Halloween can be pretty amazing huh? (Halloween Maze thread with Shu)

Nao had listened with intent about the next event and now he was to be put in a maze to try and find their way through it. He figured that his ability to see in the dark would come in handy, mainly because it was night time and he figured that a Halloween maze would be dark and full of scary creatures and situations designed to test their metal and guts. Nao wasn’t really afraid of many things that were “conventional” like spiders or ghosts. In fact Nao was more afraid of going blind, or the failure of a mission because he messed up and gave misinformation. Things like that were the fears that he was facing every single day. He didn’t like being up close and personal with people or objects either, that wasn’t his style. In fact a bow and some arrows was more than enough for him to fight against enemies that may have gone against him.

He had also found that his partner for this little game was none other than his friend and the person who invited him, Shu. Shu was someone that had been there for him a few times now, and he was there when she had passed out in Magnolia town. It might have been best that he was pairing with her, just in case something happened again and she would need help once more. After all, if she started feeling faint and someone else was there instead it was most likely they would panic more than if they saw a vampire or two in the maze.

His brown eyes would have scanned the guild hall to find Shu in her Yukata doing whatever she was doing at the time. He was kind of glad that he could find her easily now, despite her not wearing that giant hat. Something about her seemed to be different since he last met her. Her hair seemed to be longer and have more thought to how it was presented, her dressing was more feminine than it was before, and she seemed to have a slightly different aura about her. Something… something he couldn’t put his finger on but she seemed a little different to him now. He wasn’t sure if it was an improvement on her it was just… different. Different was never bad but she wasn’t the same Shu that he had met the first time.

He walked over to her, pushing his hair away from his face and to the side and waved a small wave to the girl. His neutral expression changed to a soft smile as he got closer to her, as if there was an aura around her that made him feel happier to be around her. Odd wasn’t it? That someone could extrude that kind of energy around her to that it makes people more comfortable. Maybe some kind of gravity pulling them to her and making people feel all the more better to be around her.

”Hey Shu!” he called out to her as he stepped closer to her.  ”So it looks like not only you’ve invited me tonight, but we get to be partners in this maze. Think we can get through this without getting spooked?” He gave a soft chuckle, not realising that Shu’s fears could be completely different to his.

”So I never actually got to ask about what kind of magic you use. I mean you know mine is all in my eyes, but it might be good if we knew each other’s magic a little bit more to formulate a plan about navigating this maze a little more.” He gave a little hum and thought about how his magic could be beneficial. ”My magic can let me see in the dark and in bright lights, and I’m always remembering everything I see, though I can’t remember what I heard, just the way they move their lips really. I’m still trying to learn how to lip read…” His eyes trailed away from Shu before looking back.

”Oh! I can also zoom my eyesight in to a point so I can keep looking much further ahead. And I can keep track on you or another object. So I think I’m pretty good at scouting out all the different kinds of routes we could go.” He smiled and nodded. ”Yes I think we’ll have a chance with this maze!” Nao wasn’t really a person that was that competitive but for some reason he just kind of wanted to… win? Maybe it was Shu, maybe it was the power of plot convenience.  Whatever it was it was definitely making Nao feel a little more fired up on actually trying to win the competition that they were going to participate in.

”Maybe we should try and find the maze first before we formulate a plan too huh?

So many people that needed tending to after her absence with time quickly waning away. . . Shu simply kept serving the guests and tending to their needs, finding that in some instances she was proving to be harassed. Nevertheless, she focused on making the guests happy and brushing off the troubling presences of some - merely wanting to get through the Halloween night with a smile on her face. She was comforted with the thought that everyone was having a fun night. Tyriel and Ardere were both proving to be commendable hosts, the costume contest was a success, and now was the supposed haunted tour. Even if it was becoming busier and busier as the night went on, she figured that everyone would leave with satisfaction from the nights events.

