Castaway.

[Kiko]

Kiko leaped out of the boat, landing lightly on her feet and right beside him. She snuck her head in to kiss him just once on his mouth, and shifted her feet in the wet sand.

I am teasing you.

[Grayell]

Mhm.... and you do it so very well.

He grabbed her about the waist and lifted her across his front anyways, striding through the water and onto the shore.

But then, anticipation makes reward so much sweeter......

He slowly lowered for a kiss... but then only swept his lower lip over hers. He then let her swing to her feet and grinned.

Well Kiko... how about I set up a quick campfire? If you'd like to grab me some wood from the trees over yonder I think we can enjoy a bite to eat. Some tea.

[Kiko]

Kiko's voice might have been a tad breathy, but she answered him.

Sure, Wolf. I'll be back.

She did not have to go far, there was a slew of dead limbs tossed up beside the trees he pointed out. She could see them from where she stood. Her feet made fine tracks in the pale sand, water eating them away almost as soon as she made them.

She gathered up an armful of the wood and returned to Grayell's side.

[Grayell]

Grayell was crouched and trying to craft a fire as she returned but this was one of those rare moments he was having no luck. He tossed his worn flint aside and cursed... but smiled when his eyes fell on her. He lifted a hand to brush over her cheek just briefly.

Alright. I need some better tinder. I'll be right back lover.

He gave her a grin and shot off toward the trees, jogging with easy, bouncing footfalls through the sand and grass. He looked about, pressed past the trees.

She could see him of course.... as he dropped like a stone into nothingness. The ground gave out under him and he plummeted suddenly, his extensive skill set being the only thing that kept him from falling to his death or injury. He landed with a thud, rolling to his side to break the fall and coughed, sand and dust in his lungs.

He looked up, the hole far above him now. That was quite the fall. This chamber was dark.

KIKO?

[Kiko]

It was dark. Extremely dark, and what light there was from above did not prove reliable. The sky, which up until this point, had been full of sunshine was now filled with ominous looking clouds. The wind had carried them swiftly over the surface to blot out the sun.

Kiko saw Grayell fall from sight and she was up the incline within seconds. But, she wasn't stupid. She did not take the same path and her footsteps where he had fallen were extremely careful. She paced around the opening trying to catch sight of a trigger, trap, tripwire, or anything that might have caused it beyond the ordinary.

It was entirely possible the place was riddled with such holes in the earth.

WOLF?

[Grayell]

Grayell closed his eyes for a full count of 5 to force his vision to adjust. As he did so he did a mental check of what he had on him. The only solution might have been his cordage... but that would be pushing his luck and inviting an injury. Better to find a way up.

He looked up to the hole, heard her looking for him. He smiled, the darkness held nothing that could defeat the warmth she brought to his world.

KIKO. SEEMS I FOUND A HOLE... WAIT THERE FOR ME.

He looked around, took measure of his surroundings. A way out. Any danger. Something other than this disorientation.

[Kiko]

Kiko wrinkled up her nose.

Wait. Yeah.

Her first thought, naturally, was to throw him a line. The yacht was less than fifty yards away. But, what if it was a trap? She had dealt with several such pitfalls. Arata might have left the village for the Water Dancers, but the rest of them remained and she was favored sport. There wasn't a week that went by she didn't encounter some type of trap.

The Wolf knew nothing of this island he couldn't know if it was inhabited or not by some roving band of thugs, like this false Vanguard he had mentioned. Perhaps the whole purpose of the trap was to separate them. Kiko growled far back in her throat.

She glanced down at her wrist and forearm. The bracers her father had given her no longer adorned it, there was a new piece of armor replacing them. One the Wolf had explained to her when she had gotten dressed before they left the yacht. In fact, she was only wearing one of them, he was wearing the other.

[Grayell]

Indeed. He held the bracer with his hand and closed his eyes. The darkness was still dominant, but if anything he was more concerned for her.

(Kiko. I am fine... seems I'll be a moment finding a way out. Stay back from the hole, it might be unstable. If you can find another way in, let me know which direction I should head in.)

This was certainly interesting, the ability to communicate through thought without her present.

(By the way.... you're cute when you worry.)

He laughed inside and she heard it, his spirits weren't defeated so easily.

The area was surrounded by trees and some rubble, perhaps she could indeed discover another entrance.

[Kiko]

Kiko blinked, shivered, and took a step back. She probably looked very silly, too, just staring at her arm. But, Kaminari was that ever unnerving.

(Wolf?)

Her mind's voice sounded unsure.

(I'll look for another way in.)

She shook her head at his last comment, not that he could see it. But, he definitely heard her voice.

(I am not CUTE.)

Kiko took off, she was still careful about where she put her feet, but the sudden burst of temper might have made them more forceful. She walked several yards past the yacht and around the side of some broken or shattered rocks.

[Grayell]

Grayell moved now, time to venture into the darkness and see what it held. The bracer was certainly a blessing, his spirits were high. Looking for a way to exit this chamber... or perhaps some way to illuminate his situation, he continued to chat.

