Months and Months ago
An IRC log of an event that happened quite a long time ago. Done for kicks.
slytherin_spy "By my sainted aunt, Some, you could have warned me!" Snape was in a cave. Snape was in a very deep, very dark cave in which there was no light. Which was good. Because Snape was naked.
_some_thing Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh. Some lets himself down from the ceiling before his own Gruification wears off, winding briefly around Snape before giving him his distance. "These things aren't exact, you know."
slytherin_spy This produces the most interesting sort of "WAUK!" from Snape, who is in no way used to being wound around, and especially not in pitch blackness. "Well they sodding well should be." He just said 'well' twice. "It is incredibly dark in here." Snape has been in some very dark places. The Dungeons of Hogwarts. The middle of the night in various forests. He's even been in caves. None of them were this dark.
_some_thing Of course it's dark. They're more than a mile down. The air tastes of stone and water, and Some is laughing softly. "Give me a moment. When it wears off me, I'll find you a light. You're in a a clear spot; there's a rock to your left if you want to sit down." He busses against Snape's shoulder, nudging him that way.
slytherin_spy Being bussed by a thing with two mouths and more eyes than Argos is one of the strangest things Snape has ever felt, which, coupled with being in the darkest place he has ever been, is enough to send him flailing in the direction of the rock. Fortunately his hands hit it first, or he would be blind, nude and bruised, and when you're an Englishman that means you have to kill yourself. "How will you find me a light?"
_some_thing "Because we're ba-" The transformation back to his own half-status catches him mid-sentence, his voice cracking quite spectacularly as he goes from two throats to one. "... back in the old City." There, now they're both nude in the perfect dark.
slytherin_spy "The abandoned city of a race of beings who are so allergic to sunlight that an LED does lethal damage. I fail somehow to find comfort in this news."
_some_thing "A city where I happen to bring friends on field trips." Some's hand brushes across his shoulders as he crosses the cavern, finding something to rummage in. "After the time with the centipedes, I brought down... ahah." And with a click, there's light. It's dim, a warm golden glow from a hemisphere in Some's hands, but in darkness like this, that's more than enough.
slytherin_spy Some keeps on touching him out of nowhere. Snape supposes it's meant to be a comforting sort of 'here I am' tactic. Snape supposes that it is somewhat effective. And then there is light, but not very much. "Just enough light so that everyone can see you in the nuddie. I'm beginning to have grave concerns about your lesson plans." His tone lacks vitriol, however. Snape leans forward with his elbows on his knees.
_some_thing Some laughs, and comes back over to sit beside him on the rock, offering Snape the handlamp and mirroring his pose. Having been himself, even for a few hours, is good for him, his face calm in the gilding light. "I wouldn't turn my students into Grues. Stones, that'd be a nightmare."
slytherin_spy "Some of them aren't far off already, if their eyes didn't glow." Snape takes the lamp and looks at it, and then mentally kicks himself for ruining his night vision. "Giant centipedes, you say?" Night vision might be important.
_some_thing Some grins at the compliment to Kurt. "They've got more eyes than I do, they'll stay miles away from this. And you'd hear them coming."
slytherin_spy "Well that's something, then." There is an unplaceable tightness to Snape's voice. "I don't suppose you've hidden any spare clothes down here as well?"
_some_thing "...No, I'm afraid not. Are you cold?" Some's not. The Grue is practically radiating heat.
slytherin_spy "Bollocks. I do not seem to be able to summon my wand." Which is to say, yes he is cold, but that is at the bottom of his list of current priorities, if it is even on the list at all. "Thought we'd be back in time. It's rather a titchy spell to begin with, even when you're in the same room with the thing." He is naked, in he dark, holding the world's weakest torch, and there might be giant centipedes. Also, he's babbling.
_some_thing There are no giant centipedes. That's what the torch is /for/. "M'sorry about that, it's a big city. We're actually on the college campus now..." His tone's fond, as he looks up at the cavern around them. "I spent years here."
slytherin_spy Look, Snape has seen a lot of crazy monsters in his day and he is pretty darned sure that if a giant centipede really wants to come over here, a glo-stick in a globe isn't going to stop it.
slytherin_spy "Interesting. You went to school for...accountancy, I recall."
_some_thing "Nope, cooking. Accounting was just the job." He lets his legs swing, bare feet scuffing. "Cooking's sort of a starving artist job down here."
slytherin_spy "How fortunate it is that we are naked, or one of us might produce a very small set of drums and play a rimshot, at which point I would shove a very small drumstick down your throat."
slytherin_spy Snape thinks he's funny.
_some_thing So does Some. Chuckleworthy, at least. "I mean it. Expensive ingredients, a lot of precise work, and a product that won't last more than a few hours."
slytherin_spy "A product that every individual has a daily need for," Snape says flatly. "Although there is some sort of satisfying irony in the thought that such an excessively specific pallett would lead to a complete lack of culinary appreciation."
_some_thing Some gives him a sideways look. "Sir, down here, no one needs prepared food." Common consensus, after all, prefers the hunt and live capture version of their two squares a day.
slytherin_spy "Precisely. It's an interesting new twist to my study of your people. So much of human history is shaped by food. Entire empires have been built on spice alone. Arguably, the need for stable food sources is the entire reason we evolved civilized society to begin with, and here you lot are, down in the dark, where only one thing matters."
slytherin_spy Snape is also something of a gigantic nerd. He will talk endlessly if allowed.
_some_thing On spice? Really? "Might be why we've never had empires." He leans back, bracing himself on his elbows on the rock. "I bet that you're the first human to ever study us."
slytherin_spy "Well I have been given to understand that 'study' is not what most humans do in close proximity to Grues." Some, you are naked. Stop lounging decoratively when an academic discussion is occurring.
_some_thing Some's good at decorative, and he's forgotten he's nude. "Which is understandable, but it's still... I'm grateful for it."
slytherin_spy British people should not be allowed into the wider world, for it soon becomes clear to them that either other people are insane, or they are. The second is clearly impossible and the first is impossibly depressing. "You don't have to be. It's a tribute to your race that in all these years not one of your prey species put two and two together enough to even beging making inquiries. You're a marvel of evolution."
slytherin_spy And living proof that the nexus is not a nice place, but that's beside the point.
_some_thing "I don't mean I'm grateful on behalf of the Grues... /I'm/ grateful."
slytherin_spy "I should bloody well hope not. They'd kill the both of us if they found out, and then half of themselves for letting it happen." No, Snape doesn't have many friends, why do you ask?
