The Cave

James leaned back a little when Adeline came closer and sat in front of him, shifting uncomfortably.

"It makes no logical sense to throw myself further into a situation I cannot comprehend and go to a place where there's no foreseeable way out apart from Kartiel being the sole means of transportation. The beach down there is beneath this cave, which makes no logical sense, and while I'm much less wary when it comes to people being wildly different I will not willingly enter a place that only screams the danger of the unknown if I can avoid it," he said.

"It's self preservation. It's common sense. I at least know, that somehow, somewhere in the forest I came from my world to here. Which means that out there, even if in the rain, there is a way back. But down beneath the cave, where the setting defies that of what, at least, I have understood to be natural, I don't know if there's a way to get back home. So I'm not going to risk it."

Adeline mulled over his words for a few moments before she nodded. "That sounds logical. You would rather not get cornered in whatever danger may lie down there. It seems like a difference in priorities. I'm sure the non-teleporters at the beach right now would have rather put themselves in danger to explore the unknown and find answers there instead of in the forest, which seems like a more reliable, safe place. To them, I'm sure the fantastical option seems like a more appealing way to uncover the mysteries of this place."

She tried out a reassuring smile, "I can't lie- the beach beneath this cave fascinates me, and I'd love to learn more. I don't think less of you wanting to stay here, though, and I'm sure no one else would."

"Thank you for your understanding, "James nodded, unable to muster more than a strained, wholly insincere wince of a smile. "It's... well, that, and I'm exhausted. I'd rather not run around on a beach," he added quietly.

"Of course." She untied her tunic and unwound it from her shoulders. Other than a thin slip of a dress and a couple of satchels, she didn't have anything else underneath. She held out the fleecy material.

"You can have this- to sleep on. Consider it a trade for the shoes." She was very prepared to be insistent, since she guessed that there was a chance he might refuse.

James, predictably, rejected the kind gesture. "I don't - no, it's fine. Really - I don't need it."

She couldn't help the laugh that slipped out of her at his stubbornness.

"You obviously do. At least, more than I need it." She held up one of her glass arms, "I don't get cold or uncomfortable. This was just to hide my loot. Take it." She dropped the tunic into his lap.

Thytes had tried to cover the body. He had known that the moment he had entered the room - known that there was a dead body, that hanging was the only possible way, and that the moment between when he entered to when he called him in was just enough time to get the body down and cover it up. It was why he was so good at his job. All it took was a step into the place and he could just tell. Not that he knew why, but at least he was aware of his strange abilities.

He slipped inside the room and casually walked over to the corpse. Despite any objections that Thytes might have had, he lifted it up and stared at the body. Was there a ghost wandering around this place, one who could give them the answers they needed? It was hard to tell with the age of the corpse.

"Has anyone noticed anything strange?" he loudly asked, still studying the corpse and the rope marks around the person's neck. "Things not in the place you swear you saw them last, or doors opening from a breeze you can't feel?"

James let out a short sigh when the tunic was plopped in his lap, and another wave of exhaustion washed over him. He didn't have the energy to argue anymore.

"Fine," he mumbled, taking the tunic and setting it out in front of him before laying down on it. "Fine," he muttered again, hating how his physical weakness made him feel so vulnerable, among everything else he'd discussed with Maahes.

Satisfied, Adeline nodded to herself and stood, going over to join Kartiel and the third man. She fished around in her satchel for a few moments, looking for a wrapped parcel she had shoved in it several days ago. She took out a decent amount of animal jerky and left it on a rock in plain sight. She shook her head at herself. It had been a long time since she had had someone to fuss over- now she was throwing all her belongings at a perfect stranger.

Thytes blinked. Reyes had not only immediately deduced what he'd done, but defied it by looking at the corpse. Curse the promise he'd make with Kendrik.

"Not that I am aware of?" Thytes said, looking around the room. "Were it any brighter, I could see if anything had been shifted. It also appears to be, if you will excuse me for the atrocious pun, dead quiet." He fidgeted with his hair, tightening one of the bows. "I do not quite like it."

"Wass that ya said?"

He didn't even have to hear the words to know who was coming. The erratic and loud steps made Kendrik's appearance at the door predictable. He leaned against Jaron, who held onto one of his shoulders and guided him around. The hound's ears had flopped to his sides, his breathing was uneven, and his steps were shaky.

