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 Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 10:34 am
The additional light served well to illuminate the room. It wasn't a large room in itself, however, the light revealed a second door on the wall to the left. Taking note to investigate that in a moment, Faroth moved out of Celestia's way to allow her a better view of the room now that he'd judged it 'safe.' In doing so, his hoof clipped the leg of a simple wooden chair, sending it tottering as he caught himself from stumbling. "Woah...watch your step, Faroth," he lectured himself out loud, catching the chair before it could topple. Big, clumsy hooves.
In response to the princess, he shrugged, beginning his own search on the other side of the room. "Maybe so; figures we'd find a nice place like this after sitting in the hallway on the floor," he chuckled slightly, shaking his head. Well, it wasn't as if they'd had a proper rest in the corridor anyway. Must as he hoped they could find some sign of escape from this place as oon as possible, he tried to be realistic. Maybe, if they did have to spend some time down here, they might find some sort of comfort in the old quarters of...whatever this place had been long ago.
Aside from a few bangles and some faded parchment, however, he wasn't finding much of interest at the moment. He sighed, straightening up from the search and rolling his shoulders. "Hey, Celestia? If you want to keep searching this room, I'm going to see where this second door leads. Might just be another room like this one." Still, didn't hurt to check it out.
Again, he turned the knob until he heard a solid 'clunk' of the bolt freeing the door, but this one took a bit more effort to push open than the last, giving a similar grating sound of protest as the old hinges were forced to move for the first time in a very long time. Rather than a bedroom, the light filtering in from behind him revealed something more like a storage room area. Other doors along the walls suggested this might be a common room, linked to other quarters maybe? There was a central table with some old, tarnished utensils laying upon it. Storage areas lined the walls where there weren't doors, some containing similarly dulled metal platters and bowls...
A kitchen or food preparation area? A pantry?
Hope surged and Faroth rushed into the new room, clear blue eyes shining eagerly as they traced over the storage shelves, then inside doors and drawers before his face fell. No food, of course. It had been foolish to even think that as old as most of the things appeared, that there would remain food in here, let alone anything actually still edible. His posture slumped and he sighed wearily, shaking his head. Well, they were no worse off than they already wer--
His ear twitched towards an odd sound breaking the silence. He held still, listening, trying to fix on the source of the sound. He hadn't heard it when he first entered, beneath the sound of his hooves on the stone floor, then his hurried search through the cabinets. But now, he could hear it...a soft...gurgling noise. Hope caused his heart rate to pick up; no, he didn't want to get excited before he knew for sure...had to find it...
From a crack in the wall, the clear fluid flowed, finding its way down the wall, across the stone counter, and into a sort of basin. He could scarcely believe their luck! It wasn't an exit, but it was certainly the next best thing they could have found! Wait, no...don't get TOO excited yet Faroth. Hastily looking around, he grabbed an old cup and dipped up some of the water. Warily, he peered at it...a little dirt maybe, but otherwise, it seemed mostly clear. He smelled it...nothing odd about the odor, nothing setting off alarm bells anyway. Well...worth the risk, he figured. Better than dying of thirst.
He took a slow, experimental sip of the water. It had a bit of an odd taste, but in his current state of thirst, he could have said it was the best tasting water he'd ever had. It took effort not to gulp the rest down and choke himself in his haste. Even so, it was hard to keep the grin off his face in response to this new fortune. "Celestia!" he called, hurrying to refill the cup and take it to her. "We're in luck! I've got a bit of good news for you," he crowed, happily trotting back to the previous room, sloshing cup in hand.
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Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 11:44 am
Nodding to Faroth, Celestia let him go about his own way before returning her eyes to the insides of the drawer. Man, whoever had owned this really did not take time to organize! Everything from old quills to broaches to papers, written in some foreign script similar to what was on the stand in the room they had awoken in, equally strove to be the more noticeable thing. Man, if she only could read some of this... But, judging from the general shape and formation of the text, along with various markings and lines indicating where things should and should not be, it seemed to resemble a draft of some sort of paper.
Odd... What could it be?
