This is Not a Date

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Saturday, 10am. It was a day that Rendaz had been terribly dreading as well as morbidly anticipating. But a vow was a vow, and there was no wriggling out of it. He knew Od would take no excuses.

And there he was, pacing towards the castle gates, pushing his trusty motorbike alongside him. The thing looked a little old, but well polished no less than a stable condition. Lights were wired to the front, a lot more than needed, and chutes and exhausts stuck out from the back, steadily spewing gas. Levers stuck out everywhere, their purpose not immediately clear. The engine growled under its breath as it was dragged along.

His eyes skimmed over the scenery, keeping a sharp lookout for any blue-haired idiot that would soon be accompanying him. There was always the possibility that he would've been unable to attend, but that idea was dismissed as soon as he'd even thought it.

He checked his watch. 10:32am. No, it wasn't really that time. He'd purposefully set it half an hour early to make it seem as if time was going faster. It was the least he could do.

He continued foward, keeping a wary eye out, reminding himself: this was not a date. An excursion, and nothing else.

[Odqura]

Saturday, 9:46 AM. Od observed that he had been ready for exactly two hours now, briefly recalling the numbers that had been displayed on his mantel clock the moment he ceased fussing with his feathers earlier that morning--feathers which were impeccably and strategically placed, by the way, even though he was perfectly aware perching on the back of a motorbike might very well undo any and all efforts. It wasn't that he was particularly eager for this outing, except that he was. So for the last two hours, he had been sitting in the plush little sitting-room area of his quarters reading an unsurprisingly uninteresting account of the weather in Sindri's Cove in the Spring of 1912. With some amount of relieved finality, he flipped the volume shut and shoved it away onto a side table. He rose, straightened out the bottom of his jacket, snagged a pair of large white-rimmed sunglasses from a hall table as he passed, and exited his rooms.

The next twelve minutes were spent at a steady meandering pace towards the front doors. Being too early would just seem overeager. At 9:58 Od was sweeping open the door with one hand and slipping his sunglasses into place with the other, at 10:00 he was turning onto the path that lead to the front gates, and at 10:02 he spotted his companion arriving some distance away. So Rendaz decided to not disappoint him. This pleased him.

Slowing his pace as he came nearer, Od tilted his head to the side with a gratified smirk gracing his lips. Both hands were casually placed in either pocket of his light-weight white trench coat, and the loose ends of a charcoal scarf shifted in a passing breeze. He came to a stop, leaving Rendaz with a respectable couple a feet between them.

"Good morning, sweeheart."

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Finally sighting the other dean a fair distance away, Rendaz found his expression shifting into some sort of macabre smile. It almost seemed an attempt at being pleasant that went horribly wrong - Rendaz knew full well that he was going to regret allowing himself to be dragged on this outing.

"Glad to see you're... on time." He shifted his weight, leaning with one arm on the handle of the motorbike. "Haven't kept you too long, have I?" he sneered. If Od had been waiting long at all, then... well, it was his own fault. The proposed time was 10am, not before that.

Claws idly preened the feathers on his boa, and eyes briefly scanned over his accompany's form. He said he had a present for him? He decided not to point this out, however.

After a moment, he sighed. "Well, that was a nice trip. See you around." He turned around to leave, but there was a quality in his tone which suggested he was not at all being serious.

[Odqura]

Thankful was he for his stylishly large sunglasses since he felt sure that they were helping to disguise some of the excitement Od felt as he eyed the motorbike. After Rendaz acknowledged his presence, he closed some more of the distance he'd left between them.

"Nonsense, I've only just arrived myself," he assured good-naturedly, and it was true.

The ruckarl's flippant attempt to dismiss himself earned him a smile and an earnest laugh. Od was encouraged by the lack of hostility in the not entirely unexpected valediction--so much so that it almost felt like a regular joke. Perhaps it was. And perhaps it was a good omen that today's excursion would not require quite as much tooth-pulling as spending time with the mechanics professor sometimes demanded. But Od wasn't about to get his hopes up too high, being merely pleased that Rendaz had arrived of his own free will, and respectfully on time.

