Here they were, journeying deeper into the catacombs that were buried deep beneath the ruins of St. Miator. Not just the ruins, but the whole school, itself. Perhaps even the whole campus. When she thought about it, Margeaux came to the realization that she really didn't know just how far they would have to go to come out the other side. Or even how far it would take them to meet up with the rest of the adventuring party. Ubu and the others would be alright. That's what Margeaux was telling herself. She did have faith in her friend, but she certainly couldn't afford to experience any sort of doubt that would distract her from finding a way out.

The red headed American was also not alone, herself. Her pink haired companion had lead the way down to the opposite side of the rubble. Albeit that was not her intention. They were considerably lucky, when it came right down to the fact that she only received a scratch on her knee. Such a light flesh wound was not something that was particularly troublesome.

At least they had plenty of batteries and flashlights. The bright spot to the fact that it didn't look like their passage way was going to link up with the others. Margeaux was concerned, certainly, but there had to be another way out. Probably more optimistic thinking, on her part. But, thinking optimistically was better than the alternative. Besides, the structure they had found themselves in was man made. It was old, certainly, but it was man made. This carried along other thoughts, regarding the origins of these tunnels. Who had built them and why?

Maybe they would find some hints as they searched for a way out. Margeaux's light shone along the ground and the walls. She was curious to see if there was anything else about this bizarre space that could tell her anything more than “We're underground.”.

So far, no.

She looked back at Rin. Still holding her friend's hand, Margeaux had kept her on the side of her good eye. It made glancing over her shoulder less of a chore. “How deep do you think this place goes?” she asked, not really expecting her to hold all the answers. But, it would certainly be interesting to hear her speculations on the topic. Besides, they would have to pass by the time somehow.

"Well," she began as if afraid of her own voice, "it's a catacomb, so..." replied the pinkette, shining her light around the increasingly damp walls of the cavern, "could be even older than the journal, so who knows how far it goes...we might even find eh.." she made herself walk a little closer to her friend and swallowed, "..bodies..."

Some catacombs had closed tombs, other times it was simple skeletons or mummified remains just lying on a carved out shelf in the stone. The thought gave her chills, "I hear water," the sound echoed louder with each step.

-time skip, they had to walk a long way lol-

Following the sound, the stone and air became increasingly damp and humid until her light shone upon a trickle of water that ran across the water-carved stone before them.

"Hmm...upstream or downstream?" she mused, feeling excited. She showed her light in both directions, each side met with a long hall filled with darkness. Wide blue eyes looked to her friend for direction. The Journal didn't say exactly where anything was within the tunnels.




(sorry, struggled with my muse for this one. i was thinking they can have a little moment somwhere along hte way. maybe rin can say something about how shes glad shes with margeaux after something spooky happens. and then they can find le tree)

Sound bounced about in the cave. Echoes always had such a curious effect on those little sound waves she saw. The bouncing color made gradually shrinking spikes in each every piece of sound she saw. Their footsteps mixed in with the sound of their voices and Margeaux had another distracting thing to look at. Well, more specifically, Rin's voice.

"You think?" she responded, her voice having gone a little quiet. The prospect of finding bodies was far from a cheerful concept. She couldn't say she was looking forward to it. But, these were catacombs, so it wasn't like they couldn't be surprised. As Rin mentioned the water, Margeaux looked for it's color. Sure enough, there it was. Right at the bottom of her field of vision, almost hiding behind those cute pink tones of Rin's voice.

"Yeah, you're right." well, if they could find a source of water, they could probably find a way out. After all, that underground river had to spill out somewhere. Right?

--One Long Walk Later--

Walking took a bit more care. The ground beneath them was slippery. The humidity didn't really bother her, all that much. Having practically grown up with it, Margeaux was fine with it. At least in terms of what to expect. Feeling the humidity underground? That was a bit strange.

But, finally, they reached the river, itself. And only two options. To go right or left. She glanced back and Rin, before shining her own light down each path. It didn't illuminate any further, but she was trying to get a sense for herself. Now...did water always flow towards the outside? Or was the water coming in from somewhere? Margeaux couldn't say she was all that certain. On the other hand, if one path turned out to be a dead end, they could always follow the river backwards. Or forwards, depending.