Moving her hands to feel the bottom of the drawer, looking for anything she might have missed, her fingers felt a sharp line cutting into it. She moved with the slightest movements, her fingernails working to pick it up and open what had been a sort of hidden compartment.
Her fingers deftly took hold of a string before pulling it out, revealing a small, cloth pouch. Turning it, her mouth opened slightly as she noticed what appeared to be splattering of a certain red substance across it's surface and soaking on the bottom, stains from long ago. Perhaps of blood. Inside of it there was an old key, plain compared to the last she had found, but with a very peculiar design carved into it. It looked to be... Actually, the princess wasn't quite sure what it was, only that it sent a chill up her spine.
Eyes looking over to the room, it was hard to imagine where the key might be used. Her legs moved on their own as her head turned, her hands moving closer to her chest. It was safe, yes, but she couldn't shake this feeling that it was not all it seemed to be. At that moment, looking down beside the bed, she noticed that the bed stand, upon which was an old, broken lamp, had a single drawer, shut, with a keyhole. Her hand reached down to lightly tug at it and to confirm her thoughts that it was locked. Not moving it from the handle, the other moved to insert the key and turn, a crisp chime echoing as it worked, before pulling it to open.
Inside, there was a single stack of paper, neatly arranged and bound together by a single leather strap. To its side was a jar, black with dried ink and an ornately decorated quill, now deteriorating with age.
It was a stark contrast to the previous mess of a drawer.
Softly, she set the key down on the stand before moving to pick up the papers and, sitting on the bed, unbind them. Celestia's thin fingers began to look through them, noticing the much more organized manner of the writing along with what appeared to be various charts and graphs. Formulas. Pictures of...
Pictures of...
Her eyes widening, her hands shook slightly at the hand-sketched illustrations, carefully modeling THE ORGIES AND STUFF. MAN. A PERVERT MUST HAVE LIVED IN HERE. AT LEAST HE WAS AS SKILLED ARTIST, LIKE SERIOUSLY, DAMN, IT LOOKED JUST LIKE THOSE GIRLS. HOW SCANDALOUS! The final page, following the last of the writing, was stamped with a red mark, similar to a fingerprint.
As she heard Faroth's voice, she looked up to him, immensely relieved that it was just him. Motioning for him to join her, she called, "Yes, what have you found? Is it the way out?" When he was closer, she held open the papers, her brows furrowing. "It appears the pae who took residence in this room had a peculiar... hobby... "
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 6:42 pm
"Sadly, no, no way out just yet, but...maybe something to make the search a little easier," he answered, re-entering the room. He hadn't reached Celestia, but he noted that she'd found some more parchments of some sort, and there were a number of them scattered on the nearby desk. Before going to her, he paused, picking up a few of them to glance over before resuming his walk towards the princess. Handing the cup to her carefully so as not to spill any (more) of the precious water within, he beamed proudly, even if all he had done was stumble across this much-needed gift from the Earth. Only then did he pause to look at the documents he'd picked up. Great, more writings.
Turning the parchments towards the light, he stared at them for some time, taking in the strange markings, the rigid format, but still he obtained little knowledge from his study. Even when he turned the pages sideways and upside down. Sighing, he set the parchments on the small table with a shrug. "Sorry, can't say I know what it is, but..." He hesitated, running his hand through his hair and looking awkward. No sense in keeping secrets if he couldn't help because of it. With a sigh, he continued, "Even if it's not the same as those other parchments earlier, I probably couldn't help very much. I...can't read. I don't even really know what I'm looking at," he finished helplessly, looking away in shame.
It wasn't as if he hadn't tried to learn. Well, when he was younger, all little Fauns of the Tree were taught basic runes. He just...had other interests at the time; that was all. As he got older, he'd simply pretended to understand, avoiding situations when he could so that the truth never came up. Only now had he really started to regret never learning properly. But who did an adult go to in order to be taught basic runes like a child?