With a sigh she delivered an order to a young woman dressed rather extravagantly - almost matching the theme of Baal's Phantom outfit - before walking away from the tables with a soft sigh and silver tray in hand. She was beginning to grow tired as she wasn't used to staying up this late, much less parties as grand as this one. It was all seeming to occur at such a fast pace that her time with outside with Nao was seeming like it was moments ago. Speaking of said man, the young woman had to stop herself in her walk as she caught sight of the mage. Waving as he pushed strands of hair away from his face, there was a small smile gracing his lips as he neared her - softening with each step closer he took her way. Shu couldn't help but wave with a tilt of her head, her own unique smile embedded on her lips.

Yes, he definitely changed. . . All smiles!

Once Nao was close enough, the black haired waitress kept to a professional standing as she kept the silver trap close to her - looking up at the man with a curious blink. "Hello, Nao!", she greeted with a friendly smile before letting the man speak. Although, her smile shifted to her lips parting in surprise with the slightest fraction of her eyes widening. The mage completely missed that she was partnered with Nao for the tour! She was beginning to grow excited as the violet hue of her eyes almost grew brighter at the knowledge, leaning in slightly as she lost some of the professional stance she willed to keep herself in for so long. She even completely forgot about the possibility that her illness could reappear again tonight, almost ready and raring to go. "I hadn't realized we were partners in this round! Oh, how exciting! I definitely believe we could make it through without getting spooked!", she excitedly chirped with a soft giggle at the end of her words.

It was then that Nao pondered on what magic she carried, explaining his own a little more in riveting detail. The young woman knew that his magic was nothing short of impressive, and she could only find herself more intrigued as she matched that of a child gazing upon something truly magnificent. The smile already plastered on her lips was only growing as she listened intently, holding the silver tray close to her with a squeeze of the material between her fingers before happily nodding her head at the man's suggestion. "Here, we'll formulate a plan and I'll tell you about my own magic along the way!", Shu spoke with the same cloak of excitement, taking a moment to jog towards the bar area to place the silver tray in its respective spot while grabbing her Kinchaku from behind the counter - returning back to Nao with haste to only make a gesture to follow her down the hallway.

"My magic is actually something pertaining to gravity. Although, mine is a bit peculiar, I-I suppose. I can constantly change the gravity of an object or person if I so wished to. I can even walk along walls or ceilings no matter the interior design, and I can even reverse the entire gravity of a room if I ever needed to. I suppose if I was keeping in contact with another person, I can adjust their gravity to match mine if I ever needed to help them get across an area. With objects, I suppose I can do the same and even make it so they float or crash into the ground."

Shu shifted her gaze to look up at Nao, wondering what he thought of all this as they were nearing the area of the maze.

Shu had greeted the novice mage with warmth as she listened to what he had been saying. She seemed a little surprised but very glad that they were together as a team for the maze run. Had he been with someone else, Nao figured that he wouldn’t have got on with them as well as he would have Shu. Something about being with her made him feel a little more comfortable with all these strangers. Was this… the feeling of friendship? Or maybe it was something more? He hadn’t quite figured it out just yet. All he could really work out was that he was really enjoying his time with Shu each time he met her, and even if one in every two times he was with her she was feeling ill? It didn’t matter because in the end he was just going to make sure that she was ok. That was what friends did each and every time right? He really wasn’t sure how it really worked yet.

He watched her jog over to the bar to put her bar tray down to take part of the event before returning to him to go over the plan with him and talk about her magic. What surprised him was how agile she was in that yukata she was wearing. Nao didn’t know how Shu was able to perform such incredible speeds while wearing such a dress but all he could do was give her props. Hopefully it didn’t foreshadow a situation while in the maze…

Nao listened to her intently while she explained her magic to him, and how she could use it in different situations. He found that her power to control gravity was actually really useful for all kinds of situations, and it probably explained why people seemed to gravitate so natural to the girl. It was because she could actually just pull them closer to her physically so much that the emotional pull was being made by the same forces through some kind of magical empathy she exhumed.

