Chapter Text
Well, an eventful morning already, learning new things and getting names- not that they really needed to use them. Between just the young pair, they need only address each other as they already had for months previously. That aside though, the day had dawned in darkness, and it was a perfect time to investigate how things had changed since they devoured the Radiance! Honestly, both with themselves, and the environment- after their first proper meal, the two had notably.. Caught up on growth, and were finally more stable on their feet after molting.
Thankfully though, they were still just small enough to comfortably fit on the bench in Dirtmouth where they tended to sleep, and down the well to explore. Their older sibling had certainly struggled getting up said well to Dirtmouth, and had to duck down to fit through any doors- but at least they were resting now, and all patched up. Neither of them actually knew why wrapping them up with silk would help, but the bug in the red cloak had seemed insistent- so they weren’t going to argue. Not that they could, actually, having no idea what they were saying… Oh well. Nothing to really worry about! Bigger priority was testing what they were capable of now, and checking back on things through Hallownest. Checking back on.. Bugs.
Traveller lightly tugged on Seeker’s cloak once they jumped down the well, pointing off in a direction to go. They softly cooed at their twin, speaking in their ethereal native tongue. “That way first... Want to see if the little singing bug made it.” It seemed like there was a good chance for it- if their sibling pulled through when injured, unless anything happened in their absence, that bug ought to be fine right? Seeker nodded with a soft chime in response, “... Seems likely… I don’t remember exactly where that was though…”
“Follow..!” Traveller squeaked back, before lightly bunting their head against their twin’s and taking their hand to lead them forward. As per usual they were far more aware of their surroundings and where things would be- Seeker was slowly learning, but.. They had trouble visualizing locations and distance in their mind, lacking a decent sense of direction. At least they always had each other though, and Traveller wasn't keen on being separated yet again. Their grip on their sibling's hand was gentle but firm, and they kept a slow pace so they could glance back and make sure Seeker was okay following. Really didn't want to accidentally trip them on the plentiful rubble- while both of their shells were cracked, Seeker's was... Worse. More likely to get a headache if they fell.
The trip was still quick and thankfully painless, not just being close by in general, but they didn’t have to deal with infected husks of any kind either. A lot of nasty old bodies were strewn about.. But that wasn’t their focus anyways. That distinct pink glow of crystals up ahead was their goal, though the both of them were a bit apprehensive as they approached. The pair slowed to a stop, listening carefully and looking around.. Waiting.. They never understood what the words of the melody they were hoping for, but the sound was always a delight to the young vessels. And sure enough- there was the echoing sound of metal striking stone. A good sign! That meant something was alive and moving- with no infection, hopefully the bug they were looking for, and not a husk. The pair looked to each other excitedly, before hopping down the ledge and approaching the small miner bug. They stayed silent, waiting to hear the song again, and a bit of patience was rewarded with a familiar tune. It was… Odd, to now stand taller than their sort of friend, and clearly startling to the bug as well as the pair was noticed. Little changed in the overall interaction though, having utterly no clue what was being said- just seems they scared the poor thing. Perhaps understandably so, it would seem they accidentally cornered the now much smaller bug due to how much space they took up in the tunnel.
They both glanced at each other for a moment, before they sat down to be more on level to their height when they had first met the miner. Traveller gave a soft, friendly chuff. There was some hesitance.. But their sweet smile and relaxed postures seemed to do the trick even if this bug didn't seem to understand their tongue. All was well, the twins elated to simply sit and enjoy the chipper tune even if they didn't understand the more articulated sounds. The pair sat and listened intently for a few minutes, their tails quietly brushing over the floor in time with the strikes of metal against stone and crystal. Though.. Eventually Seeker grew a bit more restless than their twin, canting their head and putting a hand on their shoulder to get their attention.
“Mmmrh..? Oh, right. Going to our other sibling, since this cute bug is okay.” Seeker paused at their kin’s response, squinting a bit. “.. Cute..?” they chirped back, before Traveller simply chuffed and got up to leave. What was that about..? Ah, well, they were already ready to go- best get up and follow to not get lost. The miner bug paused and waved to the two as they left though, getting a pause and a mimicking of the gesture before leaving. They didn’t really know what doing that meant- but- they saw it a lot, so it seemed appropriate. Running off they had a ways to go for their next destination, needing to go all the way down to that pale, ashen area.. Seeker grabbed Traveller by the collar of their cloak though, silently patting them and then gesturing at the sign to the stag station. Why walk all the way there?? When there was the big fluffy thing that carried them around???
