lightwithin | 1st ♥ [Text]

N...No, [he replies with a shake of his head.] I-I just... w--walked through a d-door, a-and then... I... I-I w--woke up h-here.

Oh. Me too.

[It's difficult to hide her disappointment, so she distracts herself with her other question.]

Are you okay?

[Her question catches him by surprise. He thinks about it for a moment and decides that no, he's not really okay, but her concern is... well. It's nice. He cracks an awkward, slightly crooked, half-sincere smile.]

Y...Yeah. Th--thanks.

Okay.

[She goes to move past him and but stops before taking a step. She doesn't know where to go.]

I'm going to find some food.

Do you want to come?

S--Sure.

[He's not really hungry, but he doesn't want to be alone. Kairi is friendly and that puts him at ease.]

D-Do you... know wh-- where to g-go?

[She starts toward the orchard and the way Xanth had just come.]

Heh... Not really. I've never been to a castle like this before. Do you know where to go?

Uh...

[Xanth scratches his cheek in thought. He's never been in a castle, but he'd be a fool to not know them. This was the orchard; earlier he'd passed the stables; and he knew they were along the side of a very large building. That, along with its central location, made it a prime target for investigation.]

N-No, but, I h-have... an i-idea.

[He flashes her a quick smile, then heads toward the Great Keep.]

S-So... uh... wh-- what have... y-you seen h--here?

[Silence is awkward. This is Xanth awkwardly trying to fill it.

But he wants to know if she'd seen the raptors.]

[Kairi lets Xanth take the lead. She shrugs, her gaze remaining on the big building ahead of them.]

I haven't seen much. There are some ponds over that way.

[And she points back the way she'd come, and then toward the training field.]

And a field over there. But I haven't been into any of the towers or buildings. Heh, except for the one I woke up in. Have you?

[She looks at him, curious. What has he seen? Is there danger here? Maybe he didn't even wake up in the same building. He doesn't have a book like hers.]

[Ponds. Hmm. That seemed like a strange thing to keep on castle grounds, but when he thought about it, this whole place was strange.

At her question, Xanth chews on his lip.]

U-Uh, I-I did... l-look in the s--stables. Th-there's, uh, m-more than j...just horses in th--there.

Oh? They have horses?

[Kairi has never seen a horse in person! This immediately has her attention. And then she comprehends the rest of what Xanth said.]

What else do they have?

Um.

A m--moose.

A-And g--giant l-lizards.

[Kairi stops dead and stares. Then, realizing that she's done so, she giggles.]

Heh. I should go see! I've never seen a horse before, or a moose.

[Only the giant lizards give her pause. But they couldn't be anything bad, could they?]

And giant lizards don't sound so bad.

[It's Xanth's turn to stare. Never seen a horse? He could sort of understand never having seen a moose, but never a horse? But he cuts the stare short, even shorter than Kairi's stares.]

Th-they, um, well, m-maybe not, but... th-they didn't look... s-safe. L-Lots of-- teeth.

[Like lots of teeth.]

Th-they were i-in a p-pen, though, so, I-I... don't know.

The letter from Lord Deior said we could take refuge here. I'm sure he wouldn't unleash anything unsafe.

[Although she doesn't even know who 'they' are yet. And all the same, she'll probably avoid the giant lizards and their teeth.]

Heh, but I think I'd like to find the kitchen first anyway.

S-Sure.

[Xanth is relieved. He didn't particularly want to go see the raptors again, as he's not as sure everything would be fine here.

He still can't believe his world is gone.

This is probably a dream.

Well, let's roll with it.

As they walk along the side of the Great Keep, Xanth notices a set of doors. He hadn't seen them before, but he hadn't been playing too much attention. His smile turns to a thoughtful frown. It doesn't really look like an official entrance, not like he saw at the front of the building. But, well...]

I-In here? M...Maybe...?

Mm.

[She nods and makes for the doors, giving one a shove open as she reaches it. The door is heavier than she expects, and she pulls a face.]

So, do they have castles like this on your world?

[They must, if he knows where the kitchen might be, mustn't they? Or maybe it's just a similar sort of castle. Radiant Garden might have been similar once, only she can't remember. She was too young.]

Y-Yeah, we-- w-we do, a-actually...

[Which was why he'd assumed they were still in his own world. He steps up to the door and helps Kairi shove it open. It's heavy, but one would expect nothing less than strong doors for a castle and a keep.

He ]

Th-this looks like... th-the infirmary...

[But Xanth sees a door. Maybe if they go further in they can find the kitchen?

He takes a hesitant step inside.]

It's empty.

[That's a good sign, right? Kairi is not nearly so hesitant. She strides across the room toward the opposite door. This doesn't smell like an infirmary ward, but there is something that she can smell.

It smells like onions.]

Can you smell that?

[When Kairi steps in and nothing happens, Xanth gains confidence. Still, he keeps his steps as quiet as possible; if someone were to find them, they might not approve of this intrusion.

This may be their refuge, but this is not his home.

He steps up behind Kairi, then takes a whiff of the air.]

Y-Yeah.

O-on--onions?

[Kairi tilts her head to the side and inhales long and deep through her nose. She's not all that used to the smell of onions, but-,]

I think it is. We must be close.

[And she makes a beeline for the door before noticing the pace she's set and looking back over her shoulder a little sheepishly.]

Heh, I guess I'm hungrier then I thought.

Th-that--that's o-okay!

[He follows behind, easily keeping pace. He might only have a couple of inches on Kairi, but his legs are long, and so is his stride. He reaches the door before she does and pushes it open, holding it for her.

Past the door, there is a hallway. And look! Another door right across!]

M...Maybe... i-in th--there?

Maybe...

[Kairi is suddenly very glad that she's with someone who's been in this kind of castle before. She can't tell one door from another in this place and, she belatedly realizes that, before she met Xanth, she had been on the way to getting herself thoroughly lost.

She croses the hall without really thinking about it, bt stops short of pushing the door open]

Should we go see?

[Xanth, two steps behind Kairi, stops. Should they? They could be walking into someone chambers. That was just as likely to be down here as the kitchen. But no one was in the infirmary, and Kairi was the only other person Xanth had even encountered.

He wonders if they are the only two left.

That thought is both alarming and discomforting, so Xanth discards it. (However, it continues to sit in the back of his mind.)]

I-I... I g--guess.

[Cautiously, he steps past Kairi, then sets his fingertips against the door. He takes in a bracing breath and then sets his palm flat against the door, pushing it open.

The kitchen is empty.

Xanth breathes a sigh of relief.]

[Kairi peered over Xanth's shoulder. The room beyond was filled with the aromas of cooking food, and onions most of all. She could hear water boiling and see pots and pans hanging from a rack. But there didn't seem to be anyone there.

Not wanting to push past Xanth, Kairi waits, inhaling the smell of fresh cooking.]

Mmmm!

Heh. It smells good.

Y-Yeah, it-- it d-does.

[Xanth steps into the kitchen and wanders over to the stove. There's water boiling in a pot, but he can see ingredients waiting to go in. Next to it are onions sauteing in a pan.

Xanth gets the urge to stir them. The onions look like they could use it. But if someone just stepped out for a minute to get some air or something, they wouldn't want someone messing in their kitchen. On the other hand, they wouldn't want them burning, either.

Oh, what the hell. They're just onions. Xanth picks up a wooden spoon off to the side and gives them a stir.]

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