So now the princess knew her companion was not only an awkward klutz, but also an illiterate fool. Great. "Err...maybe I should go..." he muttered, glancing towards the other room. "I can uh...maybe get something to eat ready, now that we have water. We can have a semi-proper meal, if uh, you want to keep looking around while I do that?" At least the basic tasks of lighting a cooking fire and preparing some food would be something he could do that was productive, rather than staring blankly at scribbles on parchment.
Only then did he catch a glance of the papers in Celestia's hands out of the corner of his eye. Blinking, he paused and stared...perhaps a little too long...before remembering he was in the presence of a princess and averting his eyes awkwardly. "...oh." That was a brilliant statement, but it was about all he could say, considering the distraction it'd brought to his brain. "That's um...an interesting hobby," he agreed, suddenly finding the distant wall utterly fascinating in an attempt not to stare at the graphic drawings and the ideas they represented.
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Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 10:35 pm
As the pair of faun continue searching for a way out, they'll find a small end table with a cupboard beneath, in the corner of the room. When they open it, there will be a pretty little glass bottle with a cork stopper. It won't have the same aged look nor be covered in dust like everything else in this room. If they attempt to pull the stopper, they will fail. Its almost as if its magically sealed. Inside the bottle a tinted fluid, thin as water, swishing around. It's impossible to know what's inside at this point.
In the wall, near the door is a sconce. If either of them happen to turn it, it will open a small door on the back wall leading to a crawl space. This crawl space will only go a few yards before it becomes a decline and they start to slide. They would land on a stone floor, and still in a stone hallway, not a room. At least this hallway would allow them to walk upright. There are many turns and twists in this dark hallway, even a few forks in the path. At the end of this tunnel, will be a stairway leading up. It will be dark, but they'll know they are close to getting out because the jungle overgrowth had penetrated the exit point.
If they don't find the secret lever for the escape tunnel, they could try digging out through the large dirt wall. It will lead to the surface as that portion of the castle was an open garden. There will be shovels nearby made of marble with wooden handles.
((Faroth and Princess Celestia have discovered a breeding potion! However, this potion has some conditions attached to it.
While this pair showed some chemistry and promise, they have not RPed enough to show a developed relationship with one another yet, as was the point of this contest. So, this potion may not be used immediately; however, if the pair continue to be RPed in a manner showing the development of a relationship with one another following the end of this contest, then the next time that breeding slots are opened, they may receive a free breeding if these conditions have been met and the characters are ready.
In the meantime, any limitations on powers and natural abilities have been lifted. Remember that the events that occurred here are canon, so Faroth and Princess Celestia will need to find their own way back home. There will be more information provided in the event wrap-up post to follow soon.))
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Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 7:15 am
"Is that so...?" It hadn't occurred to the princess that not everyone could read, even if she personally was also unaware of the script being used on these papers. Setting them down, having had enough of that sort of content, she stood up and moved beside her companion, smiling lightly. "Perhaps I could teach you then? I am one of our finest from Equestria, if I might say so without sounding far too arrogant." It might be fun to be able to do something like this, even if he was older than those she was used to instructing.
Maybe, upon returning to the tree, she could do that. Rather than simply sitting in her room, reading or entertaining her nieces and nephews, she could help to teach. How strange was it that she had not thought of doing so at an earlier time? Vanya would probably be able to help her with her idea, and she would need to remember to ask about it later.
Moving swiftly, deftly, past Faroth, she glanced over to him, as if calling him to follow her even though she said nothing. A few moments later, she turned back around, her hands clutching each other behind her back as she tilted her head. "Would you prefer I help you with preparing the food, or should I rather continue to look about?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 3:29 pm
Faroth was in shock, to say the least. She...didn't think him some sort of incompetent idiot? If she did, she was doing a good job of covering it. He hesitated in his retreat once more, glancing aside at her. He knew from talking to some of the other Faunies that she was a good leader, kind and compassionate...but here he had proof. She stood there beside him, smiling warmly, even as he admitted fault after fault...yet, she dismissed them all, even offering her time and effort to help him make up for what he lacked.
