He's sleeping like the proverbial dead, but the turbulence does enough to wake him up- an earthquake is nothing so sleep through, out in the open. When he realizes it's nothing much he's just about to go back to bed when the knock comes.
Maybe it's his state of half-awakeness, but it's only when he gets up to get the door that he feels the same pull inside his chest. He frowns when he sees it's Tess, and he looks in the direction of the stairs and notches his chin at them. "What's happenin', huh?"
"There's something calling to me," Tess replies, feeling well aware of how insane that sounds, especially if he's not feeling the same. "I'm going to go find out what it is. You don't have to come, just figured I'd let you know in case something bad's going on."
"Almost certainly something bad going on," he tells her, and then opens the
door and gestures for her to wait. She's going to have to, if she wants him
along, because he's wearing his red long johns right now and he's not going
out like that.
The feeling is getting stronger by the minute, and he's itching a little by the time he's out. He's just wearing a rough-knit, ratty sweater and dirty trousers over his boots, but he's got his gun on him.
Hard to say. Hard to pinpoint a direction, too. She stops at a split in the hall and has to gauge for a second where she thinks it’s coming from, and then she knows.
“Maybe more on the something needs me side than anything being in danger. You feel that?”
He considers the feeling, then nods. He hasn't been needed by an awful lot over the past few years, and it's making something coil in his stomach that he doesn't like.
"Don't think I like what it might mean. Something playing with me."
"Right you are." It's pulling them easily towards the deck, his trepidation growing as they go- but it feels good, to, to be going there. Like he's going in the right direction.
"Let me-" When they get to the door, he pushes forward, a shield if need be.
What a gentleman. Tess steps in behind him, letting her backpack hang low off one shoulder in case she needs her gun. She peers around him, though, and is both surprised and bothered when no one’s there. Nothing immediately obvious, anyway.
There's really nothing there that he can see, yet, but there's a pull inside of him anyway. He keeps his arm stretched out a little, not exactly keeping her from moving ahead of him but... urging her not to.
And then his eyes drop to an egg, lying comfortably against the headrest of one of the deck chairs, and it just feels right to go towards it. He throws Tess a concerned look, frowns- what the hell?
Tess meets his gaze with a somewhat confused look. An egg? It looks like a giant egg. She knows, somehow, that it’s the thing calling for them, and it feels that much more intense the moment she knows that’s what it is.
She looks out to open space and it’s star field and then back to Arthur.
“We should grab it and go. Figure out what it is when we’re not in the open.”
Tess nods, slipping around him and bee-lining for the egg. She gives it a cursory look before picking it up — no moisture, no spores, nothing indicative of a trap or hazard.
It’s surprising to her how quick the plea to be found turns into contentment. She almost hesitates to put it in her bag. Tess isn’t so sure she likes that, but it is what it is.
Tess nods, and she lowers the egg into the bag only to feel it flinch when it sets down against her gun and the other things she has packed in there. She closes the bag up anyway. They’ll figure out what’s going on soon.
"More of a coincidence than us being paired in the first place?" she remarks, leading them back off the deck, taking corners slow. "Most people here won't fuss if we have it, but some..."
She can imagine how competitive someone like William might get for a mysterious item.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Maybe it's his state of half-awakeness, but it's only when he gets up to get the door that he feels the same pull inside his chest. He frowns when he sees it's Tess, and he looks in the direction of the stairs and notches his chin at them. "What's happenin', huh?"
no subject
no subject
"Almost certainly something bad going on," he tells her, and then opens the door and gestures for her to wait. She's going to have to, if she wants him along, because he's wearing his red long johns right now and he's not going out like that.
no subject
She glances him over and has to hold back a smile at the sight of his long johns, but she nods. Better to have someone watching her back.
She leans against the doorframe to wait, and her gaze drifts out back to the hall. Nobody else stirring that she can see.
no subject
"Alright. Let's see."
no subject
"You want to know something real strange?"
no subject
no subject
no subject
"Sense of foreboding?"
no subject
Hard to say. Hard to pinpoint a direction, too. She stops at a split in the hall and has to gauge for a second where she thinks it’s coming from, and then she knows.
“Maybe more on the something needs me side than anything being in danger. You feel that?”
no subject
"Don't think I like what it might mean. Something playing with me."
no subject
no subject
"Let me-" When they get to the door, he pushes forward, a shield if need be.
no subject
no subject
And then his eyes drop to an egg, lying comfortably against the headrest of one of the deck chairs, and it just feels right to go towards it. He throws Tess a concerned look, frowns- what the hell?
no subject
She looks out to open space and it’s star field and then back to Arthur.
“We should grab it and go. Figure out what it is when we’re not in the open.”
no subject
no subject
It’s surprising to her how quick the plea to be found turns into contentment. She almost hesitates to put it in her bag. Tess isn’t so sure she likes that, but it is what it is.
“What the hell...?”
no subject
"Let's get back, first. Your place." Since his is smaller than hers. He puts a hand on her shoulder and urges her back towards the stairwell.
no subject
“I wonder what’s inside. It’s huge.”
no subject
no subject
She pauses.
"You think other people are getting called to it, too, and we're just the first ones here?"
She's not sure she'd fight for it, if it came to it, but she finds herself preparing for the possibility anyway.
no subject
He really doesn't want other people to get to it, though. That's troublesome.
no subject
She can imagine how competitive someone like William might get for a mysterious item.
no subject
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)