[closed]

[messianic]

WHO: Minato and Percy
WHERE: that pesky island from the siren's event
WHEN: Post-event, September
WHAT: Sometimes, it seems like a good idea to go with your dumbass friend to explore sketchy places, because you're also a dumbass
WARNINGS: It's probably not going to be Great Times

[It's good to explore every possible avenue for what happened to the missing people, right? Minato's got some serious personal stake in this as well, even if he's kept it relatively under wraps; what happened to Mitsuru and Ryoji still weighs on his mind, and while he'd like to think they went home...

Well.

"Wishful thinking" isn't good enough when it comes to his friends and his team, is it?

And so, after mishap after mishap is over and done with (involving not being able to get to the island and getting dumped into the harbor for their trouble), they can finally see the island properly on the horizon, and then, with his hands tucked into his pockets, looking off into the distance at their destination:]

... Ready, Percy-san?

[This is going to go really poorly.]

Comments

[hydrokinetics]

[This is going to go SO POORLY, but you know what, so what? Percy is Determined and he has a friend being dragged along for the ride. Minato totally could have said no, but no. They are both dumbasses and neither of them are aware of this fact.

Percy's been staking out the island for days (weeks) now, and when it finally showed up he almost took off diving straight into the water to swim toward it.

...but naturally the reasonable response was to wait for Minato and then decide.]

Definitely. I think I know how we can get over there, too. Have you ever ridden a horse? [Wait what.]

[messianic]

[There's a long, slow pause at that.

Minato blinks.

...]

Um... no. I haven't.

[...]

Why?

[hydrokinetics]

...okay, that would have been a lot easier to explain if you had but we'll improvise. Are you good with heights and are you good with fast speeds?

[messianic]

[When in his life would he have ridden a horse, Percy...]

Yeah, I should be. [Tartarus, and all...]

Why, how are we going to get there?

[hydrokinetics]

[Look. He doesn't know your life, Minato. Or how Japan works.]

Help from a friend. [There's a sharp whistle then...and the familiar rumbling of Mrs. O'Leary as she leaps and bounds her way from another portion of Bluo. It doesn't take long before she approaches Minato and Percy, barking happily with a few twigs and leaves tangled in her fur.]

My dog knows a few good tricks. But it's not for everybody.

[messianic]

[Not horses, Percy...]

... I'm not sure what to expect from you anymore, but... I'm ready. If it'll get us there faster, it's fine.

[PROBABLY.]

cal love me i'm sorry i'm late

[hydrokinetics]

Okay. Mrs. O'Leary, down. [The dog woofs and lays down to allow the boys to jump onto her back. Percy's quick to scale her and settle, looking back to make sure Minato's not struggling to get up there.]

And don't worry about pulling her fur a little to hang on. She won't mind.

i do love you very much

[messianic]

[THIS IS...FINE...

It feels strange to be clambering onto a dog's back, but he does so gamely, because he's not!! Going to be left behind!!

So.

At those words, he does bury his fingers into her fur. And clear his throat.]

... Okay... I think I'm ready. [Probably.]

[hydrokinetics]

[Even as Minato says the word "ready", Percy's signaling for the dog to go forward and Mrs. O'Leary suddenly stands up. She tries not to jostle the boys, but she immediately begins to run back into the woods, heading straight for a dark, shadowed area as she jumps straight into the darkness.

Minato and Percy are going faster than they should be, whipping through the dark and cold of the shadows as Mrs. O'Leary travels and brings them out to the siren island. Stepping out of another shadow, she steps forward a little before she flops down to rest.

Percy, on the other hand, still loves the feeling of almost dying via shadowtravel so he turns to face Minato.]

You good, dude?

[messianic]

I'm....good...

[Minato is definitely just....going to flop down to the ground as well, rubbing at his face.

Urgh?? Urgh.]

[hydrokinetics]

[He's still standing, but he hovers over Minato and looks down at him.

...

...]

This is maybe payback for kicking me in the head. [Lightly. Casually. JUST SAYING.] It'll pass in a few minutes.