(Oh yes, entirely cute. You have a natural pout darling, but when you get the slightest bit upset... oh my.)

He sighed then and she heard it too. Now a cheeky edge snuck into his voice.

(So... I have to say, the bracer is quite intriguing is it not? I would ask you what you're wearing but I already know of course.)

A chuckle.

(I want to tell you something.)

There was a pause now, a breath and his voice came back like rolling velvet.

(My lips want to memorize you. Every inch. It could take a while... but they're determined.)

He did realize he was spending too much time flirting of course and not enough solving his problem... so his eyes did the work. There had to be a passageway, something.

Kiko meanwhile, appears to have found something. Three walls come together and nestled between them and under a bush... is an old set of stairs.

[Kiko]

Kiko gritted her teeth and shot a nasty look at the bracer. Had he been standing in front of her when speaking she would have strangled him. Then his voice changed and her footsteps halted.

She inhaled slowly when he spoke of memorizing her skin. The shiver this time was not because she was unnerved. No, she was still unnerved, but now she was aroused, too.

DAMN HIM.

Her head was tossed up and she noticed the stairs.

(Wolf, I found a set of stairs leading down.)

Her voice was calm, mostly.

[Grayell]

Grayell had apparently still found nothing, as his rp partner was neglecting to give him any information.

But he continued to search this chamber, it was quite large in fact. Of course, the bracer kept him amused... but stairs? Hm.

(Be very careful. Traps and the like. I know you don't need me to tell you though.)

His words spoke of his smile... but that same sly tone returned.

(Whatever you do, don't get distracted. Least of all by me. Least of all by imagery of me, painting your entire being with my tongue. Whatever you do, don't imagine my mouth, hot and hungry, needing your nourishment. Be absolutely sure you don't picture my kiss, wet with your body, longing for more.

No... don't do that whatever you do.)

He was quite enjoying himself. Perhaps he should just wait here and continue his conversation.

The stairs meanwhile circled in and down to a chamber, not too large and with ample light due to a sconce that flickered into life when she entered.

There were five podiums, each surrounding a circle.

[Kiko]

(I really will strangle you. Come to Indiana and complain. HA!)

Kiko made an angry hiss at him.

Whether the sound made it through the bracer she had no idea, she was more occupied by the suddenly lit chamber.

(Wolf, huge room down here with five podiums. Oh, hey, maybe if you manage to stumble into it we could do something about this fascination you seem to have for my SKIN.)

Okay, she was letting the situation get to her. Liar. You're letting his voice tempt you into ignoring this completely and listening to him.

The tunnel he occupied was no longer dark. It had lit up at the exact time the sconce flared to life in Kiko's newly found chamber. One flare beside him in a iron cup pinned to the wall with a crudely made nail. And, as he walked, the next in line flared up as well. Still, the light gave him no more clues than the darkness had. There were no doors and the path wound around out of his immediate sight.

[Grayell]

Grayell shrugged and with a smile started to track down this path. His senses had been on high alert, everything in his environment was taken in. They gave him nothing out of the ordinary though and so, he walked ahead.... somewhat slowly. Of course, he could not ignore the gift of the bracer.

(Good. I have some light now, a way out perhaps. Heading down it no. Those podiums should tell you something, I'll leave you to investigate them then.)

There was silence then.

For a moment.

(Oh Kiko? Whilst you're investigating, find something hard. A wall, a table, maybe the floor. We're going to need it I think.

Of course, don't think anything of it. Truly, there's no need to imagine that hard, cold surface as your back presses upon it, my hands under your thighs, my mouth on your neck, my hips rocking, pressing your harder into that surface.

Yes, there's certainly no need to picture such things. Not my warmth, not my heat, not my breath. Don't concern yourself with my body, don't imagine my voice... my gasping.

Ignore all of that, we've got to figure out how I am getting out of here.)

Investigating the podiums revealed that each one possessed a stone, perhaps valuable. There were five, one on each; and each held a color. Red, blue, green, brown and a dull grey.

[Kiko]

Kiko glared at him. Or, she would have had he been standing there with her. Her breath blew out in a sharp burst. No. Do not think of him being in here. But, he kept talking and her vision was already painting the picture in broad strokes over the area. Maybe the podiums...

Her fingers were balled up in a fist, and her eyes were slitted down. Ignore him. Ha.

She unclenched her fist and dragged a hand over her face. Stones? Gems perhaps? They did not sparkle like gemstones, but maybe that was because they hadn’t been disturbed for however long. She started to brush her thumb over the blue stone on the closest podium and curled her hand back to her chest.

(Wolf. The podiums are decorated with stones, one for each. They are all different colors. It feels like a ritual. Her voice carried a breathy note in it now.)

Grayell had followed the path around the curve and now that he was deeper into the area a few odds and ends could be seen upon the walls and floor. There was no rhyme or reason to them, either. Bits of cloth, maybe some scraps of stone or metal, and the pale white of bone.

However, there were a few deep groves upon the floor. They were evenly spaced, and very geometric.