"Flammy, I've got a wonderful picnic prepared. Surely you wouldn't wish for my heartfelt cooking to fall to waste?" He pouted teasingly. "I couldn't possibly eat it all myself." He eyed the bike again with a mild tilt of his head, filled with the urge to claim his seat. But he didn't particularly like people touching his things without invitation, so he would extend the same courtesy to Rendaz and his motorcycle.

If he did carry any sort of gift with him, it was well hidden and modestly sized, for the dean carried no bag as he usually would. Lacking was also any proof of the promised food. But if Rendaz didn't ask, he felt no need to inform him that everything was already waiting for them at their destination. If Rendaz didn't realize they had a destination.. Well, it didn't matter because Od planned to direct him there.

"Shall we?" He asked cheerily.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

A small smirk showed that Rendaz was pleased that he'd not been waiting long, if not mildly surprised. He'd almost expected him to be camping out here with binoculars since the arrangement in the infirmary.

At his proposition, Rendaz pretended to think for a moment, before double-taking for a moment. He said... what? "Picnic?" His smile became forced. "..You didn't." A picnic? A picnic?! That was child stuff, certainly not what two colleagues should be up to. Why am I letting him do this? he thought with frustration.

He hoped it were a joke though, because after another quick observation, he saw that Od didn't seem to be carrying much at all. He gave a curt nod. "Haha. Funny."

He looked to the motorbike again, finding the need to obsessively polish the metallic handle with his thumb, despite the fact he could already see his own reflection in it. At his cheery question, Rendaz gave a less than cheery snort, before raising his leg over to seat himself on the bike. Leaning back, he retrieved a rather plain, bumpy helmet from a basket at the back of the bike, holding it out expectantly towards Od.

"This is for you," he snarked. "In case I feel the need to shove you off."

[Odqura]

It was unclear to Od whether or not Rendaz believed in the existence of this picnic food that had been mentioned. He let the matter drop since it didn't matter; there was going to be a picnic if he had any sway.

Od's observant gaze flickered to the restless thumb buffing that small patch of handle, and back to Rendaz's face. A nervous habit? He filed it away and smile pleasantly.

An unpleasant looking helmet was held out to him, and regarded with barely concealed distaste. Od's lip curled minutely as he hesitantly reached a hand out to accept the thing. "How thoughtful," he offered blandly, helmet hanging limply on his fingertips like he was loathe to hold it, let alone place it on his head. It was a fashion nightmare and it wouldn't be borne. He lifted both his eyebrows and drew his lips back into their previous smile. The helmet quickly found it's way right back to where Rendaz had pulled it from. "I'll take the risk and just hold on tight."

Od swung one leg over the bike and quickly settled in behind Rendaz. True to his declaration, he didn't waste any time slipping his arms around to try and circle his colleague's middle.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

It was no surprise that Od wasn't leaping in gratitude at his dingy, old helmet. It had been well used - and well abused, to the point where it probably didn't even function as a helmet any more, just some tasteless head accessory. He grinned wryly as the helmet was returned to its home.

"It's not even two minutes yet and you've already broke my heart." He feigned a depressed sigh. "I had that specially prepared for you."

As Od seated himself behind him, Rendaz felt a familiar uncomfortable feeling - one he'd felt during the excursion to Sindri's Cove. Or specifically, the last time Od decided to leech off a motorbike ride. When arms coiled around his mid-section, it took every fibre of the mechanic's being not to writhe away from him. He tried to put it out of mind. Pressing down on the pedal, he revved the engine, as it purred lowly and deeply in satisfaction.

He felt no need to warn the clinging dean of his take-off, because frankly, he didn't want to give him an invitation to hold on any tighter. So he pressed down harder, and the motorcycle roared into life. The vehicle moved forward, dust spurting up behind it, swiftly gaining speed as it hurtled down the dirt road.

"So!" he called over the noise of the wind rushing against them. "Where is this so called picnic?"

((I dunno if this requires a new thread but... mwah. x3))

[Odqura]

Rendaz's comment referring to the disregarded helmet earned an airy 'tch' the raptor. "I'm sure you did," Od quipped affectionately.

