voicetest the voiceless

[focusedvoid]

They're not dead.

Less dead than they'd felt, at least. Their shell doesn't normally take so long to reform.

Then again. Their shell doesn't usually break of their own violation as they ascended in a boiling rage, ate at least one realm, a god, and all the Godseekers.

(That last point is debatable, actually. There's some odd sense, deep under their...shell? Void? Wherever they once stored things like Isma's Tear, much deeper now...that the sea-mind is still there, sluggish and held in a stasis. They're already adjusting enough, and they don't seem to be dying or trying to kill them, so that problem is neatly sorted as 'for later'.)

They push their body to stand. Their horn clangs uncomfortably loudly against the grate they've apparently woken up beneath. They're somewhere in the Royal Waterways. A quick check of the map--or, not so quick, as it takes time to locate where it had been--shows they've risen about halfway through, closer to the City of Tears than the White Palace. They'll go to the Stag Station in the City Storerooms next.

So they think. Complications arise on the way.

The Infection is gone, leaving dead Flukes, Pilflips, and Hwurmps in piles enough it takes time to force their way past. Their body seems too small. No, their body is fine--there's something wrong with perception itself. That will take time to adjust to.

Then, they discover the Monarch Wings now stretch and warp when used, twisting around the nearest pipes after landing before the Knight forcibly calls them back. Shade Wings, they decide to call these.

Once they're high enough to hear the rain above, they realize a noise they'd ascribed to water running in the distance is, in fact, something swirling behind their mask. Many somethings. All the fragments of Siblings with enough self left, staring out from their eyes. It's disconcerting.

By the time they actually get out of the Waterways, they're using their Shade Wings to grip ledges and drag themselves up, with those holding onto things better than their own arms are with the Mantis Claw. 

The Knight faceplants awkwardly onto the floor of the building Lemm's shop is in. If the City is the same as below, there's little left to try killing them in the area.

They'll just take a moment here, thanks.

Comments

[focusedvoid]

Hallownest is dangerous, even while they might not need to consider threats like Aspids anymore (and, truthfully, they're not sure if all of them are gone). Those are a lower number compared to the nastier areas--they'd been primarily focused on spikes, all those corpses laid out and plain to see. Acid is more plentiful in other places. And worse. The Fools threw their slain down into it for a reason. Even the thickest shells and armor would disappear.

The selfish, dark urge to keep Lemm back keeps crawling to the forefront; the Knight continues to push it back. That would be cruel. Unfair. They promised they wouldn't hurt him. That would, no matter how kind their intentions.

They come to a conclusion. An idea. He may not like it. Probably won't. It's the best they can offer.

They write out a note and slide out to the front of the shop.

Their initial attempt at stealth is stymied when the cloak they wear catches on quite a few objects he has stored in the back.

[capitalcurator]

He looks up with a jerk as he hears the rustling. They take a little longer to emerge than he was expecting, though, and the tension of it is somewhat dulled. By the time they reach the desk he's a bit more prepared.

"Still wearing that old thing..." he observes, his voice almost as quiet as it was earlier. He is testing the waters. They may be about to tear into him.

He can see they're carrying a note, anyway, so Lemm braces himself. When they're close enough he instinctively leans an inch closer to read it.

[focusedvoid]

They haven't found a need to take it off yet. They'll wait until--...whenever it feels right. Or he asks directly.

The paper is set on the counter, before the discomfort under their shell can get them to stop.

I see you've made it this far. That is a fact worthy of pride.

Hallownest is a place that does not discriminate in who it kills and when. I don't want you to be one of them. (They don't actually remember their final furious note related to that. It was written under severe stress, after all, and they'd expect it would've been destroyed somewhere on the way if they did.) I am not perfect. I have failed many times in my own travels. Still, I believe I'm more qualified than nearly anyone, and the most willing.
I can act as guide and guard.
No Geo necessary.

They do not move as Lemm reads it. If their claws dig into the inner fabric, well. That won't be discovered until later.

[capitalcurator]

He scritches his beard idly as he reads, and it takes him longer than usual to finish. (He reads it twice, and carefully.)

Normally his response would be tailored clean of anything meaningful and appropriately dipped in acid, because that's how he's always done it. But Lemm has done a lot of thinking today.

"I didn't expect another chance, Knight. I'd say it's unwise of you but I'm the one who asked for it. And I still want it, that's still... still true."

He folds his arms on the desk, watching them with an air of extreme discomfort.

"Before I say anything else about this I should say I'm sorry, first. Erm..." He doesn't want to sit there squirming while he waits for them to acknowledge, and he does very much want to give them a proper response to what they've offered. But this, first. First. It's important. "I'm sorry, and I want you to hear me say it. I don't say it often, and I haven't meant it in quite a while. And I don't want you thinking any of that was your fault, because," Lemm gestures vaguely to himself, "you know."

He hesitantly slides the paper back towards them just a tiny bit. Like - like he really, really wants a response, here. Really very much.

[focusedvoid]

...They take this as permission to clamber onto the counter properly. It puts the two them on a more even plane, and gives them a moment to think.

