soulping | TIAMAT

TIAMAT

[When you come to, you find yourself locked in a small, cramped, antique elevator. One wall is covered with a large, ornate mirror, and a chandelier hangs above your head. The doors are made of metal and shut very, very tightly. The lights are off.]

[You hear two familiar voices echo distantly in your mind]

LET ME GO, Ǧ̲̖̩̞̣̲̌Ĩ͎R̞̩͎̝̍L̹̳̫̾͛Ȉ͙͈̬͐͒ͭ̄̌̊E̥̥̓ͨ!

I won't let you hurt them!

[Before you have time to say anything, the elevator suddenly jolts, before it begins to plummet. Your heart drops to the pit of your stomach as you fall, fall, fall, and then. . .]

[Suddenly it stops. You're thrown off balance, possibly to the point of where you crash into a wall or a nearby neighbor. All is silent]

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And it is stupid.

That is... a good idea.

[Lapis walks over to the graveyard painting and starts examining it.]

[he laughs, his tone light]

Oi, don't worry. Brute force isn't how I like to solve most problems, either.

It's all dependent on the situation, right? We made it this far, anyway.

Thanks. If I get through, I'll tug once if it's no good to come through, and twice for okay.

[IT TAKES A BIT but it works.]

Got it.

[There is a brief feeling of sadness, but determination...]

[okay, door is open!]

So far so good.

[peering through - can anything be seen on the other side?]

Hm.

[She goes from one painting to the next, examining each of them in turn, searching for anything that could help.]

[Not quite but it does seem to be safe enough to go through.]

[all right, then. heading in!]

Likewise. [a little dryly. This kid gets it] Circumstances aside, it's a pleasure.

...I see. So she's on our side?

I believe so, yes.

[PROPOSAL ACCEPTED]

If there aren't yanks, I'll pull you back.

Eh. At least we've done a pretty good job of punching our circumstances in the face, don't you think?

[we escaped from those portraits without dying!!]