”Ah I see! Looks like your magic might come quite handy if there is all sorts of debris or maybe something a little more scary huh?” He chuckled, not knowing of Shu’s fears and phobias. ” Either way I think we’re going to do very well in this event! Between my eyes and your ability to move things and us, nothing will stand in our way!”  He kind of wanted to pose, but at the same time the author in his head was telling him that it was a bad idea and not cool to actually do in front of anybody.

”Anyway shall we go to the maze?”

Nao would (hopefully) walk along with Shu out of the Guild Hall and towards the maze, wondering what it would be like when he got there. Would it be a massive one made of bushes, home grown for years before this event, or was it made out of wooden panels that had been put down haphazardly and quickly? He wasn’t too sure what kind of work they had put behind the maze. He would wonder what kind of puzzles and challenges the guild would use against them. And would he be able to see inside it at all.

From what he saw as he walked out to it was that it was a giant, stone maze enshrouded in darkness inside. It looked roofed as well as if to stop people from climbing over it, and sturdy to stop it from being knocked over. The only benefit was that the walls were tall so that stopped him feeling really cramped and claustrophobic.

”I guess we can’t just use your magic and float over the whole maze to the middle huh?” he asked Shu, now coming up with a new plan with the maze. He was sort of lucky that he could see the darkness as if there was no trouble. But he noticed there was a torch that they could use on the outside to go through the maze. It wasn’t that Nao needed it, but he was sure that Shu could probably use it. Maybe even float it in the air while she moved.

”I can see in any light,” he said, turning his eyes on into its spectrum of colours. ”But I’m sure that torch over there could be useful! His eyes would look into the first corridor and try and scan what was there. He couldn’t really see much on the first corridor besides a wall part way down the darkness. ”Looks like the first corridor is easy, but after that? I’m not so sure…”

There was certainly a reign of confidence and certainty flowing from Nao, a sense of determination even veiling over his eyes. The way he walked and carried himself was something to be admired - even providing a sense of inspiration. As they both were walking side by side in the midst of their conversation, Shu couldn't help but smile and feel some confidence rising within her. Whether it was the man at her side, the fact that she wasn't all alone in this round, or with someone familiar. . . she didn't know. At the mage's question prompting them to press on, the waitress could only nod in confirmation before they both continued pressing onward at their respective paces.

Throughout the progression, the young woman couldn't help but glance Nao's way every so often - violet orbs trailing back to the path before them after each time. There was something about this man that she was feeling, and it was something softly familiar. It was almost as if she could identify the emotion with clarity, but couldn't quite put a finger on it. There seemed to be a wall blocking the way to the answer she needed and sought for, yet it taunted her to no end. Was this friendship? Something else? A sigh almost passed her lips but she withheld it, fingers hovering over her lips unconsciously as she slipped away in thought.

Little had she known or took precaution to try and predict what may be ahead of them. Whatever the maze would be like was a problem or obstacle they would encounter when they reached it, and Shu was unknowingly humming as she was lost in her thoughts. What was going to happen? Would this Halloween night end with a bang? Would she be able to see Nao again after tonight? What was in store for the end of the party? There were many factors to consider and many questions just flying back and forth in the depths of her mind, and it wasn't until she nearly bumped into the stone wall of the entrance to the maze that she realized they had arrived.

There was a roof and the entryway was anything but visible, the only light visible being the orange glow from the torch at the doorway. With a nervous laugh and rubbing her head, the black haired woman adjusted her form as she turned towards the man, closing her eyes with the lightest hue of pink dusting her cheeks. "I-I guess we can't, ahahaha!", she merely said as she tried to recover from her latest, embarrassing blunder. By Nao's words of encouragement and suggestion, the waitress stood on the tips of her toes as she grabbed the torch with care and caution.

