[Moofius]

The mint teigu was taken aback from the tone of her new crystalline friend.  Was he really so against leaving Basantha? That didn't seem right.  maybe he was just against the process of getting out.  That seemed more likely, he was such a sweetie; he wouldn't want anyone getting hurt in anyway to help him.
She turned to look at the monk while absent mindedly stroking the crystal under one of her hands.  She wasn't sure if he could feel that but she wanted to kind of... tell him it was alright?  If she'd snapped she would feel bad and considering how much she knew of him she suspected he might feel bad.

"Oh... Well... I mean... Maybe I could go on ahead and find a person who might be interested in bonding with you?  If I told them about you before hand, maybe they would stick around to learn more about you?"  That could really really help Kh're, right?
"I really don't want you running away on me, just because I wanted to help, Kh're.  I didn't mean to upset you, if I did,"

[Kyrit]

"No. I don't want anyone 'searching' for someone for me." He glanced back at her again, forcing a smile. "Searching... Wouldn't be the same as being found. It's kinda like playing a game of hide and seek. The Hunter is the one hiding and the one that they end up bonding to is the seeker." He wasn't mad at her in the least. He just had his own odd little way of seeing things.

"Only it's not like that game for most.." Yere interrupted him, which caused the Hunter to let out a small huff. "You do know that 'hiding' isn't going to get you anywhere, right? If you want to be found you have to stay in the ope-"

"That's not fun! It's a game! I've never seen a single Hunter just walk out in to the front room and announce he or she was looking for someone to bond to. I'm not going to be the one to end my game." His tail was moving back and forth, almost wagging. Seemed as though even if this had been a bit of a sad subject it had somehow given him back his bounce.

[Moofius]

Elindess frowned, kind of seeing where Kh're was coming from... But then she also could see where Yere was coming from. But if you were so desperate to leave the shrine, why not... go and blatantly ask for help? I mean, that seemed to make the most sense, right?

There was something else the mint teigu had thought of as well, but she didn't know how to say it without upsetting Kh're. He seemed to not want to leave, yet he really wanted to at the same time. She really wanted to help, already feeling like she was a friend of his. Which was exactly why she had to say this, she really wanted to get him out of here.
".... You know..."

She faltered, frowning.  Ugh, he was going to be mad.
"Don't be mad... But... technically," she wiggled uncomfortably, feeling nervous.
"Well... Technically... I found you... I did, right? So, technically, in the rules of the 'game'...." again she faltered, trailing off.  It was just the sound of the three breathing, the sound of their foot steps and her heart pitter-pattering nervously in her chest.

What if he ran away and didn't want to be friends anymore?  What if he yelled at her?  Elindess didn't want to upset him but... It was a possibility.

[Kyrit]

The Emerald Hunter stopped at the opening of the room they had been on their way to, not uttering a single word for the time. Truth was... Elindess was right. She had found him. Did it count though if she hadn't been looking? Did it count if she just stumbled on to him by mistake? Well, she had come here for a reason, right? Maybe in the end he was the reason she was here. No... She hadn't been searching for him. She just happened to walk in to the same hall where he had been 'mauling' Yerenthor at the time.

Even Yere spoke not a word though, wanting to see what the Hunter's outlook on this turn of events was. He walked by the two though so they could only see his back, not the smile that had taken place on his pale face. Maybe Kh're's seeker had finally come, if they were both ready to end the game of Hide and Seek. Now toward the middle of the room, the human form Serraptor turned back to face them, the smile not visible now.

Finally, after quite the silence, Kh're stepped forward in to the room, the light from the candles reflecting off his crystal body. "Did you.... want to find me, Elindess?" He didn't sound mad, didn't sound happy. There wasn't much of a hint of exactly how he felt about this, other than the fact that he needed to know if she wanted to run in to him.

[Moofius]

The way things were, right now, the sounds of the building of their breathing; the sound of the silence. This lack of real sound hurt her ears and made the mint teigu want to just... disappear. Did a lot ride on what she said next? Absolutely.

"I came looking for answers," she said carefully, tail twitching nervously.
"I got... a lot more questions... at least at first... Like 'Why is that scary crystal cat mauling the monk?' and 'Why was I the one who had to witness it?' along with 'Why am I so clumsy?' ... And for a very short period I wondered if I'd lose myself in the halls of the lost... But... Then all those questions were answered by you... and Yere, of course," she laughed then, a candle close to her flickering violently (for a candle) but refused to go out.

