in the cold, cold ground

[lancifolium]

WHO: Lily Evans & You
WHEN: From late June through early July(ish?)
WHERE: On the road!
WHAT: A catch-all! Travelin, watch keepin, ghostly mystery puzzlin, whatever's clever.
WARNINGS: None as of yet, will update as needed

( starters in comments, feel free to reach out if you don’t see anything that suits your character via pm or on plurk, or just wildcard me! also, if action is more your thing i’m good to match format. )

Comments

3.

[bearshermark]

Eleven flashed an embarrassed smile; he'd been near enough to overhear the riders, too.

"Ah, yeah." He glanced down at his horse and gave the mare's neck a soothing rub. That it had happened to Lily as well proved more worry than comfort. "But um, there isn't much to tell.. It was a large, stone hall with sculpted walls and an empty coffin."

Eleven shifted for something tucked into his belt, then reached to hand a delicate, worn scrap of paper across to her. "All I found there were a few of these."

A drawing of an eye with a sun as its pupil.

[lancifolium]

Covering her mouth in surprise as she studied the old piece of paper he had carefully handed over she muttered a quiet 'goodness gracious' against her fingers. Lily gave both the front and the back of the paper Eleven had given her to see a proper once over before holding it out for him to take, the wheels in her mind already turning.

"Would you mind letting me copy that into my notebook later, I'd do it now but," she glanced down at the donkey and back at him. "While you've clearly noticed what a master horseman I am," she began, her eyes creasing in amusement, well-aware that the only reason she was sitting up straight in the saddle was because of his advice. "I've yet to master note-taking and riding - much to my detriment I'm quite sure."

Though she had gotten better about looking less like a gangly, awkward mess while riding Bronson, Lily was still rather clumsy as she tried to lean closer to Eleven, speaking in a whisper. "I'll show you my notes when we stop too if you like. I wrote down everything I saw."

It had been terrifying, but it had been utterly fascinating. Stopping in the middle of a silent room with ancient tombs to write down absolutely every detail had been the natural course of action to Lily.

[bearshermark]

Eleven smiled and laughed shortly. He took the sheaf back to tuck away again. His smile shifted to something a little more puzzled as she leaned close, and he watched to be sure she straightened properly again before responding.

"That sounds interesting," he said mildly, curious, though not half as enthusiastic about it as she seemed to be. He'd spent the time in that mostly empty tomb in quiet distress, feeling incredibly stupid and worried an undead would surface at any moment for daring to trespass.

Still, if she had more information about the mystery, he was intrigued enough to wonder if the tiny piece he'd collected had anything to offer a greater picture.

"I'd been drawn in by the pictures on the stone.. Wondering if they could offer any insight into the divine forces that might exist in this world."

[lancifolium]

Nodding as he questioned the forces at work in this world Lily wished she wasn't riding a donkey and could rifle through her notes. "I've wondered the same, though this place is a puzzle unto itself I believe." It was like something out of a novel, and she had given her experience in the walls a lot of thought, wondering what it could have meant.

"I think the room you were pulled into belonged to someone important, I was taken somewhere with many coffins, but you were taken to a place with only one. Were there carvings where you were?"

She frowned, remembering one of the coffins she had been shown. "There was paper in mine too, a small booklet of poetry, I wasn't brave enough to take it."

[bearshermark]

"Yes," he said, blinking surprise. He'd spent the longest looking at them with a lack of else to do. "They looked like blessings for the afterlife."

Someone important. Yes, he supposed that may well be true, if there had been a collection of others. Eleven cast a glance in the direction of their wayward ghost companions with a considering frown. Might it be..?

"Perhaps they weren't terribly effective.."

[lancifolium]

Catching the way Eleven's gaze seemed to drift towards their less corporeal escort Lily's head tilted as she considered the possibility of a connection. It would make some sense, based on what she knew from the term she had gotten to take Ghoul Studies, but the thought was rather sad. These soldiers marching past their final resting places, seeming to be totally unaware that their walk was apparently all for naught.

"Perhaps not," Lily looked back to her friend, tilting her head a bit as she eyed him pensively.

"Do you also think that–" not daring to finish her sentence, even if there were no ghosts directly nearby she looked to the side at a few of them before turning back to him, hoping he caught her meaning.

[bearshermark]

Eleven tipped his head, following her attention with a faint frown. His brows creased when she didn't continue, apparently mindful of present company, but the meaning she'd intended failed to reconcile as more than a guess.

"I'm not sure I follow," he admitted with a bit of a shrug. "But if it's true, I wonder if there's anything that can be done.."