Back in chains [venetian mask task #3 - TAG: ping]

Megara slowly opened her eyes. All she could taste was metal and blood. She sat up and and tried to wipe her mouth, but her hands were chained on the floor. Her eyes widened. She soon saw that her legs were chained down as well. She let out a small cry and to her disbelief, she couldn't hear her own noise. Only a loud buzzing filled her ears. "Hey," she tried to yell but she still heard nothing. Meg tried not to cry, she didn't want to give Eris or hades the satisfaction.

Suddenly, she turned her head to see a man moving slightly in the corner. She tried to adjust herself to see who it was. "Ping," she gasped. "Ping!" She tried to scream again. Meg tried to move but the chains kept her tightly down. "Please wake up," she whispered.

Even in her sleep, Ping's body was moving slightly: now and then she trembled with a grimace, panting. Even though the curse had been broken, her nightmares didn't leave her.
And then a voice started to call her. She didn't recognize it at first, but it was a voice that she knew, a soft voice, a voice that now was filled with fear…
Ping opened her eyes gasping "Meg?" she asked weakly, still trying to understand if she had just dreamed it.
But there was something strange, something weird…
Ping tried to open her eyes again, but she felt like they were already open… and yet, she could see nothing.
Everything was so dark…
Where was she?
What was happening?
And why couldn't she see anything?

"Ping, thank god you're awake!" Megara cried. She tried to explain why they were there but she could barely talk. "I- I can't hear, so I can't- speak well. Trick of Eris." She tried to say, calmly and slowly. "Can you hear me?" She asked wondering if ping suffered what she did.

Meg was there! It was a relief and in the same time a terrible pain knowing that she was there. And she was deaf!
Damn!
She could hear and but she couldn't see her, and she had no idea if she could see her...
Well, if she had noticed her she could... then it meant... she was blind...
A chill crossed her back: blind. She hoped it was just a temporary trick.
But now Meg needed help, she hadn't asked but it was evident in her voice, and she had to help her. But how? Even if she would have asked, she couldn't hear her...
She sighed and, hoping she could see it, she pointed at herself and put a hand on her eyes, hoping she would get the meaning.

Megara watched ping closely. "You-you're blind?" She asked, trying to understand. Meg frantically looked around the room. "Ping we have to get out of here!!" She said, her voice wobbling. Meg tried to struggle to break free but it was no use and her skin began to bleed from the irritation. Meg tried to stay strong, to not cry. But she couldn't help but letting out a groan in despair.

Suddenly she spotted a small metal item glistening in the middle of the room far from her reach. "Maybe that's a key.." She thought. "Or maybe it was a distraction or a trap.." Meg decided to stay quiet, though she didn't take her eyes off the small trinket.

Ping nodded once at her first question, and then a second time when she said they and to get out, then moved her arms to invite her to stay calm, even though she wasn't calm herself.
At the metallic noise she followed her voice, and, walking slowly and careful to where she put her feet, she reached her and touched the chains.
When Meg mentioned the key she immediately asked "Where?" but then, remembering she couldn't hear her, she growled in exasperation and tried to ask her, moving her arms, where the key was.

Megara watched Ping flail her arms confused. "What? The key?" She asked, trying to study her movements. "It's in the middle of the room!" She said, trying to master speaking. "Just keep walking!"

She nodded at her question, relieved that she had got what she was trying to mime, and then nodded again at her indication and started to walk, hoping to be in the right direction.

"Keep walking," Megara ordered, watching Ping slowly. "Be careful.." She added. "You don't know what Eris could have up her sleeve." Ping started to trail off to the left. "Ping, you're drifting.." She said slowly. "Turn to the right a bit and continue walking in that direction."

Ping kept walking, and when Meg told her she was drifting she tried to change her direction a bit, probably turning a bit too much to the right.

Megara closed one eye to get a better look at the key. "To far.." She said softly, "just take a deep breathe and slowly turn left until I tell you to stop." Ping did as she asked. "Stop," she said. "now continue forward.."