"Well, I-I wonder what's up ahead. . . Gee, it's pretty dark in there, though. M-Makes me kind of nervous to go in."

Shu seemed a little nervous to enter the maze that they were suppose to go inside for the next part of the event. Maybe she didn’t really like the darkness that was right in front of them, and quite rightly so! The darkness is something that was full of all kinds of creepy crawlies and spooks of the night, and if she didn’t want to get spooked then she shouldn’t walk in. A maze was cool and all, but Nao knew there must be something lurking inside there if they were to go in.

”Right lets just start walking and try and work out where we are going to go in this place. From the looks of it, the maze starts to turn about thirty feet in, and possibly we can go left or right. I think if we stay close together we won’t get lost or separated. Shame I haven’t learned how to use x-ray vision yet…” He thought it about it for a moment, and mentally wrote it down to experiment in magic involving x ray powers. Being able to see through walls would be really useful to finding people or objects. But he worried about the risk of probably getting cancer in his eyes or in the brain from all the x-ray waves it might cause. Or it could just be magical and not cause any harm to him. Who knows!

He would slowly take steps into the maze, hoping Shu would follow him into the maze. He was starting to feel a little nervous. After all, his eyes were showing him far into the distance but had something like a fly or ladybird just appeared in front of him? It would be magnified to the size of a human hand or maybe even bigger if it got really close to him. That was one of the downsides of being able to magnify his zoom in his eyes.

He zoomed out his eyes, and began to look at the sides of the walls. They were covered in cobwebs and dried blood, with claw markings every once in a while as part of the spooky decoration. Was it merely just decoration? Or was it trying to tell them something about the part of the maze they were in? Either way he didn’t really like how it was starting here. But at least walking down to the end with Shu was going to be a bit easy.

He kept his pace slow and careful, always on the edge and keeping his zoom at about 5 times a normal person would have. He figured that by keeping his zoom in the mid-range; that he wouldn’t have to worry about things close to him looking like huge creatures and yet he could see into the distance with more detail.

”Looks like we’re going to a turn soon Shu, we can probably go left or right. I think I remember someone once telling me to always follow the left wall and eventually you’ll get to the middle. I think that might be the best idea…” He would begin to get to the end of the first corridor and peer around the left hand side, completely ignoring the right for now. It looked clear, but the darkness was difficult to work with. For some reason his eyes weren’t able to completely remove the darkness from his sight, as if it wasn’t only dark light but some kind of dark mist that he couldn’t feel just… see.

’Y-yeah lets go this way for now Shu, and if it comes to a dead end then we go back and follow the right path and then go left, eventually we’ll make it huh?” He felt a little shiver along his spine as if there were things watching him, or something was trying to get into his mind to frighten him. He wasn’t usually the kind of person to stutter in conversation, but this time he was actually starting to get a little bit frightened of the whole situation, and that was beginning to worry him a little more than he should. He didn’t want his information to be wrong on this, and he certainly didn’t want to let Shu down. Something about her kept making him want to work harder for her… and he didn’t know that.

”I-I think the way is clear now, but for some reason it’s really hard to see in this maze and it’s agitating me a little bit,” he admitted to the girl in front of him. ”B-but I’ll be fine! I’m fine. I probably just have some dust in my eyes.” He began to rub his eyes while starting to go around the corner, wondering what kind of maze this way that was starting to throw the novice mage in all sorts of weird places.

He would keep trying to squint and get the darkness to disappear, but it seemed that it would forever be foggy, like there was something blocking his use of his eye magic. Not fun. Not fun at all Infinity Hydra!

Maze Progression: First Corridor (???)
BGM: Ominous / Creep 【不気味】

---

Grasping onto the torch out of nervous tension, the fellow mage couldn't help but agree to every single word Nao was uttering. It was nothing but the truth that she was nervous about entering the maze, for the contents were unknown. Whatever creepy creatures and spooky monsters were possibly lurking within was not setting off a comfortable air. An even horrible stench permeated the woman's noise, causing her free hand to loosely cover her nose with the scarf of her Yukata; her eyes began to tear up from the combined emotions of the tension between the guildless mage and herself, the horrible stench, and the intimidating markings to be found along the walls.

