kyna and julek's adventures in babysitting

[evocation]

[Kyna hates jobs like this. Searching for lost people down in the tunnels is like looking for a needle in a haystack, and while she's never actually come up empty handed, the thought that she might is always in the back of her mind. Plus, dealing with hysterical parents makes her fidgety.

Actually getting to work is the easy part, though. She feels weirdly comfortable underground. There are only a few ways to get down here—old maintenance doors that people have unlocked or forced open over the years, or grates that have been loosened. People don't usually wander too far from those access points, and those are the sections of tunnel that Kyna knows like the back of her hand. The girl they're looking for today is a teenager who probably came down here to get drunk and got separated from her group. It shouldn't be too hard to find her. They bring a map anyway.

Kyna's leading the way, down one of the old, disused freight tunnels. They're going to have to go into the tiny, twisting sections that have been carved into the bedrock over the years, the parts that are cramped and uncomfortable and usually flooded, but for now, it's smooth sailing. Kyna has a flashlight in one hand and her map in the other, and she turns to glance over her shoulder at Julek.]

Want to make a bet on how long it takes to find her?

[That will definitely make this feel less serious, right?]

Comments

[razeyoulikeaphoenix]

[Julek is following along behind Kyna, also wielding a flashlight, though he'll let Kyna deal with the map. He has his own; it's tucked away in his mostly empty backpack that he just brings along to store his clothes should he need to cat up. Maps are for tunnel-spelunking amateurs, which he is not. The only reason he has one is to mark down points of interest, though sometimes he explores outside of his comfort zone to add to the ever-changing document. What's that called? Cardiography? Something like that. It makes him feel like an old-timey explorer, like he's found something new that's just his, even though he always eventually finds old beer cans and cigarette butts left behind by other pioneers.

But they're not venturing out into those interesting parts today. One teenage girl couldn't have gotten stuck too deep in here.]

Ooh, yeah. I'm game. What are we betting?

[Because money is probably off the table, given how broke they both are. Besides, flat cash is boring.]