Andia: The Revolution

[Eltee]

Aarys kicked off her boots and socks, and reluctantly shrugged off her jacket. "What the hell is this? A hot spring?"

[King Acunasti]

Valentin shook his jacket off as well. "I have no idea." he said. "Just don't be scared. We'll make it out of this. Alright? I swear to the Old God himself, we're gonna make it out of here."

[Eltee]

"How... How good are you at magic?" Aarys asked. "A light spell... Or maybe a fire spell could let us see."

[King Acunasti]

Valentin smiled. "That's a great idea!" he exclaimed. "God, I love you!" He leaned in and gave her a short kiss. Afterwards, he raised his arm above the surface of the water and waved his hand, creating a small ball of fire in his palm.

[Duh]

The light of the fire allows Valentin and Aarys to see that on the far side of the cave, the water becomes more shallow. This shallow water eventually leads to a dry, narrow tunnel that branches off from the chamber.

[Eltee]

Spoiler:

Thanks a-Mario.

Aarys sighed audibly in relief. "There is a way out..."

[King Acunasti]

Valentin nodded and swam towards the shallow water, pulling Aarys with him to save her the effort. He still kept the fireball going in order to see. "Thank God."

[Eltee]

Aarys walked a little bit ahead. "It's pretty narrow." She noted uncomfortably.

[King Acunasti]

Valentin sighed. "Wait." he said, taking Aarys' hand and letting the fireball die away. "This might be the last time we're able to do this for a while."

He pulled Aarys against him and gave her a long and passionate kiss.

[Eltee]

Aarys, who had been breathing quickly and shaking, calmed down slightly. She reluctantly broke away from the kiss after a few seconds. "Um... Valentin. You should... Probably know, I am... kind of... reallyafraidofconfinedspaces." She said in a rush.

[King Acunasti]

"Listen." Valentin said, trying to calm Aarys down. "I'm gonna be right at your side. And I'm staying at your side. I swear, I won't leave. Just close your eyes and hold my arm tightly. I'll guide you through. Forget about the fact that you're in a narrow hallway. Just listen to my voice. Pretend we're still walking through the woods."

[Eltee]

"Oh... okay..." Aarys whispered, taking Valentin's arm. She squeezed her eyes shut.

[JVElEven]

Spoiler:

Anyway... If anyone wants me, I'm crying in a tent somewhere.

[Eltee]

Spoiler:

Umm... I would be sympathetic. But, Aarys invited ye.

[JVElEven]

Spoiler:

YOu could have shown interest and asked why I was in some kind of nervous lockdown. But, yeah, you DID invite me. And I'm quite happy I'm not in a hole, thank you very much .

And it was possibly more for someone else to exploit.

[King Acunasti]

"So," Valentin said as he began walking into the narrow tunnel. He was speaking as though everything was normal and nothing bad was happening. He had a fireball lit so he could see where he was going. "I was thinking - Let's get some music to play in our tent when we get back to camp. We can dance again."

[Eltee]

"Yeah... Okay, good, that would be good, okay..." Aarys muttered under her breath, some residual panic showing.

[King Acunasti]

Valentin forced a somewhat believable laugh. "I enjoyed our first dance. Yeah, it was freezing cold, and the ICA was right on our asses. But I loved it. Say, what kind of music do you favor, anyway?

[Eltee]

"Uhhh... I like traditional Woodland Elf music, it's really the only kind I've ever heard. My grandfather ad a fiddle, he had to hide it..." Aarys said shakily, but the normal conversation took her mind off the cave a bit.

[King Acunasti]

"What did it sound like?"

[JVElEven]

Spoiler:

Jazz.

[Eltee]

Spoiler:

I'm gonna say... Maritime.

"Lively." Aarys said. "You could close your eyes and pretend nothing was wrong..."

[King Acunasti]

"You feeling okay?" Valentin asked.

[Eltee]

"Yeah." Aarys said weakly. "Just keep talking to me..."

[King Acunasti]

Valentin smiled. "Alright." he said. "What was your grandfather like?"