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"We looked at the map, and I pointed out the nearest gaol, and he said nothing!" Duchess talked animatedly as they walked, "So. Ok. That's the plan then right? But I don't know, cause Ironeye and me went to the evergaol and opened it, and Wylder was nowhere to be seen!"
"You should've knocked on his helmet to be sure he was awake." Revenant suggested as she followed behind.
"Well I didn't expect him to be so dense," Duchess stopped suddenly and turned to them, causing Revenant to stumble into her, "And guess what, we heard his stake go off halfway across the map!"
"Oi. You can't just stop." Revenant complained and poked Duchess to get her moving again.
They'd been hiking through a pine forest, squeezing between thickly grown trees, following a trail of varying quality, and had just emerged into a grassy field. Strangely twisting trees dotted the land with long, drooping leaves to sway in the breeze. Gently sloping hills rose into tall mountains not far off, and an open barn-like building stood just ahead of their trail.
"And then!" Duchess kept walking and talking, their party leader, "He has the gall to give me the silent treatment when we finally caught up to him!"
Executor quietly followed behind the two, his footfalls light despite the heavy pack he carried for them.
Revenant exhaled, "Why not just leave him behind?"
"I should have. Like I should be giving you the silent treatment right now, ugh."
"Revoke his greatsword privileges."
Duchess laughed, "That's an idea. Like look at this." She stopped and pulled out her phone, fiddled with it a bit before offering it to Revenant.
> wylder: didnt feel like it
> duchess <3: then say! use your voice dumbass
> duchess <3: ypu can not be blaming me rn
> duchess <3: you ran off without telling
> duchess <3: and thats a limp excuse anyway
> duchess <3: answer me
> duchess <3: [image of an elephant in a room with the words 'address me']
> duchess <3: fine
"He didn't even make pita bread for me yesterday." A little bit of hurt crept into Duchess's voice as Revenant gave the phone back, a frown on her lips. Duchess huffed, turning to continue walking, "Ironeye was no better either."
"He steals my stuff." Revenant spoke blandly.
"He stole everything!" Duchess threw her arms up. "He takes it and then rations it out when the time suits him, like he's some high and mighty warden!"
Revenant grinned, "I buckle his knees when he does that."
"Oh gods, i would've but he pulled the around-the-kitchen-table move on me." Duchess stopped, causing Revenant to bump into her again, "Not only that cause at the time, Wylder was wandering off again, going to who knows where!"
She poked Duchess again, "We should make a new rule: Ironeye and Wylder are not allowed in an expedition together." She considered as she walked on, "Or perhaps, a maximum of one idiot man per party."
"Please…" Duchess sighed in relief, "The Menial must approve after this."
"Executor doesn't count though."
"No." Duchess glanced back at the man with an apologetic smile. "Executor's ok."
Revenant watched Duchess's swishing ponytail as they neared the building, they'd all worn loose clothing and few layers to combat the heat. Revenant in a swaying off-white dress which she and Recluse had decorated with a few bows on its waist. Plain enough to be suitable for hiking, but still decorative enough to feel pretty. Along with a wide-brimmed hat which drooped in at the sides and fell down at the back, reminiscent of a bonnet.
"What is this?" Duchess came to stop in the open ended barn, its roof low and pointed and its inside walls draped with cloth, like hanging laundry.
Revenant scrunched her nose, "Someone's idea of a home?"
Duchess gasped and ran over to a person who sat on a chair by its exit, looking out peacefully over the hills, "Scholar!"
The frail man hummed and turned to her, a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other. He smiled at them, nodding at each in turn.
He'd been their teacher at their small school, which had been nothing but an old chapel filled with relics and tomes and other odd things he kept. Even though his age was not much more than theirs, his condition gave him a wizened appearance.
"Care for a tea?" He asked.
"No, thank you, we're walking though." Duchess explained, adjusting her wide brimmed hat.
His eyes lit up, "Going into the caves then? They are quite extensive, and well unexplored. It's what we're doing here at least."
Revenant frowned at him, "We?"
"Undertaker is around somewhere…"
"Caves!" Duchess exclaimed, excited by the realisation and practically bouncing on her heels.
Scholar chuckled and stood, "If you wish it, a nice one lies between those two spurs," He pointed it out to them, "It goes a way but well worth a look and a stay. By some chance, might you have brought a change of clothes?"
Duchess glanced at Executor who shook his head, "No." She answered for him.
"Ah," A mysterious grin lighted on Scholar's face, "have some of these towels then, you'll probably want them." He pulled a few of the hanging cloths down and offered them forward.
