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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jan 2, 2009 13:33:40 GMT -5
Worrying, at least, didn't enter into Phoenix's mind the moment his feet touched down to the earth and stone of the hidden pathway, the thief leading them away from the entrance to allow the others to enter. It always happened like this; he was a bundle of nerves right up until the point where it was do or die, and then he was as calm as anything, because getting jittery at the most important moment was never a good idea. It was the same when he'd stolen her from the palace again - the coach ride there had been horrific, but the second he'd stepped out of it, dressed as a noble, the only thing in his mind was his goal. This instance proved to be the same as Miles finally shut the trap-door above them, sealing them into the darkness apart from the dim light of the lamp in his hand. Phoenix leant down to pick up another lamp on the flagstones, something obviously put there by him a few hours before. He lit it quickly, before straightening up again and setting off at a brisk walk, his eyes constantly on the route in front of them.
"Keep close." he warned the others in a low voice, his hand closing around Rory's as if to let her know that he was there, and he'd not let anything happen to her. She was right, even Layla could give the guards a mouthful of abuse and a good kick or two if the moment called for it, but she seemed just as nervous as Rory was as they began to walk. Both Miles and Phoenix were completely silent as they worked their way into the network of pathways under the slums, their ears tuned to every little sound, every echo that could possibly be a voice or a footstep. Even Big J was surprisingly light-footed as they walked, the big man not making a sound, one hand on Layla's shoulder to keep her calm.
Phoenix would pause every now and then as they walked to slip his hand out of Rory's and pick up a small wooden peg, painted red, from the floor and slip it into his pocket, before continuing on. These were markers - he'd picked his way back and forth on the route they were taking at least a dozen times throughout the day, placing the markers down to ensure they were going the right way. He had the map with them if they got hopelessly lost, but with how thorough he had been it was unlikely that they could get lost if they tried.
Eventually they came to another set of worn and dusty steps, which obviously had been neglected for a very long time; the entire point of the route was that it was unknown, after all, and he doubted even the Knights knew about this. A fresh set of footprints led up the steps from Phoenix's boots a few hours before, and he led them up without a word. Silently he pushed the trap-door at the top open, and warm air flooded down to them, though it wasn't that much warmer than the air in the tunnel. Putting the lamp on the boards next to the trap-door, the thief clambered out into a derelict but secure store-room, a thick layer of dust covering everything. The same foot-prints from the steps trailed here and there over the store-room, Phoenix making it as comfortable as he could considering that his friends had to stay there.
The others trailed out after him, Miles keeping his lamp with him as he looked around. "It's deep enough into the slums." he commented in a low voice eventually, "We'll be fine here." he nodded.
The other thief nodded in return, before glancing from Miles down to Rory. "You ready?" he asked. He'd say his goodbyes in a moment, but he felt it best to check on her first.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jan 3, 2009 18:39:29 GMT -5
It was reassuring that he held onto her hand, especially as she felt the darkness closing in around her. She didn't like this. The danger of his plan was forgotten as the darkness grew thicker, Rory actually trembling slightly. There just wasn't enough light! The two dim lanterns weren't enough, and it was taking all her self control not to just light up the whole area and send those forboding shadows fleeing back away from them. It wasn't even that she was that scared of things lurking in the shadows, it was the darkness itself that terrified her. It was a lack of anything. It had no shape, no colour, no texture, no limits, and she was worried that if you got lost in the darkness that it would just surround you forever and there would be no way out. She was so used to being able to light up even the thickest darkness that she just...couldn't deal with not being able to see where she was. The light represented knowledge and the dark ignorance, and Rory had always feared living in ignorance.
She was careful to step in his footprints as she climbed the steps, not quite knowing why she did that. Maybe she just wanted that little bit of control over the situation? She shrugged to herself as she glanced around the room, looking a little dismayed. There was nothing here! It was just a room, and not even a half decent one! It was cold and dirt and damp and smelt...but at least they would be safe here. Hopefully they would be able to put up with this discomfort for a little while. Sometimes you had to sacrifice a little (or a lot) of comfort in order to be safe. It wasn't forever, after all, just until the White Knights gave up on Phoenix and focused their attention on something else.
