Lost in a Cavern Sari tag Christophe

[Sarissa Zouvelekis]

Sarissa had done what she could to make it up to Christophe. He had finally forgiven her for using him. She and Tyler had done their thing and now it had run its course. Just like it always was. Sari was not tied to any man at the moment and it was quite nice to have a guy as just a friend. She might have screwed up having more with Christophe, but people needed friends too. She had not really gone to the reservation at the same time as him, except maybe once or twice.

Well today was a special day. In two days would be the wedding, and Chritophe's name ceremony. A special ceremony indeed. His name would be Takedo. Meaning friend to everyone. It fit perfectly. Actually the boys had come up with it, believe it or not. Sari promised to be at the wedding and the naming cremony. It was a blessed thing to have them both on the same day and in two days no less. Sari was in charge of retrieving the stone of magic from the caves. It was a stone found in the caves, unique to the area that was said to hold the magic of the ancestors to watch over and protect those in the tribe. Sarissa had one, everyone had one and now Christophe would have one.

Sari immediatly left for the caves since she had time before supper. She could get the stone a few days early which was not a bad plan. So without thinking of telling anyone she took off for the caves.. She knew her way there and back so it should be simple. Get in, get the stone, get out. She would have the honor of presenting it. It was a tradition. Last member to join the tribe gave the newest member the stone. Sari made it to the cave with ease. She was dressed in an Indian skirt whch came mid thigh and top which showed her stomach and was short sleeves. Snowbird had lent her the outfit, which snow bird said fit her nicely and made her look just as pretty as American clothes.

Sari had sandles on her feet, but the ground was not slippery. Sari ventured into the cave with a candle she lit once she got there and headed inside. It was not that far in, except Sari didn't cound on the lose rock. She stepped on one and it came out beneath her feet which shook more rocks free and before you knew it sari tumbled down the a deep hill and deeper into the cave she went. The candle had gone out and Sari felt a bit of pain as she came too.

She tried to stand up, but she couldn't stand on her leg let alone walk on it. The sad thing was no one would think to look for her in the caves cause she never said she was coming there. Plus how would anyone find her in the dark cave. "Help...someone please..."

(OOC: I know we discussed names for Christophe to be called a few weeks ago, I believe Takedo is what we agreed on but if you have changed your mind please feel free to say so)

[christophe]

(OOC: That name’s fine with me!)

For perhaps only the third time since he, Sarissa and Tyler were together at the reservation Christophe found himself once more with the dark-haired girl. It’d taken him maybe a couple of days to get over what had happened here 2 months or so back - and a little longer to forgive her. Forgetting was something very different and the entire experience, coupled with how Lia had treated him, left the French youth with a distinct mistrust of the opposite sex. Girls here were very different to the ones he’d known either in Paris or, more recently, Whistler and its surroundings. He’d dated several girls and none of them had ripped his heart apart like Lia and Sarissa had done. Still, a lesson learned was never a waste of time... right?

He had no idea (or particular curiosity) in whether she was still seeing Tyler Durnham. That was her business but if the rumours he’d heard about Tyler and how he notched up names of conquests held a ring of truth he had to admit, if only to himself, that he was disappointed in Sarissa. He’d thought her to be different from all those other swooning girls. Apparently he was wrong about that as well as just about everything else!

But today they were up at the reservation, albeit by chance. Christophe had come up early to hang out with Bodaway and the gang, only to see a familiar call pull up a couple of hours afterwards.

Sarissa had spoken to him briefly before wandering off... maybe to meet up with her latest boyfriend, he thought a touch bitterly to himself. If only things could have been different... Instead he was going to the prom at the weekend with a friend instead of a real date. For all intents and purposes Ella would be treated as a proper date but they both knew it was anything but. Still, going with Ella would be fun. No pain or heartache lay ahead.

“I am going to check out those caverns!” he called over to Bodaway. He’d soon found out that ‘Bodaway’ meant ‘fire maker’.

“Want company?” called back the potential arsonist.

‘Nah... Won’t be long then you and the others can get your asses whooped at another game of 5 a side!”

“Dream on, little Toffee!”

Christophe laughed as he broke into a jog...