Nao's voice was soft and calm for the time being, his words relating to that of his magic as they began to progress through one of possible many corridors. From what Shu could gather, it may have been an attempt to calm them both (or just himself). In the current moment, she couldn't necessarily create a hypothesis or even provide answer. The uneasiness completely coating her own body was nearly overpowering, and upon observing the walls along with moving the torch to help improve her visibility, the waitress was not appreciating what she was taking in as she kept following Nao. "B-Blood. . .", she muttered out in discomfort moreso to herself than any other presence. Wherever the two of them were heading, it screamed danger just from the sight of the scratch marks and stained blood alone on the wall.

Although, the young woman decided to break herself away from her mortified state of staring at the stone walls around them; instead she focused on the mage before her with dubious interest in hopes that just hearing his voice would be able to put her at ease. His words earlier on did manage to do so without too much effort or even realization, and she decided to even keep to the method of steady breathing he taught her earlier. Maybe it would help with easing her nerves, tense muscles, mind, emotion, fast pacing of her heart. . . However, with a slight jolt upon Nao's sudden suggestion, the young woman even made a soft sound in indication of her surprise before stuttering and fumbling over her own words.

They were turning left it seemed.

Upon his movements the woman only inched closer one step at a time, as if scared she might startle him or step on a trap while he observed the way they desired to go. Anything could happen in an enclosed space such as this, and traps were something that just crossed Shu's mind. The maiden's voice was that of a hushed whisper as she spoke, as if afraid to alert anything nearby - or anyone. "R-Right, okay. L-Left it is then. . . ! We'll j-just stick with your plan, ehe!", she spoke with a shiver cascading along her body, a chill rising up along the depths of her spine with goosebumps appearing in waves.

She was spooked.

Momentarily speeding up her pace, she began to walk right by Nao's side with a lump sliding down her pale throat. She hoped Nao didn't hear her gulp or practically feel the waves of discomfort and tension emanating off of her being. She did catch Nao stuttering earlier and felt it was best for not only him to be at his side, but her as well. It may have proved to provide a sense of ease that way for both sides, but if it would actually prove to work. . . She didn't know. Maybe the young woman just found it easier to be right at his side in this manner instead of behind him, torch in hand. As the man spoke up again, she knew she made a good call by moving closer to him.

He admitted he couldn't see very well.

With a crease of her brows, Shu decided to speak up softly as a hand lightly and carefully rest on his shoulder. Something must have been affecting his eye magic in the maze, for this was the first time he spoke up about his magic acting up. Even with the admirable excuse of there being dust in his eyes, the young woman could only smile softly as she spoke. "H-Hey, it's okay. W-We'll be fine. Even if you can't see much of anything, y-you're at least not alone. We're here together and j-just doing our best to travel through. Although, j-just to be safe. . . Here.", she softly spoke up and moved so she was completely facing Nao, her eyes squinting as she examined his own pair.

"Hmmm. . . I-I don't see any dust but it's pretty dark in here. Even this torch doesn't r-really help for lighting. . . Oh dear."

---

Maze Progression: ???
BGM: Shadow

---

It was suddenly that a flash of red swished by out of the corner of her eye. With a startled gasp she turned around completely to only observe the most strangest of sights. Spherical flames with glowing, red eyes were completely encircling the two mages in a rather intimidating pace. Such peculiar beings were close to them both and the young woman would unconsciously take a step back, unsure if she was too close to Nao or not. "U-Uhm. . . !", she breathed out before the spirits disappeared into piles of ash around their feet, the hall soon beginning to shake and tremble. Cackling and growls echoed throughout the stone walls before gusts of wind began to surge forth from before them.

