[crow]

All that stuff about science and discovery had no impact on Fabio. Fabio was a man of simple wants and practical considerations, which mostly involved staying away from poop.

Oh gods, he hoped it was another exit. If there wasn't another way out of this dump, he would have to go through the poop corridor again, and he really didn't want to do that.

With this new goal in mind, he quickened his pace, which he fortunately could do now that he wasn't bogged down by tricky footing.

[crow]

Or the possibility of falling face-first into feces. Funny how you got a lot more careful where you were walking once that kind of thing was on the table.

As he approached, he began to smell something like fresh air too. Actually, was that a breeze he just felt? He hadn't actually realized just how dead the air was in here until he had something to compare it to, and he hadn't had anything to compare it to since he'd abandoned the entrance to go to his doom.

[crow]

Now that the breeze--- it was a breeze too--- could be felt, he recognized how still everything had been thus far. He'd been aware of it, of course, but he'd grown numbed to it. Now, however, he noticed the difference, and it made him want to leave more than ever.

It was getting lighter too, so much so that he turned off the flashlight, since he no longer needed it to see anymore. He hadn't thought about how much of a relief that would be either.

[crow]

It was easier to get through all of it when he didn't dwell on it, and a job was a job. But the single flashlight beam didn't hold a candle to being able to see all of his surroundings all the time. Fabio rubbed blearily at his eyes, though the cavern was lightening slowly enough that he didn't really feel the strain of it.

Plus, he had to conserve flashlight batteries. He had spares, but he really didn't know how long he would be stuck down here, and even if that wasn't an issue, he could always save his fresh batteries for something else.

[crow]

He wasn't made of money, and if he had the chance to conserve something, he figured he might as well. He tucked the flashlight away in a side pocket of his pack, then stretched out his arms. Boy, it felt good not to have to carry it in his hands either.

On the comm, Melanie was getting impatient again. "So? What do you see?" she said.

"You can see everything I'm seeing," he replied. "It should be bright enough now, right? I don't have any more clues than you do, Mel."

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"Walk faster then. All I see is a bunch of rocks," Melanie said.

"Yeah, yeah," said Fabio. He did quicken his pace, though he wondered if it was a good idea; depending on how much further this tunnel went, he might have been better off conserving his energy.

As he thought this, he became aware of the emptiness in his stomach. "Hey, how long have I been down here anyway?" he asked. When was the last time he'd eaten? It might well be time for him to take a break soon.

[crow]

"Huh? Oh... I actually didn't keep track of when you went in," Melanie said. Fabio groaned.

"What? Come on! You're supposed to be my handler, right? Can't you be more on top of things?" he said.

"You're not the one paying me. Besides, usually we're more worried about deadlines. I generally don't track when you start doing something," Melanie replied. There was a defensive note to her words. "Besides, this was just you in a cave. Why do I have to keep track of something like that anyway?"

[crow]

"Because if there's noxious gases or something, you--- Okay, you know what, nevermind. What time is it?" he asked instead. Arguing over this wasn't going to get them anywhere, and once they got into it, there would be no end.

"Four PM. Why?" There was a slight pause before her reply, and Fabio could only assume it was because she'd had something she wanted to say too. Thankfully, she didn't. Either she didn't want to get into an argument either, or his request had been mundane enough that she didn't mind so much.

[crow]

Whichever one it was, he'd take it. "Four... Ugh. I've been here since the middle of the morning." He didn't know the exact hour, but he remembered that much. "Yep, nope, it's time to eat something. No wonder I don't feel so good..."

"Personally I would have assumed it was the bat poop," said Melanie. "Are you sure you want to eat so close to that?"

Fabio's face scrunched up into a grimace. "Ugh, don't remind me," he said. "I'm getting away from it as fast as I can."

[crow]

Well, short of breaking into a run, anyway. He didn't really want to be running in here, though now that he had decent visibility, there wasn't any real reason not to. Excepting that he didn't want to stumble into some creature without warning. One 'Grondalith' was enough for him.

Speaking of visibility, the cavern was getting lighter the further he walked. It was nearly bright enough to be daylight now. "It looks like this really might be a way out," he mused. Just a little further...

[crow]

His lunch could wait for a moment, anyway, even if he was pretty hungry. He was more eager to leave. If he could have his meal outside, wouldn't that be something?

What was this place doing to him, that eating in the open air felt like a luxury? He couldn't wait to be done with this place.

Unfortunately, a moment later, his hopes were dashed. He'd found the source of the light alright, and it was technically an exit... for birds, maybe. Or, ugh, the Batti that were responsible for all that guano. Not for Fabio.

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He groaned at the sigh. "It's a skylight... Of course it is. Oh, gods, I'm going to have to wade through that shit again," he said. The prospect was almost enough to dull his appetite... Almost. It might well have if he let himself dwell on it, so he dispelled it as best he could from his thoughts.

Over the comm, Melanie was laughing. "Hey, no, you can totally make this work! You're the Tanager, aren't you? I thought flying was part of the package," she said.

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Fabio scowled. “Look, I’m glad you’re enjoying this, but do you have to be so sarcastic about it? You know as well as I do that none of us can fly.”

”Not technically true,” said Melanie. ”Finch went base jumping that one time, remember?”

“Yeah, for a mission! And that isn’t flying, that’s... assisted falling, at best. Plus you’d have to start off somewhere high, which I really don’t see happening here, even if I did have the suit.” Which he certainly didn’t. Melanie knew this. Not that it stopped her.

[crow]

She didn’t even bother with a reply, and he had to listen to her giggle for at least two full minutes, by his estimate, before she sobered and stopped. He used that time to put down his pack, which fell to the cavern floor with an audible thump.

The ache in his shoulders, which had thus far been at the back of his mind thanks to the wealth of distractions available, immediately felt simultaneously both better and worse for it. There was relief, but as if the relief had reminded his body of how it felt to be without weight, the ache became more acute as well.

[crow]

Fabio stretched, and a couple of his joints popped in protest, but he felt better for it. Shaking out his arms, he took a deep breath, before opening his pack to root through it for his food.

It was at this point that Melanie finally calmed down, so he said. “Are you done?”

Melanie hummed, as if she were considering his question. ”I guess. Though I can’t guarantee anything once you get to the bit with all the guano again.” Trust her to keep bringing that up too. Fabio grimaced.