Kim couldn't help but feel frustrated. Not only was Elin being difficult to figure out for her, but when Elmo mentioned about a map, she realized that they were completely lost. Not that knowing where she was right now would be of any real help, but having a map would definitely keep them from just wandering in circles. Or at least once they had the area down well enough. Although, part of the frustration was that she hadn't thought of it herself.
With Elin, part of her problems was that she kept thinking that she was finally getting somewhere with the girl only to have her pull away again. It was enough to drive her mad. Though, she did get to enjoy the feel of Elin's chest, even if it was through her robe and buckskin shirt. She could only imagine how soft and firm they'd really be once she could get under Elin's clothing.
Although, as they walked along the hallway, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching them from the front. She quickly stopped, and motioned for her team to get behind her. It could be Jonas coming, but at the same time, it could be an enemy. If it was Jonas then she could relax a little. If not, at least she'd have gotten them ready for a fight.
"What is it?" Elin whispered. Her frightened voice sounding like music to Kim's ears. Especially since she'd be the one to 'save' her from whatever was approaching.
"I hear something coming this way," Kim whispered back. "I can't tell if it's Jonas or not, so I think we should prepare like it isn't."
"Sounds good," Elmo approved.
Kim rolled her eyes in annoyance. While he couldn't see her do that, she didn't care. The fact that Elin insisted in him being part of the team was one of her biggest frustrations right now. Even if he wasn't as big of a problem as men typically are, she still didn't care to be around him that much. She primarily tolerated his presence, no matter how helpful he'd been, just for Elin.
If only that would score her points with Elin.
They moved cautiously as they waited to see what would appear in the distance of the hallway. Although a stray thought occurred to Kim with how long the hallwyas had been. How big is this place?
She'd never encountered a building like this before. Even in the ancient ruins she'd seen, none of them ever had corridors this long. It felt like she could walkk for fifteen minutes before reaching a point in the hallway where there would be a turn. On the streets, she could easily walk at least five blocks in that amount of time.
What is the point of having this place so big? she idly wondered, as the fottsteps in the distance grew louder.
Eventually they could make out Jonas in the distance and relaxed a little. Especially since he didn't look like he was in a hurry himself.
The sight of him also brought to Kim's mind another problem. Why was she so relaxed around Jonas? He was a man and so was toxic on principle, yet she felt almost like he was a friend. Even most girls she'd slept with hadn't gotten past her guard that quickly. She couldn't explain it, only recognied that she somehow trusted him, more than she had pretty much anyone else.
Maybe it was this environment they were in, but she was getting rather fed up with these pieces that didn't make sense to her. Almost like they were from another puzzle, one that she'd never seen before.
When Jonas reached them, Kim made sure nothing was indeed followig him. Just to be safe.
"Relax, I found a room that way, but came back because we should avoid it. At least right now," Jonas commented, looking at Kim as she peered down the hallway in the direction he'd come from.
"Why is the room something we should avoid?" Kim asked.
"Because there were at least three miotaurs that I saw in there. There might be more, though I'm pretty sure I found Charles McCoy," Jonas replied.
"I thought the announcer said he was killed," Elin spoke up.
"Yeah, and that's why I think I found him," Jonas replied, looking straight at Kim.
Kim understood what he meant. He'd found a body that looked human, and so it could only be one person that they were aware of.
"So, we should head back to that fork in the hallway?" Kim asked.
Jonas chuckled. "Yeah, probably should, unless you want to walk all the way back to the last room we'd been at. I mean, we could still take the other exit from that room."
Kim shook her head. "No, that would only waste our time. I don't think we should waste it that carelessly.
"By the way Jonas, do you have anything to write on or with?" Elmo asked.
"No, I don't. Why?" Jonas replied, looking at Elmo as Kim and Jonas passed him, so they'd be at the front of their group again.
"Well, I was hoping to start trying to map this place," Elmo replied.
Jonas looked at Kim and somehow she knew what he was thinking without him saying anything.
Just what is it with him? Kim screamed at herself.
"We realized we need to start mapping where we've been," Kim explained.
"Can't you use the system to do that?" Jonas asked. "I mean, most games I've played have a mapping feature, and our systems seem to make this whole thing like one big video game, so why couldn't that work?"
"They tried that," Kim answered. "They asked the tutorial how they could access it and were told that they'd have to make it themselves if they wanted a map."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Jonas asked. "I mean, I haven't even seen anything that we could realistically use to make a map that won't disappear as we move around this dungeon."
"We've thought about that too," Elin said. "We don't know where to look for something we can use to create a map, so we hoped that maybe you might have found something like that or knew where some might be."
Jonas nodded. "I understand. This palace does get to you after a while," Jonas commented. "Although, maybe that's why it's so difficult to get the materials we'd need for a map. It just makes this dungeon more difficult and we have no idea how close we might be to the boss, or even if we're not just lost."
"It also makes it easier to get lost," Elmo remarked.
Kim let the others discuss maps, what materials they could use to make one, but what she wanted to know most was what could Kim do that would get her closer to Elin. Even if it turned into just a one night stand, at least she'd have the girl as a notch on her belt, even though she wouldn't mind dating Elin for a while.
However, she knew better than to try to rush things, especially when they were in a situation like this. Besides, she probably wanted the physical contact more to settle her own nerves through doing something that was familiar to her, and being with a girl like Elin certainly would help her feel more at ease.
Kim shook her head, Letting herself think about that and even maybe fantasize what Elin looked like naked wasn't going to help her. If anything, it was only going to build her frustrations, possibly to the point where she would lash out at anyone around her, including Elin. Which, of course, would likely be a hindrance with what she wanted to do with Elin.
When they reached the fork in the hallway, Kim started to pass it by without realizing it, and only caught it when the rest of her group called her attention to it.
"Where're you going?" Elin asked, when she'd gotten Kim's attention.
"Huh?" Kim asked, having been pulled from her thoughts.
"You were passing the other path we planned on taking," Elin explained.
Kim shook her head, trying to clear it. "Sorry, got wrapped up in my own thoughts."
"That's okay," Elin replied, beaming at Kim.
Kim returned the smile and moved back to the front of the group as Jonas went ahead to see if he would find anything. However, as he disappeared into the distance, Kim couldn't help but wonder if he was doing that, at least in part, because it helped improve a skill or something.
Not that she could complain about it. After all, if it improved a skill or something, then that should only make their group stronger. Especially since none of them knew what would help them most from their skills. So, it was difficult to know exactly what they should build right away.
Although, she thought of an idea that could help them. If she helped Elmo, Jonas, and especially Elin, work on their unarmed combat skills, it should build her skill up and maybe give the others a defense in the even they were caught off guard.
Besides, it would give her more opportunity to be in close physical contact with Elin. Something she wouldn't object to and might even be enough to relieve some of her frustrations about the girl.
It was at least worth mentioning it when they reached Jonas again. Especially since they couldn't be sure what to expect at 'night' in this place.