"You answered lots and lots of my questions about this place... and some questions I didn't know I wanted to ask, or didn't know that I didn't know the answers too. Like... 'How fast does a hunter go with a teigu on it's back?' and 'How long will one warm scarf last to get you back to the warm place?' and... Well..." she wiggled her toes, gently scratching Kh're's sides. She felt like such a cheese ball.
" 'Will I get to keep my newest friend?' ... Course... I don't know the answer to that one right now 'cause... I think you must be pretty mad right now, seeing as I found you. I went looking for answers... I got those, plus a few more questions and... I guess... I wanted to find something to believe in..."

She pursed her lips thoughtfully as she continued, "My friends back home all love the Gods and think their so great. I'm sure they are but it's hard to like something you don't see every day. I believe in the here and now and the people your with, I guess... You're my friend... And I'd like to be friends longer then my visit to Basantha, Kh're..."

She wasn't use to talking too much. She was so shy most of the time so this was really hard for Elindess. Bah, Kh're must hate her right now. Well, she had tried. The teigu quickly scrambled off of the hunters back, sitting down next to him looking sad. It wasn't always easy to find good friends, like Kh're; at least not for Elindess.

-Post Recorded Up To This Point-

[Kyrit]

Was it possible for a Hunter to cry...? Obviously not. They couldn't bleed, so why would they be able to cry? They were merely moving stone. If damaged they would only chip and no liquids would come flowing from their body. By the gods how he wanted to cry so, so badly. Were it possible he'd be bawling like a baby because... well... It was hard to say his exact feelings as they were very mixed, but he was happy none the less. Confused, happy, disorientated... The list went on and on, but the main point was being happy. Anything but mad. He couldn't be mad at her, as she had decided to stay with him and keep him and Yere company for some time today instead of running off.

Forgetting that he must be careful with creatures smaller than himself, the Emerald Hunter flopped down on the poor little Teigu, letting out what sounded like a wail that should have been followed by a stream of tears. How... childish. Just like one would expect really. "Mad?" his crystal maw shifted in to a frown, nuzzling against Elindess. "I couldn't be mad at you! You actually played hide and seek and not tag. You didn't find me and run off for me to chase after you."

Once again his tail was flailing about behind him, the frown fading back in to a smile. "You're a good friend, End." End... That was apparently his new nickname for her. Maybe it was because she was a symbol of the end of a life of being lonely? Maybe, but it was more likely that it was just because of his earlier mistake of calling her Endless.

"Hey now..." The soft voice of the Serraptor broke in as he leaned down, working to pull her from beneath the crystal beast. "Be a bit more careful, will you?" These words had two meanings really. One was that he was being too rough with her and the other was more of a meaning of 'I don't see you currently walking out of Basantha, so you better watch what you do.' Naturally Kh're didn't seem to really catch either of them. Well, if he did he didn't act like it at least.

[Moofius]

Oh my gawd, attack! She let out a pitiful squeak of fear just before she was squashed beneath the hunter. Would he kill her? Was he that mad? Yere would stop him, right? Oh, but it would still hurt so much. Even the sound he made when he jumped on her sounded... bad.
Her imagination had run off on her again though, it seemed. He was... just... very happy. She'd have to get better at reading him or he'd be the death of her. Though, if he kept crushing her like this... But anyway.
She nuzzled back weakly, tears (enough for the both of them) rolled down her cheeks. They were from a mix of being crushed and the pain from that and, mostly, the relief of Kh're not being mad at her. She was so convinced he would hate her.

Tiny little scratching sounds from her dull, harmless, claws against the stone. It was... hard to breathe with all that green rock of a cat on top of her. Whatever made up Kh're's body, it wasn't exactly light. What would she do without Yere to remind Kh're to be gentle once they were outside?

What would she, could she, give up?

She'd think on that hard question later. For now she had to get Kh're to let her up.
"I don't mind... Getting s-snuggled," she managed, squirming uncomfortably beneath the crystal, "But... Maybe a bit... gentler, please?" the teigu scratched nervously at the hard, rock floor. He was too heavy.
"Then maybe... We can... Hang out... Maybe... Outside the Shrine...?"

[Kyrit]

Oh... Oh.. Right! Finally realizing how rough he was being, Kh're pushed himself up, now just standing with his body hovering over hers instead of squashing her with all his weight. He was still snuggling her with his face, but now he wasn't being so forceful about it. He had just been so wrapped up in everything that intelligence held no contest to emotion. that seemed to the the case quite often though.

"Wait... Outside...?" Suddenly the huge beast started to pull away, taking a few small steps back. As said, intelligence hadn't been the focus earlier, so he didn't exactly connect staying friends with being able to get outside of Basantha.

