything, Una delivered a short eulogy before proceeding to loot the corpse.

Meville stood dumbfounded as the Charoda rifled through the man's pockets before deciding there might be a more lucrative treasure stored withing the man's pack. As the amphibious woman began kicking at the cloth to rend it from the dead man's back, Meville bit down hard on his bottom lip to keep himself from laughing. Under the usual circumstances, he would have released his mirth with abandon, however given the context of a dead man, even he found it to be a bit inappropriate. He was far too taken aback to be anything but amused by Una's completely unexpected way of handling the situation. When the rucksack had finally be removed from the man's back, Una hurled it at one of the frozen walls, the sound of something snapping bouncing wildly around the endless darkness in both directions.

As Una knelt down to inspect whatever goods might be within, she voiced a worried question, her eyes meeting his with enough feeling to calm his enjoyment into a more solemn, businesslike mindset. "Deeper in, perhaps?" Not nearly as concerned with the man's partner as was his companion, Meville knelt down next to the frozen corpse, examining it with his chilly blue gaze. "I suppose you won't be needing this then." He spoke calmly and carefully to the prostrate man before rising up and slamming his foot down twice, snapping off the man's arms with a shattering noise that sent a slight twitch down his spine and into his stomach. Tugging off the jacket and shaking out the remaining shards of what had once been alive, Meville offered it to the Charoda. "It's not a mark, but I think you'll find it more useful that he did. Anything of consequence in the bag?"

Common | Vani

[Una Tanta]

Many sailors had smashed their ships upon rocks and lay dead for scavenging. Una certainly didn't like death but the appearance of a dead body in her past was always an opportunity to garner things. She remembered when her and her siblings would slip through the hull of a split ship shuffling through dead bodies for glimmering trinkets. "You don't sound all that worried..." Una replied, "Aren't you worried what got him will get us?" When she turned to hear his response he was standing very close. Arm outstretched offering her the jacket. "...brilliant..." She whispered under her breath taking the jacket from him and gingerly putting the slightly frostbitten fabric over her shoulders. "Better already," She grinned. Digging through the backpack she frowned, "His partner must have taken everything out of it already...which means he's still alive..." Tugging the mittens and boots off the body she stuffed them into the backpack hastily, "Want another pair of pants or a shirt?" She teased stepping over the body. The mans coat was large, almost drowning her in it, but it's heavy caramel leather was worn supple and the fur coated inside lent warmth to her quickly. "Come on. We can't be that far from warmth." She declared striking off into the tunnel. Isolated from the cold by the jacket her spirits rose dramatically. As they walked Una kept glancing at him curiously, she knew she recognized him. The cold had numbed the curiosity out of her but as she warmed so did her curiosity, in fact, it flared. However, she was much too polite to overtly ask questions so she kept her mouth shut and descended deeper into the maw with the stranger.

[Meville Brightshade]

At mention of a darker danger lurking within the darkness around them, Meville only offered a nonchalant shrug. There was no use worrying over the unknown, as it would either present itself in such a manner they would deal with it or perish, or it would simply remain a questionable "what if". In Meville's experience, it was best to let sleeping dogs lie, or in this case, mysterious, murderous cave-dwelling monsters. Though, from what Meville could tell from the body before he shattered a large piece of it, the Vantha seemed to be in relatively fine shape, aside from the state of death. Whatever had done him in didn't seem to be the violent sort of killer, so it was possible the man had truly just died of cold, though that also was an incredibly unlikely scenario. Already hung up on what might have done it, Meville shook his head to clear his mind and focus on the task at hand: not ending up like their now armless third.

Una's joke was met with an appreciative laugh from the young blonde. "Better leave the poor man something to face Lhex in. I can't imagine the guff he might get from the old goat in his skivvies." Offering a solemn nod in the direction of the dead man, Meville trailed behind Una, pulling the gloves out of the rucksack and stuffing his hands into them to better preserve what little heat was left. He gave Una an apathetic shrug as he did so, making it seem as though the mittens weren't necessary, only that he didn't want her being the only one wearing a dead man's clothes.

As they continued, Meville was content with the silence. The driving force behind conversation before had been to keep the Charoda awake and functioning, not that she had regained enough heat to remain conscious, there was little reason aside from socialization to continue on. Still, the woman's covert glances emphasized by slight shifts in their bubble of illumination cued Meville to speak once more, this time as an invitation for his companion to voice what was on her mind. "Is my face that captivating, or do you have a tick?" Teasingly, Meville imitated the quick side-glance he'd just caught her doing not a tick before. "If you're worried I might be the killer beasty, I give you my wavering word that I am most likely not it. Probably." His bubbling laugh echoed around them once more, fading into the tunnel ahead.