Settling down and draping the end of the cloak off the edge, they slowly respond.

Thank you. I am grateful for it. And I am sorry that I made a mess of your shop and frightened you.

I'm still

Long pause, as they think about using a more vague word. Ultimately, they decide against it. He isn't the only one being vulnerable, no matter how hard it is to make their quill form the right shapes.

hurt/upset about it. But I accept your apology.

[capitalcurator]

He noticed the pause, but he won't say anything to that. He's not fond of expressing himself either. Still leaning on his folded arms, Lemm gives them a nod.

"Never mind that. The shock's probably what made my mind start working - I'd forgotten who I was talking to. Anyway, it's fair enough."

Lemm reaches out to lift the corner of the page and eyes their earlier proposal again. He thought he'd feel conflicted about it, but this is not the case. It's actually a relief.

"I was going to let you put some limits on me -" he taps his open map implicitly - "but I think I like your idea much better. You should know I'm not used to travelling with anyone else, though. It'll take some getting used to and I can't promise it'll be smooth."

[focusedvoid]

Forgotten who he was talking to. They're not sure how to take that. If only Lemm were writing, they could underline it.

They stare into his face, as though they can read into it. They decide it isn't meant to be insulting. Concerning, possibly. But his needling something painful as this...shouldn't happen again. At least it seems unlikely. The apology coming out like a bad molt added layers of convincing to his comfort, earlier.

The Knight agrees. There's too much Hallownest to name every danger on a map. I haven't had to travel with anyone in a significant time either. We'll both have problems. I believe we can work through them.

[capitalcurator]

There are probably those with masks that express more than he is expressing right now.

While he parses the words on the page he can feel them staring.

"...Yes," he says simply, and refuses to look up. Why are they looking at him. "I would hope so."

Lemm is quiet for a moment.

"'No Geo' isn't quite right. I'll lay no claim to anything that doesn't hold historic interest, I think, at least while we're working together. S'fair, isn't it?"

[focusedvoid]

A half-shrug, emphasized with their arm being flung out far, to be better visible with the cloak.

I take what I want and don't care if you do too. I don't keep that many things.

And on the sudden topic of claiming things... Greenhorn wants to come along some time and for you to tell them about "things". Would that work? The Knight doesn't want to let them loose in the back room. Lemm is acting carefully enough they might secure unfair permission.

[capitalcurator]

"Hm."

Lemm twiddles his thumbs a bit. He doesn't have to think too hard about that one, either, though this time he's not sure he should let it seem like he was so quickly won over.

Ah, whatever. He should be a bit less closed around the Knight, now. Besides, they just had a heart-to-heart that... honestly knocked him off his feet a bit, and he's still feeling a bit fuzzy around the edges.

"Being given free rein to talk about all the things I know is not exactly my idea of a business expense. And they were well behaved for a little one. I think." He clears his throat. "You'll have to listen to it all, you know - unless you plan on playing the role of hired guard from a mile away. It sounds to me like you're the one paying the price here." There is a rather amused tone to him right now, though he's not showing it on his face yet.

[focusedvoid]

They don't care about payment in the first place, and listening to him talk is hardly a pain in itself. The Knight has no illusions over what half the job is going to be, wandering specifically to research history.

Much cheaper than having to listen to Zote.

Pray to the Shade Lord you two never meet. They add that last part tentatively.

[capitalcurator]

Lemm leans his face on his hands and continues chatting like he's as serious as ever.

"No, I like the sound of that after all. May we both find our way to the same room and see which one comes out still talking."

The amusement finishes creeping its way into his voice when he talks next. It is the vocal equivalent of a smirk.

"Answer many prayers, do you? I could do with another hundred Hallownest Seals."

[focusedvoid]

Before Lemm can get the whole thing out, they're yanking the cloak down over their face. No. Absolutely not. That's a complete nightmare scenario. Don't torment them so.

...Then they pull it halfway up, just enough to free one eye.

Sadly, the Shade Lord isn't the type to create things from nowhere. Request a bit of making mess instead for more luck.

The Knight doesn't actually know this. The entire Higher Being issue is strange. They...maybe could make copies from Void, now that they think about it. That could be studied, but of course wouldn't be authentic.

[capitalcurator]

"Heh."

...He's quick to mask his affection before they can emerge from the fabric enough to see it. His face settles on vaguely good-humoured, instead.

"Ah, now that I've heard. In fact some historians believe the Lord of Shades to be capable of creating a Void snap that can muddle an entire room of organised relic collection in seconds flat." He nods sagely, eyes twinkling in a very un-Lemm-like way. "S'why I don't organise mine much, you see. It's a prevention measure."

[focusedvoid]

If only they knew how to make a tiny Abyssal Shriek.

It seems you're the most blessed and knowledgeable on the subject.

And now the Knight, quite un-Knightly, is fully hidden under the cloak. No Lord of Shades here, nope. Just a pile of fabric.

[capitalcurator]

He laughs at that, no longer caring to put on the aloof pretense. It's funny. This is a funny conversation, suddenly. There was a worrisome little pang of fear that maybe he was pushing it, but their writing seems to imply they're taking this very well.

