Below the Underground

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3/15/99

[The scene opens in the Underground Causeway.]

Riley is idly leaning against a wall, looking as non-descript as possible. He's looking at the ground, and of course listening to his radio.

Niko is seated on the ground somewhere near Riley, but not so much so that they're obviously together. (Too bad, too. Wouldn't they make a cute couple? Not that there's anything wrong with that.) He looks fairly casual as well.

Tara emerges from the housing, such as it is, making her way through the thinned out crowds on her way to the Vault. Then she stops, and slowly turns, eyes narrowing, and yup, they're zeroed in on Riley. There's just /something/ about him that's guaranteed to garner her attention. Not quite as casually as before, she ambles in the pair's direction with a hiss soft enough to be lost to all but their ears. "Can't make enough trouble for your own folks, gotta come down here now too?"

Riley glances up at the hiss, and the look he gives Tara rather neatly demonstrates just how good a mood he's in. It's been a bad couple of days after all. "Valentine, if you could bother yourself to attempt to attract less attention. We are here for good reason, or have you perhaps, despite your all knowing wisdom and understnaidng of the Underground despite having lived here a mere few months in comparison to nearly eight years...Have you perhaps not heard that people are dissapearing?"

Niko pauses in what he's doing--looks to be some form of solitaire--to give Tara a look that isn't even remotely friendly. Gee, think he echoes Riley's sentiments?

You communicated "Can we kick her? Just a couple times?" to Riley.

Your ear receiver beeps, followed by Riley's voice, "Fine with me. We'd blend it better down here, great for our cover."

You communicated "It's tempting. It really is." to Riley.

Tara flashes a friendly and completely fake smile, folding her arms as she pauses near the two. Altering her stance slightly, she looks for all the world like either a prostitute trying to drum up business or a local gal chatting up the local boys. "Of course I've heard," she murmurs. "No, wait, don't tell me- you're deigning to look into the situation? How /kind/ of you." Her eyes flicker toward Niko. "And a good evening to you too, handsome."

Niko's manner is polite enough, if chilly. "Evening. You must not've seen Kaycen down here most of last night."

Riley returns Tara's smile in kind, although the steel glimmering in his eyes is altogether less than pleasant. "We intend to do something about the situation rather than go to ground and hide like most folks round here seem to have."

Tara's eyebrows rise. "Kaycen? Ah, yes, the nice one with the strong hands." She leans her shoulder negligently against the wall next to Riley. "I wasn't even on the planet last night to notice, handsome. Otherwise I'm very sure I would have and... welcomed him accordingly." Her gaze returns to Riley as she mimics him from a few months back. "If that's true, I do apologize."

Still with that falsely pleasant grin, Riley nods to Tara. "You know Valentine, you're a..." Dang, before he can inform Tara at length about her shortcomings, his radio obviously goes off, as he straightens to alert and begins to head down the causeway, casual but swift.

Niko gets to his feet as well, snapping up his cards and tucking them into a pocket. See, with cards he's able to deal, which is why he brought them. He follows after Riley, easily falling into step with the taller man.

Tara perks up a bit, stepping away from the wall. The grin that had started to grow at Riley's few words fades and, after hesitating a split second or two, she turns to follow. Whatever's going on with /them/ has got to be more interesting than another night of getting drunk.

Riley makes his way through the crowd to a low hallway, and through that to a door, the door's been busted through, and Kathlyn stands in front of it. Tugging his tangler from a shoulder holster he questions, "Which way?"

Kathlyn gestures past the door. "And down the hallway. I'll stick around to tell the others."

Niko comes to a halt just behind Riley, his own tangler in his hand as well.

Tara hangs back a bit, just close enough to listen. Hey, this is getting good!

Riley nods to Kathlyn offering her a brief, albiet honest, grin. "Good work Kath, thanks."

Riley walks towards the Narrow Hallway.

Riley has left.

Niko follows. He's good at that. Kathlyn gets a broad grin from him as well, one that holds no small amount of relief.

You walk towards the Narrow Hallway.

Narrow Hallway

This is a fairly claustrophobic little hallway, narrow and low. It is certainly not a natural passageway, as the plaster occasionally wears away to show the bricks beneath. Perhaps this was an older structure, from the same time that the Vault was still a bank. If nothing else, signs of great age are present, and there's a certain musty smell, overlaid with a fetid aroma that can't quite be identified. The hallway curves so that its end can't be seen, and seems to move downward.

Contents:

Riley

Obvious exits:

End of the Hall Out

You walk here from the Underground Causeway.

Tara walks here from the Underground Causeway.

Tara has arrived.

Riley ducks his head down low as he enters, careful of the ceiling. "Great, the kidnappers are midgets." Tangler at the ready he works through the hall, nose wrinkled at the smell.