He was successfully taken by surprised when the motorbike lurched forwards without fair warning. A quiet and slightly undignified yelp of alarm escaped him, and the dean instinctually hugged the torso in front of him more tightly. As soon as he was certain he wasn't about to bounce off the end of the bike, however, he was quick to relax his hold again. The urge to trap the well-preened feathers beneath his hands--which Od was certain were being tossed about in a very unruly fashion by the persistent winds--was great, but there was little he could do but try not to worry himself about the wind-swept appearance he would undoubtedly be sporting when their ride was through. So Od pouted a little for a moment before pushing those vain distractions aside. Ruining his hair-do was a small price to pay for this ride, he knew. That thought made him smile.

Sensing words coming from his colleague, Od leaned his neck forwards a little more so as not to miss the words as they were hastily torn away by the wind. His responding chuckle was likely too quiet to have been shared.

"Just drive!" His grin was audible as he responded in kind, voice raised to try and press the sound forwards through the wind before his words were swept away far behind them. "I want to take the long way!" he explained vaguely. After a short pause, he tilted his head to try and get a better view of the side of Rendaz's face. "We'll have to walk some of it, is that alright?"

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Motorcycling was always a hobby that the ruckarl was fond of, and he was determined not to make this an exception. No, even despite his clingy passenger, he was going to enjoy this ride. As the vehicle tore viciously across the dirt, he manoeuvred it almost expertly around bends and obstacles, often in a far more extravagant manner than needed; daring, stunt-like twists and turns. An obvious attempt to impress the dean.

The words were hardly picked up by his less-than-sensitive ears. but he did make them out. The long way? He really couldn't stop the rolling of his eyes for that remark - the suggestion sounded more cruel than it did pleasant. Still, on the plus side, it wasn't all that horrible an experience. The exhilarating feeling of riding made up for the uncomfortable closeness of his colleague.

He slowed his daredevil steering to something more stable as he responded to Od. "Fine with me!" he snapped back, trying to ignore the face staring at the side of his head, eyes only focused on the road ahead. "Don't distract me," he muttered more quietly, uncaring whether or not they were picked up Od.

[Odqura]

Odqura was impressed. He didn't even have to pretend to be. And, though it probably would remsin unmentioned, there were a number of times where the ride was almost frightening. Never to the point where he wanted it to end, of course! But in an exhilarating and adrenaline-stroking way, and he couldn't help but laugh at his own racing heart whenever Rendaz veered them recklessly across the loose dirt and pebbles. Od hadn't realized it yet, but he was wearing a marvelously excited grin.

He was pleased when Rendaz didn't question the location further since conversing seemed to go hand-in-hand with slowing down, and Od found he rather liked the reckless speed. But something inherently mischievous sparked in his eye when the 'distract' filtered back to him. The mutter was lost to the wind for the most part, but he'd gotten the gist. Of course, it was stupid to distract someone when they were operating a two-wheeled vehicle in a particularly daring manner. He pulled his head back a little, to give Rendaz some space. His eyes narrowed a fraction.

There was a distinct moment this morning when Od could very clearly recall himself, silently promising, that he would give the ruckarl a bit more space than he.. sometimes did. Simply because, this small effort on his part would ensure today's excursion to be more enjoyable for the both of them fairly. It sounded simple enough, but he so rarely had to deny himself anything or assign restraints. No, Od had very little established self-control.

With a small pang caused by the betrayal of his earlier vow--which was hurriedly and actually very easily banished--the blue-haired professor shifted to nestle his nose into the crook of his driver's neck. "What was that, darling?" He cooed tauntingly, as if to announce that he had in fact heard the instruction, and was rebelling against it. With a wicked smirk, he aimed a fleeting nip at the orange skin.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Od wasn't complaining about the dangerous ride, so by all means, Rendaz took that as an invitation to continue. Either way, he hadn't assumed that Od would be at all distressed - he'd never taken him to be the cowardly kind. He was satisfied that his assumptions were correct.

As he veered around a corner, the tires skidded up a tidal wave of dust and the motorcycle would tilt at an almost perilous angle before continuing on its way. A fleeting glance backwards revealed the messy evidence of tire tracks embedded in the path, and a small chuckle of satisfaction escaped him.