He wasn't sure what to say at first. He was humbled, though some of the embarrassment remained to still his tongue from answering. After a moment, he managed to nod briefly in reply, reaching up and shoving his hair back in a self-conscious gesture. "If you want, when we get out of here...we can give it a try, sure," he mumbled awkwardly. Then, she brushed past him, and his eyes were drawn by the graceful movement, the surety of her steps, the way her form moved lightly across the room. When she paused to look back at him over her shoulder, he could have sworn it was an invitation being extended. The invitation to join her, by her side, as they continued facing this trial together, taking comfort in one another's company...
By the merciful spirits of the Earth, Faroth, what is WRONG with you?!? His wayward thoughts screeched to a halt. She was certainly not interested in him that way, and besides, this wasn't an appropriate time to be getting distracted by thinking about that. He could just hear if Raina were here now, how she'd be silently teasing him, asking him to remind her just how long it had been. He blamed the damnable pictures he'd just been staring at. Kept putting the wrong thoughts into his head. Like, thoughts of the vision in the room below. It didn't help when she turned back to him with her hands clasped behind her back like that, head tilted to the side in innocence to the turmoil in his mind.
Gulping, he answered by moving towards her and pressing the cup of water into her hands gently. "Um...well, I'm sure I could use the help if you don't mind." Less chance he'd screw something up when they already had limited food supplies as-is. "Besides, I'm pretty sure we've gone over this room well enough by this point, and there are still others to search. Please, just have a drink first while I give the room a quick once-over to make sure we didn't miss anything; it'll make you feel much better," he reassured with a tentative smile.
He was quick, but not too quick to raise suspicion, to back away and circle the room again. Just a minute, that's all he needed, just a minute to regain composure. To squash the strange feelings that struggled to rise, no matter how he tried to push them down. Just needed to clear his mind and focus on the issue of survival and escape. They had too many problems to be getting distracted by frivolous, nonsensical ideas.
Noting a shadowed area in the corner behind the door he'd opened to find the kitchen-like area, Faroth pulled the door aside to reveal a small table that they'd previously missed. Though he figured it would only contain more...graphic drawings...he figured he may as well check to be sure. He wouldn't look long. He didn't need more ideas taking root in his mind. There wasn't much of note to be found in the drawer (somewhat to his relief actually), so he moved to the small cupboard below. Inside was a single, strange item: a corked flask with some sort of liquid inside. The first thing that he noticed was that, unlike everything else in the room, it didn't appear to be covered in dust or look as aged as the items around it. Much like the can and the lighter, he noted warily.
He picked up the bottle, debating for a moment on the possible dangers of any contents within. It didn't seem to be water, or if it was, it was discolored by something. Besides, they now had a water source in the other room; they weren't so desperate anymore to be attempting to drink any strange liquids. Still, as he turned back to Celestia, he decided to try to open the bottle if only to take a sniff of the contents. To no avail. The stopper wouldn't move, no matter how he pulled or twisted the cork. "Weird," he muttered to himself, shrugging. "Maybe no reason now to do so, but I'm taking it with us. Maybe it'll have a use later," he said, tucking the flask into his bag.
Then, he turned back to Celestia, more focused on their current situation. "Alright, we'll take a short break, have something to eat, then decide what our next step is once we have a little more energy. At least there's plenty of water here," he added in an optimistic tone, holding out his arm as he moved towards the next room.
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 5:09 pm
Blinking as she was handed the cup, the princess had to look down and stare at it for a moment before it made perfect sense what it actually was: water. Oh! Oh, spirits help her, never before had she felt so thirsty as she did at this very moment. The impulse to quickly, and dramatically, consume it on the spot was nearly overwhelming. Nearly. Instead, she slowly brought it to her lips and savored the feeling of the cool liquid wetting her mouth before running down her throat. Her eyes followed after him, taking note of his almost-rash behavior; was this how he had acted from the beginning? Pouting, she tried to think back on it.
But, really, at the beginning she had been more preoccupied with... other... thoughts to properly have paid attention to him. How sad was that? Not a way to begin anything, not to mention a life-or-death situation. Yet, despite it all, he had been so kind to her, so willing to help her, to hear her out and to protect her. He had been more than heroic...
