revivalproject | [Event] Revisiting a Dark Place Down Below

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[Event] Revisiting a Dark Place Down Below

WHO: One Cal, one Tony and one Jon
WHERE: Deep in what's usually Temba's lake
WHAT: Exploring Idiots?
WHEN: Mermay
WARNINGS: %

There are few places Jon can't See. And it's those places he always finds himself drawn to. On most days when the pull becomes particularly strong Jon manages to distract himself. Other days the mothcatfish that share his dwelling place keep him occupied. And then there are days when he can convince himself that going to these places is simply too dangerous.

Today is not one of those days. But it's one of those days he finds himself reasonable enough to understand that he shouldn't be heading out alone. Not that he wants to go alone but he will if he has to.

For now, however, he does the sensible thing and sends out two messages including a picture of the large cave located in the South-West part of the city. It's one of those places people avoid for how cold and dark the water gets once you dare to swim down. Everyone knows there are creatures down there that are better left undisturbed. They already went down once and ended up disturbing at least one of these creatures which had resulted in a hasty retreat.

'Remember this?' The message he sends to both Tony and Cal reads. They were the ones that accompanied him the first time. 'Will you please join me?'

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Despite his senses telling him something's been 'off' about... Well, something... Everything? Cal hasn't been trying too hard to work it out. It's been a nebulous thing, really, difficult to pinpoint, but not so nagging in a sense that pushed him back into a paranoid state, but more like a 'did I leave the arc welder running?' sort of thing.

It's just as well that Jon chooses to message him; the lad is quite frankly, everywhere he can possibly be. He swims up high above the ruins of the city, wondering at what might lie above the strange barrier, and then dives back down just for the rush. There's no falling when you're underwater, although he has to wonder when he's ever experienced 'falling' to begin with.

"Oh, it's from Jon," Cal says after pulling out the communicator, glancing briefly at BD-1 who clings to the strap of the bandolier that crosses his chest and attaches to the belt at his waist, purposed only for giving his little metal friend a foothold and keeping his tablet and lightsaber stowed.

Be right there! he responds. No sooner has he sent the message does he kick his fins into gear, his tail a flash of blue freckled with copper scales.

Tony's heart was in his stomach by the time he spotted the pair floating by the dark mouth of the lake. Fashionably late as ever, he came slithering across the open field, staying uncharacteristically low and close to the weeds. He took his time, like he could make it seem like a casual jaunt as he slowed to pluck flowers from the ground and at them to the bouquet he carried draped over one arm. Maybe if he took long enough, his anticipation would take the big swing back from dread to the elation that had his heart in his throat at Jon's message. It only seemed to drag down further as he approached.

The final flower he picked was kept aside, to hand off to Cal as Tony went swimming past, keeping his eyes averted even as he greeted, "A pleasure to be back here again, beloved." He wasn't quite so careful about Jon, winding around him a few times with curious intent, to leave him looped in the coil of Tony's tail before Tony remembered to offer the bouquet.

Receiving a positive response from Cal prior to his arrival left Jon assured already that he wouldn't have to dive down alone. He barely has time to wave a greeting at the young man and his ever present droid friend by the time Tony is approaching as well. The latter may not have responded to his text, but as long as he accompanies them Jon is willing to forgive him.

"I know it's a little spontaneous-" Jon starts, but he trails off as he tries to follow Tony's little display, two of his tentacles absently reaching to wind around Tony's tail. And then there's the flowers. Of course he would bring flowers! And of course Jon can only stare flustered at them while carefully accepting the gift. "Th-thank you. Is Jon attempting to hide his blush by trying to look similar to the flowers? The answer is yes.

"Hey Tony," Cal greets with a crooked smile upon flower presentation. He grins and holds it up for BD-1 to delicately grab between his little clamp-like feet so he can scan it to sate his curiosity.

"Nothing wrong with spontaneity." He looks between the two, curious gaze lingering on Tony slightly longer before he offers Jon a smile. "Think I'll be a little more prepared this time at least. I won't let anything happen to either of you."

The constant current under Tony's skin was a warm buzzing in Jon's hold as he started to smile at Jon's very obvious awkward shifting, only for it to crackle anxiously when Tony finally cast a sharp look Cal's way. He opened his mouth, then seemed to think better of it, getting as far as looking to Jon before he couldn't help himself anyway and asked, "Are we actually going back down there?" Jon hadn't been explicit. Maybe he wanted to have a picnic. That was stupid. "Do you really think he should--" Tony started again, and had to acknowledge Cal was there instead of talking about him like he wasn't, only first casting a furtive glance around like he was anxious about being caught doing so, "Do you think you should do that? We know there's--something--down there, if you get overwhelmed..."

Jon regains some of his regular color in response to Cal's words of approvement, which also gain him a nod of appreciation.