Niko mutters, as he trails behind Riley, "Or they believe in the Lexington school of architecture." He pauses a beat as he spots Tara, and says, politely enough, "We can handle the situation, thanks."

Tara snickers softly at Riley's comment, more at Niko's, then sighs and steps out of the shadows. "Oh, I'm sure you can. But you're cheap entertainment."

Riley glances back, noting absently, "Maybe we can give her to them." And with that, he heads on.

Riley walks towards the Crumbling Doorway.

Riley has left.

Tara rolls her eyes.

You walk towards the Crumbling Doorway.

Crumbling Doorway

It looks like the hall used to come to an abrupt end. The lines of an ancient doorway can be seen, with a rough, rather cockeyed lintel. Bits of plaster and mortar suggest that, at one point, the door was blocked, but something in the recent past has opened it. It seems as if there has been some sort of help in opening the doorway the rest of the way, though, as there are toolmarks around the edges of the opening. There is enough room for two people to pass through the door at the same time, if they're thin, friendly people.

The odd stink is markedly stronger here, with the tang of iron as well.

Contents:

Riley

Obvious exits:

Doorway Out

You walk here from the Narrow Hallway.

Tara walks here from the Narrow Hallway.

Tara has arrived.

Niko sniffs gently, then makes a vague disgusted noise at the smell. "She's too old," he points out to Riley.

Tara hmphs softly, peering around the men. "Hmmm. Nice cozy place."

"We'll tell em it's like cheese, better aged." Riley notes, the banter at odds with his serious expression as he continues to look around. "I was going to make a comment about not liking the way this smells, but it seems obvious."

Niko edges closer to the doorway to peer at its structure. He mumbles something involving the words 'Valentine' and 'cheese', but he seems more interested in the door itself, and maybe what's beyond it.

Tara rolls her eyes, but ignores both comments. Less talk heightens her chances of not getting tangled, she figures.

Riley walks towards the Dilapidated Warehouse.

Riley has left.

You walk towards the Dilapidated Warehouse.

Dilapidated Warehouse

At one point this room must have been a warehouse. The rotted remains of wooden crates are stacked in groupings on the slate tile floor. The roof is far overhead, rotting beams holding it up. The construction here is ancient. Pegs hold the wood together, the tiles hand cut. Perhaps this why it is more or less here despite the obvious age, the care in the construction.

In the very center of the chaotic piles of refuse is an odd thing. Rising to perhaps six feet in height is a small stone pyramid. If this warehouse has been built with care, this monument faced in volcanic stone is a work of art. Each piece of obsidian plating is carefully interlocked with the others, not even providing a gap thick enough to slide a piece of paper through.

Contents:

Riley

Obvious exits:

Panel Heavy Oak Door Doorway Out

You walk here from the Crumbling Doorway.

Tara walks here from the Crumbling Doorway.

Tara has arrived.

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore. Well, at least we're out of midget-land." Gee, Riley needs more sleep, the snide comments do not seem to stop. Riley's tangler is still at the ready and he moves with care.

Niko straightens with a murmur of relief, gaze flicking across the room. Naturally, he spots the pyramid right off. "Don't have those in Kansas, wherever that is."

Tara's eyes widen as she approaches the pyramid, and she lets out a low whistle. "Wonder how much this'd be worth on the open market."

Riley pads afterwards, making something of a circuit of the room, heading only obliquely towards the center. Spotting the door he tugs on it, only to find it locked. "Maybe it's where our midgest live. In the midget pyramid. OR they went through the nice locked door. Great, where's the cake and stuff with 'Eat me' written on it?"

Niko takes a more direct route to the pyramid, peering at it with interest. "What's it doing here," he murmurs. "That's just -odd-. Maybe someone upstairs can see if they can find out anything on it."

Tara circles the pyramid, nodding to Niko as she mumbles about the Quizan-Smithsonian. "Curiouser and curiouser," she murmurs, looking a tad confused as she glances over at Riley dubiously. "This has something to do with the missing girls?"

Riley pads over to the pyramid at last, kneeling near the floor to regard it. "It's set down into the floor..." He shrugs at Tara, "They were trying to take Kath this way...."

Niko runs a hand lightly against the pyramid, fingers tracing the outline of a plate. "So it's got to have -something- to do with it."

You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.

Tara starts slightly at the chime that can be heard even in here, betraying her uneasiness. "Alright then." She glances toward the door. "Anything audible over there?" Absently she fishes inside a jacket pocket.

Riley traces a line up from the floor, peering at the pyramid. Poke. Poke. Poke. There's a faint click. "I think this one moves."

Niko pauses at the click, and shifts to peer at the section of the pyramid that Riley's poking. A soft grating sounds from where the panel is opening.

Riley backs up a hair, letting the panel open, tangler once again readied. The he sneezes. Twice. "I don't think this is how out midgets got in. A bit dusty... Still though..."

