[ It always ends up this way, doesn't it? The labarynth opens, and once more Toph finds herself playing shepherd, finding lost souls or someone wandering around by themselves and opting to join.
She is a bit curious herself, admittedly. So here they are, wandering through tall stone corridors, relatively quiet as they make their way along until- ]
Something about this place doesn't feel ri-
[ As if on cue, the ground beneath them cracks open into a hole, and Toph's attempt to bend the earth to catch them is met with Vaeros' labarynth walls resisting her. Ah heck...
[ this is tighnari's first time really exploring the labyrinth, and it certainly isn't lacking in interesting features, though he doesn't find anything particularly useful. it isn't long, however, before he bumps into a young girl who seems to be exploring as well, and he always welcomes a bit of company on an excursion like this.
of course, he barely has the chance to introduce himself before they're toppling down, the very ground giving way beneath them. for his part, tighnari doesn't even have his dendro skills right now, so he's of absolutely no use..
he hits the ground below hard enough to knock the air from his lungs, and he's soon coughing hard, breathing in the dust, but he'll recover soon enough, his voice still rusty. ]
[ Toph sits up shortly after he does, groaning out as she puffs the hair away from her face. Falling still kindof hearts, even if she cushioned a little bit of her fall. ]
Yeah- barely. This place is out to get us again.
[ She dusts herself off just a bit, rubbing at a bump along her head with a rather unhappy look. Typical. ]
Feels like we're even deeper... I can't tell if there's an exit around. Are you fine?
[ a little sore, but you know, it is what it is. nothing feels broken or bleeding, that's all that matters. tighnari climbs to his feet and dusts himself off with a frown. ]
I don't see an exit.. I suppose we'll need to pick a direction and go. [ a beat. ] I'm Tighnari.
[ well, she's right that that's lucky, at least. the dark never bothered her anyway. tighnari chuckles, then rubs the back of one of his long, fuzzy ears. ]
I've got excellent hearing as well, so between the two of us, I think we'll manage.
[ not that he knows about her cool Earth Detecting skills or anything.. yet. anyway, off they go, tighnari falling into step before her, but it isn't long before the aura becomes.. unsettling. ]
[ and so they move. he can just barely see her movement ahead of him, but he can hear her footfalls very well, so keeping up is easy enough. through the thick darkness they move, until tighnari sees a flicker of something - movement in the distance, and a figure. ]
[ tighnari moves toward the figure, though cyno does not move, says nothing, which is.. odd, he thinks, and not like cyno at all. sure, he can be a stoic man, but he wouldn't ignore tighnari.
he steps a bit closer, then hesitates. something is clearly wrong. ]
[ Toph's foot twists in the ground, lifting up with a sharp motion to raise a thick rock barrier between Tighnari and Cyno. Waist high, a mere precaution. ]
Tighnari. He doesn't feel right...
[ She can feel something there, kindof human in shape but... empty? ]
Are you sure?
[ Even as she says that another figure joins, a young girl to Tighnari's eyes. But Toph's expression shifts to something more concerned. That's a shape she knows...
[ oh, that's a handy trick - does she bear a geo vision? no, he forgets that here in this place, visions are not always required for people to channel elemental energies - nevertheless, he stops short, and stares at cyno. at least until a young girl soon arrives as well..
.. one that seems to be giving toph pause. ]
Do you know this -
[ a bloodcurdling scream, and cyno's mirage pitches forward, run through from behind by a thick set of curved claws. tighnari gasps, rushes toward the half-wall, panic in his voice. ]
[ before tighnari can launch himself over the short wall, the cyno figure is gone, disappeared, though tighnari can still hear his screams echoing in his ears..
cyno, the real cyno - is he all right? is this some sort of bad omen? ]
[ by cyno being run through. but he saw the girl, the girl consumed by a gout of fire.. he could only assume it must've been someone that toph knew. tighnari shivers, and gathers himself. ]
[ tighnari shivers, but not because of the chill in the air. he feels discomfited, and he can't get the image out of his mind. he needs to check on cyno.
so he starts moving again, trying to be as quick as possible in the thick darkness, trusting toph's abilities. everything is silent save for their voices and footsteps. ]
All the more reason to get out of here as quickly as we can..
[ no, he doesn't particularly mind talking about it. tighnari might be a little nervous now, but he's not an easily shaken person. they continue to walk, and he nods. ]
Cyno. My best friend. He's here in the town, as well, you've perhaps met him.
