This is a little unnerving to Finn, mostly because of the innate empathetic discomfort of imagining a jaw being wrenched open like that while the thing attached to it is still alive. But that said, he's also not nearly as freaked out by it as he should be, and ducks right in to pry out a few teeth with his knife.
"Hang on just a sec..." He says, hoping Irahl isn't going to suddenly develop a penchant for pranks as he steps fully into the thing's jaws to go scrape at some gland in the back of its throat. It doesn't smell good, but not in the way one would expect. It's less identifiably organic and more vaguely reminiscent of wet dirt, though even that description is too specific to do it justice. Once he's got a sample of that safely stoppered in a vial, he ducks back out.
"Done," he announces, "Thanks."
Though he's already moving to the next task... Which is to cut a small slice piece of the creature's meat out of its body and pop it into his mouth, then smudge some of its blood on his upper lip. He tries to do it subtly and not draw any attention to it--but it's clear from his expression that it tastes and smells extremely unpleasant. He doesn't chew, doesn't do more than maybe move it around in his mouth for a moment, until he suddenly spits the piece of flesh back out again. He does a commendable job of not gagging.
"Okay..." He mumbles to himself. If Irahl is watching, he's doing his damnedest to pretend he isn't, even though he's clearly having to take a moment to gather himself. One breath, then he repeats it, more confidently. "Okay."
Whatever he just did is apparently what he needed to do to be able to rejoin the group. He starts asking about people's injuries at about the same time Seth makes his subdued way over towards the group as well.
"We done here?" Nikaro asks him. Seth says nothing at first, gaze lowered as if listening for something. Whatever he's trying to perceive must not be there, because he eventually gives a curt nod and a short response.
"Yes. Go home."
"All right," Nikaro responds, moving to clap Rohen in the shoulder and maybe stir up a little last-minute liveliness, "Rohen, Jandru--help me get the rig loaded up."
Tired as they are, they both summon up the last of their energy to start unscrewing those portable spikes, carefully disarming any proximity mines that somehow didn't get triggered, and carrying all their scraps and gear back out to the buggies waiting outside the canyon.
Finn hangs back to talk to Seth, who asks him a question once the others are occupied.
"You saw nothing?"
"Nothing," Finn shakes their head, confirming. Their posture hunches up a little as they talk about it, "No visitors. Were you expecting they'd send someone this far out?"
Seth briefly shakes his own head and says, "No. It's not surprising."
"...Are you disappointed?" Finn ventures a guess.
Seth says nothing. Whatever emotion he may or may not be feeling is extremely difficult to read, but after a moment of murky silence he does briefly rest a hand on Finn's shoulder.
"Take care of Rohen," he says. Finn drops his shoulders as if suddenly remembering he has a body, nodding.
"Yes sir," he confirms, before heading off to go do what he were asked to do. That finally leaves Irahl and Seth as the only two not actively running around trying to do something. If any part of him was softened by his exchange with Finn, that disappears as Seth fixes Irahl with a steady gaze.
"You and I still have work to do," Seth informs him, "Don't let Jandru drive."
With orders given, Seth leads them back out of the canyon and towards their rides. Finn's beginning to get a good look at Rohen's arm by one of them, while Nikaro is sitting patiently on the trunk of their own vehicle to wait for Seth. Jandru's rubbing the back of their neck just to try to keep themselves awake.
The sun's gotten a lot lower all of a sudden. It's late evening, the air's cooled off significantly. Long shadows stretch across the dunes, soon be swallowed up by the encroaching nighttime.
no subject
"Hang on just a sec..." He says, hoping Irahl isn't going to suddenly develop a penchant for pranks as he steps fully into the thing's jaws to go scrape at some gland in the back of its throat. It doesn't smell good, but not in the way one would expect. It's less identifiably organic and more vaguely reminiscent of wet dirt, though even that description is too specific to do it justice. Once he's got a sample of that safely stoppered in a vial, he ducks back out.
"Done," he announces, "Thanks."
Though he's already moving to the next task... Which is to cut a small slice piece of the creature's meat out of its body and pop it into his mouth, then smudge some of its blood on his upper lip. He tries to do it subtly and not draw any attention to it--but it's clear from his expression that it tastes and smells extremely unpleasant. He doesn't chew, doesn't do more than maybe move it around in his mouth for a moment, until he suddenly spits the piece of flesh back out again. He does a commendable job of not gagging.
"Okay..." He mumbles to himself. If Irahl is watching, he's doing his damnedest to pretend he isn't, even though he's clearly having to take a moment to gather himself. One breath, then he repeats it, more confidently. "Okay."
Whatever he just did is apparently what he needed to do to be able to rejoin the group. He starts asking about people's injuries at about the same time Seth makes his subdued way over towards the group as well.
"We done here?" Nikaro asks him. Seth says nothing at first, gaze lowered as if listening for something. Whatever he's trying to perceive must not be there, because he eventually gives a curt nod and a short response.
"Yes. Go home."
"All right," Nikaro responds, moving to clap Rohen in the shoulder and maybe stir up a little last-minute liveliness, "Rohen, Jandru--help me get the rig loaded up."
Tired as they are, they both summon up the last of their energy to start unscrewing those portable spikes, carefully disarming any proximity mines that somehow didn't get triggered, and carrying all their scraps and gear back out to the buggies waiting outside the canyon.
Finn hangs back to talk to Seth, who asks him a question once the others are occupied.
"You saw nothing?"
"Nothing," Finn shakes their head, confirming. Their posture hunches up a little as they talk about it, "No visitors. Were you expecting they'd send someone this far out?"
Seth briefly shakes his own head and says, "No. It's not surprising."
"...Are you disappointed?" Finn ventures a guess.
Seth says nothing. Whatever emotion he may or may not be feeling is extremely difficult to read, but after a moment of murky silence he does briefly rest a hand on Finn's shoulder.
"Take care of Rohen," he says. Finn drops his shoulders as if suddenly remembering he has a body, nodding.
"Yes sir," he confirms, before heading off to go do what he were asked to do. That finally leaves Irahl and Seth as the only two not actively running around trying to do something. If any part of him was softened by his exchange with Finn, that disappears as Seth fixes Irahl with a steady gaze.
"You and I still have work to do," Seth informs him, "Don't let Jandru drive."
With orders given, Seth leads them back out of the canyon and towards their rides. Finn's beginning to get a good look at Rohen's arm by one of them, while Nikaro is sitting patiently on the trunk of their own vehicle to wait for Seth. Jandru's rubbing the back of their neck just to try to keep themselves awake.
The sun's gotten a lot lower all of a sudden. It's late evening, the air's cooled off significantly. Long shadows stretch across the dunes, soon be swallowed up by the encroaching nighttime.