revivalproject | neck of the woods

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neck of the woods

WHO: Tony and his new Graq friends. Open to other absolute morons.
WHERE: Graq homeworld
WHAT: Jungle adventures! Some animal wrangling, some spelunking, more mistakes, and a date.
WHEN: Shortly after getting all of the Graq home.
WARNINGS: I cannot promise all of these alien animals are going to be treated with dignity. Edit: I don't know what either of us expected, of course it is horny. Uh, not with the animals, the animals are fine.

a. The caverns [OTA! I have no plan for this, BYO Adventure]
One of the Graq had explained on the trip over how the satellites around their planet orbited in perfect alignment to create a solar eclipse every cycle, sheering through the light reliably every morning like the moon was late to set and met the sun coming up on the horizon. They didn't explain it quite that way, of course; at first, Tony though the Graq didn't know that a solar cycle happened on any other planets and was trying to explain what night was to him, which became frustrating enough for the alien to spit a hole into the ship floor between them. So, Tony's effortless charm didn't work in Graq language. While the Graq lacked the descriptive words to convey their message to Tony, when he finally saw the phenomenon occur he paused and went, "Oh," out loud, though his erstwhile planetary guide had long since tired of him. The great shadow of the moon passed over the planet, and with it the raucous chattering of the forest around him slowed and quieted to a very queer stillness, the nocturnal animals not yet awake and the diurnal ones holding their collective breath at this early evening. It made the sound that came from inside the cave just a few feet away from where Tony stood seem loud, and close.

b. The hills [For Cayde, but you are welcome to join]
There wasn't a perfect translation into any languages that Tony knew he might share with Cayde for the giant fowl on the planet, so when the Graq tried to describe them when asked what they were eating, what Tony said to Cayde was, "Big feather," with a shrug and raised lip. They lived on steep hills, one of the Graq very intently tried to explain despite Tony definitely not asking, because they built their nests into holes they dug into them, and because of this their eggs were incredibly hard to crack without Graq spit, so do not bother. Tony did not need this warning and, again, did not ask, but now he knew and was well prepared to announce, "Big feather egg," when they came upon what looked like shards of a hollowed rock at the foot of a craggy hill. Now he was starting to sound like one of them, he was integrating to the local culture in ways he did not appreciate. The nests, as described, dotted all the way up the hill, looking like steps built into the sheerest face of it, leaving the impression of a pyramid built into this less dense part of the jungle.

'Big feather' sounded like it was going to get Tony closer to the pillow he had hoped to find for Jon than the noodles he had hoped to get for Cayde, and upon spotting one of those birds, Tony was ready to accept that this planet was not going to produce either of these gifts for him. These people didn't yet seem to have their own bread, let alone noodle, and when the Graq had said 'big' they meant enormous. More of a sword than a feather. Not pillowy down, anyway. It went stalking across the steep hill expertly, long legs fully extended and navigating the angle with sharp claws digging in to the rock to balance its fat, bobbling body, head twitching and blinking stupidly like a chicken, only approximately the size of a dinosaur.

"I don't say this often," Tony started, and it already sounded like a lie, haughty with his chin raised as he tracked the unreasonable bird, "but I am confident I am the most beautiful thing on this planet." He definitely did say that more often than he deserved to, but in this case he had sound logic. Graq were ugly, these birds were ugly, based on this sample this whole planet's evolution tended toward squashy and wrong-sized. "Present company an ongoing consideration," he was willing to allow.

c. The water [For Jon, but you are still welcome]
This was an ideal environment for plenty of very ugly bugs and grubs. Frogs, generously. Insects, in general, were not hugely upsetting for Tony, with the distinct exception of anything cockroach-like, but he did prefer a more sterile, modern, less bug-centric experience, if it were up to him, and he was realizing that he had made the wrong choice. He could have been on a spaceship right now, in space, on a ship. With the exception of the unique mineral compound of the malleable stones, there wasn't much to Tony's taste on this primitive planet.

The locals, obviously, being local and made for this environment, loved it, and appreciated being returned safely despite the awkward introductions. With a few of their rescuers on the planet with them, the Graq decided it was an ideal time to celebrate the reunion of their families, and these strange, hairless bipeds that had made that happen for them. "They want us to join them at sunset," he had translated to the camp of He-Rows, "by the waterfall, they say is over there. Follow the river, can't miss it, it's water, it's not confusing. I don't think they're going to eat us, but don't quote me on that."