… Admittedly, Traveller almost forgot about that entirely. With a bit of a sheepish grin they trilled at their twin and changed direction, the pair heading inside. Actually, now they didn’t even need their nails to reach the little chiming bell- that made things.. A lot easier. Just lightly pushing it to ring it, and waiting for that approaching rumble of their fluffy friend. Traveller opted to sit down, but Seeker paced a bit around the room, making small circles between the bell and the bench as they waited.
“... If you didn’t want to walk all the way down there, why are you pacing now..?” they questioned, tilting their head as they leaned back against the bench. Granted with that restlessness earlier, it wasn't THAT odd.
Seeker paused, staring silently at their twin, and taking a moment to process. “... I dunno-”
Traveller raised a claw as they were about to suggest something, before they were interrupted by the rumble of the approaching stag- well, no point now. They hopped back to their feet off the bench, and the twins both turned to stand at the edge of the runway and wait. A few happy trills and chuffs in greeting were exchanged as the old stag skidded to a stop, not quite overcoming the language barrier, but putting a familiar friendly air about things! After a moment of socializing, Traveller opened the map of the stations and briefly tapped where they were headed, before the pair climbed up and got comfy in the old seats. A bumpy, but pleasant ride to their destination, enjoying the cold cave air rushing over them and watching the little specks of light from lanterns whiz by. The sound of light, but constant rain was a delight to Seeker as they arrived, happily hopping down onto the damp stone floors. Traveller was close behind them, though of course before they left, they both stopped to pet the stag as wordless thanks for the ride.
Onward through the old and ruined city, running by and climbing through with ease now that there weren’t hordes of infected, well-armed bugs and annoying, though mostly helpless husks. Longer legs and tails made keeping their balance jumping between shelves and balconies much easier, though a few times they nearly slipped on the slick wet stone with their pacing. Undeterred though, they raced up to the large moving platform to push the lever- also much easier with their newly gained size- and then pulling it back to stop as they reached the ledge they were looking for. The twins looked at each other, a knowing and mischievous glance… This was the fun part of this particular trip.
“Ready?”
“Always.”
The vessels crouched down some, timing carefully to charge a crystal dash, and rocking the elevator haphazardly as they launched themselves down the corridor. Shrill screeches of alarmed Belflies rang out behind them, but the volatile creatures had no chance of catching up- mostly the reason why they started going through this space with the crystal dash to begin with. Much less stress! And it was faster. And fun. Those too! Though that method of transportation posed its own problem.. Which was stopping before they slammed into something, a little more tricky with added weight and momentum. Honestly it would’ve done them some good to practice BEFORE attempting such while aimed at a closed space, a lesson learned the hard way as they slammed into the metal gate blocking the pathway to the arena. The loud clang of carapace connecting with metal at high velocity was undoubtedly heard in the lower level as well.. Or.. Maybe that was just their nonexistent ears ringing. They flopped over on the floor, hands to the sides of their now slightly aching heads.
At least the would-be concussions weren’t in vain though, as it got the attention of who they had planned to come check on to begin with. A much taller, heftier vessel, who stared at the twins nearly knocked out on the floor a bit dumbfounded.
“WHAT the HELL did you two jus’ do?!”
It took them a moment to process that anyone was speaking to them- but at the very least this was the one individual they could actually UNDERSTAND. Making no effort to get up from the floor, Traveller whined in response.
“Well- uh-”
“Crystal dash.”
“Yeah, we haven’t.. Really done that since we molted... I remembered it being a longer distance than that...”
He pauses. And looks at the now considerably dented gate… And back to his younger siblings on the floor, before bursting out with loud, boisterous cackling.
“Looks like yer gonna need to practice crankin’ them breaks in time! Er, get the hang of it again, as if y’all didn’t damn near concuss yerselves with that nonsense plenty t’ begin with.”
With the teasing aside though, he leaned down to scoop the two up, placing them back on their feet. They wobbled a bit before shaking themselves off, and perking up as if they hadn’t just crashed full force into something.
