Sunlight: Part Four: Into the Light
Shells returned to the cave not long after Remy had finished eating, and had a short gestured conversation with Rua, while Remy watched, his lips slightly parted in amusement. When Shells left, he turned to her. "What was dat about?" he asked.
Rua smirked at him. "What's the matter, mind reader? You didn't get that?"
He frowned at her. "I tol' you - I ain' a mind reader," He snapped, "I don' go into people's heads like dat - Dat ain' right - I jus' get what dey're feelin -"
"Then I must have a pretty thick skull - or you would have caught the joke," she snapped in return. His mood swings confused the hell out of her.
"Remy don' ever laugh 'bout dat one, chere," he said with a sigh, turning his red gaze on her. "But yoah're right. I can' read you like I can everyone else. Yoah're blockin' me out... All I can tell is dat you don' trust Remy, but somet'in's stopping you from leavin'.
It was Rua's turn to frown. Out of everything, that stupid sentimental thought was the loudest on in her head? She wanted to kill him then and there for that.
"An' frustration over it," he added with a smirk, trying to return her earlier humor.
She glared at him. "The only thing stopping me from leaving is the hundreds of feet of solid rock above me, and the potential to get lost for ever in the mazes down here. I asked for a guide out and they said they could only spare one for the both of us when you were finally ready to go. Some bizarre custom that I didn't quite understand. But you're on your feet again, and have been deemed in good health. Shells told me that we are wanted to come before their council. Then we are being sent away. Apparently they normally kill outsiders, not wanting their society to be corrupted," she shrugs, "And when we get to the surface, I'll be gone faster than you can blink."
With another sigh, he nodded. "Le's go den, Rua," he said, and waited for her to move, since she seemed to know what was going on more than he did.
She turned without another word, and, he noted, a reinforced mental barrier, and walked out of the cave. Remy followed her a few paces behind, taking his time to look around. The cave seemed to endlessly fold into smaller ones, and he suspected that there were numerous tunnels and pathways between them. He wondered if it was natural. In the shadows he could see the Amphi watching as they made their way back down by the crystal pool, where a group of Amphi stood, waiting. They wore a lot of jewelry made from shells, pearls, and shiny stones, some more than others. He assumed it to be an indicator of rank. They were arranged in a semi-circle at the edge of the crystal pool. Among them was Shells.
He was simply glad to see the crystal was glowing healthily. Despite what Rua had said, his dreams had given him some concern over what had actually happened. But everything looked fine.
Rua stopped as Shells gestured. She looked at Remy. "They want to give you a gift, to thank you for what you have done," she says, in a low, cold voice. "Try and look like it isn't an insult."
Remy looked at the council, whom he could read the emotions of fairly well. They were gazing at him with a mixture of awe and gratitude. One of them stepped forwards, bowing slightly, with a small piece of crystal. It was held out to Remy, and Rua translated as Shells gestured, translating the Amphi with the crystal. It was supposedly one of the shards from the crystal, which had broken off some time before they could remember, before the crystal had ever glowed. He was told that taking it completed the circle, and that it would protect him. Not quite sure what that meant, or why they thought he needed protection, he tried to smile as he took the crystal. "T'ank you," he said, "I will keep it safe."
Shells himself then stepped forwards, with a necklace made out of tiny blue shells strung together, which he took to Rua. She froze, her eyes wide, and Remy grinned. "Try an' look like it ain' an insult, oui?" he said, earning another glare. As Shells slipped the necklace around Rua's neck, he disturbed the neckline of her tunic, revealing a hidden silver chain. It didn't strike Remy as important, but being a former thief, he noted it in his memory out of habit.
"I don't deserve this," she spoke and gestured to Shells. "I didn't do anything -"
You are friend, came the gestured response, we do not forget friend. He stepped back, then bowed to the council. We depart now for dryworld.
Remy guessed from Rua's sudden bowing to the council, that it was time to go. He offered his own bow to the council, and then followed after Rua and Shells, who had already started walking. He maintained a few paces behind, silently following, watching the two converse in gestures. He understood bits and pieces from what he could sense from the Amphi, but Rua was still a great mystery. Her mental barrier was a thick wall of anger. He couldn't even tell the direction that the anger was aimed. He didn't blame her for not trusting him - after all, he didn't deserve anyone's trust.