"Why, what's in there?" Duchess asked as she helped to fold one up and shove it into Executor's pack. The poor man stumbled a little as he hoisted it back onto his shoulders.
"You'll see." There was a curious sparkle in the man's eye. "Just don't fall down any holes on the way there."
They reassured and thanked him, and continued their trek, their path now a mixture of grass and moss. Revenant decided to take her boots off and walk barefoot, the ground pleasantly soft beneath her feet.
The hills were smattered with limestone sprouting from the grass, small cliffs revealing themselves occasionally along the streams which wove through the gentle valleys. Moss growing nicely on the top of the stones, fluffy and vibrant, and the trees with roots which twisted so interestingly clustered around the water.
Occasionally, they stumbled on a land which was riddled with cavernous holes. Stopping every now and then to peer inside their darkness, wondering how far the system would go, and deciding it would be well worth coming back with some proper equipment.
"He believes-" A throat cleared behind them and the two women quickly paused, ears pricked for Executor's rare few words, "Wylder thinks you stole his earring." His voice was coarse, unused.
"I did not." Duchess turned away to continue stalking onward. "If he misplaced it, that's his problem."
"But doesn't he keep it on him at literally all times?" Revenant asked curiously as they walked, "How could he lose it if he even sleeps with it in his hands?"
"I don't know." Duchess answered stiffly, a shortness to her tone.
Revenant shared a look back with Executor. They knew of Duchess's lighthanded affinity, and certainly wouldn't put it past her.
"Oh yay!" Duchess started walking a little faster, "We're almost there!"
The mountain's spurs began to rise on either side of them, and between them lay a cavernous entrance framed by small ferns and draped vines. Pushing through the foliage, they moved into its triangular entrance, its stone passageway comfortably tall and lit with faintly blue-hued glintstone torches. Scholar must have left them. They wound into its darkness, ducking between the limestone and bedrock, hopping from side to side over its river, clinging to the sloping walls to avoid falling in, and laughing when the poor Executor overbalanced and completely soaked his shoes.
Following the lights, they climbed up a rockfall, crawled along a ledge and hopped over a small chasm, Executor going first to give them a hand of safety. They clung to the walls which were defined with natural handholds, and scrambled up some flowstone mounds before squeezing through a thin passage of pillars.
And as they turned a bend, their jaws dropped.
Their passage opened into a circular cavern. A pool of calm, lightly cerulean water lay, rimmed with tiny crystals sparkled from Scholar's little glintstone lamps. Impressive clusters of straw stalactites hung from the ceiling, made of such delicate, cleanly white calcite it looked as if they'd snap off at the lightest breeze. They gently dripped every now and then, creating little ripples in the pool. The cavern's walls were waving with elegant shawls, a few impressive pillars before them with glittering flowstone mounds at their bases.
"Oh…" Duchess's voice was airy.
Their eyes all sparkled at the beautiful chamber. At the pretty little rimpools which framed into the large, deep crystal pool they now stood before.
It was beautiful and untouched. Only the echoing drip of water could be heard, their breath so light as they took in the ethereal place.
Revenant placed her shoes by the wall and stepped over to the pool's edge, crouching to inspect the carpet of tiny crystals, carefully running her fingers over them. Despite their delicate appearance, they were solid but not sharp. She gazed into the pool and noticed little things floating just below the water's surface.
"Look!" She pointed the shapes out as Duchess knelt beside her.
"Flowers?" She exclaimed in an awed breath.
Revenant leaned forward over the edge, trying to get a closer look, Crystal flowers.
Like upside-down water lilies, their hardened petals pointed downwards in a sharp hemisphere as they floated freely. She leaned closer entranced, and her hand slipped. With a cry she fell forward, her weight thrown completely over, but stopped with a jerk as something strong caught her arm.
Executor practically lifted her back, she clung onto his hand for support, a silent word of thanks on her lips.
"Well, Scholar gave us towels for a reason." Duchess stepped away from the pool and kicked off her boots.
"We have no swimmers." Revenant dropped Executor's hand, and looked at his backpack disappointedly.
"So? We don't need swimmers to go swimming!" Duchess said excitedly, her eyes alight on the water, and her mind already set.
And before Revenant's stunned eyes, she unbuttoned her top and pulled down her leggings, stepping free from them into only her underwear. Revenant opened her mouth to object, her eyes unable to look away from the woman as she slipped out of her panties and pulled her sports bra over her head.
"Um…" Revenant stammered, eyes wide and cheeks suddenly on fire.
Duchess only giggled, "Your face is priceless. It's just us!"
