Into the deep. [Rina/open!]

[Rhi-Rhi]

Wincing, Jinx licked at her forearm where a long but shallow gash was still leaking blood.  Light be damned, she couldn't believe that bitch had actually gotten a hit in! She had seemed easy prey, separated from her own pack and alone in her pack's terrain, young and skinny, but the pup had bite after all. Jinx hadn't seen the dagger hidden beneath her shirt and fastened at the hip, and she would have never guessed she could have drawn it so fast.

Her mistake, and one she wouldn't be repeating. Now she had the girl cornered--unless she was stupid enough to try escaping through the darkness. Jinx hoped not; she had no intention of giving some demon a free meal.

For now she took her time, licking her wound like a cat until the bleeding had stopped and then cutting off a portion of her sleeve so she could fasten it around her arm. She checked its tightness and then waited a moment to make sure that no blood was seeping through--the last thing she needed was blood-smell wafting through the air and drawing unwanted attention. There was no real rush. She couldn't see where the girl was, but she knew she was just ahead of her, hiding in the shadows of a tunnel but not too far down it. At least, Jinx assumed not, as going further down would be suicide.

Any sensible person would fight back against their human attacker, who they actually stood a chance against, before they even considered fleeing down there where the demons were waiting to kill your body and claim your soul. It was that sort of sensibility that kept Jinx from following after her prey, and also because she knew that while she couldn't see the girl, that girl could still see her. She could ambush her.

Jinx fingered the tip of her dagger and shifted a little where she crouched, legs growing cramped from holding that position. "You better come out, pupling, before the demons get you!" she called, cupping her free hand by her mouth. "You won't last long there. Come on out, face me. Better to be reborn early than to die forever, no?"

[Anonymous]

True to her namesake, Blank looked rather bored by the whole thing. When the girl had first attacked Jinx, she had felt her heart stop. But the skinny bitch hadn't hurt Jinx badly and she was more worried about the monsters that the blood scent might draw then Jinx's health.

The other girl was more then capable of handling herself, so Blank's attention was focused down the tunnel. She moved slowly, her movements silent and sleek. Best to not stay in one spot, to easy of a target, "I hope she doesn't go to deep." Despite her very womanly appearance, Blank's voice was a little husky. She didn't speak often, finding it bothersome for the most part, "I would hate to lose such a good meal to some demon."

She didn't think the girl would be dumb enough to go to deeper. But, Jinx's blood scent and the girls own living heartbeat might bring something out. What lived down there didn't need to fear the light.

Lightly running her hand over Jinx's neck as she passed behind her, Blank frowned again, whispering so there was no chance the girl would hear, "How long are we going to wait? You are bleeding and she reaks of fear."

Jerking her head up, Blank crouched down, ready to run. She had thought she had heard something, deep in the inky darkness of the tunnel. Maybe it was just nerves, but Blank didn't want to tangle with the things that lived down there. All teeth and claws and vicious. She was a hunter, not the hunted.

Maybe it was just the girl. Blank glanced over at Jinx, hand moving to grip the handle of her ax better. She had made it from a circle of metal she had snapped in half, sharpened and strapped to a stick.

[Rhi-Rhi]

"I'm fine," Jinx said with a pained smile, tilting her head back to look at Blank. Her arm hurt, throbbing in time to her pulse, but it wasn't enough to hinder her. All she was concerned about was the smell but it seemed like she had gotten the bleeding under control. She looked at her arm again and poked at the bandage. No blood was leaking through. It should be good.

With a grunt she stood up and gave her legs a quick stretch. "If we're gonna get her, we should hurry before something else does. I'm not keen on going in there, though," she said with a frown, keeping her voice down. "I'd rather we wait, but...she can't be too far down there, you think?" She looked back at Blank, brow furrowed in thought and teeth nibbling at her bottom lip. If the girl was just waiting at the lip of the tunnel, they wouldn't have to go in very far--unless she retreated further. The question was, would the girl have the guts to do something like that?

Maybe. With death on one end and death on the other, she might chance the beasts. Jinx sure wouldn't--given a choice between death by human hands and death by those things, she'd let her own kind take her. No way she would risk her soul that way.

Which was exactly why she didn't want to go in there.