After about an hour, they came to branch in the tunnel, and Shells stopped, gesturing. "Shells says that if we follow this, it leads directly towards the surface." Rua translated, then bowed to Shells, gestured something in return that amused the Amphi greatly, and started down the tunnel.
Remy offered his own bow, then followed after her. "Jus' remember dat you can' see in de dark, chere," he said softly, catching up to her. She was feeling along the walls and floor, carefully.
"I'll manage on my own," she snapped. "I always have before."
"I don' doubt dat in de least," he replied. "But if we do it yoah way, we be down here for weeks."
She stopped, and stepped to the side. "Then you go on ahead. You can be the one to disappear in a blink."
"Don' be like dat, Rua," he said, standing across the tunnel from her, pinning her with his red gaze. "I'll go first. You jus' take Remy's hand an' follow real close, an' we be out before you know it."
"I don't need your help," came the reply through clenched teeth.
"No - I know you don' need my help," he snapped, trying a different tactic. "An' I wouldn' give it to you if I t'ought you did. You t'ink I care bout helpin' you? No. I jus' want you where I can keep my eyes on you. Even if dat means followin' along after you doin' it yoah way. I don' trust you. An' I ain' lettin' you out of my sight." There was a minute of dead silence, and he could see that she had been surprised by the change in attitude. Her barrier had also dropped some, and he could tell that she hadn' been expecting that at all. In fact, he caught the slightest bit of hurt and confused before her anger barrier snapped back into place. "Well?" he snapped again at length.
"Fine," she growled, holding out her hand. "But remember - You try anything and I'll slit your throat."
He took her hand firmly, and started forwards. "Dat would mean bein' able to see my t'roat, non? Maybe you better jus' play nice before I slit yoahs," he said, his voice rough, but he actualy bore an amused smile on his face. Fulfiling her distrust seemed to be the only way to get her to cooperate. "Remember - I can see an' you can'. Which mean dat I find you before you find me, non?"
"Try it," she snapped, pulling away. She hadn't gone more than five feet when something grabbed her arm, twisted it behind her back, and slammed her front first against the wall of the cave. A second later she registered that there was a blade at her throat. She felt his breath on the back of her neck as he pressed her against the wall. She struggled, but it was no use. "Go on and do it, then, this time," she growled, annoyed with the fact that he had the advantage over her again.
There was a moment of silence, and she felt his breathing slow to a more controlled rate, but his hold on her did not release. "Listen to me," he said, his voice low and cold, but not harsh. "I don' want to hurt you, Rua. But I won' leave you down here alone. You said before dat we stick together till we make it up to de sunlight, an' dat's what we gon' do. We can go our separate ways den, if you want. But not a moment before dat. Oui?"
"Fine," she growled, attempting to control her own breathing, as well as her temper. It wasn't working too well. "But you try that again when I can see you and see how it goes..."
"I have no doubt dat you'd probably kill me," he replied, releasing her. "But I don' intend to try it. Dere be no need." Remy found her hand again, and pressed the hilt of the blade in it.
"Why are you giving me your knife?" she asked.
"Dat ain' my knife, chere... Dat belong to you." He smirked as she yanked it away from him, dropping to find her left boot was indeed missing its blade. She muttered something under her breath at him, and he just chuckled. "See? Not'in' wrong wit' bein' a t'ief - it come in handy some times..."
"As soon as it gets light enough for me to see, I am going to kill you for that." She snapped, standing again. The thing that alarmed her is that she had no idea when he had swiped it. When she had dropped her guard low enough to miss that, she didn't know. But if she kept slipping up like this, her luck was going to run out real fast.
He found her hand once more, and pulled her forwards. "I have no doubt dat yoah're probably gon' try..." he replied, somewhat sadly. And no more was said between them for quite a while, aside from a 'watch dis' or 'step here' or 'duck yoah head,' until the tunnel began to get just a faint bit lighter.
Rua pulled her hand away. "It's about time," she muttered, starting ahead of him on her own. Remy said nothing to this, merely pulled out a pair of dark tinted glasses and slipped them over his eyes once he saw the opening of the cave ahead. She spared him a glance and a raised eyebrow at the glasses before she fought her way through the vine growth and brush that covered the entrance.