_some_thing "No, because I'm already dead, and you're-" Actually, that's very unflattering, and Some stops himself right there. "The laws aren't /that/ bad, just strict."
slytherin_spy raises an eyebrow. He wants to know what he is now. "For a man who bases his magic off of words, I'd expect you to be more familiar with hyperbole. I'm what?"
_some_thing "Chattle." Better than 'livestock?' Either way, Some pronounces the word with distaste, either way.
slytherin_spy "I should very much like to meet the Grue who makes the mistake of thinking that. Even should he come across me sitting naked in the pitch dark. I will burn him alive from the inside out if necessary." And out of pure spite, as well!
_some_thing Some laughs, the sound echoing. "I know." When he sits up again, his shoulder brushes Snape's. "If there was a list, of humans who should not, at any cost, be underestimated, you'd be very near the top." And this from a boy who's spent his whole adult life in the Nexus.
slytherin_spy does not move away. "/Very near/? I will remind you that Eiko can probably not make things explode through force of will alone."
_some_thing He grins at him, teeth flashing. "Top three?"
_some_thing Just how smart /is/ teasing a naked wizard?
slytherin_spy glowers. One of them is Osborn he just knows it, but even saying the name would spoil his mood and likely change the tone of this...friendly conversation. Friendly naked conversation. What the hell. "So are A Most Inunderestimable Human and a Half Grue of Questionable Profession going to sit around without a thread between them all night or shall we be off?"
_some_thing Some has the grace to look sheepish. "Tried, before I got the lamp. It'll come back."
slytherin_spy "...Or we could walk, which I understand is good enough for most people." This is the bemused voice. Practically fond, if that was a word one could ascribe to Snape.
_some_thing Blink. "... Or we could walk." Some pushes himself up, dusting himself off. "My cave's a lot closer than the surface, and there's a PIN in there. And clothes." He offers Snape a hand.
slytherin_spy allows the hand. "That I will not have to walk in glory through the Sanctuary is the best news of all." And off they go!
Off indeed. Off into the twisty broken dark of the abandoned and decaying city. "Would I do that to you?"
* Hats is now known as Some
"If you thought for one second that you could get away with it, I have no doubt."
* Snapple is now known as Snape
_some_thing is positively offended, Snape. Don't step there, it's a pit. "Just because I have no regard for my own dignity..."
slytherin_spy Nyaugh. "You recognize that you have any? My word. Also, there are pits."
_some_thing "Yes, people lived here." He slows down, looking back at Snape. "I have some. I try not to embarrass myself for nothing." He pauses a moment, watching the other man.
slytherin_spy Snape has one hand over his own dignity, the other out for balance, and has slowed considerably due to tapping the ground in front of him with a foot before taking every step. In the dark, he shows up as two sets of extremely skinny limbs, a fisbelly-pale, concave old-man torso, all topped by a nose the size of a sail. Dignity indeed. "Get back here with that light, then."
_some_thing Sure-footed, Some comes back to him, keeping the light outside his own line of vision. "There's a smoother tunnel, this way. We're almost there." His hand hovers by Snape's arm, but he refrains from taking it. "This used to be a suburb. These were homes."
slytherin_spy appreciates his restraint. "Vertical homes, yes. You must teach me to read your knot-books. I have a few theories to test against historical documents." This is possibly the strangest thing Snape has ever done while naked. Granted, it's a short list, but walking through what is effectively a ghost-town in a huge cave a mile below the surface with a man-eating monster, discussing the rise and fall of its society is going to be hard to top.
_some_thing Don't forget the threat of giant centipedes. "I'd love to. I should find you some of the Epics. They're works of art, really. They'd look amazing in your library." He steals a glance at Snape, but it's not his body he's looking at, it's his hands.
slytherin_spy Oh he hasn't forgotten. Talk of libraries is nice, though, and gets the ghost of a smile. "I shall have to consider proper display and storage options. There are enough fools in the world who don't know what they're looking at when books are book-shaped as it is."
slytherin_spy 's hands are the only part of his body that he actually likes. Long-fingered and fine-boned, his skin there is the color of parchment (where it's not stained with whatever he's been getting up to lately) and textured with bone and vein and knuckle. They imply delicacy and strength, and if he is conceited about one physical thing, it's how good they look framed by his elaborate cuffs and buttons.
slytherin_spy He does not, however, think they look good without said cuffs, because then they're tainted with how ridiculous and repulsive the rest of him is.
_some_thing is imagining the way they'd look, tangled into the threads and beads of one of those epics, and he has quite suddenly and thoroughly distracted himself, enough that he has to catch himself quite suddenly to keep from falling over an edge he should have seen.
slytherin_spy He is caught high on the arm and yanked back against Snape. "Merlin's balls! What -are- you on about?" From that angry hiss, you'd never know they were having a perfectly civil conversation not three seconds ago.
_some_thing "What?" Some stumbles back against him, and blushes furiously as he rights himself, turning his face away from the light. To see better. Yes. "... Stones, that was close."
slytherin_spy Snape's skin is noticeably cool to the touch. "Watch your bloody step, you clumsy little toad. If I have to climb down one of these termite holes after you, you had better hope to whatever gods please you that you're dead by the time I get down there." Snape shoves him not entirely ungently ahead.
_some_thing Some's is warm, still. Naked in a drafty cave, the Grue is warm. "Since when am I a toad?" But he does take more care, watching his feet more, Snape's hands less, and picking their winding way towards a substantial rise in the cavern floor.
slytherin_spy Yes, and Snape is now all the more cold for it. Was he just born that way or has he trained his body through years of wearing multiple layers of wool clothing? And there's Some, warm and fit, leading the way like a Greek tutor's dream. Must -everyone- in existence be better formed than Snape? Apparently, and it leaves him wallowing in sullen silence.
_some_thing The body Some lives in was crafted by a Greek god, if it helps? "... Careful, here. We need to get into the tunnel over here, but the entry's half-caved in." He holds the light high so Snape can see the ragged opening in the cave wall.
slytherin_spy It does NOT help, thank you. The god who crafted Snape must have thought that it was funny. "Hnn." This is a 'hnn' of 'let's get this overwith and we'll see how banged-up my feet and legs are by the end of it and if you've hidden a bottle of whiskey on the other end I shall give you a raise.'