"There has to be more down there than what we found last time." He points out but then finds himself distracted when he can literally feel Tony's anxiety spike. He has a point, of course. A pont that has Jon fall silent and look back to the young Jedi, his look echoing the question Tony has posed between them.

Cal doesn't need the Force to sense that worry, grimacing a little at Jon's second thoughts prompted by Tony's concerns.

"Look, I'll be fine. That other time was..." He frowns, shaking his head. "Concentrated. Still...fresh, somehow. I think whatever's here has been neglected, but it has to be at least as old as when the Agrii first left Temba." Weak arguments, he knows, but he doubles down with a smile.

"Anyway, you're both here and BeeDee's here. I'm in good company. You know how many places I've gone in with just me and BeeDee? He's always got my back," he says confidently, the little droid chirping his confirmation on that point.

They encountered plenty of fresh, bracing experiences in this place and they didn't seem to effect Cal like that. Tony looked doubtful that this was the vector of concern, then shrank a little further behind Jon's shoulder, convinced Cal didn't know what he was talking about for all of his confidence. He cast another glance around the field, but didn't really want to find Soldier waiting out there to glare murderously at him and found he was suddenly eager to get down into that darkness before he was seen. Abruptly and sharply, he demanded, "Stay together this time," and immediately moved to dart away, swimming out over the expanse of open water.

Jon's attention lingers with Cal for another moment, but ultimately he nods in response to the young merman's words. One of his tentacles moves up to take hold of the flowers he has been given before he follows after Tony and waves Cal to come along as well.

"We all stay together, agreed." He won't let Tony ignore his own rule. Even though he remains aware that last time he also had let himself get distracted by what they had found dwelling down there.

He swims up after Tony, one of his tentacles briefly curling around his arm and handbefore diving downwards. They already know that the water gets colder deeper down. Colder and darker even at the deepest parts of the cave.

Cal holds back a sigh, glancing at BD-1. You pass out once in some evil hidden ship hold and everyone treats you like a youngling. Well, no, he supposes that hasn't changed too much, although he does sense that flicker of apprehension from Tony.

Nodding as the two start swimming ahead, he goes along after, bringing up the rear of their trio.

Tony hadn't exactly come prepared for a dive, so he might have been obligated to behave even as his instinct was to dismiss Jon's careful correction; he hesitated long enough to make sure they were with him. Mostly, he was staring past Jon, watching Cal cautiously until that glare was broken by the tug around his arm, and he couldn't quite hold onto it with the curl of one finger. He had to chase after it instead, then break off to swim a wide arc around them when he felt the temperature drop, then drawing an occasional spark off of his hip when murk became gloom and then shadow, marking where he was while he swam their flank.

Neither of them should forget that Jon had enough tentacles to hold both of their hands if he has to. Even his own, but that's a little weird.

"I have been trying to ignore this spot, but I- I need to know why I just can't See anything down here!" It always feels like he has to worry about something planning to catch him off-guard whenever he notices any of these blind spots in his Sight. Based on past experiences these can very well be traps. And he has always has that habit of swimming straight into them.

Catching Tony's lingering look in his direction, Cal can only answer back with an inquisitive arch of a brow, open for engagement, finding none as the other moved to keep up with Jon. The Jedi does likewise, trailing just at the end of the Archivist's reach.

"Maybe because someone doesn't want you to Know," he suggests grimly, looking ahead towards the darkening waters, his own Senses on the alert. It doesn't bode well that Jon's ability's been blocked, but it works in a different way than the Force, as Cal's come to understand it anyway. Then again he's still not quite sure how that works.

The limits of Jon's powers were unfathomable to Tony; at best, he could understand this as someone tampering with one of his cameras, a deliberate sabotage that he would be compelled to investigate as well. Most people could paint over a lens, though. "Who could even do that?" he had to ask, the corkscrew he was painting around them slowing as he passed in front to try to see if Jon even thought this was possible.

Jon can only nod to what both his companions said. "When do they want us to know anything?" He responds as they dive even deeper with Tony offering some faint illumination around them. Nothing really to see much by, but there is something soothing about the entire display. The sparks, the motion, the familiarity.

As for who could possibly be blocking his powers, they all already know the answer. Their captors have toyed with and turned off the powers of basically everyone whenever they felt like doing so. Everything they do is little more than entertainment for them and as of yet they have no real explanation for how they are able to do this. Otherwise they would be able to understand and possibly do something about the storms.

Another shade of darkness and another drop in temperature. But it’s primarily the growing darkness that makes Jon feel more uneasy. The Dark has always been the direct opposite of the Eye and diving down here feels very much like invading its territory.

"We all stay together…" Jon hears himself mutter in reassurance. Though he can’t exactly claim to feel reassured by his own words. So he focuses on Tony’s trail of sparks instead.