Her gaze snapped to Pheonix a the sound of his voice, nodding to him a little. "I'm ready to go as soon as you are." She murmured to him, feeling a pang of sorrow as she looked up at the others and smiled to them weakly. They had been good to her, and in all honesty she would miss them all, even Layla. She wasn't very good at saying goodbye though, the Princess biting her lower lip as she glanced away from them. At least Phoenix wasn't trying to leave her behind, she wouldn't have been able to say goodbye to him...not ever.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jan 4, 2009 18:10:27 GMT -5
"Mmhm, give me a second and I'll be ready." he nodded to her lightly, moving to bid farewell to Miles and Big J, the lamp flickering a little where they were. It was derelict and broken, and it was unlikely that anyone, even the most hardy of souls would be able to last there for long. But they didn't have to stay there forever, just long enough so that they wouldn't be found by the Knights and they'd stay safe. And they were together. As long as they had each other Phoenix got the feeling that they'd be a lot safer, and a lot happier. After all, when it came down to it, it wasn't where you were that made you happy. It was the people you were with. Wasn't Rory living proof of that? She had every luxury imaginable in the palace, and yet she was alone and unhappy being confined there. Phoenix sighed a little, shaking these thoughts away and reassuring himself that they'd be fine.
After passing the red-painted pegs over to Miles so they wouldn't clutter his pockets, the thief moved to wrap Layla in a hug, the other girl blinking back tears as she said goodbye. Phoenix was whispering to her as he stepped back, that it wouldn't be forever, that they'd be back in no time at all, and she wasn't to worry while he was gone. But in seconds he'd moved away from her again, brushing his red hair from his face and slipping his hand into Rory's.
"I'm ready to go now..." he nodded, Miles putting his arm around Layla to lead her further into the house, giving Phoenix a light salute before they disappeared.
"You two take care of yeselves." Big J told them, Phoenix smirking and nodding to him as he moved back to the trap-door.
"We will, don't stay here long. It's freezin'." he murmured to the big man, casting him a momentary look before leading them back down into the cold, earthy darkness, though he had the sense to pick up the lamp again before he left. He wouldn't mind Rory making a dim light now, really, since they were one lamp less than before. And there wouldn't be many people (well, there shouldn't be) wandering around down there, unless they were unlucky. Though he banished those thoughts; with their luck so far he didn't want to invoke any misfortune. His steps echoed down into the darkness before he was looking up at Big J at the bottom of the steps. He threw them a brief smile before leaning down to close the trap-door, sure that they were on their way now.
"We're taking a different route this time." he told her, his voice only low, "That will take us out of the city." he moved to walk, footsteps light and quick along the flagstones.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jan 4, 2009 18:37:14 GMT -5
This was terrible to watch, Rory averting her gaze to the ground so that she didn't have to watch his goodbyes. She couldn't imagine what it was like for Phoenix right now, having to leave your friends behind and hope that they would be alright while you had to run from everything you'd ever know, all because he had helped her. He must regret that now, regret that he had ever spoken to her when they had bumped into one another that night; she bet that he wished that he had just left her in the palace so that he could get on with his own life, because now he was having to leave everything behind. It didn't seem a fair ttrade, did it? Everything that he had ever known for the freedom of one Princess. He must regret ever meeting her now.
She glanced up as his hand moved back into hers, looking to the others for a moment. "Goodbye, thank you for everything..." She whispered to them before moving to follow Phoenix, her head bowed. She only glanced back over her shoulder once, at the sound og Big J closing the door, her gaze lingering where the faint light had been before she turned to look forward again, sighing rather heavily. They were leaving Cressa, she would finally get to see what it was like outside of the city, but she just couldn't feel excited about it or happy in the least. She just felt...numb and guilty, like she had caused a whole lot of misery and she had no idea how to cope with that. She hoped that Phoenix would forgive her...
She nodded to him as he told her that they would be taking a different path, her footsteps only a little heavier than his as she followed him through the darkness, her grip on his hand increasing a little. "I'm sorry Phoenix." She whispered to him, her voice only gentle to make sure that he was the only one that could hear her. He knew that she would look after him, didn't he? He knew that she would do everything that she could to make sure that he was alright and that he would be able to come back to Cressa one day, right? She hoped that he did anyway...otherwise how could he ever want her around?