_some_thing Some does, in fact, keep very good spirits in his own cave, but they'll have to get there. He hands the light to Snape before examining the gap carefully, and climbs the rubble carefully. The gap at the top's more than big enough for a skinny man, but the rocks are a bit jagged, so he's going to be careful negotiating his way through. "... I miss fur." Ow.
slytherin_spy "All the limbs in Gruedom for a wand," comes the answering grumble. The light starts bobbing as Snape begins his climb.
_some_thing Once he's through, Some moves to the edge of the opening, out of Snape's way but close enough to put his hand out to help him through. "Keep your back low. That rock above you has a nasty edge. Next time, we'll figure out a good way to bring that with you."
slytherin_spy Snape does not say 'next time?', but only because he is very busy very pointedly not saying anything, because he's sliced a gash in the back of his right shin and it hurts like anything but there's nothing for it but to keep going so let's go already.
_some_thing Next time, because Some figures that if Snape's serious about being interested in the Grues, a little misadventure like this is nothing. Well, maybe not nothing. He shuts his eyes for a moment when the smell of blood hits the air, controlling his expression before he opens them again. "It'll be easier going now. We just need to follow this uphill."
slytherin_spy Oh well that would be a comfort. As it is, Snape is NOT limping and NOT shivering, but he certainly IS glaring. Uphill it is.
_some_thing Uphill! Some stays at his side, but he's smart enough not to be solicitious. This tunnel's old, better built than the suburb they came through, the floor worn smooth by who knows how many clawed feet and tread-footed machines.
slytherin_spy drops the light.
_some_thing scrambles to catch it, startled, and looks back at him.
slytherin_spy very pointedly does not look back. He also does not look so good. "How much further?"
_some_thing Some gestures with the light, moving closer to Snape in case he has to catch him, next. He didn't think the cut was that bad. "Not too much. Listen for water." They should be hearing it soon.
slytherin_spy Neither did Snape, honestly, but he didn't actually look at it. "Quickly, then."
_some_thing Some does take hold of his arm, finally. Snape is leaivng a blood trail.
slytherin_spy does not acknowledge this for a few moments beyond the fact that he is in fact leaning on Some. "I seem to have a shard of rock making its way through my foot."
_some_thing looks around for a moment, and guides Snape towards the wall. "Sit down. Let me look."
slytherin_spy There is an argument to be made about the dangers of not being able to get up again, but as Snape has tacitly given all control over this endeavour to Some already, he sits. There is indeed a rather large gash to the outside of the sole of his right foot which extends to the instep, as if someone had tried to slice his foot in half from below with a knife but not put a lot of effort into it. The blood is oozing rather than spurting,
slytherin_spy which is some comfort at least.
_some_thing presses gingerly, carefully, just to one side of the wound, to see if anything's still in there. "... I'm sorry for getting you down here, Sir."
slytherin_spy sucks in a breath, but makes no other complaint, and he responds with a determinedly calm voice. "Next time I'm bringing the wand."
slytherin_spy It's hard to tell, with all the blood, if the wound is clean.
_some_thing very carefully cleans it of what sand and gravelly bits he can see, long fingers gentle and precise, but he has no water, and nothing to wrap it with. "We're almost there, and when we get to my cave, I've got a kit."
slytherin_spy again makes no complaint, keeping his breathing as even as possible, though his leg jerks involuntarily as Some's fingers prope the wound. "Quickly, then." The worst part is that he has no doubt that it will be worse to walk on now. It always hurts worse once you acknowledge how bad it is.
_some_thing bites his lip as he stands up again, unconsciously licking his fingertips as he looks up the sloping tunnel. "Or I could go, get the kit and the PIN, and come back."
slytherin_spy "It is never the mark of a good plan to bleed alone in a cave." Using his arms and his good leg, Snape pushes himself upright.
_some_thing steps close with a nod, not so much offering his shoulder as putting it under Snape's, arm around his waist. "Very true." Centipedes.
slytherin_spy This is more physical contact than Snape allows 99% of the world even when he has got his thousand layers of clothing between him and them, but Snape is downright clammy now and his foot is doing its part in fulfilling his little prophecy by starting to throb even before he puts weight on it. Bugger this. Snape puts his arm on Some's shoulder and sets off at an ungainly hobble.
_some_thing sets a good pace, but it's not a punishing one, and he's strong enough to keep a good share of Snape's weight off the injured foot. "Shoes should have been a good clue that humans are cleverer than we let on."
slytherin_spy Step-hop. Step-hop. Step-hop. "How the incandescent hell we survived thousands of years of evolution and ended up such awkward, delicate useless things I will never know."
_some_thing "Streamlined. Only two knees to scuff, only ten toes to stub. Once you get used to the shape, it's a lot of fun."
slytherin_spy "Blind, clumsy, naked." Yeah, 'fun' is probably not a word Snape has ever so much as considered applying to his form. On the plus side, getting angry seems to be an excellent tactic in keeping him moving and motivated.
_some_thing "As a rule, I would -not- consider you clumsy." Some is being very careful about the path he's choosing, mindful of Snape's feet. And his own, now that he's weighed down. They can begin to hear running water.
slytherin_spy "There is an entire world of people who would disagree with you on the strongest terms, and with good reason. Please tell me that we are almost there." It's more a command than a request.
_some_thing "Pff. Who would trust a clutz with potions' materials. I've seen some of the stuff you do... Yes, that's my river. Just up around one more bend."
slytherin_spy "Potions is entirely different. They do not pass out awards for physical perfection in potions. They do not invite crowds and compose orchestras to potions." The river would be quite good just about now, Snape thinks, because then he could put his foot in it and it would stop hurting. ...Goodness, he's gone lightheaded. "I seem to be lightheaded."
_some_thing Around the curve, one wall of the tunnel is caved in. The river's there, a steady flow around the feet of huge boulders, fallen slabs of stone the size of tombstones. "Here, sit down... I think it's beautiful." Says the chef.
slytherin_spy "It's a nice cave indeed," comes the automated response. "Should I or should I not put my foot in the water?"
_some_thing "My cave's on the other side of the cave in." He settles Snape on one of the bigger slabs. "Go ahead. Nothing lives in it this close to the source. I don't even get fish."
slytherin_spy "Then it is certainly far nicer than this cavern. Which it would be impossible for it to be otherwise because honestly this cavern is an utter wreck. Explain your last sentence but one please." Jesus Christ and all the sainted aunts, Snape, could you BE more British?