"I-" She finally tore her eyes from Duchess, looking over to see Executor pulling off his own shirt, apparently unfussed by Duchess, his mind largely elsewhere as per usual. "I don't know…" She watched the defined muscles in his back.
Duchess stepped into the pool, slowly at first, before sinking in up to her neck. She turned and smiled at Revenant, "Come! It's lovely." She pushed off and glided towards its center, causing the flower crystals to spin and twirl around her as she did.
Executor stepped in next, carefully on the crystals so as not to break any. Thankfully, she noticed he'd thankfully kept his underwear on.
Revenant fiddled with the decorative bows on her dress, not really doing anything, and wondering if she could just sit down and wait for them to finish swimming without minding. She took a step back, perhaps she could lay out a towel and just lie down comfortably for a bit.
"Have you ever, ever seen something like this?" Duchess called to her. "It's perfect."
"No…" Revenant answered tentatively, her eyes avoiding Duchess through the clear blue water.
"Revenant," The woman swam over to the edge, her voice gentle despite her suppressed enthusiasm, "I don't care. It really is just us. No one knows of this place but us… And Scholar, but he's too busy with his tea." She laughed lightly, which helped Revenant relax a little. "Executor, do you care?"
The man didn't answer, too interested in the pretty rimpools by the other end.
She frowned, "Executor?"
Distractedly, he turned to them. He must've somehow managed to sneak his sketchbook and pencil into their packing earlier, as he held it now just shy of the water, sketching out the rimpools he'd been inspecting.
Duchess shook her head at him, "Nevermind." She turned back to Revenant, her eyes soft, "Really, you needn't feel uncomfortable."
Revenant looked down at the tiny crystals, and the pretty floating ones in the water, the elegant shawls and the sparkling flowstone. And at the lightly blue water of the pool. They were completely isolated in a chamber of untouched beauty.
She turned away, her heart speeding up as she grabbed the hem of her dress, hesitating and closing her eyes. Duchess doesn't mind, Executor doesn't mind, they're my friends, so why should I mind? With a sharp inhale she pulled it quickly over her head. Very aware of her entirely exposed back, she immediately covered her chest: she'd neglected to wear a bra today.
There was a swishing of water and she turned just enough to see Duchess push away and float over to Executor.
Revenant stood somewhat awkwardly, hesitating to move and resisting the urge to look down at herself, just to check she really was covered. Her cheeks flushed… not that there was a whole lot to cover anyway. Yet the two paid her bareness no attention.
Duchess slowly worked along the pool, touching crystals curiously as she went, Executor enamoured in his drawing. He glanced up at her and she stiffened, his eyes looking at her but in no curious way, simply in the same way he always looked at her.
She blinked, a little confidence sparking, she walked to the water and stepped in. The crystals grew all along the bottom of the pool so stepped as lightly as she could, barely even creating ripples.
Trying not to fall over and with one arm still covering her chest, she took off her own panties, much preferring to keep them dry, before sinking hurriedly into the water. The temperature was surprisingly pleasant.
And the water somehow felt lighter. Unlike the sea, and unlike a chlorine pool, it felt pure.
Revenant smiled and she inched forward, dipping low so the water covered her grinning mouth. Her lightly blue hair floated wildly about her but she didn't care. She entirely forgot about trying to cover herself as she floated deeper, giggling as the crystal flowers bumped into her and spun away dramatically.
"See?" Duchess laughed and swam over, gently pushing a couple of the crystals before her.
Revenant tried to turn one over, but it just plopped back upside down and bobbed away in complaint. She took a deep breath, and submerged herself, kicking to the bottom of the pool to see the much larger crystal growths. It was like a miniature forest, some sprouted clusters which looked like a tree's leafy canopy, some were pointed and crossed like little paths to walk, or like a rise reaching to the sky. The crystals were much unlike glintstone, an amber-streaked hue to them, variously transparent and refracted interestingly, and there was no spark of magic at their touch.
She pushed her mane of hair back and carefully kicked up to the surface.
"Well?" Duchess asked curiously.
"It's like magic." She grinned, her eyes alight with wonder, "A little underwater world."
A spray of droplets flew at her face, and she sputtered in surprise.
"And to think, you were just going to sit there and miss out!" Duchess exclaimed.
Revenant attacked back with her own deluge of water, "Well excuse me miss 'let me take all my clothes off without warning'!"
"Oh, you're over it anyway." She smiled at Revenant and swam closer, her eyes scrunched with joy, "And you'd never have let me if I'd asked politely."
"Whatever." Revenant huffed and turned her back, arms crossing over her chest and forcing a frown onto her face. She flinched as a hand tapped lightly on her head.
"You're cute when you're mad."
