Scarlett had to do this all on her own.

As she stared down the dark stairwell, she knew the descent was a transition from which she could never return. She couldn't expect the amazonian guide to tell her what to do, or what to expect. She had to find her independence, where it still slept within her, and grab it by the horns.

With her eyes locked on the barely visible flicker of light at the bottom, she took the first step. The sound of her heels echoing down the narrow path was almost startling in the silence, but she took a second step without hesitation. One hand reached out to steady herself along the wall as each step took her farther and farther from the presence of Clerise at the top of the stairs and deeper into the mystery of The Cove.

By the time her feet reached the floor of the small, dimly lit room she had all but forgotten the woman that had held her hand. Her acidic eyes widened as they swept over the tablets along the wall, trying to take it all in at once.

How was she supposed to choose from so many?

Her heels clicked against the floor as she walked the perimeter, one hand held out and hovering inches over the tablets as she passed. The more she walked in aimless circles, the more the static around her grew. She felt like her pale hair should have been standing on end, or that the tablets should be crackling with tiny bolts of lightning like some cheap B-rated movie affect. But it simply kept rising, filling her with a sense of urgency.

Her pace sped up, though she was only walking in useless circles, and her eyes roamed each tablet as if one would suddenly reach out and..

Hey.

It was so sudden that she nearly tripped over her own feet. She ground to a halt and whipped her head back over her shoulder. Where had that come from?

Do you know how long I've been waiting?

She turned her head back in the other direction, then slowly her entire body. There was a pulse in that direction, as if something was calling to her stronger than the voice she was clearly ignoring.

Her hand reached out to hover over the tablets there, but nothing seemed quite.. right.

Nope, not there. Or there, or theeere..

The voice trailed off into laughter. The frown forming at the corner of her lips suggested she wasn't really ignoring the airy, playful voice at all. But at last her hand paused over one of the tablets just above eye level. That was it, she could feel it.

Ahh, good girl.

The voice seemed satisfied and at long last, she reached to pull out the tablet.

Instantly a warmth spread into her arms, the pulsing electricity sinking into her skin and filling her with a sense of connection. A sense of belonging. In seconds the tablet had changed and settled into the form of two elegant but deadly oriental fans. It.. was not quite what she expected, but they were beautiful.

Aww, well isn't that just precious? You're not too hideous yourself, sleeping beauty.

Scarlett's cheeks flushed slightly at the comment and she nearly opened her mouth to argue that it hadn't been her fault, but she realized he'd know before she ever spoke.

At least your brain didn't rot, hm? More airy, chilling laughter.

Scarlett ignored the comment with little more than a grim frown, then chose to change the subject.

"What do I call you?" It was a blunt question. She wished she could have been more careless of the sentient weapon, but even she knew she was inevitably bound to whoever existed within those delicately crafted blades.

Konoha.

She nodded, but before she could open her mouth to introduce herself, the voice bubbled up again.

And you're Scarlett, of course.

You do know you overslept, right?"

She sighed a little and tightened her grip on the handles of her fans, then experimentally flicked them closed with a metallic grate. How did she fight with fans?

Well, if you'd stop wasting so much time sleeping you'd have figured it out by now. You definitely have some catching up to do, so get a move on it!"

Again she opened her mouth to argue, to deny her fault in things, but he started laughing in her head before she'd ever spoken a sound. It was hard to keep a poker face when he could just invade her thoughts.

"You're right," she said finally, turning towards the stairs with her blades in hand. The last thing she heard as she began to ascend back into a world she should have greeted nearly a year ago, with Konoha in hand, was his airy laughter.

Of course I am, sleeping beauty.