Welcome to Gaia! ::

If there was one place above all others Njeri loved to explore, it was the ruins! So many fascinating things to be discovered, if only one was brave enough to trek into the depth's of the alien's abandoned homes. Njeri agreed the others were terrible, of course, they'd utterly ruined Vykeli and the vast wastelands surrounding Homewood were a sad testament to the legacy they left behind, but that didn't mean everything about them was cruel. Noulicorns learned to decipher their books and learn their languages and there was technology here that could help Homewood.

Njeri didn't want to leave any stone untouched.

Which is how Njeri and Oreme found themselves in an upper level unit, leveraging open creaking metal doors to dig through the dusty remnants of its previous occupants. They'd found what appeared to be personal quarters, with photos and knick-knacks lining shelves caked in grime. Two thin beds were propped in the corner and Njeri fastened their attention their, dragging a blanket off the old mattress and tossing it over their back. It was patchy and moth eaten, crusted hard from age, but with a wash and some help from clever fingered rats or scuttles it might be luxurious once more.

"What do you think?" Njeri turned to Oreme, flourishing the blanket like a cape.

Oreme huffed at them and shook their head. "You'll get fleas."

"I'll have you know I am entirely immune to fleas, my dear." Njeri shook the blanket off and nudged it toward the exit. "Have you found anything?"

"Not yet," she replied from her perch atop a cabinet. "Nothing of use to Homewood."

"Anything pretty?"

Njeri could hear Oreme's eyes roll. She hopped off the cabinet toward the door connected this room to its brother. It was stuck open a few inches, hardly enough room for Njeri to get through, and a tight fit even for a jack hop as slight as Oreme. She eyed the crack, her large ears flicking back and forth, then finally turned to Njeri. "Can you get this open?"

"I can certainly try." Njeri was far from the most athletic noulicorn, taking things as their own pace and luxuriating in Homewood's finest comforts whenever possible, but surely a door couldn't be that much of a challenge? Njeri wedged their hoof in the crack and pushed. The door refused to budge. "Well now."

"I'll get a lever," said Oreme, already hopping off in search of something useful. She came back a moment later with a thin metal bar clenched between her teeth and offered it up to Njeri. Njeri took it, positioning it in the crack with her help, and pushed all their weight against it. The door screeched as it slid open centimetre by centimetre and Njeri's underworked muscles yelped along with it.

"Hold it there!" Oreme exclaimed, ducking under Njeri's legs to squeeze at the gap. She shoved with her powerful hindlegs and popped through with a triumphant, "Ah ha!"

Just in time for the doors to swing back against Njeri's effort, snapping shut and clamping the metal bar to pulp. Njeri jumped back in surprise. "Oreme?"

"I'm okay!" she called, muffled on the other side of the metal. "Can you get it open again?"

The sliver of opening that had once been there was utterly demolished, as was the rod. "Is there another way out?"

Silence descended between them. "I don't see anything."

Worry fluttered in Njeri's chest. "I'm going to get help! Don't panic!"

Oreme said something too quiet for Njeri to hear. With no desire to waste time, Njeri turned on heel and raced out the door, down the rickety set of rusted metal steps, landing with a clumsy oof to the dirt.

"Help!" they shouted. "I need someone's help!" Njeri didn't want to chance running back to Homewood and forgetting where Oreme was trapped. Hopefully someone was out in the ruins today.

A voice cut through Njeri's panic and they swung toward it, squinting through the shadows until they spotted... a... a foal? What was a foal doing out here all alone? Their heart hammered with worry, now for Oreme and this young one both. Njeri rushed toward them and came to a halting stop, eyes wide. Oh! This wasn't a foal at all! Despite her diminutive size, the little grey doe appeared to be an adult, and one graced with the sparkling mark of an adept at that. Njeri ducked their head politely, hopefully whisking away the initial shock that marred their face.

There was no time for proper decorum, though.

"My familiar," Njeri looked back at the habitation units, ears pressed against their head and mouth tight with worry. "She's trapped in a room. The door slammed shut behind her when she entered and we can't find a way to get her out. I simply don't know what to do."

Njeri's eyes flicked from the doe to the cockatrice and back again. "Please? Could you help us?"

"Oh, thank-you!" Relief flooded Njeri's voice. They were lucky to run into anyone out here, and although they had their doubts about the physical strength of this tiny noul, she must be magically capable, what with her adept marking. Hopefully between the three of them - two nouls and a cockatrice - they could find some way to rescue Oreme.

"She's not far!" Njeri swung around and took off, their hooves pounding the concrete and steel as they began to clamber up the steps. Their heart was a jackrabbit beating at their ribs. They'd never been so worried for Oreme before and it took everything to try and keep calm. Deep breathes. They'd gotten help. Oreme was only trapped, she wasn't in any real danger as long as they could find a way to pry the door open again. Everything would be fine. Since they bonded, Njeri had rarely been apart from Oreme. The distance made their bones ache.

Njeri reached the room they'd been exploring and scraped a hoof against the stuck door. "Oreme?"

"I'm here!"

Relief flooded Njeri's veins. "I brought help, hold one just a moment longer, my dear!"

Njeri fretted and hovered over the strangers, their tail flicking back and forth with anxious energy. Oreme scrambled against the door, just within earshot, and Njeri ached to let her free. They stepped out of the way as the little cockatrice - Kevin, they recalled - rushed about looking for a useful object. Delight and relief sparkled through Njeri as a proper tool was found and jammed under the door.

"All of us?" Njeri stepped toward the tool. The doe was rather small, but oh, how mighty! Never-the-less, Njeri was prepared to help! They took a spot near the end of the tool and readied themself for Specterdusts's signal.

"We're almost there, Oreme! Just a moment longer, my darling!"