Wait! She was no damsel in distress, even if she was a lady... and had been kind of distressed to begin with... Technicalities. But, still, it was nice to have someone treating her like, for a lack of better comparisons, a princess, even disregarding her title. Or, she assumed that Faroth did so without regard to it. This made his actions feel much closer, much nicer.
Her eyes following his figure as he moved, she couldn't help but notice the way his muscles' contours moved as he bent over and stood up again. He really was rather handsome... Flushing lightly and looking away, a cheek puffed out as she brought the cup back to her lips to finish what was left in it, Celestia scolded herself for such thoughts. They were simply, absolutely inappropriate. And one-sided. Her cheeks deflated and her face returned to its calm gaze as he mentioned a bottle, her lashes moving as she blinked and set the glass back on the counter. "Do you suppose? I would be wary of anything found in this place..." She shuddered to emphasize her point.
Soon enough, though, she nodded. "This plan sounds wonderful. It will do us no good to continue on haphazardly, particularly now that we have a safe place." It seemed to come so naturally, the motion that followed as she moved to take his offered arm in her own, holding it as she might hold an escort during a stroll through the garden. Looking to him, she smiled lightly, his optimism doing well to dissipate any doubts she might otherwise have.
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 5:45 pm
Faroth couldn't answer why he felt inclined to take the small bottle with him. It seemed...newer than the other objects in the room, just like the lighter and can from the lower level. And that had certainly come in handy, even if it had been a bit strange. He shrugged nonchalantly, attempting to joke, "All else fails, I can throw it at anything that decides to come after us." A little soon after their terrifying encounter with the spiders maybe, but...he laughed and brushed past the comment before either of them had time to focus on it too long. Wandering thoughts and all that. There was enough of that already, at least within his own mind.
As she took his arm, he offered her a smile in return. Well, he'd certainly never imagined the trek into the forest turning out anything like this. He was still worried about what may have happened to the others, but still held hope that in the best situation, they were the only two who had been separated and once they found their way back, they'd find the rest of the group was just fine. Now that they were no longer in immediate danger, and at least one of their primary concerns was addressed, he was trying to feel a bit more optimistic about this. It would all be fine. They'd take some time to regroup and re-energize, take stock of their setting, and make a plan to get out of here. Sure, there were some hiccups initially, but he could think of much worse Pae to be trapped with. Celestia was kind, willing to help, non-judgmental, pretty...
No, brain. That's not something we should be noting in regards to survival, thank you.
Instead, he nodded and added, "Yeah, let's get some real food into us first; help us think before we decide what to do next." It was a relief to have a place they could actually pause and catch their breath, so to speak. He escorted her into the kitchen area, nodding towards the basin he'd found the water. "We've got water, I can start a fire for cooking. Let's see what we have to work with." He took off his pack, setting it on the center counter and began unpacking things. He set the trail mix and jerky aside, then stopped at one of the pre-made meals the fairies had given them. There weren't a lot of them, but it had to be much more substantial than anything else they had. After today, even if they needed to conserve them to be safe, he felt they could spare a couple of servings for a decent dinner.
"Let's see what's in one of these," he muttered, opening the packet. Inside, he was greeted with the sight of dried rice and some mixed dried vegetables. It was the most welcome sight he could imagine. Grinning, he glanced back up. "We'll need some boiling water and a pot and I think we're set. I'll get a fire started to cook, if you can find a pot we can use and get some water?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 6:14 pm
Sighing, she nodded. "I could not agree more with this plan, I think," Celestia remarked as her fingers felt his rough skin, muscled and lightly coated with a fine hair. There was an urge to move closer, perhaps, even, to lean ever so slightly against him, but she retrained it. Again, just as this new-felt hypersensitivity to his touch was something to be ignored, so were these random impulses for intimacy. "I am rather famished, after all. You surely are quite so as well, even more than I. With water acquired, food is our next priority."