"Let's try...downstream!" she said, an excited tone peeking through her own voice.

(OOC: No worries! And that sounds like a fun situation for them XD Maybe they could find one of those shelves o' dead folks and have a skull roll out in front of them? Or were you thinking of something a touch more eerie in relation to all the Saia Spookiness? Because that might be fun, too! Also, that would be a good point for Margeaux to do something cute for Rin that I've been thinkin' about! Weeee plots!)

"M'kay," She said, feeling happy to have some direction. As they started walking again, following the water that gradually grew in volume, she couldn't help walking nearer to Margeaux, until she found herself clinging to her arm with both of her own. Several dark tunnels, yawning and black appeared to the right, leading back the direction they came- or so it seemed.

Rin stopped at one of them and pointed her light, spotting the honeycomb of hollowed out places in the stone. She let go of Margeaux just long enough to step toward one of them, shine her light on a pile of dry, thread-bare cloth and see the very distinct shape of dead, curled back, dried lips, teeth, and hollow sockets gaping where eyes used to be. She shrieked and jumped backward, dropping her flashlight. It hit the ground spinning and slid deeper into the tunnel. As it spun, it was like a strobe light illuminating hundreds of corpses before stopping, pointed right back at them, making the darkness beyond all the more black.

Rin was already crouched on the ground hugging her shoulders, eyes squeezed tight. She'd known there might be bodies down here, but actually seeing them. She felt the tears well up and she couldn't do anything but shake. She'd almost forgotten Margeaux was near. And her scream bounced down the tunnels in all three directions echoing away and then back to them, as if the entire catacombs were screaming. She couldn't help crying until the sound stopped as she covered her ears. Was it really just an echo? Or were those ghosts screaming at them?


(Just occured to me that a journal page found by someone else says Saia was buried where the water runs purest. Which to me would mean upstream away from the bodies. So maybe they should turn around? lol sorry i didn't realize this sooner. Still, this was the perfect opportunity for shiny little ringeaux moment)

As they continued along their path, her pink haired companion clung closer and closer. Soon her arm was wrapped up by the Miator. Margeaux felt a blush touch her cheeks as they followed the water. When they reached a fork in the road, Rin disengaged and took her light to inspect the dark path further. Margeaux looked down one of the other tunnels and found a similar arrangement of dead bodies. The sight shocked her, but her reaction was not nearly as vocal as her friend.

Her gasp was drowned out by Rin's scream and it immediately ensnared her attention. The pink waves spiked with distress and the echoes added to the cacophony. The American shook her head and tried her best to focus. She had to, especially if Rin was in trouble! By the time she spotted her friend, the girl was already doubled over and crying.

"Rinko-chan!" she called out, rushing to her side. She dropped to a knee and tried to get the pinkette's attention, "Rinko-chan, are you OK?"

The light shone back on the pair of students, casting their shadows back in the direction they had been traveling from. Margeaux glanced from her friend to the light and back again. "Stay right here, I'm going to get your flashlight." she said and gave a gentle squeeze to her shoulder. They couldn't be down a flashlight, here in the catacombs. And besides...it wasn't like it was that far away. Margeaux gave one nervous gulp, before steeling herself for the journey ahead.

If Rin was scared, Margeaux would have to be brave. Especially if she was the one who looked like a samurai. At least that had been what Rin had told her, when she was practicing her archery. The redhead marched for the fallen light and ignored, to the best of her ability, the corpses that had claimed this tunnel for their home.

Margeaux

She practically dropped the light when she could have sworn she heard something call her name. Against her better judgement, she pointed her light down the dark path. Nothing. She was careful not illuminate any more corpses. It was probably just an echo. Her mind playing tricks on her. Besides, if there was some other voice in the catacombs, she would see it, right?

Margeaux marched back to her frightened friend and crouched down beside her. "I got your light!" she said, putting on her best everything-is-A-OK voice.

Gasping little wimpers subsided, replaced by white-hot embarrassment at her friend's happy news about her flashlight. Her face was very red when she looked up and timidly took the thing.

