The Song of the Siren (Accepting :: OPEN)

[Lucky_Tiger]

Out of habit, Joshua nodded despite the fact that she couldn't see him. "Some mornings I get up early, just to climb to the top and watch the sunrise. Just the amazing number of colors is...stunning. There's no words to really describe it." He just chattered aimlessly, following Tianara, making sure she was moving okay alone the path. He knew the narrowed section would be hard for her.

"Whatever time though, the view from the top is really amazing. It never fails to take my breath away. Absolutely gorgeous. And it's a really good spot to see the different moods of the ocean too." Joshua's smile could be heard even in his voice. "I've seen it angry, calm, even sad at times I imagine. It's amazing how alive something like water can seem at times."

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Tianara's voice was as startled as her face, though of course Joshua wouldn't be able to see it. "The oceans are alive," she said, sounding as though she were repeating a lesson to a confused classmate. "There's nothing dead in nature. Nothing."

Whether they could speak or think or know, Tianara had no idea - though she thought they could. What were the sea-spirits if not the part of the ocean that knew and thought and could see? - and she didn't really worry too much about it.

But everything lived.

Tucking her hair back, she turned back towards the cliffs. Her own words had given her an idea.

She rested her hand lightly on the cliff walls, and thought she felt a sigh - whether inside her mind or not, she didn't know.

Stand with me, she whispered. Please.

And standing straight and perfectly steady, she headed towards the narrowest part of the path, her hand running along the cliff wall as she walked.

((OOC: *humming Colours of the Wind* XD))  

[Lucky_Tiger]

Joshua blinked in surprise at her response. He paused, looking out over the water. Well, sometimes it seemed like the water was alive. But other things? "Everything? Even the cliffs and such?" He asked, sounding confused. While he was more open-minded than most humans, he was still a human. One who'd been raised where animals were considered unintelligent, never mind the ocean or some rocks. He would have been called crazy even more if he'd tried to tell people that.

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Tianara glanced back briefly, looking as steady and composed as the cliffs towering over them. "Everything," she said. "Absolutely everything."

She tilted her head up to smile at the sun.

"And if you know how to ask, sometimes they'll answer you."

With that completely confusing and enigmatic statement, Tianara made her way across the thinnest part of the path - never even hesitating.

And kept going.

It wouldn't be too much farther to the top now, and she was beginning to think she'd had no reason to worry. They'd be fine.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

I wanna be the very best

To catch them is my real test

Like no one ever was

To train them is my cause

Joshua was left looking at her in confusion. Was she serious? She seemed to be. He hurried to catch up to her, absently noting that she didn't seem to have trouble with the heights anymore. He shrugged to himself. He would think on things later. For now though, he had more important things to deal with. He glanced up at the cave entrances, wondering what, if anything, had changed since they'd last been here.

Clickies please? You know you want to click the adorable pokemon on my farm

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Tianara went into the cavern entrance, then stopped and waited for Joshua. She didn't want him to get lost in here while she was trying to find out what was new in this place.

Satisfied that he would not fall too far behind, she set off ahead of them, trailing her fingers along the rock as a silent thank-you. Her eyes were distant and dreamy, her magical senses straining for anything out of the ordinary - and so she didn't notice the new wall of rock until she almost ran into it.

"I...No, this can't be right," she said out loud. "This blocks off everything but right here. It even blocks off the supply room!"

She turned her head and sighed in relief when she noticed the sideways tunnel where, she was almost sure, none had been before. "Okay. There it is."

She set off down the tunnel, keeping her steps slow and relaxed so that Joshua would be sure to keep up.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

I wanna be the very best

To catch them is my real test

Like no one ever was

To train them is my cause

Joshua followed behind Tianara as she entered the cavern. He was silent as they walked, letting her lead. He didn't quite trust himself to navigate yet. He was just about to warn Tianara of the wall she was blindly heading for, but she noticed it just in time.

He was starting to get worried by her words. Then she noticed the side tunnel and he sighed in relief. "Had me worried for a moment." He murmured, padding along behind Tianara. He kept pace easily, walking a step behind her.

Clickies please? You know you want to click the adorable pokemon on my farm

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

((OOC: Love the new posting deal, by the way. razz ))

"Me too," Tianara said absent-mindedly. "Trust me." She was walking through the winding tunnels, occasionally having to stop and think for a few minutes before taking another path.

"It's harder now," she said ruefully. "I keep thinking I should go one way and then realizing it's blocked. I don't like it."

But she would put up with it if it meant safety.

"On the plus side, any humans who know these caverns will now be thoroughly lost long before they ever find us," she added lightly, trying for humour.

