After checking her own stock of supplies and readjusting her armor for the fourth time, Chaszmyre moved closer to Keleros and plopped down, beginning to rifle through his pack and lay things out, seemingly taking inventory of his equipment as well.
Arching an eyebrow, the thief rolled his eyes as she began to dig through his pack. She'd soon lay out a large assortment of items, ranging from rope and climbing gear to a medley of engineering equipment, along with other survival gear.
"Enjoying yourself, Kitten?" He asked playfully, eyes studying their surroundings.
"What the heck is this?" She looked up, holding some complex, though small contraption she'd come across.
"And no, not... exactly." With a long sigh, Chaszmyre looked around, taking in the rest of the Thalassian Hospital crew making their preparations and the glowing red of the portal down below.
"I'd advise against pressing that button." He replied, giving the object a brief study. "That's our...well, insurance if things go badly."
"And you'll be fine, once we get through and find something to do. It's the waiting that really bothers people." His voice held its usual calm, though he continued to keep his eyes darting around. "I've known guys who are dead cold while working, but anything up to that point...they're jumpy as all Fel."
Setting the item aside, minding the button, Chaszmyre resumed rifling through his things and slowly began to re-pack them, mostly the way she found them, once everything was out and briefly examined.
"I guess you're right. I've never been a patient woman," she agreed, glancing up again.
"No kidding. I tie you up for a minute and you're already begging for me to..." He cut off the end of the sentence, chuckling and waggling his eyebrows. "In either case, just take a deep breath and focus on your gear. It'll help calm your nerves." With those words, he looked back down at the portal, hand unconsciously beginning to roll a coin along the knuckles, eyes narrowed in thought.
"Maybe you should do that to keep me occupied," she muttered, buckling the last straps of his pack.
With a long, heavy breath, Chaszmyre finally pushed to her feet, drawing closer. "I've already gone through my things three times, I don't think it'll help to go again."
"Mmmmm...should I find another way to keep you distracted?" He asked, though his voice sounded half-hearted. "It's always like this before a job...sitting here, wondering what will go wrong, trying to remember your training. The calm, before the storm."
"Far from calm," the artist argued irritably. She threaded her fingers between those of his free hand, her other hand moving up to grip his arm. "What do you think will go wrong?"
Snorting, the man gave her a sidelong glance, though also a tentative smirk. "If a battle is anything like doing a heist? Nothing ever goes according to plan. We are about to storm through a portal to a land we've never seen, filled with Light knows what. All we -do- know is that there are plenty of orcs waiting to kill us."
He shook his head, looking around at the rest of the camp as it prepared to travel. "No, something will go wrong...after all, isn't it the goal of our enemy to cause just that?"
"They're just orcs," she remarked, voice heavy with sarcasm. "The others will start to clear a path before we even step through. And you have a way to keep in touch with Azuriann and the rest. The only real unknowns is the terrain, when you think about it."
Chaszmyre shrugged, clinging tighter to the thief's arm. For all her talk, she didn't seem convinced or soothed.
He chuckled. "You act like something will go wrong for us. I meant for this overall plan." Humming, he nudged her with his elbow. "You're with me, woman. You and I will be just fine."
"Well you said nothing goes according to plan, that means our plans too, doesn't it?" Chaszmyre chuckled though, and kissed at his shoulder.
"I actually think we'll make an ok team out there. I have faith in you."
"You act like I have only one plan." He retorted, giving her a mock-plaintive look. "You should know me better than that."
"I'd ask about them, but maybe it's best to leave the planning to you. So I don't have more things to obsess about. Just tell me what I need to know." She tugged at his arm, moving to perch on a crate together if he'd sit.
Chuckling, he sat beside her, flipping the coin into the air before catching it. "Stick by me." He said, winking. "That's all you should do. I have plenty of toys to help us should we get into any scrapes."
"You know I have skills too. I didn't spend ages in Pandaria just to drink and make tea like a professional," she chided him.
"That," he whispered, leaning over to kiss her cheek, "is why I have you watching my back."
She nodded slowly and shifted her gaze downward toward the portal. "Look, they're starting to gather at the edges of the crater. Blood Knights, I think that's a shaman totem there, sparking at top. Tauren, if the shapes of the people around it are any indication."
The rogue sighed and straightened, rolling a shoulder as he looked down to study them. "Aye, looks about right. I suppose the time for waiting is over, then."