* * *
Remembering well the dire warnings of hos easy it was to become lost in the caverns Christophe made a map as he went. Unlike Sarissa he carried a small flash light and he shone its beam onto the scrap of paper he held, marking down yet another branch of tunnels.

If Bodaway’s directions were accurate the main chamber should lie around the next corner and he was approaching it when he heard something... A voice? He must have been mistaken. He was alone down here. Maybe the breeze was...

“Help me!”

Christophe froze. There was no mistaking it this time! He strode towards the cavern, light playing across the chamber as soon as he entered. A native girl, her long dark hair masking her face... and she looked to be in pain if her hunched position was anything to judge by. He walked over and touched her shoulder. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

The girl glanced up.

“Sarissa?”

[Sarissa Zouvelekis]

Sari had never meant to hurt Christophe. Hell she hadn't even known he liked her. Had she known she might have approached everything differently. she never would have used him like she did or perhaps she would have realized she liked him back, but either way that was all over now, cause as far as Sari is concerned and as far as she had ever been concerned they were friends. cause Sari was oblivious to guys feeling sunless they showed them or admitted to liking her.

Sari was not sure anyone would find her for a moment. She was kind of panicking, cause she was in a cave and who knew what her oxygen level was like. Was there oxygen coming to this part of the cave, was their a cave in? When stuck in a cave everything ran through one's mind, even if evidence to the contrary was standing in front of her. Sari looked up, and all she saw was a blind of light coming from Christophe's flashlight. She turned her head away and looked toward the ground. "Yeah its me." She whimpered.

"It's my leg. Hurts when i move it. Looks like prom is out for me. Not that I was going anyway, but I was going to spend the weekend here, looks like that might be out too." Sari said. "i hope its not broken. "She wasn't sure her leg was broken, but something was definitely wrong with her knee. cause she couldn't walk. hopefully it was not anything too bad.

"I am so glad to see you, I wasn't sure anyone would find me. can you go get help or something? be careful the rocks are slippery, if any more fall it could cause a cave in or something worse." She told Christophe.

[christophe]

No sooner had Sarissa mentioned the rocks than the French boy slipped on them. He landed close to her with a grunt, the flash light and scribbled map being jarred from his hand. He’d emerge from this - eventually - with a bruised elbow but luckily nothing worse. The flash light’s beam could be seen close to a small rock pool and he scrambled over to grab it. The map, though, had already become saturated and any markings washed away.

“I hope you know the way out again,” he said in a dry voice as he shone the light onto her injured leg. “It doesn’t look to be broken but...” For all he honestly knew it could easily be fractured. “Lets try and get you upright. Lean on me all you want,” he said.

She tried. To her credit she really tried.

“Ok... New plan,” Christophe stated.

He chewed at his upper lip as he considered their options. “I don’t suppose...” He rummaged for his phone. “Nah... no signal down here.” It’d been worth a shot.

"Ok... as I see it we have 2 ways of doing this. One... I leave you here and go for help. Not all that good an option as I lost my map and don’t know the way. I would probably end up lost and you would still be stuck down here.”

He frowned. There was only really one way. “I carry you out and you can tell me which tunnels to take.” At least she wasn’t heavy and Christophe had built up a good core strength thanks to his boating and swimming. It wouldn’t be too hard... would it?

[Sarissa Zouvelekis]

She watched as Christophe slipped, "oh my god are you okay?" She asked him looking over at the fallen boy. She was actually holding her breath as she waited for a sign of life. Again panicking did wonders for the brain, but she let out her breath the moment she heard a noise and breathing. "Yeah i can get us out, but I can't show us out." She told him. She had shaken her head no in terms of trying to stand up, but Christophe had given her that 'come on and humor me look.'

Sari tried, "Ow...no..not working." Sari said. She was placed back on the ground. She wiped her hands off and sighed, "At least its my left leg, i might be able to still drive." She joked, but it didn't really seem to work. When she watched him check his phone she knew what the answer would be. Although she didn't have her phone with her, she could still guess.

"Carry me. You are risking further bodily harm. What if you slip...and fall, I could hurt you?" Sari said to him. "I would hate that." She really would. It was already slippery, no matter how light she was, it was just adding to his chances of slipping. "But it seems to be the best option. I could tell you how to get out, but it won't do much good without a map." She told him with a sheepish grin.