When Blank jolted and she heard something rustling inside the tunnel, Jinx had to slap a hand over her mouth to keep from gasping out loud. She pivoted in place, ready to bolt, but when the sound didn't come again she relaxed a little. Jumping at ghosts, are you? It's probably just the girl. And Blank wasn't running, anyway. It was nothing. If Blank ran, you knew you were in trouble. But if she was jumping at sounds coming from inside that dark place, how could she even think about going inside it?

Resting a hand on Blank's shoulder, she leaned down close to her ear. "Maybe we should try somewhere else," she whispered, even though she was loath to admit it. They had the girl. She was starving, too. They might not find another stray like this anytime soon and then it would be back to scavenging for scraps and feeding on rats. It was frustrating. But Jinx also valued her own life more than that.

But if Blank thought it was okay...

[Anonymous]

Blank nodded as Jinx spoke. She agreed with her, though her pale teal eyes never left the tunnel. She didn't want to go in there. It was dangerous in those places. Which Blank didn't mind as much, she had gone deeper into those dark places then most. But she was with Jinx and that made the girl much more cautious then normal.

She kept her eyes glued to the darkness, more hoping to catch sight of the girl retreating back into the light. No such luck. Her gaze shifted back to her lover, studying her face for a moment, Blank's free hand moving to stroke the scars along her rib cage. Jinx was hungry. They both were. No real food in a while and little prospect beyond rats or maybe some small dog creature if they were very lucky.

Blank's eyes went back to the tunnel entrance, her expression never changing. If they were careful...and didn't go too deep...

Leaning her cheek against Jinx's when the other girl leaned close, Blank gave a small shrug, speaking in a low whisper, "If you want, we can leave. But...maybe luck is still with us. And if we are careful, we can get her."

She shrugged again, pulling away and looking at the tunnel again, "What else is there to eat?"

[Rhi-Rhi]

It was a tough decision, and a tough situation to be in.

"There's nothing else. Rats if we're lucky." Jinx gnawed her bottom lip thoughtfully and took a deep breath. "I don't know when we'll get a chance like this again," she conceded with a frown and was quiet for a few seconds after, weighing their options. It was a big risk, but not taking this risk could also mean no food for a good while, and that was also a huge risk. Starvation was as real a threat as whatever beasts lurked in the dark.

On an impulse, Jinx reached out and hugged Blank, pulling the other woman close and nuzzling her cheek against her hair. "If we're careful," she finally said, kissing her temple. "Very careful. We leave at the first sign of danger and don't look back. Okay? But you're right. There isn't anything else. And besides, if there is danger, that girl is ahead of us. If there's anything in there, that girl will go first and we'll know..."

It made sense to her and sounded like it would work. If a beast came, it would go for the girl, she would scream, they would know. If it ate her, it would buy them precious time to escape--unless the blood attracted others, in which case they would be in trouble. But it still sounded doable. The girl would be both their prey and their warning.

Releasing Blank, Jinx checked the bandage on her arm for good measure. The bleeding appeared to have stopped and none had seeped through the cloth. She looked back to her lover. "Shall we go?"

[Anonymous]

Jinx hugging her startled Blank slightly, pulling her attention away from the tunnel. A soft blush crept over her cheeks as she leaned into the kiss. Blank was very rarely physically expressive like this, though she liked the contact. One rough, calloused hand came up and stroked Jinx's hair for a moment, "We do not need to be heroes. Her screams will alert us to danger."

And she would protect Jinx with her own life. She didn't speak that part aloud, she knew the other girl would make some protest. But the taller woman didn't care. Pulling away from the embrace, she raised her weapon, eyes scanning the dark tunnel, "Let's hurry or we will lose our dinner."

The hardest part was that first step, from the light into the dark of the tunnel. Blank's expression didn't change, but she tensed as she went inside. It was okay. She could hear the girl moving ahead of them. She had seen Blank enter and was retreating farther into the tunnel. Stupid girl.

Blank kept low, and never moved far from Jinx, keeping careful track of the exit at all times. A creaking sound had the warrior freezing, her body going tense. The floor below her feet vibrated a little and Blank started to try and back up. But the weight of three adults on the rotten floor proved to much and with a loud crash, Blank felt the ground give way.

