i am the mace, the map, the fall and the high
As his laughter fades into an echo, her shriek alongside it, the bird that had been charging them suddenly explodes into a shower of red and gold. The abruptness of it startles him at first, but rather than the fear one might expect, a gnawing curiosity envelops him. His gaze shifts to her, invisible as she is in the shadows. The blood does not bother him (why would it?), but there is something strange in seeing the flecks of gold that gleam in the dim light his own bones emit.
There is no judgement, no accusation, in the light of his blue eyes, dimly illuminated by his mask. Instead, there is an almost intense eagerness behind the thoughtfulness of his demeanor. As though he is entirely delighted by this new revelation.
“I doubt she’ll be trying that again any time soon,” he quips after a lengthy silence, repressed amusement in his voice. Perhaps he should mourn the bird’s death, should feel guilt that he had caused it. But he can’t seem to find it in himself. No, he only sees the panic growing in wild swells around her, the shock that would undoubtedly soon fade. And he’d rather distract her before it does. Before she accidentally turns that panic on him.
Reaching slowly towards her, he brushes a fleck of gold from her still invisible form (though he can’t be quite certain exactly where it had been resting on her). Then, turning into the depths of the cave, he steps forward until the soft light of his armor gleams off a gilded shell.
Peering silently at the nest for a moment, he huffs a breath out before turning to peer at where he had left Israfel, faint smile still lingering on the corners of his lips. “I think I have discovered why she was so ferocious.”
reave
@Israfel