Helping Elindess up, Yere smiled and said, "I'm sure that'd be lovely, right Kh're? It's always nice to have someone waiting for you on the outside." It was hard to tell if Yere's real goal was to see them walk out the doors together, bonded, or if he just wanted another friend for Kh're. If someone did a whole lot of analyzing though... They'd probably start to think the former. Although he never out and said it, it did seem like that was his underlying message.

"I'd.... love to get to hang out outside...." Kh're wasn't quite sure about what he should said, but he didn't want to cause her to run away. He did want to get to see Elindess outside. She was a great friend.

[Moofius]

"Thank you Yere," the teigu smiled, tail slowly wagging back and forth, scrapping against the floor. What was she to do? She'd already made up her mind on what she wanted to do for Kh're. The thing was Kh're was going to just... get annoyed or scared and run off. Her attention turned to Kh're and she shifted nervously.

How was she suppose to touch on the subject? How was she suppose to do this? It wasn't easy to ask somebody if you could give something up for them. And what would she give up? It was... She was a little scared to think about that too.
"Kh're I want to be the one to walk out of the temple with you. I dunno... You're like... the best friend I've ever had and I just met you. You've made me really happy and there's no way I'm leaving this shrine without you."

Well that was one way to bring it up. Eek, how would he react! She put one of her big, clawed hands over one of Kh're's stony paws.
"Please? You'd have so much fun outside the shrine."

[Kyrit]

Kh're shrank away from Elindess, almost looking like a puppy that was afraid of being beaten. His tail was down, his body halfway between laying down and standing, almost like a crouching position and yet... scared? Well, more frightened for the fact of what she said. His eyes traveled to look over at Yere, as if begging him to talk her out of this crazy act. "You're too good... I don't... want to hurt you..." He wasn't running and he wasn't yelling, but still it seemed as though he were against this.

"Look Kh're..." the Sky Serraptor spoke forth with a small sigh. "You're being childish. You want to be found. You've admitted this has been like a game of hide and seek. You've been found. And you like her, do you not?" He waited until the young Hunter had given a small nod to continue on, "The game is over then. She's found you and the condition to that is saving you from a life of loneliness. It's not like she's just losing something. She's gaining something as well." His bright blue eyes now fell upon Elindess. "She herself said she's not leaving without you. Do you want her to share the same fate as you have? Do you want her to live here as I do?"

There was some pause, the Hunter still shrunken back away from them. "What.... would you give up...?" It was clear that this was the only problem he had. He liked her too much already. He didn't want to see her lose a single thing just for him.

Posts recorded up to here.

[Moofius]

Elindess, too, had to wonder what she could give up. She hadn't come here looking for a hunter, just answers. The teigu hadn't seen any sort of reason to give thought to a question so hard and life changing. This felt rushed but also very... right. I mean what was one aspect of herself compared to freeing a life? No offense to Basantha shrine, but it really wasn't a nice place to feel trapped.

"The gain is a lot more then the loss, honest," she said, flicking her tail back and forth nervously. She was set, determined even, to do this. That didn't mean she wasn't scared. What could she give up...?
"Um... Well... I-I don't... I don't talk much... Maybe I could give up my voice...?"
She frowned and shifted nervously. She didn't want to be blind, and not see the world with Kh're, not see the look on his face. She wanted to be able to listen to him (even if he did talk a lot). She could answer his questions by writing things, right?

"Do you... Do you think... It'll hurt a lot?" She'd do it, either way, but... Well she'd want to know. One paw went to her throat, nervously scratching at the loose skin. She'd rather if it didn't hurt.
"And um... H-how would I go about...?"
The whole process was a mystery to her. She'd come here without much information on anything. She wondered how the others back home would feel about all this. She didn't have any close friends back home. Just Kh're and she'd only just met him. For him to be already so important to her...

The group was alone, nothing to disturb them, just their own thoughts and the flickering of the candle flames.

[Kyrit]

Her voice...? But... he liked her voice. It was soothing. But.... this was up to her. Was she really willing to give up something for him? Unsure of what to say, he looked over at his good friend, as if knowing that he could give her answers. He knew how to do the bonding - he had been told how to as a cub - but he had no clue if there would be any pain in it for her. He wanted to say, 'Nah, there's no pain at all. Maybe it'll tickle?' but he didn't know and couldn't tell her.

