The Bonds of Catastrophe

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua had been trying to piece together a plan ever since he had began to inspect the equipment. They could've stacked boxes on each other to the ceiling, but that wouldn't bear Ghorua's weight. He considered trying to use the fusioncutters to pierce through the concrete blocking the shop from the turbolift, but abandoned the idea quickly. No way the little devices would be able to pierce it. Behind him, he vaguely heard Irajah say something, but wasn't paying much attention.

He placed a random assortment of equipment into another box, gathering anything that may have been useful. Suddenly, he stood up, ramrod straight, figuring out the implications of what Irajah had said. "If we can't go up... Then we go down. Brilliant!" Ghorua guffawed, feeling a spark of hope rekindle in his chest.

The Shark walked in between shelves of equipment, stuffing all he could into his metal container. He returned a few minutes later, smiling, his teeth gleaming white under layers of soot and dust. "Alright. To breach the floor... I think having a Forcie will be helpful." Ghorua set his crate down with a heavy thump, and clasped his hands together. "Now, I realize you're not exactly trained, but every Force-Wielder I've had the pleasure of meeting has been able to sense things. You know, like dodging a blaster shot to the back, and what have you. Do you think you could 'see'..." Ghorua did large air-quotes with his fingers, "... where the floor might've been weakened?"

Ghorua felt genuinely happy, but tried desperately not to let it take hold. He didn't want to get his hopes up. Not yet, at least.

He would let a few of their plans actually succeed first.

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -

 

[Kuzo]

Irajah visibly struggled with something for a few moments before-

"I don't know. I can try."

With the exception of the technique that kept the virus in check, Irajah had only ever been able to tap in to the Force when she was feeling.... something big. When she was afraid or angry. And not just a little bit of those things- but to the point where fear narrowed down the focus of her world to a pinprick, or where anger set everything awash with red.

A Jedi Master had once commented that her presence in the Force was oddly turned in. It was a boon, she'd found, because other Force Users seemed less likely to notice her, allowing her to simply go about her life. But it also made affecting things outside of herself strange and uncomfortable.

And sometimes, physically dangerous.

Irajah stared at the floor, her lips turning slowly deeper and deeper into a frown. She shook her head suddenly. Pushing away from the wall, she moved to the middle of the space. In an ever widening circle, she stepped slowly, carefully. It would only take a moment for [member="Ghorua the Shark"] to realize she was literally placing herself in every spot available within the broken workshop.

Eventually, she paused.

"If there's a weak spot," she said slowly, "I'm too light to trigger it." She paused, clearly frustrated. "I don't think I can find it unless there's actually some risk to me. I don't even know how to do it, without that I mean."

So far, neither of them had fallen through the floor, so if there was a weak spot, it wasn't going to be obvious- there would likely be no physical sensation of it, anyway. But....

"Let's do that again. This time with both of us. But you'll have to stay very close to me, okay?"

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua waited patiently as Irajah slowly picked her way around the shop. He stood tall in the shop, a pseudo-confidence in his posture. Truthfully, he wasn't sure how he was feeling at this moment. He could tell the Doctor seemed uncomfortable with the cited Force power, making Ghorua think. Why would that be?

The Shark simply waited, and watched.

Eventually, Irajah returned. Ghorua smiled, and showed his agreement. "Will do, little lady." He realized what she was doing, even if all the mystic implications went over his head. His footsteps shook the ground as he approached Irajah, and he chuckled slightly. "Also, let's be careful moving around together, eh? A little too much weight in one spot."

The two moved slowly along the room, the Shark's heavy-set vibrations shaking the broken earth beneath. Whether this would help Irajah with her senses, the Herglic didn't know.

He was no Jedi, after all.

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -

 

[Kuzo]

"Call me 'little lady' again and you'll become 'big fish'," she said, flashing him a smile. It was good natured, but also sincere.

