[In a way, it had to be him. He's the most disgruntled, and he also was the one who weirdly grabbed her stick instead of her hand. At the moment, he had to say enough things to push down his list of Sad Events so that they'll remember him for something else. Like stating the obvious. And she'll give him a witty reply in response.]
Hopefully someone who got paid a lot. [Alright, it was only half witty. But it was enough to prove her point in that they better have been paid handsomely for the amount of work put into this temple to make their life a living hell.
She stands close by, eyes nearly swimming from the site of the vine maze.]
And someone who designed clearly was a sadist. How do we even navigate this?
[This is not said to her. This is said to no one in particular as he stares off into the endless vine maze abyss and hates his life just a little bit more.]
I once had wings. I could simply pick you up and fly us to the exit. This would take minutes...no, seconds.
[Why. Why.]
...
[...no, no, they don't have time for this.]
We walk. The vines look sturdy enough to bear us. And, if we fall, we fall.
[Guess who's heading ahead? This asshole, that's who.]
[Now that she's listening in on his monologue, one that was said out loud, she's frustrated (and amazed) by the fact he had wings. Because he's right. They could've flown. They could've been the eagles in Lord of the Rings. And yet...]
They're testing us on purpose. [Because she doesn't feel her full strength either. If they took his wings, what else would they have taken from them!]
And...alright. I can keep balance and am light, at least. [So a tiny discrepancy wouldn't ruin them as much as if she was neither.] I will begin once you a little further away, as to not put too much weight on certain vines.
[He'd probably argue the point more but let's just say he's wearing metal armor of some kind so his mouth swings open and shut again because however heavy he is, he's also wearing metal.
But there's a point which causes him to hesitate, one which has him turning around on the vines to face his wayward companion. This might be stupid if he was anyone else, but there's a part of him assuming that he can fly and thus this is no big deal, it's reflexive like humans who traveled to space just grabbing at pens which they left in midair before remembering gravity exists.]
What happens when the monkeys ambush us?
[Because that's definitely going to happen at some point. And perhaps more fearsome things than demonic monkeys. It's totally going to happen. He knows it's going to happen.]
[And so she follows, now that they continue on. Her movements were definitely more careful, making sure to see where he's gone, before making her next move, and again and again, ensuring that there is a enough weight distribution. Though, these vines do seem pretty sturdy.
She's played these games before. They'll lose their balance, their footing, and then they're going to fall into the dark abyss. Except, without their powers, the dark abyss is probably going to kill them.
With no hookshot (oops), they'll have to use their limited ammunition from this...slingshot?]
Honestly, I have never used one before, and it might be safer to poke them in the eye and throw them down.
[Sometimes you end up with five paragraphs consisting of elegant scenery porn and an elegant speech describing the thoughts and feelings of a person, all of which is filled with vague references to something important like...the Iliad, maybe, or...Shakespeare, that old mainstay in the English language. Sometimes, things verge purple in terms of the prose. Eyes are not eyes, they're occulars. Or...the sky isn't blue, it's sapphire. Or something esoteric like that. Something evocative and nuanced.
And sometimes what you just heard was such that all you get is this:
[Instead of the five paragraphs, we can also this. There is nothing that can be said about Sandalphon's surprise to Vietnam actually revealing herself to be kind of a gangster. She's a delicate flower, she swears!]
That we rid ourselves of the enemy?
[She may be giving him a rather kind look, but her suggestion is still...the same? She did soften the words at least. If that even helps.]
[The suggestion is actually a fairly sound one which makes a great deal of sense and is logical and reasonable, on the whole. Practical. And yet. Of all the people to say it.]
And you were the one to suggest it.
[Are there enemy parrots repeating words and impersonating his companion, Sen, Vietnam? Is that's what is going on? Nani the fuck.
And they're having this conversation on vines, like idiots, but it's important.]
[Sometimes, it's always the nice ones. Especially when she definitely has behaved nicer than him. But! She appreciates his honesty, and he's been working well with her. Which is why she's honest with him. And...and probably saying some rather shocking things. All is fair in love and war! Even nice girls can feel a little vengeful when someone steals your stuff.]
Yes. [She doesn't even deny it? As she tries to find a better foothold?!] It is the most practical of choices, and they have already wronged us.
[She looks at him carefully to make sure he's okay.] Does that not count as self-defence?
[And he curiously glances down, because why is she freaking out? He's got wings, he can catch them both-
And then there's enlightenment which dawns. You could see it dawn in his eyes as Sandalphon remembers, oh, right. The powers that be took away his wings in the first place. (Somehow, that's harder to remember than powers. It's his limbs. It's like waking up one day to discover your tail was gone.)
