Kyriakos: OVERFLOW

[justichthys]

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[justichthys]

... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. [ She admits quietly, fiddling with the strap. ] After that game. And neither of us knows Iota very well.

Are you?

[ Finishes up with the chest piece and steps back! ] Guess I should find some gear to wear as well.

[carptricks]

. . . nah.

[his smile is confident, but a bit lopsided, as he cranes his head over his shoulder to look at her again]

I trust you to have my back. We'll be okay.

[he reaches out to thunk the front of her helmet lightly]

Grab the rest of your armor and let's get going.

[justichthys]

Hold this for a second. [ Holds out the stave for him to take so that she can get her own chest piece into place! ]

… You really trust me like that—? I mean … [ It's not like she's really any good at fighting, or like she could keep up properly with Kaitou Kid. She just kind of flails her way through these things most of the time. ]

[carptricks]

Yes? Don't look so surprised.

[thunks her helmet one more time before he finally grabs one of his own. while holding her staff for her, of course]

Any smart alien we run across is gonna be terrified of you.

[justichthys]

Ow! Kaito, geez! [ It didn't actually hurt at all BUT IT'S THE PRINCIPLE OF THE THING, gosh, stop being rude to me. ]

Out of the two of us— [ mnnngh no she's not going to say that ] I just don't wanna slow you down, that's all. [ which is to say that she's worried she's going to. ]

[carptricks]

You've never slowed me down.

[. . . as a contrast to all his grumping about her earlier, that comment is delivered in all sincerity]

[justichthys]

[ … oh ]

[ abruptly, there is silence—save for the sounds of Aoko fiddling with straps and harnesses and all of that fun stuff. ]

H-Hey, could you get the back for me? I can't reach.

[carptricks]

[pffffft]

[he snrks, slips his helmet onto his own head, and slides behind her to fasten that last strap. once that's finished, he drapes both arms over her shoulders and holds the staff out in front of her to take]

Breathe easy. You're better at stuff like this than you think, Miss Fire Snake Slayer.

[justichthys]

[ She leans back against him, resting the back of her head against his shoulder. Just. Gonna stay here for a moment, even after she's taken the staff. ]

That was different! All I really did was get it wet. But ... I'll give it my best shot.

[carptricks]

[this is like the least romantic setting, plus he isn't even sure if it COUNTS if these are not their real bodies. but he tilts his head to press a kiss against her cheek anyway. he's already kissed a physical manifestation of her true heart so WHY NOT??]

Right!

[somewhat reluctantly, he pulls away]

You ready?

[justichthys]

[ Suddenly that cheek he is kissing is VERY WARM INDEED. They've been getting more affectionate in public, sure, but what if Iota is watching oh nooo … … … not that it stopped her from tilting her head into it slightly. Very slightly. ]

[ Deep breath. In, and then out ... ]

Okay! Ready when you are.

[carptricks]

[FORGET IOTA WHO CARES WHAT SHE THINKS. and it's true that Kaito is getting a little more brazen with affection in public, too]

[with his hand resting on the handle of his weapon, his chin tilted up, and the feeling that they both look VERY SILLY right now pooling in his stomach, he counts down]

Three, two, one. . .

[and on "one," he bursts right through the "START" door, fully expecting Aoko to follow]

Go!

[justichthys]

Kaito, you dumbass, don't just run through without checking things first!

[ Scolding him (audibly!!) under her breath, but she's right on his heels anyway. Goodness knows what's going to happen to him without her there to yank on his leash. ]

[soulping]

[the duo bursts out of the supply room and straight into a long ass hallway. it's dim; the lights overhead flicker on and off as though broken, barely illuminating the surrounding areas. the darkness makes it impossible to see what lies on the other end of said hallway, as everything fades into blackness.]

[still, the floors are lined with blinking green lights, similar to the ones that also line airplane aisles. large, bold numbers are printed on the walls next to them, and during a moment when the lights above actually work, they can tell they read the following: HANGAR 869]

[the watches around their wrists begin to beep an blink with a small, red light]

[carptricks]

[skids to a halt before he treads any further into the darkness, lifting his wrist to peer at the watch curiously]

Eh. . .?

[justichthys]

[ …??? ]

[ While Kaito's checking out his watch, Aoko—who is sticking close to him—peers up and down the long hallway, just in case there are ENEMIES!1 lurking in the shadows. ]

[carptricks]

[he pokes around with it for a second, before he manages to hit a small button on the side. a button which pulls up a 3D, much cooler-looking version of A MAP!! the treasure is marked with a glowing blue diamond]

Whoa. . . this is useful.

[meanwhile there don't seem to be any enemies lurking in the shadows. not yet, anyway]

[justichthys]

[ JIII … ]

[ but since it doesn't seem like anybody else is around for now, she spare him a glance. … oh! huh, that does look useful. ]

It's a map? This really is like one of our RPGs.

[carptricks]

Heh.

[he grins]

That just makes us genre-savvy. Look-- [he points to the room with the GLOWING TREASURE!!]

This is our goal, but there are two branches off to the sides. If I'm gonna hazard a guess, the branch here. . . [he gestures to the right, to the path that leads to the treasure room] Is locked somehow.

And the keys are located here. . . [and thennnn he gestures to the left, to the path that leads to a dead end]

[justichthys]

Mmhm, that's how it usually goes … [ she leans in closer, brushing up companionably against his side. ] I'm not sure I like the sound of a "hatchery," but I'd rather cover our bases than get all the way to the treasure room only to find out that it really is locked.

[carptricks]

Ha ha. You're telling me. And after our experiences with that raptor nest, I get the feeling the hatchery is the least of our troubles.

[another push of the button and the 3D hologram map vanishes]

The doors must be further down the hallway.

[justichthys]

[ … ]

[ She shudders a bit at the mention of the raptor's nest, because she ssssure does have like. Five. Versions of that memory? It's hard to think about without getting a headache. ]

Hopefully this will go better than that did … [ Mutters, and then, more loudly: ] Okay! Let's go. I'll watch our backs. [ Because she does not trust this darkness, and between the two of them they'll hopefully be able to spot any trouble before it hits them. ]

[carptricks]

[shhh the one that ended with us alive and a love confession is the right one]

I'll take the front, then.

[AND WITH THAT, he presses his hand against his weapon again and creeps sloooowly forward, into the darkness]

[justichthys]

[ SEE, EVEN THE ONES THAT ENDED WITH US ALIVE HAVE SLIGHT VARIATIONS IN TONE it is very confusing, okay ]

[ She silently creeps after him, ears pricked for anything that sounds out of place. There's got to be something here determined to stop them, and damnit, she will see it before it can hit them!1 ]

[soulping]

[YOU CREEP]

[the lights continue to flicker above you, and you think you can hear some clanging or crashing or mumbling sounds beyond the walls. but nothing leaps out from the unknown and attacks you]

[eventually, the darkness gives way to the corridor's ending. you can see two doors, one on either side of you: the right one is marked MESS HALL and is splattered with some kind of. . . brown, gravy-like substance. the left one is marked INFIRMARY and is spattered with blood]

[ur welcome]

[from behind you, far behind you, you hear the sound of claws scraping against metal]