Eyebrows rising in curiosity, Tara makes her way around to the pair, peering between them at the panel. "Heh. Come into my parlor?" She glances toward Riley. "Still, what?"

"Still," Riley says after Tara's question. "Might as well go down the rabbit hole." And at that he straightens up, tucks his tangler in its holster, snags the edge of the pyramid like the board over the slide and drops into it.

Riley walks towards the Air Duct.

Riley has left.

Niko follows. Of course.

You walk towards the Air Duct.

Air Duct

Of course it's narrow. Air ducts are -always- narrow and skinny and generally obnoxious. This one also has a fine layer of dust, which will make breathing absolutely wonderful. There are also spiderwebs crossing and crisscrossing the duct, ready to cling to anybody who might pass through. Fortunately, it's relatively free from jagged edges and anything else that might tear cloth or skin. It slopes down enough that said slope is noticeable, but not so much that people will slide down it unintentionally.

Contents:

Riley

Obvious exits:

Panel Hatch Warehouse

You walk here from the Dilapidated Warehouse.

Tara walks here from the Dilapidated Warehouse.

Tara has arrived.

Riley slides down the air duct with the judicious use of hands and tennis shoes to propel himself downwards. "Have I ever mentioned," he murmurs quietly, "That I could do without spider webs?"

Niko chokes back a cough as he inhales a bit more dust than his lungs would tolerate. "Nope," he replies, voice equally soft. "I don't like 'em, either. Maybe it's genetic."

Tara wrinkles her nose, but at the dust rather than the insects. She smiles slightly. "No, but I'll keep that in mind."

Riley pauses a moment before shifting to continue his way downards with a bit more alacrity. Stifling another sneeze he notes, "That stink's getting worse."

Niko follows. He really is good at following, isn't he. But he pauses to observe, in Tara's general direction, "Riley's got enough people making his life hell. Don't add to it." His manner's still determinedly polite, but holds just enough steel to suggest that, yes, he's got family loyalty, and wouldn't feel at all bad about doing some sort of damage to Tara, should she make Riley's life more hellish.

Tara merely smiles acquiescently, gesturing for Niko to move on downwards. "What comes around goes around."

Niko does move downwards. "Yes. Yes, it certainly does."

Riley murmurs a quiet statement, adding on a snarl. It's a good thing for Tara he's got the situation to distract him. He makes his way to the panel and sets about attempting to unfasten it.

Tara follows Niko, not too closely, a smirk firmly in place. Opening her mouth, she catches the snarl and glances Riley-ward, then shrugs, and leans back against a cobwebby wall of the duct silently.

You communicated "I'll kick her later. Not enough room in here." to Riley.

Niko waits as well, moving enough so that he can get a look at the hatch. "Maybe if you slide," he starts, before pausing and shaking his head.

Your ear receiver beeps, followed by Riley's voice, "Thanks Nick,"

Riley slides to one side, allowing further access to the panel. "The switch's kinda stuck. Maybe kicking it? Kicking things is a good solution."

You communicated "No problem. Least I can do." to Riley.

Tara murmurs, "Rather /loud/ solution, don't you think?"

Niko gets a smirk of his own at that. "Kicking things is good," he says, pointedly not looking at Tara. Maybe he wants to kick her? Nah. He wouldn't ever want -that-.

"Depends on where you kick them," Riley murmurs. He shifts his heel down, and with a soft thump and a quiet snick the panel gives neatly out from benath him. Luckily he catches himself, seeing as he was able to expect it might happen.

Tara's eyebrows rise, and she leans forward to peer. "Tara, 0; Maddison, 73."

Niko grins cheerfully, waiting for Riley to lower himself through the new opening, so he can follow.

Riley shifts carefully down in the new hole, trying not to choke on the now thickly overwhelming charnel stench.

Riley walks towards the Upper Level.

Riley has left.

You walk towards the Upper Level.

Upper Level

What this area was originally used for is something of a mystery, the floors are of carefully made parquet, and lacquered with some exceptionally thick polished substance. But it lacks the decadent decoration of the lower levels. The walls are of plain wood and stone, although there are the rotting remains of cloth on the walls, perhaps formerly sumptuous tapestries. The ceiling is relatively low, a mere fifteen feet high. Smaller corridors lead off in various directions, as well as a smaller door, perhaps a service hatch of some sort. A wide staircase leads off to the lower level. Dust lies heavily here, the area does not seem to have seen recent use.

Contents:

Riley

Obvious exits:

Panel Service Hatch Stairs Down

You walk here from the Air Duct.

Tara walks here from the Air Duct.

Tara has arrived.

At the sound of voices echoing from down the stairs, Riley indicates the Service Hatch with an imperative gesture.

