psychoshenanigans | GRATIA // PSL

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GRATIA // PSL

The first thing he feels is the cold.

It permeates everything down here on the lower levels. What little warmth humans have made for themselves is greedily gobbled up by the stone walls that surround them on all sides. Despite the stirring of people in the streets, in their homes, and around corners, this place feels like a grave. A similar sense seems to loom over the heads of most who make their way through this deep, dark part of the world, hovering around them like a cloud of inevitability. No one has been outright sentenced to death, but they may as well be.

Upon waking, Tek will have found himself in a dark, wet alleyway. Attempts to orient himself reveal that he has been brought, somehow, to an impressively large network of tunnels that all lead, more or less, to three or four larger chambers. There is far more vibrant life above him somewhere, far, far above the layer of caves he's in now, and there is also a very deep, sluggish form of life somewhere far below his feet.

No one is coming to get him. No one follows him in his immediate vicinity--the few stragglers hanging around doorsteps and windows don't give him a second glance, or even a first one. The place is crowded, but not busy. Everyone keeps their heads down. The people are all dressed poorly, in rags and robes and bundles that suggest a certain level of consistent poverty all throughout the level. The buildings in these tunnels look man-made, either built from scrap or carved straight out of the rock of the cave, but the majority of the actual roads and cave walls seem to have been formed with very little help from human hands.

The place is lit with lanterns and dirty-looking florescents suspended high above in the cave ceiling. The air is thick and stuffy, the smell of mold and mud prevalent over even the smell of human stagnation. It would not be hard to drag someone off, and he gets the immediate feeling that if he did, it's unlikely that anyone would come looking for them.

What does he do?

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[Tek sweeps up some dust from the wasteland that he's created with a flick of his tail as he thinks, looking off in the direction that Robin has indicated.

flying would be easy, and it would be quick. however, that would presumably mean leaving Robin behind, as he's not about to offer to carry him over there. so, without much weight to it, he asks, 'and how long to walk?']

[Robin is surprised that Tek doesn't agree to just take off without him. he'd assumed he would, or would at least ask if the demigod would catch up. so Robin's very large eyes widen a fraction before he looks in the direction he's indicated.]

Both of us? ...Maybe ten minutes. Fifteen.

[he shrugs his bony shoulders.]

Won't be sneaky, but if the people out here aren't already muttering about some cursed entity blighting their forest, I don't think some foot traffic will make much difference.

[the comment about the locals gets a (horrible) chuckle out of him, and before either one of them can think too much further about how agreeable Tek is being, the dragon happily rises to his feet and heads east.

just like he had when leaping up past the tree canopy, he moves quicker and much more silently than would be expected from a creature of his size. with his wings hugged close to his body, he's actually maybe the perfect size for slipping through the trees here. especially once the forest becomes more regular away from the clearing, he's both ducking under the lowest branches of the trees, and slinking over the loudest plants of the underbrush. his steps aren't exactly quiet by any means, but he at least doesn't sound like a giant monster smashing its way through the wilderness.]

[well, Robin'll hand it to him... he is a lot quieter than he looks. he was worried they'd leave an easy trail to follow, but the natives may not catch on for a while, yet.]

Hah, show-off...

[the demigod is quick to follow, catching up and appearing as a bonewhite shape in the branches of the trees above and ahead. he skitters and jumps and climbs over the forest, always in motion, occasionally disappearing against the glowing spots of sunlight beginning to shine through the canopy and burn off the last of the morning mist.

if they don't stop to talk, they'll reach the lake soon. a wide body of water pooling in a shallow valley, fed by streams from other parts of the forest.]

[the sight of the lake makes all of this annoying patience worthwhile. normally, he doesn't stop flying and exploring until he finds a nice body of water to wash away the memories of his human body in. so, with it right here, he can finally relax.

as soon as there's room around him as he heads down toward the lake, the dragon stretches and flaps his wings, shaking off the lingering tension he'd been carrying around. he'll always be a mostly-aquatic being at heart, and Robin can read in his body language just how pleased he is to be heading for a swim.

soon, there's a dragon leaving the cover of trees to wade eagerly into the lake, immediately flattening down and ducking his head into the water as soon as he's deep enough to do so.]

[Robin waits at the edge of the forest, for two reasons.

the first reason is that he just needs to look, check the trees for anyone watching. he doesn't think there's anything other than birds and mostly-harmless tree-dwelling creatures around here, but he knows that these people can be tricky. he didn't think they passed this way very often, last he knew... but it's been years since then, and a lot can change in years. he'd keep an eye on an open lake, if he were them.

the second reason is that he remembers the lake behind his bedroom very clearly, back in the dark underground caverns. he remembers swimming there many times, but the Tekhetsio he knew there never really joined him. the one time he did, it didn't go well. a lot of things didn't go well, down there.

so it is both heartbreaking and intensely relieving to see his Tek practically diving into the water, having fun before him, so far away from that awful place he wound up. there's a constant feeling of something coming from Robin in this form, but it swells a little as he stays at the edge of the trees, cautiously and gratefully hanging back to watch.]