It was a startlingly long drop and Blank twisted as she fell, trying to slow her fall. She landed hard on the remains of some wooden platform, but the force of her fall had her smashing through the rotted wood with a sharp cry. Hitting the wall, Blank kept rolling down, crashing into debris embedded into the wall. But it was enough to slow her fall that when she finally hit the ground, she was battered and bruised, with a large chunk of wood embedded in her thigh, she was still alive.

Struggling to her feet, leaning heavily against the wall, Blank shook her head. The ground was covered in water, only reaching her ankle, but she had no way of knowing if it got deeper. An eerie, soft glow illuminated the room, though Blank couldn't tell here it's source was. Shoving her damp hair out of her face, Blank quickly scanned around for Jinx. She could see the handle of her axe sticking out of the ground nearby, but no sign of her lover. They had already made so much noise crashing down, Blank didn't bother with silence, "Jinx?! Where are you!? Jinx!"

[Rhi-Rhi]

It happened so fast that Jinx didn't even have time to scream. She was aware of the crash and crack of the ground breaking and then she was weightless, her stomach in her throat, air rushing past her ears, and sound exploding all around her. She didn't have time to think, didn't even have time to be afraid, and for a few moments was too confused and disoriented by the dark and the noise to even realize the ground was gone beneath her and she was falling.

At least, not until the ground caught back up with her.

She crashed into something and it sent her tumbling down some sort of incline, pain shooting through her body as all around her debris clawed and scratched and tore at her. Her head struck something--

And she must have temporarily blacked out--or maybe she hadn't; she couldn't tell with the dark all around her--because the next thing she knew, she was laying on her side in a shallow of dirty water, face half covered, and she choked as some of it went up her nose and into her open mouth. Spitting and sputtering, she tried to push herself up so she was sitting--but there was something heavy on top of her, and her body was shaking too violently to cooperate even though her mind was numb with shock. Twisting beneath the sheet of corroded metal, she shoved up at it and tried to get her legs up and under it to help her push it off.

Where was she? Where was Blank? What had happened? Her breath came in fast, short pants as the shock started to wear off and panic started to settle in. They'd been going through that tunnel and then...and then they fell. The ground gave. Where were they now? Oh, spirits, they were deeper than that tunnel, then, further beneath the earth than any person should ever go...

And where was Blank?!

As if on cue, she heard her voice then, and though it sounded far away, Jinx felt a little lighter just hearing it. She was okay...

Jinx shoved at the metal a little harder, lifted up as best she could, and filled her lungs. "O-over here! I'm over here, Blank!"

It was probably a very stupid thing to do, making so much nose, and her blood chilled to think of what they might be attracting. But what else could they do?

[Anonymous]

The sound of Jinx's voice sent a rush of relief through her and Blank slumped against the wall. Her hand clutched her leg, blood seeping out from around the wound the wood shard had made. It seemed to have missed a major artery, though she would need to get it bandaged soon.

The dark monsters in the tunnel would be able to smell the blood. They needed to get moving. Find a way back to the light. The longer they stayed down here, the less likely they were to make it back out.

"Are you okay?" Every ounce of her instincts were screaming for her to be quite, still, she needed to find Jinx. And silence was a moot point now. One arm braced against the wall, the other clamped against her tight, Blank made her way toward the sound of Jinx's voice. It was slow going and each step sent waves of pain shooting through her, though her expression never changed from the coldly determined look.

Nothing mattered but getting to Jinx. Not her own pain, not the distance between them. Nothing. The dim light was only enough to make out shapes, no real detail. She finally made it to Jinx, eyes adjusted enough to the light to make out the hunk of metal trapping her lover, "Did you break anything?"

Her rough, low voice echoed through the chamber. There were no other sounds besides the sounds the two girls and the rippling water. Ignoring her own injury, Blank grabbed the metal and with a grunt, shoved it off Jinx, stumbling slightly as pain ripped through her body.

She gritted her teeth, eyes closed as she struggled to compose herself. Once the pain was beaten down, she help her hand out, "Come. We need to go." She could bandage her leg later. This place was too risky.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Jinx didn't think she'd ever been so relieved in her life as she was when Blank appeared beside her. She shook her head at Blank's question, then realized she might not be able to see it. "No, I'm fine," she said, pushing up a little more to keep her head above the water. "Just a little sore, that's all." She was sore all over, some places stinging, and the left side of her head was throbbing, but she didn't feel that bad off, considering, and nothing felt broken or even twisted--and she knew, she'd broken a few bones in her life. She didn't know from what height she'd fallen, but she had a feeling that she was very, very lucky to even still be alive with only some bruises and scratches and a sheet of metal pinning her.