The darkness puts Cal slightly on edge for different reasons, but not enough to be debilitating. You never know what might be lurking in the darkness though, a valid enough reason in itself to be cautious. At least he can sense Jon and Tony without needing to see them clearly.

The borble over his shoulder has him glance at his little droid friend who provided his own light with the steadily shifting light patterns at the back of his boxlike head. "Maybe not just yet, buddy," he replies. "We don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves with more light."

Someone or something didn't want Jon to know where Tony was, either, but that didn't stop him from finding Tony the analogue way, and the further down they went, the more Tony worried about what that meant. If Jon wasn't supposed to know what he was getting into, but was being invited close, like an intriguing bright lure in front of a row of sharp teeth. The cold of the dark water seemed to curl up in Tony's chest.

He was still working on an excuse to get very far away when a brighter spark jumped off of him, hungrily leaping to a conducive surface that Tony had almost missed in the dark and the murk of his own head. At first, he only went, "Huh," and was a swirl of churned water as he tried to assess what he had gotten so close to in a tight turn. "Vent. Found some structures," he reported, the sparks weaving in and out of sight as he looped around a pair of open windows.

While Jon can't sense Cal and Tony in the same way Cal can, he can feel their respective uneasinesses and the shifting worries the deeper they get. So he isn't the only one feeling scared. Though he may be the only one also feeling a certain grade of excitement at the prospect of exploring these waters further and finally learning more.

It's this excitement that spikes at Tony's discovery and Jon is quick to swim over, tentacles reaching with eager curiosity for the edges of the windows while he casts a look inside.

"We haven't noticed these the last time." He observes. "But- It makes sense. This are was part of the city at some point, right? It must have gotten-" He doesn't finish the sentence before pulling himself into the ruinous structure, tentacles spreading out immediately to inspect his immediate surroundings. What kind of building was this?

Cal drifts closer, a grin quirking on his lips. "Our favorite sort of entrances," he says as he and BD-1 have a better look at what Tony's found. He exchanges a look with the droid as though sharing some sort of private joke.

Nearing the windows, he pulls himself up to one, squinting in the dimness, pausing to let his senses range beyond for any hidden threats.

"From what I remember," he nods, glancing at the Archivist. "Some buildings...and things that someone seemed to be intent on hiding for some reason." As Jon disappears inside, Cal looks over at Tony. "Guess we're going in," he shrugs, starting after.

It had to be safer inside than in open water, so Tony returned that look with a shrug of his own, and one more wary glance around at the gloom. He wasn't going to be the only creature down here thinking that, though. He slid into the decrepit remains of the building, shoulders tight and tail stiff to keep from touching anything, either for barnacles or for disturbing what remained of the structural integrity and bringing the whole thing down on top of them. Just their wake was sending crumbling mortar tumbling from between cracks and floating to the grimy floors.

Once inside the building, Jon is quick to start exploring. As much as he'd like to just look around, he mainly has to rely on his tentacles to take in his surroundings. They are flexible and long enough for him to carefully check whatever room he has found himself in.

There are remains of furniture on one side at least. Pieces that could have been the legs of a table or chair. Larger pieces that might have been shelves and smaller pieces that Jon has no idea what to make of. And of course the vegetation one would imagine to have claimed this place over the years.

"There's a door further in." He announces after feeling his way to an opening in the wall across of the window they entered through.

At least nothing so far seems to have poked at his senses enough to be any more or less different than things had been outside, but Cal remains wary as he tries to stay close to the two. Jon at least has physical means of telling where they're going, and both of them seem to be better adjusted to the dimness than Cal, so he goes by BD-1's default lighting, not wanting to accidentally blind his friends with anything more.

He swims by the old furniture, hesitantly running a hand over the chair although he knows there's nothing to pick up from it through the Force even before he does so. Impressions are strong and usually call out in a way to him. If there's anything to be found, he'll know.

They could do all of the touching between them, while Tony held himself more gingerly, letting his sensitive fin warn him if he was drifting dangerously toward any actual physical contact, and feeling for the natural currents that would lead him toward anything else conducive that had survived at this depth. Mostly, the place felt rusted and broken down, even as he coiled around Jon's shoulder to slither through the door ahead of him. It opened to a wide, open space, the catwalk that would have connected the door along the wall of similar darkened arches and the swaying stairs at the far end long since collapsed the story below where Tony swam. He sank down toward it, hands out and flinching at every disturbance in the water, ready to snatch away quickly the moment they brushed against an unfamiliar weed.

While Jon does indeed have his own means of figuring out his surroundings, he still prefers to actually see where he is swimming. So the light source, dim as it may be, is very much welcome.

