backdated to the day after the trial participants emerged.
---
Sora was still in shock. She'd only emerged from her trial yesterday -- no, two weeks ago? Time didn't pass properly in chrysalis, and the pain of it all hadn't diminished a shred. The hog was struggling -- compartmentalizing. The only way she knew to function was to do what Kini-yolotl had asked her. Sora had to keep them safe, and in her mind, the only visible enemy was Hydra (and the Sentinels, but mostly that damned cave).
As far as she knew, there was only one way in or out. So, she'd posted herself up outside Tunnel P, several yards away to avoid being spoken to by the guards. She'd scarcely moved since she'd woken up, and the lights above were already dimming and turning orange to indicate that it was almost time for sleeping. But she hadn't wavered. Hunger gnawed at her, and she kind of had to pee, but she needed to keep them safe -- needed to be there for her family. She needed to do what Kini-yolotl had asked her to, because they'd trusted her, because-- because-- the horse was right. you let them die. you didn't try to save them.
She set her jaw. Ignored the voice. Watched the tunnel.
"Same thing as you," she grunted, eyeing Bloodstone. A lethal looking animal, to say the least, but certainly young. She flicked an ear.
"You can claim as much dominion over your tunnel as you want, but you don't own the whole cave system." She had as much right to sit here as Bloodstone did, but also wasn't interested in fighting a scaled monster with three heads. Her whiskers twitched absently.
Then again... maybe she could get a child to divulge information--? But no. What did she care about what the Sentinels had to say? They had been aggressive when she'd seen them, and even though this child wasn't trying to attack her, she didn't want to take her chances. Sora gazed over Bloodstone's shoulder, to see if anyone else was coming.
@bloodstone
She softened a bit -- yeah, Bloodstone was a kid. Why was she being so brutal?
"... Sorry. The last time I talked to the Sentinels, one of you threatened to kill me, one cast magic on my brother, and one bit my sister." Sora sighed. Bad memories, and bad Gembound.
But a stroke of curiosity hit her.
"Why are you all so protective over that tunnel, anyway? I mean, not that I want Hydra unleashed on everyone else, but... seems kinda dumb to keep anyone from walking in there if all you're going to do is host death games inside." Plus, she recalled Warrior, who seemed to live inside. What if he wanted to go visit a friend in another cave or something?
Then again, maybe Bloodstone -- or, rather, Hellfire -- didn't know anything about it. She frowned.
"Hey, and why would you not be allowed to call yourself 'Hellfire'?"
@bloodstone
Sora frowned, but figured it wasn't her place to argue about what another Gembound's culture looked like. For all she knew, all Gembound had to 'earn' their names and her and her siblings were just unique. Still, Bloodstone's explanation was a little more understandable than just "we're bullies who want to keep others from walking around in public". But Bloodstone knew what the Trials were, hm?
She nodded.
"Yeah. A lot did. My group -- my family. We used to be ten strong. Four of us died -- Kini-yolotl, Orenstein, Owlface, and Simon." Her breath caught at the last name; Sora was unlikely to ever fully recover from the trauma of watching him melt, of choosing to abandon his stone, of choosing her duty over her soul. She'd sworn she'd return for him, one day -- and she would, even if it meant she'd eventually have to fight off the whole Sentinels to do it.
But not yet.
"I didn't look like this, either." Her whiskers twitched.
"No whiskers, ears, or glowy eyes. I was brown and black all over, and I didn't have this piece of rock in my ear -- just the one on my eye." She shook her head.
"All of us were changed. We didn't agree to it -- my family? We didn't even go into the Trial willingly." Sora grunted.
"But that's a little heavy, huh? I probably don't need to be bothering you with that."
@bloodstone
"They are," she said, the cold in her chest cavity starting to warm.
"Morganite, Charles, Pumpkin, Anemoi, and Ifrit. That's why I'm watching here. I need to make sure nothing comes out and hurts them." A Sentinel
or a monster.
"We're all afraid, but I have to pretend I'm not -- Kini-yolotl asked me to keep them safe. I need to be brave." She shifted on her feet.
Then, she turned her head and looked at Bloodstone.
"What's your family like? I've only met a couple of them. Master Vargas, his kid, and the flying one who cast magic on my brother. None of them seemed too pleasant, but I guess I'm not very pleasant to outsiders either."
@bloodstone