He felt something on his shoulder, and he didn't even have to look to guess what it was. "Ooood..." he groaned, before feeling something of a nip in his shoulder. He flinched - momentarily sending the motorcycle in a direction that he hadn't intended, before he hastily returned it to the track. He could've flipped out at his passenger... but truthfully, he wasn't mad at all. It was exciting, and Rendaz never got that feeling often. it was almost as if the riding of the bike was so effortless and uneventful, and that his attendee was now providing something of a challenge to deal with. He certainly didn't want to turn down a challenge.

The look in Rendaz's eye almost seemed to dare the dean to continue, looking back with a cocky smirk. A claw raised from the handle, aiming to flick the dean's nose off his shoulder like an irritating fly.

[Odqura]

In the back of his mind there flickered a fleeting reminder that dramatically dangerous stunts, such as the suspenseful skid Rendaz had moments ago performed, where exactly the reason why causing an intentional distraction was a bad idea. But pitted against that look... What was Rendaz thinking, shooting Od such a look, it seemed almost goading. And accompanied with that arrogant smirk, Od found himself once again lacking the proper defenses. Not that that was very saddening.

For a brief moment Od's eyes had widened a fraction with some surprise at what he found on Rendaz's face, before a flippant claw caused him to snicker and duck his head down behind the ruckarl's shoulder. There was still some ways before he would be instructing Rendaz to pull off the main road. It not like he had to pay much attention to the scenery just yet.

He didn't waste any time attempting to press a teasing kiss to the more difficult-to-guard vertebrae at the base of the neck in front of him. If uninterrupted, he would ghost a fleeting path from there to the rounded end of the opposite shoulder, hover a moment, and then nip again with a touch more force than he had previously.

Silence after all was as good as permission, as far as Od was concerned.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Once again, eyes locked on the path before him. They scanned the landscape, looking out for another opportunity to push the limits of his suicidal driving. He did wonder though, just where was he meant to be going? Od hadn't intervened yet, so there was nothing wrong with his current direction. He glanced to the forest then to the mountains in the distance, trying to foresee any possible circumstances.

He couldn't help but cringe at the small kiss - really, Od? - but he brashly brushed it off, ignoring it. He couldn't be distracted by a measly peck like that, although it hadn't failed in tingling his nerves irritably. It was the nip that made him jerk the handle in the wrong direction. For a moment, he would veer off-road the wheels churning up the grass beneath them. But it wasn't as if off-road driving was a new thing to him. Tutting slightly, he shook his head at Od's behaviour, before returning on track. Even despite the fumble, his head was held high and confident, as if there was no real danger at all.

"Nice try," he hummed. He wasn't in the mood for crashing today, not when he had a rare passenger. It was no lie - he'd crashed many times during particularly daring manoeuvres. It was more than easily fixed, however, and even injuries were never really more than a few bruises. But this was what his practise had led up to - a hopefully flawless performance that seemed natural and effortless. It was his first witness.

Seeing as there was a straigh road ahead of him, he felt confident enough to remove his hands from the vehicle altogether, reclining backwards onto Od as if he were a chair rest. A foot was raised to keep it steering sturdily. "Enjoying yourself?" he asked, his voice raised above the noise.

[Odqura]

His gentlish bite seemed to have the desired effect, if you could call veering harshly into the grass on the side of the road a desirable effect. Od made a noise that was suspiciously similar to a girlish squeal of both alarm and delight, and clung more tightly again to the anchoring body in front of him. Of course Rendaz was quick enough to battle the unruly vehicle back into submission, and Od lost himself into another fit of quietly euphoric and relieved laughter. For a moment he doubted his antics could actually ever cause the other professor to lose complete control, and most of any lingering unease slipped away from him, even as Rendaz abandoned the handles and resumed steering with his foot.

Od's eyebrows merely rose in mild surprise when he was leaned into, the action striking him as more familiar than he would had necessarily expected from the other. That isn't to say it was at all unwelcome. Od's smirk curled widely and smugly across his face, and he tilted his head closer to hum in response to the ruckarl's casual inquiry. "Mmmhmm."

