[Although they've definitely spoken too soon, because as soon as Tifa finishes saying it, the cave gives a mighty roar that shakes the walls that dust begins to fall on their heads. Already, Tifa's gut is telling her that this is probably what she was expecting...]
We need to move...
[And then, the stair under her feet begins to crumble.]
Cor!! [Gina exclaims, her pride quickly turning to panic as the sound around them shifts.]
Don't gotta tell me twice!
[Frantically, Gina starts to run down the stairs! ...Except that's particularly difficult in this gown. It won't be long before she trips over herself and starts to fall over - while risking dropping the lamp at the same time!]
[Tifa manages to catch her when she stumbles, although they can't linger for long, because the crumbling stairs wait for no one, chasing them as they run.
She takes the lamp from Gina so that the poor girl can worry more about her dress, but this time, it's Tifa who trips on a crumbled corner of one of the steps and slips off completely, grabbing onto it at the last second to save herself the tumble all the way down.]
[With that save, Gina keeps moving! Along the way, she tears some more pieces of the dress to help her move. If only she was wearing just those trousers underneath to begin with, this would be a lot easier!
But when Tifa falls, Gina stops.]
No way, I ain't leavin' ya behind! [She'll try to grab onto a hand to help her up! Leaving someone behind, even when they seem cool and capable, doesn't sit well with Gina at all.]
[Tifa grits her teeth, looking back to the crumbling staircase and then to Gina's hand... She would be able to break the landing just fine if she fell, but it would risk splitting them up. And if she were in Gina's shoes, she'd be adamant about helping, too.
So, Tifa snatches Gina's hand, her own fingers gripping around the girl's wrist for extra support so that she might help pull Tifa back up in time... but they are quickly running out of that. Her other hand slips in a panic and she yelps, but she grabs hold again fast enough that Gina won't have to support all of her weight.]
On three—! [She doesn't even wait for her confirmation before counting down quickly.] One, two, three, pull!
[Gina's definitely not as strong as her, but she's trying her best! She grips her hand with everything she's got! She won't ket herself fail this.
Worried, it helps that Tifa provides instructions. She calms somewhat as she prepares to pull.]
Right then!! [She grunts as she gets to work! She pulls at Tifa's hand with both hands and tries her best to bring her up. She digs her heels in, for as much good as that can do when her feet are sinking into the crumbling sand.]
[Just as Tifa manages to lift herself up, the sand almost completely crumbles beneath her where she had been hanging on. Were it not for Gina, she definitely would have had to make that fall unprepared... but she has no time to mull that over now. With the sand continuing to come down, she gives Gina a push in the direction towards the bottom of the stairs before she follows, lifting herself to her feet with a grunt. She must have done something to her arm because there's a pain shooting through it.
What's worse now is that she can feel dust falling into her eyes... from where?
Uh oh...
Not only has the staircase started to fall, but the ceiling looks like it's about to come down on them, too.]
I think I see why no one's ever come in here. We need to find an exit plan, fast.
[Just as she says it, Tifa grabs Gina by the arm and pulls her close, her arms wrapping around the girl as she flies off the stairs before they can sink into the sand with them, and she rolls across the coins and jewels to help break their fall.]
[She's relieved to have pulled her up successfully! And quite exerted by it, but there's no time to rest now. They have to keep moving! Luckily, Tifa's on top of things and brings them down to the bottom of the staircase.
But, they're not out of the woods yet. In fact, they're thick in the middle of it. As they land, Gina groans and looks upwards as she sees what Tifa's warning them about. It's true, even the ceiling above them is collapsing. Her eyes dart around, as she tries to think of a plan.]
Why- why don't we go back out the way we came in?! If we really scarper, I know we can make it! [She's thinking of only the most direct option first. Growing more worried, she just wants to get this over with!]
[This is a little too much adventure for Tifa's liking. She knew that they would have to escape the cave, but she didn't know that it would be like this. And how much of these bruises and sore spots are they going to come out of this book with when they're finished...?
She has to resist the urge to look Gina over and as if she's okay, and looks back through the cave and the long, long run they would have to make if they're going to get out the way they came. But there is no other exit strategy, is there? There never was. It was always going to be retrieve the treasure and run for their lives.]
Guess so.
[Tifa wastes no time in grabbing Gina by the hand and helping her to her feet, and then pulling her along behind. The last thing she wants is the two of them to be separated...]
Just watch out for falling debris— [She calls back over her shoulder, and as she says it, a large Tifa-sized piece of rubble comes falling from the ceiling and lands only inches in front of them.] Like that...
