[artifact quest] from zero to sort of hero — dawson/maebe

[Nio Love]

"Jesus-" She barely managed to duck, but when he soared off into the water, she hesitantly followed. With only a little resistance, she managed to make it to the other side, at which point she punched him in the shoulder.

"It's not a pity party. It's a celebration. We managed to do something this long and not give up. For me, that's a major achievement."

medigel

 

[medigel]

"That's...true, yeah." He winced appropriately and rubbed his shoulder. "Sawry. Big baby, remember?"

And then the stag stabbed him with its horns, turning him practically into baby back ribs.  

[medigel]

naw  

[medigel]

I GOT 99 PROBLEMS AND THEY'RE ALL FROM THIS ******** CINNAMON ROLL

daws 35
maebe 21  

[medigel]

Dawson didn't even bother checking this time. He kept his back to the cool, smooth rock, and bit his lip as he tried to ignore the lingering pain from multiple little wounds at his back.

"Tell me we don' gotta say hi t'Simba," he grumbled. "I ain' in the mood t'Hakuna his Matata."

Nio Love

 

[Nio Love]

"Coast is clear." She murmured, squeezing his hand. "You know what we should do, to pass the time? You should sing. Who needs kareoke?"

medigel

 

[medigel]

He paused and blinked. It hasn't occurred to him before, despite having sung on the job on other occasions. "Tha's...not a bad idea," Dawson replied after a moment, squeezing her hand back with a brightening expression. "Aight. Lessee."

Picking himself back up, he fixed his hat and started for the pond.

Stamina: 32  

[medigel]

The song was half sung, half spoken as he began to wrestle with the vines. It wasn't as smooth as his drunken karaoke affair, but it was enough. Maebe wouldn't recognize the song at all unless she happened to like random Australian folk songs or had closely listened to Dawson's iPod.

They say it's easy money
A full page ad in the local rag
Always nice n' sunny
C'mon, lad, n' pack yer bag

Stamina: 29  

[medigel]

Day in, day out
Erry day they drive us harder
Day in, day out
Gettin' away with blue murder

It wasn't a happy work song, but the rhythm had pep. Dawson seemed to move to that beat exclusively, and after a little cry ting after the chorus, he finally managed to get to the other side. Sighing in relief, he started to fan himself with his hat.

Stamina: 28

Nio Love

 

[Nio Love]

All that mattered is that she'd gotten him to sing. This was, by leaps and bounds, a better run than they'd had merely because of that. She struggled with the mud and the vines herself, and each time she returned, she seemed to retain the determination she'd come in with.

She had something to look forward to.  

[Nio Love]

She tore vines away from her body in rhythm with the tune he was singing, and they in turn threw her back onto the beach like a beat of hard percussion from it.  

[Nio Love]

One last fight with the mud that tried to sink her down into it's depths. One last battle with vines that lifted her off the ground as if she weighed nothing. When she finally ran for the other side of the shore, and slammed down into the sand with exhausted victory, she sat up and took a minute to catch her breath, before breaking into a smile that was becoming more familiar for her to share whenever she looked at him. It wasn't so rare, anymore.

"See? Singing did the trick."

medigel

 

[medigel]

He let her have a little breather before he helped Maebe up, beaming. "Yer right, s'usual," Dawson said as he dusted her off, then pat her stomach at the end just to be silly. "Good thing I got you as brains've the operation, huh?"

Now it was time for the hardest part, the gauntlet of marble s**t. Pre-grimacing, he sucked in a breath and proceeded forward.

It's off t'West Australia
Leave the old hometown behind
Be a winner, not a failure
There's money t'be made in the Wittenoom Mine

Day in, day out...

Scarabs. Scarabs everywhere. Dawson flinched partially into the chorus as several crawled over his mouth, and he instinctively spat them away and shuddered.

They took me to my quarters
A stinkin' bed in an old tin shed
Got my workin' orders,
With a lamp n' tin hat on my head

This time a growl interrupted. The all too familiar cerberus beast leaped out of hiding and chased him, causing the rest of the chorus to get hysterically high pitched and fast as he hastened to towards the garden.

Stamina: 3

Nio Love

 

[Nio Love]

Maebe was plagued by the scarabs. Chased by the bull. Attacked by the cerberus. And through it all, even though it was faint as he ran from his own marble demons, she could hear Dawson singing (or trying to) while they chased away their pursuers.

In the end, when she was completely out of breath and barely standing, she could still tell that she'd endured it all with her good mood intact. And he was right - she was the brains. She'd figured out how to make this all easier.

"Never stop singing." She breathed out, a lazy and exhausted smile on her face as she decided to take a nap at the end of their road, and hoped he would find what he was looking for further inward. Either way, she was going to wait right where she was.. and maybe pass out a little.

medigel

GO GO GO WOOOOO

 

[medigel]

Completely out of breath, all he could do was sputter something in agreement, his dimples a better communicator than he was at the moment. Well, that and a shaky, sweaty thumbs up. Once he was ready to go, he took the order to heart, if did so breathily.

My girl, she's a cook n' cleaner
Works all day in the canteen hall
Six days since I've seen her
Some don' have no girl at all

Really it was a depressing song now that the peppy beat had been worn out from the chase. But he felt it was sort of appropriate for the setting anyway. Deus wasn't a mine, but it definitely reminded them that they were expendable.

(He had to work not to think about America and when was the last time he'd laid eyes on her.)

She sweeps the fine blue dust up
Tips it into an old wool pack
Never had a check-up
If she did she'd get the sack

The garden awaited, and for once it wasn't under more panicked circumstances. Maybe it was the calm from the song, or maybe he was just too tired to care. Either way, Dawson seemed to ghost forward, drawn in by the glint of rubies inlaid in bronze.

At last.

He clasped the beak, mildly surprised by the drag of the heavy chain attached to it, and then gathered it into his hands like a precious egg. Just as serenely, Dawson exited the garden, his gaze half on the prize and half on his feet so he didn't stumble.

I feel my health is failin'
I work all day in the killer dust
My kids play in the tailings
The boss says work n' work I must

It felt surreal to look at the culmination of all their efforts settled in his grasp like that. Quietly he sank back down next to Maebe and huddled over his new artifact, humming the chorus to himself and in no rush to wake her if she was tuckered out. Finally. Finally. After months of trying...He could almost cry.

God damn it, the corners of his eyes prickled.

xxNio Love