High guys make terrible shots. [He wishes he didn't know that as well as he did- he worked with enough of them.] But I would think he still needs to keep it out just in case.
Just ah... don't aim until we say so. So you can be sure. [Because it's better than letting him be bitten by a spider.]
[He tosses a torch down the stairs, and then walks behind them to put another one of those expandable barriers.]
[Tuco slowly glances between the three of them, frowning as if they're describing something abstract. He's not convinced, evidently, and yet (with an oddly strained expression) he eventually lets go of the gun anyway. It swings back down to his hip in a harmless little arc.]
[Boone relaxes very slightly when Tuco lowers his gun, but still looks wary. He nods to Belloq.]
Keep an eye on him.
[He and Niko are a little busy making sure monsters don't kill them, they can't watch Tuco as well. Boone walks a little way towards the torch, but doesn't leave the stairs. He doesn't know what sort of traps might be down here, and he doesn't want to end up in Tuco's state. He can't see any more spiders or creepers, at least.]
[Watch the saddle, watch Tuco, he's starting to feel more like the native porter of the group rather than the Lead Archaeologist. But it keeps him safe. And Tuco strikes him as someone who could be useful to him sometime.]
I will. Tuco and I will aid in spotting. If we see a Creeper or a spider that was not there before, we'll call out.
[He doesn't know how the lingering poison might be affecting Tuco's perception, but it can't hurt to have more eyes on the path ahead.]
When we get down here, if we find anything I'll block you off in the area and I'll go to add a little light. Make it easier for us so nothing sneaks up. [He figures if Boone stays with the group, someone can still shoot, and Tuco... Tuco might not remember much he learned from this trip but he'll then ~the most valuable lesson~ was up there. He can take him out for the rest another time.]
[They reach the lower level without further event. And while there seems to be spider noises from further off down a couple of corridors, right away at the end of one there's a glint of another chest.]
[Tuco's not so far gone that he isn't slightly offended by the extended patronization going on. It's becoming clear to him that the three vastly underestimate him and his... rather select library of skills, just as they seem to be overestimating his levels of ineptitude. Granted, a lot of his brain power is currently being spent on the idea that the spider poison might be having the adverse effect of actually turning him into a spider, but that's not the point, is it?
The point is that they are sharing their space with a very dangerous, hardy individual.
Of course, this thought ends up being further undermined by the fact that (upon spotting the chest) Tuco lets out a loud, excited whimper.]
[Boone sure doesn't mean to be offensive. He's just trying to make sure nobody else gets hurt, and isn't really thinking about whether or not Tuco understands that or not. He watches Tuco carefully upon hearing the whimper, then gives Belloq a meaningful look before turning away. He's going to trust Belloq to keep Tuco from going straight for the chest this time.]
Is it safe?
[He's going to assume no, at least until Niko can confirm that it is.]
[He throws a torch further that direction, and... while no traps are lit up, there is a puzzle above the chest. An image, broken into sliding pieces, with one piece missing.]
Oh.
[Is all Niko says. He can't help out too much on this one.] Yeah, looks like it's safe, but this chest? Has a key.
[Which means Niko will be better off clearing the area. Surely a dumb patrolman, a high guide-in-training, and a cowardly archaeologist can solve that.]
[Cue the excitement slowly draining out of Tuco until all he's left with is a kind of itchy bewilderment. His eyes slide up to the puzzle, hold there a moment, then drop down to to the chest again. He clears his throat.]
Can't we just, you know... [He imitates another explosion and splays his fingers wide.] Blow the lock or... or split it open somehow?
Wait a moment. The temples at home...if you solve a puzzle incorrectly, it can sometimes go very badly. We should be cautious and make our moves deliberately.
[He takes a field notebook out of his pocket and starts scribbling, making a sketch of the puzzle.]
[Realizing they could well be in it for the long haul, Tuco lets out a hard sigh and sets himself down, frustrated. The walls are still undulating, and worse, he knows he's high. It leaves him feeling worse than useless.
He presses the heels of his palms against his eyes for a moment, before sliding his hands down so he's peering up between his fingers.]
Arqueólogo, [he says, calling up to Belloq.] This is where you supposed to be king. Talk, huh? What the hell is it supposed to be?
It is perhaps a representation of the god of this temple. Or a protecting spirit or demon invoked to guard the sacred objects stored within these chests.
[He carefully shifts one tile, then another.]
We must arrange the puzzle and make the image whole.
[Tuco drops his hands back down to his knees and stares, finally seeing what the other two can. Whether it's some prescient part of his mind talking, or the evidence of a well learned lesson, his stomach lurches. That general feeling of unease is back, and it's steadily deepening towards something significantly more primal. Be it through poison or superstition, he's afraid.]
...A demon? [There's a sort of blatant, wobbly reediness to his voice that says everything his words don't. Are you sure this is a good idea? Is something horrifying going to happen if we get this wrong? (And of course, not forgetting:) Is something horrifying going to happen if we get this RIGHT?