"Are you okay?" she asked as Blank shoved the metal off of her, assisting as best as she could from her awkward position, but finally it was off and Jinx wasted no time in scrambling to her feet, water sloshing around her. She staggered a little, unsteady from hitting her head, but found her balance again and took a deep breath--and froze. There was a copper scent in the air.

Heart skipping a beat, Jinx checked her bandaged arm first, but found the cloth still tight and secure, which meant...either she was bleeding from some place else, some other thing down here was hurt--maybe the girl they'd been hunting--or...Blank was wounded.

Either way? Not a good situation. They would be attracted to the blood...

"Blank, are you bleeding?" Jinx asked, voice tight with fear as she grabbed her arm and started to lead them both away from the scene. She didn't know where they were going--she could scarcely see--but she did know that staying in one place would only make them easier prey and--spirits, don't think like that, Jinx! She drew an unsteady breath, but it was getting hard to think as all those worst case scenarios ran through her head. If the beasts got them, that was it. They were done. They would never come back, ever...

Jinx was shaking now, and not just because the water was cold. "Blank, if you're injured we need to tend it. I smell blood and they'll smell it too!" she hissed, heart drumming in  her chest. "Where are you hurt? Is it bad?" But she didn't stop walking even as she asked. They had to tend her wound, but they couldn't stop long and--oh spirits, how were they going to get back up? She wanted to ask Blank, but she didn't; couldn't let her hear her panic. She had to be strong, brave.

They'd be okay.

[Anonymous]

Jinx wasn't hurt. Blank felt almost giddy with relief. She could handle everything else, but the thought of losing Jinx had terrified her. The metal fell to the side with a loud splash and Blank pulled Jinx to her feet, wrapping her into a tight hug for just a moment.

There wasn't really time for displays of affection and Blank didn't hold onto Jinx long, just long enough to kiss her hair. They needed to get away from this area and quickly. Blank scanned the area, relocating where her axe had ended up, the blade of it peaking out of the water.

Jinx's question got a curt nod, "Yes. My thigh. It's bleeding heavily." Moving through the shallow water, she grabbed her axe before hurrying to catch up with Jinx. She was limping heavily now and pain shot up her leg, but the warrior gritted her teeth and pushed through it.

"We should tie it off. Can you help me? The wood is still in my leg." Pulling it out would only result in more blood, but maybe Jinx could do something with it. Blank stopped and held out the axe to the other girl, "My pants are already ruined, so we can cut them up."

They needed to hurry, things would be arriving soon, so see what the commotion was. But first priority was masking the blood scent. No amount of running would help if they could track her blood, "Don't worry." Blank didn't bother watching Jinx, she kept her eyes on the area around them, watching for any sign of movement, "I will protect you."

[Rhi-Rhi]

"You'll protect me. You'll protect me!" Jinx hissed, keeping her voice low even though she wanted to go shrill with blossoming panic. Blank had a hunk of wood through her leg! It looked bad, it looked so bad, and Jinx had to clap a hand over her mouth and swallow hard to keep from wanting to vomit. It wasn't the sight of blood and wounded muscle that made her feel sick; she'd seen that plenty in hunts and had butchered many of their kills herself. She was no stranger to gore.

It was that it was Blank's blood that made her queasy.

But she only sucked in a breath and nodded, knowing she had to pull herself together and keep a clear head if they were going to live much longer. "I should be the one protecting you, Blank--and I will," she said, dropping down into a crouch and pulling out her dagger so she could start cutting away at Blank's pants. When she gotten enough strips to work, she started to carefully bind the wound, doing her best not to bump the wood and biting down hard on her lip as she worked. It was tempting to rush the job, but a shoddy binding would come loose and that wouldn't help them in the long run.

When she was done, she popped back up and offered Blank her shoulder. "Please. It'll go faster," she said, knowing it was like Blank to play the tough, stoic role.