_some_thing Time to climb rocks. You don't have to do this part, Snape, and be glad. "My river's source is only about fifty yards upstream of my cave. It's a portal to a dead world, near as I can tell. Nothing alive has ever come through it, the water's really warm, and their sun never, ever sets." Even here, the water's on the warm side of tepid, a comfortable temperature if they were going swimming.
slytherin_spy "Oh well that's positively swell, then. Lifeless river flowing from a dead and nightless planet, you say? I think I might have even have a wade-in."
slytherin_spy just said 'swell.' Please hurry.
_some_thing laughs, the sound echoing in the larger cave on the other side. Some rocks shift as he climbs down that side, and then a large one at water level grates loudly, and swings slowly against the slow current.
slytherin_spy clings to whatever it is he has been left clinging too, and tries not to let this sight make him dizzy. He does not want to throw up, you see. He also does not want to fall down. He -especially- does not want to throw up and then fall down, as he cannot at the present moment trust his aim on either count.
_some_thing slips out through the gap the boulder has newly left behind, and comes to prop Snape up again. "Just a short wade. There'll be light and it's warm and you're going to be all right." And stop BLEEDING man, you smell like food.
slytherin_spy "...There is no way to your...residence that doesn't involve going throught that," he points at the river, "or over that," he points at the cave-in, "is there." Again, it's not really a question. Haze or not, a man likes to have his facts straight.
_some_thing smiles sheepishly. "Why would a teleporter make an easy way in?"
slytherin_spy "I suppose one can only ask /so/ nicely." And with that cryptic remark, Snape steels himself and takes what would in other circumstances be not a small hop but a very brave step indeed into the river of death.
_some_thing Enough with the death. It's warm, and between the boulders, the bottom is sandstone with a shallow slope and etched ripples, easy footing. And as soon as they're back through the boulder-door, Some looks up into the dark, and lights come up, a pale, pure white light emanating from crevices in the crenellated walls, and from points in the river itself. Some's cavern home.
slytherin_spy Let's be honest, Snape had been rather hoping for numbingly-cold water, as unreasonable as that would be considering Some's aversions. The sandstone isn't so bad, though, and he manages an honest step or two. However, the light will distract him enough to make him look up, at which point he will naturally trip.
_some_thing Some's already there, both arms going around his waist to keep him from falling. "Almost..." Up the black sand bank, and they're there. Snape can sit while Some scrambles for supplies.
slytherin_spy Some may find himself scrambling a bit faster than he'd expected to, as Snape's flailing, splashing body seems to suddenly repel Some like a magnet. Heedless of the pain in his foot, Snape practically runs out of the water and onto dry sand.
_some_thing A bit taken aback by that, Some lingers a moment to make sure that nothing new is wrong before he darts to the upstream end of the cave, where his camp-home is set up. He's back quickly, draping a blanket around Snape's shoulders.
slytherin_spy takes the blanket and scrubs his hair and arms furiously. And no, he is not going to look at you, and no he is not going to explain what that little incident was about. He can, however, just about manage a "Thank you."
_some_thing brought the first aid kit too, and he sits down by Snape's feet to get a better look at the cut.
slytherin_spy sighs and seems to collapse and become some sort of strange creature that is 90% blanket, 5% nose and 5% spindly legs. The foot thing is allowed.
_some_thing is careful, cleaning his wounds, still not having bothered with clothing himself. "Does anything else hurt?"
slytherin_spy "No," comes a murmur, and gradually the blanket becomes Snape again. "Save for my dignity, but eventually I will have tea."
_some_thing "I promised you whiskey," he reminds him, wrapping the foot with a bandage.
slytherin_spy "Then my dignity is truly dead and should by all means be mourned properly."
_some_thing "Can whiskey be had with tea? Have your dignity and drink it too?"
slytherin_spy "A capitol idea. I've been trying to bring Boat around to that sort of thinking for years. Ironic, a man named Boat being so wet." This is all delivered in a sort of monotone, mind, as Snape has closed his eyes and otherwise seems to be asleep.
_some_thing sits back on his heels in the sand for a moment, watching the other man.
slytherin_spy Damn. Patience. A Snape's greatest weakness. Fine. But he doesn't have to open his eyes. "...This will likely come as a great shock, considering various aspects of my appearance which it has been the pleasure of so many to point out these many years, but I really rather dislike water."
_some_thing "Ah..." A soft sound, more acknowledgement than anything else. "I was worried it was me."
slytherin_spy This actually gets the eyes to open! Goodness. "Well it wasn't until you started talking nonsense."
slytherin_spy is now known as Snapplzzz
_some_thing His expression is self-mocking layered over rueful, eyes narrowed to bare slits in the light. "If you don't like water, why do you have a moat?" Subtle avoidance of new topic, hooray!
slytherin_spy "Because there are few better ways to keep certain kinds of things in and out of a place where than a squid bigger than thought.
_some_thing "Except there are living trees in your world. All the advantages of a squid, on dry land?"
slytherin_spy "There is an appreciable difference in the brainpower of a squid and that of a tree, Some."
_some_thing "I don't know... No, wait, Pants is an octopus, not a squid."
slytherin_spy "Really, if you are going to upbraid me for acting against my nature, you could bring up the sentient galleon. Merlin I was drugged to the gills for weeks, that flood. I gave Davey Jones's boat the power of speech, of all the utterly tit-headed things to do. These are not the acts of a sane man."
_some_thing "I really try not to remember that flood. I was undead for the duration, and hungry, so sane... Not one to speak, really."
_some_thing attacked Eiko and Isis during that, and got flung through a wall.
slytherin_spy "I don't know anyone who can say they had an honestly enjoyable experience with it."
_some_thing settles more comfortably in the sand. "The Nexus used to be more fun, I think. Or I'm getting old."
slytherin_spy "Or you are actually -paying attention-. Perhaps one day the rest of the mad nudists will follow suit." So to speak.
_some_thing looks down at himself. "I should get you back to your robes."
slytherin_spy "Thank you."
_some_thing pushes himself to his feet, and pads back across the sand to rummage in his things, stepping into a pair of soft black pants before pulling the PIN out of their pocket, and returning to offer Snape his arm again. "I am sorry about today. This isn't how I wanted it to go."
slytherin_spy holds the blanket securely around himself and accepts the help. "Nor I, but when I consider -where- we just were, a cut foot is getting off lightly."
