Ezre was very patient, as always, despite their excitement that drifted like their breath in some half-frozen cloud between them while the Hoxian hovered in the darkness, in open space, suspended between the chasm below and the cloudy black sky above.
"There is a building down there." The young Guide offered quietly, aware that they'd withheld some various vital information from Lilanee for weeks now, even here at the last moment before venturing inside once they made it to the snow-coated bottom. They both didn't want to spoil the surprise and they wanted to perhaps keep some of the shock value of what, exactly, kind of library this was from spilling over into the journey itself.
"You know you want to see what is in there, vre'ia." Ezre teased softly, "One step and then it will only take a few, quick—" Possibly terrifying, "—moments to get down to the ground."
The dark-haired student watched the russet brunette go through various stages of fear, settling himself in the harness (it sure did put a squeeze on interesting places, layered in various warm layers of clothing as they were). Nodding as if to emphasize this could be an adventure of spiritual as well as mental enlightenment, they made sure the cold press of their nose and lips was a generous promise before they'd stepped off the ledge and also offered their hand one more time, which, thankfully, Lilanee finally took.
The momentum sent them swinging again and even the otherwise normally deadpan Hoxian inhaled sharply, exhaling a little squeak of surprise at the way his stomach twisted with the motion, the way his other half-numb fingers curled around the rope that held them from certain death if neither of them could at all cast fast enough should something go wrong. When the Hessean swung closer, Ezre managed to get a good grip on her harness for a moment, grinning into her returned kiss,
"Nothing improper here in Hox." He huffed, cheeks the warmest they'd been in hours. Carefully, slowly, he untangled his hold and gently pushed Lilanee to arm's length away, attempting to show her what to do in the strange nowhere space they hung in, how to rappel:
"Just slow and steady. There is no need to rush, I do not think. No more avalanches here, thankfully. You pull here—slowly. It is much easier on the hands in gloves, honestly. The anchors should hold and it is just ... an exercise in how much you are willing to let go."
Ezre had the nerve to wink before they gave an example, releasing the belay just enough to begin to slowly slip downward. A little more, a little faster, and the Hoxian laughed in the empty chasm, the sound of their excitement reverberating in the dark as they quickly began to find a pace they were comfortable with—entirely faster than necessary, of course,
"Come on!" Their voice rang out, loud because who else was listening anyway? Shadows enveloped the young Guide, quickly, for once their bodies disappeared below the lip of the chasm, there was no light in the middle, not until they began to reach the bottom where phosphor lights of pale yellow and blue had been carefully carved into imitations of lanterns. The series of buildings carved into the black volcanic rock here in this scar in Bash's flesh loomed into view was a simple structure of tall pillars and archways, tiered roofs in order to create places to catch snow. Some of it was buried in snow and ice, and many of the lanterns were eerily glowing beneath white layers.
The way down was an interesting and rather quiet experience for Ezre who kept watch on Lilanee but also considered the movement—caught between above and below, in between the world and its busyness and the spiritual realm, dark and mysterious, that this library represented in its own unique way. If anything, the young Guide felt this strange, stuck-between feeling too well. So well. He slowed eventually, wanting to savor some of the moment and not at all looking forward to the long climb back up.
It was no small comfort to finally feel the crunch of the ground beneath his tired feet, but Ezre had quietly enjoyed the rush of descent, still grinning about it once he huffed to a stop, reaching to steady Lilanee on the last of her motion to the bottom, too,
"See—that wasn't so bad, was it?" Full of adrenaline, the dark-haired student's tattooed lips trembled with cold but they didn't notice, helping the other student out of her harness before unstrapping himself, finding the whole task difficult now that his hands were trembling and he was shivering. The cold had finally settled in too deep. Once they were untangled and standing on their own, the dark-haired student turned toward the basket they'd already lowered before themselves to gather up their gear again, hopefully for only a little bit longer,
"There is a dormitory of sorts—a residence, though no one lives here to keep the library anymore. Only regular visits from some of the Hex'en. We can stop there first and warm up and rest. Light a fire, I think. Find some water." Tilting his chin from beneath his scarf, the Guide hefted their pack again after offering assistance to the Hessean to get hers back on her shoulders, too. Brushing shoulders with the russet-brunette, Ezre sought to lead the way through hard, crusty snow that sank in some places, deep and untouched for probably most of the winter.