"Well..." the Serraptor started in, lowering himself to take a seat on the ground. "I've heard that sometimes there is pain and sometimes there isn't. I suppose it mainly depends on what you were to give up. I heard of a Fellox that gave up his chance to ever repent again. The three shackles that the Fellox bare dug in to his skin, imbedding them there forever. I.... am not sure if giving up your voice would be a painful one or not." His eyes moved to look at each of the two of them before settling on Elindess again. "You're very brave for this, Elindess. A coward would tuck their tail between their legs and run away even if it meant leaving behind a friend, but you've offered to give up a lot just to stay with a friend." A smile had spread across his pale face.

Kh're lightly nudged Elindess before licking her cheek. "You don't have to do this.... But if you really want to, I won't run either. I'll stop running away so I can go see the outside with you. I... I'd miss your voice. A lot. But.... voices aren't always needed to comunicate. Who knows. Maybe we could even find a way to get your voice back. We could look for a way to break the Hunters' curse together!"

[Moofius]

Elindess nervously hid her face when Kh're licked her cheek. Pfft, wasn't that kind of...? Nah, maybe it wasn't. It was still a little embarrassing but she rubbed her cheek against his anyway, eyes shut.
"If you want to look, but I don't want to waste time. If it interferes with seeing new things I don't want to. It's up to you, whatever you want to do or see. I'm sure it'll be fun, with or without my voice." She grew steadily quieter, feeling she was speaking too much. But, then again, she was about to lose her voice forever, potentially.
"Um... So..." She scooted in close, clearing her throat. The small sound was picked up by the walls, echoing down the opening to the hall of the lost.
"What do I say...? Or do? Do I just... Ah... I give my voice for... Ah, Kh're's or this hunters, freedom?"
Would that work? Was there something else she was suppose to do? She meant every word she'd spoken, would that be enough? She just wanted to see Kh're outside the shrine; free of this curse she'd only learned of earlier that day.

She wondered what it would be like, without a voice. Would she still snore? probably, that had nothing to do with your voice, but your nose. Maybe it would get rid of her snore, if she was lucky? Maybe she should be more concerned, but she really wasn't feeling it. I mean stuff would be harder to do, but she gained so much more.

[Kyrit]

"Well, we could certainly see new things and hunt for a way to get your voice back all at the same time." the Hunter spoke with a small nod, as if very sure of himself. "We don't have to focus on solely finding a way to get it back, but if we come across a way for it to happen we totally should go for it!" He was so excited now. Got to leave here with someone that was already a friend. Not someone that was randomly picked just because they had come here hunting for a Hunter. No, Elindess was different. She hadn't come here looking for him just because of what he was. She wanted to help him because of who he was, not what.

"Oh... Right. Well uh... Yah. That works for your part." He seemed to become a bit more solemn once again, losing his cheerful perk in his voice for a few seconds. This was the hard part... He didn't want to take it from her. It was a needed evil though and it had to be done. Right... The spell. Drawing closer to her, Kh're leaned down so that his crystal nose rested against Elindess's forehead, his lips moving slowly as a barely audible spell was spoken. Well... His part was now done. Now for the spell to settle in and well.... for her voice to be gone.

Yere seemed rather... Undecided about this now. He didn't seem happy nor sad. It was just like he was only there to make sure things didn't go horribly wrong. He looked down at the ground now after having heard the spell, eyes sliding shut. Well.... Kh're had finally found a companion. Things certainly wouldn't be the same any more. He might even... actually miss the crazy cub.

[Moofius]

He was sort of... cold it was comforting maybe numbing. But there was a warmth to it? An... inner warmth, not exactly Kh're which was probably the comforting part. She shifted, claws clicking and sliding softly agains the ground as she got comfortable.

This was scary and rash and so... definite. There was no going back and, well, it was spooky and very unlike herself. She didn't do things so spur of the moment but... She was glad she had done this. She could work around being unable to speak, Elindess was sure of that.

The mint teigu opened her mouth to say something, she wasn't quite sure what, just something. Something... important to Kh're; important to her. But the spell had already been completed, it hadn't hurt at all. Once she could speak now she could... sigh.
Elindess smiled, nuzzling Kh're, but her shoulders were shaking. Why was she shaking? This was good, great. Before Kh're could run away (maybe he would feel ashamed or something, thinking she was upset) she wrapped her arms around his neck firmly, nuzzling his rough, cold cheek.
'I love you' she mouthed, now unable to say it, completely out of his vision. Elindess paused. What had she just tried to say?

She must... Love him as a friend, that's right. He was a good friend to her after all. Her attention turned to Yere, oh man he might have seen what she'd 'said'!
'Ah... Thank you' again trying to speak and being unable to.