[it's probably that well of feeling that calls Tek's attention to the fact that Robin is still hanging back and not immediately joining him at the water, because the dragon is otherwise completely absorbed in his bathing.

in the middle of happily dunking his head and neck, using his wings to shrug water onto his back like a giant, bathing bird, Tek pauses to look back toward the shore. and once it's confirmed that the demigod is indeed still back there, lost in thought or caution or whatever it is he's doing... Tek lashes his tails out, sending an impressive spray of water in his direction, whether it's enough to reach him or not.]

[only a little bit gets him, spraying lightly at his arms... but he reacts to it almost comically, skittering back onto his legs and standing fully, eyes wide with an expression that is somehow undoubtedly Robin. a full shudder runs through his body, from his shoulders to his feet, but it ends up shaking a vivid laugh out of him when he catches just how off-guard he was caught by a little splash.]

Hey, don't be a brat.

[he pushes the old things away, sends the nightmares back into the shadows as he finally crouches forward to pad out into the sun. he's a little slower to get into the water, pacing a little at the edge... but it's just so that he can find a good spot to jump in, springing like a frog and disappearing under the surface with a quiet splash.]

[a pleased rumble rolls through the water when he sees Robin finally moving away from the safety of the trees to come down and join him. and when Robin hops in and disappears under the surface, Tek opens his wings to cast ominous shadows over the lake around him. it makes it much easier to see down through the water, even though it tends to scare all the fish and other animals away. it's a terrible tactic for hunting, but comes in handy when looking for traitorous siblings lurking under the water.]

[thankfully, Robin is not a particularly gifted swimmer, in this form. he isn't bad, he could likely keep up with most mortals, but his limbs just... don't provide a lot of surface with which to pull himself through the water.

he's also the palest thing down there, so he's easy to find, and easy to track. he brakes the surface of the water again soon enough, treading water with his ridiculously long arms and peering up at Tek with eyes that look even bigger now that his hair is plastered down against his scalp.

he gives the dragon a smile, nearly a sharp-toothed grin.]

I think I remember you lurking in the pool back at the Tower...

[for once, he isn't tracking Robin with some nefarious intent... or any other sort of intent, really. the dragon is content to just watch in fascination as the other creature swims through the water, and continues once he bobs to the surface again. quiet, observant, and unreadable. it isn't until Robin's comment that the dragon starts moving again.

Tek confirms Robin's memory with a derisive snort. yeah, he remembers that pool--the poor excuse for a body of water that it was, all unnatural and full of strange chemicals.

he's moving forward through the water then, kicking up a gentle wake of ripples as he glides out toward deeper water. this is what he'd wanted to do, back in the Tower. once he's in water deep enough to be able to lift his feet off the bottom, he slinks low in the water, menacing and soundless.]

Yeah...

[the chorus of voices that is Robin seems to agree with the sentiment. he also drops the rest of his face below the water, following along in a much slower (and probably cuter) version of Tek's menacing glide.

after a while, though, he takes a big breath and dives back under, kicking for the bottom of the lake. he'll be back.]

[while Robin dives, Tek continues to enjoy just floating fully suspended in the deep water. it feels as though it's been ages since he's been able to swim like this, especially in the middle of wilderness that feels as old and full as this one.

he's enjoying himself quite a bit. and aside from occasionally ducking his head and neck down below the surface to soak every scale, he's using the smallest effort possible to slowly propel himself across the water.]

[Tek gets a few minutes to enjoy the lake all by himself. Robin is down there somewhere, not bothering to mask his aura much, if only so that Tek can have full confidence that he's around somewhere and not about to try something tricky while the dragon isn't looking.

he comes up for air somewhere, eventually, a pale shape bobbing up to the surface of the water before ducking right back down again. this gives Tek a few more minutes to himself, before Robin finally comes back up near where the other is peacefully drifting.]

Hey, can you help me grab something? It's too heavy for me.

[he's got a big, sharp-toothed grin on his face, though. he looks excited.]

[not that Tek is an ancient, paranoid creature or anything... but he appreciates the peace. he likes knowing where Robin is without having to look for him, detaching just enough to actually relax and let himself rest and enjoy simply being. it's not something that he allows himself very often, not really.

so, he's actually in a rather balanced mood when Robin pops up to make a request of him. his eyes might have even been closed for a few moments, but they open with a curious grunt when Robin calls him.

he sits up in the water, lifting his head a little bit to look at Robin, and then back the direction that he'd come from. reluctant but listening...]

[oh, he could probably explain. since he isn't being outright turned down, he points through the water at exactly the thing he's hoping to get.]

You remember that glass that refracts light into flecks, aah... Like in that necklace?

[Tek probably remembers; the necklace with the large, tear-drop shaped pendant that bends the light into dozens of little flecks of sparkling color. Robin said it was made when some kind of radioactive lightning struck the ground, or something.]

There's a big chunk of it down there. Must be from before the lake filled up.

