Okay. Okay. I can do that, just a cute panadería de ratón... Got it.
[He takes a slow, deep breath as he pulls Martin closer to be in front of him. Sets up the four piles around and main stack of sticks in the middle. Exhales slowly as the breeze picks up.
Another careful, long inhale and the wind curls around, kicking up the sand into a dome around them, swirling and lighting up green. Bruno opens his eyes to shine bright green.
The first image, up and to Martin's left, is the outside of the bakery with the fountain in front of it, the doors open. The next image, behind Bruno, is two young men talking, one short and a big younger, the other taller and older but not by much. People passing around them so fast, back and forth.]
Uh- Lot of people around your bakery, is that normal?
To his credit, Martin only panics a little? The wind and the sand are alarming - he winds up spitting out a minor mouthful of the stuff - but as soon as Bruno’s eyes go green, he quiets back down. Right. He needs to see if the Eye is here. He needs to find out if Bruno is a true avatar or just an unfortunate coincidence…
The images are distracting though; he can’t help but brighten at both his bakery and its inhabitants. ]
Y-yes! Very much so, it’s one of the most popular places in Sidereal.
[ and then the young men. Pete he hasnt seen, but he recognizes from the movies; Benter prompts a smile immediately. ]
Those two are the Parker brothers. They’ve just arrived.
[He focuses, closes his eyes once to breathe and looks around again. There's so much sand it's hard to focus but even he can't help notice something odd - while there aren't that many more images (only faint impressions in the sand paintings now, distant) there are thin strands along the entire dome around them. Tugging and pulling.
Bruno shakes his head, trying to see anything specific.]
There's... Usually more than this. Usually something to go on.
[The spiders in the sand are so tiny. So small at the edges.]
No, I-i dunno. I'm not seeing anything else. Just -
[Even the bakery doesn't seem like there's much else to it, just the same strange strands over its doors, over the fountain. It's so difficult to see with the shifting sands.]
[He nods at the touch, letting things focus on just the single image. Holds his hands out as the sand coalesces and crystalizes between his fingers, a thin pane of green glass. In it, that weird shifting illusion of the bakery doors and fountain, shifted another way with spiderweb strands all on it.
And just like that, the winds die and the sand falls around them, leaving the air stale.]
Um. Th-that's all there was that I could see. Sorry I couldn't see more.
[Bruno looks especially stricken by that. Not in a bad way, but in that way where it's clear no one has ever been that kind to him about these things. He rubs at one arm nervously.]
Glad, glad you think so. But we should, We should definitely get out of here. Back in the walls.
[He steps to the entrance there and presses a little knob of stone; out of the wall going down the opposite direction of the stairs is a gentle stone luge track going down.]
[Bruno watches for a moment, then follows suit but is fairly pleased by the whole thing. Comes out half a skip onto the sand floor with a half-smile.]
Right, so. Just back up and out.
[Don't mind him while he goes beside his actual bedroom door, reaching behind the sand pile to open the stairs leading up to this side's exit, one of the slabs opening just under the sand pouring down, sending it another direction so the exit is visible.]
[He does, at least, wait partway up the stairs for Martin before continuing upward. Once at the top, he does his knock routine, the last knock on the wall hitting a tile that sets the stairs back into the wall after Martin's up.]
Almost, almost out of here, almost back safe, just a little further down the hall.
[He creaks the bedroom door open and peeks outside the crack. Hears the tiles gently tapping from Casita and smiles.]
I know, thanks, Casita.
[And then opens it wider for Martin to follow after him, making sure it's closed fully behind them. Whatever confidence he had for that moment seems to shrink with his shoulders hunching up again once they're in the main house.]
Yep. Back to my room. [It's easy to still sneak around while the family is out. But he can see now the sunlight's shifted, and it's getting late. They'll be coming back soon. He gets the painting door open for Martin.]
We'll have to stay quieter, they'll come back for dinner soon.
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