...]
You just don't seem the type. If anything, you seem as though you wouldn't...object, necessarily, but if I killed a monkey you'd ask if that truly was the only way.
[He agrees, but she can tell why it's not exactly the best thing one could say. It sounds heartless, and someone like her, who would normally protest and is just with a lot of things, ended up suggesting that they just end the enemy as swiftly as possible.
All the while worrying about how if he wasn't careful, he could fall. And she would still do her best to catch him. If she could even carry his weight. Who knows what her limit is now.]
I suppose so. I can't say I like it the idea of it. I would avoid violence if at all possible. But...
[She reaches for another hold, climbing up after him with a sure step.] When it comes down to it, you are my comrade here. So the only one that matters is you. If they try to attack you again, I will not hesitate.
[There's no good way of saying that if she knew who he really was she wouldn't be saying things like that, because that led to awkward questions. Instead, a sigh: theatrical.]
Now I'm wondering if you really can.
[There's a branch up there! It looks sturdy enough to bear their weight and there's a platform, which probably means some stupid puzzle lies ahead as well as maybe a fight.]
[Whether or not she knows is one thing, but also whether or not it matters in the end is another. She will figure him out on her own as they continue on their quest, but also his survival is important when it comes to their success. She's not going to let him suffer if it means they'll succeed. Surely, they will find a way.
So could she?] I think we'll let this quest decide whether I can or not. And oh!
[Spotting the branch, she climbs up onto it after him, balancing well enough, and wonders if this platform isn't a trap. So she breaks a small branch that happened to be hanging about nearby...
[At first nothing seemed like it was going to happen. It was a platform. It remained solid. It was a platform. There was a lack of trap doors. Nothing crashed into it from above.
[There's just one problem: these are delicate bamboo platforms or some other wood which might be surprisingly sturdy, but...point being, isn't hardwood carved from some massive tree, forged from iron.
The armored horror crashes through the platform to the forest below.]
[Getting onto that platform at that exact time would've been disastrous! One, an armoured horror was going to eat them for breakfast (or not, they could've won). But more dangerous was the fact that they all would've just plummeted to their deaths just because it was way too heavy.
She stares at the spot where the platform once was, in pieces and creaking sadly.]
Well...
[She leans closer to him, just to whisper, as if even the slightest noise could disturb the air and release more monstrous horrors to destroy their path.]
H-how...should we move forward? [Is this a puzzle?! At least they didn't have to fight shit.]
[Normally, he'd- something. Something that he wasn't doing, which was to lean back towards her whilst he stared at the platforms in horror and suspicion because-]
It's rotting.
[It's clear that it's rotting. And it makes sense. They're in a gigantic maze-riddled vine-clogged temple. It's old. Of course they'd be rotting. The ancients who had built the place didn't bother to varnish things. They probably didn't even know what varnish was. Did Sandalphon know what varnish was?
Does it matter?]
Whoever built this place failed to account for the passage of time. Which makes sense. Mortals often fail to account for things such as time, even when building...this.
['This' being said in the same tone one would use to say 'this rotting dumpster.']
Which means that for every puzzle we encounter, there is a chance the floor will give away and we will plunge to our deaths, or, worse, the thing we need to move ahead will plunge into the depths and we will need to figure out a way to climb down and retrieve it.
[This explains everything. After all, it's been exposed to the open air for so long. Materials deteriorate. Technology improves. What was great then did not mean it was going to be good now. And centuries have come and gone, leaving a relic of the past. A broken one.
Sandalphon's explanation, for a moment, causes a chill to ripple through her body. Whether or not they find the token that the stupid beast took, doesn't necessarily mean they were going to conquer this temple, solely because the temple itself might not be able to be solved through normal means.
...Wait.]
...Then. [She looks around.] They thought they were so clever, and we would've gone along with it, if to defeat this place and succeed in our quest. [Her brows furrow.] As you said, we can die, or be stuck in a place for a long time that this relic hasn't even accounted for.
[They wouldn't have planned far enough for this.] I suppose it is time for us to break the rules in order to move forward. Though I am unsure how, but I do not want us to be crushed by it just because we were trying to do what those creators wanted.
[Was he about to say something? She wondered, since...well, they don't have a plan. Perhaps now it is just best to survive. But she trusts Sandalphon at least, because he's realistic. So she starts after him, following him as they climbed, hoping that nothing is going to leap out at them again. Who knows what could happen now.
Maybe it was also one of those moments where Sandalphon would say it would've been easier if he was able to fly them through this hunk of junk.]
