Pinwheel splashed down hard, and for a moment as he tumbled under the surface he felt overwhelmed by panic. He paddled hard, searching for the surface, and his head burst forth from the water. It... wasn't actually that bad. The currents that had looked strong from a distance were fairly easy to navigate. Pinwheel began to head toward the edge and the ladder, when something shiny caught his eye.
Taliesin was still stuck at the gate, and the water wasn't nearly as disgusting as it could've been... Making his second reckless decision in as many minutes, Pinwheel dived down, reaching for the object. There was a moment as his claw wrapped around it that he feared he was making the exact same mistake again, tattoo still glowing brightly. But nothing happened as he grasped it, and when he surfaced Pinwheel's eyes widened in appreciation of just how valuable this little statue had to be.
Stowing it away, Pinwheel reached the other side of the room and hurried up the ladder. It was definitely a way out, but the sight of a face appearing in the opening made him yelp and nearly lose his grip. It was... Cotriona?
I'm taking you to Enzul. Pinwheel had no idea how he'd gotten so lucky, but it seemed his problems were solved. He followed behind her, all the way to the home of a Guardian. Nervousness overtook him as they began to discuss the tattoo and the artifact he'd touched, and the feeling only got worse as Enzul took his arm.
It
hurt. Storms, it hurt so much it was all he could do not to pull away and scream. He might've screamed—he wasn't certain. He almost passed out, but the moment before it all became too much the feeling abruptly stopped, the armband lying innocuously on the table beside him.
He shifted away from it, still shaking from the pain. Enzul was talking about payment, but Pinwheel could hardly think about anything else but what he'd just been through. And then... the statue! Pinwheel pulled it from his bag and explained its origins.
Cat's compliment made him smile, barely, and the fact that Enzul seemed pleased with the payment coaxed out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir," he said, bowing his head to the Guardian before turning to Cat. "And, thank you for finding me. I'm very, very,
very glad for all your help."
Enzul shooed him out, and Pinwheel left with a smile on his face and his arm blissfully tattoo-free.
Thank you guys for running this event!! It was a lot of fun, and I'm very pleased that all of Pinwheel's running away + one reckless decision ended up working out so well, ahaha.