In fairness, Irajah wasn't a Jedi either. She had no idea how this was suposed to work. Just how it worked for her. Light side, dark side, peace, anger leads to blah blah blah. So far, in her dealings with both groups, the main difference in her experience was that the Sith at least weren't hypocrites. It was about the best she could give to any of them really.

There was simply so much that she didn't know she didn't know.

So if it took fear or anger for her to feel what he was talking about, what was wrong with that? It was just the avenue that made the most sense. It was the easiest.

With [member="Ghorua the Shark"] in tow, she repeated the passage across and around the space. This time however, it was different. There was the vaguest sense of unease each time a momentary blink coincided with one of his heavy foot falls. As they moved, she grew more and more uncomfortable, chewing absently on her lower lip and then.

"Move move move!"

She hustled backward quickly, pressing right in to him if he didn't step back as fast as she did.

Nothing of course had happened. But the flare of danger had been almost over powering.

"There. The floor is weak there," she said, once that sensation waned slightly. As if her move hadn't been enough to explain it.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua stayed close to the Doctor, not quite knowing to expect. He had experienced many flavors of the Force, so to speak, and had studied its applications probably more than the woman below him. Having to contend with the most powerful beings in the galaxy, Ghorua had done his research on the subject. Jedi, Sith, Light, Dark, and all colors inbetween, each one had different implications, and had different strengths and weaknesses. He couldn't quite figure out Irajah.

The Shark grinned at her playful banter. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, half-pint." Light-hearted teasing was well in his comfort zone, despite the situation. They slowly made their way around the shop, and the Shark could practically taste the heightening tension in the woman. He couldn't quite grasp her logic, but trusted her judgement nonetheless.

"Move move move!"

Ghorua huffed in surprise as Irajah pressed into him, startling him so much that he stumbled backwards, falling on his rear, shaking the floor. He glanced at the floor where she had fled from, seeing nothing. Ghorua stood shakily, eyeing the spot he had almost stepped in. "Right there? Alright. Give me a few minutes."

The Shark set his crate of seemingly random equipment on the floor, and sat cross-legged around it, pulling out a pair of fusioncutters, extra power-packs, assorted wiring, and good-ol' electrical tape. He sat for several minutes engrossed in the items, planning out the equipment he would have to make. Finally, he took apart the fusioncutters with deft hands, much more precise than one might expect from a being his size. He began to string power packs together with the wiring, and connected them to the cutters, tying it all together with tape. He finished by wiring up the fusioncutter's emmiters to each other, and inspected his handiwork. It was far from pretty, and it would be far from efficient, but it would have to do.

"Alright. Let's hope this works." Ghorua motioned for the Doctor to step back, not entirely sure his design would hold up. He placed the emitters against the section of floor Irajah had pointed out, and activated his gadget. The tool buzzed to life, and the sounds of plasma rocketing to life greeted their ears. The extra power packs gave the cutters extra reach and power, letting it cut through the weak section of duracrete, albeit rather slowly. Another minute passed of the sound, before resistance seemed to give, and the cutters had burrowed completely through the stone. "Well, would you look at that!"

The Herglic grinned, and grasped the handle of the cutters, sliding it along the floor in a circular motion. It was slow going. Very slow going. It would take a few more minutes before they had a hole sizeable enough for the Herglic.

"So, if I may be so bold..." Ghorua didn't look at Irajah, too engrossed in his work. "What was with the theatrics?"

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -

 

[Kuzo]

Irajah watched with a tired sort of interest as [member="Ghorua the Shark"] set to work. She perched on a chunk of duracrete that she decided was probably out of the way enough, but still afforded her a view of the goings ons.

She frowned at his question- but not because he asked it. More because this was a topic she rarely talked about. And in truth, didn't often think about either.

"Honestly, it sounds like you know more about it than I do. I don't know how Jedi or Sith or whatever do this stuff," she said finally with a shrug. "I got taught one thing and that was it. And I had other things I was interested in doing more. It wasn't.... a priority I guess?" And her father actively avoided talking about it anyway.

