A Study in Scarlet (DCStuck, OPEN)

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Uhh..."

Lagola wasn't sure what the best course of action was. Kamulo had certainly provided useful information, and her investigatory and analytical skills could be useful in concocting a countermeasure against this new foe. On top of that, if there were more ghosts of Ryan's species out there, interaction with them might've been a little easier with him around. But... she knew that Sirion wasn't going to accept more help without a hitch. It was surprising enough that he was letting her accompany him, and she honestly didn't want to betray his trust so soon after regaining it.

Would they be able to take on this task by themselves? Well, probably not, but would they at least be able to find the information they needed by themselves?

"I-I-I don't... know...?"

[jessie]

Kamulo actively struggled to keep her serene smile from breaking, blinking quickly, hands folded now gripping. "That's fine!" Don't be disappointed, don't be disappointed. "I understand! Less feet, the fleeter. I can just, stay here, with Ryan, that's okay." Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.

"If that's the case then, I hope you two stay relatively safe! And, I hope you're able to find the information you're looking for! Or rather, anyone who'll talk to you at all. I mean, it was real lucky you two found us first, we're on the more friendly side. But I'm sure you'll manage! And I hope you'll know what words to say to get people to remember what they know at all! And, oh gosh, I hope you don't get lost out there! Connections made, connections lost, it's almost like a series of shifting floor escalation rungs. You could just get lost in an empty patch for, just ages and ages, if you don't know your way around! But I'm sure you'll be fine. Safe travels!"

Not a hint of sarcasm, or shade, or derision. She's, internally put out, sure, but genuinely she did hope they'd make it out okay.

[ryocker]

Ryan gave Kamulo a knowing pat on the back, smiling. "You guys go do what ya need to, we'll just be around doing some things," he offered, the sketchy being drooping. "If you need us for anything, I think you'll know where to look."

He wasn't showing it, but he was very much understanding Kamulo's internal struggle. His hand moved to one of hers, helping her grip.

[Pink Moon Wolf]

As Kamulo babbled, Sirion just watched her with a deadpan glare, his hollow eyes somehow even more devoid of emotion than before. Really, the only way he could describe the scene was sad. He could only translate her refusal to shut up as disappointment that they were departing. They weren't the only company to be found out here. They were dead and in a bubble full of other ghosts. Kamulo had to find more trolls eventually. Plus, if Kamulo and the other guy really wanted to do something about this demon, they could gather information themselves; it would probably be more practical than having everyone together, and Lagola was the only help he needed.

He turned his poker face on Lagola as she started mumbling something. Knowing her, she was no doubt hesitant to hurt Kamulo's feelings, and Sirion didn't need that emotional baggage weighing her down. She was the planner here, there was really no denying that. Sirion needed a strategic thinker if he was going to stop this monster.

Ugh... This was how low he had sunken. Appeasing the runt. This better be worth it...

"Look, if you guys are gonna b**** about it, you can follow us until we find someone else with some info. After that, I'm gone." His tone was firm, making it clear that this was non-negotiable. Then he nodded to Lagola, once again offering her a perch on his back. "Now c'mon."

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Um... Well..." Lagola tugged at her sleeves, finding it difficult to look directly at Kamulo. "I-I'm sorry you can't... that... I-I'm sure you'll find another..."

As her soft voice trailed off, Sirion cut in and offered to let Kamulo and Ryan follow until they found more ghosts. For a moment, Lagola was taken aback by his offer, begrudging as it might have been, and while she appreciated the show of generosity, she was just shocked that he was willing to slow down and take others' feelings into account. Those two concepts were ones she had never matched up with Sirion when they were alive.

Seeing his half-hearted attempt at kindness... it actually got Lagola a little more excited for their journey. It was really starting to feel like this partnership would work.

"Oh... Y-Yeah, that sounds fair, right?" Lagola mused, casting Kamulo a shy smile as she climbed onto Sirion's back, knowing he would want to get a move on.

[jessie]

"W- I wasn-" Shut up, shut up, take what you can get. Her mouth shut and, she was surprised at Sirion's consideration. But also happy for it.

"Okay! I can, we can do that. Right?" She glanced at Ryan, looking for his reaction. Squeezed his hand back. "Hopefully, I mean, I don't, wanna be a burden, but. Strength in numbers!" Hahaha oh my god she's so nervous. Excited, too, though.

[ryocker]

The human smiled. "I'm all for it," Ryan chuckled, pulling Kamulo into a half hug. He soon took a few steps forward, ushering her to follow. "Hopefully we find someone else soon..."

