North Sea Dungeon

[Theriot]

Theriot was eager to start this dungeon dive, even more so now that he had met his new party. He had been nervous at first about going down with two randomly selected people, what if they ended up with a mage only party? Or him and two half-foots? Surely it would end badly for everyone.

First impressions not withstanding, the ogre didn't seem too bad; at least he could speak the common language and seemed to have some sort of manners regarding his massive size. The gnome seemed messy and to be honest sort of weird and off putting; but he could tell from the way they carried themselves that they would be a good asset when it comes to gnome style magic, perhaps he could even ask for some advice on his own learning. It was a solid first time party, at least as far as theoretical dungeons went.

As they reached the stairs, he felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of actually being inside, wanting to go down the stairs two steps at a time to get down as fast as possible, but he pushed down the childish urge and let Cobalt lead the way, since they had said they were the more experienced one.

...OH CRAP.

Theriot's whole body jolted into motion, hurrying down the steps behind the rolling mass of his companion, he quickly crouched down next to the heap of gnomish limbs and looked over them with concern.

"Did you die?!" He placed a hand near Cobalt's collarbone, finding their heartbeat and visibly relaxing "Okay no, you didn't..."

After a breath, he grinned, then snickered shakily, pushing himself to his feet and offering his hand to help them do the same.

"Well, that sure was a quick way to get down here, huh? Good job"

[Rokuro]

"Cobalt?!" Rokuro's shouted after his two companions as they rolled and ran into the dark. Quickly glancing around the entrance, he let out a sigh of relief that no other adventuring parties had been there to see the display. Shouldering his pack and hefting his club closer to his side so it didn't hit the stairs, he quickly followed after them. He doubted a fall, even down all of these stairs could kill anyone unless they fell in the perfect way... But Cobalt did seem to be the kind of person who would have such a thing happen to them.

He reached the bottom, heart thudding worriedly in his chest just as Theriot offered Cobalt a helping hand. "You're both okay?" Rokuro asked, glancing between them as he trotted over. Quickly assessing both of his companions weren't too much worse for wear, he redirected his attention to the place they'd found themselves into. Though they had barely stepped off of the stairs, they were in the dungeon proper now, and at least one of them had to keep an eye out. Before them was a rubble filled sprawl of a stone tunnel, and though he couldn't quite see through the gloom, following it would likely lead to a more open space for them to get their bearings.

[Cobalt]

Cobalt’s entire body hurts, though the pain is quickly forgotten. The skin close to their collar bone still burns where Theriot put his hand, listening for a pulse. Without hesitation, the gnome flung himself down the stairs after them, springing into action at once—something as if straight out of one of Cobalt’s favorite novels.
Their cheeks flushed, they glance up, and Cobalt’s breath gets caught in their chest for a moment. Hand outstretched, haloed by the light shining down from the dungeon plaza, Theriot looks like a prince from a fairytale. Or an angel, maybe. An angel fairytale prince.

Theriot is still holding out his hand. Cheeks red, Cobalt takes it, and lets themselves be dragged to their feet. The moment lingers, and Cobalt almost says something, but that’s when Rokuro's voice cuts through the silence.

Suddenly ashamed, Cobalt wipes their sweaty hand off on their robe. Why does it have to be so sweaty? Surely, Theriot felt how sweaty it was. Cobalt is not only a clumsy idiot, but also a clumsy idiot with really sweaty hands.

Cobalt’s spiral is interrupted by a squeal from their backpack. Suddenly, they remember Seymour. Who was very much in the backpack that Cobalt landed on top of. Hastily, they throw open the latch, though thankfully, and miraculously, Seymour is uninjured, if a little annoyed. How that’s possible is not something Cobalt wants to think about. They do think they heard a crunch when they fell, but that could have been anything. Seymour is fine, which is all that matters.

Rokuro is already looking down into the dungeon, seemingly eager to go, and Cobalt swallows as they follow his gaze down the hallway. It looks terrifying. Hopefully they don’t embarrass themselves any further.

[Theriot]

Once the gnome is standing again, Theriot quickly turns his attention to the passage in front of them, he places his hands on his hips in an attempt to discreetly remove the damp from his hand. Why were they so sweaty?

"Seems like we are, yes" He replies to his tallest companion as he steps closer, loud enough that he misses the squeak from behind him "We should probably get away from the stairs though, don't wanna inconvenience any parties that come through"

He looks down at the now mildly crumpled map in his hand; since there is only one way forward, he won't need to check, so he stuffs it into his pocket to free his hand. A small flick of his wrist later he has summoned a small firey orb, too compact to accidentally burn his crew with but big enough to see by, he lifts it up in front of his head and hums.

"No monsters as far as I can tell, I suppose the first few hallways must be cleared out often by other adventurers" He smiles to himself as he begins moving forward into the tunnel, trusting the others will follow.

[Rokuro]

Rokuro can't help but sigh at the awkward spectacle between his two party members, a mixture of relieved and exasperated. Maybe Cobalt was simply that awkward, but he had caught how red their face had gotten at Theriot's gesture. He supposed it was alright that it was happening... Just as long as nobody went tumbling down another flight of stairs again. His attention similarly turned from Cobalt as they confirmed the safety of their furry friend, Rokuro nods at Theriot's observation of the tunnel.

"That makes sense to me. Since you have the light and the map, I'll be right behind you." He says, keeping his hand near his hip as he walked after him. Despite his relaxed composure, he was still treating the situation with a healthy amount of wariness. Looking back over his shoulder to Cobalt, likely only beginning to trail after them, he gives them a reassuring smile. "You're both mages, correct? I'll do my best to keep both of you out of harms way."

Maybe Cobalt would feel a bit more confident with a promise like that from a man like Rokuro. After all, both them and Theriot could likely stand on each other's shoulders and still not be able to look him in the eye. At the very least, the ogre would make a good person to hide behind.