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jan 5, 2009 17:22:38 GMT -5
"Huh...?" he looked up slowly from the ground after they'd started walking, beginning to move deeper into the network of pathways so that the darkness enclosed around them and it grew colder. The little sphere of light from the lantern only showed them a few feet of the tunnel ahead, so Phoenix didn't look at her, but he gave her hand a gentle squeeze as if to let her know that he was listening, and he understood. "Don't be sorry, Rory." he smiled a little, "I know it's gonna sound weird, but I come and go like this all the time... not in these circumstances, of course. Admittedly whenever I leave usually we don't have to sneak around like it's some kind of crime. But I never stay in one place for long." he glanced at her for a moment, looking surprisingly calm now that the difficult part of saying goodbye was over... he was still tense and ready for anything that might jump out at them, but he looked almost excited again.
"So don't be sorry, 'kay? We'll come back one day. I'm sure about it." he nodded, smiling at her a little sadly before his gaze went back to the route they were taking, picking up his pace as a draught blew through the pathways, making him shiver. It was so damn cold down here! They walked for a while when Phoenix froze suddenly, glancing sharply to their right only to see, to his utter horror, a few armoured soldiers striding towards them. They KNEW about this pathway? WHAT? For a second or two the thief actually panicked, not knowing quite what to do as they grew closer before his hand tightened securely around hers and he dashed forwards with cat-like speed. He could bet that he knew these tunnels better than any soldier did, whether they'd found the pathway or not.
"Don't panic, Rory..." he murmured to her as they ran, "Just concentrate on running. We'll lose them, I promise."
The soldiers were gaining on them by now, obviously, though Phoenix was weaving through the tunnels without slowing down, which would probably be a big advantage to them. Though he was surprised when a rumbling came from above them suddenly, clumps of dirt falling from the ceiling of the tunnel. "Uh oh..."
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jan 5, 2009 18:17:43 GMT -5
She doubted that he had ever had to hide his friends away and run for his life before, but she wasn't going to mention that. There was no point in arguing over silly little things like that, not when he was trying to make her feel better. It was probably only her nerves making her think like this anyway. It wasn't like her thoughts to be so dark, and she didn't like this, not one bit. Hopefully once they were out of Cressa both her dark thoughts and Pheonix's would be dismissed for good and they could get on with their lives in peace. Once Phoenix was away from the Knights his nightmares should ease, maybe even stop, and all that serious moodiness in him should disperse. He wouldn't have anything to worry about but looking after them, no Knights or palace guards or anything, just hte pair of them. She tensed as Phoenix froze, her heart beat suddenly speeding up to double the average rate. Guards?!?!? But he said that no-one knew about this route...and...and...and the last time they had been chased by the gaurds it had ended with Phoenix almost getting hung! Her grip on his hand tightened instantly as they started running, thankful that her dress was shorter this time so that the material wouldn't get tangled up with her legs. She just had to concentrate on running, one foot in front of the other, keep up with Phoenix, and, most important of all, don't fall over! She had to trust that Phoenix knew where he was going, doubting that they would be able to outrun the guard even though the guards were weighed down by their heavy armour; Phoenix might be just as fit as the guards but the Princess wasn't really used to running around, was she? Her energy reserves would run out faster than theirs would, which was why they had to get away from the soldiers as quickly as possible.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jan 6, 2009 13:28:01 GMT -5
He actually pulled to a stop when the ceiling above them began to rumble, a calculating look in his eyes despite the fact that the guards were gaining on them. He knew exactly where they had to go, but he doubted they could climb when they were getting caught. He smirked a little as he glanced across to the guards, who hadn't seemed to notice the little falling stones and lumps of dirt which cascaded from the ceiling... so they were doubly surprised when Phoenix suddenly kicked out to slam his foot into the wall, sending a great shudder throughout the tunnel. In seconds the ceiling just above them, already unstable was crashing down, the thief tugging her with him as they darted out of the way. Phoenix had to cover his mouth as he ran because of all of the dust rising into the air in the cramped space, praying that the ceiling along the rest of the tunnel would hold, because they couldn't survive if it caved in completely!