Ping kept obeying to Meg's instructions: doing something was distracting her from how scary was that situation. She finally reached the wall, touching it with her hands that she was keeping right in front of her, and then she started to touch the wall, searching around for the keys.

"You've almost got it!" Meg cried, probably a bit too loud. "Just a little lower," Meg said biting her lip. Ping really didn't have to do this, of course any civilized person would try to free someone else but it still meant a lot to Meg. Please let us get out of here.

Ping obeyed and finally managed to take the keys from the wall, then she turned and, following the direction of Meg's voice, she started to walk toward her, faster then before since she knew that there was nothing in the way and she was in hurry to free Meg. She headed toward her, but before to reach her she stumbled and fell on the floor. She moaned lowly, in surprise and in pain, but didn't let the keys go, and immediately she raised up and crossed the small distance between her and Meg. And now there was the difficult part: how to free her if she couldn't see where to put the key?

"Ping!" Megara screamed when Ping fell. "You okay?" She asked, moving her chain slightly. She watched Ping continue to move closer to her. She wanted to so bad help Ping and reach out to her but she was binded to tightly. She groaned from her skin rubbing against the chains.

"Just feel my feet Ping," she replied softly. "There should be a lock connected to a chain, then use those chains to find the second lock near my hands."

Ping nodded automatically at her question and then, at her request, she blushed a bit but nodded again: touch Meg? Not like she hadn't done it in the past… but they were different times! Still red-ish, she bended over her ankles and touched her feet to find the chain: when she found it she searched a bit more and found the lock. In this way she unlocked the first and then the second foot.

Goosebumps filled Meg's body when Ping lightly touched her ankles. "Ugh, thank you," Meg whispered when Ping released the bonds from her feet. She twisted them around, then waited patiently for her hands to be free as well.

Ping followed with her hand the chain, hoping that they would have lead to the ones around Meg's wrists, but following them Ping found out they weren't connected. She hesitated a bit and swallowed: there was no other way… well, in another way she would have risked to touch her in places she couldn't want to be touched… biting her lips and crimson in her face, she crossed lightly with one finger Meg's body to finally reach her hands and finding again the lock she unlocked first a hand and then the other, then she moved a step away

Megara watched carefully as Ping's hand crossed her body. Her breathing became heavier and she shut her eyes tightly until she heard a metal snapping noise. "Thank you so much," she cried, then sat up to hug Ping. She didn't care if it was awkward, she was just so thankful she was free, and finally with Ping again..

Ping nodded slightly when Meg thanked her and she was ready to leave her alone, guessing that it might have been too awkward to stay together, when instead the girl hugged her. Her face became crimson again, and in a first moment she didn't know what to do, but after a short while she surrendered and hugged her back, softly. It had been so long since she had hugged her... it seemed like a lifetime...

"I've missed you," Megara replied, smiling. She let go of Ping and stood up. "We need to find a way out of here.." she said, her voice trailing. "I'm so hungry.." Meg grabbed her stomach and tried to think of the last time she ate. It had to have been since yesterday. She sighed, and rubbed her ears wondering when she would regain hearing.

She... she had missed her? Ping swallowed while Meg slipped away from her arms. She had missed her... Ping had missed her as well, but she couldn't tell in that moment. For a moment she tightened softly her hand, then let go and nodded when she said they had to go, but... she couldn't see and Meg couldn't hear her. How could they do it? She was hungry as well, but she had no way in that moment to search for food...

Megara paused when Ping squeezed her hand. It brought back so many memories. She smiled softly. She had indeed missed Ping, but things were so confusing with her. Tulio seemed to like her more than before even though he didn't know who she was, Jane had kissed Megara and it make her heart burst but Jane was in love with someone else. She didn't know if she could deal with anymore drama. Meg just sighed and scanned the walls looking for a way out.

WIthout instructions, Ping could do nothing. She sighed and waited to know from Meg if there was a way out

Megara sighed and leaned back. "There's no way out, no door, no window.. nothing." She rubbed her wrists trying to relieve the pain the chains had caused. Meg and Ping just sat there in silence. Waiting for Eris to reveal herself and escape them from the empty room.