_some_thing puts the coordinates in one-handed, his other arm around Snape again. "Next time, you bring your wand, and I'll bring my PIN..." He's a bit dejected. "I'd hoped we'd get as far as the University."
slytherin_spy "Next time, then..." And then they're away.
slytherin_spy "By my sainted aunt, Some, you could have warned me!" Snape was in a cave. Snape was in a very deep, very dark cave in which there was no light. Which was good. Because Snape was naked.
_some_thing Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't laugh. Some lets himself down from the ceiling before his own Gruification wears off, winding briefly around Snape before giving him his distance. "These things aren't exact, you know."
slytherin_spy This produces the most interesting sort of "WAUK!" from Snape, who is in no way used to being wound around, and especially not in pitch blackness. "Well they sodding well should be." He just said 'well' twice. "It is incredibly dark in here." Snape has been in some very dark places. The Dungeons of Hogwarts. The middle of the night in various forests. He's even been in caves. None of them were this dark.
_some_thing Of course it's dark. They're more than a mile down. The air tastes of stone and water, and Some is laughing softly. "Give me a moment. When it wears off me, I'll find you a light. You're in a a clear spot; there's a rock to your left if you want to sit down." He busses against Snape's shoulder, nudging him that way.
slytherin_spy Being bussed by a thing with two mouths and more eyes than Argos is one of the strangest things Snape has ever felt, which, coupled with being in the darkest place he has ever been, is enough to send him flailing in the direction of the rock. Fortunately his hands hit it first, or he would be blind, nude and bruised, and when you're an Englishman that means you have to kill yourself. "How will you find me a light?"
_some_thing "Because we're ba-" The transformation back to his own half-status catches him mid-sentence, his voice cracking quite spectacularly as he goes from two throats to one. "... back in the old City." There, now they're both nude in the perfect dark.
slytherin_spy "The abandoned city of a race of beings who are so allergic to sunlight that an LED does lethal damage. I fail somehow to find comfort in this news."
_some_thing "A city where I happen to bring friends on field trips." Some's hand brushes across his shoulders as he crosses the cavern, finding something to rummage in. "After the time with the centipedes, I brought down... ahah." And with a click, there's light. It's dim, a warm golden glow from a hemisphere in Some's hands, but in darkness like this, that's more than enough.
slytherin_spy Some keeps on touching him out of nowhere. Snape supposes it's meant to be a comforting sort of 'here I am' tactic. Snape supposes that it is somewhat effective. And then there is light, but not very much. "Just enough light so that everyone can see you in the nuddie. I'm beginning to have grave concerns about your lesson plans." His tone lacks vitriol, however. Snape leans forward with his elbows on his knees.
_some_thing Some laughs, and comes back over to sit beside him on the rock, offering Snape the handlamp and mirroring his pose. Having been himself, even for a few hours, is good for him, his face calm in the gilding light. "I wouldn't turn my students into Grues. Stones, that'd be a nightmare."
slytherin_spy "Some of them aren't far off already, if their eyes didn't glow." Snape takes the lamp and looks at it, and then mentally kicks himself for ruining his night vision. "Giant centipedes, you say?" Night vision might be important.
_some_thing Some grins at the compliment to Kurt. "They've got more eyes than I do, they'll stay miles away from this. And you'd hear them coming."
slytherin_spy "Well that's something, then." There is an unplaceable tightness to Snape's voice. "I don't suppose you've hidden any spare clothes down here as well?"
_some_thing "...No, I'm afraid not. Are you cold?" Some's not. The Grue is practically radiating heat.
slytherin_spy "Bollocks. I do not seem to be able to summon my wand." Which is to say, yes he is cold, but that is at the bottom of his list of current priorities, if it is even on the list at all. "Thought we'd be back in time. It's rather a titchy spell to begin with, even when you're in the same room with the thing." He is naked, in he dark, holding the world's weakest torch, and there might be giant centipedes. Also, he's babbling.
_some_thing There are no giant centipedes. That's what the torch is /for/. "M'sorry about that, it's a big city. We're actually on the college campus now..." His tone's fond, as he looks up at the cavern around them. "I spent years here."
slytherin_spy Look, Snape has seen a lot of crazy monsters in his day and he is pretty darned sure that if a giant centipede really wants to come over here, a glo-stick in a globe isn't going to stop it.
slytherin_spy "Interesting. You went to school for...accountancy, I recall."
_some_thing "Nope, cooking. Accounting was just the job." He lets his legs swing, bare feet scuffing. "Cooking's sort of a starving artist job down here."
slytherin_spy "How fortunate it is that we are naked, or one of us might produce a very small set of drums and play a rimshot, at which point I would shove a very small drumstick down your throat."
slytherin_spy Snape thinks he's funny.
_some_thing So does Some. Chuckleworthy, at least. "I mean it. Expensive ingredients, a lot of precise work, and a product that won't last more than a few hours."
slytherin_spy "A product that every individual has a daily need for," Snape says flatly. "Although there is some sort of satisfying irony in the thought that such an excessively specific pallett would lead to a complete lack of culinary appreciation."
_some_thing Some gives him a sideways look. "Sir, down here, no one needs prepared food." Common consensus, after all, prefers the hunt and live capture version of their two squares a day.
slytherin_spy "Precisely. It's an interesting new twist to my study of your people. So much of human history is shaped by food. Entire empires have been built on spice alone. Arguably, the need for stable food sources is the entire reason we evolved civilized society to begin with, and here you lot are, down in the dark, where only one thing matters."
slytherin_spy Snape is also something of a gigantic nerd. He will talk endlessly if allowed.
_some_thing On spice? Really? "Might be why we've never had empires." He leans back, bracing himself on his elbows on the rock. "I bet that you're the first human to ever study us."
slytherin_spy "Well I have been given to understand that 'study' is not what most humans do in close proximity to Grues." Some, you are naked. Stop lounging decoratively when an academic discussion is occurring.
_some_thing Some's good at decorative, and he's forgotten he's nude. "Which is understandable, but it's still... I'm grateful for it."
slytherin_spy British people should not be allowed into the wider world, for it soon becomes clear to them that either other people are insane, or they are. The second is clearly impossible and the first is impossibly depressing. "You don't have to be. It's a tribute to your race that in all these years not one of your prey species put two and two together enough to even beging making inquiries. You're a marvel of evolution."
slytherin_spy And living proof that the nexus is not a nice place, but that's beside the point.
_some_thing "I don't mean I'm grateful on behalf of the Grues... /I'm/ grateful."
slytherin_spy "I should bloody well hope not. They'd kill the both of us if they found out, and then half of themselves for letting it happen." No, Snape doesn't have many friends, why do you ask?