Letting go, almost reluctantly, she moved to the water basin and, again, filled the cup up with the cool liquid before setting it on the counter. Her eyes moved to watch him unpacking, occasionally darting away and to her surroundings. It was almost aggravating; originally, she could not look at him without triggering inappropriately disturbing thoughts, now doing so brought thoughts of a... different... sort of disturbing. These latter were preferred over the first, naturally, but they were still rather distracting...
Her body jumped slightly as she was addressed again, her mind having been elsewhere entirely. She blinked a couple of times, letting his words register before flushing lightly and nodding, turning away as she replied, "I-I will see it done!" How embarrassing...! Moving to look through the drawers, she soon enough found a reasonably sized pot. "Found one," the princess called out before going to set it in the pot to fill with water. "Tell me when the fire is ready for it."
Hopefully after a full stomach and an actual bit of sleep, she would be able to think clearly again.
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Posted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 9:34 pm
Faroth had set the packets aside, looking instead for somewhere to light the fire. This had to have been a kitchen at one time, as in looking around he'd found something not unlike the wood-burning stove from Takeko's house. It was far more than he could have hoped for...he'd have settled for a clear area of the floor to make a campfire at this point. While Celestia searched for something to cook their food in, he gathered firewood (in the form of broken furniture) and other kindling-type items to get the fire started.
Her work wrapped up before his, so he nodded to the packets on the counter while loading firewood into the lower section of the stove. "Go ahead and toss those in the pot. I've got a couple open already. I'll have the fire going shortly." He hoped. Luckily, most of the materials seemed reasonably dry, so after stacking the wood and some smaller burnable pieces, then striking a match from his pack, the match's flame turned to a curling tendril of smoke, then the wood itself began to catch fire. A few minutes more and the grey faun was standing back, admiring the cooking fire he'd built.
"Not long now before dinner is served," he offered cheerfully, moving the pot to the top of the stove, the heat rising from the fire below. A quick search turned up a stirring spoon, as well as a couple of plates for later. As simple a fare as it would be, it would seem like fine dining to the pair of weary Faun. "I don't think I've ever been so excited about a bit of rice and some vegetables," he chuckled as he set the utensil down after stirring.
After a bit, he peered into the pot again curiously. "Err...alright, I'll have to admit something here," he aimed a sheepish grin at Celestia, looking apologetic. "I have no idea how to tell if this is done, aside from the obvious 'oh it's not burnt yet'." Chuckling again, he had the passing thought that for such a stressful situation, he sure seemed to be laughing at lot all of a sudden, even just at himself. Must be the stress and yet relief that there was some hope in sight if they could just get some food in their stomachs. Picking up the spoon, he poked experimentally at the rice and vegetable mixture.
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 11:38 am
Nodding once, Celestia turned to follow Faroth's orders in preparing the food by reaching for the other food packets. How many had he said...? One... two...? Had he even mentioned a number, or did he simply mean to prepare them all. It would save them time later, and something so simple would not spoil before they could eat it, right? Shrugging (internally) she picked up each one that appeared to have similar contents and began emptying them into the pot. It was just as she finished that he proclaimed the fire ready, and, using some of her pony levitation magic to help in lifting the pot, the princess carefully set it on the stove.
Her mouth was already watering just at the thought of being able to eat again. "The moments could not pass any slower," blushing brightly, her hands moved to cover her stomach and her body turned away as it growled in turn. If it had been any question as to if she was hungry or not, there was the answer in the most embarrassing of ways. "Whether or not it is over or underdone, I think it will be satisfying..." she bit her lip and fidgeted with her hands as she watched, unable to really think about anything else before they ate.
It seemed so long before it looked as if the food was ready, and she, quite quickly, reached for the plates. Handing one to Faroth, she grinned. "For you! I simply cannot wait any longer." Here eyes flicked momentarily back to their meal, waiting for a motion for her to go ahead before filling her bowl. She was careful not to put too much on it, just what she felt would be needed to satisfy her current cravings.
Who knew how long it needed to last them, after all?