"There is a building down there." The young Guide offered quietly, aware that they'd withheld some various vital information from Lilanee for weeks now, even here at the last moment before venturing inside once they made it to the snow-coated bottom. They both didn't want to spoil the surprise and they wanted to perhaps keep some of the shock value of what, exactly, kind of library this was from spilling over into the journey itself.
"You know you want to see what is in there, vre'ia." Ezre teased softly, "One step and then it will only take a few, quick—" Possibly terrifying, "—moments to get down to the ground."
The dark-haired student watched the russet brunette go through various stages of fear, settling himself in the harness (it sure did put a squeeze on interesting places, layered in various warm layers of clothing as they were). Nodding as if to emphasize this could be an adventure of spiritual as well as mental enlightenment, they made sure the cold press of their nose and lips was a generous promise before they'd stepped off the ledge and also offered their hand one more time, which, thankfully, Lilanee finally took.
The momentum sent them swinging again and even the otherwise normally deadpan Hoxian inhaled sharply, exhaling a little squeak of surprise at the way his stomach twisted with the motion, the way his other half-numb fingers curled around the rope that held them from certain death if neither of them could at all cast fast enough should something go wrong. When the Hessean swung closer, Ezre managed to get a good grip on her harness for a moment, grinning into her returned kiss,
"Nothing improper here in Hox." He huffed, cheeks the warmest they'd been in hours. Carefully, slowly, he untangled his hold and gently pushed Lilanee to arm's length away, attempting to show her what to do in the strange nowhere space they hung in, how to rappel:
"Just slow and steady. There is no need to rush, I do not think. No more avalanches here, thankfully. You pull here—slowly. It is much easier on the hands in gloves, honestly. The anchors should hold and it is just ... an exercise in how much you are willing to let go."
Ezre had the nerve to wink before they gave an example, releasing the belay just enough to begin to slowly slip downward. A little more, a little faster, and the Hoxian laughed in the empty chasm, the sound of their excitement reverberating in the dark as they quickly began to find a pace they were comfortable with—entirely faster than necessary, of course,
"Come on!" Their voice rang out, loud because who else was listening anyway? Shadows enveloped the young Guide, quickly, for once their bodies disappeared below the lip of the chasm, there was no light in the middle, not until they began to reach the bottom where phosphor lights of pale yellow and blue had been carefully carved into imitations of lanterns. The series of buildings carved into the black volcanic rock here in this scar in Bash's flesh loomed into view was a simple structure of tall pillars and archways, tiered roofs in order to create places to catch snow. Some of it was buried in snow and ice, and many of the lanterns were eerily glowing beneath white layers.
The way down was an interesting and rather quiet experience for Ezre who kept watch on Lilanee but also considered the movement—caught between above and below, in between the world and its busyness and the spiritual realm, dark and mysterious, that this library represented in its own unique way. If anything, the young Guide felt this strange, stuck-between feeling too well. So well. He slowed eventually, wanting to savor some of the moment and not at all looking forward to the long climb back up.
It was no small comfort to finally feel the crunch of the ground beneath his tired feet, but Ezre had quietly enjoyed the rush of descent, still grinning about it once he huffed to a stop, reaching to steady Lilanee on the last of her motion to the bottom, too,
"See—that wasn't so bad, was it?" Full of adrenaline, the dark-haired student's tattooed lips trembled with cold but they didn't notice, helping the other student out of her harness before unstrapping himself, finding the whole task difficult now that his hands were trembling and he was shivering. The cold had finally settled in too deep. Once they were untangled and standing on their own, the dark-haired student turned toward the basket they'd already lowered before themselves to gather up their gear again, hopefully for only a little bit longer,
"There is a dormitory of sorts—a residence, though no one lives here to keep the library anymore. Only regular visits from some of the Hex'en. We can stop there first and warm up and rest. Light a fire, I think. Find some water." Tilting his chin from beneath his scarf, the Guide hefted their pack again after offering assistance to the Hessean to get hers back on her shoulders, too. Brushing shoulders with the russet-brunette, Ezre sought to lead the way through hard, crusty snow that sank in some places, deep and untouched for probably most of the winter.
