closed ⚡🌠 where the pulse of the land offers no respite

[starshower]

Who: Eustace & Tifa
Which: Closed log.
Where: The mines under Orkili.
What: Tifa and Eustace set out to investigate the missing crystals in the mines.
Warnings: it's eustifa.

Comments

[flamekthunder]

....Hm.

[Just a low hum as he wonders.]

It's one thing to destroy the crystals. But for them to disappear as well... I don't think it's just one problem.

[starshower]

A whole lot of problems that we can't figure out...

[Her voice grows quieter.]

At least, not until we find whatever is living down there... Sure it'll be the answer to most of the problems, if not all of them.

[She pauses.]

How are you feeling, by the way?

[flamekthunder]

[A small hum of agreement as he thinks over the possibilities... Before he looks at her in some surprise before smiling a little. Of course she would ask.]

Fine. The break helped.

[He had used up a lot of energy back there, so going back for a break and food was the right choice.]

[starshower]

[Did he really expect that she wouldn't?

And she'll motion to the sandwich with something of a relieved sigh and smile to match. She knew that he would be, but she needed to ask just to be sure. For her own peace of mind.]

Make sure you eat before we go back down. If we're going deeper, no idea how long it'll take for us to get back up...

[She pats the bag slung over her shoulder.]

Brought some extras just in case, though. Some water, too.

[flamekthunder]

I made sure to eat enough before. But what about you?

[And then a more teasing grin.]

You seemed hungrier earlier.

[starshower]

Don't worry. I'm eating...!

[She's already unwrapping the sandwich as they walk and taking a big bite!!!]

Anyway... I was wondering. You think it's safe to take the carts all the way down?

[flamekthunder]

The carts...

[He thinks over that with a slight frown.]

Honestly I'm not sure. They or the tracks could have been damaged and there's way of really knowing.

[starshower]

[She sighs, and takes another, sadder bite of the sandwich.]

So... guess we're really walking the whole way back again, huh? Wonder if we should let Mirabelle know we might be a little longer than we thought.

[flamekthunder]

Perhaps, but we should still be able to be back within the day.

[starshower]

Yeah...

[The word comes slowly.]

But you know how she gets. If we don't at least check in by the time she's expecting us back, we'll never hear the end of it.

[flamekthunder]

[A small sigh.]

All right, I'll have someone send a letter to her.

[starshower]

[That at least puts yet another worry at ease.]

Make sure they include a little note for the dogs, too. Wouldn't want them to worry, either...

[flamekthunder]

You can write that.

[starshower]

[... Wow????

Tifa pouts at him.]

So cold...

[flamekthunder]

You would be able to write a better letter than me, that's all.

[starshower]

And they'd be sad if you didn't at least say something to reassure them that things were going well...

[They are both of their dogs!!!]

Bri and Valo were both pretty upset they couldn't come. And Melody, too.

[Though, Melody is still copying everything that Bri does, so...]

[flamekthunder]

[......

Cheap move, wife!!!]

I can add something to it after you write it.

[starshower]

[Hey, it worked, didn't it???]

I can do it right now while we walk, if you wanna hold my sandwich.

[flamekthunder]

[A small sigh as he reaches out to take her sandwich.]

Might as well mention we might stay the night, just in case.

[starshower]

What happened to being back within the day?

[Not that she minds, of course... If anything, it might be better that they do rather than have to drag themselves all the way back home after all is said and done. Especially because neither of them knows what to expect when they get down there.

So with her quill and her journal in her hands, she scrawls out a message that will appear on the papers they left behind.

Might be a little longer than we thought, so make sure to get the dogs home safe tonight. Will likely be staying the night.

Make sure to give Valo and Bri extra kisses from us before you tuck them in, too. But don't forget about the others.]

[flamekthunder]

Just in case. Don't want to have to send another note letter.

[And he'll just wait looking over her shoulder as she writes.

...Yep, as he thought she wrote something cutesy.]

Is that all really necessary....

[starshower]

[She looks up at him over her shoulder, genuinely confused.]

... What?

[A furrow of her brow as she looks back down at the page. Did she strike a nerve somewhere with this? :( ]

As if you don't spoil them all before we go to bed...

[flamekthunder]

[Small disgruntled sound.]

That's that.

[AS IF THERE'S A DIFFERENCE (there isn't; because he has definitely picked up Melody and rubbed his nose against hers more than once when he thinks no one is looking—).]

It's not like Mirabelle needs to know...

[starshower]

[He should never assume that no one is looking. She is always looking—fondly.

There's the smallest twitch of her lip into a smile as she shuts the journal, leaving it at that. She supposes she shouldn't embarrass him anymore than she already has...]

Think we're way past that now.

[Mirabelle already knows how much he spoils and loves his dogs. Hell, she's sure the whole of Reverein knows at this point, but it's not like it's a bad thing? She doesn't think so anyway, but maybe Eustace has that outer image to uphold.

Tifa knows better than that, though.]

Anyway. I feel better now that they know. [She takes her sandwich back from him.] Now I can focus.

[flamekthunder]

[Grumble grumble...

He lets her have the sandwich before starting walking again, the caves just up ahead.]

We'll first do another sweep of that cave and then continue further, see where it leads us.