"I can hold the flashlight as you walk." She said as she repositioned herself. "Have I told you that I have a tiny fear of being buried alive and well, this feels about it, so just keep reassuring me that will not happen and I should be able to calm down enough to remember the way out. My brain does not seem to work when I am scared...like right now."

[christophe]

Christophe brushed aside any of Sarissa’s concerns that he might have hurt himself in the fall. His elbow was as good as forgotten in the light of their current situation. Far more important was getting her back to the surface and to seek out help for her leg. While he still clung to the hope it wasn’t broken it would still be hurting her a lot . Being unable to put any weight on it was confirmation enough.

“I won’t slip or fall,” he told her firmly. Plus she was right... It was the only option they had now that his map had been thoroughly rinsed clean!

He handed her the torch and then helped her up on to the one leg. Christophe stopped slightly and momentarily considered hoisting her over the one shoulder but then she wouldn’t have been terribly comfortable. Nor would she have been able to light the path. He slipped one arm behind her knees and as carefully as possibly Christophe lifted Sarissa clear of the ground. She in turn slung one arm around his neck and with his left arm supporting her back they started their slow and very cautious way back up...

* * *
“This one?” he asked a good 15 minutes later. “Or to the right?”“Left,” Sarissa told him and the beam of the flash light twitched towards the tunnel they needed to take. He knew he would never have remembered the route back and so was doubly glad they’d gone for the carrying choice. “Sooo... tell me something about yourself that I don’t already know,” he said to pass the time and to take his mind away from how much his shoulders were starting to ache.

[Sarissa Zouvelekis]

Sari's protests were silenced when Christophe picked her up. "Thanks." She commented and took the flash light. She began to guide him through the caves. She told him if something was in the way or where to watch out for, "I don't know how long it will take for us to get out, I fell pretty deep into the caves." She told him. "But if you continue in, next time there is a hot spring in the middle of the cave. There is a safe passage to get there but it takes a while." Sari explained as she was giving him directions.

She shifted a little bit as they continued on. "You okay? if you need to stop thats fine. I really am okay if you need to go get help." She didn't want to hurt Christophe. One of them being hurt was enough. "I like to draw. The tattoo's I have were designed by me." She told Christophe. "I also enjoy making videos. I made one for the chief one time." Sari commented as she continued on. "Oh be careful here."

Sari was glad they made it through a tough slippery spot. "You going to prom?" She asked just making conversation. "I am coming here instead. Snowbird's niece is getting married Sunday morning. So I figured I would skip prom to come up here the night before. You coming to the wedding?" Sari asked. "Plus my decision was easily made since I got no date." She said. "What about you, tell me something I don't know about yourself?"

[christophe]

The hot spring sounded great... assuming he could find it. Maybe even bring some shorts and take a dip? Definitely worth checking it out (after making sure he wouldn't break some kind of unwritten Native American law, of course!)

"I'm fine," he assured Sarissa, hitching her a little higher in his arms. "I'm not going to leave you down here. Not now we're halfway out."

Christophe listened as she told him about her tattoos and video-making. "Sounds interesting," he replied. "Maybe you can design a small tattoo for me? I've been thinking about getting one. Not big, though!" he reiterated. "A small orca perhaps... "

He side-stepped the large pothole that Sarissa pointed out, knocking his temple against a low piece of roof.

"Merde," he muttered. That was going to leave a mark. Perfect for saturday's dance. Ella wouldn't let him live it down!

"Yeah... I'm going to the prom," he answered. "I wasn't intending to," Christopghe went on. "Like you I didn't have a date but then Ella... Do you know her? Ella D'Agustino." Her name sounded beyond bizarre when pronounced in his heavy French accent. "She was also alone and so we decided to go together. Not really a date but friends sooo... I suppose I still don't have a real date but at least I can now go, oui? I am surprised you don't have an escort," he said. "Didn't Tyler ask you?" He'd assumed that would be so.

"Sunday sounds good so yes I shall come up here for the wedding. Not too sure how early I can make it though. I think that will depend on how late I take Ella home." That said, she might find herself someone better to do that instead of him!