[She's trying not to panic, even as she feels out of her depth. She's pulled off some escapes before, but mostly just from angry victims of her pickpocketing. Not a cave that is collapsing around her!
Still, Gina tries to keep it cool. And Tifa's presence is helpful in that regard. She doesn't complain when Tifa grabs her arm, because she's ready to do whatever she has to at this point to get out of here! She moves with her - and stops with her too.]
...Cor, that's a big'un. ...Right, let's just... keep bein' careful while we're runnin'. I'll keep me mincez on alert! [She's ready to keep moving! ... Cautiously!]
Tifa whirls around the boulder and brings Gina along with her, narrowly dodging a few larger pieces of rubble that fall. She calls something back to the girl, but the roaring of the cave drowns her out. Something about how if she knew this was how it would go, she would have picked a different book, but perhaps now's not the time to be reviewing the story. Not until it's finished.
Coins and rubies fly this way and that under her feet as she books it for the opening, and as she sees it up ahead, she can see the mouth of the tiger starting to close. Shit shit shit, that is bad news...]
[Gina scampers along as quickly as she can with Tifa, while still trying to stay alert She can't quite make out what she said, but she can definitely feel the notion of regretting all their choices so far...
In any case, soon they find themselves approaching the opening of the cave! With the mouth starting to close. They're about to be eaten by a tiger made out of sand.]
Right now, me wantin' to survive is makin' me feel like more confidence than I ever thought I 'ad in me! [She answers frantically. Essentially, yes - whatever she wants to try, they may as well go for it! She'll try anything that'll get them out of here in one piece at this rate!]
[That's all the warning that Gina gets before Tifa whirls the girl around, essentially hurling her towards the door that's very quickly closing up on them. Hopefully the sand will help to break some of that fall, and Tifa follows not close behind, tumbling out of the door after Gina just as the jagged-toothed maw slams shut. Tifa's own fall is anything but graceful, having been more worried about Gina than herself, and she lands on her side with sand in her eyes, hair, and mouth, and almost completely out of breath.
And several feet away from Gina, but the dust is so thick that she can't make her out in the fog, and she immediately feels that sharp panic jab at her stomach.]
[She wasn't sure what to expect. Maybe Tifa would make some kind of big leap with her? In any case, she didn't quite expect to be thrown through the air like that! She gives a startled yelp as she goes flying through the closing maw and stumbles into the sand. But she does manage to not get hurt that much, and she quickly looks around for her savior. Once she hears her voice, she hurries as much as she can in this sand towards the source.]
[She's a little sore from her own fall, with an ache already forming in her side that keeps her down a little longer, but through clenched teeth and a small laugh, she manages to nod and sit up.]
Yeah. I'll be fine.
[Tifa turns slightly to watch as the cave closes up behind them, the entrance buried beneath the sand and rubble that had crumbled away on the inside until it looks like nothing more than carved sand.]
Sorry. I should've seen that coming. Read too many treasure hunting books to a four year old...ow—!
[As she tries to stand, she stumbles, that dull ache turning into something sharper.]
[Tifa offers her a rueful smile through one eye, the other screwing shut to help with some of the ache as her hand goes to clutch at her side where it's centered.]
It's not. I should be okay.
[But she offers Gina her arm anyway so that she can sling it over the girl's shoulder. Yeah, she's had enough of being the hero for one day.]
[Gina was still dazed enough from the whole ordeal that she didn't notice that Tifa did still have the lamp until she realized it. She gives a little laugh as she looks at the lamp.]
Wot, like in o' them stories?
[She pauses for a moment. They are in one of 'then stories', aren't they? A wry grin crosses her face.]
[Tifa gives one side of the lamp a little rub at the same time that Gina does. She half expects it to start shaking or speaking to them as soon as they do, but...
...
....
...........
Nothing happens, and she tries not to let her disappointment show too much.]
Oh, I thought... I was hoping it would actually work.
[Her hand drops to her side, so she completely misses that it's started to vibrate a little in Gina's hands.]
[And so she eagerly rubs, rubs, rubs away! ...And waits. The grin on her face slowly fading. She lets out a sigh.]
Oi! Was this all just a big corker...? Wot's the point of this 'ere lamp if ain't got any... [She stops, as she feels the vibrations in her hands.] Wait. Wot's 'appenin'....
[A blast of smoke comes out from the lamp, accompanied by a blast of hearty laughter as a genie appears...!]
