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YZZAYT'S ABYSS - MIDDAY(?)
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Emmeline had been here for who knows how long already. The days all blurred together after the first few, if they were days at all. Work periods separated by sleep periods anyway. No way to know what time of day it was, so far underground. Emmeline had tried to keep her spirits up, as well as that of those around her, but every hour here wore it away a bit more, like hard waves slowly eroding a rocky cliff. She'd gotten good enough at the mining to not draw any excess ire from the guards, though all of the workers... no, slaves... all of them got some amount of harassment from saurs with nothing better to do than tease the captives. In spite of everything that had happened to her, she still held hopes of a rescue, or an escape, or rebellion, or something, but that hope was starting to starve.
Narrator: As teasing as some of the guards may be, mercifully, whenever Dyvrisse is around, the guards tense up and immediately bite their tongue. Dyvrisse herself hasn't joined in on any degradation of the slaves. She mostly keeps her distance during her visits checking out the mines, guards and slaves on the whole. She has spoken directly to slaves, rarely, with Lianne among that number.
Dyvrisse roams the mines, watching the mixture of stone and diamonds rapidly fill a wheelbarrow, and the mystery explosives from deeper within the mines filling another. Slaves are taken one by one to perform the rather tiring labour required to pull or push the carts to the top of the mines, though as usual, it's part of a select set that is trustworthy, servile or otherwise docile enough. The Ankylosaurus enters the area where Emmeline is, approaching the cow directly. "You." Dyvrisse speaks, lowly and dully, their stoic demeanour and tone hard to immediately read.
Emmeline stops her work and turns to face the large saur. She keeps her eyes downcast, as she knows that causes fewer problems. "Me? Yes, ma'am. What does the Keeper wish of me?" The hard work combined with Emme sharing some of her meagre rations each meal with those who need it more has caused Emme to slim down a bit since her capture, the muscles of her breeding more evident with less fat to cover them.
Dyvrisse gives off an indistinct grunt in response to Emmeline at first, waiting a moment before continuing. "Push cart to surface." She stoically instructs, motioning a hand to one of the wooden wheelbarrows.
Emmeline blinks, hardly believing the words. Her heart beats faster. It's an opportunity, if not for escape, then at least to learn more about what happens further up in the mine. She doesn't hesitate to nod to the Keeper. "Yes ma'am, of course. Just... up and out? Someone there will direct me?"
Dyvrisse: "I will direct you." Dyvrisse replies, eyes narrowing at the hope and eagerness in Emmeline's eyes, "But yes. Up and out. Begin." She has business to attend to back up in the camp at the entrance to the mine, plus she prefers to keep a close eye on those that are on cart duty for the first time. She would follow Emmeline once they begin moving.
Emmeline nods again. "Of course, Keeper. Thank you." Without another word, she steps behind the wheelbarrow, lifts the handle and begins slowly pushing it up the path back up to the outside world.
Dyvrisse follows slightly behind and off to the side of Emmeline, heavy feet thudding along the stone. She would instruct Emmeline where to go, as well as step in should any incorrect turns be made, though the main path was easy to follow thanks to it's larger size compared to the offshoots. Little has changed from what Emmeline saw on her first day descending into the Abyss. Dozens of guards, some on a few raised stone platforms, but otherwise no real gates inside the mines itself.
Emmeline walks quietly, not overly troubled by the heavy wheelbarrow. Her youth spent helping in the gardens and greenhouses of her family's business made her well aware of how such things move and how to get them over rough ground without spilling. She soon picks up the pace a bit, the easy grade of the mines making the work not to hard in general.
Dyvrisse: Within time, the soft flicker of flame is drowned out by a white light. Then, fresh air and eventually a breeze. Soft grass beneath the feet. They're at the surface. Surrounded by a coffin of guarded wood palisades and stone dwellings carved out of the mountain, but the surface none-the-less. Emmeline is directed where to place the wheelbarrow, then finally Dyvrisse breaks the silence. "Good job. You may rest here."
Emmeline sets the wheelbarrow where indicated and gives a nod to the Keeper. While the trek up was no more strenuous than the usual work extracting the rocks and gems, it works different muscles and so the cow finds herself quite in need of a break. She helps herself to a cup of water from the water barrel next to the seat. She squints her eyes against the sunlight, everything seeming so bright compared to the now accustomed darkness of the abyss. She has so many thoughts and questions running through her head, all telling her she shouldn't waste the opportunity to ask something of the one in charge of this whole mine, but not sure which to say. "It's good... to see the sun again... I miss it down below."
