The Cove was just as Candace had described it.

Once he found it, that was. It took him an extra hour to actually follow the directions properly, and by then he had already managed to inadvertently tour most of the Deus Headquarters.

Ian descended the stairs carefully, running his hands alongside the slightly damp walls, a quiet dripping heard alongside of the soft taps his footsteps were making on the stone steps. He let his eyes roam the glowing blue of the runes and marveled that such a thing could possibly exist in this world.

Then he almost tripped over his own two feet because he wasn't paying attention.

At the bottom of the stairs there was a little cavern - a cove, Ian thought, with some amusement, with small, squarish tiles placed on the walls, covering almost every inch of it. He stared upwards and then downwards, leftways and rightways and diagnolways until he was almost dizzy with the motions, just breathing in the sense of something shiny, something beautiful.

Something new.

{ What are you doing? }

It was a soft voice, barely audible at first. Ian stopped in his inner ramblings and peered around the Cove with some interest.

"Looking," he said aloud, and there was silence. Maybe he'd imagined it.

Except -

{ You are Ian, are you not? }

The voice was stronger this time, more emboldened. Ian gave a small nod, though he wondered whether or not they could hear it. Candace had mentioned that their shared weapons would be inside of their own consciousness, hadn't she?

"I am," he said agreeably. "Might you be my partner-in-crime?"

She - because Ian was relatively certain that it was a she - scoffed.

{ That is an absurd term. I am not in crime, I am merely assisting you in getting your goals achieved. }

"That, my dear, is the very definition of being partners-in-crime," said Ian with a smile, and the voice inside of his head seemed to curl up, giving him the distinct impression of irritation.

But then it faded away a little, a soft glowing white ebbing gently into his thoughts.

{ I have found you, and now you must find me. }

Ian pondered this most interesting query. Did she mean one of the tablets. He tapped a long, dark-skinned finger against his chin thoughtfully, letting his gaze roam the tablets on the wall once more. None of them seemed particularly ones he was drawn to, not really.

None, perhaps, except...

He took a few steps forward and peered upwards. Just above his right shoulder, a few tiles to the right, was a tablet, just like the rest, but for some reason, it seemed to glow brighter than all of them. Curiously, he touched his fingers to its surface.

The tablet glowed brightly, a vibrant white that made him wince a little, taking a step backwards, ducking his head away to cover his eyes, and he could feel something forming in his hand, something small and metallic and cool.

He opened his eyes.

"Well, now."

It was a dagger, of sorts. Ian recognized the ceremonial decorations, the elaborate detailing on the handle, and a smile flitted across his face as he turned the weapon over in his hands experimentally. He pulled it out of its sheath and the blade was bright silver, glinting blue in the light from the runes.

{ Well? }

"I like it," Ian decided, and held the knife up. "So, what's your name? What do I call you? You already know mine, which means it's only customary that I know yours as well."

If she'd been physically tangible, he would have winked, but he settled for letting her know that in his thoughts. It was a very odd sensation, having a second mind inside of his own. Odd, but not unpleasant. Certainly it would take some getting used to. Ian sheathed the dagger and tucked it into his waistband. And as he did so, the weapon glowed again, dissipating in a flurry of light.

He felt something on his ears - no, in his ears. A pair of small earrings, he discovered, once he touched them.

{ ...my name is Naomi. }

Ian smiled.

"A pleasure, Naomi."