"Don't pet me!" She squirmed away from Duchess, "And I'm not cute." She turned and finally saw the look on Duchess's face, "I am not!!"
She lunged at the woman, pressing down on her shoulders and head, trying to push her underwater. Duchess squealed with laughter as she batted at the doll, both knowing Revenant hadn't the body weight to overpower her, but still creating a complete ruckus as she fought. From the corner of her eye, she saw poor Executor trying his best to avoid them, guarding his sketchbook from their typhoon of chaos. Water flying around, the crystals all fleeing for cover as they pushed and poked each other, and the walls echoed their laughter between their attacks.
When finally, she planted her feet into Duchess's midsection and pushed away, panting.
"That wasn't very cute now was it!" Revenant claimed triumphantly. A traitorous smile playing on her lips.
Yet she was pretty sure Duchess had tears of laughter rolling down her cheeks.
"Oh my god! You're a little monster." Duchess spoke between heaves, her eyes sparkling playfully.
"Yes." She confirmed satisfactorily, before realising and crossing her arms angrily, "Oi!"
"Calm down, Revy!" Duchess grinned infuriatingly. She knew Revenant hated being called that.
"You're the problem!" Again Revenant leapt at the woman, really going to put everything into pushing her beneath the water this time.
"Not again~" Despite his quietness, they both heard the Executor speak, and both stopped immediately in their tracks… Causing Revenant to fall off balance on top of Duchess. She pushed off the woman apologetically and floated over to Executor.
His book's pages had gotten splattered with the water.
"Oh," Duchess approached abashedly, "Sorry…"
"It'll dry won't it?" Revenant asked softly, trying to splash as little as possible.
He hopped from the pool to fuss in his backpack, pulling out a towel and dabbing the pages.
"Why not just leave it for now?" Duchess called to him, "Just swim with us instead! You can't use it while it's wet anyway."
Executor looked over at them, and then down at the book, before wrapping it safely in the towel and stepping back. Duchess and Revenant shared a look.
"Come back," Duchess smiled at her, "We can't let this one get away with such a thing." She poked at Revenant's shoulder.
"Oi, it was you too!"
Duchess ducked away from Revenant's attempt to poke her back, annoyingly nimble, she swam around and tapped Revenant's other shoulder.
The doll sprung at her, but Duchess was faster, kicking away and keeping just out of her reach as she swam to chase her around the pool. A silly smile on her lips every time she let Revenant get a little close only to push off in a random direction.
"Stop mov-" Revenant was cut off by a splash straight at her face, "Let me catch-" And again, the woman's laughter light. And despite it, Revenant found herself smiling and laughing alongside, as they danced and swam around in the water.
And a sudden weightlessness overcame her, a pair of strong hands appeared to hold her waist and hoist her from the water. With a cry of excitement, she fell back into the pool with a great splash. Sputtering and wiping the hair from her face, she saw Executor just behind her with a tiny grin on his lips.
"Oh! So he does know how to have fun!" She teased him and poked his shoulder, a smile of no good on her face, "You're it."
Quickly, she pushed him away and swam over to Duchess. She turned, expecting to see him stunned on the far side, but instead getting the surprise of her life, he'd been right on her tail. Both the women cried out as they separated and splashed away as fast as possible.
Their laughter filled the cavern with such life that the crystals themselves seemed to glow.
Revenant crashed into Duchess, pressing herself between her and Executor and he touched her shoulder blade. She was it. He swam swiftly away as she smiled mischievously at Duchess, who similarly pushed away from her with a cry.
Like a predator after its prey she bared her teeth and dove after them, imagining she were as nimble as a shark. Her heart raced as they both splashed in escape, but of course it would be fruitless, her hands reaching with a strong push and she slamming into Duchess's thigh.
"Oh!" The woman cried out.
Revenant flashed her a viscous grin, flicked back her hair, and launched away. She found herself beside Executor as they struggled around to avoid Duchess, and just as she neared them, Revenant grabbed the man's shoulders and pushed off him, easily getting herself out of reach but plunging the doomed man straight into Duchess.
They swam and dove, and splashed around, and chased each other in circles until they became too dizzy to swim in a straight line.
Poorly suppressed giggles echoed as they shouted back 'Polo' to Executor's whispered 'Marco', Revenant not trying all that hard to avoid him, as being in was her favourite part. Much to Duchess's half-hearted complaints, but she didn't really mind.
Without a care in the world, they played in the crystal pool. So isolated that the entire rest of the Lands Between might have simply disappeared, and they would never have noticed. In this sparkling other world, just laughing and twirling around each other, entranced by their joy, and wishing it could last forever.