[Tifa isn't sure anymore whether she was actually expecting a genie to pop out of it, but when that puff of smoke cracks over them, it startles her so much that she almost falls back a step and drags Gina along with her.
The genie is big and blue with great golden cuffs on his hands, and a long black ponytail streaming from the back of his head. He looks... well, exactly like a genie would in one of Marlene's storybooks, and she stares up at him with a look of bewilderment.
"Congratulations! You've completed all three objectives! And now, one wish for one objective. What'll it be!?"]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[Although they've definitely spoken too soon, because as soon as Tifa finishes saying it, the cave gives a mighty roar that shakes the walls that dust begins to fall on their heads. Already, Tifa's gut is telling her that this is probably what she was expecting...]
We need to move...
[And then, the stair under her feet begins to crumble.]
Now!
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Don't gotta tell me twice!
[Frantically, Gina starts to run down the stairs! ...Except that's particularly difficult in this gown. It won't be long before she trips over herself and starts to fall over - while risking dropping the lamp at the same time!]
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She takes the lamp from Gina so that the poor girl can worry more about her dress, but this time, it's Tifa who trips on a crumbled corner of one of the steps and slips off completely, grabbing onto it at the last second to save herself the tumble all the way down.]
Just keep running! I'll meet you at the bottom.
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But when Tifa falls, Gina stops.]
No way, I ain't leavin' ya behind! [She'll try to grab onto a hand to help her up! Leaving someone behind, even when they seem cool and capable, doesn't sit well with Gina at all.]
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[Tifa grits her teeth, looking back to the crumbling staircase and then to Gina's hand... She would be able to break the landing just fine if she fell, but it would risk splitting them up. And if she were in Gina's shoes, she'd be adamant about helping, too.
So, Tifa snatches Gina's hand, her own fingers gripping around the girl's wrist for extra support so that she might help pull Tifa back up in time... but they are quickly running out of that. Her other hand slips in a panic and she yelps, but she grabs hold again fast enough that Gina won't have to support all of her weight.]
On three—! [She doesn't even wait for her confirmation before counting down quickly.] One, two, three, pull!
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Worried, it helps that Tifa provides instructions. She calms somewhat as she prepares to pull.]
Right then!! [She grunts as she gets to work! She pulls at Tifa's hand with both hands and tries her best to bring her up. She digs her heels in, for as much good as that can do when her feet are sinking into the crumbling sand.]
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What's worse now is that she can feel dust falling into her eyes... from where?
Uh oh...
Not only has the staircase started to fall, but the ceiling looks like it's about to come down on them, too.]
I think I see why no one's ever come in here. We need to find an exit plan, fast.
[Just as she says it, Tifa grabs Gina by the arm and pulls her close, her arms wrapping around the girl as she flies off the stairs before they can sink into the sand with them, and she rolls across the coins and jewels to help break their fall.]
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But, they're not out of the woods yet. In fact, they're thick in the middle of it. As they land, Gina groans and looks upwards as she sees what Tifa's warning them about. It's true, even the ceiling above them is collapsing. Her eyes dart around, as she tries to think of a plan.]
Why- why don't we go back out the way we came in?! If we really scarper, I know we can make it! [She's thinking of only the most direct option first. Growing more worried, she just wants to get this over with!]
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She has to resist the urge to look Gina over and as if she's okay, and looks back through the cave and the long, long run they would have to make if they're going to get out the way they came. But there is no other exit strategy, is there? There never was. It was always going to be retrieve the treasure and run for their lives.]
Guess so.
[Tifa wastes no time in grabbing Gina by the hand and helping her to her feet, and then pulling her along behind. The last thing she wants is the two of them to be separated...]
Just watch out for falling debris— [She calls back over her shoulder, and as she says it, a large Tifa-sized piece of rubble comes falling from the ceiling and lands only inches in front of them.] Like that...
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Still, Gina tries to keep it cool. And Tifa's presence is helpful in that regard. She doesn't complain when Tifa grabs her arm, because she's ready to do whatever she has to at this point to get out of here! She moves with her - and stops with her too.]
...Cor, that's a big'un. ...Right, let's just... keep bein' careful while we're runnin'. I'll keep me mincez on alert! [She's ready to keep moving! ... Cautiously!]
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[Whatever that means!
Tifa whirls around the boulder and brings Gina along with her, narrowly dodging a few larger pieces of rubble that fall. She calls something back to the girl, but the roaring of the cave drowns her out. Something about how if she knew this was how it would go, she would have picked a different book, but perhaps now's not the time to be reviewing the story. Not until it's finished.
