Vanya’s eyebrows rose with the creature that held the box, and she pursed her lips as Ronin’s arm slipped around her waist. Her eyes didn’t leave the thing, but she did keep herself pressed to his side. It was awfully… tall. And it’s voice grated on her ears, such an unpleasant sound, and the osprey wasn’t sure she liked the feeling of this - that thing and this bridge and its voice. That box though… that she was curious about.

Her eyes flickered up to Ronin when he gave his word, and she scoffed with a smile. Cheeky bastard, she almost said, but she wasn’t sure if that figure would decide to take one of those words as her answer. Instead she elbowed him gently before flicking nutmeg eyes back to the figure. The box.

”And,” Vanya spoke up, a small smile flickering over her lips as she let the sound of question tilt her word to the creature. And, because there had to be a catch right? No way all it wanted was a word. A word and what else? What would it take to see what in all the Ocean’s depths was in that box?

He took a breath, steadying himself against the rising and falling voices of the gathered crowd. There were quite a few who came to investigate the curious creature and the even more curious box it held. He would be lying to say he wasn’t itching for the chance to know what was inside.

He listened to the people’s offered words, some bringing an all-too-rare grin to his face and others making him scowl. You don’t question or challenge creepy mystery creatures! That should be common sense to people, but apparently not! Some of these newcomers might not have been as bright as they probably thought.

Desmond tilted his held just barely, looking from the box to the creature and back again. ”Wonder,” he said, just loud enough for his voice to carry, glancing around at the others around him.

Kalt narrowed his eyes at the creature, as it continued to approach one step at a time. Needless to say, he didn’t like it. Regardless, his curiosity and need to know was seething directly underneath his skin. If he hadn’t been standing near the back of the crowd, his gall alone would’ve made him take a step closer to the creature with each step it took towards them.

The next request was another answer, though this one was extremely enticing…

Jump off a bridge into an opaque cloud of eerie mist just with the promise of a cloaked creature holding a box that he would be safe. He did idiotic bullshit like that at least daily in his old life. Even here, his first interaction with Ashe had him literally jumping through her lightning to keep his identity hidden. Dumb luck and blind faith had worked for him so far.

Then, wide blue eyes flashed through his mind, and Kalt released a slow sigh, running his fingers through his hair.

”Once upon a time,” he started with a grin, ”I would’ve probably jumped from the bridge without the offer of a reward. Just for the sheer exhilaration, itself. Now, my life doesn’t belong to me, but to my daughter. I’m afraid I couldn’t take that risk.”

Gods above, if it wasn’t for Theea, he probably would have shoved his way to the front and been the first to volunteer.

Well…

Desmond looked around with a cautious energy, listening to people. He liked listening; it gave him an idea of who it was that surrounded him. This question seemed to bring the bravery out in some and the caution out in others. For a moment, Desmond wondered if the next task would be leaping into the pit to prove the answers.

”Yes,” he said simply. He offered no explanation of his answer, but given the fact that the creature was able to pull the woman’s name from her mind, he had a feeling he wouldn’t need to verbally explain himself for the creature to know he was being honest.

For Desmond, it was kind of a win-win situation. Either he stepped off the bridge and proved that the creature wasn’t lying and life went on with a reward. Or…he fell. Whatever the result, Desmond’s answer was the same. He might hesitate at first, as was human nature, but he would without a doubt take the leap.