"I grew up on a pretty quiet colony world. There *weren't* force users running around and-" she paused, making a dramatic series of motions with her hands, wiggling her fingers for a moment. Magic. The Force. Whatever. "Running in to them is.... kind of a new thing for me," she said, her tone turning a little sour, making it clear she wasn't particularly impressed.

"So I don't know how.... it's.... supposed to be done? I just know that it's easier to tap into if I'm in danger-" Or afraid. Or angry. When she was calm and safe, she didn't need it. But other times- that was different. "And when that happens, I just react. Something says 'move' so.... I move."

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua kept his eyes down, working on the section of duracrete with tired arms. He didn't look up when Irajah spoke, but payed attention to her words, storing her view on the Force away for further use.

"Well, I don't have much experience with the Force myself... Just what I've read, and the friends I keep." He dwelled on a few of his friends, dreading the idea he may never see them again. Smiling. Laughing. He felt a wistful sigh begin to fill his chest, but he banished it. No time to think on what may or may not happen. There was floor to cut.

"Y'know, it binds and penetrates us, and all that. All I know is that if I had it, I'd try to learn as much as I could with it." Ghorua shrugged simply. "Call me an overachiever." Her comment on learning to do one thing with her power intrigued him. What secret ability was she hiding? Had he simply not picked up on it?

"What I do know for sure is that Forcies shape the galaxy, wherever they go. For better, or for worse. They... You... leave the rest of us to deal with whatever alterations you make. I like it," he stated, the twinge of a smile pulling at his lips, "It makes my life more interesting. Case it point, getting trapped in a shop with little hope of escape."

"The Force is all about changing, learning, growing. Or at least..." Ghorua grew a bit sheepish, as the section of floor he had been working on dropped down into the next floor, into utter darkness. "... That's my experience with it. Now, after you." Ghorua laid on his belly, arms outstretched, prepared to help the Doctor descend into the unknown.

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -

 

[Kuzo]

Irajah listened, a small, thoughtful frown on her face. His words gave her pause- where he'd gone with his experiences with other Force Users was very different from where she had gone. It was partly why she hadn't pursued learning more. Sure, at first it had simply been that she had other priorities, and that her father had been so unwilling to talk about it. But her recent run ins with Force users had left her with a bad taste in her mouth. Arrogant, every single one of them. Thinking they knew better, or had the right to make decisions for other people simply by the very fact that they could manipulate the Force. Had his experiences been that different? Or was there more she hadn't seen?

She nodded, still thinking, rather than responding right away. He'd given her a lot to think about, after all.

All I know is that if I had it, I'd try to learn as much as I could with it.... The Force is all about changing, learning, growing.

Peering over the edge, her frown deepened slightly, her thoughts by necessity coming back to the present moment and the situation before them.

"Hand me that torch? Thanks."

Shimmying up to the edge, she laid down on her stomach and poked her head over. Dropping her arms as well, she shined the light around the next level down. The drop was much less than the one to the mechanic's shop had been, and after a moment, Irajah realized why.

"It's only about three meters down. Maybe a touch more?" If [member="Ghorua the Shark"] could stand up completely down there, it would be a near thing. "I think it's a maintenance level. Looks pretty stark."

With Ghorua's help, she slipped over the edge after clipping the electric torch to her belt. Dangling from her hands, she didn't have too far to drop. The ground was littered with the duracrete from the hole he'd cut however, and she stumbled, landing heavily.

"Floor's solid!" She called up to him. Wincing, she stood slowly, quickly assessing before moving out from beneath the hole. Other than a couple extra scrapes on her hands and a bang to the knee, no harm to foul. "Careful of the rubble we made though."

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua helped the light firm down the hole he had created, quickly attaching the ramshackle cutter to his belt. He heard her stumble, and frowned. "Careful. I'd rather not carry you the rest of the way." A quick flashing of bright teeth, and he followed.

