No Being Sacrificed To Giant Serpent Gods For Us (For Polos and Kiras)

Derp. I made it xD

Ruth Mubarak
18
Ruth seems to be the typical 'girl next door'. She's pretty, with wavy dark brown hair; olive skin; and large dark brown eyes, she's athletic, and seems really nice. Ruth's family is from Egypt, her parents moved to (wherever they're from) when she was 7, so Arabic is her first language, but she usually avoids speaking it.
Despite her nice attitude she's quite headstrong and stubborn, which often results in her arguing with people.

((Here's my character. ))

Character:

Name: Axel Phoenix

Age: 20

Appearance:

Axel is a tall guy at 6’1, but one wouldn’t guess his height from looking at him, probably because he isn’t a big guy. He’s athletically built, with a handsome face and shockingly bright blue eyes. He has dark blonde hair which frames his face in messy tendrils past his cheekbones and almost to the nape of his neck. Axel is truly handsome man, no doubt about it – but somehow, it just doesn’t show. Aside from the messy, unkempt hair hiding his face, he wears a pair of plain, round glasses which always seem to reflect the light in a way that hides his magnificent eyes. He tends to wear unflattering, baggy clothing, and walks with his shoulders hunched, head down, and hands in his pockets – giving a bad overall impression that tends to lead people into misjudging him.

Personality:

Axel tends to be rather shy and introverted. He keeps himself to himself, and nobody knows very much about him. He grew up in South Africa ((Why the Hell not? XD )), but lives elsewhere now. He comes across cold at first, and generally doesn’t seem to like socialising with people. He’s awkward and quiet in conversation, and never really seems to smile about much.

If one were to get to know Axel, they would find there’s actually more to this mysterious young man than what he lets on…

((I'll RP him out, for the most part. Mostly because even I don't know what he'll be like yet. XD ))

I like him 0: He sounds adorable xD

Shall I start or you? <.<

((That was the goal. XD

You, pleeeeease. ^_^ But preferably now. I'm AMPED! And I should be studying for a maths test. I've been procrastinating for 3 hours, now it's kinda too late... XD ))

[okay! um. Why don't we have it so that the 'group' or whatever is just meeting for the first time to get on a boat to South America? That good? I say that's good e-e sooo I'm just gonna go with that xD feel free to shoot me if you want to do something different.
I just decided at last minute that she would be an engineer. Whoop.]

Ruth stood on the dock, sunglasses shielding her eyes from the sun which was just now beginning to rise. She watched the horizon with a blank expression, arms crossed over her green tank top. She was completely ready for this expedition, a small suitcase sitting beside her hiking-boot clad feet. Her adventurer ensemble was complete with khaki shorts that reached to her mid-thigh.
It seemed that at the moment she was the only one there, which caused the corners of her mouth to twitch up into a smile. Ruth liked to be the first person somewhere. Gave her a sense of superiority.
She sat down on one of the crates that would most likely be following them to South America, and pulled out a notebook. It was a beat up, leather-bound thing that she'd had with her ever since her family had left Egypt. She opened it up to one of the last pages, since there were few that were left blank now. Most of it was filled with sketches of mechanisms that she had been planning.
She sat there for a while, pen tucked behind her ear as she stared at the blank, yellow pages. She had no idea if she even wanted to write, or draw, anything. She just liked to look at it.
Ruth looked up and out at the waves which caused the boats to bob up and down. There would be four others coming on this expedition, making five of them in total. A doctor, an archaeologist, some sort of enthusiast who was funding the entire thing, and one other person. Then there was her, who would act as the engineer on this trip.
She was incredibly thankful, too. It had taken a lot of convincing on her part, at least two years of it, for her parents to let her go. But in the end it was completely worth it, and she couldn't be more happy.

