Noxious Desire quietly looked on in satisfaction as she let Seduction excitedly go to work on the algae in the cavern, only disrupting the latter's flow to inform the doe of which algae were actually safe to apply on their skin. She was confident in her friend's aesthetic sensibilities so she just let Seduction apply the glowing plants on her as she wished.

When Seduction asked her for input as to what would look good on her, Noxious Desire already had the perfect accent in mind. She took a swath of silvery white algae and applied it in thin lines on the Acha's flank, just tracing the outer edges of her wavy markings. The effect was a silvery glow that intensified as it reflected off of the similar hue of Seduction's markings while also lending some mystery to her look as the light was absorbed by her jet black hair. "This way, you'll light up the tunnels and caverns, but whoever spots you will want to come take a closer look."

With their looks entrancingly modified for a potential meeting in the darkness of the tunnels, Noxious Desire started to lead Seduction back into the tunnels. "My sisters and I have seen the kimeti buck deeper into the lower parts of the tunnels on more than one occasion. We've found that he's very knowledgeable of the area and its dangers, as well as incredibly good at blending in with the shadows when he moves. Which is incredibly odd, unless he was born in the tunnels like us. Just another thing that makes him so mysterious... I'm hoping that between the two of us, he'll find something to be interested enough to start a conversation. And if he finds you more alluring, my dear, I will have no hard feelings. You deserve an adventure."

The two does travelled deeper into the ground, a feeling made obvious by the downward incline of the tunnels they were going through and the intensifying darkness surrounding them as they go further and further from the light of the surface.

cashmeresky wrote:

Seduction had never seen algae that matched her silver coloration before, and was immediately enchanted by it. It was almost metallic. "You never fail to surprise and delight me!" She gleed and looked into the rippling reflection of their glow from the creek.

Seduction nodded as Noxious continued to describe the Kimeti buck. It was a little unsettling that he seemed to be so adept at navigating these tunnels. A desert-dweller like herself certainly found the tunnels to be well out of her comfort zone. If it wasn't for her friend, she probably would've never stepped a hoof into the darkness. Descending deeper into the tunnels gave Seduction equal parts nervousness as peace. Maybe peace, wasn't the right word, more like tranquility. It was weird to describe; it felt like the tunnels were hugging her in a way that was both nice and, a little too tight, a little too long. It was also one of few times that she really allowed herself to fully trust another. In the Acha herd, decisions were made as a big group. It was not putting her trust all in one kin. Seduction felt really lucky that she had a friend who she could surrender navigation to in an environment like this.

"Do Kimeti travel often to the tunnels? I certainly haven't seen one yet in the desert." Seduction realized that she hasn't been able to see anything for the last little while. Maybe she was getting better at operating by hearing? She certainly was focusing intensely, "Maybe it's because one would find no water in the desert without knowing where the oases are." She was chatting equally from curiosity as from the need to distract herself from the heavy darkness and the anticipation of maybe seeing a Kimeti.

doomsayer wrote: ↑Tue Oct 15, 2024 10:33 pm

Noxious Desire made it a point from hereon to walk beside Seduction as much as possible, their flanks just an inch apart. This enabled her to lead her friend's movements with quick and subtle touches and nudges. Though their combined glow from the algae they had on gave them some semblance of light, the darkness of the tunnels in the depths they were descending did not just choke light, but gave a sense of unease that would frighten or confuse unguided or lost kin. Even she took some time to adapt to the even more alien darkness that these lower reaches carried.

"Unless they were hopelessly lost, I've never seen or heard of a Kimeti that would often travel these tunnels other than our buck. Whenever we got a glimpse of him, he always seemed to know where he was going and moved through the tunnels with purpose. When we cross paths, what he does here is one of the many, many questions I aim to ask him."

x----------x

It's been a considerable amount of time that the two does have spent walking in the tunnels. Noxious Desire led Seduction to all the spots where she and her sisters previously saw the kimeti buck, but to no avail. After circling around one final time to an intersection where she was certain anyone down here would pass, Noxious Desire let out a defeated sigh. "I'm sorry Seduction, it looks like the buck isn't here today. It feels like I've wasted your time. But even if the kimeti buck isn't here to appreciate how beautiful we are, I feel great just being prettied up and spending time with you. I think we should end the search for today and get us back outside. It might already be close to sunset."

cashmeresky wrote:

Seduction felt herself relax when she felt her friend shift to guiding her from her side. But, soon after Noxious Desire started to answer her question, the idea that this Kimeti was somehow an unusual phenomenon took away that sense of relaxation just as quickly. Her emotions oscillated between feeling nervous and feeling silly. Maybe it would be a good thing if they bumped into this buck, probably literally, in this darkness. It would be good to get some answers.

Seduction couldn't lie, though, she felt a sense of relief when they didn't end up finding him. "Don't you dare apologize for such a lovely day! No loss on my side. Although the Kimeti buck missed out on two pretty does." Seduction gestured back towards the other direction of the tunnel, probably redundantly in the darkness, "Yes! Maybe we can catch the sunset. Lead the way!"

doomsayer wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2024 11:03 pm

Noxious Desire let out a sigh of both relief and satisfaction as Seduction showed no disappointment in not meeting with the mysterious stranger they had been talking about most of the day. She would have to reserve her questions about his presence in the tunnels for another day. For now, she would turn back and spend the last part of the day with her friend.

The walk out of the tunnels was easier for the two does compared to the walk going in. As the grip of darkness loosened the closer they came to the surface, their algae once again glowed against the walls of the tunnels, accentuating their respective colors and markings. They even happened to come upon some other Zikwa who followed them with curious gazes as they crossed a cavern, some of the more forward bucks whistling sounds of approval in their direction as the two does giggled to each other.

Eventually Noxious Desire and Seduction made it out into the desert, the sun starting to hang low on the mountains, painting the sand various shades of red-orange. Exchanging some final words of endearment and compliments, the two friends parted ways, making sure to promise to see each other again soon.

cashmeresky wrote:Finished!