We're Gonna Have to Go Through It

Adam Some things you do just to see how bad they'll make you feel Sometimes you try to freeze time 'til the slots are a blur of spinning wheels Adam was bored. Adam was drunk. That was not, generally, a good combination. Or at least, it was a combination that usually resulted in Adam having a lot of fun and people around him having to pick up the pieces of his fun. Because you couldn't be drunk and bored on your own. You had to find someone to share it with. He walked about aimlessly, a half-lit smoke in his fingers and a slight wobble in his step, until he found himself near Maea's farm. Adam scrunched up his face and regarded her house. Would she be a good adventuring companion..? (He had decided in the second prior an adventure was what he was doing) ...No. She wasn't bold enough to be a natural at it, but not awkward enough to be funny watching. No, he needed someone at either end of the hero - nerd scale. Adam scanned the horizon looking for someone suitable...then like a beautiful beacon made of black fabrics, he saw Peter in a nearby field. Stood, looking out forlornly into the distance (or so Adam thought. He was a bit far to really see what he was doing). God, he looked like such a dork. He was perfect. Adam bounded over, leaning against the wall of the field to yell: "HEY! Do you wanna go on an adventure?!" But I am just a broken machine And I do things that I don't really mean

Peter, for his part, had no idea of the chaos he was about to be embroiled in. He was actually having a rare moment of peace, watching the sheep in their pens. Logically, he knew he shouldn’t get attaches, but he had always liked animals, even if he had had nothing but bad experiences with them. There was even a soft smile stretched across his face, another rarity for him. The sound of stumbling footsteps reached him before anything, and Peter was already turning around as Adam called out to him. His brows knit together in a quiet confusion, yet his feet still moved him closer despite it. Adam stank, the smell of cider all but soaked into him. It was so bad Peter couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose as he approached, not bothering to hide the expression. ”Adventure?” He repeated incredulously, trying not to look like he was considering it. Adam was drunk, and difficult to read, and loud, but Peter couldn’t consider him a danger. If push cane to shove, he was certain he could handle him. So really, it came down to what he wanted. Peter took a long time to consider, longer than he needed, but no part of him wanted to say yes too soon and give Adam some reason to... gloat, or something. Eventually, he shrugged, and climbed over the fence separating them easily. ”What kind of adventure?” Peter try, try your whole life to be righteous and good

Adam Some things you do just to see how bad they'll make you feel Sometimes you try to freeze time 'til the slots are a blur of spinning wheels Peter, of course, seemed very interested in his suggestion. How could anyone turn it down? When Adam Pikely came to you and told you there was adventure to be had, you took him up on it. It was almost a law. "Uh...it's..." Blankly for a moment staring as Peter climbed the wall (and momentarily perhaps being distracted by the slender, neat lines of his legs, the delicate hands and feet littered with scars that actually caught the light in a nice way) Adam tried to work out exactly what the adventure would be. "...It's.." Think. Think. "Oh yeah! It's exploring the ruins down by the market and stuff." Adam paused for a moment as if to check this with himself then nodded. "There's just gotta be treasure there, right? Or some kinda mystical shit? Someone's gotta go check it out. So what do you say?" But I am just a broken machine And I do things that I don't really mean

As soon as he was solidly back on two feet, Peter hunched down, shrinking under Adams gaze. He knew he was awkward, and covered in ugly ropes of scars, but that didn’t mean he liked the way Adams eyes lingered on him. It wasn’t difficult to imagine the judgement running through his mind, especially considering how... pretty (Peter hated making this admission, even in the safety of his own mind) Adam himself was. ”It’s not... big here. Wouldn’t other... oth... someone else have checked it?” Peter pointed out, not that it stopped him from following along to where Adam led. Even if they found nothing, it was a way to spend some time. Something he could pretend was a purpose, for the afternoon. The fields disappeared behind them quickly, Peter stealing sidelong glances at the other man when he thought they wouldn’t be noticed. Before them, the settlement rose up, dirt paths replaced by rough cobblestone. Peters attention shifted then, taking in the people who wandered here and there, until they were past the bulk of the settlement and into the ruins proper. It was a little strange to Peter how quickly the scenery shifted in such a small place. Looking around them, Peter wondered if Adam had an actual plan, or if he was simply going to wander until something caught his eye. More than likely the latter, but... ”Where now?” Adam seemed like he would need some help staying focused, and Peter was happier when he could pretend someone else had a plan. Peter try, try your whole life to be righteous and good

