[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190924/544c85ab5c75bc61a4bb5ce40dc0caa6.png[/img]
[color=salmon]Word Count: 1342 (+3 exp)[/color]
[color=salmon][u]Level[/u]: [b]8[/b] - [u]Total EXP[/u]: 20/80
[b]Location:[/b] Edge of the Blue - The Maw[/color][/center]

[color=salmon]"You didn't think you were going on a solo meowssion, did ya?"[/color]

Glad to see that she hadn't gotten into trouble in her haste, the Cadet readily returned the gesture. It was a nice little bump of optimism, in spite of everything. With the others not having followed just yet, it seemed it would just be the two of them again - and there was no time to lose. Nadia gave her findings, and the Cadet nodded. 

[color=salmon]"It'll be hard getting around them, if it's even possible."[/color] That left going above or below, and as the feral pointed out going up top seemed the more dangerous route. With their eyes glazed over and their mouths constantly swallowing anything that could fit inside, it was easy to imagine either one of the children being grabbed up and eaten by the guests. But the slovenly slurping and chewing all around them was an inescapable reminder of the predicament their friends found themselves in, so which ever route they had to brave they had to do it quickly. Nadia led the way towards the dark underside of the tables, but not before she mentioned she was glad she stopped before the food curse changed her to be one of those gluttonous guests. Ace Cadet paused for a moment with a grimace on his face before he followed her.

Though it had been a good idea, unfortunately it looked like the low road wouldn't be traversable. There were almost as many guests on the floor as there were at the table, crawling around to pick up scraps. Cadet regarded them with a growing pity, but it still didn't stop him from letting out an audible "bleh" when seeing the gluttony up close. It wasn't only the food delivered to them nonstop, they didn't have any qualms about gulping down dirtied and pre-chewed morsels either. [color=salmon]"Well, up we go."[/color]

Although the tables were littered with food, dotted with fork-like waiters, and lined with ravenous people that weren't picky at all with what they put in their mouths - it offered a relatively straight shot in getting closer to their goal. A simple, if dangerous, path. Nadia pointed out the stairwell and he gave her a nod of understanding. The two set off, hopping over plates and piles of all kinds of cuisine. Though food practically surrounded them, they kept their mouths firmly shut, neither of the children wanting to stop when their friends were still in danger, let alone risk turning into one of the diners they saw around them. They moved with steady pace, hurrying while being careful not to get too close to a hungry mouth. If they tried to run through any faster they risked slipping - something they'd discovered firsthand when Nadia shifted a little too close for comfort toward one of the guests. It reached out to her and in her panic Nadia nearly went right off the table. The Cadet snatched her by the arm, hauling her back up toward him with wide eyes. She thanked him and he whispered back, [color=salmon][i]"Don't mention it."[/i][/color]

Yes, running along the table was dangerous, but they still needed to make tracks. It wasn't long before Nadia really did go off the table - the this time with intent. She hopped from diner to diner, making the trip much shorter for herself without warning. The Cadet almost panicked, thinking the worst, but he soon realized what her strategy was.

He couldn't blame her. The longer it took to reach Sakura and the Abyssals, the more likely it was that harm had come to them. Not to mention they had no idea how the boys, Mirage, Link and Geralt were faring. They could have saved the girls by now - or they could be stuck in a predicament of their own. Speed was crucial; the Cadet only wished Nadia wouldn't go where he couldn't follow. He took a deep breath and prepared to meet her at the goal.

Ace Cadet scooped up as much food as his arms could carry: bundles of grapes, slices of cheese, pieces of sushi. Then he booked it as fast as he could go across the table tops. The movement drew the eyes of some of the guests, and they stretched their hands toward him. When they got too close comfort the Cadet tossed one of the pieces of food he had in his hand. The guests' eyes - and mouths - would follow the food's arc until it landed, where they would either grab it up or lament that it was too far out of reach. It wasn't a perfect strategy, but it was working so far. Run, dodge, toss, run, and repeat. He was getting close to the exit where the stairs led down a level. The Cadet swerved around a Volbonan, tossed a few fruits ahead of him to draw away the roaming hands of the diners, and then his path was clear! Just barely suppressing a relieved laugh he pressed on - and then leapt from the end of the table.

He did not expect there to be a couple of guests on the ground, vacuuming up spilled sushi into their maws. There was just enough time for him to think [i]Oh, crap.[/i] before he fell right onto the back of one of the men. What remained of the food he'd collected went flying, adding to what already littered the floor. The Cadet bounced off of the guest's round body, landing on the wooden floor. He scrambled up, eyes on the stairwell. As soon as he made to moved the Cadet found himself on the ground again, falling over when something tightened around his ankle and pulled. 

He already knew what he would find when he turned back, and sure enough one of the slobbering diners had their fingers curled around his leg and was pulling the boy closer. The guest clacked his teeth together in anticipation, and though his pull was weak his grip did not let up, no matter how vigorously the Cadet shook his leg. 

[color=salmon]"Let go! Let go you Kecha-wacko!"[/color] He said, looking around for anything he could use to get himself out of this. A weapon would be great, but no such thing presented itself. He threw every piece of food within reach into the guest's waiting mouth, and though he happily ate it up he did not release the little monster hunter. As the fate of being eaten alive drew closer and closer, the Cadet raised his arms, ready to fend it off by whatever means necessary. He would have beat at the guest's face or poked his eyes out, but it didn't come to that. When the red head shoved his arms out to push the guest away, the pores he'd seen open up before started manifesting again. The sea foam reappeared, and then a torrent of water sprang forth from his palms. The force separated the Cadet and his captor violently, washing both of the fallen guests and the poor waiter away and pushing the Cadet in the opposite direction. The stream of water disappeared and the Cadet tumbled backward down the stairs, landing on his back. The pores on his arms were already closing up, but the moisture and smell of salt remained. 

Alright, so he was definitely for sure cursed - it wasn't just a hallucination. He could make this work though, until they escaped or he succumbed then he could keep the diners off of them as a living hose. He'd be able to stop the chefs that held the girls captive too, as long as they made it there in time.

The Cadet had been blinking up at Nadia from his spot on the ground, but he sprang up onto his feet with a renewed resolve. He wasn't sure how much of that Ms. Fortune saw, if any, but it didn't change the mission they had to complete. They just had to watch out for any other symptoms. He sure hoped they'd get through this before he tried eating his own friends.

[color=salmon]"Let's go!"[/color]