_some_thing "No, because I'm already dead, and you're-" Actually, that's very unflattering, and Some stops himself right there. "The laws aren't /that/ bad, just strict."
slytherin_spy raises an eyebrow. He wants to know what he is now. "For a man who bases his magic off of words, I'd expect you to be more familiar with hyperbole. I'm what?"
_some_thing "Chattle." Better than 'livestock?' Either way, Some pronounces the word with distaste, either way.
slytherin_spy "I should very much like to meet the Grue who makes the mistake of thinking that. Even should he come across me sitting naked in the pitch dark. I will burn him alive from the inside out if necessary." And out of pure spite, as well!
_some_thing Some laughs, the sound echoing. "I know." When he sits up again, his shoulder brushes Snape's. "If there was a list, of humans who should not, at any cost, be underestimated, you'd be very near the top." And this from a boy who's spent his whole adult life in the Nexus.
slytherin_spy does not move away. "/Very near/? I will remind you that Eiko can probably not make things explode through force of will alone."
_some_thing He grins at him, teeth flashing. "Top three?"
_some_thing Just how smart /is/ teasing a naked wizard?
slytherin_spy glowers. One of them is Osborn he just knows it, but even saying the name would spoil his mood and likely change the tone of this...friendly conversation. Friendly naked conversation. What the hell. "So are A Most Inunderestimable Human and a Half Grue of Questionable Profession going to sit around without a thread between them all night or shall we be off?"
_some_thing Some has the grace to look sheepish. "Tried, before I got the lamp. It'll come back."
slytherin_spy "...Or we could walk, which I understand is good enough for most people." This is the bemused voice. Practically fond, if that was a word one could ascribe to Snape.
_some_thing Blink. "... Or we could walk." Some pushes himself up, dusting himself off. "My cave's a lot closer than the surface, and there's a PIN in there. And clothes." He offers Snape a hand.
slytherin_spy allows the hand. "That I will not have to walk in glory through the Sanctuary is the best news of all." And off they go!
Off indeed. Off into the twisty broken dark of the abandoned and decaying city. "Would I do that to you?"
* Hats is now known as Some
"If you thought for one second that you could get away with it, I have no doubt."
* Snapple is now known as Snape
_some_thing is positively offended, Snape. Don't step there, it's a pit. "Just because I have no regard for my own dignity..."
slytherin_spy Nyaugh. "You recognize that you have any? My word. Also, there are pits."
_some_thing "Yes, people lived here." He slows down, looking back at Snape. "I have some. I try not to embarrass myself for nothing." He pauses a moment, watching the other man.
slytherin_spy Snape has one hand over his own dignity, the other out for balance, and has slowed considerably due to tapping the ground in front of him with a foot before taking every step. In the dark, he shows up as two sets of extremely skinny limbs, a fisbelly-pale, concave old-man torso, all topped by a nose the size of a sail. Dignity indeed. "Get back here with that light, then."
_some_thing Sure-footed, Some comes back to him, keeping the light outside his own line of vision. "There's a smoother tunnel, this way. We're almost there." His hand hovers by Snape's arm, but he refrains from taking it. "This used to be a suburb. These were homes."
slytherin_spy appreciates his restraint. "Vertical homes, yes. You must teach me to read your knot-books. I have a few theories to test against historical documents." This is possibly the strangest thing Snape has ever done while naked. Granted, it's a short list, but walking through what is effectively a ghost-town in a huge cave a mile below the surface with a man-eating monster, discussing the rise and fall of its society is going to be hard to top.
_some_thing Don't forget the threat of giant centipedes. "I'd love to. I should find you some of the Epics. They're works of art, really. They'd look amazing in your library." He steals a glance at Snape, but it's not his body he's looking at, it's his hands.
slytherin_spy Oh he hasn't forgotten. Talk of libraries is nice, though, and gets the ghost of a smile. "I shall have to consider proper display and storage options. There are enough fools in the world who don't know what they're looking at when books are book-shaped as it is."
slytherin_spy 's hands are the only part of his body that he actually likes. Long-fingered and fine-boned, his skin there is the color of parchment (where it's not stained with whatever he's been getting up to lately) and textured with bone and vein and knuckle. They imply delicacy and strength, and if he is conceited about one physical thing, it's how good they look framed by his elaborate cuffs and buttons.
slytherin_spy He does not, however, think they look good without said cuffs, because then they're tainted with how ridiculous and repulsive the rest of him is.
_some_thing is imagining the way they'd look, tangled into the threads and beads of one of those epics, and he has quite suddenly and thoroughly distracted himself, enough that he has to catch himself quite suddenly to keep from falling over an edge he should have seen.
slytherin_spy He is caught high on the arm and yanked back against Snape. "Merlin's balls! What -are- you on about?" From that angry hiss, you'd never know they were having a perfectly civil conversation not three seconds ago.
_some_thing "What?" Some stumbles back against him, and blushes furiously as he rights himself, turning his face away from the light. To see better. Yes. "... Stones, that was close."
slytherin_spy Snape's skin is noticeably cool to the touch. "Watch your bloody step, you clumsy little toad. If I have to climb down one of these termite holes after you, you had better hope to whatever gods please you that you're dead by the time I get down there." Snape shoves him not entirely ungently ahead.
_some_thing Some's is warm, still. Naked in a drafty cave, the Grue is warm. "Since when am I a toad?" But he does take more care, watching his feet more, Snape's hands less, and picking their winding way towards a substantial rise in the cavern floor.
slytherin_spy Yes, and Snape is now all the more cold for it. Was he just born that way or has he trained his body through years of wearing multiple layers of wool clothing? And there's Some, warm and fit, leading the way like a Greek tutor's dream. Must -everyone- in existence be better formed than Snape? Apparently, and it leaves him wallowing in sullen silence.
_some_thing The body Some lives in was crafted by a Greek god, if it helps? "... Careful, here. We need to get into the tunnel over here, but the entry's half-caved in." He holds the light high so Snape can see the ragged opening in the cave wall.
slytherin_spy It does NOT help, thank you. The god who crafted Snape must have thought that it was funny. "Hnn." This is a 'hnn' of 'let's get this overwith and we'll see how banged-up my feet and legs are by the end of it and if you've hidden a bottle of whiskey on the other end I shall give you a raise.'