After what felt like hours of winding and twisting and finding pathways and small caverns that she was sure hadn't been there before, Tianara finally walked into their storeroom.

With a tired smile, she turned to face Joshua. "Enough space, do you think?"  

[Lucky_Tiger]

I wanna be the very best

To catch them is my real test

Like no one ever was

To train them is my cause

((Thanks. ^_^ ))

"You'll find the way though. I trust you." Joshua said reassuringly. He himself was totally lost by now though, so he had no choice but to trust her. He did so willing. She'd never led him wrong before.

When they finally reached the storage room, Joshua let out a small sigh of relief. "Well, I think I'm the human who knows these caves best and I was totally lost. I highly, highly doubt anyone will find this." He chuckled quietly. "I think it's enough space, for now at least. We'll know for sure as things progress. I'm hoping this is more than enough." He said optimistically.

Clickies please? You know you want to click the adorable pokemon on my farm

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

"Perfect," said Tianara with a slightly easier grin. "Now," she murmured, looking around, "is there anything left to do here?"

Heaters. Food. People were bringing their own blankets and so on, or so she recalled - she'd ask Joshua later. And safety. More than anything else, this place represented security.

She brushed away her hair and turned to see Joshua. Stepping forward, she took a closer look. "Are you okay?" she asked, frowning. He looked paler, somehow. Like something was...off. She couldn't quite say why.

A little embarrassed to have asked, she stepped away again, looking around the cavern as though it would tell her if they were forgetting something - and if so, what it was.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

I wanna be the very best

To catch them is my real test

Like no one ever was

To train them is my cause

Joshua looked around the cavern, running things over in his mind much like Tianara was. "Hm....I think we have everything. Everything I can think of at least." He said with a shrug.

At her question, he blinked in surprise. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" He wondered what had prompted her to ask that question. He wondered if he looked off somehow. Odd.

Clickies please? You know you want to click the adorable pokemon on my farm

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Tianara hesitated, then shrugged. "Don't know," she replied. "Must have been a trick of the light." Something in her mind was warning her that she shouldn't say anything, nothing, that as long as she didn't say it things would still be okay.

You looked so pale, so tired. You looked like you were dying.

But she didn't say it. Her instincts had gotten her this far. She wasn't about to start ignoring them.

Instead, she forced a smile. "Let's go," she said instead. "If there's nothing more we need here, we should start to gather the news and figure out what our next move should be."

She spoke while already making her way back towards the paths the way they had come, focusing ahead so as not to look back at Joshua. Right now, she couldn't bear to look anywhere but straight ahead at the empty rock.  

[Lucky_Tiger]

I wanna be the very best

To catch them is my real test

Like no one ever was

To train them is my cause

Joshua looked mildly confused but shrugged it off. "Well, alright then." He wasn't sure what to make of all her odd behavior lately. He felt like he was in a near constant state of confusion regarding her. Sighing to himself, he followed Tianara. He didn't bother trying to remember which way was which this time. He was so firmly lost that it didn't matter anymore. Maybe in a few more trips he would start to get it again - if the gnomes didn't change it any more - but not this time. He was silent, lost in his thoughts as he trailed her.

Clickies please? You know you want to click the adorable pokemon on my farm

 

[SilentShadowDreamer]

Tianara glanced back at him once, but then hastily averted her dark blue eyes. She couldn't quite bring herself to look at him, not right now.

So the uncomfortable silence persisted until they finally reached the cavern mouth again. Tianara looked at the cliff path, which had never looked so narrow and forbidding as it did now.

It didn't matter, and certainly didn't mean anything - it was a trick of the light, it was!

(no it wasn't)

With the picture in her mind, the last thing she wanted to do was walk down that cliff path again. But she hadn't been able to find any way out of there that led down to the water - at least, none that wouldn't require extensive searching and tip Joshua off.

Instead, she turned to him and held out a hand. "Walk with me?" she requested. Maybe, maybe if they were together instead of separated...  

[Lucky_Tiger]

I wanna be the very best

To catch them is my real test

Like no one ever was

To train them is my cause

Joshua wanted to say something, anything, just to break the silence. But no matter what he thought of, the words never came out his mouth. When they reached the cavern mouth, he sighed in relief. He didn't like being all closed up in the tunnels very much. He was drawn out of his thoughts by Tianara's voice. "Hm? Oh, sure." He said with an understanding smile. He put his hand in hers, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. He knew she was uncomfortable with the path. "It'll be okay." He said, then started down the path at a slow and steady pace.

Clickies please? You know you want to click the adorable pokemon on my farm