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 2:35 pm
Faroth couldn't help but chuckle at Celestia. Even if she still sounded like a princess in speech, it was somewhat relieving to see her behaving more like an impatient child. Not that he felt much different, so it was more the similarity between them that amused him. "Good enough then," he agreed, exchanging the serving spoon with her for a plate. As she got her food, he found some smaller utensils they could use for eating, setting them out on the counter. He waited his turn, but was just as eager as she to dip up his serving of rice and vegetables. It was simple fare afterall, but he had never smelled anything so enticing.
The center counter would also serve as a table, as Faroth found a couple of wooden stools (that hadn't been sacrificed to the firewood spirits) and pulled them over to the counter. Feeling just a bit giddy with food so close at hand, he held one out for Celestia with a somewhat goofy grin. "Milady," he gestured with a sweep of his hand towards the seat. Snickering, he waited for her before moving to take his own seat. He nearly gave into impulse at first, shoveling food into his mouth...but he remembered he was dining with a princess, so manners even in this situation. The secondary thought was that if they hadn't eaten much of anything for at least a day or so, he figured, it probably wasn't the best idea to go shoveling food into his empty stomach all at once. That was probably the smarter thought.
Either way, it kept him from doing anything stupid, so with a measured pace, he began eating. Aside from a single hard grain of rice once or twice, it actually wasn't that bad. Maybe they'd gotten in a bit of a hurry, but food was food at the end of it all. Even at a measured pace, it wasn't long before the driving hunger lessened and he slowed his speed with it, only eating a bit now and then as he pondered their situation. Far too many adrenaline-fueled moments today, as well as the taxing hunger and thirst that had weighed upon them, had kept them going for this long. Now that they had water, some food in their bellies, and could take a moment to relax, Faroth realized he was starting to feel the strain of the day, weighing him down and making 'sleep' seem like the most viable action following dinner. The fatigue was like a tangible load settling on his shoulders. He had to stifle the urge to yawn as he finished up the food on his plate.
"I think," he started hesitantly, glancing up, "that unless we find some other way out of here, I'm going to start digging out that passageway to the...north? Well, I don't know what direction it is, but if I can find something around here to use as a tool, I'm going to start digging. It seems our best option unless there's just something we're not seeing yet." He shook his head. With this place, who knew what they may not be seeing. But he wasn't one for analyzing complex puzzles; he saw a job that he could do, so he was going to get to work on it. Maybe it would prove to be their only option in the end. Someone who had lived here before would have known of any other way out, and yet, there had been signs that someone else had tried digging out before. Not that it seemed to have done them much good. He tried not to let the thought depress him, countering that perhaps they just hadn't had time to do the work; that their situation was much different, as they had the luxury of time to complete the work.
Again, he had to cover his mouth as a yawn threatened to emerge. "Ugh, so tired all of a sudden," he grumbled. "Well, if that's the plan, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to rest now, then get up and get started after some sleep." He glanced back towards the room they'd already searched. It wasn't the most luxurious quarters, but it was the best they had for now. "If you'd like to rest, we can spread one of the sleeping rolls out on the bed for you; should be almost fit for a queen at that point," he joked. He'd take the floor, of course, to keep watch on the doors as they slept. He had a bedroll as well, so it wouldn't be so bad.
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 3:07 pm
Doing little to hide her excitement at the ensuing meal, Celestia rocked on her heels ever so slightly as she waited for her companion to finish making his portion. It would be rude to begin before him, after all, and even as hungry as she was, manners were not something to be forgotten. The grin on her lips widened as he held the stool for her, and she returned with one fluid motion. One hand moving to the side of her as the other (the one with her food) came closer to her chest, she crossed her hooves, folded her wings down and outwardly, and bowed in a curtsy. "Why, Miseur, how kind of you to offer. Many thanks," she said in a very coy tone, her eyes looking up to him with a childlike mischief in her eyes. Under a normal sort of situation, such a motion would have been very formal, almost solemn, but here it was almost comical in comparison to their surroundings.
Taking the seat in front of him, her first few bites were quite fast-paced. Too fast paced, in fact, leaving her coughing and reaching for a glass of water. As quickly as the moment had happened, it sobered her up to the situation and her eating returned to the slow savoring of food as she normally did. No matter what it may have tasted like, it was the most wonderful thing she could remember ever having.
