#the_ice_cave

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A creak, something shifting above, and a shadowy movement, hard to make out in the dim of the rafters, moving deftly along one of the beams to drop down with a soft "thump" at the top of the stairs. A muffled, sharp snapping sound - fingers, perhaps? And the figure disappears down the hallway. When Ice approaches a little while later, a short figure is leaning against the wall by his door, head shrouded in an enveloping hood, but the stature and the trailing hairless tail are an easy give-away. She glances up at Ice approaches, watching him silently.

*He is texting as he goes, slowing before he reaches her. A quick text, then thumbs off the phone and pockets it, looking up without surprise * "Hey."

Her own hands are in her pockets. "Didn't know it was laundry day."

"What's that mean?" *His own hands in his pocket. He flicks a quick glance to the end of the hall, where Jeremy's room is, then back to her*

She doesn't follow his glance, her own eyes on the sluagh in front of her, not the one behind. "Figured it must be, the way y'all been airing yours out downstairs. You DO know that there's a washer in the basement, eh?" Though, from the stains, old and set along with new and damp, that speckle her own jeans, does SHE know that?

*He doesn't take the snark-bait* "Wanted to take it outside. Beginning to think, maybe SHE wants people to know her business, but wasn't going to drag her out by the hair to make her hear it outside." *He shrugs* "Told her you were there, too. Might help you cut off that tail, sticks out when you're trying to hide, you know."

"Huh?" She glances down, and her eyes grow comically wide. "When did that get there? Shit... I had no idea. Treacherous ass-snake, I'll cut it off, you see if I won't." A roll of her eyes. "You trying to get yourself killed, somewhere deep in the Never where I can't come drag you back out, so you can default on your bill? I've know a couple collections agencies, bet they could find you even there."

"You want, I can pay cash, if I don't..." *He stops, narrowing eyes back down the hall again* "Let's not talk here, he can hear, you know."

*Albeit Pynki knows he is likely asleep, Ice has no such assurance*

A nod, and she casts a glance around. "If you're avoiding the ears I think you are, they're plenty sharp - if not as pointy as some. " A sidelong glance at the side of Ice's own head. "But it's probably past bedtime."

*He huffs a breath* "Don't take chances you don't have to. Going to tell him, just not like this." *He reaches to open the door to his own room, and jerks head to indicate her to go in*

She ducks inside, her eyes dark and darting, nose twitching as she slinks back against the wall of the only somewhat familiar room.

"Already told you, don't need money. I'm independently wealthy, if you wanna know the truth. I keep having rich relatives die of tragic, natural causes. Bless their souls." A quick motion, as if making the sign of the cross, though she gets the order wrong.

A frown, and she corrects it, muttering to herself, "Spectacles, testicles, wallet, watch. There we go."

*He rolls his eyes, and throws his leather jacket off the room's chair for her, dropping into his own computer chair* "Jewish, remember? Never mind." *although he snorts at her words, then, and offers a quick twist of a grin "Gonna remember that for August, though." *He lifts his foot, grabbing and yanking his bootlaces, then sliding it off without bothering to do more than loosen them somewhat. Sock left in the boot. He merely uses the other foot, then, to repeat the process on laces that have come unraveled, yellow and black frayed and unwinding. He keeps his eyes on her as he does it, though. Yep, he got the feet from his father, even if he has his mother's ears and tongue* "Can give you some stuff worth selling, decryption program. Only going to be good for six months before the OS's put out a patch, probably, though. Or maybe some credit card numbers."

"Money's no good for me. This was a straight trade, skill for skill. Tell me, what're the odds I'm gonna make good on my investment?"

"Good enough, I think, that I'm going. Better if we can get him to help." (He jerks head to the other room, eyes narrowing) "Wanted Ghost to ask, but she kind of ran out before I could get her to. Thirteen was going to help, don't know, maybe you can. See, we're misposche....there's a kind of respect, you know? Don't think he'd worry so much, if not for the, you know, other thing." (He shrugs, eyes narrowed) "Seems like, talking to him and Dria, you..." (He stops himself, eyes narrowed) "If you'll 'scuse me being kind of, you know, crude?"

(He reaches down as if to scratch his bare foot. Instead, his foot scratches the back of his hand) "Seems like, you know, somebody gets laid sixteen years ago, don't matter at all, unless you're, you know, what happened because of it. Then suddenly, they start feeling responsible for you, even if you don't want them to. I guess, you know, Dria, I can see it, hormones? Hell if I know. But him? He worries, you know? Don't think he would, otherwise. If I was somebody else leaving, but still who I am." (He shrugs, eyes narrowed) "You know?"

She shrugs. "He's soft." She says, her voice critical -but not disrespectful, stating a fact. "That's why I'm around, I can twist whatever I need out of him, after all." Idling scratching at one of her ears, eyes narrowing a touch. "Help from the ground - Mission control - not on the field. Right?"

"Yeah. I mean, saw what he's done at Desolation, would be nice, he could send one with us. Maybe give us a little luck, make him feel better, get you a better chance of return on your investment." (Eyes narrowed at her)

"Soft. Like Ghost. She should have been his problem, not me."

"Bella?" She gives a snort. "That's big time voodoo, not sure he has it in him. To guard a flame, sure. But to pull out for a weekend trip? Well. I wouldn't put my money on it."

(Then he shrugs. Nothing can be done, it is what it is, it seems to say) "Well, he can try it again?" (After her words)

"If we stuck some Glamour in? You know, helped?"