Adam Some things you do just to see how bad they'll make you feel Sometimes you try to freeze time 'til the slots are a blur of spinning wheels "Pfff." Adam waved his hands dismissively. "Someone mighta been there, sure, but they weren't us. We're special, so we'll find something better." This was said with an utmost confidence as if it were obvious, that Peter was stupid for not realising their ordained adventuring privilege. Gladly, Peter followed him. As they walked Adam chattered on (mostly to himself, it seemed) about everything and nothing, his home and his future and the quality of ciders here as opposed to the best bars back home. Before he really knew it they were in the ruins, crumbled buildings and remains of pillars around them like architectural ghosts. Not that Adam was in any state to make such poetic observations on his surroundings; he stumbled back to sit on a little wall and looked around. It seemed like they were in what had once been a residential street in a nice area. "Well...these houses look posh, right? Maybe we'll find something in one of them." He wobbled up and headed to a random door, looked back to Peter as he passed through the threshold. "Maybe we can see a ghost." But I am just a broken machine And I do things that I don't really mean

Peter couldn’t help but be glad once they reached the ruins. The entire walk, Adam had talked about whatever thing seemed to pop into his mind. It was both envious and incredibly frustrating for Peter. He had no idea how to respond, if he was allowed to respond, and most importantly, what he would respond with. At least once they’d reached their destination, Adam quieted down, regarding the area around them the same as Oeter had. Adams observation had Peter looking more closely at the bones of the houses that had once stood around them. They were bigger than the ones that could be found in the settlement, if only just. With a shrug, Peter chose one that was nearly whole, and stepped through the door, stopping just after the threshold to wait for Adam to follow. Inside the house it was almost whole, pieces of rotting furniture and ancient decorations littering the floor and wall. It seemed almost untouched by anyone, and with good reason. The floor had a sharp slant to it, the walls all along the western edge of the house cracked and disconnected. Peter looked around, then turned back back to Adam, wondering if the drunk man would be able to make it. Peter try, try your whole life to be righteous and good

Fate had a strange way of throwing curveballs. And whilst Adam, undoubtedly, had not thought of Ludo and what the god had requested of him, that did not mean he would not unintentionally find it. Such was the case here - in the skeletal house that he and Peter had begun to explore, they would find what looked as though it was once a trapdoor into a basement. From within, a ghoulish light flickered. They would need to descend to explore further.

Adam Some things you do just to see how bad they'll make you feel Sometimes you try to freeze time 'til the slots are a blur of spinning wheels As Adam passed the threshold of the door, heard Pet enter behind him, he suddenly whirled about with a finger held aloft as he remembered something. Through his alcohol-sodden mind a memory finally came. "Oh! Oh! I remember why I wanted to come here now. I uh...I talked to one a the Gods here. Ludo. Big rags n mask and shit." He waved his arms about to mimic the floating beauty of Ludo's fabric body, managed an approximation of it that might convince a child with a head injury. He looked back into the house, wondered if there was any reason to suspect the horn might be here. "It told me to come to this place and look about for a horn. And I swear I'm not trying to hit on you or anything with that. That's really what it told me to look for. A horn! Carelessly he threw aside a chair and headed to the back of the room, where a trap door sat in the corner. "Oh, hey. I bet that's it. Aren't I just the fucking best?" Adam asked out into the room as he spotted it. He began to head towards it with a confidence that quickly did him a disservice, too-sure feet coming down hard onto the slanted floor and sending him flying, in danger of falling until he got his hands onto the wall...on either side of Peter's head. With the man so close before him Adam could only smirk. "We've gotta stop meeting like this." But I am just a broken machine And I do things that I don't really mean

"You talked to a God?" There was a heavy dose of scepticism in Peter's voice, somehow making his already flat tone even more dry. He had been to a shrine himself, and done nothing but struggle alone. Even Adam's description didn't help him, it sounded more like he was describing some ghost than a God, his gesturing only serving to remind Peter that he was drunk. Peter simply nodded, turning away from Adam to look around, tuning out Adam's words just a little bit. The sudden clattering of a chair made Peter flinch, and whirl around, a blade appearing in his hand in preparation for whatever danger there was. It was only Adam, of course it was, but that didn't bleed any of the tension out of Peter. If anything it only served to annoy him, and he wondered why he'd agreed to go on an "adventure" with a man he didn't trust in the first place. It was just a recipe for disaster. Before he could work out how to say he was leaving, the worst came to be. Adam noticed a trapdoor, and Peter turned to follow where he pointed, his brows raised in actual surprise. He was about to open his mouth, congratulate Adam on finding an unhidden door, and was instead stumbled into, Adam's body pressing him against a wall. Peter's first reaction was to freeze, staring up at the other man who now caged him against a hard place like a deer in the headlights, his face growing red. His second was to raise the blade in his hand, press the flat of it against Adam's throat and hold it there, fear and intent warring for visibility on his face. Peter try, try your whole life to be righteous and good