Common | Vani

[Una Tanta]

As they descended deeper into the tunnel the walls and floor grew smoother. Una reached out running her hand over the surface face pinched. "...It's melting..." She murmured to herself. What would make it melt? Was it dangerous? Growing up in the dangerous coral reefs of Thunder Bay she had little humour while in areas she didn't recognize. Worrying certainly was a waste of time, but being aware and thinking about one's surroundings was necessary for survival. "Is my face that captivating, or do you have a tick?" The blonde angel teased, "If you're worried I might be the killer beasty, I give you my wavering word that I am most likely not it. Probably." Una scrunched her face curiously as his laugh bubbled back against them from the depths of the cave. "You're face is captivating, and familiar." She ignored his last statement, not understanding the humour. She had been in the library the first day he had appeared. He was one of the few things that made her look up from a book, his uncanny resemblance to Cy. She had watched him the entire time unable to tear her eyes from his easy swagger. "You were in the library that day. With Jacks assistant, Lorelle?" Her voice rose curiously, unsure of the name, "You gave her a bird and she dropped and broke it!" Her voice raised an octave and she grinned surprised she hadn't recognized him before. "Am I supposed to laugh now?" She teased. He seemed to laugh at the end of every sentence. They had wandered ever deeper as they talked and the air was getting heavier and thickier, the walls smoother. Their feet began to slip along the incredibly smooth floor. "This....This is a water vane..." Una murmured interrupting him if he happened to respond. "In Thunder Bay you would find rivers that emptied into it. If you swam through them they were worn smooth like this from the flush of water. Me and my siblings used to play games, see who could swim deepest against the current." She closed her eyes blocking out every other sense and listening carefully. "Water!" She squealed dashing forward, the tunnel of light she was creating rapidly following her. Several meters ahead of them was a large cavern. Several meters long with a still pool in the center the cavern created a perfect dome. The first familiar and safe thing all night was lying right before her, and she approached wild with excitement. As she approached she slowed and stared down at the water with horror. "Meville....I think we need to get out...we need to get out now!" The water was heavy with blood but she could still make out their faces. The faces of all those that had dared slip into the caverns. Every single one stared back up at her, mouths agape and eyes swollen with water. They were stacked upon each other like a card deck.

[Meville Brightshade]

"Familiar, hm?" He was almost certain he'd never seen Una before. It wasn't every day one got the chance to meet a Charoda. She was, strangely enough, as human as any other person he'd ever spoken to. Perhaps, if anything, she was a bit more intense than any of his other acquaintances. As she scrunched her face in concentration, gazing at him with probing eyes, Meville mimicked a fish blowing bubbles at her until she spoke again with merry revelation. Instead of grinning, Meville's face fell into a slight frown. "The library? Ah. Yes. Lorelle is her name. That god's damned bird." Letting his visage lighten some at Una's jest, Meville shook his head, chuckling. "Laughter is one of the better medications for fear and sadness, you know." Leaving it up to her whether to partake in it with him or not.

As they continued down the tunnel, Meville began to notice a distinct change in the environment around them. The light around them had softened from a glow to a more ambient haze, the air hung heavy with moister and Meville found himself struggling to find traction beneath his boots. Una began to mumble to herself about water veins, while Meville focused upon maintaining his balance. She gave an explanation, but it didn't make any sort of sense to him. Instead, Meville just nodded, his mind more focused on placing one foot in front of the other. Now that Una was back to her usual self, Meville felt it was best to leave most of the thinking to her. She seemed to be much more equipped to deal with their harsh reality than he.

Una's squeal of delight yanked Meville's focus to her retreating figure as he tumbled to the cold, damp floor with a painful thud. Landing flat on his back, he panted for a few moments before sucking in enough air to let out a small groan. Up ahead, he heard Una's voice again, though this time it was hushed and urgent. Moaning and wincing at the throbbing pain in his head and spine, Meville forced himself into a seated position after some struggling to find a place to push his weight against. "What?"

His voice came out much louder than he intended, echoing through the tunnel and out into the small cavern. Chewing on his lower lip, Meville stumbled to his feet, futilely grasping the slippery walls in a hope for aid. Finally, shuffling towards where Una stood overlooking the larger chamber, Meville was able to discern the source of her concern. "Morwen's tits."

Below them lay several stacked bodies in a pool of crimson. The liquid around them must have been supplemented by water or other some such substance, as it was a far greater amount than the number of corpses could have contained. Clenching his fists, Meville carefully took a few tentative steps back towards where they'd come, his eyes remaining fixed on the sight before the two of them. "I think I'm worried now."

