post-snek recoveries

[neonleon]

[You know?

That weird temple wasn't good, but it wasn't the worst. Not by far now that he's back in this dimension. He floats a bit aimlessly, body broken, shell cracked and falling apart, some bones and insides shattered. His head aches in a way that he can't think.

All he can really do is hope Prime doesn't find him immediately right now. The light off his ring catches his eye and he looks at it, not fully registering that it's lit up.

A promise.]

Comments

[pyrighteous]

[ MAYBE maybe. Isn't that a nice thought.

Hunter leans against him, arms looped lightly around his waist. ]

Good. We'll have a nice quiet day and a nice quiet evening then.

[neonleon]

[That sounds amazing. This feels amazing, Hunter holding him close like this.]

I think we've got a whole day planned, then.

[pyrighteous]

Well. Almost. You have to make breakfast first.

[neonleon]

And that's step one.

[He leans down for one more kiss! Before Leo pulls away to go do just that now that he's dressed.] Lucky, come on.

[The little pine marten blinks up at him sleepily before yawning and stretching then following after.]

[pyrighteous]

[ Hunter meanwhile lingers behind to get their backpacks ready for the day. he has specific tools for the graveyard so...

He wanders down a few minutes later to sit at the table and see what Leo's cooking. ]

[neonleon]

[By the time Hunter comes down, he's got a few things done - what equates to toast, eggs, bacon. He didn't want to dare try for anything he had to carefully mix and while the food isn't pretty, it's still good.

Eating and finishing up, cleaning up. All things he can do here, and when they're done, he looks at the bags.]

Ready to head out?

[pyrighteous]

[ It sure SMELLS good. And Hunter gladly devours it all. Seems like "not pretty" is just standard for food here anyway.

He grabs a couple of the palisman breads for lunch later today and hefts the bags. ]

Uh huh. It's a short walk, at least. We won't be flying today.

[neonleon]

Walking's good. Can totally do walking.

[But he'll reach for one of the bags at least to help as Lucky climbs on and finds his perch on Leo's shoulder. It's been a day. It's already his.]

I'll follow you.

[pyrighteous]

Great. Come on, then. It's this way.

[ Hunter trudges off into the woods seemingly at random? There's a faint path that he's following, but nothing that looks super official. Thankfully, it's also a beautiful morning. Crisp and clear, with sunlight filtering through the trees. ]

[neonleon]

[It is a beautiful morning. Not that the outdoors has ever been his thing but he can appreciate it at least. So he's walking along and seeing where Hunter puts his feet. I'm such a baller Todd Scout he'd be SO proud.]

What kinda stuff are you needing to do?

[pyrighteous]

[ Before long, they start approaching a cliffside area. Hunter walks along the bottom of the exposed stone, keeping an eye out for something. ]

Just sorting today, I think. Usually I get piles organized by size and shape before I try to match them up.

[neonleon]

Piles.... of what?

[THAT'S SO VAGUE.]

[pyrighteous]

Uh -

[ He pauses in front of a spot that's been covered with branches? He smooths them away to reveal a complex looking glyph. Hesitates a moment, then reaches back to take Leo's hand. ]

It's ... probably easier if you see for yourself.

[neonleon]

[Ominous. But he takes Hunter's hand cautiously.]

All right... Trust you.

[pyrighteous]

Yeah. Trust me. It'll be okay.

[ And with THAT comforting comment, Hunter touches the glyph, teleporting them to ...

Well. The sunny forest disappears, replaced by a large, echoing cave. Pillars of stone arch up to a ceiling that must be at least a hundred feet up.

But that's not the most important part, is it. The cave is full of bones. And mask fragments. And scraps of cloth, or armor, or other detritus from corpses long discarded. There are indeed piles of bones and bits organized by shape and size, but there are so, so many more that haven't been touched since they were first discarded.

Hunter heads over to a spot where a blanket and some crystals have been laid out. He taps them, shedding a circle warmth and light into the otherwise cool cavern. ]

This is the graveyard.

[neonleon]

[Oh.]

Oh.

[He takes in the sight, and if this had been any earlier in his life, before the Temple, before Hunter, he'd make a joke about graves being under the ground and not over. But... This is Hunter's dedication. Something important to Hunter, and Leo will back him up on it.

Still gives him the heebee jeebies.]

Right... Sorting.

[pyrighteous]

[ Oh it is creepy AF. If nothing else, the scope is MASSIVE here. How many grimwalkers did Belos make? How many dead souls are still lingering here? "Way too many" seems to be the answer.

Hunter watches his reaction carefully. ]

Yeah. It's ... a lot of work. But I've made some progress.

[ He points to a different side of the cavern, the pillars are much closer together, sort of like an underground forest. There are little glowing lights at each spot and an inscription. Clearly that's where the finished remains go. ]

I can't do much to help them. But I can do this.

[neonleon]

[Leo looks t everything, takes stock of what all is here and what Hunter's been doing. It's somber work... But he gets it. Leo nods and moves to set his bag down out of the way but easily found later.]

You can. Because I'm gonna help.

[pyrighteous]

... Thank you. It's - a lot.

[ He looks back over at the massive bone pile. ]

Darius doesn't like it down here. I know he'd help if I asked, but I can tell how much it hurts him.

[neonleon]

...He's done a lot for you, so. I'll be here instead.

[Darius seems like a stand up enough guy. But if he knew Ori already, Leo gets this being difficult. He steps up to one of the piles half-started and kneels down.]

You have a bucket or something?

[pyrighteous]

[ Yeah. It's not Darius's fault at all.

Hunter nods, taking a bucket out of his duffel bag and holding it out. He has a second one for himself. ]

Here. I usually start by size. We're all mostly around the same height. Except for the ones he killed early, anyway.

[neonleon]

["Killed early", like they weren't already young at Hunter's age. God. He takes the bucket and nods, starting to - ew - pick through the bones - eugh - and sort out. Starting with the biggest, carefully putting them in a bucket.

For his part, Lucky stays curled around Leo's neck helping keep him warm where his clothes don't cover.]

How often do you come down to work on this?

[pyrighteous]

[ They are at least so long dead that they are all bone (ha) dry. No flesh at all left.

Hunter drifts along similarly, focusing on masks instead. ]

A couple times a week, usually. More than that and Dell worries. Less than that and I worry.

[neonleon]

[He gets why Dell would worry; being surrounded by this much death of your... brothers too much would be bad. But he glances over at Hunter.]

Why do you worry?

[pyrighteous]

Because -

[ Hunter hesitates a moment. ]

It's gonna sound weird.