Those Things In Your Head

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

He came up behind her, gently placing his hands on her side. "Are you sure?"

Munin asked quietly.

"I don't mind just letting you go." The shower wasn't that big of a deal for him, he still felt very clean after the hot springs.

He reminded himself to convince Spark to go again sometime, he'd enjoyed seeing her a bit more...relaxed. A small smile touched his lips as he watched her try to cool down the caf, the small rims under her eyes showing that she might have needed a bit of a boost.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

Fingers curled protectively around the caf. His hands tickled at her sides. Tentatively, she took a sip of the caf.

#instaburn #dontcare

"Yeah-ooooo, hothot," she went back to furiously blowing. "You go. I'll take one when we get back. I don't want to deal with wet hair out in the cold and drying it takes too much time."

Plus, she hated blow drying her hair. Period. Turning, she pressed a quick kiss, lips warm and smelling of caf, on his cheek.

#blushing

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

"Okay." He told her quietly, a small smile creeping on his face as she pressed a kiss against his cheek.

The shower would be hot by now, probably too hot, but it was better than being cold. He didn't mind the latter so much but he supposed it was always better to be warm. His smile remained as he turned away from her, wandering towards the shower. "I might have to join you for that though."

Munin joked before bolting towards the shower.

He wasn't serious of course, after everything else today that likely would've caused Spark to pass out.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

She froze and stared at Munin's form as he disappeared into the other room. Eyes remained wide-eyed and doe-like. She felt that rush of heat down the back of her slender neck.

"He was just kidding. Obvs." She whispered into her cup of caf. #obvs!!

Finishing off half of the caf cup, she began grazing on the multitude of snacks they had. When that was done, she gathered all her jackets, gloves, and a hat. #prepared

Taking out a small bag, she packed some extra snacks, her comm, and some glow sticks. Sitting on a bench by the door, she began the arduous process of putting on snow boots while waiting for Mun to finish up.

#missmyconverse

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

Munin slipped the long-sleeve shirt over the thermal that he had placed beneath it, feeling warmth flood over him. The skintight suit would keep him warm enough in this environment, as long as he didn't end up going swimming. He frowned for a second as he pulled the rest of the cloth of his head, catching his image in the mirror for just a moment. Bright blue eyes looked back at him, a hand coming up to run through his already half dried hair. "You can do this."

He said quietly to himself.

A frown pulled at his lips as he stepped into the bedroom for a moment, Munin digging around his bag to pull out the VT-Bolt Blaster he had stuck away. The weapon was quickly checked over, and then slipped into a holster on the small of his back. Spark wouldn't like it, but unlike she Munin didn't have the force to protect herself and this...this might require it.

"Alright" He finally called to her as he stood, taking a small data-ripper from his bag. "I'm ready."

Without further hesitation he stepped back into the kitchen.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

She nodded once and stood up, opening the door to their once derelict cabin. "Let's go." Voice was quiet. She could feel her own tension spread along her muscles and limbs. She couldn't imagine what Munin was going through.

If she had to use the force, any nearby force users would be able to sense her and come flocking. She was prepared for that too. The technopath would keep Munin safe. No matter what.

The cold hit their faces as they stepped out. There was no warmth from sunlight. It was the bitter, coldest part of the night. She was thankful for all those layers and that hot caf. It was a short hike up to the Keep.

Footsteps moved in the shadows. Whereas Munin was used to hiding in plain sight, it was clear she was used to being a ghost.

#invisible

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

He moved quietly, ducking in the shadows as best as he could.

The Information Broker wasn't exactly the stealthiest of figures. No matter how much he tried he was pretty sure that he wouldn't ever be that. His game was conning people, tricking someone to let him inside where he wanted to go without ever asking a question. Moving like Spark? That just seemed impossible. Snow crunched beneath his feet, and every move that he made seemed like it would give them away. Eventually however they reached the wall of the Keep, avoiding the Cameras on the outside.

