Descend and Ascend

[nintendonut1]

(OOC: This plot is starting at the entrance to the Caves, but we're aiming to keep the arc in one thread for purposes regarding sanity. :3)

It took little time for John and Jade to fully recover their strength, with Nepeta helping them along the way. They were back on their feet, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed within just a few days.

It wasn't until then when Nepeta brought up the visions she had earlier. She was purposely vague about it, and John accused her of hanging around Jade too much, but either way, he understood her urgency without question, and agreed to go with her to find the Heart Temple.

Wherever it was! All Nepeta knew was that it was underground. According to a brochure he had acquired when he stayed at the Hotel, there was a network of underground tunnels, their main entrance out west in the canyon region. The caves they appeared in!

They both catchcalogued supplies, bid the others farewell with safe tidings in return, and now here they were at the entrance of the caves.

John hoped this venture would turn out to be more excellent than the one up north. But caves hadn't steered him wrong so far, so he took this as good omens.

"Ready?" he asked his moirail, holding her hand as usual.

[shiftyPotentate]

Always eager to help her friends, Nepeta smiled as John had told her he was feeling much better. Jade had been coming along swimmingly as well. After John heard about her visions, she'd eagerly asked if he would go with her, whatever it was for!

Along with them, she'd decided to bring some blankets, food for the both of them, extra sets of clothes (by happenstance, some older clothes of theirs), and her tablet (in case someone decided to pester or troll her). She felt well prepared, and when John pointed out they would be going back to the caves they'd both appeared in, she felt an odd sense of completion. Evidently her destiny, whatever the weird things had meant it to be, had been by where she'd started.

It was time to go. She took John's hand, smiling. "Ready."

>John and Nepeta: Explore the caves westward.

[ryocker]

If they had taken the time to look around, they would probably be... disturbed. Littered around the entrance were what seemed to be broken statues- with a very familiar slime like bottom shape.

There was something hostile at the caves- though it was long gone by now- that had decided to seek out and destroy every Ignewax remaining on the property. It's not exactly clear why it has such a grudge against them- they'd chosen to become friendly, right? So there weren't any quarrels left, right?

Moving on...

Man this guy's good, thought a fireball heading for the caves. Of all the places he'd put my body, I'd never thought he'd use the bottom of the island! ...so why does the signal seem closest to my home?

Waxevius had previously decided to use a recently learned technique to seperate from his body- At least then he'd be safe from dieing at the hands of the gaurdian of balance. His first priority was to find someone to help him out- but after a freak rainstorm and a solid day of searching for his new friends, he decided it would probably be best to just try and get his body back from wherever Branch had put it. Though considering how much wind goes through the caves at times, he'd probably end up dieing.

But for now, heart burning brighter than a star, Wax flew off toward the caves as fast as- wait a second.

Who was at the front of the caves? A boy... and a girl with a pair of-

An audible crack sounded behind John and Nepeta- and before too long the ball of flame managed to get right next to them, spinning around them and acting similar to a lost dog that found its family- but being a fireball for the time being, he'd probably go unrecognized.

[nintendonut1]

They barely stepped into the first open cavern when things quickly began to pick up. "Whoa, what happened here?" John observed the area, littered with scatted pieces of stone unlike the natural rock around them. He leaned down to pick up a piece and inspect it, getting a sense of deja vu. Hadn't he seen these shapes before, this shade of pale shale...?

"...oh man." Remembering where they were and who they had met last time they were here, John stood and met Nepeta's glance. "You don't think these are...?"

He was distracted from finishing the rest of that assumption when a crack spooked the both of them, and a tiny ball of fire swirled around them in excited bounds. He watched it bounce around, and he couldn't help but grin.

"Ohey! One of them made it! ...I think?" John still wasn't quite sure, really. He only vaguely remembered the candles, so he wasn't sure if the ball of fire and broken statues were connected or not. But it would still make sense; they should have been expecting a warm welcome from the ignewax, especially after their hospitality last time. Something had happened here, and that something was fishy, that much he was certain of.

