#kc_necropolis

As he closes....

The cold chill of cold iron seems to sting him even from here. Dread starts to fill him, the idea of beinng undone, to be just a helpless normal... slouching through life...

then he pulls his will around him. Wait, something is odd here

VERY odd... it felt , at first, like his worse fears of Banality, but now that he accesses himself, he realizes the glamour in him remains strong, the chill gone as if it never touched him. NNo voile faded, no mein weakened. He's encountered cold iron before... this is different, but it...

and he realizes it's a trick, an illusion! Not true banality but rather something to make any changelings near it IMAGINE they're in danger of being undone!

He steels himself, and moves forward. Carefully.

Again the dread, imaging a life as just an old fart full of bitterness and bourbon... well that's an unfair illusion, he doesn't drinnk THAT much Bourbon

And then once he's at the cross's middle point, where the 'cold iron' would be strongest, he finds himself feeling something under the gravel between the rails

He -detests- these feelings but he perseveres... and focuses on what's under the rails.

A hidden manhole cover? How droll. It's bolted, but.. wait, is that a gap?

Of course, one would have to be a sluagh to ease through it.

He has no wish to re-cross that field, or put Callidora through it.

And there's a voice "How goes the bird watching?"

CC , of course

He spins, on alert.... then takes a breath. "Dearest....." warning.

"I feel it, relax.. I kenned you as you crossed. It may feel like cold iron, but you didn't lose anything"

He nods. "It is an unpleasant experience, nevertheless."

"And you want to protect me" Not a question

"There was no reason to call you over." he adds, and indicates the manhole cover "I'll need to get that open."

"I see... tire iron, or portal passage?"

"I was thinking the former, but I disliked going back to the car."

"Then..." She walks closer..shivers a bit "I'll portal passage us down"

"Dearest...." warning again "Conserve yourself. Perhaps I can lift it up."

"With what? Your jedi powers?" A smile

He strips off his seersucker suit jacket; love a duck, he's going to try to lift it?

"If you have a cardiac arrest I will NEVER forgive you" Alarm

"Dearest, you've stopped my heart on more occasions than a manhole cover ever will." he pledges, positioning himself to lift the damn thing.

"It's bolted" She fusses

He examines it.

Yup. bolts under the gravel. there is a gap, but no way he'd squeeze through. He cann remove the bolts, but it will take time

"Bah." he straightens, ignoring any cracks and snaps along his joints. "I -will- need tools."

He reaches to take his jacket back. "Well. No hope for it I suppose. I'll go get tools from the car."

"I'll get them" she turns

"Dearest, let me." he urges with some worry.

"Oh goodness you're fussy tonight. " A beat "Are you worried about ME, or.. about your tools?"

"Mmm.... tomato, tomahto?" he twinkles, then sobers "You. I worry about you."

"Mmm I can take care of myself but it's sweet how you care"

"Here." he hands off the binoculars "Keep an eye out, I'll be back in two shakes." And he braves the field once more.

Heading back to the car.

She looks around

He hurries as much as he can, taking a canvas workman's bag from the trunk; a few odds and ends, useful tools.

And he hurries back.

"We've got attention" she whipses " I think"

((Does he experience that feeling of Banality again when he crosses back across the field?))

Nope

Now that he knows it's an illusion

"From what direction?" he murmurs.

"north, billboard"