That's what it is. It's really really. And so they're climbing and it's awkward and there's the sound of the wind above them, the ground below them, the vines creaking all around them. There's the feeling of eyes on them. Lots and lots of eyes.]
We need a map or some idea of the structure of this place if we are to break it.
[There. Speaking of there, doesn't it seem like there's another platform right up there?
Actually, no, it seems to be an elevator of the 'moving slabs of wood traveling up and down the structure' type, except now Sandalphon looks it seems...
...kind of wrapped in the vines?
He's starting to suspect the vine maze wasn't completely intended and isn't really enjoying this realization. Sure, they had some vines planned, probably, but without a gardener going around trimming them they might have invaded and choked the place and fuck all of this.
Focus on the maze. And the map. And figuring out how this works.]
[It's as he thought. Absolutely, a hot mess. And she agrees with him, also that part where he suggests they need a map.
In most cases, a map would be lying around somewhere because apparently, while temple architects would make these death traps, they also happened to like giving people a lifeline. She would never understand this.]
Hmm, I suppose one could treat the search of the map as part of how we would handle our missions. Even if we are to break it straight after.
[Except...there's a roadblock already.]
Once we figure out all the Plan B's we'll need to get past this place. [She bends down to try to look past some of the vines. Thick as ever.]
Do we...[Keep...climbing...?! She gestures upwards, and doesn't like the idea of it.]
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country and angel, total depowerment time!
Hopefully someone who got paid a lot. [Alright, it was only half witty. But it was enough to prove her point in that they better have been paid handsomely for the amount of work put into this temple to make their life a living hell.
She stands close by, eyes nearly swimming from the site of the vine maze.]
And someone who designed clearly was a sadist. How do we even navigate this?
no subject
[This is not said to her. This is said to no one in particular as he stares off into the endless vine maze abyss and hates his life just a little bit more.]
I once had wings. I could simply pick you up and fly us to the exit. This would take minutes...no, seconds.
[Why. Why.]
...
[...no, no, they don't have time for this.]
We walk. The vines look sturdy enough to bear us. And, if we fall, we fall.
[Guess who's heading ahead? This asshole, that's who.]
no subject
[Now that she's listening in on his monologue, one that was said out loud, she's frustrated (and amazed) by the fact he had wings. Because he's right. They could've flown. They could've been the eagles in Lord of the Rings. And yet...]
They're testing us on purpose. [Because she doesn't feel her full strength either. If they took his wings, what else would they have taken from them!]
And...alright. I can keep balance and am light, at least. [So a tiny discrepancy wouldn't ruin them as much as if she was neither.] I will begin once you a little further away, as to not put too much weight on certain vines.
no subject
But there's a point which causes him to hesitate, one which has him turning around on the vines to face his wayward companion. This might be stupid if he was anyone else, but there's a part of him assuming that he can fly and thus this is no big deal, it's reflexive like humans who traveled to space just grabbing at pens which they left in midair before remembering gravity exists.]
What happens when the monkeys ambush us?
[Because that's definitely going to happen at some point. And perhaps more fearsome things than demonic monkeys. It's totally going to happen. He knows it's going to happen.]
no subject
She's played these games before. They'll lose their balance, their footing, and then they're going to fall into the dark abyss. Except, without their powers, the dark abyss is probably going to kill them.
With no hookshot (oops), they'll have to use their limited ammunition from this...slingshot?]
Honestly, I have never used one before, and it might be safer to poke them in the eye and throw them down.
[WOW.]
no subject
And sometimes what you just heard was such that all you get is this:
A stare. A pause.]
What did you just say?
[And that.
He couldn't have heard right.]
no subject
That we rid ourselves of the enemy?
[She may be giving him a rather kind look, but her suggestion is still...the same? She did soften the words at least. If that even helps.]
no subject
And you were the one to suggest it.
[Are there enemy parrots repeating words and impersonating his companion, Sen, Vietnam? Is that's what is going on? Nani the fuck.
And they're having this conversation on vines, like idiots, but it's important.]
no subject
Yes. [She doesn't even deny it? As she tries to find a better foothold?!] It is the most practical of choices, and they have already wronged us.
[She looks at him carefully to make sure he's okay.] Does that not count as self-defence?
no subject
[And he curiously glances down, because why is she freaking out? He's got wings, he can catch them both-
And then there's enlightenment which dawns. You could see it dawn in his eyes as Sandalphon remembers, oh, right. The powers that be took away his wings in the first place. (Somehow, that's harder to remember than powers. It's his limbs. It's like waking up one day to discover your tail was gone.)