"That way." He whispered to her, pointing towards the nearby door.

She would have to go first, show him exactly how they were going to do this.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

She nodded, blue eyes catching his silently in the starlight. Pulling out a decoder wire, she hooked it up to her datapad and to the door lock. "Cover me," she whispered, pressing against the nook of the door. She could've just used the force to open it but to do so this early was a little too risky.

All this stuff worked fine for her before she even knew she could use the force anyway.

#olschool

With a few whirring clicks, the correct combination of numbers flashed across the screen and the wall door opened. She pulled the device free and stuffed it back in the pack, tugging quietly on Munin's hand, they entered the facility. The door closed behind them and she remained in the shadow of the wall for a moment.

"There are three different buildings. Where do you want to start?" She didn't let go of Munin's hand.

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

Munin followed quietly, or at least as quiet as he could manage. He frowned for a moment, thinking about how the holo-movies always made this look a lot easier than it actually was. For some reason he had expected sneaking to just...come more naturally to him. He shook his head slightly as Spark lead him forward, his fingers gently squeezing hers.

He couldn't help it.

"Biggest one first." He told her. "If they have a lab...that's where they would keep it."

At least if these people used any sort of logic anyway. "Then the other two."

He nodded quietly as Spark headed forward.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

She wondered what exactly they were looking for. Hidden files on Munin and what was inside him. Would there be a why? She nodded to the information broker and lead them forward. There was one more lock to bypass at the middle, larger building.

She expected to see some workers or maybe a security patrol but so far nothing. It was odd considering the amount of security they had monitoring this place. Motion-sensor lights flipped on as they entered one of the main corridors but luckily, she didn't see any cameras. The hallways had sterile floors and white-washed walls.

Freckled nose crinkled.

Very hospital-like.

She hated hospitals.

#bleck

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

He frowned slightly.

The hall that they stepped into flashed slightly, bright white lights casting down on the hallways in front of them. It illuminated everything, the cracks within the doors, the splinters in the marble floor, the dirt on the tiled walls. The Information Broker slowly peered around. "It's abandoned."

He said quietly.

Clearly this had been some sort of hospital or lab, but now it stood empty. He frowned for a moment and moved forward, his hand slowly reaching towards the small of his back. He pulled the blaster free from it's holster, drawing it just in case but only holding it loosely. He slowly wandered down the hall, poking his head through random open doors, checking behind counters, looking at anything that he could. Wires hung from certain places, water had collected in others.

"There's nothing here." Munin said quietly as they stepped onto the second floor, lights flickering on once more. "No one..."

Perhaps in the other buildings.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

She frowned, noticing the dirt and the thin layer of dust on the once pristine floors. She wandered over to a drawer and opened it up. Nothing but some half broken stylists and a screen replacement for a datapad.

Footsteps wandered over to the stairwell and she peered out the snowy windows to the two buildings across the way.

"Maybe there's something over there?" Voice trailed off. If this place was abandoned, she doubted the other buildings had something. But they had to look. "C'mon," fingers found his free hand and she gently tugged him on.

She'd been so focused on finding something, she hadn't stopped to think what would happen if they found nothing.

#placewasstillcreepy

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

The second building was the same.

The floor was concrete, the walls were the same, but everything was bare. There was water on the floor, hooks hanging from the wall. A few times they found a table with with some old datapad on it, but they were wiped or broken, the screens smashed and the guts ripped out. Munin frowned as they stood in the central room, having checked everywhere else only to find nothing. "I..."

He couldn't even say it.

"The third building." He said quietly. "It has to be there."

Desperation clung to his voice. "That's why there's security. The third building."

It made sense to him. Why else have cameras, why else go through all this trouble...why else. There had to be something here. It was the only clue that they had, the only lead.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

"Okay," she spoke quietly. She was never one for reading emotions of others but she was getting to know Munin more than she had almost anyone. And she could hear that rise in his voice. Her heart broke just a little.

