Closed Down the Rabbit Hole -- Er, Mine Hole (Richard Blow)

[Thaloyss]

Thaloyss shot a look at Richard. "I am not ssure what to ssay about that. Iss that what you call an innuendo?" It probably was. Did she care? No. What she cared about was getting out of the caves and surviving. Getting that ghost would be nice, too. And not falling asleep.

Despite the Spiritist's constant warmth she was still shivering, if only just. The Dhani chewed at her bottom lip. The cold wasn't one of the ever-present ones that only reached your skin. It was the kind that settled in your bones and chilled you from the inside out. It was the kind that tortured you slowly before actually killing you, in extreme scenarios.

But hey, at least he was a portable, meaty packet of warmth. If worst came to worst she could always eat him, though that would probably sentence her to death. Not like she wanted to anyways. He was the first friend she'd made in what, ten years? Fifteen? And of couse there was Tascha. He'd let her keep the kitten (now climbing on Richard's back since her spot was filled by his arms) without a second thought.

The mercenary's maternal instinct kicked in again. Even if she didn't survive, she would get them out. It was her job, and she'd grown fond of Richard. He wasn't always the easiest person to understand, but his intentions were fairly well-placed and he was one of the more decent humans. If he was ever going to get a knife in the ribs, it would be because he wouldn't stop talking.

She glanced back at the torch, hiking Richard further up on her back. "Do not ssleep on me, now. I will make you walk."

The torch looked to be only fifteen chimes' worth of light left. They had to get out of there soon, or they'd be left in the dark and one of their heat sources would be gone. She tugged playfully on one of Richard's dreadlocks. "You are alright too, I guesss."

She turned down another tunnel, squinting into the oncoming darkness. Didn't Sunberth have a whole system of tunnels that ended up in various places? If one could map out viable routes and manage to not get lost along the way, it would be easy to go through the city unnoticed.

[Richard Blow]

"Would you like it to be?" Richard teased as he let go with one hand and rubbed the length of Thaloyss' arms to generate warmth. A glance at the torch told him they weren't long for this world. "No point in being scared." he thought grimly to himself. Happily, the Dhani's comment pulled him back to the present before he could get too morose. "Oi, I didn't ask for this!" he said with a grin. "You graciously volunteered, lest I remind you. And whaddayamean, 'I guess?', eh?" Another glance at the torch. Thirteen chimes. "Try not to think this is probably the last time ya josh someone, Richy. Just keep her cheerful until the end."

[Thaloyss]

"Well," Thaloyss began, "You can be an inssufferable ssnakeling at timess. Your sspeech iss difficult to undersstand, and it givess me a headache. You got me drunk and we cannot remember anything after I bought Tasscha, although that was more my fault. You got me fired from my lasst job, though it was boring. Ssince I met you we have beaten up a sslaver who you think has tiess with a gang, managed to forget an entire night of what I asssume iss partying, and now we are sstuck in a minesshaft."

"But other than that you are a good persson," she said with a smile, looking back at the man. "You are a good friend."

Well, she may as well say it now before she falls asleep and never awakens! Her eyes slid to the torch. Eight chimes, maybe less. It was Richard's warmth keeping her from shivering, but it was the torch's warmth keeping her awake. Her limbs were getting heavy, so she set the Spiritist down and dusted off her hands.

"Sso what do you think of me? You have thoughtss in that mind of yourss, no doubt. Why do you think I am 'all right'?" Talking would make her focus on his voice. It would prevent her from falling asleep. Honestly, all she wanted to do was sit down and rest. Richard was heavier than he looked and the lack of heat sucked the energy out of her body.

The Dhani decided that sitting was the best option and proceeded to do so, plucking the kitten from Richard's shoulder and leaning against the tunnel wall with her legs out in front of her. She stroked the kitten's head gently, making little cooing noises to it.