Adam Some things you do just to see how bad they'll make you feel Sometimes you try to freeze time 'til the slots are a blur of spinning wheels "Uh, yeah. All you gotta do is go to the shrine and ask. I even tried to give it a smoke and a drink, but it gave those back. Took this lil bird toy I had." Adam shrugged, assuming the process was just as easy for everyone, blissfully unaware of the Abandoned's troubled relationship with the Divine. A knife against his neck was at first a sensation he didn't quite understand, Adam having managed to avoid such things for at least a couple of years. But as the body pressed against his, the cold of the metal on his throat began to add up...he whistled out a laughing breath and pushed himself off the wall, holding up his hands. "I pity whoever tries to bed you." He said with a laugh, then turned on his heel to go to the trap door. Eager to get past the moment (which he found funny, but knew the steel on his skin hadn't been a joke) he reached down and threw the door open without hesitation. But I am just a broken machine And I do things that I don't really mean

Peter wasn’t sure if he was actually jealous that a god had spoken to Adam, or if it was simply what he had expected. What was it about thw other man that was better than him? Actually... that wasn’t a question Peter wanted to dwell on, but after Adam had been so close. He had moved away quickly, but Peters heart still pounded in his chest, a hot embarrassment and shame painting his face red. Pulling one of the many scarves around his neck up higher in an attempt to cover up his blush, Pete came up behind Adam, peering around him into the trapdoor, and the dim light behind it. The light wouldn’t be suspicious at all where he had come from, but it was strange to see here, in a place so different, so... low tech. ”You should... you should go first.” Peter suggested, turning to look up at Adam. ”You’re uh... the hero? No... the adventurer. Like in the stories.” Truth be told, Peter simply didn’t want to be under Adam while he went down a ladder, it seemed like a good way to get hurt, and be in uncomfortably close contact with the other man again. Peter try, try your whole life to be righteous and good

Fate and destiny cared little for sexual tension, if indeed that was what was brewing between the two men. Then again, did things like "fate" and "destiny" even truly exist? Questions for another day. The duo descended into the shadows, and the ghoulish light below grew stronger, flickering this way and that. It belonged to small orbs of light, orbs which darted and scattered as if afraid of the intrusion. And then deeper, deeper through the darkness... something stirred. Something moved. ...Or maybe it was just your imagination.

Adam Some things you do just to see how bad they'll make you feel Sometimes you try to freeze time 'til the slots are a blur of spinning wheels Adam was going to go first anyway. He was the hero here after all, the swashbuckler destined the lead the charge into the dark. If he was scared of the orbs beyond and the shadows he made no show of it, confidentally swaggering up the walkway. He didn't notice the moving thing until he was only a couple of feet away. Late, sluggish instincts fighting through alcohol made him reach for his gun a few seconds after, raising the right one towards whatever was moving in the dark. "Think there's a...rat or somethin'." He shouted over his shoulder towards Peter, bravado brought on by confidence and drunkeness putting an especially casual edge on his tone. But I am just a broken machine And I do things that I don't really mean

A faint smile tugged at Peters lips as Adam stepped down the ladder first, a mean streak of him pleased that Adam had listened to him. Peter followed him down into the darkness quickly, twisting around before he was on the ground to stare at the bobbing lights. Despite their dismal colouring, and the fact that they seemed to be actively moving away, they were pretty, almost transfixing. Adams shout managed to catch Peter off guard, so distracted was he by the lights. He turned towards the other mans voice, brows knit together invisibly in the dim. ”You.. you’re scared of... scared of a rat? Even the stutter couldn't completely rob Peters words of their credulousness. Casting another wistful look at the lights, an idea came to Peter suddenly, making him pause. ”Maybe I can... maybe I can g-get some lights.” He suggested, a jar appearing in his hand. Catching an orb in the jar couldn’t be much harder than catching a glowswarm, and then they could have a more steady source of light. With the idea in mind, Peter didn’t even stop for a second to think, instead moving to chase after the floating lights. Peter try, try your whole life to be righteous and good