[messianic]

[Minato just sighs, but slowly pushes himself up on knees that feel like jelly.

Urgh...]

... That's...fair.

I'm okay.

[ANYWAY... He glances around the island with a frown, shaking his head.]

It's so quiet out here.

[hydrokinetics]

[Minato...Percy watches and waits to make sure Minato's steady before he takes a step back. Mrs. O'Leary, bless her heart, continues to snore but even that's quiet which is weird. He looks around and finds that they're alone, too.]

It's a little suspicious, isn't it? The island had plenty of activity the last time all of us were here. Could be that everything we're looking for is further inland. Looks pretty barren though.

[...yeah, he'll start walking ahead. Come on, bro.]

[messianic]

[... Hmm... he doesn't like this island.

They may as well keep moving, right? So he follows right along, one hand stuffed into his pocket, fingers brushing against the charm Guren gave him.]

Hm... Yeah, I guess if anything's around, it's further in. The sirens probably would've come to greet us by now if they were here.

[hydrokinetics]

It's hard to imagine them ditching the island after everything they put us through already, but where else would they even go? [As they head forward, the trees are few and far between and ahead of them are the beginnings of a few scattered caves.] Unless something else kicked them off.

[messianic]

[... Yikes.]

I don't really like the thought of something worse than the sirens around here...

[And yet...?

All he sees is a fat load of nothing, and...]

... Caves? Is that what those are?

[hydrokinetics]

We've had werewolves, harpies and sirens, plus mutated bees and fairies that'll try to paralyze us. I think the possibility of something worse existing is pretty likely.

[SO THAT SUCKS. But he nods, stopping in his tracks to see if he can get a better look from over here.] It looks like caves, yeah. Think that's maybe where our sirens are hiding? Which way do you want to go?

[Like. There's zero chance Percy won't go into the caves, but it's polite to ask.]

[messianic]

[...Yeah, Minato knows Percy well enough by now to just quirk an eyebrow at him.]

We're going in anyway, aren't we? So we may as well just start early.

[hydrokinetics]

I knew I picked the right guy for the job. [A grin. And he heads forward.] Caves aren't too hard to navigate, I think. Riptide should give us enough light to work with...do you have anything on you for a light source?

[messianic]

... Just some old matches from the town.

[Oops. He should've been better prepared for this.]

Let's count on Riptide until we need them. [Just in case.]

... Ready to go spelunking? [INTO THE DARK WITH THEM... down a sloping path that doesn't really give Minato a good feeling at all.]

[hydrokinetics]

Good plan. [They might also need actual fire, and Riptide can't do that. But there's a nod and INTO THE DARK THEY GO. As they walk along, Percy's keeping a pretty good pace as he moves ahead just enough to light the path.]

I wish I knew what we could even expect down here. This town keeps surprising me.

[messianic]

You and me both... I feel like if we tried to predict it, we would somehow be wrong, you know?

[OUT OF SPITE...

But.

Anyway, into the dark... Minato follows Percy willingly, hand hovering over his Evoker as they walk. It's creepy down here...]

I was expecting monsters, for example, but it's really quiet.

[hydrokinetics]

Yeah, I kind of expected the same and feel the same, too. Don't freak out but it's also possible the caves are the monster. We could be in something's mouth right now. [Thanks Percy.] It's warmer in here than it is out on the island, at least.

[But down they go.] It does seem weirdly empty though. Maybe everything's hiding in some of the other caves?

[messianic]

[...Hm.]

Maybe...? I wonder... just how much is hidden on this island.

[AH WELL.]

We're committed now, though, so I'm going to try to put the image of this entire cave being a monster's mouth out of my head, thanks.

[hydrokinetics]

[He can't help it when he chuckles under his breath as they head further down.]

Not a bad idea, dude. And who knows? We could spend days walking toward the bottom but it didn't look that big from the outside. What I want to know is if the caves are linked via some kind of underground system. You know, like tunnels. That would give us an idea of what to prepare for.