[PLOT - PRP] Lookit What I Found! (Elyta and Cosworth)

[Doof]

Her question just barely penetrated the drilling migraine that now enveloped Cosworth's consciousness. He held up a finger to forestall any further concern until he was certain that whatever was left of his stomach wouldn't present itself, and present itself all over Elyta's feet. With a dry swallow, he straightened up. He stared straight at Elyta, focusing on her concerned face as a means of getting his mind shift back a gear or two, his breath still heaving from the exertion of chasing their runaway cart across the bridge.

He leaned against the side of their cart, looking at the distance remaining to the other shore, and very pointedly not looking down. Still a long way to go, too long for Cosworth in his current condition; and yet it was now a lot closer than the Laisidhiel cliffs behind them. Bloody hell.

Another dry swallow. Throat felt sand. "I am definitely not okay." He croaked. What in the world had happened since he groggily walked out of his doorway that morning? He was farther from home than he'd been for a long time, was in more pain than he'd felt for a long time and all this from being roused out of a alcohol-induced slumber that he'd planned to go on for much longer. The faun looked up at the sun without shielding his eyes, which was by now approaching midday, and beating down upon his shoulders and back. Its heat was mitigated by a strong sea breeze, which was surprisingly refreshing. Crucial, at this particular time. Once more he drew his gaze to the far shore, and shook his head. "I suppose though, that I would feel a lot better if I could get some solid ground under my hooves."

Cosworth once more took ups a position behind the cart, hooves planted on the deck of the bridge as he reached around to the hammer he'd used to lock the cart's wheels. "I'm going to release this thing to roll. Get ready to push."

With a clunk, he loosed the hammer from the spokes and immediately fumbled it onto the decking below, scooping it back up with a clumsy swipe as the cart rolled back slightly. Cosworth grunted and dug in, managing to arrest the cart's backwards movement, before slowly but surely pushing it up the slope to the far shore. "I'm not built for this." He wheezed, "Any other Faun could probably handle this, but then there's me." Despite himself, he half-choked, half-chuckled at his own misery.

When the mismatched duo finally reached the cliffs on the far side of the straits between Laisidhiel and Telrunya's mainland, Cosworth managed to roll their cart down the well-worn path before staggering off to the side and flopping comically onto his back on the grassy verge, arms spread wide and haggard face staring at the sky. "Elyta." A pause. "You need to be absolutely sure whatever is out there is worth whatever it is we're putting ourselves through."

The faun sat up and stared back across the long span of Laisidhiel bridge and somehow felt a lot of his exhaustion blowing away in the salty breeze. Was this the first time he'd set hoof on the isle proper? He was pretty sure it was. And the great tree, out in the distance- it was still huge, but this was by far the smallest he'd seen it. The sight, that realization, caused a change in Cosworth's expression. It went from fatigued and exasperated to reflective and even...

...hopeful?
 

[Teigra]

One step in front of the other. It was steady, but tough progress pushing the cart the rest of the way up this side of the bridge to the solid ground on the other side. Elyta was giving it all she had, but she couldn't help but feel that Cosworth was still doing most of the work. If only she could do more. Still, eventually the pair reached solid ground and after pushing the cart to a safe distance up the path, they released the wooden beast. If it had a mind of its own and went cliff diving again at this point, Elyta felt like she'd just stand back and watch.

Elyta watched Cosworth's collapse with concern, following after, but wrestled with a frown at the demand. "It is! It's totally worth it!" She sank to her knees beside the faun, leaning forward on her hands tiredly, "I mean...I'm pretty sure it is. I think so at least." With a groan of frustration, she dropped her head forward and muttered, "This isn't how I pictured this going at all. This is a mess."

Only when Cosworth sat up, changing positions, did she lift her head as well. She didn't quite follow the range of emotions that played over her friend's face, but at least he didn't seem angry. She bit her lip, unsure at first, then sighed and gently dropped her forehead against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

Her tone was far quieter than normal. Far more subdued, lacking the bouncy, bubbly nature she usually embodied.

"I dragged you out here with no thought for the trouble I was putting you through, or how you felt. I didn't even explain why. I just...I get so excited about something, I don't think sometimes. I just...do. I don't think things through or about others feelings, or any of that. I...I would understand if you wanted to go back. I mean, I know we just got over here and all, but yeah, I wouldn't blame you at all. I just wanted to know...if you could forgive me for all this mess?"
 

[Doof]

As the stiff sea breeze drew cool, moist air from the cliffs below and planted it directly into their faces, Cosworth found himself continually trying to swat his long, shaggy hair out of his face. Refreshing as it was, the weary faun didn't appreciate being unable to see clearly. He settled on wrapping his goggles around his head in a way that trapped most of the black, mop-like mess away from his eyes.

Cosworth then looked to the contrite fae, his countenance stern, a little tired, but otherwise unreadable. To him, it wasn't tempting at all to go back. Once more across that bridge? After all that? No. Thankyou. He wasn't particularly enthused about proceeding either, given the difficulty so far. Now lying here until the wolves took them? He might go for that.

The scruffy faun leaned forward slightly and fixed a green-eyed, bloodshot stare at Elyta and appeared to be considering her words. "Elyta." His voice was even, and it seemed that he'd recovered his breath. "Your energy, your inexorable passion are well known to me. As much of a pain as it can be, I wouldn't have it any other way. Your enthusiasm is going to take you to great places, and it even gets me out of the house and enjoying life every once in a while. Even if without my consent." He got a hoof under him and slowly, laboriously, stood up on creaking joints. "I just need you to understand that I'm not like that. I'm worn out. I'm a drunk and a shut-in and until recently had no reason to believe that I was anything but used up. So while I'm glad that you seem to be convinced I still have a part to play, I'd just ask you to… ah… go easy on me."

With that, Cosworth shuffled over to the cart once more He dug around and found some water which he used to wash his mouth out from his 'episode'. "I'd say you remind me of me when I was younger, but that would be a lie. I was almost just as lazy back then, really. Now where's the rest of that travel bread? Now I'm hungry." He glanced up at the sun, and then across the vast landscape of the isle proper stretched out before them. "So we're not actually getting done by nightfall, are we?"