TREASURE

[cavedwellers]

You are so, so sure there's treasure in the cave. Just a little bit further on than your light reaches. Juuuuust a little further.

No, further.

Go on.

This is completely safe.

Comments

[oppositeofpeople]

[treasure, huh. well, okay! there IS something pretty important that he's looking for.

climbing over the rocks and inching a little further into the dark]

[galaxyhearts]

[Ice pops. The sign outside this damn cave said there were ice pops in here, but so far he's found nothing but rocks. Damp rocks. Even perched high up on a slippery ledge isn't helping him see better.]

Tch!

[oppositeofpeople]

[he stumbles on an especially slippery rock and stops and—was that the sound of somebody else in here?]

...Hello? Is someone there?

[galaxyhearts]

[His head whips around, eyes wide. It sounded like...]

Eiji?

[oppositeofpeople]

[wait wait WHAT]

—Ankh?

[galaxyhearts]

[He jumps from his high perch, gravel crunching under his feet.

He stands and stares for a long moment, barely breathing.

Eiji.

He nods.]

[rightbrainiac]

[Okay, so looking for things hidden deep underground is generally a bad idea! Lots of terrible things lurk under there, like Gaia Memories. And dinosaurs. And murder holes that lead all the way to the center of the earth. And--

--and please, there's no way he's not looking around here. If he researches the composition of the stalactites, he can determine the age and type of cave. Which should tell him whether this lead is worth the dozens of text messages he will inevitably have when he's back within phone reception.

Wait, when did he lose reception in the first place? He definitely had it a minute ago.

Well, whatever, poking at the stalactites exactly like people are not supposed to do, because SCIENCE.]

[oppositeofpeople]

[this. this was not the way he expected to encounter Ankh again. for a minute he's just staring, as if he could be mistaken in the dim light, as if this could be anything other than what it looks like, as if—

and then the realization actually hits him, that Ankh is here, and he lunges for a hug without another thought]

[galaxyhearts]

[When Philip doesn't answer his call for the third time, Shoutarou sighs loudly. It'd be one thing if Philip had told him he'd be going out, but to come back home to find the office and the garage empty with no trace or note or word has left him worried for his partner's safety. It's probably fine. Probably nothing. Probably not a Dopant or some evil family member Philip didn't know about or... or the Earth trying to claim him again.

He swallows hard.

Then goes out to find him, sending the Bat Shot ahead to search.]

[rightbrainiac]

[Wait, what's that? Oh, good, it's just the Bat Shot, which he doesn't remember bringing but could definitely use right now. He grabs it out of the air and turns on the flash-- since he doesn't really remember how he got here, he doesn't know why he didn't think to bring a flashlight in the first place.

Oh, that looks like basalt! Maybe this cave is a lava tube, which would mean that it's probably too recent for any dinosaurs to have ever been here. Shoutarou will appreciate that fact. There might still be a Gaia Memory, though. Better be careful.]

[galaxyhearts]

[His body jolts and stiffens as Eiji barrels into him. This is a thing he'll never get used to. But... it's good. He can feel Eiji's warmth, and his energy, and he feels... good.

So he allows it to happen. For a while.]

[oppositeofpeople]

[someday he'll do this and Ankh will hug him back! he has faith. someday it'll happen. but for now even this is great: they're together and they're not fighting and Ankh... is.

he doesn't let go but he mumbles into Ankh's shoulder]

How did this—how did you get here?

[galaxyhearts]

[His heart leaps into his throat when the Bat Shot catches Philip--or Philip catches it--in what looks like a cave. So he's alive, still here, still safe... for the moment. He rushes over as quickly as he can, wondering what could have gotten into Philip's head this time. Briefly, he pauses to read the sign outside the cave... treasure? He heaves a breath and goes in after his partner.]

Oi, Philip! What are you doing here? Don't just trust handwritten signs telling you there's treasure inside!

[galaxyhearts]

[He cocks his head, considering the question. He isn't sure how he ended up here, once he thinks about it. For a long time, he knows he wasn't... here. In this world. He looks over Eiji's shoulder at his own hands, flexing them. Here, now. And there was a sign outside that pointed to things he desired.

He huffs out a laugh.]

Ice pops. I was promised ice pops.

[rightbrainiac]

[Oh, there's Shoutarou. That must be how Bat Shot got here, then. What's that about a sign? He doesn't remember any sign.]

What sign? I have no need for treasure, and if I did I could just look up where it was. I don't actually remember leaving the office, but I was distracted by the volcanic formations after I got here.

[oppositeofpeople]

[helpless laughter, because that answers nothing and yet it's Ankh all over]

That's not what I meant, I—

Wait, are you from the future again?

[galaxyhearts]

[His brow furrows. Philip doesn't remember how he got here? That's distressing...]

You didn't run into any shady characters today, did you? No one came into the office while I was out getting us more coffee and typewriter paper?

[galaxyhearts]

[Mmm. He likes hearing Eiji laugh. That question makes him frown, though.]

Haah? The future? Did you hit your head on the rocks?

[oppositeofpeople]

No! The last time I saw you, you'd shown up from the future to help us fight a possessed future Kamen Rider!

[galaxyhearts]

[Eiji's brain must be scrambled. More so than usual. He pulls back so he can squint at Eiji's face, to figure out if this is some kind of joke or if he really believes the nonsense he just spewed.]

...

You're serious? That sounds stupid.

[oppositeofpeople]

[awkward laughter time]

Yeah, I guess it kind of does? But it definitely happened!

Except, oh man, if you don't remember it that means it must not have happened to you yet, and now I'm giving you spoilers! Sorry.

[rightbrainiac]

No, no one came to the office. I was rewiring the toaster and then I... wound up here? I must have left the office or I wouldn't be here, but I don't think I left the office.

[This is... really distressing all of a sudden! He does not like gaps in his memory or getting kidnapped or both, for obvious reasons!]

[rightbrainiac]

[what if there's a red light like someone is using a laser to look around your general area

i mean that's because someone is using a laser to look around. a snail laser. snail laser night vision goggles.]

[oppositeofpeople]

[what if chasing the laser that's what you do with lasers right]

[rightbrainiac]

[whoops there's a person at the other end of this laser, do you see him in time?]