Echoes

Pheri looks up towards the dark cavern ceiling, then around, almost as if he was expecting something to jump out and give him an answer. A look of almost disappointment appears over his face.

"I don't know. It was pretty bad though.", Pheri says, audibly getting nervous, "The myconids panicked. I almost got trampled by them making sure they were alright...Umm....At least more of the cavern didn't fall and drop the whole sure-face down on us!"

Pheri drops to his knees and sticks an ear to the ground, listening for any potential aftershocks or sounds of anything at all.

"Are you all done shaking and dropping rocks now?", he asks the ground, his hand absent mindedly petting it.

Moric watched the small little creature talk to the ground with a mix of confusion and passivity. At this point, it was probably not the strangest thing he'd seen down here, but that didn't stop him from wondering what the gnome was up to. Even the gensai wasn't chatting up the mines, it was just impractical.

His gaze slid like wet clay from the gnome, to Dannyl. His hand turning at the wrist in the slightest baffled gesture. Was it normal for tiny mushroom men to talk to the ground? Moric just didn't know.

Orryn stood silently not wanting to give away his position to anyone but the hooman, hummus, ..., human? Yes that was it.  At any rate, he decided he would continue to watch over his careless friend for a little longer. Really he was more concerned by the rockman. Was he friend or foe? He looked strong and he was certainly large. Hopefully he didn't fall on Pheriad. Though if he did at least Orryn would be able to deliver the bad news.

As he considered these things, his gaze drifted back to the human. His question had been sensible. It really wasn't safe to remain here. Obviously, whatever tremor had shook the mines had shaken this area as well, so it was by no means a small geological event. The actual extent could only be measured by talking with his fellows who were likely abroad on their own business. It was as he considered these things that Orryn was once again able to perceive himself. The startling realization that he was now visible came upon him. He grimaced momentarily before his stony demeanor returned.

Stepping out from his hiding spot, shield and axe in hand, Orryn spoke, "It's not safe."

A tiny, wry smile tugs at the corner of Dannyl's mouth as he looks from Pheriad to Moric. He shrugs; a minute gesture that briefly hunches his narrow shoulders.

"He can speak to the earth, I think. Well, I mean, he can listen to the earth. Anyone could talk, I guess, really..." He trails off as his eyes again rove the cavern.

As Orryn fades in and speaks, Dannyl shifts his attention to him. "Where should we go? Should we make for Szith Morcane? Or the portal?" He clasps his thin hands in front of him and cracks his knuckles; his restlessness obviously increasing by the moment.

Orryn shrugs, "Don't care about you. Go where you want, human."

He looks to Pheriad and says in gnomish, "We should get moving."

Orryn then sniffs the air, gazing about the cavern momentarily before looking back to the group.

The smile fades from Dannyl's face, and he exhales through his nose - a long slow breath as he collects himself. In that moment of near-death, he had forgotten himself; forgot where he was and whom he was among... but he gathers his wits and composure quickly as the unfamiliar Gnomish syllables whisper around him.

"Of course, my friend." A smile emerges again, this time practiced and casual. "I was merely inquiring if you had a suggestion. I didn't see which way you came in, after all."

He throws a sidelong glance towards Moric, trying to gauge his reaction - though his previous experiences trying to read that rock hadn't been particularly successful...

There wasn't much there on Moric's face beyond the chunk taken out of the side of his head. It made him asymmetrically obscure. He had never taken his eyes off Dannyl, so when he returned his attention to Moric his gaze was waiting there, locked on with a patient focus.

but the gears were turning behind those eyes. He was thinking. Where could they go? Each place seemed more dangerous than the next, it was only a matter of which danger they wanted to face. The ideas shifted like sliding glass across his eyes as his mind ground through one to the next.

"They won't let the city cave in."

He said flatly.

Pheriad stands and looks to Orryn, nodding.

"Sure.  Doesn't look like the any more quakings are happening." , the little gnome says flatly, "If it was, I think it would've by now. I wonder if the myconids calmed down yet?"

The little svirf shrugs, looking across the small group, scratching his bald head.

"Well, I hope that rock that fell didn't crack open up any holes to anything.....bad.", he shrugs again, "I'd really hate to think of a vargouille nest being smashed open." 

He shudders at that thought.