Ghorua the Shark lowered himself down the hole, dropping a meter or so, hard. He growled as his heel hit a shard of something hard, and the thing pierced his foot. With a tired grumble, Ghorua raised his foot, and pulled out a small metal bar from the bottom of his boot, it's pointed edge bathed in brackish blood. His eyes slowly adjusted to his surroundings, and he realized he was slightly hunched in the maintenance room, the top of his head bumping against the slightly damaged room.

"Kark, its dark." Ghorua flashed another smile, trying to alleviate the situation. "Ah. Maintenance room, eh? Cool." That's all he could say, the gears turning in his head once again.

"Maintenance... Maintenance... That turbolift was... that way, correct?" The Herglic pointed to an opening in the wall, thankfully seeming just large enough for him. He was glad Coruscant was such a cosmopolitan planet- they probably had plenty of larger individuals lifting things in the Maintenance levels. "You think we could break into the turbolift shaft? Find a ride down?" It was an idea, at least. "I mean, they have to do repairs on the lifts somehow, right?"

Ghorua began to walk in that direction, making sure the Doctor was close on his heels. He had acquired a slight limp from the fall, but he tried to ignore it as much as possible.

They had worse things to worry about than a simple puncture wound.

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -

 

[Kuzo]

"That way, yeah," she confirmed absently, shining her light to and fro, trying to find the edges of the room. Even with the light coming down through the hole they'd made, it didn't reach.

Turning the light toward where the lift would be, she frowned, her heart sinking. Unless [member="Ghorua the Shark"] *threw* her (and she thought that sounded like a horrible idea) there was no way they were getting across that yawning chasm in the floor. And even if that *did* work, he'd still be stuck over here.

"Chit," she muttered, sweeping her light around in the other direction, a thoughtful look on her face. But where she expected the light to hit the opposite wall, instead it just illuminated empty murk.

"Um, Shark? I don't think this is a maintenance room," she said looking over at him.

Her brow furrowed. "You're limping. You okay?"

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua continued walking forward, until he reached the edge of the chasm, looking up and down it thoughtfully. He heard Irajah's voice penetrate the sudden silence of the empty space, and he shook his head, glancing about. He realized his hollow surroundings with a bit of shock. He tried to cover up the mistake with a witty remark. "Well yeah. Room, level, same thing." Ghorua cradled his head, feeling the fatigue.

He didn't respond to Irajah's question about his leg. Instead, he tried to move the conversation forward. He wasn't important. What was important was getting the Doctor out. She'd given him hope, given all of those people hope, a priceless commodity in tragedy. They were hopefully getting out as Ghorua inspected the gaping hole in the floor.

It was indeed the turbolift shaft, extending up and down the building's height. There was something wrong with it, however. The support ridges on either side, to help guide the lift's movements, were badly damaged, at least in the parts the Herglic could see. The lift from above was gone, and Ghorua couldn't see it below, so that could mean one of two things.

Either the extremely damaged lift made it down safely, or...

It had been destabilized, plunging the entire groups to their presumed deaths.

Ghorua kneeled at the edge of the hole, looking for rungs, or anything that might help them climb down. "We need to find a way down." Ghorua's voice shook as he grasped at straws. He was exhausted, physically and mentally spent, and was quite literally on his last leg. "We need to find a way down! C'mon, help me... Help me look."

Ghorua sunk to his knees, teetering dangerously close to the edge.

He was no longer fighting for himself. He could die today, and it wouldn't have mattered to him. He was fighting for Irajah, for her safe escape. He didn't have enough strength to go much farther, he knew that.

She would escape, even if he didn't.

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -

 

[Kuzo]

It was impossible to miss the change in him- perhaps it might have been subtle in other circumstances, but these two had already seen so many reactions of the other even in such a short time. Tragedy and catastrophe tended to forge connections swiftly that otherwise might take much longer to form.

