Takes place February 21st
Five shrines in, and no roseberries.
Julian wasn't losing hope, because even if he hadn't found the seeds to plant them, he'd still managed to open up five shrines, previously buried deep underground and forgotten by all but Cyril. Without him, they would have stayed forgotten, too. They were so well hidden that Julian, not even knowing to look for them, would never have found them.
He'd found a few holes, but that's all they were--empty pits, most only a few feet deep, and easy enough to take one big step out of. Only a single pit had been so deep that Julian had to climb his way out.
Since meeting Cyril, he'd not fallen in a single one, and even been able to mark a few to make sure he didn't fall victim to the same trap twice.
Cyril insisted there would be roseberry seeds somewhere, and Julian believed him. They'd both been so sure there was something good preserved at the shrine they'd started at this morning, and Julian spent two hours twisting through brambles and tight-knit vines just to get to the tunnel. He'd only dug out a small portion--just enough for him to wriggle through--and both he and Cyril had been disappointed to find that every box here was covered in mildew.
It was unsurprising, given that the entire back wall of the tunnel was wet, and small rivulets of water trickled from ceiling to floor.
Some of the seeds had tried to take root, bursting through the boxes and digging into the wall.
They'd died a long time ago.
Julian insisted he could go through the boxes to see if any of the seeds were salvageable, but Cyril was less enthusiastic. Not because he wanted then any less than Julian, but because something felt wrong.
The tunnel itself wasn't much different than the others they'd visited, though this one was noticeably more dirt and less stone--and a great deal of water was running along the back wall. The room smelled of stale water, and even while standing still, Julian sank ankle deep into the mud.
Cyril had noticed, quite a while ago, that Julian seemed quite attached to exits, and he was always eager to have one readily available.
This tunnel did not offer that luxury. Julian had to fight just to get in. Getting out might be even harder.
Julian seeming so unconcerned by this was the first red flag, of several. Just as he didn't seem aware of how trapped he was down here, he didn't seem to notice his own hands trembling. Julian coughed--once, badly, and then not again. By then, Cyril had been paying close attention to him, so he noticed also when Julian forcibly stifled the coughs into no more than quick, rough exhales.
It was automatic, all of it. Julian didn't act with the nervousness of someone trying to hide anything. He simply seemed unaware of it. Like he was here in spirit, not body.
Spores were everywhere, dense and clinging. Julian didn't react to them either, despite how sick he'd been not even a month ago after facing off of Cahir and his toxic plants.
Undoubtedly, Julian was willing to ignore his discomfort, or displace himself within it, if it meant any modicum of success. They'd been so close to success--there were roseberry seeds here.
Dried up and lifeless. Unsalvageable.
Cyril could not let him stay down here, even if there was a chance to find the seeds they were looking for. In seconds, water filled the footprint Julian left behind, and Cyril drew the line.
He did not insist Julian leave, he demanded it--firm, but calm. He explained why, too. So Julian couldn't think he'd done anything wrong.
He'd said, "Julian. I need you to go back up to the forest. Go slowly, don't rush. But leave. There's a lot of water down here, and there is not a river above us. Which means the water is either around us, or below us. I don't want you getting trapped down here."
Of course Julian listened. Hesitation stalled him for only a few seconds, but once Cyril had voiced his discomfort, Julian acknowledged his own. In a split second decision, he grabbed the stack of tiny boxes--a mix of what he'd gone through, and what was yet to be examined--and filled his satchel. There were still many out of reach and uncollected but he didn't fight Cyril's guidance.
He took what he could in his five seconds of dawdling, and then he left.
The sticky mud clung to him, hindering his movements, but Julian calmly extracted himself from the tunnel.
As it turned out, getting out was a little easier than getting in, but Julian was less careful on his way out. He twisted and wriggled, and relied on the sturdy roots to haul himself out.
Covered in mud and dirt and pale white spores, he looked at Cyril--worriedly. "I'm sorry," was of course the first thing out of his mouth, but Cyril would have none of it.
He waved his hand dismissively. "Don't be, nothing down there is as important as you are. We'll find other seeds. I wouldn't have sent you down there if I'd known about the water."
Since Cyril did not want his apologies, Julian kept them to himself. He pushed himself into a seated position and then shrugged. Only then did he seem aware of the state of his uniform, so he powered down and then back up again. The satchel was in the same state his uniform had been, but brushing it off was ineffective. He tried, anyway.
"Don't be so disappointed," Cyril said, sitting on the grass next to Julian. "You did a good job. We're not abandoning this shrine, we'll come back to it. We just need to be safe about it."
Once more, Julian shrugged. This time, he nodded too. He drew the dirty satchel into his lap. There wasn't any more to brush off of it, and any more attention would have just smeared the dirt into the fabric, so he held it, and all the seeds, close. "That makes sense," he agreed, finally, but his heart wasn't in it.
