#anywhere

"I'm doing just fine with the sex life, thanks...." She grits her teeth and grips her knife.

And a figure appears, cowled, features hard to make, but his voice echoes "Answer this riddle in due time and you pass this battle of mine. Fail to answer rightly soon, then we fight and I seal your doom"

Sylvi bites her lip, but nods for him to ask the riddle.

She frowns with concentration.

"A bottle of future and a bottle of past
Are held in a kiss that holds both of them fast.
When one of them takes, then the other one gives
And then they trade places as long as each lives."

She swallows tightly. "Um...."

Siv bites her lips

"Time is passing..." The figure says

"It's..." She stops, and mutters...."bottle of future, bottle of past...take and give..." She gestures, miming two bottles, pouring one into the other, then back...tries it again...then lightbulb. "Oh! Time! It's a...what's it called? Hourglass! Right?"

"You are .." the figure takes a breath "Correct. This tunnel is safe and open to you"

She then winces. ".....right?"

"Whew!"

"You're taking a lot of action out of this, Davidson" Siv grins though "Good work"

"Thank you! Oh, um...can you tell whoever's in charge of this thing that we're actually trying to help the Blood of Bran people? We're not the thieves."

"That is not my function, but, you are closer to the exit.. up these stairs at the end of the tunnel, and.. a few clue. Not every creature here is an ally to the other even if all of them seek to crush you" and it fades

A sigh. "That's not exactly comforting...."

"Lovely." Siv says "I'm going to talk to mr blood of bran about this" She snorts

and onward they go