...]
You just don't seem the type. If anything, you seem as though you wouldn't...object, necessarily, but if I killed a monkey you'd ask if that truly was the only way.
It's not a bad thing. [And up he's going again.]
no subject
All the while worrying about how if he wasn't careful, he could fall. And she would still do her best to catch him. If she could even carry his weight. Who knows what her limit is now.]
I suppose so. I can't say I like it the idea of it. I would avoid violence if at all possible. But...
[She reaches for another hold, climbing up after him with a sure step.] When it comes down to it, you are my comrade here. So the only one that matters is you. If they try to attack you again, I will not hesitate.
no subject
Now I'm wondering if you really can.
[There's a branch up there! It looks sturdy enough to bear their weight and there's a platform, which probably means some stupid puzzle lies ahead as well as maybe a fight.]
no subject
So could she?] I think we'll let this quest decide whether I can or not. And oh!
[Spotting the branch, she climbs up onto it after him, balancing well enough, and wonders if this platform isn't a trap. So she breaks a small branch that happened to be hanging about nearby...
AND HURLS IT WITH GREAT FORCE ONTO THE SURFACE.]
1/2
...]
...
[...]
Really, I-
2/3
What am I saying. It's just a generic random encounter. Apparently there's summon traps!]
3/3
The armored horror crashes through the platform to the forest below.]
no subject
She stares at the spot where the platform once was, in pieces and creaking sadly.]
Well...
[She leans closer to him, just to whisper, as if even the slightest noise could disturb the air and release more monstrous horrors to destroy their path.]
H-how...should we move forward? [Is this a puzzle?! At least they didn't have to fight shit.]
no subject
It's rotting.
[It's clear that it's rotting. And it makes sense. They're in a gigantic maze-riddled vine-clogged temple. It's old. Of course they'd be rotting. The ancients who had built the place didn't bother to varnish things. They probably didn't even know what varnish was. Did Sandalphon know what varnish was?
Does it matter?]
Whoever built this place failed to account for the passage of time. Which makes sense. Mortals often fail to account for things such as time, even when building...this.
['This' being said in the same tone one would use to say 'this rotting dumpster.']
Which means that for every puzzle we encounter, there is a chance the floor will give away and we will plunge to our deaths, or, worse, the thing we need to move ahead will plunge into the depths and we will need to figure out a way to climb down and retrieve it.
[...]
I hate whoever thought this was a good idea.
no subject
Sandalphon's explanation, for a moment, causes a chill to ripple through her body. Whether or not they find the token that the stupid beast took, doesn't necessarily mean they were going to conquer this temple, solely because the temple itself might not be able to be solved through normal means.
...Wait.]
...Then. [She looks around.] They thought they were so clever, and we would've gone along with it, if to defeat this place and succeed in our quest. [Her brows furrow.] As you said, we can die, or be stuck in a place for a long time that this relic hasn't even accounted for.
[They wouldn't have planned far enough for this.] I suppose it is time for us to break the rules in order to move forward. Though I am unsure how, but I do not want us to be crushed by it just because we were trying to do what those creators wanted.
no subject
...
[His mouth closed again and he started to climb once more without a word.]
no subject
Maybe it was also one of those moments where Sandalphon would say it would've been easier if he was able to fly them through this hunk of junk.]
no subject
It's really really.
That's what it is. It's really really. And so they're climbing and it's awkward and there's the sound of the wind above them, the ground below them, the vines creaking all around them. There's the feeling of eyes on them. Lots and lots of eyes.]
We need a map or some idea of the structure of this place if we are to break it.
[There. Speaking of there, doesn't it seem like there's another platform right up there?
Actually, no, it seems to be an elevator of the 'moving slabs of wood traveling up and down the structure' type, except now Sandalphon looks it seems...
...kind of wrapped in the vines?
He's starting to suspect the vine maze wasn't completely intended and isn't really enjoying this realization. Sure, they had some vines planned, probably, but without a gardener going around trimming them they might have invaded and choked the place and fuck all of this.
Focus on the maze. And the map. And figuring out how this works.]
no subject
In most cases, a map would be lying around somewhere because apparently, while temple architects would make these death traps, they also happened to like giving people a lifeline. She would never understand this.]
Hmm, I suppose one could treat the search of the map as part of how we would handle our missions. Even if we are to break it straight after.
[Except...there's a roadblock already.]
Once we figure out all the Plan B's we'll need to get past this place. [She bends down to try to look past some of the vines. Thick as ever.]
Do we...[Keep...climbing...?! She gestures upwards, and doesn't like the idea of it.]