[with one swish of his tail, Tek floats over to the vague area that Robin is pointing toward, peering down through the water with reluctance. he doesn't seem overtly excited by the idea. The way he hangs there seems very much like the way his human version silently deliberates when he's weighing the potential benefits of something that he doesn't actually want to do.

no bartering or extra convincing is actually needed, however. without warning, his spines suddenly slick back like feathers against his neck, he shifts his weight and rears up a little, and dives straight down. there isn't a huge splash, but the sheer amount of water being displaced kicks up impressive waves.

and he's gone within seconds, using half-open wings to power him down through the water toward his prize.]

[it's amazing how much the dragon resembles the human-shaped person that he's so familiar with. for something with a reptilian face, Robin knows exactly what kind of calculating he must be doing in that mind of his.

which is why he's only encouraged when Tek suddenly dives under the water, sending the much-lighter demigod bobbing away in the waves like a cork. before he can get too far, he takes one more breath and dives down too, heading to where he saw the thing glinting at the bottom of the lake.

it isn't very far for a dragon, though it will take Robin a minute more. the floor of the lake is mostly covered in large, slick stones, though some of them are shaped in such a way to suggest that they may have once been part of some building or structure, too big and evenly-sized to have occurred naturally. a pack of lake-dwelling eels slither away as the large dragon gets closer, hiding under outcroppings while smaller, plain-colored fish only panic and flutter away in random directions.

the place where the glass is sitting looks pretty obvious; several tree stumps are standing in a ring around it, rotted at the top, their bases still surprisingly well-preserved and clinging to the muck below them. pale glints of light sparkle here and there against their trunks, coming from a spot in the middle where a semi-clear piece of something has been partly wedged out from under another stone.

it's hard to tell how big it is, but it's probably about three feet across.]

[whatever hesitations or considerations Tek might have had about this little adventure, they hadn't been about the actual retrieval part of it. he knew that part would be fun. he can't remember the last time he's actually had something to do while swimming around, so being able to dive down for a little bit of treasure is a treat.

with the forehand part of his wings folded back, he uses the rest to push himself through the water, freeing up his claws to reach down and grab the hunk of glass. he technically only needs one massive paw to wrap around it, but using two gives him a better grip--with this form technically lacking opposable thumbs and all.

then, when the rest of his body follows the trajectory and settles close to the bottom of the lake, he kicks off of the stone floor with his hind legs and powers back up toward the surface again.]

[Robin really had intended on being more helpful on this little adventure, but he's only about two-thirds of the way there by the time Tek passes him going in the other direction. the cloud of disturbed silt at the bottom is enough to tell him that Tek was successful, so he spins around and follows him up to the top.

the piece of glass is lumpy, unrefined, but not all that heavy compared to Tek; he should be able to get it to the shore without a problem.]

[Tek surfaces just long enough to spot where Robin is coming up. once the pale shape of the demigod bobs into view, the dragon ducks under again. with a big hunk of glass held in his foreclaws, it's much easier to just swim underwater on his way back to the shore. ducking under again and extending his wings like before, he "flies" through the lake, leaving choppy waves behind him.

the rest of the lake is mostly still after he submerges, making it surprisingly hard to spot the massive dragon for a few moments, until he runs out of water deep enough to hide all of himself in. then, he has to move the glass into one set of talons and put his feet down to stand and walk the rest of the way... hobbling a little, as he only has three limbs free to move with.]

[Robin is quick to follow Tek along to the shore, once the immediate choppy waves have subsided, of course. he's much faster once he gets some ground to stand on, propelling himself forward until he can pull himself up and shake himself out on all four limbs again.

the glass that they pulled up is very rough, most of it covered by half-fused silt and sand... but when the sun hits the smooth top, specks of yellow and orange and greens dance over Tek's scales as if it were a prism. it's a little big to go hauling it back to the city, but they could probably figure out something...

and with the way Robin is padding along excitedly next to Tek, he might already have some ideas.]

[by the time Robin has caught up, Tek has given the hunk of glass a good shake in the water to rinse off as much silt as he can, before setting it in the sand on the shore.

he's too busy gazing into its glittering, prismatic surface to glance over at Robin as he approaches. he just grunts a question at him. 'what's next?']

[the hunk of glass looks much bigger next to Robin--the thing is probably about three feet wide and two feet tall. the demigod stretches his hand out over its flat surface, watching the points of light fleck his skin with pale colors.]

We can't carry this whole thing back... At least, not all at once.

[he tilts his head, and then cranes his neck down to look at the rough side of their find.]

Why don't we break it up? Get a couple of good chunks as a memento, maybe, and then throw the rest back into the lake.

[he looks back up at Tek with a little smile.] We can come back for those pieces later.

[with the way that Tek is looking at the boulder a little regretfully, it's probably the thought of coming back to retrieve the other pieces later that convinces him that breaking it apart isn't a terrible idea.

wrapping one set of arm-length talons around the thing and rolling it a little to the side, he rumbles thoughtfully at Robin. it will take a little consideration to realize that there aren't any real words in the question--just sounds to convey the fact that he would love to hear how exactly they're going to break the thing apart.]

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