One of the hands that lay wrapped around Rendaz's front began to drag lazy fingernail-tip designs over his abdomen, and the other slipped away entirely only to return a second later, moving to circle over top an orange shoulder and drape possessively across the collarbone. It would be a loose enough embrace that Rendaz could easily pull out of it should he wish to or need to return to the handles. The raptor's gaze flickered briefly at the road ahead before lowering, eyelashes hooding the look he settled again on what he could see of his colleague's face.

"There's a small turn-off coming up on the left in about one hundred and fifty meters. It's easy to miss." The words were purred quietly against Rendaz's ear, hopefully close enough so that the wind would not steal them away before they were received, and implying that he should take this route even though it was not specified. The turn-off would be a small, rough and windy bit of gnarled road, but Od was increasingly confident that Rendaz and his motorbike could handle it. Eventually, though, the path would thin into something littered with roots, boulders and small and steeply twisted paths that simply needed to be climbed. He would let Rendaz decide when it was time to park and continue on foot. Fortunately, there wouldn't be a terribly long way to hike before they reached their destination.

Encouraged by the closeness imparted by Rendaz for a change, Od allowed himself an attempt at grazing his teeth over the span of skin behind his colleague's jaw. If the results of the administrations already tolerated today were anything to go by, Rendaz seemed to offer a more significant reaction to biting. This was fine by Od, and was another fun-fact filed away in his mind to be exploited when opportunities showed themselves in the future.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Od's squeal earned a small crack-up from Rendaz that could simply not be contained. Even the history professor had his undignified moments, it seemed. It gave him a sense of superiority, knowing that now he had something to taunt Od about, rather than it being the other way around all the time.

Gazing up at Od, Rendaz knew this approach was a little more intimate than he was famed for. But he quickly realised that this wasn't something he particularly cared about. There was little in terms of witnesses, and besides, he never did give a damn about what others thought of him - otherwise, his zany choice of clothing might've been a bit more modest.

The fingers as well as the small graze that intruded his space weren't exactly welcomed, but he made no attempt to move them aside. Well, it wouldn't have made much sense to lean back on his colleague then push him away the moment he did something back. It was mildly discomforting yes, but that didn't matter at all. Because Rendaz had a comeback in mind for all those distracting endeavours.

He peered at the road at his awkward angle as Od informed him of a coming turn. Rendaz was familiar of his road, and he was almost prepared to ask, 'Why there?' It wasn't exactly a good path for a motorcycle to travel. But he decided not to ask, realising this was probably part of his 'picnic' scheme. It was unwise to make the turn with his feet, as confident as he was, and he returned to his upright position, hands taking the handle to turn the motorcycle onto the nearing road.

While he probably did want to continue hurtling as an insane speed, he wasn't as familiar with this path as he was with the rest of the dirt road. He slowed - if only slightly, returning to his concentrative demeanour. There were a few more obstacles then he preferred - a rock here, a root there - evidence that the path hadn't been as cleared as the other one. The path twisted too, at angles that obviously weren't intended to be travelled at high speed. Eventually, it got the point where driving wasn't just inconvenient, but also rather silly, and he slowed the motorbike to something around the same pace as a breathless animal.

He gave Od an incredulous glance. "You sure this is the right way?"

[Odqura]

The laughter that was at his own expense had drawn a childish pout from Od. But he couldn't complain, typically being the one finding amusing flaws in other people. And he could hardly be annoyed by the sound of Rendaz enjoying Od's moment of slipped grace. He'd swallowed his lost pride with a smirk and a roll of his eyes.

Odqura was disappointed when his instructions caused Rendaz to lean away to reclaim the handlebar. But he understood the need, of course, and at least maintained his relaxed hold so that he got to remain nestled against the ruckarl's back. He was glad he's stayed so close when the new path proved to be a distinctly more uncomfortable ride. And when they were forced to slow down, he would be quick to admit that the main road had been immensely more enjoyable. This one was bumpy and forced them to slow down.

He wrinkled his nose apologetically at the incredulous look he was shot. But at least at this reduced speed, he didn't have to shout to respond. "I'm sure. We'll have to walk soon but I promise it's not far now."