[Richard Blow]

"And now we're stuck in a mineshaft." mused Richard. "Y'also forgot the shenanigans with The Amazing Scarf Man." he deadpanned, though a faint smile lingered on his face as he dismounted, settled beside Thaloyss, pulled off his jacket and draped it around her. "Well, lemme tell you, for someone who's more than a hundred years old, ya sure got a way of getting yourself in trouble." he said mock-grouchily. "If y'didn't have me keeping an eye on you, y'probably woulda had three bounties on your head by now, with mobs of gangsters and gangs of mobsters wandering the streets to collect. But y'know what?" he said fondly, "You're worth keeping an eye on. You're loyal, y'don't hide things, and you can be counted on. You're someone I can trust, and in this city, that's worth more than gold. Lacing his fingers between Thaloyss', Richard said "Y'know, this season's probably been one of the best in my life, and barring a wheelbarrow of hookers, I don't think there's anyone I'd rather spend my last chimes with." "That's beautiful." said a heavily accented voice directly above them both. "Now kiss." "Oh you have got to be kidding me."

[Thaloyss]

"We both probably have three bountiess on our headss, Richard," she pointed out. After Scarf Man, as he called him, there was no doubt there was at least one other price on them. She pulled his jacket closer around her, though the inability to regulate her own body heat meant that what little warmth she could produce was soaked up by the cloth rather than trapped between it and her skin. It would help a human, but for a cold-blooded woman it did very little.

Thaloyss smiled into her lap as Richard made his assessment of her, scratching under Tascha's chin. As he slid his fingers into the spaces between hers she rested her head on his shoulder. There was a bit of a height difference there, but she slouched more than he did when sitting.

"A wheelbarrow of hookerss? Oh, Brega'ss girlss. Sseeing as how you would be sspending your lasst chimess with them, that mean imply they are your murdererss. I would think that iss not fun. But I get what you mean, and thank you."

Her gaze slid upwards to the ceiling when the voice rang out. Her head on Richard's shoulder and her slumped position was incredibly comfortable, and combined with the chill that crept closer with each tick just leeched the will to move from her. "Nah. No kisssing. I will fight him before that happenss," she mumbled, giving her friend's hand a squeeze.

The Dhani relocated Tascha to Richard's shoulder and rearranged herself so that her head was now resting in his lap and she was on her side. Yes, this is more comfortable, she thought. She failed to realize that a ghost was speaking, the same one that had led them into the tunnels in the first place. She'd assumed it was just a disembodied voice.

[Richard Blow]

"Now that's just rude. What did he ever do to you?" said the ghost whose head and shoulders popped directly out of the wall they were sitting against. Tascha hissed in alarm, but Richard simply stared at the man with a look of utter bemusement. "How long have you been listening?" "Oh, I just came in now." replied the phantom. "To be honest, I stumbled into you." "Ya gonna run away again?" asked Richard, his lips pursing. "Naw. I was just a little surprised is all. The surface has really changed." said the ghost with a frown. "Yeah, I feel you. It's a little strange for us, too." responded the Spiritist as he stuck the torch in the soft ground. "So what's up? Why are you here?" "I'm looking for my friend, to be honest. You wouldn't happen to see him, would you? Huge guy, beard, ornery as petch?" "I think we saw his skeleton a while back, but that's it." "Oh. How did he look?" "Crushed." Richard said somewhat uncomfortably. "Well, at least he didn't have to see the world end." the ghost muttered pensively. "I guess he left the mines." "You think he became a ghost too?" Richard asked cautiously. "Think? I know it. Old Chuck wouldn't rest until he finished what he started. He's still here. I'm sure of it." "Fantastic." deadpanned the Spiritist. "I hate t'ask, but we're a little lost. Think you can show us out?" "I don't see why not. I'm James, by the way." the ghost said as he floated into the tunnel fully. "Richard. 'S a pleasure to meet you. You'll have to tell me about the old world when we get out." he said as he looked down at the still supine Dhani in his lap. "Maybe if you help me find Chuck." replied James. "You uh... Might want to wake up your lady friend." "Yeah. Hey, Thaloyss." murmured Richard as he patted her cheek. "We're out. We found the guy. Y'gotta get up now." With patting being ineffectual, Richard upgraded to shaking. "Oi, Loyss, let's move. I'll kiss you if you don't get up!" If that didn't rouse her, he'd give her a sharp slap on the forehead with a shout of "GEDDUP!"

