"Sorry," he murmured, trying to make his touch lighter still until he had cleaned the wound enough to ascertain that she hadn't damaged her eye. "Here, hold this in place until the bleeding slows." He smiled, letting his hand be squeezed and wondering a little as he felt no desire to flinch away from the touch. It was something his friend needed, and something so small to give that not even his ever-present burden of memory and guilt could quite justify denying himself the pleasure of being appreciated. "You did nothing wrong," he reassured her gently, though his smile was a little lopsided. "But this is a good warning to be careful, moving forward. We don't know what those stars are... servants of Safrin, perhaps, but that doesn't mean they think or do anything but show the way. Or that they recognize the difficulties of those who have to travel by foot rather than floating," he added ruefully, nodding at the pit.
He sat back as she looked down, his own gaze finally seeking out the star - just as it disappeared ahead into what looked like solid stone. Eyes narrowing, he didn't look back to see Amalia leaning over the pit until she spoke, and he sighed a negative to her second question. "The star disappeared. I can't tell from here for sure but... I think the path ends ahead. I'll go double check, though, and be back in a minute." He grimaced as he stood, dusting himself off. "If it is a dead end we've got a long walk back... unless the tunnels continue down there." He gave the pit a thoughtful nod, thinking of a trap they'd come across in the Smoking Tower that had a similar layout.
But for the moment he collected Seiji's lantern and advanced towards where he last saw the star, running his hands over the stone wall that blocked their forward progress and studying it with a critical eye to try and find a switch or key to indicate a door to a hidden passage beyond.
He sat back as she looked down, his own gaze finally seeking out the star - just as it disappeared ahead into what looked like solid stone. Eyes narrowing, he didn't look back to see Amalia leaning over the pit until she spoke, and he sighed a negative to her second question. "The star disappeared. I can't tell from here for sure but... I think the path ends ahead. I'll go double check, though, and be back in a minute." He grimaced as he stood, dusting himself off. "If it is a dead end we've got a long walk back... unless the tunnels continue down there." He gave the pit a thoughtful nod, thinking of a trap they'd come across in the Smoking Tower that had a similar layout.
But for the moment he collected Seiji's lantern and advanced towards where he last saw the star, running his hands over the stone wall that blocked their forward progress and studying it with a critical eye to try and find a switch or key to indicate a door to a hidden passage beyond.