"Something you don't know about me...? Hmmm..." Careful, he told himself. To tell her he'd hoped they had something more than friendship was to open a veritable can of worms. "Most of it you already know but... I once came close to drowning up in Canada. I fell overboard and became tangled in some thick ribbon seaweed. A passing whale-watching boat saw me and stopped. I can still feel those cold seaweed ribons wrapping around me." Christophe shivered. An experience he'd never forget but it wouldn't keep him from the sea. It just made him all the more careful. "Oh, and I was a mountain tour guide in Whistler. Did I tell you that? I spent my summers guiding hikers and my winters doing the same for skiers. That was great fun I admit although I preferred the summertime. I'm not that good with the cold."

"So why were you down here on your own anyway?" he asked. "As I remember you got lost down in the caverns before... right?"

[Sarissa Zouvelekis]

"I could make an orca coming out of the waves. It would only be about this big." She made a circular shape with her hands no bigger then the size of the bottom of a mug. "I can make is smaller if you want. Drawing is my specialty." She told him. "So what ever you want I can do. Both my tattoos are on both hips, so they are usually covered by my clothe, unless I wear a certain kind of jeans. You are special, no one really knows about them." Except for a select few.

Sari inwardly cringed when he hurt himself. "Ouch, let me see." She looked at his head, since she had a good angel. She was practically right next to his head, "You are bleeding a little. No stitches needed, but you will have a bump." She told him. "I am sure they can give you ice back at camp. Just drop me off with the medicine man and he can hopefully help me out." It was the best option.

"Yeah I know El. She is a cheerleader. We are in the same grade. She is pretty cool for a cheerleader." Sari didn't know Ella very well, but since they went to the same school and were both seniors they had said a few words to each other. "I know you will have a good time at prom with her, she seems fun to hang with." Sari truly meant that too. Ella always seemed to be laughing and having a good time around campus. "I don't think Tyler will be asking me much of anything. We broke it off a month ago. It was a purely physical thing with us, and it was going no where." She told Christophe.

"I know how that makes me sound too and i am not proud of it, which is why it ended so fast. There was nothing else to the relationship." Sari said. "Not like with us where we are friends too...you know what I mean? So I ended it and now its time to move onto something better." Sari was not trying to imply anything. She simply meant that her and Tyler only connected on a physical level, sure they had a great time and enjoyed each others interests, but there was no foundation or friendship to keep it together, which is why it broke apart so fast. Not that Sari was sad in the least.

"A mountain tour guide. That explains it." She said and that was it until she got a look. "It explains why you are good at holding your balance on slippery rocks. But I love the cold. You know why I love it...cause it gives me an excuse to make a fire and snuggles with someone for body warmth. There is nothing better then just being held by someone in front of a fire." Sari said. "I am a romantic at heart." She smirked.

"Yeah I got lost when I first started coming here. After that I brought a guide, but I came here this time to just explore. I wanted to find the hot springs." It was a white lie, but for a good cause, she could not break the surprise about his ceremony. That would ruin it. "I will definitely have to come back, but what happened was I lost my footing and fell." She said. "I never was very graceful on my feet."

[christophe]

"Hmmm... maybe something a bit smaller... A wave crest maybe? Or a smaller orca? I'm open to ideas... just water-orientated somehow," he finished with a wry grin. Sarissa knew he was somewhat addicted to the sea.

"Yeah, Ella is fun I agree," he replied. "A shame you aren't coming as well but... I'm surprised you and Tyler finished. You seemed so... " How could he possibly phrase this? "... so close." A physical thing, she'd said. Another notch forTyler Durnham. He must be racking them up.

Onto far safer ground - literally mas well as figuratively. "Yeah... I like being outside and so mountain tour guide was perfect. I was working on my whale-watching license when we left. If I'd had that I could have taken groups of tourists out on the Sound but... Not much call for that sort of thing here in California. So you are romantic?" Surprise number 2. "There are worse things to be than romantic," he added. "I'm Parisian... romance lies in our veins," he added with a wink.

"Perhaps when your leg is better we can try and find these springs together? I would hate for you to try again on your own and have another accident... or get lost again. At least then I can carry you out again, can't I?" he teased

Christophe glanced up. "Daylight," he stated. "Looks like we have made it and more or less in one piece. A short distance only was left... To the river and then over the small wododen bridge.

"Which one is the medicine man's place?" he asked. Christophe hadn't needed to go there... until now.