With widened violet orbs and a quivering composure, Shu felt her eyes lock with the red pair slowly inching its way down the hall. The ground seemed to tremble with each step the mysterious creature took, its appearance only becoming all the more clear as the seconds horrendously crept on. This entire situation screamed one word and one word only to the maiden as the creature began to growl dangerously at them both, brows furrowing as its body began to tilt forward. Little had the waitress known of the torch slowly flickering out, and with a quivering voice she spoke out with a crack to her voice.

"M-My apologies for what I'm about to do. . . !"

She abruptly grabbed Nao's hand as the creature bellowed out a roar, squeaking out as she threw the torch at the creature's face with as much force she could muster - hearing a whimper as she began to dash off down the hallway with Nao in tow. Her hand would slide against the wall to help guide her way through, the moment she reached a corner indicating a turn. She would slow down for Nao's sake regarding said turn before continuing on, still feeling the floor tremble beneath them. It was a strong indication the creature was following them, leaving Shu to be the guide in a place like this.

She needed to be creative. She needed to think. She needed. . . !

That's it. . . !

As she kept jogging, she turned to look back at Nao, purposefully pulling him into her before wrapping her arms around him to keep him secure. "M-My apologies for this action, too!", she whispered before adjusting the gravity on both their beings, letting the two float higher and higher until they reached the ceiling. The young woman held onto Nao without so much as a blush or mishap; her only focus was keeping him safe and sound. If the beast found them, she knew she could just grab onto his hand again and run along the walls of the entire maze if she so wished.

But for now, they just had to wait. . .

Fear. Fear was the mind-killer, and with that it causes all sorts of problems such as paranoia, hallucinations, trauma, even physical conditions on top of the mental ones being caused by it. Nao wasn’t necessarily scared at that moment in time, but he had found himself beginning to wonder what he was going to do around Shu. If he wasn’t brave enough for both of them, he didn’t know if she would start suffering from her episodes, or worse. And if they tried to run out of the maze then he wasn’t entirely sure that they would actually make it out alive… even if they were so close to the exit already. But his fears were already beginning to creep up on him, not being able to see, not being able to formulate a plan and failing on his information… The only thing worse would be for his journal to fall open and Shu to see what he had written about her… oh man that would be awful!

Why can I not see through this darkness? What is preventing me from being able to look ahead? The air seems so thick with particles yet I don’t feel like there is a fog or anything in the way… Even Shu’s torch doesn’t seem to be emiting as much light as it should be…

He snapped out of his thoughts at hearing Shu’s voice taking over the thought space as she reassured him that everything was going to be fine. He nodded slowly, taking in the notes about her face and her body movements. She seemed to be shaking too, and had been since they passed the markings on the walls. She moved to be in front of him and checked his eyes carefully, the underneath of them was red from where he had been rubbing his eyes to get anything out of them, but overall it seemed there was nothing there. But that made him feel only a little more anxious because he couldn’t tell what kind of thing was stopping him from seeing far enough ahead. He could zoom in, and he could zoom into Shu and see all kinds of details on her skin… but not to the maze ahead?

Nao’s eyes widened and zoomed back to normal vision as he noticed that the darkness was moving, swirling around them with dozens of eyes all paired up and watching them as they began to move around. Nao would begin to draw his weapon from his back and begin to notch an arrow before they disappeared and fell to the floor into ash piles. The room lit up for Nao as his vision returned to him and he could see in the darkness once more.

”Hey! I can see again!” he cheered, putting his bow away. Though the happiness fled from his demeanour as footsteps began to become stomps nearing their position. They sounded big, heavy, and terrifying as he looked around to try and work out where they were coming from. Were they beyond the wall, on the other side? Or were they between the two corridors that Nao and Shu could traverse. Was this really a maze, or was this becoming more of a gauntlet now?