Either way, he brought up his hands, allowing the fireball to settle in the small space without touching and burning his palms. "Heh... you're one of the candle people, right?"

[shiftyPotentate]

As they came upon the cave, Nepeta approached and bent low to inspect the broken statues. They too seemed familiar to her, and she recognized the texture of the slime-like stuff. She recalled feeling that but what had caused that? She glanced up at John to see if he'd found anything interesting, when something crackled.

Nepeta: Regard the familiar flame.

You notice the LITTLE BALL OF FIRE circling its way around you and your moirail. It seems excited and eager to see you both.

As you see John reach down to "hold" the flame, you get a closer look at it. It looks, well, like a little flame. But something about it seems familiar to you. Like the slime, you can't quite put your finger on it.

Good thing, too, because you'd probably just burn your finger like a nookchafing idiot.

Nepeta: Look around again.

You have another look around the cave. Your HUNTER'S INSTINCT tells you a STRUGGLE or perhaps a MELEE has taken place here. The INGEWAXES have evidently been reduced to these broken statue forms, but you're not fully aware of that. The sounds of the air rushing through the caves plays on your ears, and you realize how smart it would be for your moirail to be protecting the little ball of flame.

The cave leads down a familiar way. You recognize it as the way leading to your POINT OF ORIGIN in this null session. You wonder if the scratchings in the floor you made are still there, as well as the painting you'd made on the wall a little further in.

[ryocker]

Wax facepalmed in his subconsiousness. Of course he wouldn't recognize a ball of fire...

Being near John's hands, Wax moved up and down in an attempt to nod. He was definately an Ignewax, but considering he was just an orb of fire right now he could be easily put aside. Which was just his luck, too- maybe dieing at the hands of Branch wouldn't have been so bad...

...Branch? Branch! He was in the caves! Then that means-

The living heart started to fizzle a bit when it left John's hands. His men... turned to stone and broken to pieces... And without their wicks in place, they'd all just be as good as dead. If only their wicks were... Hold on a second- their Wicks!

Wax examined the rubble where one of his men stood- good thing too. Amidst the bits and pieces of smooth stone was a yellow bulb. Not just any bulb- an Ignewax wick. Eager to try putting it back on his currently lifeless minion, he repeatedly began failing doing so. He didn't even need to think long about why- He didn't have a body! How could he put the wick back in place if-

Then it hit him. Wax's heart flew up to John, then went back to the wick and became an arrow shape. Waiting for John to notice, he then went to the smashed body and pointed to it as well. more specifically, a small hole in the cracked body.

[nintendonut1]

John nodded in response to the fire's... little nodding, acknowledging that he understood. "What happened here? Some kinda scuffle?" he asked before considering that the flame couldn't really answer in its current form.

Instead, it hopped out of his hand and hovered around the cave, taking interest in the statues. He watched as its light scattered across the pieces of dried wax and wickers, and he went cross-eyed when the fireball hopped back into his line of vision eagerly.

"Huh? What's up?" He followed the flame to its area of interest, and let out a chuckle as it formed into an arrow. Clever little thing! He then spotted the fallen wick, taking it into hand and looking it over, before glancing up at the statue. He smoothed a hand over the broken top, poking a finger into the hole, and then his eyes lit in realization.

"Oh!!" Understanding, he brought up the wick and eased it into the hole, calling his moirail over his shoulder. "Hey, Nepeta! See if you can find anymore wicks scattered about, I think we can bring some of them back!"

[shiftyPotentate]

The cute little fire was fun to watch, Nepeta noted. It was flying and bouncing around and making new shapes. She would have giggled and applauded it when John pointed out it was trying to say something.

Oh... She would have missed that completely. Good thing she wasn't the friendleader.

She looked around for extra wicks laying around, without much luck. Then she remembered that one big one had given her a wick before. It was in her jacket pocket, because she hadn't had a sylladex at the time and hadn't thought to transfer it yet!

"I think I... might have one with me actually!" she said.

Nepeta reached into her pocket, pulling it out. She showed it to the little flame to see if that was what she was looking for, and continued to look for other wicks.

