ArchivedLogs:Lost with Confidence

Lost with Confidence
Dramatis Personae Anole, Nox	2013-04-12 A Morlocks-style lesson.
Location <MOR> Below New York
Buried beneath the bustle and noise of New York's busy streets, the world underneath the city is a quieter place. Quieter, but far from deserted. Occasional ladders, often rusting, ascend to the city above and are evidence that at /one/ point these tunnels had been in use, or had been planned for it; perhaps by way of maintenance, or access to subways or sewers. These stretches have been abandoned by civic infrastructure for some time now, though, but occasional scraps of evidence -- discarded food wrappers, piles of tatty blankets or moldering old mattresses, sometimes voices carrying echoes through the dank concrete -- give evidence that /someone/ still uses these tunnels. The rumbling of subway trains sounds frequently through the walls, many of the train routes accessible through various doors and openings. If there is one thing that Nox has learned in the years she's spent tending to the Morlocks and their younger members, it is that youngsters must be kept busy or they get into /trouble/. Occupied teenagers are teenagers who are sliding under notice of the law, or avoiding the jaws of stirring Hounds. With the weather aboveground so nice, the garden has provided some distraction but Nox is /also/ aware of teenage attention spans. This has led to her suggesting to Anole that she show him some of the narrower routes through the sewers, places where only shadows and boys of his size are likely to squeak through without becoming stuck. Of course, first she swore him to secrecy--and hinted at further confidences, if he could remember their way back /out/ without her having to remind him. The path she took was no simple one to memorize. There were tunnels that dropped, tunnels that rose, straight stretches and curvy ones, and finally a wall that seemed to stretch forever, rippling beneath a constant stream of moss-dark water. It's here that the shadow lady finally pulls up short, having led the boy to a ledge above the pool the "waterfall" drops into. She is frustratingly /not/ out of breath, in spite of having set a brisk pace. The clump of darkness she'd been coalesces into human shape, one knee drawn to her chest and the other foot left to dangle over the edge, her head turned so she can study Anole in the gloom. Light filters down from grates at least two stories above their heads. "And that," she murmurs, "is how one finds their way here." Anole might be out of breath. It's hard to tell, at the moment; the lizardboy does not make much noise as he looks around, eyes focused on the waterfall. He's not green, currently, more a sort of grey-brown that blends in with the wall he is clinging to; it's not invisibility but it makes his features that much harder to read. When he does speak, at least, it's a little strained, a little short of breath. He might be trying hard /not/ to seem out of breath. "-- What's that way?" He's detaching one hand from the wall, pointing towards the tunnel the waterfall is coming out of. "I -- think I could get back." He doesn't sound /wholly/ certain, though. "We will find out. But first..." Nox reaches out to pat the ledge beside herself. It is damp, the concrete pitted by the constant flow of water over the years, but it seems stable enough to support his weight. "Sit. Rest. I will not chase you back until you have your breath again," she murmurs, and though it might be difficult to hear over the rush of water, there /might/ be a glint of humor in her tone. "You held up very well though. Most people with bodies have more difficulty." Only after the compliment is given does she turn her head to find the tunnel he's indicated. "...that way is a way you should not ever go, unless Miss Tattershood invites you with her. I know that will make you want to see it, Anole, but it is dangerous." "I'm not out of breath!" Anole protests reflexively. Sort of /panting/ the words out. Breathlessly. He skittercreeps along the wall towards the ledge, dropping out of his place to sit by Nox. He fades back into better view as he sits -- jeans that were probably blue once before time and sewermuck turned them more grungy grey, a plain blue t-shirt, a ragged black hoodie. No shoes. As suspected, this answer makes him look at the hole with more /interest/, bright curiosity in his green eyes. "-- Dangerous like how? What's in there is it /monsters/? I heard there's monsters. But I haven't seen any giant sewer gators yet." He miiight sound almost disappointed by this. Nox's hum of laughter is almost lost in water-song, so she reaches out to ruffle his hoodie instead. "There are monsters. /True/ monsters, not the myths that the surface people tell each other, disbelieving," she explains, "and that is why we have Knights. Knights fight monsters, they protect us from the real dangers here. These are creatures that can shape their bodies, much as Tatters does, but they have cruel, hungry minds. They slept as you did in the cold but now they are awake and they will be looking for something to feast on. You would be only half a bite for them." None of which she really expects to deter his curiosity, because soon after, she adds, "Perhaps you can ask