"Maybe we will get along, you and I." He sounds curious - and hopeful, that much is obvious.

Lemm is hesitant when he puts out a hand to softly ruffle the fabric on the top of their head, but there are such things as calculated risks. It only takes a second and then he returns his hand to his face.

"It's strange, but I don't find myself dreading the company. You really do give me too many chances."

[focusedvoid]

The fabric lump bops up a tiny bit, lightly startled. Not enough to immediately pull the cloak back into place, slumping down to play dramatic a little more before they finally shuffle it back to almost-correct configuration.

The Knight tries to think of something to say to that (they thought they'd been getting along reasonably well so far, compared to what this could be). But no words come.

Rather than reaching for the quill, they give Lemm a deep nod-bow.

[capitalcurator]

Being bowed to by a stranger is one matter, and after a conversation or two that usually becomes a rare thing in itself. But being bowed to by the Lord of Shades -

- It's not like that, he thinks. The Knight doesn't speak, but there are things that must be conveyed regardless and sometimes only a gesture will do. No voice to cry suffering. Absolutely the first thing he's going to address in the record. Anything is a voice if you use it that way, as he's finding.

He does not make a habit of bowing to Higher Beings, but he can make a habit of using the same voice as a friend.

Lemm pulls back and quite unceremoniously dips his head low in return.

[focusedvoid]

The reciprocation is startling in and of itself. The Knight goes stock-still, bewildered.

...They figure it's a thank you. Their first instinct is to bow back again, which would be strange. Possibly confusing Lemm back. Not necessary at the moment. They still can't help a sort of twitch.

Hopefully more smoothly than other times, they decide to push things forward. They lean over to pat Lemm's map aimlessly, lightly prompting.

[capitalcurator]

It - it's received well? He thinks? Or is it. Hard to tell. It feels like it might be a positive. He moves on, but he holds onto that.

"Ah. Hallownest." Onto the planning. He's never (successfully) done this with anyone else before, and Lemm studies the map with some trepidation. His hand fidgets into a drawer and comes up with the pins the Knight gave him.

There are a lot of places he's been, and he's reasonably confident on his own survival. But the Knight is not. That's what the whole terrible thing was about.

Lemm skims across the map and considers: a simple one first, maybe. Not too far. He's heard sometimes people will test the waters with a shorter trip before they're confident with each other enough for longer -

Ugh. Interpersonal rubbish. Lemm points vaguely at the Crossroads after considering said interpersonal rubbish.

"I've been there, but not everywhere. W- I'd have to visit a few places sooner or later. Might make for a practice run."

[focusedvoid]

The Crossroads. Not incredibly interesting to the Knight after all their times passing through it. Relieving, though, now that it isn't filled with burning sickness. There were enough hints of the world hidden under Dirtmouth to pique their interest the first time, they do recall that much. There must be much they hadn't had the context to see a Relic Seeker would.

They nod, returning to paper.

If you haven't been there recently, I broke some new places open. The worst of the Infection's rotted away. It smells less(?) Elderbug complained about the sickly-sweetness they couldn't catch the scent of, and mentioned its absence aboveground. It should be down by now...?

[capitalcurator]

"I've been there recently," he interrupts, unthinking, just wanting to say so.

...Not what they were looking for - that's what some might call a shutdown. Sheepishly, Lemm elaborates after they finish their sentence.

"I've been to Greenpath and back." Smells less... Lemm shakes his head, suddenly, bristling. "Smells less," he concludes. There is a gravity to it. "It's gone now, so I'll study what's left. Anywhere you know that's new to me, you'll guide me there." He taps the map with a finger.

[focusedvoid]

The Knight doesn't falter at the interruption. It's not a question to answer, and they're fairly used to it by now.

They reach over and tap right where he had to match. Yes, that's the agreement. Althouhg they don't know where he hasn't been, other than checking out the Temple of the Black Egg and the Egg itself, so near Dirtmouth.

(Elderbug said some went to pray there. They wonder if their Sibling may have heard some of it. An odd thought they shake off for the present.)

Most of the west side isn't blocked off anymore, and a Stag Station is open on that side.

[capitalcurator]

Once again Lemm is reminded the Stag Station is an option and he looks direly unenthusiastic about it.

It is literally the fastest and most convenient way and he knows it. Begrudgingly he starts his finger at the Crossroads Station and traces a few paths from there. Notably, all of them directly pass the Temple.

"If I - we take a circular route then... I'd like to take another look at the way into Fog Canyon, but -" quickly, with a meaningful glance at the Knight "- I won't be seeing Monomon just yet. I just want to be sure of the way to the Archives. It's important to be prepared."

[focusedvoid]

They're not sure why he seems so displeased. Perhaps he's easily motionsick.

The Temple's inclusion is given no comment. It's only natural he'd want to take another look. The Knight certainly had, long before they knew its significance.

That sounds agreeable enough...mostly. The way to Fog Canyon leaves them uneasy. They make sure to point at the wiggling lines at the bottom of the room just prior to it. There's acid. We'll need to be very careful.