[ yeah. he didn't know for certain that she was blind, but.. he'd had his suspicions. not that he's worried, she's perfectly capable. ]
He's - well, he's interesting. He's very stoic and a little frightening on the outside, but.. he's actually quite warm and kind. And he loves terrible jokes.
[ she'd know him the moment he opened his mouth.. ]
[ their own.. sokka?? cyno is a lot more terrifying than sokka on the outset but.. this comparison isn't entirely wrong tbh.. ]
Ah, well it's not only his looks, it's his demeanor and way of speaking as well. People often give him a wide berth, but he's really a good man. [ squinting into the distance, tighnari tilts his head and swivels his ears forward. ] Oh.. an exit?
Uhuh... I'll have to meet him sometime. You said he's here, right?
[ There's a faint nod, and she's walking them both over, checking for any last minute surprises before... the exit starts to loom. For Tighnari at least, brighter lights clear the way. ]
Looks like it. At least, out of this underground area.
He is, yes, we share a cottage. Perhaps you'll run across him at some point.
[ that light feels like such a relief to see, and tighnari sighs in relief. there's also a cool breeze, movement in the air that says they're nearly out. ]
Thank gods, it's about time. Are you feeling all right?
I have a cottage in town, yes. You're welcome any time. We enjoy guests.
[ also she's young, so tighnari is automatically in Protecc Mode.. he doesn't quite believe her bravado, but she doesn't seem horribly cut up either, so he'll let it pass for now. ]
I'm doing all right, but.. I definitely need to go check on Cyno, now.
[ they're outside, along the side of the little cottage where there's a few patches of earth that tighnari has started to prepare for garden beds, but not gotten very far. it's hard work! ]
Right here is good, I'd like them up against the side of the house, here. I'll whip us up some lunch while you're working, if that's okay?
[ surely he'll work up an appetite doing all of this work! ]
Sorry for the slow! My laptop's keyboard broke and had to be repaired. <_<
[Beast wasn't used to a lot of work but he'd gotten more accustomed to it the longer he'd been here and had to go without his servants doing things for him. He immediately went to work digging without complaint. While the earth was hard, he was strong and easily able to move it after a certain point.]
[ while beast seems to get to work right away, tighnari nods. ]
I'll be just inside. Knock on this window if you need anything.
[ these garden plots happen to be right beneath the kitchen window, after all! with a swish of his tail, tighnari disappears around the corner and sets to preparing lunch - pita pockets with fresh lemonade. the days are growing more chilly, but he can only assume that beast will want a way to cool down, after he's finished - digging is hard work. ]
[Beast got to it with a vigorous will, digging with the enthusiasm that only came from someone who hadn't worked hard for much of their life and therefore still had a lot of energy when it came to physical tasks like digging a garden.
Eventually, he stood up, stretching out his back with an audible Pop! His tail lashed back and forth for a moment and he approached the kitchen windows on all fours before he stood back up on his hind legs. He was covered in dirt as he knocked on the window.]
I think I've made good headway. What do you think?
[ the knock has tighnari's ears swiveling toward the window, and he approaches, lifting it open with a smile. ]
Excellent. I'll be right out with food and drinks, then.
[ with the pita pockets and lemonade piled onto a tray, tighnari wets a hand towel as well - something for beast to clean off his paws with before eating - before he's lifting the tray and carrying it outside, to the side of the house, where there's a small table and chairs. they're not tiny chairs, but.. they might still be too small for him, hmm. ]
[ hmm, seeing beast close to the chairs, he thinks perhaps they might be too small after all, so instead tighnari sits right down in the plush grass! he sets down the tray onto the ground. ]
[Beast sat down with a flick of his tail, delicately picking up one of the pita pockets in-between his large claws. His table manners were still quite atrocious but he was working on them! And it was easier since these were clearly designed to be finger food as it was.]
Are there many people like you where you're from? With ears and tails like those of an animal?
[ ah, tighnari can see why he would be hesitant to ask something like that - thankfully, tighnari doesn't mind at all. he's quite used to questions like these. ]
Many, yes. We're certainly not the norm, Teyvat is made up mostly of humans, but there are enough people like me that it's not a shock to find someone with hybrid features.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Action: Lab Exploring
She is a bit curious herself, admittedly. So here they are, wandering through tall stone corridors, relatively quiet as they make their way along until- ]
Something about this place doesn't feel ri-
[ As if on cue, the ground beneath them cracks open into a hole, and Toph's attempt to bend the earth to catch them is met with Vaeros' labarynth walls resisting her. Ah heck...