Bugs on any planet, it was a universal truth, got worse the closer it was to dusk. Tony crouched by the river as the sun went down, trying to remain curious about what this planet had to offer as he felt the waxy leaf of a vibrant lilypad in a cluster that didn't seem bothered by the meandering water, only to be smacked in the face by what he would assume to be a moth on Earth, and what he didn't want to think too hard about here. "This is a nightmare," he grumbled, wiping at his cheek to make sure it hadn't left anything behind, then glanced up at the distant sound of drumming music from the direction of what must have been this waterfall site. Fashionably late, as ever.

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They weren't lost, they were exploring their options. Besides, they had plenty of helpful indicators for the correct direction to go, if they were willing to brave staying near the lively banks of the river, and, further, if they were lost and it got total nighttime dark out here in the woods, Tony was sure he would start to panic in increasingly embarrassing ways, so they were going to find their way. As though he hadn't just complained about the situation, Tony insisted, "No, I mean, it's great," trying to keep the energy from bottoming out between them, and Jon from feeling to responsible for the environment, "There's so much, um...life...here." He stepped carefully away from an encroaching whining sound of something annoying and flying, heading up the river toward the drumming. "Come on, it's like we're camping, we're going to crash some kids' bonfire. I bet they have some good weed."

"Tony, those are the Graq, not some random teenagers." Jon points out with a little frown. To think that these primitive beings are the most civilization they can expect on this planet is almost daunting.

He doesn't quite follow Tony right away, but stops at the edge of the river and allows himself a moment to just take in the scenery. He doesn't know any of the plants or insects despite how similar several of them look to species known on Earth. Obviously no flower on Earth actively hunts living fish as is the case with the nearly glowing one on the other side of the river. It looks harmless at first, but every once in a while one of its leaves would dart into the water and impale a small fish. Though that flower isn't the only thing Jon observes as he loosely wraps his arms around himself and squints a little while inclining his head.

"...I suppose it's... Beautiful. In its own way. Can't say I expected to be this unused to be surrounded by hardly anything but wilderness."

"Not much difference," Tony argued about the Graq, spitting and smelling and being generally unpleasant all integral teen elements to him, but was willing to concede, "Does mean they're more willing to share, we're all friends here now, that's what friends do. Besides, they must have a few ways of keeping the bugs off." How friendly any of the locals seemed to be toward Jon was debatable, but Tony hadn't entirely put them off yet, he was willing to broker peace. Did the Graq even have a word for that? Tony was a few feet up the river before he turned to peer through the settling shadows for Jon.

"Yeah, you really look like you're taking to it," he called back to try to prompt Jon to follow before one of those plants swept in for an easy kill. "I can leave you to it, if you want. I'm thinking I prefer the abandoned city myself, though. Creepy, will probably fall through a floor some day and die slowly, but I can at least pretend I'm bleeding out in a Starbucks, like I always wanted to." Tony might have continued to explain what else he pretended he enjoyed in Temba if he didn't cut off with a groan; a slippery eel crawled on tiny, scuttling legs out of the river and across his foot carelessly, no regard for Tony as a potential threat.

Edited 2020-09-02 22:44 (UTC)

Jon for his part can't say the bugs are giving him much issue aside from reminding him of some unpleasant encounters connected to his work. Maybe he simply doesn't appeal to their taste, but it's not something he is set on conducting any actual research on. The look he directs at Tony is decorated with a little snarl and he pulls himself away from the river to catch up with Tony, his eyes drifting down to the creature that caused the man to produce that peculiar noise. Right. The abandoned city certainly is preferable to this jungle. Does this count as a jungle? It probably does.

"An abandoned city at least means that at some point there has been civilization." Jon offers, letting the eel be and giving Tony a short nudge to his arm and nodding towards the direction of the drums. "If they start singing, you an sing along. They seem to like you."

"Exactly," Tony agreed about the city. "Some advancements had been made, it's all very comforting, the crumbling remains of a culture's hopes and dreams." There might have been insects all over Temba, too, but they hadn't always reigned there, at least for a time. Here, Tony and Jon were decidedly on their turf. The Graq hadn't advanced much beyond them yet.

Granted, Tony didn't think that eel had any musical culture of note. "Not my area," he pointed out, taking Jon's hand as much to turn that suggestion back over as to keep him from wandering into something's mouth before they reached the party. "You'll have to earn their trust back that way. I'm trying to imagine it and, listen, already hate it, as a concept, can't get behind Graq singing. Very nasal, uh, very hard on the throat."

