Crystal Cave Adventure (RP)

You all awaken feeling refreshed, but very hungry and desperately thirsty.

Roald, you can't tell if you are still athletically challenge or if it is just the hunger, for now the bane persists.

It is a little while before someone notices that Asha is missing and not responding to any calls you may put out.

Who notices her absence?

What do you all do?

Asha had been rather conscientious about cleaning off her boots when you first got into this sparkling clean area. Now that is a detriment since she has not left the nice, obvious, dirty footprints that the rest of you who were not as diligent are leaving.

Given her concern over breaking crystals 'last night', it is not surprising that she has apparently taken pains to avoid doing so now. Picking up her trail will not be easy.

The area around where you were sleeping has fallen silent, the cave appears to have adjusted to your presence and maybe warmed up a bit. As the first of you move away into new areas the tinkling sounds start again.

The captain says a bad word, and looks set to call out for Asha.

What do you do?

When the echo of Albert's loud words fades, Roald responds quietly.

''No,... No sign of anyone passing through here. This doesn't look good.''

If only I didn't fell asleep... This is my fault, I have to find her.

Roald is really beating himself up over this. He turns around and walks back to the group.

''Let's get going, there's no use in staying here any longer''

"... sha ... sha ... ha ha ha... aa ... AAH! ..." The echo comes back, seeming to find a resonance in the end and get louder and more desperate before suddenly consuming itself.

"Daft girl." The captain says --with more affection than ridicule. "It is so like her to wander off. I promised her mother I would look after her."

She hastily gathers her possessions --looking forlornly at her empty water-skin-- prepares to move out. "Which way?" She asks no one in particular.

---

The cave shape is hard to map out, all the reflecting surfaces regularly make it seem there is a corridor which then ends with your nose pressed against a sudden image of yourself.

What do you do? How do you decide on direction, or try to keep to it once you do?

The captain nods when Roald suggests not splitting up. "This place is too confusing." She agrees. "I fear someone could be right on the other side of one of these 'mirrors' and we would not know or be able to get to them." She peers at her distorted reflection and then looks away with a shudder.

At the mention of water as Asha's motivation, she shakes her head in confusion. "That makes no sense. Why would she not just tell someone? She knows I would have gone with her for a, um, 'call of nature'." As the only lady in the party the complications of toileting while not going off alone is a thing the captain is trying not to think about just yet --the lack of drinking has its benefits.

"What possessed her to wander off like that?" She demands angrily. "And why is she not answering?" She calls for the girl again, but is only answered be the same disconcertingly altered echoes.

The captain sighs, resigned to following Roal's 'stick to the walls' plan unless someone else has objections or 'better' suggestions.

---

The door you came in through stands like a blight on the otherwise pristine and beautiful crystals. Crystals that have grown up in the center of the cave as well as on the walls, resulting in a twisting turning set of tunnels, all alike.

- Albert -

The crystals creak and groan under your feet. Your footprints stop leaving dirty patches quite quickly as the detritus of the other room is knocked off, but dropping a hair --or something-- shows that that disturbance to the passage of light is visible from quite a distance away. Though it is hard to triangulate position with all the refractions and reflections, it will hopefully help let you know if you are in the ballpark area of any such dropped evidence Asha has left behind.

- Deoring -

While not wanting to be disparaging, you got the impression that Asha's faith was... a little less constant than yours.

Any idea why this particular thought comes to mind at this particular moment?