[SE] good will hunting

I can't control their fear, only my own.

His next step sinks lower than the last, water reaching up to his calf and into his boot with an uncomfortable seeping of cold water into his sock. Zavien sighs down at the muddy depths but doesn't pull his boot from it. "I think I prefer the maze in King's End," he says to Kai, his gaze sweeping suspiciously to the brambles that line their path ahead and behind. "I swear the path keeps changing here." Being the worst at directions, he could be wrong, but his gut never lies and something about the hedges bothers him. 

Sol has refused to walk with them, flying ahead like a quiet sentry to scout the path towards the center, a golden glint in the otherwise overcast sky. When Zavien looks up to him, he tilts his head, trying to ascertain if his companion has spotted the plant he'd described, but he didn't feel any shift along the bond to indicate as much. "Hopefully the Efas herb isn't too much farther." Supposedly, the medicinal plant sits in the center of the Labyrinth, its healing properties guarded by the winding path. They'd agreed that it would make an impressive offering for the Flower Festival later in the season.

Zavien

I will never be too afraid to bleed, giving all of me

Wearing bright red goloshers that go up to his knee like a very practical stripper, Kaisel wades after Zavien through the labyrinth. Despite his rather dry socks, his mouth is turned down into a chebis slug worthy frown. He finds little comfort in nature normally, but this soupy version really isn't earning any stars from him. 1/5 on TripAdvisor after this. "Agreeeed," he groans after Zavien about the King's End labyrinth.

"That one felt like it changed to and would scratch you up, on account of all the roses though." Which still ranks it higher than this one, but is worth noting it's also no picnic in the park. "Can't even leave a trail on the ground here either. It'll just float away." Thankfully they do have the dragon guide, although Sol's distant enough right now, still scouting instead of directing, that they're just blindly meandering.

"I just wanna know what crazy gardener came up with the idea of labyrinths." Even as he says it, he can perfectly picture Mateo doing some shit like this. He shakes his head, batting away a stray branch that leans out for him with hsi chakram. "I mean, I appreciate the challenge, but I'd rather fight something than wander in circles."

Kaisel

I'll be more than just a fable, I'll be written in the stars

I can't control their fear, only my own.

At least the roses are nicer to look at, and his socks don't squelch uncomfortably in his socks - or try to steal his boots. When he lifts his foot, the deep water and mud hold fast to his shoe, earning another glare as Zavien rips his leg from its grasp. "Mhm. This is like its creepy cousin." And without a path back, it would be that much easier for the swampy labyrinth to swallow them whole, leaving no trail for people to find them - or their bodies. 

But Zavien isn't much of a pessimist and he trusts his companion to get them out of this maze. As for who made it, he scans the paths that are more twisted than the thoughts of whoever came up with it. "Someone with a sick sense of humor." He tilts his head, another thought occurring as he adds, "Or something to hide." As long as the person has no plans to retrieve it again later. 

He looks to Kai when the man slashes a stray branch, his own sword held at the ready. "You and me both." Looking closer at the hedges, he shrugs his shoulders, looking ready to take a swing. "We can always start hacking." Whether that forges a new path or just pisses off the sentient plants, it might be better than wandering and waiting to stumble on the right route.

Zavien