Sunny watched, quiet, while Aro's rigid posture relaxed -- while she looked outside of herself for what must've been the first time in a long time -- while her expression shifted from sour to (very slightly) hopeful. Something terrible must've had hold of her mind, to have trapped her more completely than this cave ever could. Maybe now that a light was here to shine on it, it wouldn't be so frightening. Sunny offered a heartened smile. [color=yellow]"Good to meet ya, Aro!"[/color]

A shadow blocked the sunlight, and Sunny tipped back her head and laughed to see Nyte -- with Laphi curled in her arms -- floating gently down toward them. Sunny laid an arm across Aro's shoulders and stepped back with her, to allow her comrades room to land.

[color=yellow]"Aro! This is Nyte and Laphi!"[/color] she announced as Nyte's armored feet touched the grass; her arm had never left Aro's shoulders. [color=yellow]"Laphi, Nyte! Aro's gonna come exploring with us! Look at this!"[/color] She raised the lantern again, waving it at the glimmering ceiling and the drawings on the wall. [color=yellow]"There've [i]got[/i] to be some old secrets or relics down here! C'mon!"[/color]

Finally releasing Aro, Sunny led the way slowly down the precarious spiraling stairway. From the stairs it was clear that the grassy island had nothing to support it, but was only floating steadily at the center of nothing at all. The stairs themselves were slightly crumbled, and though they were wide there was no banister to prevent an imbalanced explorer from toppling into the dark below.

Sunny didn't notice the flash and blink of dim white lights in the distance -- like big eyes that had seen them and turned away.

The floor wasn't terribly far, and soon Sunny walked forward onto the stone bottom of the cavern, and waited there for the others to make their way down, craning her neck to see what there was to be seen. [color=yellow]"Who do you think drew those pictures and built the stairs?"[/color] she said quietly; their voices echoed ominously in the dark.