[ryocker]

Wax managed to flicker happily at John's announcement- he even managed a loop de loop of joy! Just before he could light the wick placed on the statue, though, Nepeta said something about having a wick. She has one...? since when did she-

Wax stopped. A flashback opened in his mind quite quickly- unusually, as well. She didn't have the right size of wick- she had a mini wick, something he gave her for pet purposes. When she had shown it to him, he flew by the other wick, then back to hers. in an attempt to show her what he meant, He would point to both, then shrink himself when pointing to her current wick, then become normal size when pointing to the pre placed wick.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, he shot a bit of flame at the wick on his minion, watching it light up, then watching the body (and fragments) turn white and melt away. once they all gathered in one spot, an Ignewax rose out of the puddle, roaring a bit. "Aaaaaugh! Thank goodness that's over with- I didn't think I'd be able to stand being dead for much longer, not that i couldn't stand it anyway, being a statue and everything..."

Then he looked up. "Toothpaste boy? Hey, it is you! And kitty girl! Man, you two are a sight for sore eyes!" he cheered, giving them both hugs. "Man, you would not BELIEVE the day we had today- Some freaky weirdo came into the caves holding Master Waxevius- and he was a stone statue! He had his wick, but no matter what we tried it would just reject our flames."

He looked down, white blank eyes becoming sad shaped. "And then... oooh man, what a nightmare- that freaky guy blew out our wicks and smashed our heads apart one by one! It was horrible! Devastating even!" he sputtered, shaking a little. "I hope Master Waxevius is okay... I dunno why his heart wouldn't... light... back..."

He managed to spot the flying orb of flame. something told him it was someone he knew, but he didn't seem to get the memo right away. "...hmm. I dunno why, but that fire... seems like it's calling to me."

[nintendonut1]

“Huh? You do?” John turned back as Nepeta produced the tiny wicker, and the flame too came over to inspect it. He tilted his head and pursed his lips, trying to decipher the pantomime motions it was making. “I, uh… I think it’s trying to say that isn’t the right kind? It does look a lot smaller then the wick I found.”

Either way, a wick was ready to light, and the fire noticed this and brought the statue to life. John remembered watching the candles revive after their wicks had blown out, but not after being smashed to pieces! He didn’t expect it to be easily revived either! Needless to say, he was impressed, and he grinned as the tiny thing bounded over and hugged them both tight in one embrace. The little guy was stronger than he looked, and he was pressed nice and tight against Nepeta, giving her a sheepish grin.

Once they were released, the ignewax went on to recount what had happened. John listened quietly, cringing appropriately at the brutal details, looking over his broken brethren in sympathy. Man… he hoped there was a way to help the rest of them. Maybe with the help of their leader…

“Hmm… so this weirdo was just carrying Wax?” John replied. “If he didn’t want to destroy Wax, then he might still be somewhere around. Any idea where he might’ve taken the body?”

The flame dashed past his line of vision again, and began its descent into the caves. When the small candle began to follow it, it didn’t take long for the heir to put two and two together.

He looked over to Nepeta and flashed her a side grin. “I’ve got a feeling he’s closer than we think. Come on!”

[shiftyPotentate]

"Oooh!" Nepeta cooed as the Ignewax revived itself, glad they were able to help, and oof-ing as she and John were squeezed tight in a hug. She didn't seem to mind, and returned the hug, though when the Ignewax pulled away she lingered on John for a few moments longer. May as well ride out the impromptu hug.

As he recounted the details, Nepeta too seemed upset, but for a different reason. It was ghoulishly similar to the sorts of things Gamzee had done when he went completely sober and killed everyone he could reach. She rubbed the scar on her neck, which she noticed didn't even hurt anymore. It didn't feel anything, it was completely numb.

She was snapped back into focus by John, and she hoped he hadn't noticed her spacing out again. "Huh? Oh! All right then, let's go, furriendleader!" She took up her position as faithful pouncelor once again, eagerly ready to follow John.