The river opened up as promised to a sprawling, what must have been deep lake, because the surface looked still in the last red light of the sunset despite the waterfall Tony could see splashing down a long embankment, wide and glasslike until it impacted the water below in a misty fog. The gathering couldn't have been far off, but the drumming lead them deeper into the forest, away from the burble of the water.

Giving no objection to having his hand taken, Jon lets Tony lead the way, accepting the reassurance of the familiar hold around his hand. Though he does give an exaggerated frown at the suggestion "I may be able to understand them, but I can't speak their language. And I'm not risking having them spitting at me again, Tony. You know a few of them are perfectly ready to do so." Quite likely the ones whose minds he has turned around. Jon may not remember the full extent of his hallucinations, but by now Jon is at least somewhat aware of the effect the Graq's spit has on them.

"Is this the right place?" He asks once they reach the waterfall, but find themselves presented with a distinct absence of any of the Graq. And yet this scene even Jon feels inclined to consider beautiful. Mainly because the lake and the waterfall and the large rocks around it made up most of it rather than plain forest and wilderness.

It took Tony a beat to respond, staring across the lake with some surprise at the tranquility of its whole effect, then he insisted, "Music transcends language," with a fist raised to punctuate this wisdom, like he hadn't even heard Jon's concerns about the whole spitting thing. So Jon had made a terrible first impression, that was part of his charm. Besides, maybe it didn't even matter and they weren't going to make the party at all. To Jon's question, Tony went, "Could be," with a devious grin and sidelong look Jon's way, dropping his hand to sneak his fingers up Jon's side like the creeping tentacles of his fishy friends. "You want to take a dip?" With Jon's track record, they had better chances surviving with the Graq that already didn't like him much, than the mysteries under the surface of an alien lake. Tony turned to listen, sure he could hear voices now as well as the drums. They couldn't be far off.

The odd noises the Graq produce as language and therefore count as voices around here may easily blend in with the general sounds of the forest, and yet even Jon can't deny that he is picking them up. Though those fingers at his side don't give him much time to well on the thought and the Archivist gives an involuntary flinch combined with a quick sound of deliberately restricted surprise and he casts a quick glare up at Tony for that.

But then Tony's words register, resulting in a momentary pause and a little blush that likely won't be very visible in this fading light. Jon spends another moment in flustered silence as he glances over to the lake, his hand hovering over Tony's arm as is considering to push it away. It ends up settling lightly on Tony's forearm instead as he comes to a decision.

"Sure." He replies at last, eyes shifting away from the lake and back up to meet Tony's. It's only in part an act to try and make Tony forget that he may just have gotten a reminder of just how ticklish Jon can be. In part he's genuinely intrigued by the idea. "Let's stay here for a while." They might have a better time here than with the Graq anyway. And the climate on this planet is warm enough to not make this a freezing experience for them.

That was not the answer Tony was expecting, and from the look Jon gave him, couldn't help but take it as some kind of challenge, like Jon thought he had any chance at outplaying Tony at alien planet skinny dip chicken. He narrowed his eyes curiously, corner of his mouth ticked up in a smirk, trying to work out of Jon just thought he could out-stubborn Tony, or really didn't appreciate the idea of a Graq party. Tony wasn't the one that was proven fish bait, after all. "I'm not helping you this time if you get eaten," he insisted, as though there was any chance he could just paddle away from the next foul encounter Jon got himself into with the local wildlife, or there was anything about this environmental exploration that intrigued Tony outside of making sure Jon's curiosity was satisfied. Except maybe what those rocks around the waterfall were made of. "All I got for it last time was fish guts, no, thank you." He peeled his shirt off first, the gold undersuit spreading across his chest before he had it over his head, before glancing around for a reliable bough to collect their belongings off the ground and out of sight.

"Right." Jon replies with a soft exhale and pats Tony on the arm once Before withdrawing that arm so Tony can go on and remove his shirt, earning a mildly raised brow at the appearance of the man's golden underwear, so to speak. "...and I didn't bring my diving suit." He muses without sounding too bothered by the fact.

Reaching up to unbutton his shirt enough to pull it over his head without effectively knocking his glasses off, Jon turns around, facing towards the lake when the piece of clothing comes off. Maybe he should be thankful for the receding light after all. Even though the darker it gets, the more the lake itself seems to emit a faint, greenish-blue glow. He takes a moment to just look at it, shirt kept in his arms.

