* THE TOMB RAIDER

He huffed a breath that contained half amusement, half exasperation, and tilted his head, the glint of adrenaline still riding his being.

“Yeah, well… in my defense, someone just tried to drop a temple on me.”

With a smooth flick of his wrist, he lowered the gun, the click of the safety more like punctuation than a peace offering. His eyes never left hers, though- curious, cautious, impressed.

“Better? Or do you need a written apology and a fruit basket too?”

He stepped back just slightly, enough to give space but not enough to surrender the upper hand, his tone cocky and teasing.

“You know, I’ve met a lotta people in ruins like this, though... most of them try to rob me or shoot me. You, though? You’ve got better posture. And there's way less shouting involved so far, so points to you.”

He paused. Was it for dramatic effect? He'd deny it with everything that he was, but...

her defensive posture does not rush to relax with the withdrawal of the gun,   ease comes in fractured forms,   splintering just enough to suck in a breath of air filled with dust and copper.

“    someone tried to drop a temple on you?    i've heard better excuses for bad aim.    ”    gaze shifts past him,    glancing towards temple walls that have began to sweat danger,    unease seeping into the chambers.    her eyes move back to him,   careful.

-- “   and if i did need a fruit basket,   i doubt you'd have one tucked behind you.   ”

a step forwards,   measured,   but not a challenge   (   not exactly   )   meeting him half way as torchlight carves her features into a sharper form of relief.    the american was casual,    but knew that didn't mean he lacked competence entirely,    he'd made it this far after all.

“ lara, ”    a pause follows,    allowing the temple to groan overhead,    mechanisms of stone twisting, shifting above them.    “    not local,   no,   i prefer my ruins a little less...    ravenous.    ”

‘ the temple’s spatial organization reflects a deliberate anthropomorphic schema   [ … ]   sequential compartments imitate thoracic and abdominal cavities   [ … ]   evidence of corrosive runoff and retracting stone mechanisms implies deliberate lethal design.   [ … ]   mechanical closures, sloped floors, and chemical residues suggest ritualized deterrents   [ … ]   movement through the complex appears intended to evoke passage through a consuming body  ’      —    ( MALDOVER,     WARREN E.     embodied architecture and ritual mechanics in late dynastic sanctuaries, vol. II  )

to all my   lovely mutuals    !    by liking   ( or )   leaving a comment on this post,   you are giving permission for me to raid your dms to plot,    send you memes,    &    work on dynamics between our muses   ( and eventually write ofc )  !   i've been writing lara for a looooong time now  & am so excited to be writing her again :3

[ FIELD NOTES: ENTY 001 ]    i enjoy exploring any   &   all dynamics;    but i do require chemistry when it comes to romantic ships. all other dynamics, ( friends, enemies, etc ) are completely open !  more info under the cut !

ask her again why she was here, in the midst of easily flooded tunnels and something she could only read about here and there historically, and she wouldn't have had much of an answer. valentine wasn't interested in drowning a hundred feet below the surface today — if she was found to be a corpse one evening, it wouldn't be entombed in soil and left to follow the whims of water currents.

her torch flickered along the edges of the carvings. they were little else but etched lines to her, but to lara, they represented stories, warnings, knowledge of everything jill didn't. she just had to trust that croft both knew what she was doing, and knew the way forward.

they'll be fine as it doesn't rain. awful lot of stock to put into something that neither of them could change, or well, predict, and especially when the only warning they could receive would come in the form of water rising quicker than they could retrace their steps. no radio in or out, no quick ascension to the surface — and only able to go deeper.

she followed lara as she left the carving, ensuring to keep her light just ahead of her, lighting her pathing. one wrong step and she would likely go right off the edge, so she tested every movement she made. echoes lead her to think of a time long past, and her own shadow, cast long with the torchlight and constantly following her every move.

optimism from earlier is dashed soon enough — they had to make a guess as to where to go, as opposed to having a definite path. supposed that was the risk with uncharted caverns, she considers. it's valentine who has to answer the question — she was good at thinking on her feet, but this was probably a question better answered by the other.

piercing white is turned down towards the ledge, studying the cave wall and whatever bottom that could be seen with the scattering light. valentine couldn't see reliable hand holds to descend, and though their search would take them deeper, all that might lead to could just be more water expanse.

light flickers up to the ledge, a clear space atop, but who's to say it took them somewhere important? still, it seemed a hell of a lot more appealing than trying to climb down slick stone with minimal equipment.

“ there. ”

‘ climb if you will,     but remember that courage and strength are nought without prudence.  ’      —    ( ED WHYMPERS,     scrambles amongst the alps  )

“ up. ”    a nod of agreement,   voice kept low,    just loud enough to let the shadows know they're there.    it whispers back her own words in response.    torch catches the sharp planes of her face while shes crouched,     hands sifting through her rucksack.   a slight smile slips onto her features.      it was the choice lara would have made,     up into the unknown.

she rises with a few chemlights,    cracking them open and tossing them up onto the ledge.     estimating that it was about    a twenty - five   foot ascent.    the rope she brought was more than long enough -   not exactly a mad dash to the gates of olympus,   but saftey came first,    always.   in one swift movement,    the rope is latched to an outcropping.    she tugs,    hard,     testing the integrity of the hold.

