Maitimo: *
tearing up, understanding this is Curvo Affection™️ even without translation help* Thank you for your concern, bro!
Fëanor: I knew it would be my Mini-Me to save us, if I didn't do it myself! *
pats Curvo on the head* I was just, uh, waiting for a good time to spring into action, and I figured I'd let you have your moment.
(This is the closest Fëanor can get to saying thank you.)
Aranya:
*sighs, seeing as how they're both too disoriented or proud or both to explain themselves. She says, similarly deadpan, to Tanca:* They're both concussed. And we all feel nauseated from those awful smells.
( 😂 )
*
Curufin is glad his blush is not visible in the dim light*
*coughs somewhat realistically* Indeed, the air is terrible in here.
And, *lowers her voice* don't tell the guys I said this, but I can get around better than they can.
Tancaquárë: *raises her eyebrows, looking at
Maedhros and Fëanor* No, really...? I hadn't noticed. *her lip twitches*
*They hear noises, and Maitimo's glance darts over to where they just came from.*
Maitimo: That's Finno's voice. It sounds like he's in trouble! We have to help him! *he stumbles towards the exit*
Aranya: *grabs his arm* Um, you're not going anywhere! You're in no state to help him. Besides-- *she listens to shouting from friendly Elven voices, hissing from a raccoon, and Thuringwethil screeching* I think it's under control back there.
Curufin: If my senses did not deceive me, some of the reinforcements arriving to help us had a certain... Vanyarin magic about them. By all accounts
and by this I mean the tapestries in the halls of Mandos, the damage those
elves can cause in combat is nothing to sniff at. Not that I would recommend sniffing in this putrid atmosphere, anyway. *the complete lameness of his joke causes him to lose his train of thought for a moment, and he stares blankly at the floor*
Tancaquárë: *coming to his rescue once again* Alright then, let's make our way down to the lake.
Slowly. Being forcibly taken captive by the Black Foe is nothing to sniff at either. *she does not smile nor look at him, but this was most definitely intended to restore Curufin's
spirits somewhat*
Curufin: *internally struggles with some unnameable emotion between 😨 and 🥺, before turning like a robot and leading the way down the tunnel*
*Once arrived at the lake shore, they all sit down and rest for a moment. Tancaquárë is not particularly tired, but she sits facing the water and focuses on it, silently conversing with Ulmo once more. Curufin is just as worn out as the others, if not more so, thanks to his previous solitary underground adventuring.*
*Eventually, five small whirlpools form in a line along the edge of the lake.*
Tancaquárë: *gets to her feet* Ulmo's going to take us upstream, as gently as he can manage. Follow my lead.
*She steps into one of the whirlpools, which is shallow and supports her weight as she sits down cross-legged inside it. The water around the edge rises around her, enclosing her in a sort of bubble, through which her silhouette can be faintly seen. The others do the same, some more reluctantly than others.*
Curufin: *privately wonders why Ulmo couldn't have done this on the way here*
*the rushing sound of the
walls of his water bubble collects itself into a voice*
Did you think to ask?
Curufin: ...
*privately shuts up*
Curufin: *has the distinct impression the water surrounding him is rolling its eyes... somehow*
*The five large bubbles are sucked under the lake surface, brought into single file, then the bubble line is sent up the underground stream passage like a train, with its passengers remaining seated upright, even as they go up the waterfall.*
*Daylight shines through the walls of their bubbles, and they slow down, having finally reached the above-ground portion of the stream. The tops of their bubbles retract, allowing them to stand up and step out onto the stream bank. Curufin and Tancaquárë give a hand to the concussed pair, as even this gentler mode of transportation was somewhat disorienting.*
Curufin: *under his breath*
Dry land, sunlight... fresh air...! *sits down, then collapses onto his back, his limbs refusing to support him any longer*
*he closes his eyes, quite hoping his 'looking for missing brothers' adventure has now drawn to a close*
Tancaquárë: *looking around* Ah good, they're still here. *gestures towards
Finwë, Amrod and Amras, who are in an outdoor cooking area near the
buildings* How are you all doing? Shall we go and join them?