He faced Shu’s direction and saw the creature in its entire dark manner. Though she could only see the pair of red, malicious eyes that was enshrouded by the darkness, Nao could see the full figure was darkness. It had multiple arms, horns and a pair of strong legs to match the brutish nature it seemed to radiate.

Nao jumped at hearing Shu’s voice, since not really hearing anything but the creature for the last half a minute had made him focus on all his attention on it. He also felt her hand slip onto his and grab it tight as the creature began to roar at them. She threw the torch into the darkness, and as if this was some kind of magic missile, it hit the target to make it whimper as if fire was one of its weaknesses. It was a shame that neither he nor her were able to really use fire, unless he was able to light his arrows. But they had just discarded their only way of lighting something up… unless Shu was a closet smoker and hadn’t told Nao about her habits.

The mage felt Shu tug at his arm to get him to run with her, following her as he kept a watch of what was in front of them. The patch seemed so clear, but with dried blood and etchings everywhere he was nervous that Shu would catch something with her hand. Luckily the walls didn’t seem sharp, just polished andesite that tessellated with every brick next to it. The whole patch just seemed to continue going on and on, if it wasn’t for all the turns they were making.

At one point Shu would suddenly stop, causing Nao to fly back as he had ran past her. He wondered why she had suddenly stopped since there was nothing ahead of them from what he could see. Maybe she had finally given into the fear, like a rabbit caught in a headlight. But instead she apologised for what she was about to do as she grabbed hold of his body and floated them both into the air. His body froze from the embarrassment of being held like this. His cheeks turned from a frightened pale, to a shy red tint that would sweep his face. He wasn’t really used to hugs from anyone at all, and this meant that he wasn’t really used to the emotional connection that they would bring.

He just froze there, against the ceiling making no sound either out of fright from being caught, or the shock that someone was this close to him. He tried to swallow a lump in his throat but to no avail. It looked like he would have to wait until what was causing it was gone.

The Beast that he could now see clearly had been charging at them since ten seconds after they had began to run and was so close to catching them up. Had the pair not turned a corner and floated up into the ceiling the beast would’ve caught them or at least seen them levitate to safety. The creature would just continue running along the paths until the sound of stomping disappeared and a roar in the distance would show that they were safe.

Nao sighed in relief as he found comfort that they were safe, not realising that he had put his hands around Shu during the time that the beast was looking for them. He realised that he had began to hug her close, his eyes widening as he let go and looked away, noticing a web full of small spiders wondering what was going on.

”I-I ummm…” he stuttered in relief or embarrassment. ”Thank you for getting us up here… I don’t think we’d have been able to out run such a creature.” A smile returned to his face as the colour returned back to his skin. The smile was a genuine smile of gratitude and he didn’t really know how to thank Shu for all she did. All he would have to do is wait for her to let them down.

”I guess all we can do is keep moving on huh? I remember which way we’ve been but I don’t think I could really describe it to you. I think we kind of have to follow the trail the creature went huh?’ He would wait to see how Shu would react as he waited in her arms, still a little red from being this close to her. He was only able to talk because it seemed that nothing was going wrong, even with her being this close to him. He didn’t really enjoy being close to people. But he was getting used to the idea that some people just liked hugging, just like his team mate Almyra seemed to do.

Maze Progression: ??? (Progressing Forth - Right Path)
BGM: Path of Repentance / Via Purifico 【浄罪の路】

---

The creature that so desperately chased them down throughout the enclosed corridors and hallways stomped right under them, progressing forward without so much as a thought. From the sound of it, the dark being turned around a corner as the tremors of the footsteps grew weaker and weaker with each passing moment. It was to an eventual point in time where such tremors were so soft that they could barely be felt against the surface of even the ceilings, and upon such a realization the young maiden released a sigh of a quivering relief. The adrenaline that was so dangerously coursing through her veins was taking its toll to dissipate in the passing moments, causing her own form to tremble in the slightest from the excitement of what occurred. Little had she paid mind to Nao's own reaction to being held so close to her or the fact he could see once more; the woman was so focused on wanting to keep him safe that such important factors slipped away from her grasp.