“Good to see you’re doing okay though!”
“... We.. Were worried.. We wanted to check on you.”
“Well, ah think everyone’s doin’ a lot better since y’all took down the Radiance. At least half of the dumbasses downstairs are less rancid than they were, though ah guess their attitudes ain’t really changed that much. Just less sick if anythin’.”
“Is.. Is that a good thing..?”
“Well they’re not dead, so…”
“Uh- yeah, ‘bout as good as it’s gonna get with them. Anyways.. You did mention moltin’- guess that answers why yuh look.. Damn, over twice the size since I’d last seen the both of ya, eh? Musta been an eventful few days, huh. Where y’all even been??”
Seeker just shrugged, hell if they knew how to describe the location compared to where they were now, or even what it was called. Traveller paused, before digging around in their cloak and pulling out a map to show to Finnley. “Well, we.. Don’t really know what it’s called?? But it’s closer to the top of the caves.”
“Huh, don’t think ah’ve ever been up there.. Heard Dirtmouth is a real quiet place though.”
“Yeah, there’s not a lot of bugs around... But.. We can't talk to them anyway. No different than anywhere else.”
“The sibling we helped out understands us, but.. They can’t really make sound..”
“That’s called bein’ mute, kiddo. But ah guess that makes sense n’ all, given the whole vessel nonsense…”
Poor bastard.. Must’ve been hell to deal with all that. At least it seemed they were recovering by the twins not mentioning anything being terribly wrong- but then, who.. Who was taking care of them, exactly?? Ah, gods, probably no-one, these two were definitely going to be too much of a handful for their recovering sibling if their destructive entrance said anything.
“Alright, well.. Ah still got some things ah need to sort out ‘round here..” Like the damaged gate to the arena's pathway- “But how ‘bout I go with y’all back up once that’s finished? Somebody’s gotta keep yuh outta trouble, n’ some time in the quiet might do me some good after all that.”
“Ah, really..? That would be nice! There's not really much for us to do, when we can't talk to others...” They really didn't look the part, with a slightly saddened expression- but their tail wagged some behind them, and a small smile gave away their excitement. Seeker was.. Less openly enthusiastic than Traveller, even by body language, but not for lack of care for their older brother. Mostly just being a bit on the shy side, settling for a few contented trills at the posed idea.
“Good. Now uh.. Hm. Can y’all wait here for a bit?”
It would probably be wise to keep the young, high energy, god eating children under supervision some sharp supervision- but- at the same time, Finnley wasn’t quite confident with bringing them downstairs either. Obviously they could handle themselves, but the fools were.. Well. Fools. And trying to be obnoxious or pick fights with violent children who can’t even understand them is a recipe for needing to call a medic... Or a mortician.. A definite sigh of relief left the older vessel as the pair happily chirped and sat down to wait, the less fuss the better.
While they waited, Seeker opted to lean on Traveller and curl their tail around them. They felt.. More comfortable, cuddled close to their twin. A soft chirp in response, giving them an affectionate headbutt and scooting over some to cuddle their sibling. As much as they were excited to explore and see Finnley again, admittedly, they still had a lot of adjusting to do.. And had been through quite a lot overall. A little nap wouldn’t hurt, they’d already gotten used to sleeping while sitting up and generally relaxing as long as they were together. Tuning out the muffled chaos of the audience and battle, and the general ruckus downstairs, things felt as if they drifted off to a dull, dark haze. An odd, yet, familiar presence resurfaced.. The same entity- or- entities(?) that had asked them their names, and made themselves known. Though they couldn’t quite understand just yet how they worked or why, at least it seemed rather comforting for now. Rather than addressing the pair, as they drifted off, it felt as if they were more aware to a nearby conversation. A chorus of voices, hard to distinguish them from one another, but at least speaking clearly enough to follow.
“Are we sure the heart is safe with reckless children?”
“It will be.. They will grow stronger with time, they’re fierce already.”
“.. Were they mortal they would’ve just senselessly concussed themselves.”
“As if a mortal would’ve claimed our heart and killed the Old Light anyway? It’s fine. Just give them time, let them rest.”
“They’re definitely going to need it.”