Following Duncan

Part of me knew that that Laurence dude probably didn't do anything to Y/N and probably wasn't going to kiss her.

All of me did know, however, that the look that Y/N was giving him was a 100% true and genuine 'I am in love and haven't realised it yet' look.

That fact made me want to hurl the fireball I summoned at his handsome and stupid face.

His handsome and stupid face that looked a lot like how Lattie looked whenever I woke her up when she was sleeping on her desk.

Were you going to kiss her?

I smiled. It was real, I was going to enjoy watching him squirm when I confronted him about that.

"Laurence, hey!" Lucinda called to him as she walked around the last few corners to join us. Lo on her heels. "Thank goodness you're alright, when I heard you fell down I got worried."

"Nah, we ended up pretty okay, did you?"

"The four of you were lucky to have fallen in shallow places." Ophella said.

"What do you mean that was shallow?" Lo asked.

"I've seen humans die on impact from falling down before. Usually it's just injuries that others can take care of when they get out." Ophella responds.

Everyone shared a look that I had seen before but couldn't place.

"Okay then, well, your friends are waiting back with your stuff so we should probably get you all back together and settled back in at Percyvell before Rayna stops serving dinner!" I said excitedly and start pushing Laurence and Lucinda along. Staying in the caves wasn't going to do anything for anyone. It is best to keep moving forward.

At least when it comes to certain things.

=====

As You

Duncan was trying to keep everyone from thinking about how we almost all died. A foot or two to the right and you could have hit that ledge or fallen down it with Laurence... you shivered at the thought. That was not the only thing he was keeping off your mind, however.

Ophella's lack of proper humanity sometimes hit you like cold water, or like the ground after you were falling. On some rare occasions, though, she'd suddenly catch a bout of humanity and would pull something like that on you. A quiet little response in her soft, soothing, inhuman voice making her sound like a child who was just told to do the chores. "I'd rather not-" you started snickering again. She may have been one of the oldest things around but everyone had their moments. Latasha passed out on her desk, Duncan would get serious, everyone was not one thing all of the time and sometimes that fact would always hit you harder than the lack of blinking. You looked over at Ophella, she was looking more... fluid than normal. Maybe she was happy she no longer had to watch you double over with laughter because of her, maybe she felt nothing about that. Maybe it was her magic responding to no longer being stretched much thinner than you had ever seen it.

Maybe she was more human than she ever let herself believe.

Maybe you weren't all you thought you were either.

"Hello," The guy, Lo you would guess, greeted you while nudging your shoulder.

"Hi," You said back.

"I like the skirt your wearing."

"Thank you, I like your jacket." You smile.

"You can call me Lo, it's nice to meet you." He said while holding out his hand. You shake it.

"I'm Y/N, it's a pleasure."

=====

Following Lucinda

Something about that spirit, Ophella, doesn't settle right with me. There's almost no reason for it but she makes me feel uneasy.

The offer to look at the crystals later though... It's nearly impossible to refuse.

I need someone else's opinion on this. It's a great opportunity but the person who is giving it to me is off. Is turning it down really worth not having to spend as much time around her.

Am I a fly in her web? Is she trying to trap me and take my power?

I look up from the ground and watch her. She doesn't even look corporeal at this angle. I can almost see through her and the rock she is walking past, or is she gliding? I can't tell.

It's frustrating.

=====

As You

"-And then I almost drowned yet I got blamed for it?" You look at Lo, who is shaking his head.

"Totally not your fault."

"I know, right? You have any fun stories to share?"

"Supposedly, when I was a child, I referred to gray as 'Dark White.'" Lo shrugs. "Nothing really exciting."

"That's still pretty stupid and funny." You respond, Duncan turns around while walking and stares you down for a few moments. "What?"

"You act as if our 'stupid' argument did not happen."

"I was also a child and you were a teenager." You roll your eyes and look at the ground.

"The stupid argument?"

"You can't spell stupid without 'u-'" Duncan repeats.

"'There's an 'i' in stupid, too,' was my response... he laughed and I was confused."

"How do the two of you have such interesting stories to tell?" Lo asks.

"We lack the average amount of shame." Duncan smirks and turns back around.

"I mean, yeah, but..." You shrug and turn back to Lo. "Everyone has good stories like that, just no one likes sharing them." You finish and look up to see the sunlight shining down from the end of the tunnel.

"Looks like we do get to see sunlight again, eh?" Duncan smiles and makes a motion with his hand. You watch as the fire ball he had summoned snuffed itself out.

"Hey Ophel," You call to her, the dark spirit turns around to face you. "Are you going to leave us off here or guide us back to their friends?"

"Do you wish for me to lead you back to them?"

"I don't have a preference I was asking for yours." You say and raise an eyebrow at her.

"Let's focus on getting you out the last step first." She said as Duncan jumped up the natural step. It hit you at the bottom of your ribs, it wasn't much compared to some of the drops in the cave systems but it was always a hassle.

"Stop trying to show off, Duncan." You roll your eyes at him.

"I have jumped that every time I was here and physically able to, Y/N. I am not stopping because there are other people here." He retorts and shakes his golden hair out of his face. "Could you make that or do you need help?"

"I'll be fine," Laurence said and walked over to the ledge. He reached out for it but before he could two smaller rock steps appeared before the ledge. You snicker and walk up them in front of Laurence.

"Let's just get to your friends. We have to get you all back to Percyvell and either settled before Latasha delves into paperwork or we have to find her before Rayna stops serving dinner. Those are not easy deadlines to meet."

"Let's try to meet one of them and head back to the others." Lucinda nodded and looked over the small clearing that the cave entrance led us out to. "How far would we be from them?"

"Closer now compared to where you were when you fell." Ophella responds and turns. "Straight that way."

"Thank you, Ophel. You know, you are really nice when you want to be." Duncan said to her as a new smile broke out across his face.

"By your definition, I suppose I am."

"Alright then, over here, let's start off, if you are all okay with that?"

"Yeah, let's head out." Laurence nods.

And so you all did.