And so she turned her head to look to him with a shaky tone.

"W-Well, uh. . . Th-That was certainly quite the adventure, huh?"

It was in that moment that Shu realized that there were a pair of strong arms wrapped around her stature, even wondering if she also felt a light squeeze moments ago while she was lost in her own world. Upon gazing at Nao had he let go of her own being, turning his head away as he began to stutter. Whether it was from a form of some embarrassment, shyness, or the quaking relief of the situation at hand, Shu couldn't determine with clarity. Although, it was within those small moments as her orbs violet glow began to grow for a mere moment as her eyes widened in the slightest fraction. The waitress could have sworn she caught sight of the faintest hue of red along the man's skin. . .

I-Is Nao blushing?

Now, she certainly wasn't expecting that from the man at all. As he continued to speak up, the young woman could only scold herself out of the current train of thought - merely nodding in a form of reply as she couldn't help but form her own, unique smile along her pink lips. She listened intently to her friend's words as her veiled gaze softened. There was certainly a lot the two had to consider now that they could have possibly not been in the same area they were before, their progression seeming all the more complicated. Although, judging by Nao's discretion and memory, she trusted his judgement in following the creature's path. Maybe there was even something to be gained in all this travel and exploration of this dark, damp, and spooky maze.

There was only one way to find out.

"O-Oh, Nao, it's not a problem. I just - W-Well, I-I was focused on keeping you safe. I wasn't really focused o-on much else in the time to be honest. B-But I'm sorry for dragging you a-all around the place like that, though!" It was the waitress' turn to blush a soft hue of red at the thought of her behavior in what seemed like moments ago, even the thought of grabbing his hand without his permission something she was finding embarrassing; she was even beginning to scold herself a bit. It was for a mere moment that she just gazed up at Nao before making a soft sound, almost similar to a squeak as she realized they were still afloat. "O-Oh, right! W-We can only progress if I let us down. . . ! Uhm. . . ! Silly me, ehe!", she breathed out before slowly descending them to the ground below, waiting for Nao to regain his footing before releasing her hold on him with a turn of her being towards the direction the creature ran off to.

"R-Right! So. . . Th-That way then! We can do this!"

Pointing in the direction the creature went, Shu slowly began to progress onward without glancing back to Nao - in fear of him seeing just how badly she was blushing. The way her pale skin seemed to almost glow in the dim environment around them was almost child's play if not embarrassing. If one wanted to even point out, it was almost as if she was a soft beacon of light in this dark world. With a rather flustered state of mind as she constantly replayed her own actions and behavior, the young woman even began to just suddenly hum without so much as a second thought. She just wanted to press on and be rid of her thoughts, perhaps even calm herself down as she turned a corner.

She kept to a simple pace for Nao to easily follow and even left plenty of room for him to do whatever he pleased. The maiden just hoped he was alright and well after that whole endeavor; herself was an entirely different story.

I-I can't believe I grabbed his hand without his permission. . . A-At least he's safe, right? Y-Yeah! He's safe and sound! We'll just progress through the maze and pretend that didn't happen!

That was going to be easier said than done. It was almost too dark for her to see much of anything, and she immediately knew Nao was more useful as a lead right now then she ever could be in a situation like this. Despite how she could mess with her own gravity in the slightest to illuminate her eyes, that glow still wasn't enough to completely illuminate their path entire path. There was also the worry that the mage near her wouldn't be able to completely see again, and that was quite a thought on her mind. His allergies seemed to act up before that whole escapade happened. . . With a shake of her head, the young woman just stopped in her tracks with an embarrassed sigh.

Her face was still red.

"I-I. . . can't see much, ehe."

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