"Ah, I'm...I'm fine, yes." She gasped, "thank you, sorry for acting like a baby." she sniffed. she was probably more startled than actually frightened. She took the light, clutching it with both hands a moment and pointing it straight up, as if hugging it. She seemed to brace herself for something and then relax, just trying to force herself to sort of "reset" back into adventure mode. (powerplay warning) She took Margeaux's hand and got back to her feet, warily point the flashlight away from the bodies back the way they came.

"Malgulu-chan, can we...I mean, is it okay if we go back the other way?"

At her friend's reply she began to move. Still embarrassed, she began to back track, following Margeaux, fidgeting, ashamed of her outburst. Anyone would freak out at the sight of bodies right? But not Margeaux, she stayed so calm. Her blue eyes looked to her red headed friend with a slight glimmer of admiration. She was so brave!

Her face remained a steady shade of pink as she struck her hand out and reclaimed the grasp of her friend's [hand].

"I'm...I'm glad you're here," she peeped, eyes shadowed by her bangs. She was a little stiff, gripping her friend's hand a little too tightly.

-a long walk the other way lol-

(A strange blue glow, very feint, but still present becomes visible around a bend in the tunnel up ahead. Closer inspection reveals blue moss glowing on the wall becoming more dense the farther along they follow it until the tunnels opens up into a magnificent underground room with water flowing through it around a spectacular tree and, and above ground grave. A body, covered in stones with a wooden cross pushed into the ground above it. A page is tacked onto the cross. It reads:

"Sister Clarence died last night, Saia wept. Finally it's over. It was Saia who found her, said she must have died in her sleep. We all saw the bruises around the old Nun's neck. But Saia seems so relieved. Finally we are all safe, we don't have to hide anymore."

Carved into the wood beneath where the paper had been taped is a carving.

-Here lies the final resting place of Saia. We are so sorry. May God rest her soul.-)

OOC: I'd like to have Rin react more to the room, but I wanted to get the basic description out there for you to use in your post.

With Rin regaining her bearings, Margeaux remained crouched down next to her. She wouldn't move until she was sure her pink haired friend was OK. Whether it was a fright or just a little startle, it was easy to get spooked down where they were. Margeaux smiled when she finally spoke up, "Don't worry about it." she said, "I'm just glad you're OK!"

Rin took her hand and the two returned to a standing position. Going forward didn't seem to lead anywhere other than near more bodies. Old and decayed as they were, they could still provide quite the scare. And Margeaux wasn't all that eager to go traipsing alongside the deceased. If anything seemed like bad luck, it was surely that. So, she nodded her head at the Miator girl's suggestion, "Sure, no problem!" she said.

They started back the way they came and soon Rin's hand found it's way to her own. Margeaux lead the way and when they found themselves back around where they first found the river. Rin squeezed tightly on her hand and spoke up, yet again. The American paused and turned to see the girl, although she couldn't see her eyes. "Well, I'm not about to let anything happen to you." she smiled, hoping to cheer her up a bit, "So think of me as...uh, your Samurai!"

She turned and started back along the path. Mostly because she didn't want Rin to see the blush that she could certainly feel crawling it's way across her cheeks. Margeaux lead the way into uncharted territory.

-A brief(ish) walk later-

Margeaux spotted the light coming from up around the bend and thought, for a moment, that they had come across their fellow adventurers. But, that light just didn't look right. Not like flashlights at all. It's source remained a bit of a mystery, but they soon found an increasing amount of moss.

When the tunnel opened into the underground chamber, Margeaux almost dropped her flashlight. She halted at the opening, slack-jawed at the sight of the tree. She had never seen anything quite like this. Her sole blue orb blinked as she tried to make sense of it.

"Woooow...." she said. It was barely above a whisper. She hadn't even spotted the small grave, yet. That detail was lost on her.

Entering the chamber had Rin gaping at it's beauty. "How...?" was all she could say. Stepping further into the room, there was nothing she could do but stare.

"Magulu-chan, it's beautiful." She said, eyes sparkling. Suddenly in a burst of child-like excitment she took off running around the room, the soft glow of the lichen all around them, the solemn tree. It was magical.

She stopped, across the room from her friend, the tree separating them when she stopped the grave.