"...I don't really know, but-" Revenant sighed, "I don't really care either."
Revenant sat in Duchess's lap, on a shallow ledge in the pool, little ripples eddying out from them. Duchess pulled lightly on her hair, running her fingers calmly through its length and making loose braids.
"I lied, I do care." She leant back into the woman's chest and looked up at her upside-down face.
"I don't know either," Duchess wiped Revenant's cheek with her thumb, "We have this year, I suppose… And then something…"
"Could we just stay here?" A sadness washed through the doll.
"In this cave?"
She nodded at Duchess, who smiled, "We'd starve."
Revenant shrugged.
"I wish so."
She suppressed a shiver, now that they weren't moving the air seemed to be getting colder with each minute. Duchess wrapped her arms around Revenant's front and pulled her closer, trying to offer some warmth to the small doll. Still bare as they were, but unwilling to leave the pool.
Revenant fussed to try pull her hair to one side before resting her head on Duchess. Their little hidden away sanctuary. She could feel the woman's chest rise and fall with calm breath, slowly tracing little circles on Revenant's shoulder with one hand, the other still wrapping her comfortably.
She closed her eyes… and shivered again. A small splash sounded, and she blinked as Executor handed them each a mug.
"Oh!"
Revenant sat up straighter and wrapped her hands around its heated contents, the comforting smell of hot chocolate filling the cavern, suddenly eternally grateful for the man's foresight. The warmth flooded through her as she took a sip. She looked up to offer thanks, and her jaw fell open. He held out to her a packet full of marshmallows.
"Oooh no." Duchess gasped, clutching her own mug, "Not this again."
"Executor!" Revenant grinned at him mischievously, before acting all embarrassed, "You shouldn't have~"
"There's nowhere for you to run off to this time." Duchess watched her warily, knowing far too well just how bottomless her stomach was for the squishy treats. She prodded Revenant as she placed one after the other into her mug, "You're lucky you haven't gotten a stomach ache from them yet."
"Impossible." She grinned back at Duchess, who was trying her best to not smile back.
"It's your fault if she goes nuts, Executor."
The man just took a seat on their ledge and sipped at his own mug. Last time Revenant had marshmallows, she'd sprinted laps around their campsite for at least an hour after dinner. And only stopping when Duchess finally lost it, picking her up and locking her away into a sleeping bag prison.
Duchess caught him smiling at her, "It was not funny. You're a terrible influence."
The crystal flowers had spread back throughout the pool now that all the commotion had calmed, floating serenely just as before. Revenant watched them as she sipped at her hot chocolate and picked hungrily at the marshmallows.
Duchess signed, her small voice bouncing off the cavern's walls, "I did steal his earring."
Revenant blinked, confused for a moment before remembering, "Why?"
There came a sniff, and she turned around in Duchess's lap to see her pointedly avoiding their eyes. "It's just stupid now."
"It can't be more stupid than Ironeye stealing my stuff."
Duchess smiled, but it faded quickly, "I wanted to bless it for him."
"Oh." Revenant went quiet, looking to Executor.
They knew of Wylder's condition. On some sleepless nights, Revenant lay in stiff pretence while quiet sniffles came from the direction of Duchess's bed. She'd fret over what to do, if it might only embarrass the woman if she got up and tried to comfort.
"Well… why didn't you just ask him?"
"Because then I thought he'd get it in his big head that I cared for him." Duchess groaned and put her head in her hands, "I'm an idiot. I wish I'd asked. I wish he did know-"
"Duchess!" Revenant smiled, "But you still have it don't you? You can just give it back and tell him then!"
"But then he'd know it was me."
She glanced at Executor, who raised an eyebrow at her.
Revenant frowned in thought, "Then, why not just leave it on his pillow atop a little note?"
"He'd recognise my-" Duchess paused, her head still in her hands, her shoulders slumped a little further.
Revenant stood and gave her mug to Executor. She rounded Duchess and sat down behind her to carefully begin combing her fingers through the woman's golden hair. Still wet as it was, she worked quietly to weave two pretty braids, Duchess relaxing slowly with the care, seeming to enjoy Revenant slowly doing her hair, as if with each stroke a little knot loosened in her tensed up mind. She went back to sipping her chocolate, and even stealing some of Revenant's marshmallows. But the doll didn't object.
And even though Duchess's hair wasn't so long, she still managed to make a nice bun, encircled by the braids but leaving a lock to hang free just as she liked.
"Ok." Duchess sniffed. "I'll give it back to him myself." She turned to look at Revenant, smiling somewhat shyly, much to the doll's surprise and delight, "But only if you're there…"
Revenant beamed at her friend, "Of course."