_some_thing Some does, in fact, keep very good spirits in his own cave, but they'll have to get there. He hands the light to Snape before examining the gap carefully, and climbs the rubble carefully. The gap at the top's more than big enough for a skinny man, but the rocks are a bit jagged, so he's going to be careful negotiating his way through. "... I miss fur." Ow.
slytherin_spy "All the limbs in Gruedom for a wand," comes the answering grumble. The light starts bobbing as Snape begins his climb.
_some_thing Once he's through, Some moves to the edge of the opening, out of Snape's way but close enough to put his hand out to help him through. "Keep your back low. That rock above you has a nasty edge. Next time, we'll figure out a good way to bring that with you."
slytherin_spy Snape does not say 'next time?', but only because he is very busy very pointedly not saying anything, because he's sliced a gash in the back of his right shin and it hurts like anything but there's nothing for it but to keep going so let's go already.
_some_thing Next time, because Some figures that if Snape's serious about being interested in the Grues, a little misadventure like this is nothing. Well, maybe not nothing. He shuts his eyes for a moment when the smell of blood hits the air, controlling his expression before he opens them again. "It'll be easier going now. We just need to follow this uphill."
slytherin_spy Oh well that would be a comfort. As it is, Snape is NOT limping and NOT shivering, but he certainly IS glaring. Uphill it is.
_some_thing Uphill! Some stays at his side, but he's smart enough not to be solicitious. This tunnel's old, better built than the suburb they came through, the floor worn smooth by who knows how many clawed feet and tread-footed machines.
slytherin_spy drops the light.
_some_thing scrambles to catch it, startled, and looks back at him.
slytherin_spy very pointedly does not look back. He also does not look so good. "How much further?"
_some_thing Some gestures with the light, moving closer to Snape in case he has to catch him, next. He didn't think the cut was that bad. "Not too much. Listen for water." They should be hearing it soon.
slytherin_spy Neither did Snape, honestly, but he didn't actually look at it. "Quickly, then."
_some_thing Some does take hold of his arm, finally. Snape is leaivng a blood trail.
slytherin_spy does not acknowledge this for a few moments beyond the fact that he is in fact leaning on Some. "I seem to have a shard of rock making its way through my foot."
_some_thing looks around for a moment, and guides Snape towards the wall. "Sit down. Let me look."
slytherin_spy There is an argument to be made about the dangers of not being able to get up again, but as Snape has tacitly given all control over this endeavour to Some already, he sits. There is indeed a rather large gash to the outside of the sole of his right foot which extends to the instep, as if someone had tried to slice his foot in half from below with a knife but not put a lot of effort into it. The blood is oozing rather than spurting,
slytherin_spy which is some comfort at least.
_some_thing presses gingerly, carefully, just to one side of the wound, to see if anything's still in there. "... I'm sorry for getting you down here, Sir."
slytherin_spy sucks in a breath, but makes no other complaint, and he responds with a determinedly calm voice. "Next time I'm bringing the wand."
slytherin_spy It's hard to tell, with all the blood, if the wound is clean.
_some_thing very carefully cleans it of what sand and gravelly bits he can see, long fingers gentle and precise, but he has no water, and nothing to wrap it with. "We're almost there, and when we get to my cave, I've got a kit."
slytherin_spy again makes no complaint, keeping his breathing as even as possible, though his leg jerks involuntarily as Some's fingers prope the wound. "Quickly, then." The worst part is that he has no doubt that it will be worse to walk on now. It always hurts worse once you acknowledge how bad it is.
_some_thing bites his lip as he stands up again, unconsciously licking his fingertips as he looks up the sloping tunnel. "Or I could go, get the kit and the PIN, and come back."
slytherin_spy "It is never the mark of a good plan to bleed alone in a cave." Using his arms and his good leg, Snape pushes himself upright.
_some_thing steps close with a nod, not so much offering his shoulder as putting it under Snape's, arm around his waist. "Very true." Centipedes.
slytherin_spy This is more physical contact than Snape allows 99% of the world even when he has got his thousand layers of clothing between him and them, but Snape is downright clammy now and his foot is doing its part in fulfilling his little prophecy by starting to throb even before he puts weight on it. Bugger this. Snape puts his arm on Some's shoulder and sets off at an ungainly hobble.
_some_thing sets a good pace, but it's not a punishing one, and he's strong enough to keep a good share of Snape's weight off the injured foot. "Shoes should have been a good clue that humans are cleverer than we let on."
slytherin_spy Step-hop. Step-hop. Step-hop. "How the incandescent hell we survived thousands of years of evolution and ended up such awkward, delicate useless things I will never know."
_some_thing "Streamlined. Only two knees to scuff, only ten toes to stub. Once you get used to the shape, it's a lot of fun."
slytherin_spy "Blind, clumsy, naked." Yeah, 'fun' is probably not a word Snape has ever so much as considered applying to his form. On the plus side, getting angry seems to be an excellent tactic in keeping him moving and motivated.
_some_thing "As a rule, I would -not- consider you clumsy." Some is being very careful about the path he's choosing, mindful of Snape's feet. And his own, now that he's weighed down. They can begin to hear running water.
slytherin_spy "There is an entire world of people who would disagree with you on the strongest terms, and with good reason. Please tell me that we are almost there." It's more a command than a request.
_some_thing "Pff. Who would trust a clutz with potions' materials. I've seen some of the stuff you do... Yes, that's my river. Just up around one more bend."
slytherin_spy "Potions is entirely different. They do not pass out awards for physical perfection in potions. They do not invite crowds and compose orchestras to potions." The river would be quite good just about now, Snape thinks, because then he could put his foot in it and it would stop hurting. ...Goodness, he's gone lightheaded. "I seem to be lightheaded."
_some_thing Around the curve, one wall of the tunnel is caved in. The river's there, a steady flow around the feet of huge boulders, fallen slabs of stone the size of tombstones. "Here, sit down... I think it's beautiful." Says the chef.
slytherin_spy "It's a nice cave indeed," comes the automated response. "Should I or should I not put my foot in the water?"
_some_thing "My cave's on the other side of the cave in." He settles Snape on one of the bigger slabs. "Go ahead. Nothing lives in it this close to the source. I don't even get fish."
slytherin_spy "Then it is certainly far nicer than this cavern. Which it would be impossible for it to be otherwise because honestly this cavern is an utter wreck. Explain your last sentence but one please." Jesus Christ and all the sainted aunts, Snape, could you BE more British?