#putonabraveface

They weren't as cautious as they'd been at the beginning of the night. There didn't seem to be a need to. Or perhaps it was born out of sloppiness and desperation. Lights clicked on like they had in the other buildings. Munin went ahead of her and they began searching the rooms one by one. All of them were empty. There was one last set of double doors at the end of the hall.

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

He walked slowly, cautiously, almost as if he were scared of what he would find. His lips thinned as he moved forward, his legs seeming to get heavier and heavier with each step. The blaster was still in his hand, though he held it loosely, his fingers barely curled around the heavy handle. Slowly he moved towards the door, his hand falling onto the heavy wood. Fingers slowly latched around the handle, and then he lightly pushed. A loud creak rang out.

Munin stopped, staring into the next room.

"There's..." He stepped inside, the blaster dropping from his hand as he moved through the doorway. His head turned, gazing around the empty room that he had found. Bright blue eyes trying in desperation to find...something. "Nothing..."

He turned back towards Spark. "Nothing..."

The Information Broker fell to his knees.

"Nothing." He repeated again.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

She pushed open the door with her bony-hip. She knelt down in front of Munin in a second. Gangly arms wrapped around his defeated form. "We'll figure this out. Keep looking." Speckled-gaze peaked behind his shoulder to confirm what he'd said. Senses in the force stretched forward, looking, searching, and probing for any technology they could use.

#nothing

There was nothing.

"We'll figure this out," she repeated in his ear. "Together." Arms squeezed him gently, holding him for as long as she needed to.

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

"How?" His voice bellowed out through the empty halls. He didn't yell, not at her, but it was clear that this had hit him hard. His hands came to his face, his head nestling into her. Slowly he shook, his entire body.

He felt like he was falling apart.

"How?" He asked again. "This was our only lead. The one clue that we had. Everything we had, everything from the Red Codex, everything...it lead to here."

He looked around, then glanced at Spark in desperation. "There's nothing to figure out."

Tears rolled down his face.

"There's nothing else to find." He sounded broken.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

Then the tears came.

Her heart cracked a bit further. She didn't answer him. She just knelt there, melting into his shaking form. Arms tightened around him, hands rubbing slowly up and down his back. Was this awkward? Should she be patting him instead? Just holding him?

The introvert slicer didn't usually comfort people.

She finally settled just for holding him. #lessawkward. Lips parted and she whispered against him. "Not today. Maybe later, something else will come up. I have connections and contacts too."

She was a good slicer too. #darknet

"I won't give up looking, as long as you want it. I won't give up on this for you." It was a promise and she didn't make them lightly. She could feel that invisible string tying them closer and closer together and it was still fething scary. But, she felt more ready for it.

 

[Munin]

[member="Spark Finn"]

He sat in silence for a moment.

What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to say? This was supposed to have given him answers, it was supposed to have been the solution, and now...now there were just more questions. He felt like he'd had the carped pulled out from underneath him. He felt like...everything was falling apart again. Munin looked up at Spark, slowly gazing at her through tears. He sniffled slightly, almost in a child like manner before wiping his eyes.

"Yeah." He had to remember the good.

Slowly he nodded.

"Let's..." Munin looked around. "Let's just go back to the cabin."

He sounded so defeated.

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Munin"]

"Alright," she pulled back from Munin. She couldn't offer him any more words of comfort. Anything else would sound fake. #flat. She could only offer her presence. For as long as he needed it.

Standing, she scooped the blaster up off the floor and handed it back to him. Blue eyes beneath glass lenses darted around as they made their way out. Nothing tried to stop them. No one was around. She didn't take any chances, though. They went out the same way they'd come in. She didn't want to tell Munjn about the tiny flying spy-droids darth Adekos used on her, that she couldn't even sense as a technopath.

What if there were some flying around now? She shivered. Soon enough, they were back at the cabin door.