Dyvrisse's stoic gaze glances down at Emmeline with crossed arms, appraising her in silence for another moment. "Do you wish to see more of it?" She asks.
Emmeline nods to Dyvrisse as she takes another cupful of water to quench her thirst. "If I am able, yes please." Her eyes meet the saur's for a moment before she looks down again, her thoughts focused on Jennica for a moment. She checks herself back into focus though, not wanting to be caught daydreaming in the Keeper's presence.
Dyvrisse nods. "Work the carts, you see the sun. You are well suited to it."
Emmeline nods again. "Yes, thank you. I'll do my best, ma'am." She hates acting so servile, but it's better than being sent down to the dangerous parts of the mine. "May I... I have a question... if I may..."
Dyvrisse: "Yes." Dyvrisse simply allows, gaze still locked.
Emmeline looks up at the Keeper. "Will you... are we to be kept forever? Work the mine until we perish?" She looks down again.
Dyvrisse's stoic demeanour finally cracks the sliiightest amount, her lips curling slightly downwards in a frown as she takes in a deep breath and sighs it out her nose. "Only Yzzayt knows." Dyvrisse replies. "I do not envy your predicament."
Emmeline nods sadly. "Yes, of course." She looks along the mountains toward where she knows Respite should be, pining for her new home and the... friend... she has made it with. "Thank you again, for the sun at least..."
Dyvrisse looks away from Emmeline, up to the sky, contemplating things for a moment. "I am sorry I cannot offer you further solace."
Emmeline gives a hint of a giggle at the unintended pun, but stifles it. "It's not your fault... you are kind enough, unlike the rest of them here."
Dyvrisse's eyes flick down to the corners of her sockets at that hint, face unmoving, then resettles them back on the sky. "Yes. Though not all are of malice. Some are so devout to be blind, such that they coax others into their machinations in exchange for unity."
Emmeline says nothing, but gives a little nod. Her thoughts continues to swirl with thoughts of Respite and Jennica and a normal, domestic life. After a minute of silence she speaks again. "Emmeline. That's my name, in case you wanted to know..."
Dyvrisse looks down at Emmeline, considering her thoughts for a moment. She didn't particularly want to know Emmeline's name, though not out of malice, but rather out of guilt. A selfish reason, she concludes, and a cowardly one. "A fine name." Dyvrisse pauses. "I am Dyvrisse." More silence. "You have my respect, Emmeline. I will answer your question more thoroughly. One day, I may be ordered to kill you."
Emmeline smiles back, the smile genuine this time. "Thank you for sharing that with me, Keeper Dyvrisse. Your name is lovely as well. I assumed there was a chance of that. I would hope that those in charge aren't so callous as to slaughter so many innocents, though."
Dyvrisse: "They are." Dyvrisse immediately replies, dryly. "The destruction of your town is the promise that united our once divided people, the goal that drives us to stop fighting ourselves. Prisoners were never part of that solution."
Emmeline feels her heart sink. She has no words to respond to that statement, so she just gives a tiny nod and sits there quietly.
Dyvrisse senses Emmeline's downturn in mood and takes in a deeper breath, sighing it out much the same as before. The reality is harsh and unforgiving, and there is little she can do to change that, with no words she can offer to make that fact any more palatable. "Do you have anything else you wish to know?"
Emmeline keeps looking down at the ground. "Why? Just... why?"
Dyvrisse: "Please be more specific." Dyvrisse requests.
Emmeline sighs. "Why destroy us? What have we done to you? As far as I know, we never even met your people before now..."
Dyvrisse: "Yzzayt's will unites us. It is he who has decreed this. Unity is required for our survival."
Emmeline is starting to feel emotionally numb. "Then why not unite with us?"
Dyvrisse: "It is simple. Yzzayt did not decree it. Our people follow Yzzayt above all else." Dyvrisse pauses, "This land is sacred to Yzzayt. He sees you as unworthy."
Emmeline shakes her head. "We're not weeds or pests... you could reason with us, ask us to leave..."
