Splitting the Gang

JP between Bandorchu, Lorem, Omni, and LucianNepreen

Gonyaul looked about and noticed the rest of the party was preoccupied. As he sat there resting, he couldn’t help but feel that this was such a missed opportunity to experience the fantastical wonders that called to his imagination and teased his curiosity. There was a chance they would be recording and moving on, but there was no guarantee.

Yes, he was going to dare. Gonyaul crawled quietly away and up to his feet. He left his torch behind at their makeshift camp. He crossed the threshold of where the plants started and the narrow path to the waterfall pool began. While walking along the path he crouched down and inspected the bioluminescent plants closer, but was mindful not to touch them just yet.

He was trying to capture every detail in his mind. They were ethereal and whimsical. In a word, extraordinary. Is this where colors are grown he jested.
——
Alexis looked at her makeshift map with a scowl. It still made absolutely no sense to her. Tarmen’s was probably better, but at this point it began to feel like every word just furthered the strange tension in the group, so she refrained from asking him. She‘d really rather they didn’t get at each other’s throat with tons of stone above their heads, but at this point she really didn’t know what to say or do to alleviate all the festering suspicion and distrust.

By now she‘d honestly prefer to get back up above ground and sort it out. Alexis really didn’t have a good feeling for continuing in their current state.

At one point, with both Tarmen and Voah accusing her of hiding something she had started to wonder if it was really herself acting strange and not noticing it? But then again, they were also accusing Gonyaul, and he, at least in her mind, was just being his happy-go-lucky self.

As she was thinking about her ever optimistic friend, there was a tickle at the back of her head that something was off. Raising her gaze up to look around her group it became quite clear what it was. Gonyaul wasn‘t around.
Alarmed the mercenary stood and picked up her torch walking to the edge of their small camp, trying to pierce the darkness.

“Gonyaul?”

Tarmen had seen the seemingly innocent, naive boy wander off. He was hoping that meant he wouldn’t come back, though there was yet another nagging voice in his head, this one trying to vouch for the others and their innocence.
He would consider it.
Holding his blade up for inspection, its firm handle and solid steel calmed his nerves. Nothing broke a team up like mistrust and he had never doubted his blade.
Seeing Alexis wandering to the edge of their camp, he almost let her wander off after him. Then again, this might be their plan to meet without him.
“Damned fool wandered off, didn’t even bring a light. Leave him, either he will return or he will get what’s comin’ from such a stupid idea.”

——-
Gonyaul was about halfway between their camp and the waterfall area in the center of the room. He was low to the ground, on the darkened narrow path, admiring the flowers. While there was the glow from the flowers, he was more a silhouette to them at this point. And being so low he blended in with the perspective of the dark path. In addition, the waterfall had just started its process of falling. The roar was making it impossible for Gonyaul to hear Alexis’s call at the moment.

He laid down for a second to get a better view of the stems of the plants and what type of ground they were seeming to thrive in. He could feel the cool mist from the waterfall moving overtop of him as it radiated out from where it dove into the containing pool. The moisture clung to him like a light morning dew on the grass.

He was glad he decided not to bring the torch. The flame’s light would have muted the vibrancy of the luminescence.
——
She was going to break her silence and ask Alexis to take her sword into the hallway and test the theory that the water would come back. If that didnt work, she would send Gonyaul. Then she would have proof that Gonyaul was a Vaux AND that the water was some magikal effect.

When the water came again in a huge rush, it threw Voah's theory out the window. The force of the fall sent her hair whooshing back with the wisps of incense. She had thought it was magik, but it seemed to be just coming in waves naturally or mechanically, that made the most sense to her.

Voah knew that Gonyaul had gone, how could she not. She had jealousy and conspiracy in her mind and now Alexis was going after him. She huffed silently. ‘Let him go, Voah. It was just a stupid game.’

Alexis turned to look at Tarmen incredulously. He had seen Gonyaul wander off and didn’t even try to stop him?

She opened her mouth to say as much, but then shut it firmly. Speaking, remaining silent, at this point it didn’t seem to make a difference anymore. It would be held against her either way, so not getting into an argument was all she could do.

She just shook her head and moved towards the artificial water fall. It was the most exciting thing here, so she hoped this was where her friend was headed.

She took to the path between the flowers, really not keen on stepping on them if she could avoid it.

Voah wondered what would happen if Gonyaul wandered off into some magikal trap. Despite her projecting insecurities, she strode forward to trial behind Alexis to see if they could find her seemingly deceitful new beau.
—-
It wasn’t long before they would see a dark silhouette rising up in the path ahead of them. Very wraith-like in its form. And it began moving away from them.

Gonyaul had released the long sleeves of his outfit and had used them to remove a couple of plants from the root without touching them with his actual hands. It was unfortunate that the glow faded to black once removed, but he was taking samples.

He was pretty damp all over from being in the waterfall’s spray.

His plan was to keep going all the way to the waterfall pool. Gonyaul did not see them coming up the path because he was facing the wrong way.
—-
Left to his own devices, Tarmen shook his head at the idiocy of those around him. He should have known, with how readily Alexis had thrown herself into trouble on the island.
The voices however, did not abandon him and they teased him.
Why stay here if they are going to get him killed? Better yet, why wait around when Barrel Boy had left their loot here?
Grabbing the items and a light, Tarmen resolved to return to the mine with or without these backstabbing idiots. After all, hadn’t his life been just that? Betray or be betrayed, that was the way of the world.
He left the rest of their belongings, figuring they could last a few more nights while they grew to regret doubting his advice. Then with his notebook in hand, he began his trek back.