Eventually, the path would disappear altogether. As it was, even here just shortly off the main road, it was winding down into barely more than a deer-path and beginning to incline as they approached the base of the mountains.

"There's a good reason for why I chose this place," he offered with cryptically with a smirk.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

The idea of walking was tenfold more unappealing now that he'd had a taste of riding, but he'd have to put faith into Od's claims. In fact, he made a mental note that in future, he'd adjust the bike be more adept to off-road ventures. Heck, he should just stuff a pair of wings on the thing already. He merely snorted at Od's reassurance.

Maneuvering the vehicle around any obstacle that was too large to drive over was not something that he enjoyed. The slow, bumpy pace was mind-numbingly boring, and he was half-tempted to just slam his foot on the pedal and storm through it anyway. No doubt that would send the both of them toppling off the bike, however.

"Am I allowed to guess?" he murmured, before continuing to do so regardless of whether Od approved. "Is it 'cause it's so far away from witnesses, huh? You could probably murder me out here an no one'd know."

As the motorcycle less-than-impressively started to chug up the inclination, Rendaz was steadily determined not to dismount until the last possible moment. It was a combination of laziness, slight comfort and a stubbornness that refused to part him from his beloved motorbike. Still, it was lasting - somewhat.

[Odqura]

Well they were certainly getting father in on the motorbike than he had anticipated. And as uneasy and uncomfortable as the path became, it was less of a distance that they would have to traverse on foot. Although, Od was beginning to wonder if that would just be easier at this point. In the back of his mind, he wondered if this terrain would cause any harm to the vehicle, but obviously Rendaz would know what he was doing, so he didn't question it.

The question posed then amused him a little and he smirked at his colleague before glancing off to the side, eyeing the trees as they bounced by. The ruckarl could guess all he wanted, Od wasn't going to stop him. And he would even answer, unless of course Rendaz guessed correctly, in which case he would probably lie and say he was wrong. With the first 'guess', though, Od realized Rendaz might not be earnestly trying to discover the surprise. He scoffed.

"If that was my plan, I would hardly admit it to you ahead of time," he assured logically. Then his head tilted curiously to the side and his eyes slid back to Rendaz. "But you seem to be suggesting that I could murder you, Flammy. Well..." He shrugged one should mildly and rolled his gaze off to the side again. "I could, of course, physically. But probably not emotionally. Not unless you'd severely wronged me," he cooed. "Surely you know you're my favorite, darling, do you really think I could kill you? I would grow so bored without you." The last sentence was almost whined through his pout.

The teasing prod that had been aimed against Rendaz's own strength--or lack thereof--was entirely intentional, of course, even though Od would seriously doubt his ability to actually win if the pair were to fight. He would have to rely likely entirely on his bite, and since Rendaz already knew of it and to avoid it, the raptor would be at a disadvantage. There was also the fact the he hated fighting. It was so much better when others did it for you.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

Rendaz hadn't anticipated anything other than relentless teasing when he'd made his guess. Well, it hadn't been a serious guess at all - he knew fine well that Od wouldn't be so easy to spill the surprise. It did incite his curiosity though, and with that curiosity came a stronger will to reach their destination.

He snorted through his nostrils. "You might be capable of killing, but I'm equally capable of pushing you off a high speed vehicle." He wouldn't dare tell him about the venom he'd had given him, oh lord no. A project still in practise, as it were... "But please, I bet you said that to all your adoring victims before you lured them into their demise."

Finally, it was starting to reach the point where walking probably would've been more efficient than hauling the new useless vehicle up the slope. With a sigh, he stopped the vehicle, switching the engine off before sliding off. He did worry about leaving the bike there - but who in their right minds would would go so far as to come out here and carry a motorbike away? He figured it was pretty safe here. He put the key away inside the motorcycle's basket.

He stretched his legs, adjusting to standing again, before giving a glance to Od. "Lead the way," he said, gesturing with a claw into the unknown.

[Odqura]

Od just 'tsk'ed at the mild threat. He hadn't exactly gotten the impression Rendaz would have pushed him off the motorcycle, but he wasn't going to point that out and give the ruckarl any incentive to prove it.