Common | Vani

[Una Tanta]

x
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Una couldn't help but smile through her fear when Meville retreated. It was unusual to see him so scared. This entire experience had terrified Una and yet he had a permanent grin attached to his face, an annoying permanent grin.

"Lets get them out first, we can't just leave them to freeze in the water." Una knelt down beside the water and began to remove her layers. Unbuttoning the coat and tossing it into a pile with her brocade blouse she turned over her shoulder.

"Keep a lookout..." She demanded. A heap of clothing beside her she closed her eyes and tensed as she submerged her upper body in the sub-glacial water. Getting her arms around one of the stiffening bodies she pulled hard dragging it out slowly. Laying the body prostrate on the ice she knelt over the body closing her eyes.

"Oh great Morwen. Encase this valiant warrior in a tomb of ice and care for him in your rainbow heavens." Una murmured. While Morwen wasn't her own patron goddess she understood the importance of Morwen to the Vantha. He deserved last his last rites. "While his body will be far from Avanthal let him walk the rainbow bridge to your palace in Avanthal."

Her freezing limbs began to shake by the second body. Eventually the four were dragged prostrate on their back. Kneeling over the second body she was about to deliver last rites when she turned to Meville, "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to help me? You may not be religious but Morwen has protected you in Avanthal and its important for their spiritual fulfilment. So buck up and get over here." She lectured adding a grin to soften her words.

When she was done she pulled the layers of clothes back on. "It's too bad we can't take them all back with us..." Una murmured under her breath. She shuffled through their clothes removing their flint and steel amongst other things and placing them in her own pack.

She was terrified of whatever had done this and was grateful when she had finished what she felt was her duty. These men had obviously died tragically, despite their own capabilities, they deserved her respect. The one in tunnel appeared to have died of his own stupidity, a quality Una couldn't tolerate. As they moved to flee back down the cavern she stepped over the tunnel body without flinching. He was obviously incapable of staying alive, thus she shouldn't risk her own livelihood for his last rites.

Though she hadn't thought about it while passing him in the tunnel the realization of this occurred as the tip of her foot grazed his frozen body and she gulped quietly. All dead bodies deserve to be put to rest didn't they? Even if they were incapable individuals...despite her guilt she continued to follow Meville through the tunnel ignoring the body the was dwindling into the distance.

x
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[Meville Brightshade]

"Get them out?!" Meville blinked back his surprise after his initial outburst. The Charoda was certainly an odd one, frightened when she shouldn't be and vice versa. Shaking his head, Meville gathered up Una's discarded garments, not wanting them to soak up more moisture than was necessary. As Una bade him keep watch, Meville nodded, watching her dive into the freezing water before them. It was a gruesome scene: the amphibious woman dragging the rigid bodies from their watery resting place to be shoved ashore, their bloodied, twisted faces staring silently into the world beyond that of the living. Much to Meville's continued surprise, Una prayed over the corpses with a variant of the farewell the Vantha commonly gave their fallen comrades. The words sounded odd in Common, but they still carried with them a somber weight that pulled the corners of his face into a frown.

At Una's admonition, Meville's frown lightened into a wry grin. Carefully picking his way down to the water's edge, he knelt over one of the corpses. The man's face was peaceful enough, though only when focus was removed from his two partially detached limbs and slit throat. Taking a calming breath, Meville gently closed the man's eyes and whispered in the man's native tongue, doing his best to remember the prayer as translating what Una had said was a bit out of reach of his numbed capabilities. "Mother Morwen, from you he came and to you he returns. May your hands... cover him in ice and his soul dance in the lights of the sky." Sure he'd been a bit off, Meville frowned down at the deceased, but decided to pray over the last one instead of correcting himself. The man was dead. Any prayer any of them got was more than they were probably anticipating when they had died.

When he and Una had finished, she uttered something under her breath that Meville simply couldn't let pass. "I wasn't aware you were a collector of corpses. I'm sure I could drag at least one back?" His tone was taunting with a hefty helping of mirth. Death was best handled with humor and jibes, as anything else was far too somber, especially when survival depended heavily upon a positive outlook. He waited while she redressed herself and looted what she could from the men. He found it a bit ironic to have prayed over them before looting, rather than the other way around, but as he'd figured before: a prayer was a prayer.

As they headed back out of the cavern, Meville took care to avoid the first body they'd come into contact with. Raising a brow, he glanced behind him to check to see if Una would pray for him as well. Apparently, whatever had sparked her more religious side was lacking in the cold features of the corpse. The two of them shuffled past where the firewater had been, Meville frowned as he glanced at the ashes of what had been his pack and food. He was going to have to get another one when they finally made it back to Avanthal.