[Thaloyss]

The shifting pitches of conversation slipped through the haze of tiredness in Thaloyss' mind, barely keeping her awake. She was on the brink of tipping into Nysel's realm, feeling the oncoming sleep ebb and flow despite the chatty duo.

For a few ticks she slumbered peacefully until the gentle pressure of a hand tapped against her cheek. She shifted her head and mumbled incoherently. She wanted to sleep, damn it. She was tired and ready to sleep.

The Dhani attempted to brush away the hands that shook her, Richard's voice piercing the fog that lurked in her thoughts. He could kiss her if he wanted, she was too tired to fight back and it wouldn't do much to get her moving. "Go 'way, Richard," she muttered.

Slap.

The sharp sting of skin against skin made her curl up into fetal position and let out a high-pitched whine. "Eeeehhhh!" she squealed, covering her head with her hands, "Why'd you do that, Richard!?" she cried.

The massive woman groaned and sat up after a couple ticks, shoving the Spiritist over. She turned to look at the ghost. What was his name? She vaguely recalled a 'James'. Or was it Chuck? Either way, she wanted to dig her fingers into his incorporeal form and make him sorry he ever ran from them.

She left Tascha on Richard, seeing as how the kitten was perfectly happy frolicking in the man's dreadlocks and batting at them. Thaloyss narrowed her eyes at the ghost. "Lissten, ghosstie. I am tired and I am cold, sso if you do not want me to grab hold of your Ssoulmisst and causse you pain I ssuggesst you sshow uss the way out before I get really angry," she snapped.

The mercenary walked behind Richard and draped her tall frame over him like she would back home in Falyndar, though it would be over a branch instead. He was a better choice, however, because he generated his own meager warmth.

[Richard Blow]

''Cause we going home! We gotta make moves!" chirped Richard, trying to tickle Thaloyss' ribs until he got shunted over. The ghost, bemused by Thaloyss' threat, floated over to her, reached his hand out, and seemed to solidify. Zap! The sensation Thaloyss felt was somewhere between ice burn and getting punched without the push. It wasn't much more painful than a regular old punch, and it only left an angry mark on her skin, but it still hurt. "Rude." James said irritably. "Come on, let's go." While Richard would like to have been strong enough to simply pick up a woman four inches taller than him and stride off, Thaloyss was heavy. As such he didn't so much walk as trudge after the ghost, his breathing hard. After several chimes, the air lightened somewhat, and ten chimes later light was visible. "Y'coming with, James?" Richard said as he made for the surface. "Not yet." said the ghost. "It's strange up there, and I think I need some time to steel myself before I see what Sunberth's become." "Suit yourself." said the Spiritist with a shrug. "I guess I'll see you around. C'mon, Thaloyss, let's get outta here." A few chimes after they had cleared the mines, the Spiritist spoke up, staring ahead. "There's things we'll take with us to our graves, aren't there Thaloyss?"

[Thaloyss]

Thaloyss hadn't realized she was ticklish until she felt the prodding fingers in her ribs. The strange urge to laugh bubbled up in her throat, forced down with some difficulty. It was an odd sensation, not felt very often by the tall woman.

That sensation was followed shortly after by intense pain. She yelped and jumped back, holding the mark on her face with both hands. She made a displeased noise and reached out to smack the ghost right back, thankful for the Soulmist still on her hands. "The only rude persson here iss you, for leading uss down here and running away."

She'd just draped herself back over Richard again when he walked out from under her. The Dhani pouted and rubbed her cheek, trying to massage away the hurt. The ghost was mean and Richard was taking its side, and that didn't make her a happy snake.

After a good ten chimes of walking she breathed a thanks to Siku, relieved that she could finally see the surface. She had nothing to say to the ghost, turning her nose up as it floated away. She didn't want to see it again, despite Richard's parting words to it.

There were a few chimes of silence between the two partners, at least until the Spiritist spoke up. She grunted in agreement. "Yess, but hopefully thosse gravess will not appear ssoon. I would hate to losse a friend," she said, bumping him with her hip. Yes, he was a friend and she didn't want to see him die. She knew she would at some point, sadly, due to her impressively long lifespan.

What she could reap from their friendship she would treasure for a long, long time.