Dyvrisse: "That is not my place to decide, Emmeline, nor do I have the influence required to enact that change. The extent of my influence was spent when I convinced Yzzayt that your people would be better alive as prisoners."
Emmeline lets out a soft sigh. "Well, thank you, for that at least. How many have come here?"
Dyvrisse gives a small nod at Emmeline's thanks. It's not a great consolation prize, but being alive is still better than being dead. "Forty or so."
Emmeline And how many of those have died?
Dyvrisse: "Perhaps around ten." Dyvrisse's expression sours slightly, letting out another huff through her nose. While she's been hard to read so far, it's clear she's pained about this particular point.
Emmeline just nods. She doesn't think she can ask any more questions without getting angry. "Thank you for the answers." She stands up again. "I'm ready to go back down, now."
Dyvrisse: "Very well, Emmeline. I trust you'll find your way." Dyvrisse farewells Emmeline, standing there and watching Emmeline leave.
Emmeline heads back down, unencumbered and alone with her thoughts for the first time in a long while.
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VIX'S HOUSE - LATE AFTERNOON
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Vix moves about her kitchen in a flurry, shrouded in puffs of flour as she bakes up a storm.
Nesseth strides up to Vix's place, having been invited to drop by earlier. He's carrying a bunch of extra cooking ingredients that Vix didn't take from the pantry, and he figures he could probably help her out if she's actively cooking at the moment. When he approaches her front door, he shifts the strap of the bag holding the foodstuffs a bit on his shoulder and then knocks.
Vix answers the door after a clatter of pots and pans, appearing before Nesseth covered in flour dust...and wearing only an apron. "Oh perfect, you're here! Come on in!"
Nesseth blinks as the door opens, noticing that Vix seems to be dusted in flour. He chuckles after a moment and nods. "I see you're already hard at work getting food cooked up for the expedition. Thanks for the invite, Vix." He hefts the bag a bit as he steps over the threshold and leans down to peck Vix on the nose, "I brought some extra stuff for you, in case you needed it."
Vix giggles and turns around to lead Nesseth through the door, revealing her backside as she does. "Great! I've got a spare apron over here if you want it. Clothing optional~"
Nesseth's eyes wander as Vix turns around, only to raise an eyebrow as he catches a look at her rear. He follows her towards the kitchen after a moment. "Baking in the nude? That's a new one~" He chuckles, "I'd join you in that, but how sure are we that we won't get distracted?"
Vix sticks out her tongue and shakes her mixing spoon at Nesseth. "There's plenty to do! No time to play~"
Nesseth laughs as he sets the bag down. "Then I guess I should ask: you say optional, but which would you suggest? I promise to not get too distracted by you~"
Vix hums as she makes her way back to her mixing bowl. "I do like a little eye candy, but if you wanna get your clothes dirty, well..."
Nesseth eyes the amount of flour that's still floating around the kitchen, noting that he's already acquiring a light dusting just in the few seconds he's been standing in the doorway. "...Good point, actually. Let me just... yeah, I'll go and change out. Give me a sec." He reaches over and grabs the spare apron, then steps back out of the kitchen to get 'properly' dressed to help Vix cook stuff up.
Vix peeks around the corner to spy on Nesseth as he changes. "I'm mostly makin' a bunch of biscuits right now. You can eat em with jam, butter, meat slices, gravy, or whatever!"
Nesseth is already in the middle of stripping out of his smallclothes when Vix peeks, giving her a pretty good view no matter the angle. He looks up as she speaks, and smiles. "And they keep for quite a while, too, without going bad." He stands back up, setting his clothes into a small, neatly folded pile nearby, then dons the apron, "Right, you're the head chef, Vix~"
Vix dumps the dough from her mixing bowl onto the flour-dusted counter. "Right then! Wash your hands real quick and get to kneading this dough. I'll start on the next mix~"
Nesseth nods as he goes over to the sink and takes a few seconds to wash his hands thoroughly, his tail swishing side to side a bit. Once he's done, he makes his way over to the almost-completed dough mix and quickly sets to kneading it. "Alrighty, usual recipe, then?"
Vix nods as she measures yet more flour into her bowl, producing a new dusty cloud. "Yep, but I'm adding a little more butter this time."