Niko takes the precaution of drawing his tangler, nodding to Riley as he moves to unfasten the hatch. This one, at least, has no tricky things to push or kick.

Tara grimaces, but remains silent as she moves to join Niko at the hatch, glancing from Riley to the stairs and back.

Riley moves to follow, tangler slipped from its holster, and head tilted to catch the sound.

You walk towards the In the Dragonlord's Head.

In the Dragonlord's Head

This area is small, and somewhat cramped, but it does not appear to be intended for habitation. It seems to be the inside of some large sculpture, a creature with a muzzle and deeply curved teeth. The teeth are hard to miss indeed, as you share space with them. They are each about three and a half feet tall, and coated with mother of pearl so that they gleam with opalescent menace. The creatures lolling tongue is carved of lacquered wood, smooth beneath you. Beyond the teeth, (look teeth) a vast expanse opens out, revealing the temple below. Near the back, where the carving is rough and unfinished, lies a small service hatch. In the roof of the creature's mouth is a square opening, leading up into an air shaft.

Obvious exits:

Service Hatch

You walk here from the Upper Level.

Tara walks here from the Upper Level.

Tara has arrived.

Riley walks here from the Upper Level.

Riley has arrived.

Through the mother of pearl teeth you see,

Heart of the Dragonlord's Temple

If the rest of this building is on a gargantuan scale, this central area is a giant among giants. Stepped ledges lead all the way up the sloped sides to the roof. That one square of flat area is hung with dagger shaped crystals that glow with a deep golden light, almost like a razor edged sun. The floor is slightly sloped, leading down from the central altar and to deep troughs in the floor. Near the doors, impromptu bridges have been recently built of lumber, to provide crossing over the troughs. Presumably the original builders did not need them. The altar is a monstrous affair in the dead center of the room, built of the same obsidian the pyramid is faced with, and covered with raised carvings of dragons writhing in torment. At each of the altars four corners is a downspout carved of a twisted dragon, although these seem to be in ecstasy rather than agony. Hung at each of the four cardinal points of the room is a massive dragon head, easily fifteen feet high each, with mouths open in a roar to reveal curving teeth of mother of pearl. Their eyes glitter with paper-thin gold over luminescent stones, and their rainbow hued scales are made of thin layers of slagged glass.

Obvious exits:

Entranceway

You communicated "Holy sh--wow." to Riley.

Riley stifles an oath as he clambers in afterwards, pulling the hatch gently shut. He doesn't have a snide comment for -this-...

Your ear receiver beeps, followed by Riley's voice, "I think that sums it up quite neatly, Nick."

Tara does. Thankfully it's very quiet. "Gee, Casymed, I wanted to get close to you, but this isn't what I had in mind." The tone is fairly absent as she gazes around in something akin to wonder.

Niko's eyebrows shoot for his hairline at that. He edges just a bit closer to those teeth, or possibly away from Tara. The result is the same. He doesn't say anything, though, instead attempting to breathe through his mouth, the better to avoid the stench.

Riley edges forward a bit, keeping low. If his placing of a bony knee on Tara's hand is accident or a'purpose is really impossible to tell. Still, skinny as he is, it's not like it's going to do real damage... "Think we've found where those women went..." He indicates the blood soaked altar.

Tara hisses softly, biting back a curse, though not a glare in Riley's direction. Any pain in her hand is set aside, though, as she leans forward for a better look, and actually pales. "Oh God... pardon me for hoping you're wrong?"

Riley's knee shifts back off the hand, and he murmurs an apology which lacks both volume and sincerity. He nods, "I wouldn't mind being proven wrong myself..." He shudders, "And they started to take Kath..."

Niko's gaze locks on the altar for a moment, complexion lightening as well. "Shan's going to have a duck at the thought," he murmurs, not looking all that far from quackdom himself. "But that's how it -looks-. The stains look... well... fresh."

Tara's muttered "Accepted" is about as sincere as the apology. "This is bad. This is very bad. Not even that little busybody would've deserved that. I wouldn't wish it on my worst... well, you." She gives Niko a thoughtful look, but says nothing in response.

"I can feel the love in the room." Riley says wryly. Dang that's so much fun to type. "Or love in the...carving thing." He peers out, gesturing at a dragon head. "We're in one of those I suppose."

Niko nods his agreement to Riley's words, ignoring Tara so he can resist the urge to toss her towards the altar. "Looks like, yeah. Wonder if the rest of them are like this."

Tara nods. glancing around before gazing thoughtfully toward another of the heads. "And if so... why?"

You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.

"No telling...But they sure as Deza's honor didn't build this place..." Riley taps a beam lightly. "This is a form on construction that's not been in active use since before the space age, eh? See the tailing?" Engineering degrees loom their ugly heads.

Niko murmurs something about the tails being on the opposite end of the dragon, though he peers curiously at the betapped beam. "Amazing the information you end up using in a Security job," he adds.

