So this was the place, huh? 

In the depths of the wild, crystal-laden mountains of Rekes, is a structure that the researcher did not expect to find. Rumors were one thing, as were etchings and broken dialogue between himself and the Colonists, but actually visiting the location for himself left his skin feeling prickly underneath all those layers of cotton and synthetic fiber. 

Finch finds himself a little dumbfounded, really.

To his left is the lead Colonist from Haxard, a large female tsabhua familiar with the area. To his right, Tallalune, while beneath her feet are two whelps from his colony (a fact he still has difficulty adjusting to, truth be told.) 

She regards the bunker with a huff of air, careful to step around the small furballs that amble after her with nervous chitters that are barely audible above the lonely gale whistling through the trees. This area sets him on edge, and undoubtedly the mixture of nerves has everyone here on edge. He hums to collect himself, adjusting the papers in his hand to be sure that nothing’s gone missing in the trek from Ororest to the bunker itself.

Satisfied, or at least complacent with his organizational skills on the road, Finch follows after Tallalune as she and the two whelps approach the bunker while the Haxard matriarch remains behind, likely to act as their scout just in case of any unwelcome company.

It’s a fortunate thing that Ororest has a friendly colony so close by, and Finch has gotten a few glimpses at the researcher placed at its helm, though he’s never been so brazen as to introduce himself as his newly appointed neighbor. The less they know about each other's work, the better probably.

“Oh, please don’t stick your hand through the bars, Coriander…” It’s a fruitless attempt at getting the youngest member’s attention, but it makes Finch feel better in the moment as he begins to assess the various hatches and pockmarks that dot the wall of the bunker’s entrance. Most are faded, some chipping off the stone, while others are ornate and almost elegant with the way they’ve been painstakingly added to the infrastructure before him. Tallalune’s interest is equal to his own, and she’s passing her own judgment over the walls with only the occasional grunt or huff to signify her train of thought and what level of frustration she may be at. 

He taps the side of her shoulder and she turns her ears to him just enough to let him know she’s at least partially paying attention. Finch does his best to tuck the papers under his arm, gesturing to the marks on the wall before making a question mark in the air with his fingers. It was one of the first symbols he taught the Colonists, and it’s been an easy way of asking questions without either party needing to repeat it back to one another verbatim. 

Sometimes he’d get a picture in the dirt as a reply from someone like Coriander; an enthusiastic, eclectic collection of stickfigure creatures that’s stomped upon by other children. He’s gotten quite good at writing notes very, very quickly as a result, but at least Tallalune is with them to keep the peace.

And she does, for the most part, gesturing back with her smaller arms as she spreads a hand over the stone, tapping each symbol and pointing to a worn down, moss-covered keypad that looks like it’s been gathering rain for ages and ages. 

“A code?” A simple question, one he’s not really expecting an answer to, but it doesn’t stop him from looking at the wall even harder before he realizes it’s not doing anything but giving him the start of a migraine. “Mm… I’m not sure I understand.” It’s paired with another question mark in the air, and Tallalune sighs through her nose with enough force it knocks some dirt loose from the stones above. 

She extends a hand, gesturing to the papers under Finch’s arm.

He blinks. Before he can even respond, Coriander takes hold of a few loose papers and pulls them free with a giggle, handing them to Tallalune who responds with a kindly hum. The other child, Bazelbee, has returned to the Haxard matriarch’s side. Finch couldn’t blame him for that; Science wasn’t always a problem to be solved with smashing stones and sticks together. It required finesse, patience, and perseverance. Tallalune’s placing the papers on the wall when he looks back at her, and she’s using her forearm to rub the paper against the stones while Coriander does his best to replicate her movements on the bottom most part of the bunker. 

The sound of gentle scuffling, chuffs and shimmies fills the air while the two colonists work until eventually, Tallalune pulls her paper away and gives them a quick check before handing them back to Finch. 

“Oh! You’ve used the dirt to create traces, very smart.” When he first arrived he had no idea what to expect, but Ororest has been extraordinary in terms of what they’re able to accomplish without much help. Sometimes it does cause Finch to wonder just what exactly DPIP’s plans are with the Colonies. Sometimes it’s enough to keep him from sending as much information as he could. And now, as the two colonists continue to create traces of the marks on the wall, he wonders how much of this they’ll decode and what, if anything, they’ll send back to DPIP. 

Surely something locked for such a long time has a reason to be this way. Doors don’t just close themselves; there’s always a cause, be it wind, or machinery, or other living things. 

Coriander’s paper pile comes to an end as the Haxard female returns to the bunker door, summoned by Tallalune who exchanges places with her to give her arms a break. The rust coloured tsabhua doesn’t speak to Finch, and he can’t fault her for her nerves. One researcher was enough. Two? Well, he excuses himself from her personal bubble and gathers the papers that Coriander set aside. Each of them is quickly labeled so they can be sorted later into their proper order, then neatly stowed into the small satchel he’s kept with him for the trip. 

Hopefully by the end of it he’ll have learned her name, and maybe he can solidify if Haxard and Ororest are allies or acquaintances. 

…Which also means he’ll have to say hello to their researcher too. Oh, the horror.