Welcome to Gaia! ::

Lightning could feel his body tense as he glanced jealously at the other Gladiers that were playing and laughing together. That was something he couldn't be a part of. As they got farther away from the lake, other thoughts forced their way to the front of his mind. Quite a few of them were speculations about this mysterious Gladier that Ithil seemed to be comparing him to. 'What if that's the only reason she wants to be my friend?' The question was not a pleasant one, and he pushed it into the corner of his mind. '... It's too quiet.' He pulled his attention from his thoughts in order to focus on Ithil. Glancing at her before setting his eyes forward again, he finally spoke. "... I lost track. Who's turn is it to ask the questions?"

Lightning's eye twitched, but his expression didn't change much. "Other reckless things?" he parroted sarcastically. "Whatever could you mean?" He went quiet for a few moments. "Well, I fight off the people that jump me, dodge traps and other prank-related items, run up trees, run in trees, and once I rode down a waterfall." He paused then added, "Though that one was unintentional. And I'm not sure it was really that reckless... it was small. No sharp rocks at the bottom either. Anyway... reckless things..." He stopped in his walk, resisting the urge to look over his shoulder at the happy Gladiers. "... Trying to be a part of that." His voice had dropped significantly in volume, and nothing in his tone suggested a joke. But a minute later he was walking again and back to his flippant listing. "Rock climbing--well, more like mountain climbing, sand running, everything to do with even setting foot in Gaia... No cliff jumping." His last statement was said abruptly, as if he was cutting himself off from his own casual list of recklessness.

Lightning huffed. "I do plenty of things that are neither reckless nor stupid," he informed her. "You just didn't ask about them." But she called him amazing along with being an idiot, which put an extra spring into his step.

Until she mentioned games, that is. The Gladier froze, a familiar feeling of dread coiling up in his guts. "I... I-I'm not good with games," he mumbled, shuffling in discomfort. Trying to push past the uncomfortable subject, he added, "And I told you, that was only once! And an accident at that! I swear, you only listen to half of what I say." He picked up his pace a little, in part to avoid Ithil's gaze. "... And I already told you, I can take care of myself."

'You're pushing her away,' his mind warned. 'If you continue, she'll leave... just like the others did.' The thought terrified him, but he didn't let it show on his face. He tried to think 'Good riddance,' but he was finding that, despite the fact that she insulted his intelligence... he really liked Ithil's company. 'Until she finds about the real you,' a poisonous part of his mind sneered. 'Just wait. She'll drop you faster than a hot potato.' No. She wouldn't, would she? She'd--infuriatingly--stuck with him so far. Ithil wouldn't just up and leave... would she?

'See? You screwed up again. It was just a joooke, Pawn. What's your problem? Oh wait, that's right... you don't have a sense of humor.' He could feel every fiber in his body tense when she growled, and he winced when she told him to stop running. Deciding that his comments were just getting him into more trouble, he wordlessly slowed back down to his previous pace. 'Ha. She thought that was your run? Just wait until she sees your real run--if she can see it, Mr. Speedster. Not gonna tell her about that either? No? What about that inner demon of yours? You know, the one that's not so inner anymore? Or what about--' The stream of stinging thoughts were cut off by something that caught him completely offguard:

Ithil apologized.

His head swiveled so that he could stare at her for a moment, but then he glanced away just as quickly. "... I'm the one who should be saying sorry. I--" Something started digging into his paw as he moved forward, so he stopped immediately. 'Trap,' his mind instantly declared as he took a step back from the string. He turned to warn Ithil, but her paw had already pulled the string enough to trigger it. Without missing a beat, Lightning shoved Ithil out of the way, biting back a yelp as a bucket slammed into him. He grimaced as it tipped and its contents poured out, catching him across his back. It was a putrid concoction of what appeared to be ground-up berries and yellow paint by the color and texture, and the smell made him gag. 'Well, this has been a fun day,' he thought sourly. Started out by landing on Ithil's tail; then he irritated her to no end, had his storm ruined, and now he was covered in something absolutely repulsive. 'Hey, now your outsides match your insides!' And of course his mind was reminding him what a horrible person he was.

Forcing himself out of his self-loathing, he searched for Ithil. "Are you ok?" he managed to ask, trying not to gag as he inhaled the horrendous stench of the mess dripping down his sides.

"I'm fine," he forced out as she tried to remove the gross concoction from his back. He wordlessly followed her towards the lake, frowning as he watched Ithil shake her head. 'That's not good.' If they didn't do something, she might pass out before they got there. He paused and looked around as they went, searching the plantlife around them. 'Gah. I don't see it. Maybe I should just run for the lake. But then Ithil would yell again... Agh, I don't have time for this!' He kept looking as they walked, but his focus kept settling on Ithil. Would she be alright? The stench from the trap made even him feel dizzy. He was so occupied by those thoughts that he nearly missed seeing what he was looking for. "Ah... There." He darted away from Ithil for a moment and plucked a plant from the ground. Rejoining Ithil, he held the plant by her face. "Inhale slowly," he tried to say with the plant in his teeth. He was trying to do the same, his eyes watering a little at the clash of the putrid scent from his back and the strong scent of the mint in his teeth. "Don't you dare pass out on me," he added with a growl. They just had to get back to the lake. Then it'd be fine. He'd wash the gunk off of himself and the smell wouldn't bother them anymore.

Lightning huffed at her declaration that she wouldn't pass out and gave her a sour look at the following comment. He fought the urge to laugh when she stuck out her tongue, only to have it retreat back into her mouth to escape the influence of the trap's mess. "I could've been there already," Lightning replied the best he could. "But then you'd yell at me for leaving you behind." That, and he was finding that he didn't really want to leave her behind--and not just because she'd yell. But he couldn't really put a paw on the reason why.

"I know you're not slow! It's just that..." Lightning Pawn trailed off as she sped up, easily keeping pace with her but not really wanting to finish his sentence. 'I'm too fast.' He sped up again when she did, but ended up accelerating too much. The Gladier paused for a moment to allow Ithil to catch up before matching her pace again.

As they reached the lake, Lightning didn't slow down. He dropped the mint on the shore as he ran, launching himself into the air and soaring above the water before crashing into it. He remained below the surface until his lungs screamed in protest, then reluctantly resurfaced for air. He dived again, repeating the process until nearly all of the vulgar concoction was gone. Then he swam towards Ithil, his blue eyes instinctively looking around and taking note of the eyes on him. 'Well, that's no surprise. The stench probably reached their noses too.' He dove once more and swam underwater until the water was too shallow. Lightning pulled himself out of the water a small ways away from Ithil, shaking the water from his fur before looking at the female. He gave her a weak smile before inspecting his fur for any remnants of the yellow gunk.