So if her expression was a little alarmed when she came over to him, well, she couldn't help it. Sweeping her lamp down so it didn't shine in his eyes where he knelt, she looked down in to the chasm. Her own thoughts moved along the same pathways as his had a moment ago, and she grimaced, unsure and deeply unsettled. There was nothing either of them could do if the lift had crashed. Not from here. And they didn't even know for certain if it had. Chances were that the lift had simply never made it all the way up and everything was exactly as they had left it two floors above.

There was no way to know. And that, of course, made it that much harder.

Irajah refocused on [member="Ghorua the Shark"], hazel eyes filled with concern.

"Hey," she said softly. Reaching out, she placed her hand on his shoulder. She knew better than to tell someone else to calm down- that never helped anything.

"We'll be okay. Not giving up, remember?" She cast her light up, across the chasm. Of course, there was the ladder he was so desperately searching for- on the opposite side. She grimaced.

Kneeling, he was closer to her height. Squeezing his shoulder slightly, she murmured. "Wait here, okay? Rest for a second, you need it."

Something was picking at the back of her mind. She turned, sweeping the light and stepped away from Ghorua. Treading carefully, she headed beneath the hole he'd made. Stepped back in to the darkness on the other side, she frowned slightly as the light flicked back and forth. She disappeared in to the murk for a minute before the light preceded her return.

"The corridor runs the whole length of the level, I think," she said once she was next to him again. "I can't imagine there's only one way up and down per level. Pretty sure it's against safety regulations."

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua had seen the rungs on the other side, and his spirits fell. They would have to find another way down, it seemed. Ghorua was about to turn away, to struggle to his feet, when he felt a small hand on his shoulder.

Irajah was giving him that look. They had known each other for but a few hours, but Ghorua had already pegged her with a signature look. Her eyes brimmed with concern, like a surgeon observing the aftermath of a nasty speeder crash, or a para trying to calm a crying child. Perhaps it came with her profession. Perhaps it came with disasters in general.

At her behest, Ghorua relented, plopping down, and swinging his legs over the side of the deep expanse. Before she left into the unknown, Ghorua wrapped his fingers around her forearm. "Hey, stay safe out there, yeah?" Reluctant at leaving the doctor alone, Ghorua let go. He knew he needed rest, the clinical professional knew he needed rest, so he figured he should rest.

The Herglic had too much time to think. Staring into the dark, Ghorua couldn't help but look back at his entire life. Near-death encounters had a way of bringing bad memories to surface.

He was surrounded by fog. He held the only source of light in his hands, the sky-blue blade of a saber-pike illuminating his dark features. He felt as if a hundred dark, hungry eyes followed his every move. Then, a swirling of mist. Reaching claws. Grasping hands.

Ghorua saw Irajah's glow returning, and quickly composed himself, shaking off the dark fantasy. She would find the Shark standing, arms crossed, a slight frown tarnishing his scraped-up face. Hopefully, they'd find a way down before they had to rest. Jeruba Complex was a massive place, and by Ghorua's estimates, it was around midnight outside. The chances of the pair finding an alternate way down before collapsing were small.

"Well, let's get searching, then." Ghorua started forward daintily, his limp still palpable, but slight. "I'm pretty sure I missed my dinner plans." A weak attempt at humor, but the fact he could muster any at this point was impressive.

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -

 

[Kuzo]

"When we get out of here, we'll go get the biggest nerf-steak dinner- or whatever you like to eat- Coruscant can muster," she said with a small, tired smile. "My treat."

When. Always when. Never if.

She checked on him unobtrusively every so often, keeping an eye on his limp. It was clear that the Herglic was pressing the bounds of his stamina. In truth, so was Irajah. But having someone else to be concerned about kept the petite woman going. It wasn't because she was particularly altruistic, though it would be easy to assume so. Just that she could focus on those needs. With something to focus on, she could do anything required. There was no room for doubt as long as she kept moving, kept taking action.

