Young Writers Society

James looked back and forth between Tasha and Maahes. He wasn't sure why they had a sudden urge to split up with him in particular. Was it just familiarity with him and lack thereof with Mickey? Tavis, at least, was being reasonable.

"Look, there's no reason to split up. Let's just stay together. I've - I've gone underground this way before. It is alarming at first, but at least you're all getting a forewarning, unlike myself."

Mickey nodded, listening with a small grin.

"He is right about that," Mickey said. "Though, the circumstances then were a bit more urgent I'd say. But regardless, I hope I can take that as a yes from you all, then? It really will only be a few seconds."

He took another subtle step in James's direction. The idea of traveling through the earth - of all things - was growing more and more unappealing with every passing second, but he would do what James suggested. He gave a small nod of his head in response to what Mickey had said.

"Okay! Then down we go!" Mickey said with a clap of his hands.

In that instant, the ground gave way beneath all of them in a manner that almost felt like falling - but a controlled sort of falling, that lacked the reckless, helpless feeling of having the ground ripped out from under you. It was as if there was some guiding force pulling their bodies down into the earth.

It was but a few seconds of travel before the earth around them pulled up like a curtain and they found themselves in a decently sized room three sets of bunk beds lining the wall. The room was made entirely of stone - the walls and the ceiling - and a large round rug spread across the floor. Seung, once sleeping on the ground, was laying on the bottom bunk of one of the beds. The rest were standing in the middle of the room with the rug beneath their feet.

With no windows, the room was lit dimly by a lantern hung on each wall. Mickey stood by the wooden door, watching to gauge everyone's reaction and answer questions or calm panic if need be.

James stood in shock, having relived the moment of his childhood for a few brief seconds. It took him a moment before he actually took in their surroundings, and he tried to take a few deep breaths.

"I sent the horses to the stables, by the way," Mickey commented. "We have very capable stable-hands to help care for them and calm them." His eyes fell to Tasha's dog, who he'd brought into the room with them. "I hope that's fine. I thought it would be odd to have horses in, well, here," he chuckled.

Tasha herself looked very green. She'd never done well with boats and the like, and this was disorienting and new on top of it. However, she was a soldier, and she was determined not to show how sick she really felt, so instead of turning around as she fought the urge to puke, she clenched her jaw and stood next to James.

Her canine's hackles were up all the way down her back. She stuck like velcro to Tasha, standing directly next to her and staring wide-eyed at Mickey with a quiet snarl.

"Wow, that was kind of thrilling, actually," said Tavis, a grin spreading on his face.

In the few seconds that it had taken for them to travel underground, Maahes had gone from standing beside James to clinging him. He was currently hugging James for dear life, though he didn't realize it until after the others had finished speaking. He had just instinctively gone for the thing that provided him the most comfort and that thing - embarrassingly enough - happened to be James.

Earth and djinni simply didn't mix. He could stand it if he had ample time to prepare himself, but to suddenly be thrust underground with only the smallest of warnings after his reply had not given him that time to prepare.

Face turning bright red underneath his cloak, he immediately let go of James and took a very, very large step back away from him.

"Glad you enjoyed it!" Mickey laughed. "It seems the others were more... startled." He said, watching at Maahes pulled away from James.

James looked back at Maahes, still feeling very tense and discombobulated himself. "You okay?" he asked.

"I-I'm fine," Maahes said, making a point of not looking in James's direction as he answered the question. "I was just a little startled."

James wasn't convinced after having been hugged with a death-grip, but turned his attention over to Tasha. She looked a little green.

"You?" he asked quietly.

"Fine," she said brusquely. "Absolutely fine." She wasn't, if the curtness of her tone said anything, but she wasn't about to admit anything.

A small groan grabbed Tavis' attention. He turned and said to the others, "Hey, I think Seung's awake." He headed over to the bunks and bent down slightly. "How're you feeling?" he asked.

Seung grimaced and blinked a few times; his eyes felt sticky. He clamped his lips shut tight and covered his mouth to block a wet cough before forcing a tiny smile on his face. "I could do without so much phlegm," he half-whispered, his voice almost gone. "Sucks to be the patient when you're so used to being the medic." He coughed again, then noticed that he was in a bed and not wrapped in a blanket on the hard ground in a forest, and his gaze flicked back and forth. "Where are we?"

James frowned slightly, and put a hand on Tasha's shoulder.

Meanwhile, Mickey smiled and replied to Seung's question.

"We're in my home. It's an underground dwelling, in case you missed that," he said, gesturing to the stone walls. "I'm Mickey. I'm an old friend of James'." Mickey approached Seung and Tavis, leaning on one of the poles at the end of the bunk-bed. "If you'd like, I have a few friends who are doctors who would gladly bring you medicine to take care of you. It may not be the kind of medicine you're used to, but it should work just fine."

"Of course," replied Seung. He smiled weakly. "Thank you."

Tasha sidled sideways, closer to James, though she seemed to be largely unaware of the movement. She didn't like this magic and she didn't trust these people; in addition, she was completely out of her turf. At least aboveground and on horseback she knew how to maneuver. Here, it was enclosed, and tight, and all in all it put her on edge. She also recognized how inferior she was to Mickey. If things devolved into a fight for any reason she was screwed and she knew she couldn't protect James, either.

Mickey nodded, and made a small motion of his hand. "Mel will come over in a few minutes with some medicine, but for now, you're all free to settle in. I know it's very unusual and hard to get used to, but if you want to lie down and rest, the beds are open for your use," he said, gesturing to the bunks. "You're free to explore, and if you need anything from me, you can find your way to the library. Otherwise, anyone else you run into would be more than ready to help you with whatever it is you need." Mickey turned to James as if to confirm. "Does that sound alright?" he asked.

James nodded, to which Mickey smiled and started towards the door.

"Alright. Well, you guys get some rest. Hopefully, we can figure this out in the morning."

James nodded again as he watched the older man leave and close the door behind him. In the following silence, he let out a sigh and looked over to Tasha, who clung to his side. He gave her a weary grin before looking up at the others. At the very least, he was glad they'd found Mickey, so some of the burden of the situation was out of his hands.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked again, wanting to make sure now that Mickey was gone.