Jon doesn't expect Tony to suddenly move past him and ahead of their group, but maybe he should have. Tony is at least as curious about anything unknown - and potentially dangerous - as he is. So Jon follows, naturally, casting a look around in hopes of catching a glimmer of light somewhere. Though this deep down any source of light should be considered dangerous. Including their own.

"Over there." Jon points out in a mixture of caution and interest. Towards the end of the hallway there is indeed the hint of light to be seen. Something must be overthere, lurking.

At least if there does happen to be any sudden threats, Cal can always pull his friends back even if they get too far from him. So far nothing sticks out to him, but then the Force has always been slightly muffled in this world. Not that it's kept him from sensing the worst of things. The only problem was he never knows how bad worse is until he's in it.

"What is it?" he asks quietly, swimming up after the two, barely keeping back a smile as he feels BD-1 try to have a better look from behind him.

The light couldn't have been any brighter than BD's dim glow. As the other two explorers came up behind him, Tony watched it cautiously, waiting for any shift in the way the light bounced or a shadow to pass across it. When it didn't come, he could only offer Cal a shrug, and slither on ahead to find out for him.

There was no hiding his approach to the yawning open doorway, but Tony slipped down to swim low to the bottom of it anyway until he was peeking inside. It felt as though his eyes had adjusted too much already to the darkness, making this glow difficult to make out once he was facing it and he had to squint. It didn't come any more into focus for him, and with only a raised hand to Jon and Cal, he was winding his way into the room and closer to the light source. It looked a lot like...him. Rather, a blurry mirror of him, the reflective smear hovering in the water making the image look ethereal and gauzy in its own glow.

Jon follows after Tony with an initial caution that is quickly pushed aside by his general curiosity. Just like Tony he has expected any sort of movement to disturb the light and he might be equally perplexed by what they end up coming across.

"Wha-?" He manages at the sight of the glowing mirage of none other than Tony. Jon has to cast a glance at Tony to ensure he is still where he should be before carefully inching closer to the glowing version of him. It's very hard not to reach for him and Jon has never been great at resisting such urges in the first place. Maybe it would have been smarter to reach out with one of his tentacles first, but Jon doesn't. And as he reaches his hand forward, he can sense a warmth coming from their finding.

For all the quiet tension of things, Cal can't help but be amused as the two who were so worried about him are the ones putting themselves boldly ahead into the unknown. His smile only smooths out slightly as he follows after Tony and Jon, head tilting at the discovery.

What is it? A holoimage? The Jedi tilts his head, letting BD-1 grab onto his bracer so he can be held closer to scan the source.

There was plenty of noise in the room, from machines hollowed with rust to clutches of barnacles clinging to the corners, but the thing before them that shifted languidly did seem to be entirely biological. Slowly, the glowing figure seemed to grow another head, or a little boxy extension out of its shoulder. And it reached to meet Jon's hand in return, a perfect mirror with fingers splayed curiously. Tony's real hand was much harder to anticipate, black skin disappearing in the murk and darting out suddenly to snatch Jon's wrist with a pop of light and electric jolt as he made contact to yank Jon back. This thing was trying very hard to mimic them, which would be an unsuspecting fish at ease to swim into a familiar school.

Jon flinches at getting grabbed by a hand he doesn't expect to make contact with him and his attention darts from the false Tony to the real one, eyes wide and brows perplex. It takes his mind a moment to catch up and his mouth to pull into a pout as he glances back to the glowing figure still floating not far from them and continuisly morphing into a reflection of their small group. It hasn't worn glasses a moment ago.

"Christ..." Jon mutters and backs away again, which only prompts the false Tony to slowly move towards them. "W-what are you?" Jon asks, because clearly asking questions is the way to approach a potentially dangerous being they have encountered deep within these sunken structures.

Not that the subject in question being organic keeps BD-1 from scanning it; he's an exploration droid, he'll scan anything and everything to add to his database, and this is a new curious entry.

Cal frowns, growing a little more wary as he watches the display. He senses the vague confusion, and underlying it, a hunger. Oh, he should have picked that one up, how many hungry creatures has he every come across for every planet he and BD have traipsed about on?

"Guys, I think we should back off," he suggests, unsure what else the creature is capable of but not wanting to provoke it into thinking them hostile if it fully isn't.

Tony did kind of want to find out if the thing would answer, and left a tingling trail down Jon's side as he released his wrist and glanced Cal's way inquisitively. No one had tried talking to it yet, and Cal didn't make it clear if that suggestion was just nerves, or his magical intuition. The creature wasn't moving very quickly, after all, and when Tony looked back at it, it was twinkling like the light that was reflecting off of Cal's scales. "This isn't exactly what we're looking for..." Tony did have to admit, using the hand still floating at his side to press gently into Jon to lure him away as the glowing blob split into a dozen more reaching hands.

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[Event] Revisiting a Dark Place Down Below

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