As she finished, not that long after Faroth, she placed the soiled plate forward and away, moving her hands to instead rest on her lap. Weariness, combined with that tired feeling one gets after a nice meal, seemed to set upon her suddenly, bringing a yawn to her lips that she hadn't time to think about hiding. Instead, she simply shrugged it off and rubbed one of her eyes with a hand. While she listened to him, she nodded silently with his plan.
Or... wait... Was she nodding off...?!
Shaking her head, she nodded (for sure this time) as she said softly, "Yes, sleep is calling me... I think we shall be fine for a real rest... Yes..." Stretching, the princess stood up and looked over to Faroth, her head tilting innocently. "Surely you mean to join me in resting," her eyes looked over to the bed, sizing it up as she subtly nodded. "I think it just large enough for two." Laughing, she placed a hand on her hip and held up a finger to stop any complaints he might have. "I will not have you sleeping on the ground while I take the bed myself; we are in this together, so we will deal with it together. Have your pick: we share a bed or we share the floor." Shrugging, she glanced away.
Oh how she hoped he would say bed. Even with rolls, the ground did not look particularly inviting.
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 3:58 pm
Hesitating, Faroth wasn't sure he'd just heard right. She wanted him to...share the bed with her? That damnable heat started creeping into his cheeks again and he fought to keep it down. No, no, no, she'd said to join her in 'resting', Faroth. Resting. Nothing more than that.
Still, for some reason, he felt uncomfortable, though he knew it had to be all in his head, since Celestia seemed so casual about everything. "I...I don't know, I was just going to take the floor, so I could keep watch on the doors," he complained weakly. "But...you can't sleep on the floor! I mean...it's not...you're not going to get much rest..." He realized now he'd just talked himself into a corner, since his only valid reason for her applied no less to him.
Dammit.
Somehow, in a survival situation, he didn't think he could pull the 'but you're a lady and deserve better treatment' card either. So he simply stood there for a moment with his mouth open before he sighed and dropped his head in defeat. Oh, spirits, this was going to be awkward.
"Alright, woman, you win this one," he shot back in a teasing tone, shaking his finger at her as she'd just done to him. "We're in this together, we'll share the bed." Even playing this off as nothing, just survival, the words still brought a pulse of warmth to his cheeks, which he hurried to cover by cleaning up the mess from their meal. There wasn't much to straighten up, but it was enough of a busy task to distract him from what he'd just said, nor thoughts of what was to come.
He left the rest of their food supplies in the kitchen, moving their other belongings back to the quarters. He spread their bedrolls over the top of the dusty bed, so at least they'd have somewhere semi-clean to sleep. One of the thermal blankets was refolded lengthwise to serve as a sort of double pillow, the other spread as a cover. "Dunno' how cold it might get in here," he muttered, trying to be prepared for anything, while making the most of what little they had.
He glanced aside at Celestia, who seemed nearly asleep on her hooves. He felt about the same, but for some reason, the awkwardness of the situation made him think that he wasn't about to get much sleep at all.
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Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:23 pm
Her grin seemed to fade as he stumbled, but that had nothing to do with any feelings she had toward the situation. Rather, it had entirely to do with her head falling ever so slightly with her eyes as sleep tried to creep up on her. Blinking awake, she laughed lightly before shaking her hand out in front of her with a dismissing gesture. "You make it sound like such a dramatic thing."
Boy, if she weren't so tired, she might have noticed the awkwardness that she was encouraging, the hidden meanings it might have, but instead she simply, lazily, looked to the bed as she tried to keep her eyes awake. It preoccupied her mind entirely. Should she go help him...? Nah... He had it fine... Yeah...?
Taking his glance to be an invitation to sleep, she moved over and crawled into the space on the bed opposite of him, making sure to fold her wings tightly against her back before getting too comfortable. Her hands reached up to lightly tug the blanket over her...
And like that, so quickly, she was out, her eyes shut as her sides moved with each of her soft, peaceful breaths.
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