He needs to take some samples of that later.

He turns his head enough to glance over his shoulder and at Tony. "You know, if you're afraid, you... You don't have to..." Oh, it sure sounds innocent enough. But maybe there is a bit of a challenge regardless.

Tony snorted, not apologetic at all for having the forethought to keep the nanoweb on board for emergencies, even if this emergency was only that he barely let himself look at that awful, pit scar in his chest, nevermind anyone else. The only reason Jon was even allowed close to it was because he had seen and dressed it at its worst, but he didn't have to know how it was or wasn't healing if there was a chance he could go on believing Tony was impeccably beautiful instead. He was hopping on one foot to tug off his pants and final boot at once by the time Jon presented him with his challenge, not quite the challenge Jon had intended, but the one where Tony had to rationalize the suit in a way that didn't admit that concern out loud, and he gave a start and almost stumbled over when Jon accused him so cruelly of being afraid.

Recovering his balance and abandoning his clothes where they dropped to try to seem as cool as possible, Tony slid up behind Jon to sneak both arms around him and snatch the shirt away, less to hide behind. "There's no need to start projecting, that's not fair," he said. "Stop stalling, hurry up, I have records to take." He snapped his golden fingers, as though the nanoweb could record any useful data from the water on its own and wasn't just a network. It wasn't like Jon knew any better, right? Tony tossed the shirt back the way he had come in the general direction of the mess he had left behind as he slipped around Jon, sticking close in his orbit until he was backing away into the first, shallow steps of the lake so he could keep a watchful eye on Jon's undressing with an innocently tilted head, they could both play that game, and much less innocently growing grin.

There's at least somewhat of a huff from Jon and maybe a little more of a flustered pout in response to Tony's verbal response as well as the way he moves around Jon, takes away his shirt and teasingly moves on into the water.

It does remain unfair in his opinion that Tony is basically wearing a bathing suit.

He makes a bit of a point of not simply tossing his clothes away. Which means that Jon takes a moment to sit on one of the rocks to take his shoes off first and then at least fold his pants more or less neatly on said rock before turning to face Tony again, butt naked but with a certain piece of stubborn determination in his tightly set jaw. "You know I want to see those records when you're done." He declares and steps forward into the water with very deliberate purpose in each of his movements. It all only seems a little off. Like he isn't still fighting a certain degree of embarrassment. Which he knows he shouldn't.

Jon does not cut eye contact as he moves into the water.

At least until something brushes past his leg under water very briefly, effectively making him jump a little and look down at a small group of fish passing between them. Jon just stares at them for a few more moments, but then they have simply moved on. "........right. Fish." Those exist here.

It might have felt unfair, but the dynamic should have started to feel least familiar; Tony always had his armor on, even if his smile seemed wide and open as it did then, and he tracked Jon's meticulous movement trying not to outright laugh at the careful folding, his walk backwards coming to an expectant stop as Jon stepped toward the water. Right, the records, like Tony hadn't already completely forgotten about that lie as he watched Jon's approach and hummed, definitely listening, "Mm-hmm." It wasn't reasonable to expect him to remember this ecology pretext when he was studying that tick in Jon's jaw and the mechanical push through the insecurity that Tony could only infer through the determined stare. God, that stare, he wasn't prepared for that, he thought he was just getting Jon naked. Tony was about ready to melt into the water and turn the glow of it pink with the glow he could feel in his chest, when Jon broke that loop with his jump and they were both watching a school of fish instead. "Breakthrough observation, boss. We'll have this whole place worked out in no time," Tony said, and started his blind walk again, slower for Jon to catch up to where Tony could reach him.

At least they are only fish. Even if they are fish that Jon will blame for ruining his little display. The little huff Tony's words get and Jon moving to catch up with him are certainly lacking that calculated air of before, and the stubbornness is in good part fueled by that moment of embarrassment, but it hasn't entirely dissipated.

He catches up with Tony by the time they are deep enough in the water for it to reach his hip and he reaches out a hand to catch himself in case he loses his footing or missteps. Judging by the water's glow, it will go deeper rather quickly from there on. It's an odd effect to see the water go brighter rather than darker the deeper it gets.

"...I want to see what's down there." Jon mutters, setting aside Tony's teasing for now.