Miss Tatters if you might train with her. If you would like to be a Knight one day. But there are other dangers to concern yourself with right now, Anole." "Tatters is freaking /amazing/," Anole says brightly, "she's the first real Knight I've ever met. How come there aren't more knights these -- well. I guess America never really had /any/ knights, did we?" He curls up his knees towards his chest, arms wrapping around them. "Do you think she'd really train m -- wait, what other dangers?" He asks this with, admittedly, curiosity rather than alarm, peering at Nox with interest. "-- Can I train for them too?" "America had conquistadors. They also wore armor and carried bladed weapons," Nox says, slipping so /easily/ into teaching mode, "but they were not really knights to be admired. You should read more about them and tell me what you find." With this assignment given, she extends one hazy arm to curl around his shoulders. "She might, if you ask very nicely and promise to do as she says. She is as sweet as she is amazing. Mm...it is less a matter of training than of being aware. You have seen Masque, yes? The man I brought to stay with us. He is healed now and...and I worry about whether he will behave himself." "I -- guess when you really look at it /real/ knights weren't all that admirable either." Anole wrinkles his nose. "Maybe I'll just /imagine/ all the knights were like our knights. Do we have books about conquistadors? The, um, library kicked me out last time I tried --" He shrugs, leaning into her side. "With the red coat? I've seen him is he -- I mean what is he -- why wouldn't he behave himself?" "I will find you a book about them." Promise made, promise to be kept. Nox looks up and up and up, reminded of the surface. Her frown is soft but steady. "And you can make a list of whatever books you would like from the library, Lily can bring them as well. She is even more slippery than you, mmm?" He is given an affectionate squeeze before she sighs--buzzes--and returns to the less pleasant topic of Masque. "He was a Morlock before being banished. Now he is a hurt and angry old man. A very dangerous one. There is a part of him, I think, that is sick...that can't help but misbehave. And when he misbehaves, Anole, people are left crippled. Or worse. You must promise me, never let him touch you and if you see him trying to touch someone else, you must let someone know." "But why would he cripple me?" Anole tips his head upwards, peeking at the side of Nox's face with a puzzled expression. "I mean, he was one of us --? What happened? Why is he back? If he's hurt doesn't he -- I don't know --" He looks a little sheepish. "Maybe need friends?" "You know how Callisto must use a wheelchair?" Nox's voice is gentle but she has lowered her head to meet his eyes squarely. /Seriously/. "It was Masque who did that to her. When she was hurt, she asked him to heal her and he ruined her body instead. He had friends, but he lost them because he could net help himself. There is something inside of his head that is very sick, Anole, so you must take care around him. He is unpredictable and if he thinks he can hurt you, he might try. Promise me now. Please." "Y-yeah, I know she -- but why did --" /Frown/. Anole's confusion isn't lessening, because: "-- but he's /one of us/." This is a sticking point that he can't seem to shake. "I mean, I'll -- I'll be careful but why would -- why does -- can't /he/ get fixed? If he's sick?" Another sigh and Nox is doing as best she can to soothe, stroking his shoulder with barely-felt fingers. "The Morlocks were different before Tatters came to us. Very different. If he can be fixed...it would be nice if he could. It is why I made the decision to bring him back...perhaps seeing what he can be a part of now will help him be less angry. But until I can be certain that he /will/ change, he must be closely watched." Once again, Anole is on the receiving end of a look that is /just/ shy of stern. She knows better than to forbid him watching, but... "Don't let him catch you at it, either." "People don't catch me at much when I don't want them to," Anole says with a small smile. "-- Do you need help? With watching? I mean maybe not him. Just -- just /things/. In general. There's a lot of tunnels to watch and you're just one you." "No, you are very clever and very sneaky." Nox says this approvingly--they are good qualities to have down here! The offer he makes gives her pause, a moment spent actually considering it, and then she dips in whisper-quick to aim a kiss at his forehead. "Let me think on it, Anole. You have been a great help thus far and you would make a fine sentry. But first you must learn the tunnels as well as you know your own heart...and perhaps you will want to be a knight instead. Come...let's see if you can find our way home, first." Anole's cheeks colour darker at the kiss, and he quirks a small warm smile up at Nox. "I'll learn 'em /both/," he says, bright, smiling wider as he hops up to his feet. "Watch for monsters and /then/ fight them off." Streeeetches, and then shifts sideways to climb down off their ledge, headfirst as he starts back the way they came. Still smiling. It's -- probably only a matter of time before he gets them lost but he will do it with /confidence/.