He wasn't good at accepting praise. Cyril suspected this didn't feel like a 'good job' to Julian, who could not see the value in effort, only execution. At least, when things came to himself. He was so quick to dole out praise and support for what otherwise passed as mediocrity, but that generosity was limited to others, not himself.
"Don't lose hope," Cyril said, resting his cheek on his shoulder while watching Julian. "I suppose this doesn't feel like progress, but it is. I'll see if I can find where the water is coming from. Maybe Soleiyu can come up with a way to enforce the tunnel so we can go back down."
Julian pinched a blade between his fingers and ran his fingers from base to tip until it stood upright. He released it, let it droop, and then repeated the action a few times over. Another shrug, but he said, "I can ask. Would a river or a lake be more dangerous?"
"I don't know. The river and lakes I visit are above-ground, which is where I think they should stay."
Julian nodded, and looked towards the narrow hole. For a moment, Cyril thought he might be thinking about trying to go back down, but instead Julian just pulled out a bright orange ribbon, a permanent marker, and a pair of scissors from subspace. He cut a long strip of the ribbon and wrote 'water' in large, bold letters before pushing himself up. He tied the ribbon off on large branch and gave it a few experimental tugs before returning everything to subspace.
It wasn't very pretty, but Cyril understood it was temporary. Julian had marked the other shrines in the same way--after asking for permission. He promised to find a better, more attractive way to mark the shrines, he just hadn't figured out how yet.
For a moment, Julian looked at the entrance again. He didn't realize Cyril was watching him so closely or he might have hidden his disappointment better. "Well..." Julian chewed on his lip. "...Should we try another shrine?"
"You aren't tired yet?"
Julian shrugged before shaking his head. "No, I don't think so. I was really hoping we'd find something today. I don't want to give up yet."
"I know. Taking a break isn't giving up. It's a nice day," he said, glancing up at the sky. "Maybe you've spent enough time underground these last few visits. Why don't I take you to see something nice?"
Julian's mood shifted slowly. He was listening intently, like always, but the suggestion of something else summoned both interest and worry. His heart fluttered, eager and anxious.
He looked over his shoulder, eyes alight with interest but face impressively tame. He wore a little smile, not so different from usual. "Okay," he agreed quickly, but hesitated for a moment longer to give Cyril time to tell him it was just a joke.
When Cyril didn't, Julian scoped the satchel and carefully pulled it over his shoulder. Every movement was careful and measured to give Cyril time to change his mind.
Unwilling and unable to take his lute into the cramped entrance down the tunnel, Julian had left his lute resting by a tree stump. Now that it seemed like they were leaving, he picked that up, too and hung the strap over his other shoulder. "I'd like that," he added a second later--waited again for Cyril to change his mind, and then said, "Thank you."
Cyril was patient during the whole process, and with Julian equipped and ready to go, he figured he should do the same. He didn't waste energy pushing himself up; instead, he disappeared from the ground and then reappeared by Julian, standing a few feet in front of him. "Have you ever seen a waterfall?"
"No," Julian said, excitement trickling into his voice.
Cyril was glad he was already half turned from the boy; it helped hide his smile. "It's not a big one," he cautioned, but Julian didn't care. He'd already trotted closer to walk at Cyril's side.
"How big is it?"
Cyril cupped his chin and tapped his cheek thoughtfully. "More than twice my size, but less than three times yours."
"Okay," Julian said, but then asked, "Are there more waterfalls here?"
"A few. This one isn't the biggest, but it is the closest. It's still about a half hour walk from the clearing," he warned.
Julian wouldn't be deterred. "Okay," he said again.
"Let's stop by the clearing, it's on the way. Put those seeds with my instruments and grab your lunch. I used to go eat there sometimes. The pools are shallow. If you're ambitious, you might be able to swim in them. But I recommend just soaking your feet, instead. There used to be fish, but I haven't seen any lately."
Julian nodded along eagerly. The fish would have been a nice bonus, but he didn't expect them. He was just happy to see more of Dering.
It felt like a reward he didn't deserve. They hadn't found any viable seeds, and he hadn't even cleared out the most recent shrine--at all.
...But Cyril seemed like he was in a good mood despite the failure. Julian drew the satchel closer, brushing his thumb across the canvas.
Cyril was still talking about the waterfall--about some flowers that grew nearby, with sweet petals and nectar you could drink. He wanted Julian to look for them, wanted him to try them.
He wanted to share Dering. Wanted Julian to enjoy it.
Julian fell into step next to Cyril. He pushed his doubts and disappointments aside, and smiled a little brighter while he listened.
