𝘕𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯 - fpe

𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙚

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙄𝙓 - 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙮

𝘞𝘈𝘙𝘕𝘐𝘕𝘎𝘚.ᐟ blood

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🪦 ꒱

[Name] froze at Oliver's words. He knew they were in here, and they knew it was only a matter of time before he decided to check for them under the desk. Skell decided to jump in and help, though, much to their relief. "Who are you talking to? There's nobody else here." He had finally stood to his full height, looking at the other with a questioning expression. He didn't quite understand why [Name] felt the need to hide, but they helped him, so he was going to return the favor.

Oliver didn't take long to mirror that expression, knowing that he was bluffing. He hadn't noticed anyone run out of the room while he approached. Besides, when he had last checked the room, Skell had still been dead. "If there really isn't anyone else in here, you wouldn't mind if I looked around, right?"

Skell's facial features didn't shift at all, but the way his body tensed subtly confirmed what Oliver already knew. The necromancer he had been searching for was now definitely in the same room as him, and he wasn't going to let the opportunity to finally catch them pass him by.

He took a few steps forwards before Skell broke the momentary silence. "How did you know I was in here?" It was enough to make Oliver stop moving forwards, a quick flash of surprise in his eyes, as if he hadn't expected Skell to ask. It was gone as quick as it appeared, and a smirk spread across his countenance. "Lucky guess."

Oliver knew he wouldn't have to explain himself when Skell went back to his usual quiet demeanor. Not like he planned to either way, except it would give him more time to look for the hiding necromancer. He ignored Skell's suspicious stare that remained locked onto him as he scanned the room for any sign of anything amiss. Other the huge puddle of blood next to Skell, anyways. Aside from a few broken items that were most likely courtesy of Miss Circle, he couldn't see something that would lead him to what he wanted.

Meanwhile, [Name] remained under the desk, staying as still as possible to avoid any accidental noise. They also leaned away from the small crack in the wood of the desk that they would certainly be visible through. While they usually detested any time Oliver opened his mouth, now they wished he was talking to break the silence that held the room in a tense stillness. It would also help them to pinpoint where he was in the room, since they didn't want to risk getting caught under his watchful gaze.

It didn't take long for their hopes became reality. "Are you sure there's nobody else in here?" Oliver asked, taking a couple more steps closer. "Yes, I'm sure," Skell confirmed, fully aware that the other had caught onto his lie. His insistent denial was able to delay Oliver from finding them, though, and that would be enough for now.

Oliver wasn't quite ready to cut his losses and leave yet unfortunately. He had spent too long and was too close to figuring it out to leave now. His eyes slowly surveyed the room one more time, making sure he didn't miss a single clue. There were plenty of hiding places throughout the room, but Skell seemed agitated enough already. Oliver didn't feel like fighting him on looking through the room, at least for the moment. He kept examining the room until he caught a glimpse of white within the puddle of blood.