Tony gladly offered an arm to keep Jon upright, then dropped his shoulder to encourage that hold around his neck while he looped his arm around Jon's waist instead to pull him up off his feet and further into the water, kicking away from the lakebed to backstroke easily away from the shore with the water cutting around his shoulders. It wasn't quite like flying with someone in the Iron Man, but a familiar enough position that Tony drifted in a bittersweet relief and homesickness for a moment before he even took that easy cue Jon had just handed him, muttering, "Thought you'd never ask," with a laugh in his voice.

With a few feet of depth below them now, Tony shifted to tread water and try to look down past their feet. "You didn't bring your diving suit," he repeated for Jon, just so they were clear they were at more of an exploration disadvantage here, and the last diving excursion had not treated them gently. Not that Tony was about to stop Jon or anything. There was glowing to investigate. With a last look Jon's way over the ripple of the water, Tony raised his eyebrows with expectant excitement and let himself sink.

As Jon has never flown with anyone in such a fashion, he has nothing to compare the experience to as he holds on to Tony easily enough to enjoy a moment of simply observing the water around them while they move through it. The glow is making it difficult to believe that the night has already begun to settle and the overall effect that it has on the area surrounding the lake is certainly unique. The entire waterfall gives off a more subtle glow itself as well.

Jon looks over to Tony again when the man speaks and can't help a little smile on his end when they cease drifting further out onto the lake itself. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." Is all Jon gets to say before Tony vanishes beneath the surface. The idea that the mere lack of a diving suit would keep him from diving down seems ridiculous to him.

And so he follows, easily diving straight down almost as if he at least brought the flippers. Just not nearly as fast. Not only does it feel as if they are surrounded by light, the water even proves to be warm rather than cold even further down.

The overall effect was disquieting to Tony, the glow throughout the water making him feel like he was being watched under stage lights--definitely not an unfamiliar sensation, but usually one he was getting paid for. The change in temperature didn't help, in combination with the glow having an overall effect of volcanic activity that they were languidly swimming toward at best, if not more rarefied radiation. He had been slower to dive than Jon, maintaining his height to keep a wider watch over the situation, the light and clarity of water making the schools of fish darting away easy to track. The warmer the lake got, though, the more anxiously close to Jon Tony kicked, reaching out to touch his side and make sure he wasn't so single minded focused on this that he hadn't left himself half a tank to make the journey back up.

It's quite the opposite effect on Jon, who is fascinated by what is surrounding them. The water itself, the fish, and while Jon is sure he can see down to the ground of the lake, he doesn't get to try and dive down to it as Tony's hand cuts any such ambitions off with that subtle display of concern. Jon doesn't have to look at Tony to know the man is starting to get worried about their decision. And as much as Jon would like to dive deeper, it's that worry that has him turn around to nod once at Tony and point up. Which is less for his own nonexistent need for oxygen than Tony's nerves.

Hence why the hand that has pointed up takes a hold of one of Tony's hands as the Archivist starts to swim back to the surface.

They surfaced some distance further into the lake and away from the shore, the temperature suddenly shockingly cold at this depth after the warm bath further down, making Tony laugh with surprise at how completely weird that was as an experience, even as he gasped for air and curled tightly around himself to try to contain the leaking heat. It was only when he tugged on Jon's hand to make sure he wasn't getting too cold that he realized Jon wasn't panting the same way, and remembered he wasn't as limited in all of the inefficient, human ways Tony was. Not sure how to apologize for that exactly, except to hurry up and finish the damn suit, he slicked Jon's hair back out of his face and breathed, "I'll stay up here, I can see you," to encourage this exploration without the handicap.

"Christ, it's COLD up here!" Jon exclaims in amused excitement and is quick to move closer to Tony, adding a chuckle to the man's laugh while wrapping an arm around his neck once more, merely for the sake of staying close.

The suggestion gets a wide-eyed look in response, which shifts into a look of understanding first, then a bit of a grin as Jon's free hand finds the side of Tony's face while Jon leans a little closer. "No. You will come with me. I- I will bring some extra air for you. Trust me that I have the lungs for it." Tony at least is well aware that Jon has a bit of a singing background and from that alone is familiar with various breathing techniques. So Jon won't even have to mention growing up in a coastal town and the many times the lifeguards have pulled him out of the English Channel against his vivid protests simply because his grandmother has lost sight of him.

It's his turn to give Tony an encouraging nudge, which he will gladly do.