Tara shifts back uneasily on her heels, peering up at the air shaft. "Addison, I'll happily listen to all the architecture lectures you care to give, later. This place is giving me the creeps. You planning on hanging out in here all day or what?"

Riley brings a hand up to his ear, "Feel free to leave Valentine, I hardly compelled you to follow us like a kicked spaniel puppy."

Tara shakes her head. "The way my luck's been running lately, I'll run into 'em, and somehow I can't quite imagine you two being all that eager to swoop to the rescue." She grins unpleasantly. "Guess you shouldn't've kicked then."

Niko shifts his position somewhat, though he doesn't have Action Knees like Riley, nor does he have a Kung-Fu grip. "I wouldn't just leave you down there," he tells Tara, with all apparent seriousness. "Now, I can think of others that I would, but not you." Oh, look. His armor just brightened. Where's the Brasso?

Tara's eyebrows rise in disbelief.

Riley starts to comment, but is cut off quite handily as several dragons appear from nowhere in the center of the temple. Voices are raised, human ones, sounds of delight from out of view. And then the world ends. Not with a whimper, but a decided bang, as suddenly everything is squished. And dark. Dark and squished.

Are there bats under the table? What the heck? Why is everything -shaking-? What it going on? Ground should not -move- should it?

Tara's comment is quiet but succinct. "Uh oh."

Niko attempts to move from the life of darkness to the half-lit life. It's not that he's afraid of the dark, he just doesn't like to be squished. "Good summary."

There's a pause before Riley adds his own agreement, "Think that's about right." He coughs several times against the swirling clouds of rubble and dust. "We seem to have a problem. Is everybody okay?"

Tara moves gingerly, but finally nods. Realizing it can't be seen she utters a soft, "Yeah, I think I'm okay. How 'bout you, handsome?"

Niko's voice holds a faint edge of exasperation as he asks, "Shouldn't you ask my fiancee before you call me that? And I'm fine, miraculously enough. So much for the 'breakable' theory. I'm in the right number of pieces."

There's some rustling and rummaging and then a softly muttered oath before Riley adds, "Pretty much intact here too. Although it is a good thing I had not gained that weight back, or I'd've never gotten out from between those two teeth. An ignominious way to go."

Tara manages to sit up. "Oh, you're not allowed to die, Riley, not while I'm in your presence. The good doctor'd flay me for sure." She glances around with little success. "Okay... ideas?"

Niko inquires, with a frown, "Pretty much?" He waves some of the dust away from his face, attempting to shift away some rubble as well.

There's more quiet rummaging, and Riley hauls himself forward into the main area of the head, having to shift rubble to do so. "There's no getting out the entrance we came into this thing. We'll have to try and climb down into the main area I guess. If the rubble's moveable that way." Niko's question is left unanswered.

Tara grimaces, shifting onto her knees to crawl forward. "Of course it's movable. It has to be. It's that simple. This wasn't," she notes with a flash of wry humor, "My fault."

Niko murmurs something very quietly about Lexington as he clambers towards the others. "So we move it."

Riley cannot stifle a wry snicker at that. "True enough Valentine, out of all of the people least likely to move the earth, you're one of them." Ow, that was evil. Riley is in a -nasty- mood. He edges through the darkness, fumbling in his pockets for a tiny card shaped flashlight that he aims over the teeth and into the layers of rubble in the cavern. A crawlspace leading downards is picked out with the light. "What're the odds..."

That comment calls for a smack at Riley's leg from Tara, though it's decidely half-hearted. "Don't make me disprove that." Her tone is pleased, however, as she sees both light and crawlspace. "Odds, shmodds, don't look a gift miracle in the mouth."

Niko brushes a bit of rubble from his curly hair, hands curling briefly as he spots that smack. "Why don't we give it a go, yeah."

Riley nods, and after a pause begins to pull himself into the crawlspace, pausing often to clear and shift rubble. His voice calls back after a moment. "Widens up here, just past the," there's a pause and a sharp intake of breath, "Hairpin turn. More rubble, but wide enough two of us can get to it at a time at least." His legs slide around and out of sight and the light is shone back to provide direction.

Tara exchanges a glance with Niko. "Oh, that sounded real good." Shrugging helplessly, she takes a deep breath and, wrinkling her nose against the rubble dust, squiggles down after Riley.

Niko pleasantly ignores Tara's comments, waiting for her to get far enough along the crawlspace before he, too, follows.

Riley is waiting in the promised wider section of tunnel, catching his breath. He gestures to the continuation of the downward slope. "I think one of those ledges fell. Keeps the heavy stuff off us, but there's still lots of little rubble. This may take a while."

You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.