[Anonymous]

Blank didn't make a sound as Jinx worked, but she couldn't keep a grimace off her face. Every movement of the wood sent a searing pain through her leg. Walking would be painful, but doable and the cloth helped hold the wood steady.

Blank nodded, smiling slightly at Jinx, "Of course. And I'll protect you." Jinx was tough and Blank had no doubts she could take care of herself. But she was Blank's, and Blank wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

Wrapping her arm around Jinx's shoulder, Blank didn't protest, just gave a small grunt in reply. It would be faster and would help save her leg in case they had to run. Gripping her axe in the other hand, Blank pointed with it, "Let's go that way." It was hard to tell in the murky light, but there seemed to be an exit there.

Though who knew where it led too or what was waiting there.

[Rhi-Rhi]

With Blank's weight on her, Jinx looped her arm around her waist to help support her and started to lead the way. It was slow going; Blank wasn't exactly light, and her head was still throbbing, but maybe it was for the better anyway. The slower they went, the less noise they made--but the more time they stayed down there with open wounds, the more time Blank's wound had to go septic, and the more time those creatures had to sniff them out. And without clean water and no food...

Even if there were no creatures about, they wouldn't last long.

"I know you will," Jinx whispered. She didn't really know where they were going, but anywhere was better than staying stationary. They had to keep moving. "But only until we're out. Then it's my turn to fuss over you and I won't take no for an answer. Okay?"

[Anonymous]

Blank smiled in the darkness, using Jinx's shoulder's as a crutch as they moved through the water. They were in bad shape and they needed to get out of these tunnels in the next few hours or they never would.

"Alright. And as soon as you are done fussing, I am going to fuck you raw." She trusted Jinx to watch in front of them and kept her own eyes on the ceiling above them. They needed to move up and she wanted to find some way to do that. Though there seemed to be no magical tunnels or ladders leading them to salvation.

Then she noticed it. Stopping, she pointed to a tunnel shooting off to their left, "Jinx? Is that tunnel going up?" It was hard to tell with the floor covered in water, but the designs on the wall seemed to be tilting slightly upwards.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Jinx made a disapproving sound in the back of her throat, though despite her fear she felt a blush heating her cheeks. “Only after you have healed,” she said, frowning. “I plan on stitching your wound and I won’t be having you tearing my work.”

Goodness! Time and place!

She was still scanning ahead of them for escape routes when she felt Blank stop, and she stopped with her and gazed upward—slowly so she didn’t dizzy herself. She squinted her eyes to try and make it out through her affected vision, tilting her head. “I think it may be…?” It was difficult to tell, but with their options horrifically limited, Jinx felt they would just have to take that chance.

Shifting Blank’s weight a little, she looked over at her. “I don’t see a better solution, so—”

That was when she heard it, the sound of water sloshing ever so lightly, somewhere far behind them—but growing louder as it came their way. Tensing, Jinx peered back over her shoulder to try and see, but it was too dark to make out anything further than ten feet away. Something was following them.

“We have to take it,” she whispered harshly, trying to keep the panic out of her voice, and pulled Blank after her as she started toward it. “Quickly. I hear something…”



Blank heard the creature as well, her grip tightening on the axe. She nodded her head, keeping her senses trained on the creature coming behind them. She did her best to keep her movements smooth, disturbing the water as little as possible, but her injured leg made that difficult.

Pain burned through her leg with each movement. It made it difficult to think, but there was no time to go slower. Reaching the tunnel, Blank shoved Jinx into it first, as it was to narrow to go through together.

Whatever it was was gaining on them, Blank could hear it hissing. With the dim light, the water and all the debris in the water, it was difficult to make anything out.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Jinx turned as well as she could in the tunnel, grabbed Blank's hand, and yanked her in after her, not caring if it hurt her leg. There was no time to worry about that; she could hear the creature gaining, snarling now, and her heart beat loudly in her ears as she felt herself spiraling towards panic. Tears stung her eyes but she blinked them away. She had to keep her head; she couldn't panic. If she did, that would only make things worse.

"Come on!" she gasped, because it no longer mattered if it heard. It knew they were there, and was coming for them fast.