Nesseth hums, only to sniffle a bit as the cloud of flour starts to drift through the air. "Going for something a bit more flaky, huh? Tasty~"
Vix hums as she inspects Nesseth's work. "Alright, that should be enough kneading. Now grab the rolling pin and keep flattening and folding the dough until it's thin-ish."
Nesseth nods as he grabs the rolling pin nearby and begins to roll the dough out nice and thin before folding it and rolling again, repeating the process several times. "Sounds good." He looks over at Vix as he does as instructed, "So... you've been baking all day so far, I take it?"
Vix purrs. "Yep, I figured I'd do an assortment of stuff to send along with everyone."
Nesseth chuckles. "I'll put in a good word with the guard, then. All this work should be compensated, since it's contributing to the effort." He winks at Vix, "And as a bonus, I can show my appreciation personally once I get back."
Vix leans over to check Nesseth's progress as she mixes in more ingredients. "Alright, that looks good. Now, grab that circle cutter and cut discs out of the dough, then set them on the cookie sheet."
Vix processes what Nesseth said. "A-ah, payment, of course~!"
Nesseth chuckles and sneaks a kiss as Vix peeks at his progress. As she instructed, he grabs the circle cutter and begins to cut as many complete pieces as he can out of the dough, setting them all on the baking sheet. "Money from the guard budget, and a personalized payment from me, too~"
Vix chuckles. "If you roll out the scraps, you can cut a couple more biscuits. What kind of payment did you have in mind~?"
Nesseth starts to do exactly that once he's done cutting out discs from the sheet of dough. "Oh, I'll probably have to give it a little thought, but I'm sure I'll think of something~" He smirks at Vix, "Unless you've got any suggestions~?"
Vix chuckles. "Hmmm, what to do with the naked lizard in my house~?"
Nesseth hums thoughtfully as he continues to roll the dough out flat again after kneading it into a cohesive whole. "Hmm~... A good question, indeed~"
Vix hums and adds a scoop of chocolate chips to her mixture. "We can take a little break once we get the next batch going, maybe~"
Nesseth smirks playfully at Vix as he finishes cutting out the last few pieces of dough he can manage. "You sure we've got enough time to deal with such a distraction~?"
Vix smirks back as she starts on kneading her dough. "I can set a timer~"
Nesseth chuckles as he leans against the table a bit, the hand holding the rolling pin propped against his hip as he watches Vix kneading her batch of dough for the moment. "Sounds like a plan, then. Should I wait until you finish that, or should I get started on another batch in the mean time~?"
Vix takes the rolling pin as the timer on the oven rings. "Just about done~. Grab that batch out of the oven, would you~?"
Nesseth nods and passes Vix the rolling pin as he goes to get some oven mitts. Once properly mittened, he carefully bends over and pulls the batch of biscuits out of the oven. "Where do you want these?"
Vix Take them off the tray and set them on that rack to cool. They should be good there for a while.
Nesseth nods as he sets the sheet down and grabs a nearby spatula. With some deft movements, he starts to deposit the entire batch of biscuits on the rack to cool. "Aaaaand there we go. Smells good~"
Vix skillfully rolls out the dough and has a dozen more biscuits cut in no time. "Alright, let's pop these in and set the clock~"
Nesseth takes a few seconds to just sort of admire how skillful Vix is at all the steps involved in baking... among other things about her. "You've been baking for a long time, from how easily you're doing all this."
Vix giggles. "I guess I'm just good with my hands~"
Nesseth reaches over and picks up the timer, glancing at it and then at Vix with a sly little smile. "You're really quite dexterous, yeah. I've seen your skills before after all~" He chuckles, "And about how long are we going to let the next batch bake for?"
Vix snaps her fingers. "15 minutes at most! They bake pretty quick~"
Nesseth nods as he sets the clock and starts the timer running. He sets the clock back down on the counter and turns back to Vix. "So... did you figure out what you're going to do with this naked lizard in the mean time~?"
Vix moves a little closer and wraps her arm around Nesseth's waist. "I've got a few ideas~"
Nesseth chuckles and mirrors Vix's movements as he pulls her into a gentle hug. "I'm all ear frills, Vix. What are these ideas of yours~?"
Vix 's hands start to wander. "I'd rather show than tell~"
Nesseth hums and leans in for a kiss as his own hands begin to wander, too. "Sounds good to me~"