Tara nods, dusting her hands together. "Might as well get started then." She scoots forward to do just that. "You're the one with the engineering degree- any place in particular that looks less safe than the rest that we should avoid?"

Niko starts to shift some rubble, only to pause at Tara's question. "More falling rocks," he decides, "Would be bad."

Riley shakes his head slightly, "Not really, but maybe shoring up as we go with the rubble we move would be a good idea. Having this shift and drop on us would be ... less than pleasant." He moves to help in clearing the rubble, stacking rocks to provide support to the tunnel.

Niko snags that bit o' rubble, then, his movements relatively deft as he stacks and piles. "That'd be bad, too, yeah." With a peer about the tunnel, he mutters, "Wonder what the -hell- happened."

Tara nods her agreement, hands moving efficiently but carefully. "Good question. Maybe somebody pissed off the pudding."

Riley anchors the light between two rocks so he can use both hands, and so that the light is available for everyone. He edges down further, making continuous progress. "Insulted the Vendotron and pissed off the pudding maybe."

Niko pauses a beat as a sudden and glorious thought reaches him. "Hey. Maybe the Vendotron was squished in whatever this was. -That- would be a goodness."

Tara glances toward Niko, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. "You don't like the Vendotron? Rather fond of it myself. Always gave me my blue cans with no grief."

Riley pushes aside a large rock, edging through a briefly thinner space with a murmured hiss. "Somebody snag the light? It widens up again on the other side."

You communicated "You okay?" to Riley.

Niko, reaching for the light, says pleasantly enough, "The Vendotron is the source of all that is evil in the universe."

Your ear receiver beeps, followed by Riley's voice, "Close enough for government work."

You communicated "Well, if that changes, say the word, eh?" to Riley.

Your ear receiver beeps, followed by Riley's voice, "Will do."

Tara's other eyebrow rises to meet its mate, this time in amusement. "Funny, I thought..." Her eyes slide toward Riley, and she digs a bit more. "Never mind."

Riley stifles a chuckle, "So it spawned Lexington?" His voice echoes back through the darkness.

Niko nods his agreement as he casts the flashlight's beam towards the darkness from when Riley's voice is coming. "Yeah, sure did. That explains why he's such an obnoxious bastard. You would be, too, if you had red cans shoved up your--" There's a muffled noise as he loses his grip on a stone, but it doesn't land on him and squish him anywhere.

Quiet laughter echoes back as more shifting sounds occur. "Great," Riley says. "I'm trapped under tons and tons of rubble, in an architectural nightmare with two blue can freaaaaacks!" The last is an unpleased noise indeed, although it sounds more disgusted than pained or anything. "Okay. This is a big yuck for the day..."

Tara blinks in Niko's direction, then to Riley. "Y'all got something against... it /is/ the new Chairman you're talking about, right?" A snicker escapes. "Give in to the blue cans, Addison, you know you want to."

You communicated "So if we say yes, does she immediately become Lexington's best friend?" to Riley.

Niko pauses a beat as he remembers just what all has been done in this room. "Uh, what is it, Riley?"

Your ear receiver beeps, followed by Riley's voice, "Probably. She's a bumminghird. It's like a hummingbird but dumber."

Tara perks up slightly. "Don't tell us you've gone and made the situtation /worse/... please?"

You communicated "*muffled snicker* I'll, uh, remember that, yeah." to Riley.

Riley pauses a moment too, "I probably -really- don't want to know, but I'm afraid I -do- know. Blood gets a very odd consistancy when left to sit about. Be careful and avoid that little lefthand depression there."

Niko's nose wrinkles a bit, though it's likely difficult to see in the relative dimness. "Thanks for the heads-up. That doesn't sound like a fun discovery."

Tara rolls her eyes, moving forward again. "Yeesh. We're in a death trap and y'all are worried about a little blood. Good grief."

Riley continues shifting rubble, although he does come back long enough for it to be noticed he's positively -covered- in blood, more or less head to toe. "A little?"

Niko makes a very quiet acking noise. Seeing one's brother covered in blood is not a happiness. (And he thought that being pounced by a pudding-covered brother was nightmare-inspiring. Riley pounces him now, and Niko will likely have a coronary on the spot.) "Avoid the left-hand depression."

Tara wrinkles her nose, but shrugs. If she were male, it'd be a macho gesture. "You're alive. Don't worry, be happy. Besides, blood is definitely your color." She does, however, avoid that left-hand depression.

Riley reaches to tap at Tara's nose with one blood covered finger before turning back down into the depths of the tunnel. His words are muffled as they return, "What I wouldn't give for a crowbar..."

Niko would settle for a really big gun. Then he could take a nap. "Left mine with my dress togs, sorry, Riley."

Tara eeewwws, swiping at her nose with her sleeve as she crawls. "You could use the stick stuck up Casymed's..." The dust sends her into a coughing fit, and her voice is raspy when she continues. "C'mon, Addison, buck up. You've been in worse situations."