"Are you out of your mind?" said Thytes, walking up and placing his hands under Kendrik's cheeks. He looked the hound in his dilated eyes, smelling the alcohol in Kendrik's breath.

Kendrik snorted. "I ain't doin' this sober," he said, pushing Thytes out of the way. "Some strong stuff. Not sure what it was." He took a few steps, then tripped over the corpse and landed on the floor.

"Apologies," Thytes said to Reyes, trying to talk over Kendrik's muffled swearing as he fiddled with more of the bows in his hair. Jaron, in the meantime, crouched and poked at the corpse. The fox made a face.

He quite honestly didn't blame Kendrik for his decision to go through the situation drunk - though it would obviously dampen his abilities, a good bottle of alcohol was always a decent distraction.

Not that he'd be doing that in the near future.

He needed his senses alert if he was going to deal with whatever was going on here. There was a dead body here. Suicides rarely ended as happily as the victims thought they would. They had obvious regrets, and strong emotions were at the heart of a deceased person becoming a ghost.

"It's alright," he said, getting to his feet and scanning the room for anything out of the ordinary. Would a ghost stick around in a place like this, or would they get as far away as they possibly could?

More curses; Reyes was both competent and reasonable. Thytes nodded and pulled Kendrik off from the floor. The hound mumbled and tried to punch Thytes, but lacked the power and the aim. Hauling him by his shoulders, so that his feet scraped the ground, the lion pulled Kendrik over to the bed and laid him down. "Now," said Thytes, leaning close. "Stay in that bed until I tell you otherwise, because you are doing a remarkable job in this investigation."

"Says the guy who put me in this dead guy's bed," said Kendrik, turning his head to look away from Thytes. "Which ain't at all creepy."

Thytes chose to ignore the comment, instead swiveling around and heading over to the desk. Surely there had to be something about this man and his identity.

He grabbed the book at the center of the desk and flipped it open to the first page. "That same symbol," Thytes groaned. Looking closer, he narrowed his eyes. "But some text beneath it. It would be nice to be able to read this script."







In the meantime, Jaron kept on poking at the dead body. He never knew how to act around Kendrik when the hound was drunk, and wasn't about to try. "It's odd," he mumbled. "You'd think he'd hide in that last building. Maybe there's some bodies there."

Reyes joined Thytes at his side and peered down at the writing in question. He was surprised by how none of the people he was with could read, but it wasn't like he hadn't dealt with that when talking to older ghosts before. Learning to read and write wasn't always considered a necessary skill, after all.

"It's not a symbol," he corrected, pointing at the first string of letters. "It's an acronym for what it says underneath it. S-A-H-R. The next line says Sacred Association of His Resurrection, and the last one says Preparatory Inventory." All of which were things he didn't recognize, but he was starting to get the general gist of what had happened here.

He looked up from the book and over at the others in the room. "I think this place might have been home to a religious cult."

James had not expected sleep to overtake him so quickly. He knew he was exhausted, but he'd though common sense had been so ingrained in him that he wouldn't fall asleep amongst strangers, while in a strange situation.

But as soon as he'd lied down, fully stretched out, he could feel the will of his consciousness grow weak, and he was out - deep in slumber as his body finally lost its tension and he relaxed, breathing softly.

Maahes had been waiting for the moment where James finally fell asleep. It had been inevitable, giving his body's current state. Now that he was certain that his friend was out, he quietly walked over to him and slipped his arms underneath his body. James wasn't the lightest person he had ever held, but he could handle it. Now that he had the sleeping man - who was undoubtedly going to be very, very mad at him for moving him without his permission - he turned his attention back to the boy who he still didn't know the name of.

"Could you bring us down to the beach?" he quietly asked, not wanting to disturb James.

The boy raised an eyebrow. "When I tried doing that earlier, he threw a fit."

"I'm not going to leave him up here alone," Maahes protested. "Does he look like he should be left on his own?"

The boy looked down at the sleeping James, then back up at Maahes. "Good point. Well, if he gets mad at me, I'm blaming you." Maahes didn't even have an opportunity to thank him before the boy grabbed onto everyone in the cave and brought them down to the beach.