But if she stopped....

The pair picked their way carefully over the rubble once more, Irajah leading the way. As she's said, the walls stretched far beyond the confines of a single room. Casting her light around, she frowned, closing her eyes for a moment as a wave of dizziness washed over her. Breathing in deeply, she let it out with a slow whoosh. But the feeling didn't pass.

A heart beat, two-

"I think there's a leak of some sort," she said suddenly. She didn't smell anything out of the ordinary, and yet....

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

"Oh, I'm vegetarian. Medical issues." Ghorua rapped his head with his knuckles, trying to keep the situation light. Joking felt normal, comfortable, bearable. He could live with playful banter, but the dampened quiet that came next wasn't.

Ghorua walked beside Irajah, his slightly off-kilter footsteps booming in the enclosed space. The silence was disquieting; he felt as if they were the only beings left on the planet, forced to survive in one of those cheesy horror holovids he enjoyed so much as a child.

Ain't karma a nerf-herder.

Ghorua stopped suddenly, breathing deeply through his blow-hole, his senses detecting something. He came up with the scent's source a little too late to warn the doctor. "Wait up!" Ghorua reached out a hand, pulled Irajah back, and retreated a ways down the corridor, the way they came. It hadn't quite effected him yet, but perhaps that was because he had detected it quickly enough, at the very outskirts of whatever gas had leaked through. Ghorua took in another deep breath, to make sure the air they breathed was safe. He detected the slightly earthy taste of gas, faint in the air, definitely too faint for a human's nose to detect.

"You're right. If I had to guess, one of the heating systems ruptured, but hey, I'm no building specialist." Ghorua peered into the dark, looking for any lingering fog. Thankfully, the gas seemed to be nearly odorless, and invisible. "Also, chances are its been leaking since the explosion. No use in covering up a leak if everything that was in is already out."

Ghorua looked down to Irajah, concerned. He thought for a minute, debating what to do. He could find no way around it; they would have to walk through, and hope they made it.

"Unless you have a better idea, I think we have to brave it, hope we make it to the other side before we run out of air." Ghorua shivered in anticipation. Herglics were once aquatic- that meant Ghorua could hold his breath for a very long time. But he knew Irajah probably couldn't.

"You got any better ideas?" Ghorua let the shadow of a smile play across his lips. "I could always discharge my gun in here, put us out of our misery in a blaze of glory."

"What? I'm kidding."

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -

 

[Kuzo]

It took a couple of deep breaths in the clear air for the dizziness to pass, but for a couple of moments there, she had been starting to feel like she was walking underwater. Frowning down the hallway, Irajah cast her light about, but just like [member="Ghorua the Shark"] , could discern nothing visually. Looking back the way they'd come, her frown deepened.

After a few heartbeats of thought, and a slightly dirty look at his last suggestion, she nodded slowly.

"Unless we want to go back to waiting, I can't think of anything else either," she said, a look somewhere between concern and anger on her face. They'd come too far to just sit there. There was also a small quiver of doubt. How far would they have to go? She had no idea. Holding her breath wasn't something she practiced, after all.

"We'll hurry," she said, deliberately injecting a note of optimism into her voice as she looked up at Ghorua with a too bright grin. Bright enough to betray.

"Ready?"

She took a deep breath.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua nodded at his little companion, picking up on her forced optimism. He was guilty of a similar faking of emotion. Each was trying to stay strong for the other, neither feeling all that confident. Ghorua smiled, nonetheless, offering whatever solace he could.

"Ready? Doc, I don't think all the prep in the world could've readied me for any of this." Ghorua flexed his fist, an anticipatory growl making its way into his throat. "Let's go."

A deep whooshing sound could be heard as Ghorua's oversized lungs expanded with air, the blowhole on his head shutting once his body had it's fill of oxygen. The Shark began a brisk jog forward, his hurt foot and tired body keeping him from anything more.