As they neared the entrance, there was the sound of voices calling out. Grinning back at Una, Meville called back to receive a confirmation that he'd been heard.

Common | Vani

[Una Tanta]

"I wasn't aware you were a collector of corpses. I'm sure I could drag at least one back?" Una knew he was joking and returned it with a frown. Though death was as familiar to her as it was to all Mizaharians she had never experienced such cold. Addling her mind, making her forget herself. Leaving her vulnerable and struggling to emphasize her strength she simply wanted out. Out alive. And out away from this man who had seen her at her most addled and confused.

Mounting on top of this was her intense displeasure of his disrespect for death. "Death is not humorous." She snarled. In her anger she struggled for the words to communicate her anger. "Y-you are such a Joker, you can't take anything seriously because you're afraid to feel!" Her anger rose to a fever pitch quickly, tears starting in the corner of her eyes as Cys image floated behind them. Shoving him, her hand connecting with where his heart should be she continued with her barrage, "Your heart is ICE! If you can't feel, you can't live! So make your witty quirky jokes..." She kept shoving him, backing him toward the wall of the tunnel.

"but for all your cavalier jokes and your flippant grins, there is death behind your smile. You haven't LIVED! You haven't LIVED or felt true happiness until you have allowed yourself to feel pain." By this point she had his back against the wall and hovered, inches from his face hand begging to slap him. Her pink pupilless eyes fixed on his. "Stop making jokes." She beat her fists against his chest anger swelling like a puffer fish in her stomach. "Stop acting like a guppy and be a man! Feel SOMETHING! If not grief or happiness than at least gratitude to those men back there." She said pointing into the cavern, her hand shaking. "You ungrateful little PETCH."

The swell of anger had struck the beach and receded slowly, leaving her face smudged with the tears of its remains. Rarely anger, the force of the emotion sucked the final energy from her. In the silence she heard the voices from the mouth of the cave. Releasing the boy from the wall she turned her back on him, treading into the light. They were all boys, vapid little petches bent on laughing and singing when life wasn't like that. Life was battle; cold, oppressive and destructive. There was nothing in that to laugh at unless the whimpering laughter of hysteria found its way from your chest.

OOCYay! Almost done! Not that I don't love threading with you, but excited for the finale! I'm sorry Unas character, upon rereading, has been wavering a little since the thread has gone on for so long :3 But hopefully this post bonds all the wavering together a little.

Thanks for threading with me :3 I don't know how much longer you want to carry this out but depending on your post then maybe do one more post of them climbing out of the cave. Or we can leave it here. Let me know :3

x

[Shijara]

Una Tanta

The Good Stuff :

Experience:

Skill	XP
Observation	+4
Socialization	+3
Persuasion	+2
Wilderness Survival: Tundra	+1
Flirting	+1

Lore(s):
Meville Brightshade: Odd Company
Meville Brightsade: A Reminder Of A Past Flame
Meville Brightshade: Unmarked by Morwen
Making A Candle From Animal Fat
Nearly Freezing To Death
Reciting The Prayers of Death

Loot:
N/A

Notes:
Veeery interesting, Una. I have to say, having not read any of your threads before, this was fun. I mentioned some things about god modding in my other note already, so check out Meville's stuff too (just to make sure everything was peachy). Also, wanted to apologize this grade took so long for me to get through. I usually have them within the hour, but some stuff came up. If I missed anything, tell me. Shame this got cut short. I would have liked to see the ending.

Meville Brightshade

The Good Stuff :

Experience:

Skill	XP
Observation	+4
Socialization	+3
Climbing	+1
Singing	+1
Wilderness Survival: Tundra	+1
Endurance	+1

Lore(s):
Una Tanta: Charoda
Una Tanta: Collector of Corpses?
Undressing A Corpse
Pitching A Tent... Literally
Making Candles From Animal Fat
Breaking A (Dead) Man's Arm
Reciting The Prayers of Death

Loot:
A few bruises from hitting against the rocks when climbing, but otherwise Meville is fine. Should take a few days to a week to disappear completely.

Notes:
This thread was definitely interesting. Loved Meville's verbal responses to things. I found his wit and carefree attitude enjoyable to read. Just want to make sure no god modding was happening, both when Una climbed into your lap/hit your chest at the end, as well as when Meville slapped her to wake her up. I'm assuming you guys had an agreements and both actions were okay before hand? If not, just gotta make sure it doesn't happen in the future, at least not without consent, so here I am letting you two know. Otherwise, good thread, although some things were a wild. Will we ever find out what was really happening to those comrades? GAH. Cliffhangers!

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and I'll be happy to discuss it with you. Keep writing!