A thoughtful thought did cross his face and it gave him some pause before responding. Did he say things like that when before he'd killed people? Sweet things? Then bite them and leave them. Maybe he did. He hadn't actually killed very many people though, especially compared to others on this island. He didn't think killing was anything to boast about at any rate. The thoughtful look passed and be settled for smirking flirtatiously. "You're my 'adoring victim' then are you?"

He was thankful when Rendaz finally decided to park the vehicle since it was becoming just silly caring on with it as they were. With languid grace, he followed to his feet and straightened out his jacket a little before tackling the great task that was settling his wind-ruffled feathers. Happily, the didn't feel nearly as tossed as he'd feared, but he gave them a few good preening tugs anyway.

A smirk pulled at his lips as he stepped past Rendaz's gesturing hand. "Are you very familiar with the topography of these mountains, Professor?" Even though he'd recently abandoned using titles with Rendaz in lieu of pet-names, it seemed appropriate for the topic. The question maybe have seemed out of the blue, but it was in fact a hint, whether or not it was recognized as such.

Without waiting to see if the other was in fact following, Odqura began leading the way through the bramble that had all but swallowed the path they had been following. They had to follow the incline at the base of the mountains for a while, but their destination was settled low enough still that it was buried well in foliage.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

"You wish," he snarked with a shake of his head at his teasing enquiry. He was neither adoring nor a victim, although both of these could probably be highly questioned by his companion if he tried to insist so.

Neatening his boa barely took seconds, so he stared to Od with only slight impatience as he sorted out his feathers. "I've been around them before," he remarked, glancing around the area. "Can't say I know them inside out." He paused to give the professor a curious glance, not bothering to hide the fact that he was suspicious. "Why'd you ask?"

Rendaz would be closely following Od, looking back occasionally on the motorcycle he'd left behind. Mountain climbing, he didn't mind so much though. In fact, it brought back a sense of nostalgia from his youthful years. It was no lie that his race was especially geared towards scaling and excavating mountains, but even despite that fact, Rendaz was around 15 years out of practise.

"I'll hazard another guess," he grunted. "There is no picnic, and you're just gonna lead me in a giant circle around the mountains just so you can steal as much as my time as possible."

[Odqura]

A nondescript hum floated over Od's shoulder when Rendaz admitted to not being terribly familiar with the area. That was good. "Oh no reason." He evaded the inquiry with the obvious lie a small wave of his hand.

The second guess Od found to be very amusing, and he slowed and laughed to show it. "You're right, that would be entirely like me, wouldn't it?" He tsk'ed and shook his head at his own predictability. "Fortunately for you though, I wasn't that clever today. We're not very far now. Aren't you excited?" he teased rhetorically.

Picking up the pace again, Od led Rendaz towards a grove of trees that grew crookedly and stubbornly among a large piling of sharp rocks, likely the haphazard remnants of a long-ago rock slide from father up the mountain.

Approaching a steep boulder, Od reached both arms to curl his fingers over the top instead of trying to clamber around it. With a gentle heave he tugged himself upwards, one talon digging itself into hold in the face of the rock. Another hop from there and he was crouching on top of the rock with his tail feathers splayed widely for balance. There was a bit of climbing in this manner to be endured, but it meant they were close. Eventually they would reach the top of the incline where there was a measly couple feet of plateau before dropping steeply down again, the way down tangled with plant life. On the other side of this small natural quarry, the rock face took a dramatic turn upwards, swiftly becoming a steep, green mountainside, decorated with stubborn vines and flowers.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

'No reason' his ass. There was always a reason - as spontaneous as Od was. The remark led Rendaz unconvinced, and he didn't respond to it with anything more than a roll of his eyes, which likely went unseen.

"Ecstatic," he remarked, his tone as dull as dishwater. "Excitement simply oozes from my every orifice." Of course, he still didn't really know what to expect from this 'expedition', and he admittedly was curious to see what he'd planned. There was too much of a build-up for it to be a flop.

Following behind Od, Rendaz kept a cautious eye out for anything that would hint them towards their destination. But he could make no deduction - if there had been any clues at all, then Rendaz certainly couldn't sight any.

