GRATIA // PSL

[skeletoncity]

So, here's what Irahl knows.

He's alone in a dark, cold cave. He has most, if not all, of his gear. No one is guarding his location. As he heads away from the spot where he came to consciousness, no one tries to stop him, and no one gets in his way. The few people he finds down there seem human, and not about to approach the nearly-seven-foot man that comes stalking out of the lower tunnels. Honestly, everyone here seems a surprised and a little astonished about his... Entire scene.

There is a way up. It's a maze of twisting corridors and confusing passageways, half of which feel too small for him. It's bigger and bigger groups of people, some of which scatter like schools of fish, and some of which have to be pushed through to get anywhere. It's climbing up into streets lit with dingy lights, graffiti-covered hallways, warehouses, weird holes in stone walls that may or may not be windows. It's alarm bells, it's people yelling at each other down the street. It's just an absurd number of stairs. A couple of people make an attempt to stop him somewhere, and it goes poorly for them.

Elsewhere, events are being set in motion where Irahl cannot see. But he's on his way out.

Eventually, more people try to stop him. At the end of another long stretch of Underground city, a group of official-looking folks are putting a real effort into blocking off the obvious exit, and some of them have weapons.

Down a side alley, into another tunnel, and then the space opens up into a... Plaza, of some sort? The floor is made of stone. The buildings surrounding it are made of stone and are hard to distinguish from one another. At at least the ceiling (also made of stone) is a lot higher than before. Cavernous. There's some kind of sculpture in the middle of it, some impressive feat of geometric stonework that gives the illusion of defying gravity despite weighing literal tons.

This is where someone finally catches him. Sounds have been echoing unhelpfully down every passageway, making it hard to tell if people are coming or going - but this series of quick footsteps comes from an upward direction before someone hits the ground about five feet in front of Irahl.

His clothes are different. His hair is better-kept. Maybe if the situation wasn't quite so tense, there'd be time to see the ways in which his face is different, the way his eyes don't have quite as vicious and sharp a gleam as they used to. But whatever Irahl can take in of him, there is Robin, having hopped down from a rooftop to put himself between him and the exit again.

"...Holy shit."

Kind of weird that he looks absolutely shocked to see the person in front of him, though.

Comments

[hatesblindjokes]

It's a good thing they started talking about this, Vincent realizes. For as much as he tries to be helpful and aware of his friend, he can't really share information or ideas if he hasn't put any thought into the thing himself. He'd been ignoring it so hard that he hadn't even considered that he doesn't really know where to go when they get there.

But he's also pretty confident that they'll be able to figure it out if they're together. It's a thought that aligns nicely with Irahl's comment, which gets Vincent nodding in agreement.

"They got breathable air, I know that much for sure," he says, "An' I dunno what kind of 'tests' my bro's cooked up, but I doubt any of 'em involve engine coolant."

Which reminds him, suddenly, of one more thing he really should bring up.

"--Oh, trip out's real borin', though. Gonna have to entertain ourselves for the better part of a week."

[indigochild]

"It's that long, huh?" he asks in a voice that is nearly as casual as everything else, but it's still pretty clear that this is coming as a significant surprise.

He'd known that the trip was going to be a long one, but the longest trip by vehicle back home maxed out at a couple of days, and the few times he'd had to endure those had been a challenge. Even with how many windows this thing probably has, the idea of spending nearly a week inside a flying box causes his anxiety to spike a little bit.

For once, he's thankful for his time spent trapped on the Eclipse, as it has surely given him some practice for this upcoming trip. However, unlike the Eclipse, he won't have a broken engine to tinker with.

"Guess you better bring your deck."

[hatesblindjokes]

"Already packed," he answers, since that's the one thing he did think of ahead of time. "Guess you finally get to learn to read 'em."

He's planning to take them through his favorite corner store on the way out. That way they can grab snacks and whatever else they can find that might stave off boredom. Stretching his arms up towards the ceiling, he sinks even further back into his couch.

"With all that time... Fuck it, maybe I'll take up knitting."

[indigochild]

Another genuinely good idea from Vincent. It's the perfect project for their roadtrip. Learning new things is generally of little interest to Irahl without at least the ghost of a reason behind it, but there's plenty of motivation inherent in this one. He's used to having very little in the ways of hobbies or anything else to interrupt his boredom with, so this will be all he needs.

Finding something to occupy Vincent with might be a little more of a challenge. Though, Irahl's already voting for his current idea.

"Blind guy with hands your size? Knitting is perfect."

[hatesblindjokes]

Vincent wasn't considering it with much seriousness, but Irahl really put a final nail in the coffin with that one. He smirks as he tries to think of a good and equally sarcastic comeback--but something suddenly occurs to him that gets a good laugh out of him.

"I'll knit you a scarf," he says, far too tickled by his own thought. "It'll be a present."

[indigochild]

"I don't deserve it," Irahl answers, and the response is so immediate and delivered with such casual coldness that it's almost too believable--like maybe this has triggered some flare of self-loathing that he isn't able to catch before it leaves his mouth.

But, no, this comes from a much different and perhaps even stronger impulse within himself. After a beat, he continues with the same gravitas.

"You know who does, though? ...Robin."

Their dear friend deserves something for all the hard work he has been putting into his self-improvement.

[hatesblindjokes]

"Ah," Vincent says, as if this is the only logical answer, "Then I've got my project."

Irahl has given him the greatest gift of all--he's freed him of having to do even a remotely good job of it. This is really going to make the trip. He's so happy.

"I'll let you pick the colors."

[indigochild]

"Then it can be from both of us. Good." His voice is so cold and dead; he is so delighted.

Whether this is something Vincent actually intends on attempting, or whether this all only lives in the realm of imagination, it will sustain Irahl through the trip.

"He'll be touched."