Niko casts a particularly evil look at Tara. That particular orifice is exit-only. No anti-nausea drugs, even.

More shifting sounds occur, Riley adds back, "Given. But I still would like a crowbar. Give me a lever and I can move the world? That whole shebang? I am praying you are at least -that- educated Valentine. As it is, it'll take us an hout to have to go around this big rock...Easy."

Riley walks towards the Heart of the Dragonlord's Temple.

Riley has left.

In the temple, Riley walks here from the In the Dragonlord's Head.

In the temple, Riley has arrived.

You walk towards the Heart of the Dragonlord's Temple.

Heart of the Dragonlord's Temple

[One would assume that the desc is a bit different, because of the boom.]

Contents:

Riley

Obvious exits:

Entranceway

You walk here from the In the Dragonlord's Head.

Tara walks here from the In the Dragonlord's Head.

Tara has arrived.

Tara sniffs, slightly miffed. "Oh yeah, they let the illiterate graduate from the Academy, didn't you know that, Addison?" She sits up to poke at the rock with a frown.

"They let the stupid out, why should I be surprised at illiteracy?" Riley starts making his way around the boulder.

You communicated "-She- went to the Academy?" to Riley.

Your ear receiver beeps, followed by Riley's voice, "Standards must have lowered."

Niko picks his way around the rock as well, apparently ignoring the, uh, banter. Yeah. That's the word.

Tara growls, the sound echoing in the crawlspace. "In that case," she notes in a tight, controlled-fury voice, "Kya'll have no problem getting in."

More rubble is shifted, another support of sorts formed. Riley just mmrrhrms cheerfully. "Depends on how much listening to you and your bitter self important fantasies she's been doing."

Niko makes a small noise of exasperation as he shores up some shifting rock. "I've got an idea. Maybe we could all pretend to be relatively nice folks til we get out of this mess? The spirit of pulling together and all that garbage?" Gee, he's gotten jaded since he came here. He mutters to himself, "... call -me-... kid..."

Riley is silent in response to that, the only sounds those of shifting rubble and the occasional pause to re-assess his position.

Tara snorts, hands moving faster in her anger. Small rocks get tossed in all directions. "She hasn't, thanks to you," the smuggler snaps. "She fell for your little song and dance routine." Her gaze shifts from rubble to Niko as he speaks, and she shrugs. "Hmmm. Nice conversation. Okay. How's that sister of yours, Addison? She's a real looker. Oh, and I've been negligent in my manners... is your back feeling better?" Her tone is merely mildly sweet.

Niko's hand passes briefly over his tangler before he moves to shift more rock. Ah, the temptation. But he contents himself with glaring at Tara. He'll get his revenge when he wouldn't find it necessary to carry her out of the area--even he wouldn't leave her in the rubble.

There's a soft snapping sound, and that of further rubble being moved. Riley's reply is even and almost cheerful. "As she is my sister, it would perhaps be difficult for me to make comment. Please don't hit on her Valentine, I'd probably take exception." Rummage, rummage, "As for my back, well, not as bad as being knocked off pudding cans."

Tara laughs, a ragged edge to the sound accompanying that of stone being moved. "Gee, I wouldn't want you to do /that/. Heaven forbid. You might even give me a ticket. Ah, no, strike that. Honor and all that." She glances over briefly. "There's worse things to be knocked off of."

You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.

Niko maintains his silence as he lends a hand as needed, though it's a rather stiff, chilly silence, reminescent of sticks.

Riley continues shoving rocks aside, adding support to the walls. "It drops pretty steeply here folks." There's a pause, "Any idea what the time is? The watch on my unit's smashed."

Niko pauses a moment to rub his chrono against his jacket in an effort to clear the dust from the surface. "Uh... one-something, I think."

Tara glances toward her watch, and murmurs, "Oh one twenty, it looks like. Why?"

"Thanks," Riley resumes shifting rocks. "Just wanted a benchmark of an idea as to how long we'd been in here. For reference and all."

Tara's expression beneath sweat and grime is a bit confused, but she shrugs, working a little faster. "How about 'too long'?" she jokes lightly.

Niko nods amiably enough, though he's rather obviously keeping an eye out for that drop Riley mentioned. "Anything longer than about a minute," he says, a hint of wry humor coloring his tone, "Is too long, in this case."

Riley laughs quietly, "I think you've the right of it, the both of you. Still... I'd guesstimate we're about a third of the way to the floor. Quite some ways to go yet, I'll wager we'll be spending the night here easy. If not more than one."

Tara snickers. "Oh I can see it now... down in the Vault... 'Oh yeah, I spent the night with Maddison /and/ his assistant. We had a rocking good time'..."

