[say]"Oh, you're Ascended,"[/say] Cam realized. They wondered if they should have figured it out earlier, but how? Probably best not to assume things like that about people. [say]"Cool."[/say]
Cam chuckled at Nikolai's annoyance -- and, yes, at his pout. [say]"This is definitely more intense than carving pumpkins for Halloween. And the seeds still get everywhere."[/say] They waved their stick, now coated with gourd innards, to prove the point, even as they realized that the concept of "Halloween" was probably completely foreign to Nikolai.
[say]"Hmm ..."[/say] Cam looked at the few remaining gourds. Was there some way to lure them over the cliff, perhaps? Something vampire gourds liked? As far as Cam could tell, they only liked biting. [say]"I've got nothing. Let's just toss them."[/say]
And they suited action to words, grabbing one of the largest remaining gourds and heaving it over the edge. Unfortunately, their foot slipped on a patch of slimy pumpkin guts, and they started to trip towards the edge themself.
08-11-2021, 02:29 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-11-2021, 02:29 AM by Nikolai.)
Nikolai grinned, fangs flashing as a small chuckle escaped. [say]"Yes. Very cool."[/say] His Ascension was still very new, still exciting and a source of pride. Sending a quick glance towards Cam as he kicked another pumpkin over the cliff, he asked, [say]"You're an Accepted right?"[/say] They didn't seem to have any obvious Attuned, Abandoned, or Ascended traits, so Accepted seemed the most likely.
At the lack of any further plan, Nikolai shrugged. [say]"Works for me."[/say] Nikolai was just about to return to stabbing when he saw movement in the corner of his eye. Whipping around his eyes widened as he saw Cam begin to go over the edge.
[say]"Shit!"[/say] Leaping forward, Nikolai attempted to grab their hand before they fell. If he succeeded, he'd pull them up. Otherwise, he'd shield them as they both fell, given that he wouldn't feel the pain of impact. If he survived that was.
[say]"Yeah, for now,"[/say] Cam confirmed. [say]"I've been thinking about becoming Ascended. It seems like a pretty good deal. I mean, how is it for you?"[/say]
From the way Nikolai smiled when identifying himself as Ascended, Cam guessed that his reply would be positive. In fact, Cam hadn't met any Ascended yet who seemed to regret or question the choice they'd made. That seemed like a good sign.
Cam almost falling over the cliff, on the other hand, was most definitely a bad sign. Nikolai managed to pull them back; they tumbled to the ground, but the ground on top of the cliff, making their fall a few feet rather than a thousand. Coughing in the dirt, Cam looked up at Nikolai. [say]"Sorry! Two left feet ... Oh, wow, thanks. I think you just saved my life."[/say]
Nikolai found himself giving the Accepted a rare smile. [say]"I love it. Best choice I've ever made."[/say] Truly his life, and his mom's life, had changed instantly. Suddenly surrounded by support and newfound family, new opportunities appearing at every corner. It was incredible. Nikolai's mom had smiled more in the months since she'd Ascended then he'd seen in all of his childhood. It made him happier and more thankful then he could ever express. Nikolai would live and die for the Voice and for his fellow Ascended without hesitation.
Although he couldn't feel the pain of impact, it still causes Nikolai's stomach to drop as they fell. He was relieved that he'd caught them however and as he scanned them, even more so to see them unharmed. [say]"Careful, that could have been horrible."[/say] Their thanks however had the Ascended flushing and stepping back shyly. [say]"Ah.. you...you're welcome. You can pay me back another time." [/say]
Internally Nikolai was cursing himself. Why couldn't he take any form of gratitude or compliment without losing his cool? It was horribly inconvenient.
[say]"Good to hear."[/say] Cam appreciated the encouragement they'd received from all the Ascended they'd spoken to. Considering how heavily they were learning towards Ascending -- how they ultimately weren't sure they had much choice -- it was good to hear that the people who'd done it had no regrets.
[say]"Yeah."[/say] Brushing themself off, Cam couldn't help shuddering. They really did not need to cut their whole adventure in Caido short by falling off a cliff, especially for a reason so stupid as "lost my balance while chucking pumpkins." [/say]"Uh, sure, I'll do my best."[/say]
They really weren't sure how they could pay Nikolai back for saving their life, but they were willing to try.
Glancing around, Cam added, [say]"I think that's the last of them. I don't know about you, but I've had enough of cliff-sides for now. Think I'm going to head home."[/say]
- FIN