_some_thing Time to climb rocks. You don't have to do this part, Snape, and be glad. "My river's source is only about fifty yards upstream of my cave. It's a portal to a dead world, near as I can tell. Nothing alive has ever come through it, the water's really warm, and their sun never, ever sets." Even here, the water's on the warm side of tepid, a comfortable temperature if they were going swimming.
slytherin_spy "Oh well that's positively swell, then. Lifeless river flowing from a dead and nightless planet, you say? I think I might have even have a wade-in."
slytherin_spy just said 'swell.' Please hurry.
_some_thing laughs, the sound echoing in the larger cave on the other side. Some rocks shift as he climbs down that side, and then a large one at water level grates loudly, and swings slowly against the slow current.
slytherin_spy clings to whatever it is he has been left clinging too, and tries not to let this sight make him dizzy. He does not want to throw up, you see. He also does not want to fall down. He -especially- does not want to throw up and then fall down, as he cannot at the present moment trust his aim on either count.
_some_thing slips out through the gap the boulder has newly left behind, and comes to prop Snape up again. "Just a short wade. There'll be light and it's warm and you're going to be all right." And stop BLEEDING man, you smell like food.
slytherin_spy "...There is no way to your...residence that doesn't involve going throught that," he points at the river, "or over that," he points at the cave-in, "is there." Again, it's not really a question. Haze or not, a man likes to have his facts straight.
_some_thing smiles sheepishly. "Why would a teleporter make an easy way in?"
slytherin_spy "I suppose one can only ask /so/ nicely." And with that cryptic remark, Snape steels himself and takes what would in other circumstances be not a small hop but a very brave step indeed into the river of death.
_some_thing Enough with the death. It's warm, and between the boulders, the bottom is sandstone with a shallow slope and etched ripples, easy footing. And as soon as they're back through the boulder-door, Some looks up into the dark, and lights come up, a pale, pure white light emanating from crevices in the crenellated walls, and from points in the river itself. Some's cavern home.
slytherin_spy Let's be honest, Snape had been rather hoping for numbingly-cold water, as unreasonable as that would be considering Some's aversions. The sandstone isn't so bad, though, and he manages an honest step or two. However, the light will distract him enough to make him look up, at which point he will naturally trip.
_some_thing Some's already there, both arms going around his waist to keep him from falling. "Almost..." Up the black sand bank, and they're there. Snape can sit while Some scrambles for supplies.
slytherin_spy Some may find himself scrambling a bit faster than he'd expected to, as Snape's flailing, splashing body seems to suddenly repel Some like a magnet. Heedless of the pain in his foot, Snape practically runs out of the water and onto dry sand.
_some_thing A bit taken aback by that, Some lingers a moment to make sure that nothing new is wrong before he darts to the upstream end of the cave, where his camp-home is set up. He's back quickly, draping a blanket around Snape's shoulders.
slytherin_spy takes the blanket and scrubs his hair and arms furiously. And no, he is not going to look at you, and no he is not going to explain what that little incident was about. He can, however, just about manage a "Thank you."
_some_thing brought the first aid kit too, and he sits down by Snape's feet to get a better look at the cut.
slytherin_spy sighs and seems to collapse and become some sort of strange creature that is 90% blanket, 5% nose and 5% spindly legs. The foot thing is allowed.
_some_thing is careful, cleaning his wounds, still not having bothered with clothing himself. "Does anything else hurt?"
slytherin_spy "No," comes a murmur, and gradually the blanket becomes Snape again. "Save for my dignity, but eventually I will have tea."
_some_thing "I promised you whiskey," he reminds him, wrapping the foot with a bandage.
slytherin_spy "Then my dignity is truly dead and should by all means be mourned properly."
_some_thing "Can whiskey be had with tea? Have your dignity and drink it too?"
slytherin_spy "A capitol idea. I've been trying to bring Boat around to that sort of thinking for years. Ironic, a man named Boat being so wet." This is all delivered in a sort of monotone, mind, as Snape has closed his eyes and otherwise seems to be asleep.
_some_thing sits back on his heels in the sand for a moment, watching the other man.
slytherin_spy Damn. Patience. A Snape's greatest weakness. Fine. But he doesn't have to open his eyes. "...This will likely come as a great shock, considering various aspects of my appearance which it has been the pleasure of so many to point out these many years, but I really rather dislike water."
_some_thing "Ah..." A soft sound, more acknowledgement than anything else. "I was worried it was me."
slytherin_spy This actually gets the eyes to open! Goodness. "Well it wasn't until you started talking nonsense."
slytherin_spy is now known as Snapplzzz
_some_thing His expression is self-mocking layered over rueful, eyes narrowed to bare slits in the light. "If you don't like water, why do you have a moat?" Subtle avoidance of new topic, hooray!
slytherin_spy "Because there are few better ways to keep certain kinds of things in and out of a place where than a squid bigger than thought.
_some_thing "Except there are living trees in your world. All the advantages of a squid, on dry land?"
slytherin_spy "There is an appreciable difference in the brainpower of a squid and that of a tree, Some."
_some_thing "I don't know... No, wait, Pants is an octopus, not a squid."
slytherin_spy "Really, if you are going to upbraid me for acting against my nature, you could bring up the sentient galleon. Merlin I was drugged to the gills for weeks, that flood. I gave Davey Jones's boat the power of speech, of all the utterly tit-headed things to do. These are not the acts of a sane man."
_some_thing "I really try not to remember that flood. I was undead for the duration, and hungry, so sane... Not one to speak, really."
_some_thing attacked Eiko and Isis during that, and got flung through a wall.
slytherin_spy "I don't know anyone who can say they had an honestly enjoyable experience with it."
_some_thing settles more comfortably in the sand. "The Nexus used to be more fun, I think. Or I'm getting old."
slytherin_spy "Or you are actually -paying attention-. Perhaps one day the rest of the mad nudists will follow suit." So to speak.
_some_thing looks down at himself. "I should get you back to your robes."
slytherin_spy "Thank you."
_some_thing pushes himself to his feet, and pads back across the sand to rummage in his things, stepping into a pair of soft black pants before pulling the PIN out of their pocket, and returning to offer Snape his arm again. "I am sorry about today. This isn't how I wanted it to go."
slytherin_spy holds the blanket securely around himself and accepts the help. "Nor I, but when I consider -where- we just were, a cut foot is getting off lightly."
_some_thing puts the coordinates in one-handed, his other arm around Snape again. "Next time, you bring your wand, and I'll bring my PIN..." He's a bit dejected. "I'd hoped we'd get as far as the University."
slytherin_spy "Next time, then..." And then they're away.