Down they fall. ]
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of course, he barely has the chance to introduce himself before they're toppling down, the very ground giving way beneath them. for his part, tighnari doesn't even have his dendro skills right now, so he's of absolutely no use..
he hits the ground below hard enough to knock the air from his lungs, and he's soon coughing hard, breathing in the dust, but he'll recover soon enough, his voice still rusty. ]
Are you.. all right?
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Yeah- barely. This place is out to get us again.
[ She dusts herself off just a bit, rubbing at a bump along her head with a rather unhappy look. Typical. ]
Feels like we're even deeper... I can't tell if there's an exit around. Are you fine?
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[ a little sore, but you know, it is what it is. nothing feels broken or bleeding, that's all that matters. tighnari climbs to his feet and dusts himself off with a frown. ]
I don't see an exit.. I suppose we'll need to pick a direction and go. [ a beat. ] I'm Tighnari.
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[ Her head nods once, catching right after the beat. ]
The name's Toph! like Tough. Lucky you were travelling with me at least, we won't get surprised down here. This way?
[ To which point, she's already starting to walk in one direction. ]
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I've got excellent hearing as well, so between the two of us, I think we'll manage.
[ not that he knows about her cool Earth Detecting skills or anything.. yet. anyway, off they go, tighnari falling into step before her, but it isn't long before the aura becomes.. unsettling. ]
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Good, then you'll be able to follow me.
[ Toph's happy to lead. She can avoid the short corner dead ends, but this isn't her first rodeo. ]
Let me know if there's anything odd around, signs or something.
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I will.
[ and so they move. he can just barely see her movement ahead of him, but he can hear her footfalls very well, so keeping up is easy enough. through the thick darkness they move, until tighnari sees a flicker of something - movement in the distance, and a figure. ]
Cyno? You're here too?
[ but the figure doesn't answer. ]
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Carefully, her voice calls out. ]
Cyno? A friend of yours, Tighnari?
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[ tighnari moves toward the figure, though cyno does not move, says nothing, which is.. odd, he thinks, and not like cyno at all. sure, he can be a stoic man, but he wouldn't ignore tighnari.
he steps a bit closer, then hesitates. something is clearly wrong. ]
It's him, but something's wrong.
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Tighnari. He doesn't feel right...
[ She can feel something there, kindof human in shape but... empty? ]
Are you sure?
[ Even as she says that another figure joins, a young girl to Tighnari's eyes. But Toph's expression shifts to something more concerned. That's a shape she knows...
But it still feels wrong. ]
What's going on!?
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.. one that seems to be giving toph pause. ]
Do you know this -
[ a bloodcurdling scream, and cyno's mirage pitches forward, run through from behind by a thick set of curved claws. tighnari gasps, rushes toward the half-wall, panic in his voice. ]
Cyno!
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She hears the scream for sure. Caught off guard and stepping forward to try and grab Tighnari just a moment too late. ]
Wait that's not-
[ Just as she's about to say something the Katara like figure is hit with a blast of fire, falling back and away with a deafining cry of of her own. ]
WHAT!? [ Her heart's racing. That definitely wasn't Katara, right? It couldn't have been, it didn't feel right. ] What's going on here!?
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cyno, the real cyno - is he all right? is this some sort of bad omen? ]
I.. I don't know -
[ the quiet seems deafening. ]
We should keep moving.. did you see someone, too?
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Her head shakes. Eventually breaking the silence after he asks. ]
I don't see anything. But I felt someone else. You couldn't see her?
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[ by cyno being run through. but he saw the girl, the girl consumed by a gout of fire.. he could only assume it must've been someone that toph knew. tighnari shivers, and gathers himself. ]
Was it someone who's here as well?
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[ The sensation flashes through her again, just a sense of someone crumbling... And then she lets out a sigh. ]
She's never been here though, not in the labyrinth. But it didn't feel quite real either...
[ She tries to think of a way to explain it. ]
Like, whatever made them didn't know how we worked, and just had to guess how people felt.
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so he starts moving again, trying to be as quick as possible in the thick darkness, trusting toph's abilities. everything is silent save for their voices and footsteps. ]
All the more reason to get out of here as quickly as we can..