Jinx had just managed to pull Blank further into the tunnel when the creature struck and an involuntary scream ripped free of her throat. It was hard to see in the dark, but she could see its eyes gleaming in the faint light, large teeth shining in a dark face as it hit the rim of the tunnel and let out an unearthly roar. It scrabbled at the entrance, trying to carve out a wider path with its flashing claws as it thrust its head in and snapped at them. Jinx could smell the rancid, hot breath and gagged, and it shrieked again in anger.

They were just out of its reach.

But they wouldn't be for long. All its thrashing and digging was opening up the tunnel's entrance, and it was also making the earth shake. Dirt was falling down from the ceiling, a rock hitting Jinx's head and making her yelp. She grabbed Blank tight and continued to help her along, shoulders squeezed between both sides of the narrow tunnel. "Come on. Come on!"

[Anonymous]

Pain roared through her body and Blank gritted her teeth, shoving it away. She didn't have time to deal with it just then. Scrambling into the tunnel, she felt the creatures breath on her legs, flecks of it's hot drool hitting her skin.

Twisting, Blank raised her good leg and slammed it into the monsters face, stunning it slightly. She hit it two more times for good measure. It didn't do much, but it bought them a little more time as the beast shook it's head.

Shoving Jinx farther into the tunnel, Blank bit down on her lip. This was not easy with her leg and she could feel the blood dripping down her leg. But she couldn't falter. Not until Jinx was safe. "Go. Faster!"

The tunnel came to a sudden stop, the space opening into a larger room. It was dark, not much of the glowing fungus around. Glancing around, Blank quickly found a door, pulling it open. And stared right into the startled eyes of a short, fat beast. Slamming it shut, she threw her weight against it, "Fuck. Jinx, window."

Nodding at the window that was over by the wall, Blank struggled to get the door to stay closed. Through sheer accident, her hand hit the panel, the artificial light flaring briefly, the door clicking locked. Frowning, Blank stepped back, not really sure what just happened and not sure she cared, "Can we get out through there?"

[Rhi-Rhi]

"We don't have much choice!" Jinx said, voice laced with panic. Who knew how long before the first beast dug its way in? Or before the fat one managed to break the door? If the window didn't work, they'd be trapped here, and the only thing that could possibly save them then was praying that those monsters had a short attention span and an even shorter memory. That they'd give up and leave.

And that was unlikely with the blood-scent pumping through the air.

Rushing for the window, she grabbed the edge and heaved her weight against it, trying to slide it open. It was stuck, though, and wouldn't budge, so in desperation she looked around the ground until she found a fist-sized chunk of concrete. She swiped it up fast and smashed it against the window, shattering glass. The sharp sound made her cringe and she prayed there were no more beasts up ahead, but even if there were, the choice was die here, or die up there.

Or, hopefully, escape and live.

"Blank, come on!"

[Anonymous]

While Jinx broke the window, Blank sagged against the wall, her leg throbbing with pain. It was getting hard to think, everything hurt so bad. But she didn't have time to deal with it long. Jinx had already smashed the window.

Moving forward, Blank nudged Jinx aside, hauling herself out the window. Small shards of glass cut into her hands and legs as she went through the window. She crouched low, scanning the darkness. There didn't seem to be anything there and she motioned to Jinx to follow.

All the movement was keeping her leg from clotting. If they didn't get out of her soon, she was going to die of blood loss. At least the floor here was dry. Creeping forward, her footfalls silent, even with her injured leg, Blank gestured to a doorway, her voice a low, gruff whisper, "There."

[Rhi-Rhi]

Jinx followed after Blank, vaulting through the window. She sliced her palms and legs on the glass shards but ignored it as best she could, landing on the other side and wincing at the sound of glass crunching under her boots, even though she'd already made far more noise breaking it. Every little sound made her jump, as though each one would signal their location.

She followed where Blank had pointed, then gave a silent nod and slipped under one of Blank's arms, wrapping her own around her waist to support her. "Let's hurry," she whispered before dragging her along.

Blank was in serious danger and Jinx knew it; she wouldn't be able to go much farther like this. She staggered through the doorway and into a small, empty room, saw the door was still attached and working, and kicked it shut behind them. It was dark inside save for some clusters of bio-luminescent moss that cast the room in a soft green glow. It would have to do for now.

"Sit down," Jinx said, keeping her voice firm and calm and hoping Blank wouldn't catch the quiver in it. "We need to tend your leg."