He was surprised to find her still standing there after he had fought his own way through. "Ain' you gone yet?" he asked, somewhat snidely.
"No - we still have something to settle," she reminded him, crouching and drawing her knives.
Remy sighed and rolled his eyes. "You ain' serious," he said.
"I assure you," she drew back one of the knives to throw it, "that I am."
Shaking his head, he turned and started into the woods. I'm sorry you feel dat way, chere, but I ain' gon' fight you." He froze as a knife whizzed by his head, sinking into a tree about a foot in front of him. It was joined by the other two, forming a straight line, before all three disappeared again as she recalled them. He turned, looking at her. "Cut dat out," he said softly, "Dere ain' no need for us to fight. I'm leavin' you be, like you wanted."
"I told you, Cajun..." she drew back her hand again, "That I'd kill you for stealing from me."
"I didn' steal nothin'! I jus' borrowed it to make a point - I don' carry a knife, jus' my staff an' I t'ought dat you'd had enough of de staff at yoah neck... didn' want you to t'ink dat I was tryin' to kill you again..." he sighed once more, looking at her, changing tactics once more. He half laughed, "Dere'd be no point in us fightin', Rua - I'd jus' do to you what I did to de crystal - 'cept it wouldn' make you light up - you'd jus' kind of..." he stopped and shrugged, smirking.
"You'd have to get your hands on me first, though - and you'd never get close enough," she stated, indicating the knife.
Remy just shook his head, then lifted his right arm slightly, pointing his hand at a fallen branch not to far from her. She had no way of knowing that he couldn't do it. Her eyes went wide, and he took advantage of her momentary shock, using his new strategy of confusing her. He cried out and fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands. He tried not to grin as she took the bait, slipping her knives back in her boots and running to his side.
"Remy? What happened?" she asked, the anger in her voice replaced with concern.
As soon as she was close enough, he sprung, tackling her and pinning her to the ground. Rua growled, and he smirked at her. "See? You like Remy - jus' admit it."
"I don't like you, you arrogant bastard," she snapped, trying to get her arms free.
"Den why you care if Remy be hurt jus' den?" he asked.
She hesitated before snapping, "Because I wanted to kill you myself," and then brought her knee up into his stomach, throwing off his hold. She rolled away, into a crouch. "Now get up and fight me."
A little winded by the blow, he took a stance himself, and summoned his staff. "Fine - we do dis yoah way, chere, he said tiredly.
Rua nodded, and instead of drawing her daggers, she scanned the forest around her, and found a suitable branch, that was about her height. She quickly stripped it of twigs and leaves and then matched his stance.
"What's dat for?" he asked.
"You said you don't carry a knife," she said with a shrug. "I want to enjoy killing you and beating that smirk of yours off your face is the most enjoyable thing I can think of right now."
With that, she stepped towards him, making the first attack, bringing the staff at his head. He blocked it and she brought the bottom end towards his knee, but it was parried away as well. They traded blows in this manner before he finally locked their staffs together. "What now, chere?" he asked. "Seems to be a stalemate, non?" She grinned at him, sliding her staff out of the bind and tossing it into the air, where it landed neatly across an overhanging branch. "Dat was stupid," he said, looking upwards and smirking, until he felt his staff wrested out of his hands. She nailed him three times in succession, the back of his knees, his stomach, and then across his shoulders, and Remy was on the ground before he knew what had happened.
"No... that was stupid - you taking your eyes off of me." She brought the staff up against his throat. "You're dead," she commented, then drew it away, stepping back.
Remy looked up at her. "You ain' gon' kill me?" he asked, somewhat weakly, her final attack had hurt, quite a bit.
"I just did. I'll call it that that makes us even, since you didn't really steal from me, just borrowed," she said, dropping his staff and walking away.
He picked up the staff and pushed himself back to his feet, following her. "Is dis de part where you vanish into thin air?"
"Maybe - or maybe I'll wait till after breakfast. There's a tavern not to far from here a sane, normal tavern. Let's go eat." She offers him a slight smile.