one ❀ voice

[unknowable]

[There's no video, because it's too dark in the coffin to show anything anyway. Adam's voice is carefully steady, as if he's keeping himself under control through sheer power of will.]

I saw that Fear said our air supply will be refreshed. I don't know if that's true - I don't know if we can trust him - but I thought people ought to know anyway.

[Not that he necessarily believes anything any of the gods say, but - well. Who knows.]

Talking is a little less impersonal than text. It might help to hear a familiar voice, if any of your friends are buried. There also isn't much to do down here but panic, so if anyone wants to talk - I wouldn't mind.

Comments

[unknowable]

That sounds like it would be really useful right now.

[Adam's magic is way less helpful than that. Unfair.]

I didn't know you had a dog. Maybe you can ask someone aboveground to take care of it?

[fervence]

Yeah, Noishe, he's great! [if you let him lloyd will brag about his not dog forever.]

And I guess I could ask Zelos to check on him but he hasn't been answering his communicator thing. Maybe I'm doing it wrong I still don't really understand them, honestly.

[unknowable]

They can be pretty tough. Is there someone else you can ask? He might be... gone.

[This is maybe not the best situation to bring up that possibility, but Adam isn't one to sugarcoat things.]

[fervence]

................................................... gone?

[the mere suggestion that his friend might be gone has managed to effect lloyd more than even being buried alive has.] Why would he...

He wouldn't just leave without me, not after everything. We're supposed to be searching for exspheres together.

[unknowable]

[Well, now Adam feels sort of awful. He hasn't seen Lloyd anything but cheerful before.]

It wouldn't have been his choice. My friend left recently, too. I don't think anyone has any control over it.

[fervence]

[it's a nice thing to hear of course, the reassurance that zelos wouldn't have chosen to leave on his own but. it's almost hard for him to believe it regardless. because this wouldn't be the first time zelos chose to run instead of deal with something.

he wants to trust zelos, and honestly trust isn't the issue here but...]

...how do you know for sure? If they're gone, I mean.

[unknowable]

It's hard to tell from down here, but - if they aren't answering their phone or any of their messages, and haven't been for awhile, they might be.

[He doesn't know if there's an easier way. Gansey lived in the same house as Adam, so it was not at all difficult to tell when he'd disappeared. Trapped down here, how can Lloyd be sure?]

I'm sorry.

[fervence]

I guess I'll know soon enough if he doesn't come for me. [because if zelos is somewhere in hadriel it doesn't matter how mad he might be at lloyd right now, he'll come.

there's a small moment of silence on lloyd's end, and then a bit of forced cheer in his voice the next time he speaks.] Either way I know he can take care of himself, don't worry Adam I'm sure everything will turn out okay.

[unknowable]

[Adam knows what it sounds like when someone's making themselves be optimistic, but he also thinks the kinder thing to do is not call Lloyd on it.]

Yeah, I'm sure he can, if he's anywhere near as good at fighting as you. And you'll be fine too. There are a lot of people out there digging.

[fervence]

Yeah, he's really good at fighting, he was known as the Masked Swordsman back in Meltokio's Colosseum! [lloyd does so love to brag about his friends, even under the circumstances.]

And I know everyone is working hard to help, I'm not worried. [and about that he honestly isn't, either.]

[unknowable]

Oh yeah? Did you have a nickname too?

[At least Lloyd sounds a little more upbeat. Adam is not quite sure what to do when he doesn't. It's so strange.]

[fervence]

Uh, not at the Colloseum, but people did start calling me Gentle Idealist.

[unknowable]

Well, that seems accurate.

[What else could he possibly say to that?]

Maybe not that intimidating, though.

[fervence]

Hehe, yeah I guess not, but I don't think I've ever really tried to be either.

I had lots of people on my team that were way better at that sort of thing, to be honest. [almost literally everyone. maybe not genis.]

[unknowable]

Then I guess you don't really have to be. Might as well focus on what you're good at, right?

[And Adam would definitely say that intimidation is not that thing. Not for Lloyd, anyway.]

Besides, when you can fight that well, you don't really need to be intimidating.

[fervence]

Yeah! I'm good at making stew! [lloyd no that's... definitely not what adam was talking about.]

You think I'm a good fighter?

[unknowable]

[Well... hey, whatever works. Stew is great.]

Sure. You beat a yeti right in front of me. I don't know a lot of people who could do that.

[fervence]

Eh, just about any one of my friends back home, probably.

[unknowable]

Maybe, but I don't know any of them, and none of my friends could do that. So it's pretty impressive.

[fervence]

I guess it all comes down to what kind of worlds we all came from.

[unknowable]

Yeah, I guess your world is full of monsters and heroes and mine mostly has rich boys with fast cars and too much free time.

[fervence]

.................... what's a car?

[unknowable]

It's like, um - a cart. Or a chariot, maybe? Except it doesn't need horses, it uses an engine to move.

[fervence]

Oh, like the Rheairds! Hm, but if it's like a cart then they probably don't fly, do they?

[unknowable]

Not cars, but we have airplanes and helicopters, which fly. You have flying machines? I wouldn't have expected that.