ORIGIN

The same as before, it would be another long walk before Sair would see another landmark. The last landmark, if there was any hope to be had, and so they turned to their thoughts once again.

"It's a shame you can barely see the sparkle, now." They lamented about their coat, caked in sweat and dust alike. "It was so beautiful in this lighting." The thought made them think of Azure; of her home, and how Sair had still yet to settle down. They wanted to, really, to have somewhere to return to in the evenings and to store their findings safely. That took time though, and Sair had much better things to do with their time.

"Where do you think?" She turned to locate the wisp, but it had been gone for some time. Maybe the heat was getting to her. "Maybe Orion? Azure would make a good neighbour." She continued anyway, unbothered that she was talking to air instead of a false companion. There was no one here to witness her madness, anyway. "Perhaps a tunnel? Most pass through them, not bothering to stop." The options were many, and the horse had very little preference. Somewhere with decent weather, ideally. Somewhere with some good food and clean water. Eridanus would be nice, but it was never quiet and it would be impossible to keep a den clean there.

"Tunnel I? Tunnel M?" Both would be good options, she thought. A quiet corner of Cepheus would have been nice, if not for the need to face Ursa for a third time. Even in this heat, Sair did not enjoy the idea of the cave. Sair would rather brave the brunt of Pisces' waterfall.

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC:

It was, unsurprisingly, another long and hot walk to the next landmark. It seemed as if they were getting further from the prize rather than closer to it, if not for the clues. Unless of course those clues were diversions, at which point Sair only hoped that they would find out soon so they could either start on the right path or leave in favor of better things.

"There has to be something here, right? Not even these 'special items', but... something? A relic, or a gem? Even just a rusty old spoon?" She pondered, pausing her endless walk in favour of a change of pace. Sure, they hadn't found any of the special things yet, but she knew her next stop, and there was still some distance between her and whatever landmark existed at the very edge of her vision. It was just barely coming into view now, and was not nearly close enough to distinguish.

Maybe she would be lucky enough to find something else something buried in the sand or hidden under a stray rock. Just something to tide her over before the big prize?

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC:

It seemed all Sair had to do was ask. A subtle glint in the sand, either caused by the object itself or simply water nearby that drew her attention, called to Sair like the cave itself guiding her. It wasn't even out of the way! It appeared almost as if someone had known she would be walking this way, and had just so happened to drop it. Was Nemean here? Surely there was some hidden camera for a prank show?

Seeing no such cameras around, Sair quickly secured their prize in their satchel before it had even the slightest potential of being stolen. Not that it could be stolen when no one was around, but that made little difference to the horse. They needed to continue, after all. This prize was enough to tide her over, but it was still not the prize she sought.

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC:

Sair was finally beginning to get closer to ehat she hoped would be the final destination. The landmark was growing in size now, a beacon of hope in the barren sea of nothingness that was this sandy cave. There was still some walking to do, because there was endless walking to do in such a large cave, but Sair trekked on. It was getting harder with every step, the heat and the aching muscles becoming a more imposing obstacle as the day started to pass them by. How long had she really been here? It was hard to tell, so far from the cave lights.

"It will all be worth it." She repeated every so often, a motivational mantra. Her find a short while ago still sat fresh in her mind, a reminder of what was to come.

"Do you think it will help my studies? Or do you think it will be the object of my studies for a while?" She looked around again for her wisp, failing to remember that it was still gone. She summoned it often, and it was rare that she let it dissipate without other comapny to replace it. She could be alone. It was comfortable, usually, but she much preferred company as of late. As long as she wasn't studying something, of course; that took concentration.

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC:

Lost again in thought, Sair came across the landmark almost without noticing, tripping over a stray stone that dragged her back to reality. And what a lovely reality it was. It had been a long journey here, and a lonely one, and a hot one, but she was here! This had to be it: the last stop on her scavenger hunt. It had to be here.

Renewed with a burst of energy now that she was in the home stretch, Sair began to run. A full sprint to the landmark, sitting silently only a few meters away.

It was almost like a table, an altar, formed by well-balanced stones and miniscule amounts of load-bearing mud. She half expected to see her prize laying atop the table, taunting her.

Mind swarmed with ideas and posibilities as to what this special prize might be, she skidded to a halt infront of the final landmark, on the lookout for her prize. Or her next clue, though she did not think there was much cave left to search given how long she had been walking. They would not make her go much further, would they?

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC:

It was... pretty? She didn't know what she expected. It was a chain, but nicer, like it had meant to be a necklace. Maybe she would wind it into her tail, or around her satchel's strap? It was an almost white-silver colour, and the stone in the center link was shimmering. Ah, but it wasn't the look of it that mattered, was it?

What did it do?

She nuzzled it cautiously, as if it would shock her. It did no such thing. It did not summon some beast, nor did it seem to impart any new spell on her. It did not come to life, snaking around her neck of its own accord. It also did not come with any instructions. She did not expect it to, but still. With all the magic in the caves, with all the whispers and nudges... She couldn't get something?

Well. She would just have to find out for herself now, wouldn't she?

Sair touched it again, just to be sure, before tossing it unceremoniously to hang around her neck. She tucked the loose ends around the strap that hung over her shoulder, which took some work, just to make sure it stayed secure. "Now... Tell me your secrets!"

She did not honestly think being able to look into the past could ever be a bad thing. That was, of course, until now. Visions, if you could even call them that as they layered upon each other until they were little more than flashes of colour, flooded her mind's eye. Sounds, voices, overlapped like cymbals and thunder, whispers too quiet to hear and the thundering of something indecipherable alternating until Sair could not tell what way was up or down. Were any of these real? The very stone beneath her feet seemed to disappear as the visions dizzied her, hallucinations of monsters and mothers alike driving her back, back until she had no choice but to fall onto her haunches in some awkward sit. The feeling of falling made it worse, drawn out as though she fell for minutes rather than seconds, and then... nothing. The shock of the fall broke the spell.

"Maybe you should keep your secrets." She mumbled, once she got her bearings about. It was time to get out of here.

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC: /exit