He sank to one knee as the rumbling grew louder, tugging her gently down beside him to cover them from the falling stones and dirt and such, his eyes pressed closed as the roar of crashing rocks filled his ears.
But it was gone, almost as soon as it came and there was silence, apart from the sound of an odd pebble bouncing along the flagstones. Phoenix broke the silence with his cough, brushing dust out of his hair as he shifted slowly to his knees in the pitch darkness, fumbling around for the lantern which had gone out when he'd pulled them to the ground. "You okay, Rory?" his voice was remarkably calm as he located the lamp, re-lighting it to look around the tunnel.
The ceiling above them had, thankfully, held in its place, Phoenix's green eyes bright through the dim, flickering light as he looked around, as though he was on some kind of an adventure. It was a typically reckless thing for him to do, let alone dangerous and stupid, but since the plan had followed through he didn't see why he should bother worrying about that. Lifting the lantern a little, he rose to his feet and turned to see what had become of the tunnel behind them.
Large boulders were piled, packed together with dirt and smaller stones to completely fill the passage so nothing could get by in either direction, building a suitable barricade between them and the guards. Hell, Phoenix didn't even know if the guards were still alive! He hadn't intended to hurt anyone this time, or kill anyone and he found himself hoping that they were alright and had had the sense to jump out of the way despite himself. He could barely believe that it had worked, and they weren't being dragged back through the pathways so he could be hung again not only for kidnapping the princess, but for killing her fiance. He figured it would be pretty obvious that he had done it when they found the Princess with him instead of in Marmosia where she was rumoured to be, the thief looking automatically at the pendant around her neck to check that it was still there, concealing her identity.
Sighing heavily in relief and almost shock, he waved a hand through the air to clear the dust a little and looked over his shoulder. A small rope ladder was just a few feet away from them at a dead-end, a little trapdoor at the top leading to (he hoped) freedom. A grin was on his face as he closed his hand around hers again, moving towards the ladder. "That was so close..." he whispered, "I'm an idiot."
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jan 6, 2009 15:17:43 GMT -5
At first Rory didn't understand what the rumbling meant, though as Pheonix stopped it finally dawned on her. The roof was caving in! But...where were they supposed to go?!!? They were stuck in this tunnel, and as far as she could see there were no exits close by. If the roof actually did cave in then they would be crushed...and even if it didn't fully cave in there was every chance that a large boulder would hit one of them on the head, and that would cause considerable damage. But, if the roof was going to cave in where would they hide? There weren't even any crevices in the wall that they could take shelter in, and if by any miracle they weren't squished they might end up trapped and starve to death...and in all honesty she would have preferred to be squished than starve to death.
"Pheonix! What are you doing?!!?" She exclaimed in horror as he kicked the wall. He was...helping the roof to fall. That made no sense at all. She knew that he was reckless but she didn't think that he had a deathwish! She stumbled after him as he started to run again, her sleeve held over her nose and mouth to try and block out the dust, gaze on the ground to make sure that she didn't trip over any rocks that had already fallen from the celing.
She clung close to Pheonix as he tugged her down, instantly moving to hide her face in his chest, shaking as the world tumbled down around them. At that moment she thought that this really might be the end, that they had tried their best but it just wasn't good enough, and now everything was going to finish down in that tunnel. At least Pheonix was there and she was free...
She didn't realise that they were still alive until she felt Phoenix move, shifting a little to look up at him, rocks and dust settled in her hair and over her shoulders. She blinked as he re-lit the lantern, still trembling as she glanced around, though she couldn't see much because of all the dust that was swirling through the air. She was still looking shell-shocked as she shakily rose to her feet, nodding in response to his question. "I...I think so. I want to get out of here though...I don't want to stay down here anymore..." She murmured to him, moving to follow after him closely, not wanting to be serparted from him incase the roof fell in again.
She tilted her head at the ladder as he walked over towards it, a small smile touching to her lips. "Then...what are we waiting for? Let's go and get out of this tunnel."
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