"Something? Probably. I mean, my wizardry lies in different paths. I haven't a clue how he witches up his monsters." A moments thought, ears flicking. "Fire is fresh below, but he's too prudish - it's like, the bowl is sloppin' over and will be wasted on something anyways, who'd miss a bit? But, eh. Yeah. You provide the juice, and I ain't got boo to say about it."

"Was thinking, you know, get a girl to ask, Ghost maybe, he's soft for her." (His eyes narrowed in thought) "I'm not too good about asking without, you know, fu....messing it up. I mean, talked to him before, didn't go so well, probably way I said it."

A snort. "Takes a bit to get him ticked, but maybe you have a talent for it." A shrug. "Send your ghost then, or send mine. You stole her name, after all. Had to buy her a new one, and those don't come cheap. Not that she's mine, anyways. I just get her on loan, now and then, until she calls it in." A stretch, her neck cracking. "I think the whole thing sounds like a goddamn shitshow. Ever stop to think she has the right of it? Either he comes back, or he doesn't. You throw a bunch of kids out there, most so green there's grass growing on your backs? That's how many more tombstones someone will need to carve out."

"You want the truth? Think the guy might already be dead." (Blunt, eyes fixed on her) "But better to find out than wait for a year, two years, ten years, telling herself time runs different there, he'll be back, just wait, see, you know? We go in, get what's left, and that part's done. If we can get the other nocker, great. The troll, you know he went anyway? Didn't tell nobody."

"He wants to get killed, let's let him get killed doing something that might actually be useful, nu?"

"Maybe he thought, come back on his own, the hero, sweep up the grateful maiden, eh?

A sardonic twist of her lips.

(He shrugs) "Just be another person for her to watch for, next five years."

(If the idea bothers him, it doesn't show. Either idea, really)

"Listen. You manage to talk them both around, against all good judgement? The Ghost on board, and the other guy sending some help - financed in advance, mind you. Warn Doc that she might lose her spiders, or return 'em. You manage all that, and maybe I can scrape together a little something to hedge my bets. MAYBE." Straightening up, and moving for the door. "No promises. And this is just 'cuz you're so goddamn likable."

"Ghost CAN'T get on board, you know that." (His eyes narrowed) "'Cause then, SHE'D be the one sending people out, not me, and if somebody died? She'd be to blame. In her own head, vershtay? Right now, somebody dies, it's my fault. I can take the blame, she can't. Hell, I might actually cause somebody to die on purpose if I have to to get her and me out, who knows?" (He rolls a shrug)

"And yeah, told Thirteen, going to try and get her other ones back, if I can."

An irritated look, and she flicks a hand absently. "So she's staying behind? Mission control, have a puppy play-date instead?"

"Fucked if I know." (A slip of the tongue, his own irritation causing his accent to come to the fore somewhat) "She hasn't said yet, she coming or not coming, betting she's off biting August's ankles right now, trying to get him to give up."

"Piece of advice, this one for free? Figure that shit out before you ask for anything. Or at least get a better poker face and pretend that you do, or anyone else is gonna figure, it's on their head if they help you. You see some kids getting ready to jump off a cliff? You don't go lending 'em knee pads. Then their parents just get all pissed off when they roll off, and a fuckin' knee pad doesn't save them breaking their necks. Doesn't matter that they'd have tumbled anyways - you encouraged it. At LEAST show up with a rope and some pitons, eh?"

(He narrows eyes, puzzling through her words while swinging his chair back and forth on its swivel. Seeming to be considering)

"Guessing telling him, he's the best rope and pitons we got, isn't going to cut it."

A snort. "I'd say, tell him you're going either way and he can help or not, but I saw how well that went over." Her expression is thoughtful, brows furrowing as she works on the dilemma as if chewing through a tough nut. "No plan survives running into the enemy. Pretty sure a troll said that one. Huh. It might work on him, though. If he thought you'd go anyways, he'd feel guilty if he DIDN'T try to keep you from biting it. And then when you do, he'd feel guilty anyways. Yeah, well. Just get your shit as tidy as you can, and try to ACT like you're united, with none of those lovers' squabbles. It's downright embarrassing."

Still thoughtful, pacing a bit now. "What are you taking with you? Who's in what role? Do you know what you're facing?"

"So, he'd be doing what I'm doing, except HE'D be Ghost, trying to do everything he can to stop it, until they figure out it can't be stopped. Problem is?" (Bluntly) "Think maybe he CAN stop me, if he wanted to. Get Bella to sit on me, or something. So, like, maybe the united thing is best. Won't lie, though. Can't." (He narrows his eyes) "You saw how well that went over?" (Catching it, at last)

"You go waving your underwear like a flag, don't be surprised if someone knows semaphore."

"That traveler's got some sort of beef with spiders. Keep an eye on 'em, I will. If he doesn't like bugs, he mightn't like vermin either, and we both get stuck in glue traps."

"I have no idea WHAT the hell that's supposed to mean." (He squints) "Taking an Eshu, but can't rely on him, so got Wisp as a backup. Got those Liam as muscle, both look pretty good at what they do, need to figure out what cantrips they know. See, I got a problem, I need to think more Fae, Dria says, cantrips, didn't much think about those." *He taps his fingers on the arm of the chair impatiently) "Earl, he's a damn troll. He's there to throw himself in front of her if she goes, mostly. Or paint stuff. He was going to go no matter what, so just hope he don't get in the way. Me, I'm there to Wisp if I have to, grab her and run when things go South, if she goes. Last ditch, I got a tattoo and a name, so if we get caught, I can kiss Balor ass."