Not above taking advantage of huddling for warmth, or much else, on any close examination of Tony's pride, he pressed close in Jon's hold with a flat palm against his back, kicking slowly to barely keep his chin above the water where it might have been cold, but not as cold as the unforgiving air wicking away the dampness. It definitely wasn't conducive to Tony's focus, though, because between Jon's hand and his grin and coming so close, it sounded to Tony like he was offering to start sharing air right now, which he was happy to nod along with, eyes already half-lidded, and could have whined when he realized Jon was just being--...practical? Tony wasn't sure how to define this offer yet. Whatever it was, Tony trusted it enough to agree without hesitation, "Deal," tipping his head into Jon's hand with his own curious smile that said he wasn't entirely convinced that was going to work, but was willing to find out. With a deep breath, he sunk down again, where he stuck closer to his lifeline this time as they headed back into the warmth of the lakebed.

Jon wouldn't have denied Tony that moment of affection had he picked up on the need. Though at the moment he is indeed rather driven by his own curiosity and quickly is underwater again as well, keeping one of Tony's hands in his own as they go deeper. He is clearly aiming on reaching the ground, maybe picking up a rock or some plants he is certain to have been able to spot growing down there.

By the time they reach the depth fro which they have turned back before, Jon casts a look over his shoulder back to Tony, a wordless question on how he's doing.

They could still go further before Tony's chest started to ache, he was fine, and to encourage Jon not to worry about him he only smiled back and nodded ahead of them, look. They didn't need to go far before they stopped seeing fish come down to this depth, better acclimated as they were to the temperatures closer to the surface of the lake and the rivers flowing away from it. The effect was a lush, dense jungle on the lake floor, a whole different climate like they had gone from the top of a mountain to its foot in a few feet, thriving in the warmth and unfettered by the fish braving the depths enough to feast on the bounty. Which was reassuring, because Tony was still working up that volcanic theory, and that heat would have been too acidic, at least for most living things on Earth, to take root. That this mass he could see from afar was a forest was--Tony tugged at Jon's hand, then his elbow, watching the last bubble he sighed climb toward the surface of the water and anxiously considering chasing it.

That the ground of the lake would be this lively isn't something Jon has expected, but it's a very intriguing sight that only makes him itch to get closer and get a more detailed look at- Well. Everything.

Tony tugging at his hand and arm effectively stops Jon from pulling them both deeper and he turns without question. He has promised Tony he needn't worry, but he can still clearly taste that anxiety in a way he dislikes.

Using both his hands, Jon draws Tony close, wrapping one leg around around him to keep him there while his hands settle around Tony's face and lips press against lips in an unspoken request to open and allow for a lung of actually unused air to be passed over. Considering Jon's body has no need for either food or sleep it may not be much of a surprise that it doesn't make use of any of the oxygen Jon breathes in. But breathing is a habit he refuses to drop. And in a way is still required for him to talk.

It occurred to Tony as they slowly drifted, drinking the oxygen from Jon's lips with their arms tangled around each other for Tony to cradle Jon's head in return to track his movement and keep the seal of the transfer unbroken as he instinctively closed his eyes against the glow of the water, it was possible that by many technical definitions, Jon was dead. Functionally, obviously, untrue, and not an immediately useful revelation, except that it might have made him closer to a vampire than a human, except Tony understood some of the mechanical logic of a vampire. Even if Jon's lungs weren't necessary, his brain must have been, so he must have been getting oxygen from somewhere, and Tony couldn't process how it might have been coming from his tapes.

Functionally, it meant that Tony drew in a deep breath, Jon's useless lungs stronger than Tony's scarred ones, and leaving him feeling buoyant and only a little light-headed from the slow breathing, and that Jon had a ingenious way of helping Tony follow where he thought he couldn't go with Jon. Maybe he didn't think of it that way, but it made Tony press a giddy smile against his mouth, keeping him held close as he nuzzled along his cheek, trying to find a way to thank him for that gracious gift, but lingering on it too long would be wasting the breath he had given Tony. He broke away still grinning, bright eyes a confirmation that the trick had worked, and anxiety replaced with adrenaline that had him turning quickly back to the lakebed to dart down through the foliage curiously. It was possible that the plant-life, somehow, was the cause of the temperature change, which encouraged more life, which made the water even warmer--that would have to mean there was some kind of natural predator managing the growth somehow, though, and Tony still wasn't seeing and fish braving the depths.

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