[ they're not particularly welcome here. ]
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So... Who was the person you saw... If you want to talk about it?
[ She can't feel an exit anywhere nearby, so they've got time to kill. ]
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[ no, he doesn't particularly mind talking about it. tighnari might be a little nervous now, but he's not an easily shaken person. they continue to walk, and he nods. ]
Cyno. My best friend. He's here in the town, as well, you've perhaps met him.
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I can't really put a name to a face because... You know.
[ Her hand waves in front of her face demonstratively. If he can even see that. ]
What's he like?
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He's - well, he's interesting. He's very stoic and a little frightening on the outside, but.. he's actually quite warm and kind. And he loves terrible jokes.
[ she'd know him the moment he opened his mouth.. ]
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[ She stifles a laugh, and beckons them around a corner. ]
I'm sure he's not that scary. Not that I really let looks bother me.
I think there's something up ahead by the way!
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Ah, well it's not only his looks, it's his demeanor and way of speaking as well. People often give him a wide berth, but he's really a good man. [ squinting into the distance, tighnari tilts his head and swivels his ears forward. ] Oh.. an exit?
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Uhuh... I'll have to meet him sometime. You said he's here, right?
[ There's a faint nod, and she's walking them both over, checking for any last minute surprises before... the exit starts to loom. For Tighnari at least, brighter lights clear the way. ]
Looks like it. At least, out of this underground area.
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He is, yes, we share a cottage. Perhaps you'll run across him at some point.
[ that light feels like such a relief to see, and tighnari sighs in relief. there's also a cool breeze, movement in the air that says they're nearly out. ]
Thank gods, it's about time. Are you feeling all right?
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[ Her head shakes, trying to clear that mental shape image of Katara? maybe being blasted... Hmm- not a great thought.
Then a small smile, slightly false but who can tell right. ]
I'm fine. Just happy to be on the way out. How are you holding up?
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[ also she's young, so tighnari is automatically in Protecc Mode.. he doesn't quite believe her bravado, but she doesn't seem horribly cut up either, so he'll let it pass for now. ]
I'm doing all right, but.. I definitely need to go check on Cyno, now.
Fade away? :>
[ She likes food and tea, and fighting. Really simple interests on this one.
And she's not that young! She's like, a teenager now! Just, barely. Totally independent. ]
Right, I think there's something over this way... Lets get going.
Action
Where would you like the garden to be?
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[ they're outside, along the side of the little cottage where there's a few patches of earth that tighnari has started to prepare for garden beds, but not gotten very far. it's hard work! ]
Right here is good, I'd like them up against the side of the house, here. I'll whip us up some lunch while you're working, if that's okay?
[ surely he'll work up an appetite doing all of this work! ]
Sorry for the slow! My laptop's keyboard broke and had to be repaired. <_<
[Beast wasn't used to a lot of work but he'd gotten more accustomed to it the longer he'd been here and had to go without his servants doing things for him. He immediately went to work digging without complaint. While the earth was hard, he was strong and easily able to move it after a certain point.]
no worries at all!! that sounds like a real pain
I'll be just inside. Knock on this window if you need anything.
[ these garden plots happen to be right beneath the kitchen window, after all! with a swish of his tail, tighnari disappears around the corner and sets to preparing lunch - pita pockets with fresh lemonade. the days are growing more chilly, but he can only assume that beast will want a way to cool down, after he's finished - digging is hard work. ]
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Eventually, he stood up, stretching out his back with an audible Pop! His tail lashed back and forth for a moment and he approached the kitchen windows on all fours before he stood back up on his hind legs. He was covered in dirt as he knocked on the window.]
I think I've made good headway. What do you think?
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Excellent. I'll be right out with food and drinks, then.
[ with the pita pockets and lemonade piled onto a tray, tighnari wets a hand towel as well - something for beast to clean off his paws with before eating - before he's lifting the tray and carrying it outside, to the side of the house, where there's a small table and chairs. they're not tiny chairs, but.. they might still be too small for him, hmm. ]
Over here!
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Do you mind if I ask you something?
[He sounded a bit hesitant as if he was afraid what he wanted to ask was too personal.]
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Of course. What is it?
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Are there many people like you where you're from? With ears and tails like those of an animal?
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Many, yes. We're certainly not the norm, Teyvat is made up mostly of humans, but there are enough people like me that it's not a shock to find someone with hybrid features.