It took some time but Mel eventually took that first step down, her lower lip caught between her teeth the entire time. It wasn't a painful sensation, but it was something more than just feeling cold all around her. She wasn't used to any of this; life at Victoria was much, much simpler, and while it involved several...curious...occurrences, it wasn't anything like this. She wasn't often alone doing something mysterious and potentially dangerous.
Though if it was dangerous she highly doubted October would have sent her off without any kind of warning.
So she settled on that thought alone, and just the very recent memory of meeting and momentarily catching up with someone she knew and trusted from her life before Deus, a life that felt like it happened so long ago...and yet the end of that life was still so very, very vivid. It was a sad end, really, but she'd made friends she knew she would never forget about during that ending. And now she was here, and was about halfway when she finally calmed down a little bit, though she still nibbled at her lip until she made it all the way to her bottom.
Her first steps once she was at the bottom echoed, which brought her to a little stop. It was a curious room, small and seemingly empty, and still so incredibly cold--or was that just her?
"Hello?" she called at first, hoping someone was just hiding in the shadows, waiting for the most opportune time to surprise her. When no answer came she sighed and took slow, wandering steps, the ambient glow eventually leading her to the closest wall. Curiously she peered, not sure whether touching would be okay or not.
"Are these supposed to be...weapons?" she murmured to herself as she tried to process. It was all so vague, wrapped in mystery she felt was unnecessary. She would have rather walked into a room chock-full of obvious weapony than a room like this one. She had no idea where or what any of these things were, and she had no idea why they glowed, of all things. Sighing, she touched one.
Immediately she took her hand back, her mind in that one instant filled with the coldest, darkest of feelings. She shivered and her nerves flared back to life, yet she couldn't pull away as she felt a silent buzz in the back of her mind. Something pleasant that urged her not to run.
Not that she had anywhere to run in the first place.
"He said it would choose me," she repeated, her whispers the only sound in the room until she finally took a few more steps and touched another. This time she shut her eyes tight and willed the tears back. And she walked on, that buzz ever present and gradually getting stronger each time she touched a tablet. Each one was cold and unwelcoming, rejecting her until finally she came to one didn't.
It was warm to her touch, a soothing warmth that she rested the entirety of her hand over and closed her eyes, the warmth something she found irresistible. The buzzing had become a whisper that urged her to take this one, not that Mel had any plans to take another one. With a little tug she pulled the tablet from the wall, and she felt it begin to take form.
A bright light wrapped around her arm and gradually took shape, materializing into some kind of...gauntlet. Though it wasn't the weapon itself that got Mel's attention. It was the still small voice that suddenly came, though much like when she first touched the tablet it was warm and welcoming. And it made her smile.
- ‹ Found you. ›
'I technically found you.'
She giggled along with the voice, and she found herself looking fondly at the weapon she now held in her hand. Or...technically had on her arm.
'What's your name?'
- ‹ Liùsaidh. ›
'I'm Mel. Can I call you Lulu? Your name's hard to pronounce…'
- ‹ Of course. It's very nice to finally meet you, Mel. ›
'Were you waiting for me?'
- ‹ I was. ›
'For how long?'
- ‹ I've lost track, to be honest. But you're here now, and that's all that matters to me. ›
That brightened up Mel's smile quite a bit, and she reached over to gently rest her hand on the gauntlet.
'That's right. I'm here now, and I'm glad you chose me.'
- ‹ Let's get out of here, then? I'm fairly certain I haven't seen daylight in long, long time. It might seem silly but I'm quite excited to see it again. ›
'Oh, right. Can...can I just walk out with you like this?'
- ‹ I should have a smaller form if you focus to desummon me. ›
'Okay, I'll try...'
She closed her eyes then, and focused. When she opened her eyes finally she saw the gauntlet pulse for a moment, and then it became almost like pure light again before completely disappearing and quickly rematerializing into a pendant that hung off of a silver chain around her neck.
Mel couldn't quite find the words, which made Lulu chuckle before once again urging her to leave the Cove. So she did.
Oddly enough on her way out it was, much warmer than it had been when she first came down there, and she could really only attribute that to one thing: Lulu. And while she had only known Lulu for literally just a few minutes, she already felt incredibly grateful and indebted to her for waiting for however long so they could finally meet.