After Od climbed up, Rendaz himself started to climb - albeit in a less graceful manner. His claws scrabbled atop the stony texture for a hold, before kicking his legs to clamber up the rest of the way. Despite the scrambling, there didn't seem to be any real struggle, and he would continue this way through much of his incline. Upon reaching the temporarily flat surface, he'd half expected to see a picnic arranged, but there was still none. He gave Od an expectant, 'I hope you know what you're doing' sort of look.

[Odqura]

A vague hum was offered in response, Od having decided to simply ignore the sarcasm in favor of smiling secretively to himself. If Od noticed Rendaz's less-than-graceful climb, he wisely did not comment. And the corner of his lips curled up in amusement was all he gave to the expectant look he was receiving.

Od turned his attention to glance down into the steep crevice before them while quickly shredding his coat and slinging it casually over one shoulder. Beneath, he had on a light-weight white t-shirt from which the sleeves had been neatly torn away and bearing a worn montage of faces and the title Poison. The shirt was likely a surviving band-t from his life during the 80s. Lowering himself into a crouch at first, Od braced himself with his fingertips splayed on the rock around him, then leapt deftly over the edge. His descent was made smooth and swift by the aid of a sudden small passel of black and blue feathers that sprouted rapidly from the sides of both forearms and elbows. Three well-placed hops off of a couple jutting rocks scattered down the slope landed him safely and cleanly on his feet at the bottom. The feathers just as quickly vanished into his skin until mere goose-bumps, and then vanished all together by the time he was brushing aside a veil of vines.

Moving the tangled vines was performed carefully, the dean not wishing to disturb the delicate hangings too much, appreciative of how undisturbed the area appeared and not wishing to alter that. What the act revealed was a small cave entrance, only about four feet in diameter. Odqura shot a smirk back at his comrade before ducking inside without waiting any longer. He would have let Rendaz enter first, but assumed the other might be suspicious of doing such a thing without knowing what was on the other side. What was on the other side, though, was nothing particularly marvelous. It was merely a small cavern. Despite the low height of the entrance, the cavern itself had enough standing room inside once you scaled down a couple feet of dark rocks to the cave floor. And although on the small side in general, the damp cave--with persistent vines creeping across the ceiling and dangling down sparsely among the stalagmites--seemed to stretch rather deeply into the mountain side. The dark, downward-slopping path ahead stretched into blackness where no end was visible.

[Rendaz "Flammy"]

It was actually grating his nerves how cryptic Od was being, but he didn't want to admit that it had at all fuelled his enthusiasm to discover it. Still, he was trying to piece together the details in his mind, and again, he could arrive at no conclusion. And it frustrated him so.

Watching Od hop away, Rendaz gave a resigned sigh, having no choice but to follow. He'd never be able to display the same sort of grace as his colleague, but that didn't deter him from pressing forward anyway. Stuff like this should have been second nature - it was embedded in his instincts to be adept at navigating mountains.

It was tentative steps at first, but he started to pick up the pace on his descent down, the coal-black claws on his feet managing to find a grip on the greenery. It was clumsy in places, but it took a stroke of luck for him to reach the bottom without completely stumbling.

Aiming a curious look at Od, Rendaz forgot to hide his surprise as a cave was unveiled. No, he had not encountered this before. So that was probably what Od was referring to by being 'familiar' with the mountains. He snorted, before crouching down and following him into low-roofed cavern. Crawling amongst the rocks, the sense of nostalgia grew only stronger. This was exactly what his old home had been like. Dimly lit caves - heck, probably no light at all - digging through rocks, crawling through mountainsides. The only thing missing was the--

He froze at the thought. Could it..? Best not to jump to conclusions, but Rendaz kept the suspicion in mind. But it couldn't be. It couldn't.

Glad to return to standing height again, he found the sensation incredibly ironic. There had been a time in his life when standing like a human was discomforting. He squinted down the cave, trying to make out shapes in the darkness. But again, his eyesight failed him. Too used to daylight, it seemed. He silently awaited Od to lead the way forward without much comment.

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