Niko, shifting a few stones, mutters, "Rock-ing. I could do with a less good time, and fewer rocks."

Riley idly notes in a soft tone, "Tara, Madison is a small city in Georgia, on Terra. It's in the county of Morgan, although there is a neighboring Madison county. It is filled with houses that predate a particularly peculiar local feud despite the fact that they should have been burned down. It also possesses that region's first multi-racial cemetary."

Tara gives Niko a genuinely sympathetic look, and rolls her eyes at Riley. "It's also quite a neat contraction of 'Mad Addison'."

Niko pauses to peer at Riley for a moment. "Talk about really -bizarre- bits of trivia," he murmurs to a rather small stone. Hey. A pet rock. He tucks it into his pocket. There, all safe.

Riley continues shifting stones, perhaps he's entitled to be a bit bizarre at the moment. Or maybe not. Who knows. "I am only mad nor by nor east. When the wind is westerly I can tell a hawk from a handsaw." There's a pause, "And I just -mangled- that poor quote. It may never forgive me."

Tara supplies cheerfully, "It's not the only one. And it's not as if I call you that to your face. Usually. But I'll make you a deal- you won't hear 'Maddison' from my lips as long as you don't call me Tara." She pauses to sit back and wipe her sleeve across her brow. "Didn't hit your head when the place went boom, did you, Addison?"

"I'm guessing Beth is right out too? Too bad, Beth is such a nice name." Riley continues shifting rubble aside neatly. "I shall refrain from adressing you as Tara then if you find it offensive. And no, to the best of my knowledge, my head is undamaged."

Niko suggests thoughtfully, "Skippy? There aren't enough people named Skippy in the world." He moves rocks, too, yup.

Tara snickers. "Well, Beth's better than Tara. Even Skippy's not too bad, though it'd inspire such things as hot water being turned off. Using Tara isn't offensive- it simply implies an amicable relationship between the two of us. You don't want that, I don't want that- I see no use in pretending."

There's a quietly elated cry, "We're around that rock, and back on the straight and narrow again." Riley supplies. "Bob, can we call you Bob? You don't look like a Bob, but the looks of confusion on other people's faces would certainly be worth it."

Niko murmurs, for no apparent reason, "And if you can't remember your name, your new name will be Steve." Riley's rock-related words get a rather pleased happy noise. "Good. Getting around the rock is -good-."

The sounds of shifting from ahead cease. "It's open up here. Maybe we should stop here a bit." Riley suggests quietly.

Tara lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank God. The rock gets boring after a while." She glances wistfully around the boulder, but nods reluctantly, shifting to lean back against it. "Tired. I guess a break won't hurt us." Her gaze shifts to Niko. "Your watch is working... try the comm?"

You communicated "So does she know about these toys?" to Riley.

Your ear receiver beeps, followed by Riley's voice, "I dunno to be honest."

Niko attempts to do just that, but the sounds from the unit suggests that the comm part, at least, was damaged enough that it won't work. "Need to make these things more durable if stuff is going to keep exploding," he decides. "Stopping sounds good."

You communicated "Okay, thanks." to Riley.

Riley curls onto one side in the tunnel, tucking himself into a depression in the wall, arms crossed over his chest, and out of the way. "Stopping's a good thing. We can dig more later, later is good."

Tara flickers a frown in Riley's direction, the expression touched with concern. He's been acting funny, and his dead body would just be a pain in the ass to drag out if he died. "I don't suppose one of y'all would like to do pillow duty while I take a nap?"

Niko says dryly, "If calling you Tara implies an amicable relationship, isn't pillowhood worse?"

"I'd lend ya my overshirt to use, but the blood and all. Maybe turn it inside out though..." Riley's reply is a bit rambly, isn't rambly a cheerful new word?

Tara smiles slightly, if tiredly. "No, pillowhood would mean some shared body heat. I'm freezing. I'd suggest a bit of a snuggle, but I'm not sure this tunnel would survive that much explosive laughter." She shrugs, removing her vest to pillow her head as she curls up near the rock. "But I'll take that as a 'no'."

Niko folds himself into a position that, while not especially comfortable, won't cause too much pain. "Sorry, nope. I'd offer the loan of a shirt, but..." Well, he's wearing a t-shirt, and he's not taking that off. Chivalry and stripping do not equate. Peering over at Riley, he suggests, "Why'n'cha catch some shuteye, Riley?"

Riley murmurs quiet agreement, "Good plan, sleep's good. Somebody poke me if the crazed midget cultists or the dragons show up." And with that he's out cold.

You faintly hear a chime mark the hour.

Tara opens one eye to peer at Riley for a moment, then closes said eye. "He doesn't sound good. Night, handsome."

Niko keeps his own eyes open. "Good night, Skippy." He's taken a shower in cold butterscotch pudding. No hot water is not a threat that will bother him.
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