driftfleet | Just Keeping Swimming

[When the call comes in, Okita does as he was asked - he leaves Saizou behind despite his protests, grabs a short knife from the kitchen just in case to hide up his sleeve, and then heads out toward Kubo's coordinates. He doesn't expect a lot of trouble, but he also knows that he has to be able to defend himself in case things do get difficult. He has to protect his promise to retreat, but he also needs to secure a route for that retreat.

He uses one of Nami's glittery hair ties to bind his hair into a ponytail to keep it out of his face and soon finds Kubo waiting at the entrance to the temple.]

You seem very determined today.

[He says as he swims up, adjusting his balance so he can land nearby.]

[ His fingers drift over to the shamisen strings as he nods, his expression firm. ]

I can't keep running away because I feel scared. Life is about trying and I need to try again.

[Okita smiles and nods, pulling his hair down to a more manageable height. The downside of having long hair in water is that it floats everywhere.]

I'm glad.

[And he is. He's glad Kubo has realized that dwelling forever on the past and those lost does nothing for them. He's glad that Kubo is strong enough to save himself. Mostly, he's glad that the boy will be alright. The future rests with people like Kubo not giving up on it.

And then he suddenly launches himself off the ground, shooting up a few steps to toward the doorway.]

Well, come on then! You don't want to be left behind!

We don't need to take anything?

[ His last dungeon adventure had a giant skeleton. He has his shamisen and paper for emergencies, but he does miss his armor and sword. ]

[He reaches up into his sleeve and pulls the knife out from its hiding spot.]

I came prepared. Although I could also retrieve some of the futuristic weaponry from the armory, if you'd like.

[His augment does allow him to use the guns; he just doesn't like them.]

[ He takes a moment to consider this before shaking his head. ]

No . . . Just remember, I only have one good eye.

[ His magic is good, but Kubo is well aware that he's no fighter. ]

I'll be sure to stay on your right as much as possible.

[And to keep an eye on his left. But he'd planned on keeping watch over the entire area as much as possible. He reaches forward to press a hand against the temple doors.]

Just remember our promise: it's up to you when and if we retreat.

[ Quietly, he exhales. Fly home, Kubo, his mother had whispered to him, when everything had fallen apart.

But now . . . now he's put himself back together. It's not perfect, but he can't keep hiding. ]

I won't forget.

Then let's begin.

[He nods and then pushes the temple doors open. The room beyond is simple looking enough, moss and kelp grow from cracks in the walls and there appear to be glowing gem torches lining the walls at spaced intervals in four different colors. There are also a set of pressure plate switches on the ground, and a single door on the opposite end, currently closed.

Okita steps inside and scans the room, but he can't see anywhere else that a sea monster might hide.]

It looks like we have a puzzle first.

[He gets closer to one of the pressure plates and cautiously taps it with his toe. One of the torches turns to a different color.]

Ah, definitely a puzzle.

[ Kubo takes a long look at the torches. ]

So we have to match the colours?

It would seem so.

[He moves his foot off the plate and the color of the torch remains. Another careful tap of a second plate changes a second torch to a different color.]

So as long as we walk carefully, we should be able to change them into the ones we need. Why don't you work on the right side and I'll work on the left?

[ Kubo eyes the chamber once more before moving on the right. His fingers are on the shamisen and the paper in the bag trembles. He's not scared but he's understandably wary.

Like he expects a giant skeleton to pop up. ]

[To be fair, a giant skeleton might pop up.

Okita, however, has no idea about giant skeletons and so he just focuses on figuring out his side of the room. Apparently if he steps on one panel it'll light up the torch one color, but if he hits it again it'll change colors? So he has to cycle through a few times until he can figure out how to get the two torches to be the same color.]

You seem nervous. Have you been to something like this before?

Kind of? I was on a quest once. We ran into a place like this.

[ He hops onto the next step. ] It had a giant moving skeleton.

Well then.

[He pauses, mid-cycle, as he looks over at Kubo. That's definitely an unusual enemy to run into.]

How did you defeat it?

There was a magic sword stuck on its head.

[ Kubo points to the top of his head to demonstrate. ]

I pulled it out.

[Man, Kubo's adventures sound so much cooler than anything he's ever been on.]

How did you manage to climb to the top? I don't imagine it was an easy task.

Oh, I kind of fell on top of his head. It was a hectic battle.

[ He hops onto the next tile. Two down! ]

[He laughs a little and steps on another tile - the two torches on his side are done!]

It sounds like it. Although, all battles tend to be hectic, at least you landed in the right place at the right time.

It was actually kind of fun.

[ Having people around him, helping him - working together. It meant a lot. ]

Perhaps we'll be able to have some fun here then.

[He starts making his way carefully toward Kubo's side of the room. He doesn't want to accidentally step on the wrong tile and reverse all his hard work.]

Perhaps without the giant skeleton though. I'm not sure if I could throw you high enough to reach it's head.

It's fine. I'm not looking for a repeat anyway.

[ He waits. The door slides open and he whoops, ready to move on. ]

[Okita follows him into the next room and it's?

A room full of mirrors. On the floors, the ceilings, the walls, everything is mirrored. They're old, dirty and cracked in places, with seaweed growing on them, but the first thing Kubo will see is himself moving forward.

Mirror maze, go.]

...Well, that definitely gives a bit of a headache, doesn't it?

[ Kubo droops. ]

There's more? How much of this do we have to do?!

[He laughs a little and starts moving forward, edging cautiously until he finds a corner to turn.]

Well, if it were easy to find the prize at the end, would it really be worth it?

b.

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