hot_mess_express | Partners In Peril: Klarion and Cat

Partners In Peril: Klarion and Cat

[Whether willing or just, there comes a magical shove to force you and someone else through the door leading down into the earth.]

[The passageway is cold, but at least it's well lit. Albeit with flames of blue fire.]

[It goes down, down, down, until you reach the first part....]

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[Does the ice seem to...slow?]

[Ever so slightly?]

Warmth and growth sound nice right about now.

[But he does notice the change. What is it she said that brought it on?]

Is it warmth? But does the spring bring the warmth, or does it come after the warmth is already there?

They do. I don't often get cold like this. I remember being able to walk around without a coat in winter. But trials can affect how your body works if it's inconvenient.

I don't know. I know in winter, people often eat special foods together, which is a sort of warmth. I don't have that many memories, but I remember Mama Rei cooking holiday stew for my brother and I.

[The ice was creeping closer to them, faster towards Cat, but seems to slow a bit when she talks about her family.]

[The windigos bray loudly, stomping hard at the air.]

[It's still so cold but Cat's story is calming somehow.]

... I don't have any memories yet. I don't know if I'll ever get them back, or if I want to. But your Mama sounds nice.

And I, um, I made soup for everyone earlier this morning. It wasn't much, but I tried.

It's hard being new with no memories. You don't know anything and it can be very frustrating. And usually, the first few memories raise more questions than they answer. For instance, Mama Rei is my adopted mother. I know my mother is dead, but not how I met Mama Rei or when. And not much about my mother when she was alive.

You... did a good job with this game. Everything I asked you to do. Normally games like this are played in teams, which is easier than with strangers.

[There's more cries from the windigo, loud and aggressive, the wind getting harsher.]

[But the ice isn't.]

[Now it seems like they're trying just to scare them, but things haven't gotten worse. Klarion moves closer to Cat.]

I did not do all that much, but I tried a little. You did most of the work. I... [He seems lost for words.] ...I didn't expect you to go as far as you did. For me, a stranger. You didn't have to. But you did anyway and that was...

[He shakes his head.] You didn't have to.

I did. Because you let me take the upper path, even though it seemed riskier at the time. You put yourself in my hands, which meant I had to be worthy of that trust.

[winces]

But, in retrospect, I should have asked what you were willing to let me decide. It might have been more equitable. I'm used to doing this with my team, where we all argue about who gets to be the foolish self-sacrificing one.

[There's a loud cry from the creatures, and they're shuffling back.]

[And now the ice is actually starting to receded, from them, and a hole starting to form in the entrance.]

[The two of them are also starting to warm up finally.]

If you let me take the high road, I cannot say I would have been as self-sacrificing as you.

[He definitely wouldn't have been. Too much of him is rooted in self-preservation. And again, they hadn't really known each other.]

[He smiles at her.] I still don't really get it, but your team must be a funny bunch.

[The warm is what alerts him to the change, and he grabs for Cat's arm, tugging her towards the exit.] Oh! We can leave!

I'm sure Senna is odd in its own way.

[she doesn't need to be told twice]

Let's leave, yes.

[Well, almost. A hole is forming in the ice.]

[But it'll take some squeezing to get out at this point and probably a helping hand.]

[He regards the hole with curiosity.]

Do you think I could squeeze through? Maybe I could pull you through from the other side?

That sounds like a plan. Go ahead.

Yes! Okay!

[He's going to start trying to squeeze through.]

[It's a tight squeeze, even for Klarion. He's liable to get stuck with just his own power.]

I'm going to push you through. Tell me if I need to stop.

If that doesn't work, I can try talking more about my family.

[He struggles, but having help will definitely been a good idea.]

Alright! Give me a push, and I'll do what I can!

[time to push, and hard]

[It's still a tight fit.]

[But as Cat starts helping, the hole seems to get bigger and bigger, until finally Klarion can squeeze through..]

[The windigos are whinnying and making the wind howl louder, but they don't seem able to approach.]

[He hits the end and falls through, barely catching himself at the last second. Not even caring about what's on the other side, he reaches back, trying to pull Cat through.]

I know you can make it! I'll help you as much as I can!

[And he'll pull as much as he can without hurting her.]

[gets her own arms through so he has something to grip, and starts to scramble with her legs to push as Klarion pulls]

[As Klarion grabs Cat's hands and pulls, there's a bigger burst of warmth inside them]

[And the ice melts a lot more. Not completely, but easily enough the two fall through to endgame.]

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Partners In Peril: Klarion and Cat

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