Coins and rubies fly this way and that under her feet as she books it for the opening, and as she sees it up ahead, she can see the mouth of the tiger starting to close. Shit shit shit, that is bad news...]
Hey...! You confident you could break a landing?
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[Gina scampers along as quickly as she can with Tifa, while still trying to stay alert She can't quite make out what she said, but she can definitely feel the notion of regretting all their choices so far...
In any case, soon they find themselves approaching the opening of the cave! With the mouth starting to close. They're about to be eaten by a tiger made out of sand.]
Right now, me wantin' to survive is makin' me feel like more confidence than I ever thought I 'ad in me! [She answers frantically. Essentially, yes - whatever she wants to try, they may as well go for it! She'll try anything that'll get them out of here in one piece at this rate!]
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[That's all the warning that Gina gets before Tifa whirls the girl around, essentially hurling her towards the door that's very quickly closing up on them. Hopefully the sand will help to break some of that fall, and Tifa follows not close behind, tumbling out of the door after Gina just as the jagged-toothed maw slams shut. Tifa's own fall is anything but graceful, having been more worried about Gina than herself, and she lands on her side with sand in her eyes, hair, and mouth, and almost completely out of breath.
And several feet away from Gina, but the dust is so thick that she can't make her out in the fog, and she immediately feels that sharp panic jab at her stomach.]
Gina!?
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Tifa!! Ya made it! Are ya alright?!
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Yeah. I'll be fine.
[Tifa turns slightly to watch as the cave closes up behind them, the entrance buried beneath the sand and rubble that had crumbled away on the inside until it looks like nothing more than carved sand.]
Sorry. I should've seen that coming. Read too many treasure hunting books to a four year old...ow—!
[As she tries to stand, she stumbles, that dull ache turning into something sharper.]
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Oi, easy there! Don't push yourself now, not while you're 'urtin'. You 'ad a great go at bein' the 'ero, an' now it's my turn.
[Gina focuses her attention to her and lending her what support she can.]
'Ow bad is that pain? I can 'elp ya up on yer feet if it ain't gonna tear ya up.
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It's not. I should be okay.
[But she offers Gina her arm anyway so that she can sling it over the girl's shoulder. Yeah, she's had enough of being the hero for one day.]
You still have the lamp?
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[She'll take her arm and support her! And she answers her question with a grin.]
'Course I do! I ain't about to let a prize outta me sight for long. See?
[She holds up the lamp with her free hand! ...Without realizing that at some point in all that chaos, she started holding it directly in her hand.]
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I wonder what we're supposed to do with it.
[The only objectives Tifa could figure out was get the treasure and get out, but...]
You think if you rubbed it, a genie would come popping out of it?
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Wot, like in o' them stories?
[She pauses for a moment. They are in one of 'then stories', aren't they? A wry grin crosses her face.]
Well! Only one way to find out, innit?
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[Tifa lifts her free hand to the lamp but pauses just before she even touches it.]
Let's do it together. That way, if the genie does have three wishes, we can share them.
[That's how genies work, right!? It's just a story anyway!]
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[She doesn't really pay mind to three being an odd number, but regardless! She keeps her hand at the ready.]
I'm ready when you are! [She's primed to rub at the same time as her!]
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[Tifa gives one side of the lamp a little rub at the same time that Gina does. She half expects it to start shaking or speaking to them as soon as they do, but...
...
....
...........
Nothing happens, and she tries not to let her disappointment show too much.]
Oh, I thought... I was hoping it would actually work.
[Her hand drops to her side, so she completely misses that it's started to vibrate a little in Gina's hands.]
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Oi! Was this all just a big corker...? Wot's the point of this 'ere lamp if ain't got any... [She stops, as she feels the vibrations in her hands.] Wait. Wot's 'appenin'....
[A blast of smoke comes out from the lamp, accompanied by a blast of hearty laughter as a genie appears...!]
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[Tifa isn't sure anymore whether she was actually expecting a genie to pop out of it, but when that puff of smoke cracks over them, it startles her so much that she almost falls back a step and drags Gina along with her.
The genie is big and blue with great golden cuffs on his hands, and a long black ponytail streaming from the back of his head. He looks... well, exactly like a genie would in one of Marlene's storybooks, and she stares up at him with a look of bewilderment.
"Congratulations! You've completed all three objectives! And now, one wish for one objective. What'll it be!?"]
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