[It's not a lie, but neither is it the complete truth; even so, it still comes easily to him and he knows that dwelling on it will only raise more questions. Given that he's a little trapped right now, he doesn't have the luxury of avoiding personal conversation by vaulting out the nearest window.
At least not until Lance finishes his stitches.]
See, that's what I thought it might be!
[Nate suddenly swells with newfound enthusiasm, eager to avoid the discussion of potential danger in favor of theorizing. Lighting up not unlike a Christmas tree, he immediately barrels into it.]
Like a cenote. They're these sinkholes that access groundwater in Central and South America. The lake's got all the hallmarks: wide, shallow edge, steep drop-off - the Maya would use them as wells, or in ritual sacrifices. But they're not just a pit, they're connected to other subterranean systems. The ones in Mexico, they have this separated aquifer effect, where fresh rainwater sits on top of saltwater and forms this mirror layer that looks hazy, and the lake has that. I didn't see the sharks until I got to the high-density saline water, which makes sense, because every shark but a bull shark requires saltwater-
[He stops himself suddenly, reeling it back in, and clarifies.]
The point is, this kind of system can't exist without a separate source. The river's fresh. That saltwater has to be coming from somewhere, so there's gotta be a- an access point, deeper in the lake. There could be a whole series of flooded tunnels. Who knows what else you could find down there?
no subject
At least not until Lance finishes his stitches.]
See, that's what I thought it might be!
[Nate suddenly swells with newfound enthusiasm, eager to avoid the discussion of potential danger in favor of theorizing. Lighting up not unlike a Christmas tree, he immediately barrels into it.]
Like a cenote. They're these sinkholes that access groundwater in Central and South America. The lake's got all the hallmarks: wide, shallow edge, steep drop-off - the Maya would use them as wells, or in ritual sacrifices. But they're not just a pit, they're connected to other subterranean systems. The ones in Mexico, they have this separated aquifer effect, where fresh rainwater sits on top of saltwater and forms this mirror layer that looks hazy, and the lake has that. I didn't see the sharks until I got to the high-density saline water, which makes sense, because every shark but a bull shark requires saltwater-
[He stops himself suddenly, reeling it back in, and clarifies.]
The point is, this kind of system can't exist without a separate source. The river's fresh. That saltwater has to be coming from somewhere, so there's gotta be a- an access point, deeper in the lake. There could be a whole series of flooded tunnels. Who knows what else you could find down there?