“    its a shame the chavian people hadn't figured out how to make ladders that didn't wash away with the waters.... it would make our job a lot easier.      ”

she looks to valentine.     jill wore competence like a second skin,      lara had no doubts about her;    ( trust is not gifted freely )    with jill it came unbidden.     a companion she could lean on without fear of anything caving.     it would remain unsaid;     but lara was glad valentine had accompanied her here.

the light drops from her hand,     rolling as sparks spit,     flames protesting weakly.    boot slides across ground,    kicking a fan of dust that snuffs the light.     turning to jill,   she offers her the rope,    other hand out for the other torch. 

“    all yours,   darling,      ”       there is a slight smile on her lips,     picking up her unlit torch and sliding them into her pack   -   allowing jill time to mount the rope before she smothered the other.

──   ⌯   ⁍   𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓  𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍.   (   accepting   )   | | |   ⤷   :   @venogasm   +   cassandra

❝    huh.  and  what  is  it  that  you  expect  to  find  down  there?  besides  bones  and  bad  vibes?    ❞

“   i figured i owed you a favour, i'm looking for the cure to male pattern baldness before it gets you too ”    grin teases the edge of her lips. “    -- and hopefully a star map leading to queen nefertiti's tomb ( somewhere ) in egypt ”

light illuminates walls soaked with age old water dripping from a ceiling most certainly covered with several feet of soil. something about it reminded her of a grave with an open maw, come to devour those and lay them to fossilize in a place where they will never be found. she turns her arm to study the path they're taking, stone and clay remain slick underneath her feet and she thanks her past self for taking her good combat boots.

she has rather limited experience in spaces like these. it makes her consider why lara has brought her along this time, but she trusted the other's judgement and supposed there was some use for her presence. still, this place is wondrous, no matter what ancient horrors lay within the secrets it clutched to itself underneath stalactite teeth — carvings loom above them both and her torch lights the carefully constructed lines of symbols aeons past.

sentinels, one might suppose, keeping guard over their history and their treasures alike. they watch the pair scouring their way through the tunnel, her voice scattering through the darkness until the shadows swallow it entirely.

the archaeologist is the expert here. valentine takes that role when it comes to combat, anything to do with the art of what was meant to crumble something to ashes, but through historical and exploration means, croft is the one she follows. words are taken into account, tilting her head with an escape of an exhale as acknowledgement. had she not been partnered with the other, jill knows that she would have lost herself in this twisting maze a good while back. she can only hope that lara knows where she's going — or if she doesn't, that she's confident at pivoting for a plan.

valentine pauses when she does, holding her torch up to see whatever she's gesturing towards. dark rust lines the wall of the stone here, filling the carved lines and still moist thanks to the conditions provided.

                      “ good to know. ”

“    the chavín people built chambers that carry water through the temple,    when it rains and they fill up the water,     the sound would ward off and intimidate intruders,    or drown them.  ”

there it was     –    just a flicker,    as bright as struck flint.  the sparkle in her eyes that unburied itself whenever she teetered too close to the edge.     something that only surfaced when the air was thick with collapse.    no denial that danger shook exhaustion from her bones and replaced it with something that gnawed at her marrow,    a particular excitement found only when her mortal coil was unravelled before her. 

“    we’ll be fine as long as it doesn’t rain.  ”      the words hum against skin,    her tone measured.    confident in both jills ability as well as her own.     if the temple wanted to swallow them,    they’d claw open its stomach to survive.

shadows continue to lick at the walls,    light tracing rusted carvings,    swaying across stone,    the corridors around them were breathing,    inhaling them further into their depths.     she pushes a slow exhale from her lips,    dust and damp curl in the air as the torch snaps in response. 

the shine in her eyes is gone before she fully turned around,     focused on the mass of black ahead of them.    the sound of their footsteps bounce across the narrow walls and chokes it back out at them,    an army of ghosts crammed into stone.

feet stop inches away from an edge within the corridor,    plunging deep into dark waters,    the water moved slow here,    almost unnoticiable.     flames from her torch grew brighter,   clawing up the walls to the ledge above them.    brown eyes laze over carvings worn by water,    unhurried but sharp,    willing the wall to reveal its meaning,     it only stared back in response. 

  “    dealers choice i’m afraid,  ”     lara turns to jill,     swinging off her backpack and crouching to comb through it.      “    up or down?  ”     

to all my   lovely mutuals    !    by liking   ( or )   leaving a comment on this post,   you are giving permission for me to raid your dms to plot,    send you memes,    &    work on dynamics between our muses   ( and eventually write ofc )  !   i've been writing lara for a looooong time now  & am so excited to be writing her again :3

[ FIELD NOTES: ENTY 001 ]    i enjoy exploring any   &   all dynamics;    but i do require chemistry when it comes to romantic ships. all other dynamics, ( friends, enemies, etc ) are completely open !  more info under the cut !