The two of them ran through the corridor, Ghorua checking behind him ever so often to make sure Irajah was progressing in a similar fashion. The Herglic had to be careful to not leave the Doctor behind; if she fell unconscious, and he didn't realize it...

Keep moving forward, Balin.

One minute passed of running. Ghorua sampled the air, still tasting the bitter scent of gas. He looked back, to make sure Irajah was keeping up.

Another minute. Ghorua sniffed lightly, and felt another pang of fear as he smelled only gas, stronger than ever. The aquatic hunter was still fine, but Irajah would most likely be feeling the beginning effects of suffocation by now.

We aren't going to make it!

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -

 

[Kuzo]

The average, healthy human could hold their breath for thirty seconds without discomfort, or up to a minute if pressed. While it was certainly possible for someone to work toward holding it for longer, it wasn't a skill Irajah had ever even considered worth concerning herself with. And Irajah was not the healthiest specimen on the block.

By the time [member="Ghorua the Shark"] had looked back after the first minute, she'd already needed to draw her first breath. It wasn't a matter of choice, but of a deep imperative to not simply suffocate. Of course, that breath was less breathable air than she actually needed- which meant that she could go even less time before the next one.

Her pace was gradually slowing as it became harder to concentrate and dizziness started to set in. She felt heavy. It wasn't obvious at first. But the burning in her chest from the running started to subside, even though she was still holding her breath as long as she could.

The hallway was narrowing. At least, for Irajah.

It was easy to misstep in that condition. It took a moment however, for her to realize what was happening. Up until she was halfway to the floor, she had thought it was just another wave of that dizziness. She got her hands out just in time, but the wind was knocked out of her in the fall- and she took another breath.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua saw Irajah stumble.

Uh oh.

The Shark stopped in his tracks, turning on his heel quickly. He wanted to speak, to ask if she was alright, but he was rendered silent. They didn't have enough time for conversation, anyways. Now was the time for action.

With little hesitation, the gargantuan Herglic scooped up the fallen, dizzy doctor like a protective parent shielding a child. And resistance would be quickly swept aside, although he had the feeling Irajah wouldn't protest. In his weak state, she felt heavy, but the adrenaline and desperation of the moment pushed him onward.

I swear, if we've gotten through all this for you to die to a little gas, I'm gonna...

Ghorua had no ending for his train of thought.

Ghorua lost track of how much time passed in-between when he picked the Doctor up and his hurried jog through the invisible enemy. He was too concentrated on moving forward, and looking down, concern and fear shadowing his features.

Ghorua sampled the air one final time, and breathed... mostly fresh air. Some gas still tainted it, but the substance was breathable. A small pop accompanied Ghorua releasing whatever leftover air he had, and the strong intake of breath that followed. They were safe.

Presuming they had both made it through.

Ghorua placed Irajah on the floor, landing hard beside her. He was out of breath, sweat caking his body.

"Hey! You okay?"

- [member="Irajah Ven"] -

 

[Kuzo]

It took her a moment to realize why it felt like she was floating. The race down the hallway was surreal, blurred and heavy despite the fact that she was moving on a plane higher than she usually experienced. The vantage point might have been more interesting if her brain wasn't slowly suffocating from the influx of gas- at some point, the concept of holding her breath had failed along with any desire to fight the flying sensation.

She *was* aware that [member="Ghorua the Shark"] was carrying her, but in a distant sort of way. And that distance grew as each breath passed. Eventually, her eyes closed and she lay in his arms quietly.

When he finally stopped, she was still breathing- had been starting to breath in progressively cleaner and cleaner air. But it still took a longer time than it ought to have for his voice to get through the fog.

Hazel eyes opened, having a hard time focusing at first. She frowned, then winced. It took a couple of false starts before she finally got out-

"Well, I'm glad..... you didn't..... set the hallway.... on fire...."

By the maw, her head hurt.