He stays rooted where he is, rubbing distractedly at the sticky blood drying halfway up his thigh. As much as he's an advocate for personal greed, maybe (just maybe) some things are better left well alone.]
[The word "demon" doesn't have much effect on Boone. He just watches Belloq carefully move a couple of tiles, then looks over at Tuco. He looks terrified, but Boone can't understand his fear. He doesn't believe in demons. He looks back at the puzzle, reaches up to move another tile, and waits.]
...Think if something bad was gonna happen, it would've happened by now. Maybe as soon as we started messing with it.
[He actually has no idea if that's how it would work, but he's trying to make Tuco feel better.]
It will not make a demon appear, of that I can be sure. It's just a picture, a symbol. Similar to how the ancient Greek erected pillars dedicated to Hermes to protect property boundaries. It has mystic power only in the minds of those who believe in it.
[Belloq slides a tile with a ghostly head up a slot.]
If there's any danger, it will from another clever trap.
[It's clear their words have done something to allay Tuco's fears, but he doesn't say as much, exactly. All they get is a clipped hum as he continues to watch them with that same wary, pained expression. Problem is, from where he's sitting, it seems like certainty doesn't come in quite as solid a package as it used to. Out here, anything can happen.]
[Boone looks around suspiciously at the mention of more traps, but he can't see anything. After staring at the puzzle for a little while again, he can see where the pieces should go. He's just not sure he can figure out how to get them there. If he moves that tile, he'll have to move that one too, and then that one is in the right place but he'd have to move it and... it's confusing. Puzzles aren't really his thing.]
[As time inches away, Tuco's still sat staring. He still feels useless, too, which (in part) is probably why he clears his throat for another "helpful" suggestion.] Maybe there's a piece missing, [he says slowly—awkwardly, even, like part of him knows better than to say it in the first place.] Or maybe you able to pull it out, you know? The pieces, I mean.
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the_last_resort2014-09-22 09:43 pm
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Just ah... don't aim until we say so. So you can be sure. [Because it's better than letting him be bitten by a spider.]
[He tosses a torch down the stairs, and then walks behind them to put another one of those expandable barriers.]
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Keep an eye on him.
[He and Niko are a little busy making sure monsters don't kill them, they can't watch Tuco as well. Boone walks a little way towards the torch, but doesn't leave the stairs. He doesn't know what sort of traps might be down here, and he doesn't want to end up in Tuco's state. He can't see any more spiders or creepers, at least.]
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I will. Tuco and I will aid in spotting. If we see a Creeper or a spider that was not there before, we'll call out.
[He doesn't know how the lingering poison might be affecting Tuco's perception, but it can't hurt to have more eyes on the path ahead.]
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[They reach the lower level without further event. And while there seems to be spider noises from further off down a couple of corridors, right away at the end of one there's a glint of another chest.]
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The point is that they are sharing their space with a very dangerous, hardy individual.
Of course, this thought ends up being further undermined by the fact that (upon spotting the chest) Tuco lets out a loud, excited whimper.]
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Is it safe?
[He's going to assume no, at least until Niko can confirm that it is.]
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Oh.
[Is all Niko says. He can't help out too much on this one.] Yeah, looks like it's safe, but this chest? Has a key.
[Which means Niko will be better off clearing the area. Surely a dumb patrolman, a high guide-in-training, and a cowardly archaeologist can solve that.]
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Can't we just, you know... [He imitates another explosion and splays his fingers wide.] Blow the lock or... or split it open somehow?
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Probably not.
[He reaches up to slide one of the pieces over, then grunts. This could take them a while.]
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[He takes a field notebook out of his pocket and starts scribbling, making a sketch of the puzzle.]
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He presses the heels of his palms against his eyes for a moment, before sliding his hands down so he's peering up between his fingers.]
Arqueólogo, [he says, calling up to Belloq.] This is where you supposed to be king. Talk, huh? What the hell is it supposed to be?
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Wonder what it's supposed to be. That's a head, and that looks like a body.
[He points to the two tiles in succession.]
Never seen anything like it, though.
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It is perhaps a representation of the god of this temple. Or a protecting spirit or demon invoked to guard the sacred objects stored within these chests.
[He carefully shifts one tile, then another.]
We must arrange the puzzle and make the image whole.
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...A demon? [There's a sort of blatant, wobbly reediness to his voice that says everything his words don't. Are you sure this is a good idea? Is something horrifying going to happen if we get this wrong? (And of course, not forgetting:) Is something horrifying going to happen if we get this RIGHT?
He stays rooted where he is, rubbing distractedly at the sticky blood drying halfway up his thigh. As much as he's an advocate for personal greed, maybe (just maybe) some things are better left well alone.]
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...Think if something bad was gonna happen, it would've happened by now. Maybe as soon as we started messing with it.
[He actually has no idea if that's how it would work, but he's trying to make Tuco feel better.]
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[Belloq slides a tile with a ghostly head up a slot.]
If there's any danger, it will from another clever trap.
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Merde. [He mutters under his breath. He'd rather a linguistic puzzle than a visual one, but he thinks they're making progress nevertheless.]
and now for a prompt reply :V