godsfire

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

It is dark.

((Warning: Contains traumatized characters and other content that should be warned for. We will attempt to start keeping up-to-date specific warning list soon))

Comments

[dotted_lines]

He freezes when she goes still. When her hands relax, he discovers that the noise is much less loud.

And he's pretty sure Thorn said it was okay to move? He cautiously rolls to stop pinning her, careful to stay on the hexagon.

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

A great deal of tension drains out of her when she can move properly (leaving her still very tense but less frozen). She sits up (pulling the rest of herself into the correct hexagon in the process), and feels around cautiously until she finds him.

'u ok?'

[dotted_lines]

He starts to sit up, pausing when Thorn reaches for his shoulder, but continues when he realizes she is helping and talking to him, and pulls himself into a ball to leave more room. Not for any other reason.

He finds her foot with his, and taps back 'yes, u?' and after a moment, 'sry'.

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

She scoots over closer to him.

'ish' she taps back. She pauses, lightly feeling out more of his positioning, and then adds 'want hug?'

[dotted_lines]

What?

After a few moments, he starts to tap back 'yes? if want. dont have to.'

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

Well.

He is at the 'h' when she hugs him.

[dotted_lines]

He finishes tapping his message for a few more seconds, just in case, but hugs back with his elbows.

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

Hugs.

Thorn makes an unsurprised-but-unhappy face at the rest of the message.

[dotted_lines]

He is not in a position to see her face, because of hugs. Hugs that are still happening, even though he just --

She's okay-ish. Still shaking, but maybe less? Okay enough to still want to hug him, apparently.

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

The shaking is gradually reducing. It is almost as if the hugs are helping with that.

After a while, she takes a deep breath and taps out: 'sorry i cant help more'

[dotted_lines]

Hug. 'no you are help, pamern lights order, right direction, talk and rule out, helpful'
He looks around, although only as far as he can see without moving his head, then taps back quickly and slightly more emphatically 'bc your help, less noise griner light, progress.'

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

Thorn puzzles over this for a little while.

'still wish could more' she taps back eventually. Then, after thinking for a little longer, she hugs him more tightly (the shaking is continuing to fade), and adds 'will difficult but we can solve w teamwork'

[dotted_lines]

Extra tight hug. 'we can.'

After a little while they get up and start figuring out the rest of the puzzle.

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

Eventually, the trail they have been following ends against a wall. When they step into the final hexagon, the path they followed flashes once, and then the whole pattern -- the sounds and lights, the color scale they had painstakingly worked out, the hexagons themselves -- changes.

This one is harder, but they have enough clues about the overall patterns -- the incentives and disincentives (primarily the latter), the directional scaling of the colors, the tile outlines -- to get through it without major incident.

Except for when Thorn stops, suddenly, fairly near what they think is the end, and hisses out something incoherent. 'hot cold patterns under feet you?' she taps out, when she manages to collect herself enough.

[dotted_lines]

When she stops, he turns to look at her, as quickly as he can without risking unbalancing her. After she taps her message, he waits to feel whether the floor's temperature changes. When it doesn't, he taps back 'no. can i help?'

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

Thorn's hand is shaking, very slightly.

'keep eye on me' thoughtful pause. 'not much else. distract, maybe?'

Longer pause. 'we need to get out of here'

[dotted_lines]

He pauses for a moment to be sure to remember and to think about what he'd need to do for each helpful thing. 'ok will. what to watch for?'

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

Thorn bites down on her lip. After a moment, she responds 'talked earlier basilisk:' this last word is tapped out slightly more slowly and very carefully, 'freezing unresponsiveness'

[dotted_lines]

He nods, then taps back 'right. what to do if happens?'

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

Thorn thinks for a few moments, and then pauses, gesturing to the next hexagon.

[dotted_lines]

If the floor is doing something to her, it probably is best to keep going to the next hexagon. He walks onto it and starts working on the lights' patterns and the tiles' outlines while he waits for Thorn's answer.

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

One of the possibilities ends at that wall, there.

That's a good sign, right?

When they stop in the hexagon, Thorn thinks for a moment longer, and then taps out 'break contact with floor, even temporarily' she pauses for a moment, looking down and biting down on her lip, and then adds, 'less danger to u than if infected me'

[dotted_lines]

Steve bounces a little to make sure that gravity here still isn't working right, then taps back 'ok, will try.'

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

Thorn makes a brief complicated apologetic and grateful face at that, and, after hesitating for a moment, moves to hug him, moving slowly enough and keeping enough contact to know and back off if he objects.