[ryocker]

The candle ish blob looked away from the fireball for a short moment. "Hmm... I'm not entirely sure... but I'd say He went to that... that stone door at the very bottom. None of us have managed to open it, but I know there's at least a bit of wind coming from it..." Thinking about it a bit longer, he shouted, "Oh, there's also this really cool alter place with four- Hey, where are you going spirit flame?!"

Listening to the comments the Ignewax made regarding familiarity (and not wanting to waste time with finding his body), Waxevius, or rather, his heart, flew off into one of the caverns. So that jerk really did bring my body through here! he thought, darting around. He didn't get very far, unfortunately, because he stopped dead cold after passing a certain hall, and ending up in a certain room, covered in still black ooze that refused to harden, made up in strange patterns thanks to someone's... nightmarish fantasy.

As the fireball seemingly admired the sludge- though he was honestly disheartened by it- his little cohort barged in after him. But not before his white wax filled in a few markings on the ground on the way. "Hey hey! Don't go running off like that!" the bundle of white called. "I don't know who you are, but-" He stopped. "...whoa... this is that..."

The Ignewax carefully watched the fireball's actions. After it flew around the slime for a bit, it almost looked like it was trying to cry, hovering close to the ground. "...No way." The ignewax gasped, just as the moirails walked in.

(OOC: oh, um, he was making his trail loose because he didn't want John and Nepeta to lose track of where they went. Sort of like Bec Noir's trail of blood from that one thing with John and Rose. XD In case you thought their slime always stayed tight on their bodies.)

[nintendonut1]

They were quickly on the move, hurrying through the tunnels down further underground. John gingerly noticed more broken statues along the way; hopefully finding Wax's body would be the key to reviving the rest of them. Ideally.

He only faltered in one particular corridor when he spotted markings on the floor filled with wax left behind from the ignewax. Upon closer inspection, he remembered what they were and realized WHERE they were, chuckling towards Nepeta. "Hehe, brings back memories, huh?"

Idly, he caught sight of a tiny drawing on the wall, smiling as he ran his fingers over it. He hadn't known she felt that way about him even back then...

Either way, they were falling behind! Again, as eager as ever, John took Nepeta by the hand and followed the trail of wax down even further. They slowed to a stop once they had caught up, and the heir's brow wrinkled at the sight of the black ooze coating the walls.

"Ugh..." He covered his nose at the pungent smell. But he noticed the grim reactions of the candle and flame, so he was delicate in asking, "What IS this stuff?"

[shiftyPotentate]

Nepeta spotted the markings too. Days ago, but not many, she had been on that exact spot, crying her ocular orbs out. She had felt so hopelessly, horrendously alone. It hit home to her that in just a few days' time, she'd made so many friends, and rediscovered old ones. Tavros, Gamzee, Eridan, Jade...

John...

She smiled, and looked up, seeing John spotting the drawing she'd made on the wall. She'd been so happy he'd found her at the time. The drawing of them with a question mark in between.

Now that she thought about it, Nepeta realized it needed to be updated! A proper shipping wall means nothing if it isn't kept current! She walked to the wall, scratching out the question mark and filling in a diamond with her claw.

John<>Nepeta is a confirmed ship after all.

She felt John take her hand and hurried with him, making sure to retract her claws before they cut him. She saw the black gunk on the walls. "What is it?" she asked with John. "It... reeks." She didn't know for sure but she began to suspect what it was. Definitely not a good sign.

[ryocker]

The Ignewax looked back, seeing their disdain toward the supposed aroma- who knew wax could make such a stench? "...This... is where Master Waxevius almost faced death," he sighed, watching the small fireball. "It was one of the only times he ever managed to make a bad decision- and that decision was pointed at-"

the white blob looked directly at Nepeta, saddened. "...you."

The fireball in question looked back up. You could tell by the way it was hovering it looked sad... there were a lot of uneasy feelings in this room for sure- and those feelings were why he... became a good guy in the first place.

Wax's heart flew close to Nepeta, still sporting a sad coat of flame. It began giving a welcome warmth, one that went past the caves- one that felt more like kindness. The ignewax watching this little movement put a finger to his mouth. "...If i didn't know any better," the little blob began. "Which I DON'T- I'd say that we're looking at Master Waxevius himself!"