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"Now there's something we can agree on, Pinky..." Sirion muttered under his breath as he made sure Lagola was secure on his back. He then booted up his hover skates again and raced ahead, resuming their trek across the ever-changing dreamscape.

For a while, Sirion kept silent, but after a few minutes of traveling he spoke up again. "So... how long ya think it's gonna take 'til we find some useful info?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa!" Lagola's hold on Sirion tightened the moment he launched them forward. "S-Slow down! W-We gotta be sure that Kamulo and Ryan can keep up!"

For the duration of the trip, Lagola remained snug and quiet, her gaze constantly shifting between the horizon, Kamulo, and the back of Sirion's head. It never even occurred to her how calm and unafraid she was. When Sirion spoke up, Lagola softly answered, "Oh... Um... I-It's hard to say, really. There's no telling how many people have seen this demon... or how soon we'll cross paths with them. B-But... hopefully we'll have all the time we need to assure success."

[jessie]

As Sirion jetted off quickly, with no concern for their pace, Kamulo's eerie too-happy smile returned. "Oh, we're playing that way? Okay."

She tightened the hug between her and Ryan, securing them together. "Hold on to me!" Whether he heeded her or not, it was happening either way. The landscape shifted, sort of like it had before, but far more drastically, and not gradually.

The ground just about dropped out from under them, smoothing out into a slope, like a downchute at a wriggler's recreation area. It wasn't rough enough to hurt, though it's not like that would've mattered, them being dead and all. What's a fake dream injury in an imaginary consciousness bubble, in light of that?

The slide swooped up slightly, momentum launching whoever had reached the bottom into the air for a short time. Kamulo seemed to find it all quite fun, if only on the principle of being able to change things. But slides were also fun.

[ryocker]

Doing what he could with just one arm, Ryan grabbed hold, squealing as the environment turned into a massive slide for the pair of them. "THIS IS WAY BETTER THAN A ROLLER COASTER!!!" he cheered, happily flailing his nub as they zipped around and eventually went airborne. "Hi!" he called to Sirion and Lagola. "...Okay, afraid of falling now!!"

If he was able to open his sketch book, he would have summoned a flying creature to help them- but of course, it's hard to do that with just one arm.

[Pink Moon Wolf]

"Ugh... I was hoping you wouldn't say that..." Sirion grumbled, barely even acknowledging Kamulo and Ryan as they followed close behind. "I'd rather not waste my existence away f***in' around, not making any progress. Plus, I thought time and space amounted to jack and s*** out here."

Scowling ahead as he skated headlong into an amalgamated landscape of elegant towers, grassy plains, craggy mountains and active volcanoes, Sirion continued, "Whatever. No sense in wasting what time we've got. HEY!!! CALLING ALL A**HOLES!!! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, WE NEED TO TALK!!!"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Oh, believe me..." Lagola murmured, studying the widely varying landscape around them. "I... I'd like to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible too. I don't want any of this to be in vain."

When Sirion hollered in an effort to catch any nearby ghosts' attention, Lagola cringed from the sheer volume, then frowned worriedly at his typical abrasiveness. Simply from firsthand experience, she knew that this was not going to bring anybody to their side. She made this point clear, softly whining, "Sirioooooooooon... That's not how you get people to cooperate..."

[jessie]

Kamulo laughed, as their trajectory took them into a hole in the ground. There was a sort of fwoomp noise as they descended perfectly, now twisting around in a complex tube. They swooped up and down, spiraling underground.

Sirion's yell echoed down to them, and Kamulo sighed, rolling her eyes - not that you could tell, other than that she had that face - in jest. "That guy needs all the help he can get."

They descended fast, then ascended fast, popping out of the tube back into the air. They launched into the air again, before landing on a soft cushy cloud, side-to-side with Sirion's pace. "Hey, good idea on the yelling, but maybe a different choice of words would be more judicious?"

[ryocker]

Ryo was cheering happily the entire time they flew about, uncontrollably giggling up until he heard Sirion's pathetic attempt at a rallying cry. "He's not much of a public speaker, huh," he snickered, just before the pair blasted into the sky and bounced about on the clouds.

"Yeah man! if you want to get attention, do it like this," he smiled, sucking in a giant breath of air. He would have tried warning Kamulo, but with just one arm he couldn't do much.

"HEEEEEEY!!!! CALLING ANY AND ALL RESIDENTS OF THE DREAM BUBBLES!! WE NEED A LOT OF HELP FROM YOU GUYS!!!!"

It was a little known fact that Ryo could get exceedingly loud. This was possibly his loudest yet, though.