"Ne, look! It's grave, and a note too!" she waited for Margeaux to appear at her side before she read it. "it's another journal page" she said, smiling. The sound of the running water filled the chamber for a moment. This was starting to make sense, a group of girls, a harsh nun, and Saia...had she killed the nun? So who was buried here, Saia? Why did she have a grave above ground? The one she and her friends had found last halloween? And they were sorry? it was natural to be sorry someone died, but it seemed there was more to this story.

"Saia is buried here?" It was mean to be a statement, but it came out as a question. The implications of the note had Rin feeling they were in the presence of something evil, even amidst the beauty of this cavern. Suddenly she had an intense desire to step away when she found another page beneath a rock at the foot of the grave. It was sticking out quite obviously, as if someone had put it there on purpose, picking it up proved to have two pages in tow.

"
What have we done? The circle has been desecrated! We were only trying to help her...Saia. We saved her, we brought her back but her eyes. Her eyes were still wrong, still...dead. She grinned so terribly at us, laughed at us. It wasn't Saia's laugh. She attacked us, tried to kill me. She wouldn't stop, she just wouldn't stop! We had to....we just had to, she was going to kill us! We had no choice! Oh God...

...this is all our fault. Poor Saia. We buried her in the main chamber where the water runs purest. May it wash away our sins and Saia's. This place is no sanctuary. It's a tomb, it always was a tomb. We will leave this unholy place. We must never speak of this again. In nómine Patris et Fílii et Spíritus Sancti. Amen."

And the other read:

"Saia didn't come for the ritual last night. Sister Clarence found her poppet. She made it to protect herself from the wrath of that woman. We told her not to take it out of the catacombs. Sister Clarence made her kneel on dry rice and whipped her until her knees bled. She's quiet today. Stay strong Saia."

She turned to Margeaux, speechless. In the glow of the cavern she had to sit to take in what they had just discovered. Surely there was more to this, but...Rin was haunted by her imagination filling in the blanks.

"What happened down here?" she said, looking around and finding yet another tunnel opposite the one they had entered. She was almost afraid to go any farther. "Margulu..I'm...scared.." She clutched the pages and tensed. In this beautiful place, there was death and mystery. Curiosity begged she continue, another part of her just wanted to stay here, and yet another wanted to run away. "Should we...keep going?" She asked, blue eyes raising up to her companion.


-ehhh lame post, sorry for making you wait. also threw these pages in here because These two were discovered by other characters who may not have a chance to meet our group here. So I just added them. xD The back tunnel also will take us into the othr thread with Ubu and company--

The chamber was a place of almost other-worldly beauty. For a moment, the two girls seemed to be only able to stand and stare at the tree and the strange effect the luminescent lichen. All of a sudden, Rin tore off around the room. Margeaux took a few tentative steps, further into the chamber. She wanted to see what was giving off that light. It was such an odd color and she found herself entranced by it. She stood at the wall, before Rin called back out to her.

The American darted around the tree to get over to her friend and the grave she had found. "We got another one?" she said, looking over her findings. The grave was another old one. And, it seemed, two pages had been hidden. If you could call it a hiding space. Clearly, whoever had left the pages there didn't seem to be all that concerned with keeping them away from prying eyes. Either they wanted them to be found...or they figured no one would be finding this place, anyways.

Margeaux stood next to Rin and looked over the note, as the pink haired girl read it as well. As informative as they were, Margeaux found the contents to be chilling. "I dunno." Margeaux answered the question, after taking a moment. Whatever was going on (and how it related to everything else they had uncovered so far) was meant to be kept a secret. And yet, each note they found seemed to lead them further along a trail.

The blue gaze was met with Margeaux's own solitary blue orb. There was really only one answer left for the two of them. Down that tunnel, wherever it led, had to get them to the way out. Backtracking would only take them so far. And she had already promised Rin that they would get out.

"Yeah." she said, "We have to find a way out. If Ubu-chan and the others haven't gotten out already, we might even be able to meet up with them, again."

Margeaux looked over to the other tunnel, before looking back to Rin and taking the girl's hand, "Let's go, Rinko-chan. I don't think we'll find anything else down here." she offered a smile to the cotton-candy haired girl, trying to lend some support to her.

(OOC: No worries! So, we'll go join up with Ubu and Co.?)