Ruth was stirred from her thoughts by the arrival of someone else. It was a very skinny, very tall man with a head of cropped black hair and brown eyes. She stood up and smiled at the man, who carried a suitcase and a briefcase.
"Hello. I'm Dr. Rosemond." The man, Dr. Rosemand, said. He held out his hand to her, which Ruth excepted and gave it a shake.
"Ruth Mubarak." She said with a smile, releasing his hand.
"Nice grip ya got there, Ruth."
"Well, I work with mechanics, so a firm grip is always something good to have." She explained with a shrug, to which the Dr. nodded in agreement.
"Is it just us so far?" He asked, looking out at the water. Ruth nodded and leaned over to slide her notebook back into her suitcase.

[derp. shortish.]

((All good. Shortish is good, too. No time for longish. XD

Will you add Ruth's description to the main post, just in case I need it? ^_^ ))

Axel arrived a few minutes after the agreed-upon time. He didn't want to be the first to get there, nor come in late and make an entrance... He just wanted to blend in quietly, find an isolated corner, and hide there for the majority of the trip.
He crept onto the deck, hands in pockets, and glanced around briefly. The Engineer and the Doctor were there already. Apparently an Archaeologist was coming along too, or so he'd heard. He wasn't particularly sure what his role in the expedition was; but that didn't matter now.
While the Engineer girl was speaking with the Doctor, Axel walked contritely past, and vanished below deck to deposit his luggage in the sleeping quarters.
He didn't reappear on the deck. Instead he heaved himself onto one of the flimsy bunkbeds, and began busying himself with his laptop - face totally hidden behind his thick nerd glasses, and mop of dark blonde hair.

Axel was not excited about the expedition; he was simply nervous. They were heading to the ancient Aztec temples, and although he knew the Aztec tribes had long since died out or yielded to civilization, Axel couldn't help but worry. He had researched them on his computer, and their legacy of human sacrifice and cannibalism was a shocking one. Still, he had wanted to go along. He had his reasons for wanting to find the fountain... It was a myth, of course, he knew that... But what was life without false hope to cling to?

After a few minutes, the Doctor suggested they get on the boat and Ruth nodded in agreement. Together they walked up the ramp and onto the deck. Ruth decided to go and check out the lower deck and find herself a room, while the doctor decided to go speak with the captain. They exchanged a few quick 'see you later's, and Ruth hurried on to the lower regions of the boat.
She found an empty room and tossed her luggage onto the bed, but didn't bother staying in the room. Instead she walked down the corridor, about to go back up to the top deck when she thought she heard a faint clicking sound coming from one of the rooms.
Had another one of the people going on the expedition shown up?
Ruth frowned and stood outside the door for a while, simply listening. When she was certain that someone else was in fact inside, she knocked on the door.

((*Facepalm* I'm a moron. Why did I think they were on the boat already? XD ))

After he'd been typing a while, Axel got lost in his own little world - and when he heard the knock at the door, he jumped in surprise - knocking his laptop off the bed. He made a wild grab for it, and somehow managed to catch it - but he also lost his balance in the process, and ended up slipping clumsily from the bed. He landed awkwardly on his feet, set the laptop on a nearby table, and trotted over to the door, which he opened with the same trepidation that always accosted him at the prospect of engaging in conversation.
He recognized the girl in the doorway. She was the Engineer from the dock, the one who would be accompanying him on the expedition. What was her name again...?
"You must be Ruth... The Engineer, right?" He said at last, trying to seem friendly, but only managing an odd, nerdy awkwardness. He cleared his throat in an attempt to regain some dignity, and offered his hand.
"I'm Axel. Axel Phoenix - I'll be joining you on the expedition."

[bahaha xD It's alll good.]

Ruth winced when she heard a thud from the inside the room, but plastered a smile onto her face when the door opened. She was a bit shocked by who opened it, though.
The boy certainly wasn't by any means impressive to look at, but he must have been able to do something in order to come.
It took her a moment to realize he had spoken, and another to realize he had introduced himself.
"Oh, um, yes. I'm Ruth." She said, shaking his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Axel." She told him, still smiling. "Were you working on something?" She asked, attempting to peek over his shoulder and into the room, but she couldn't surpass his height, since she just barely came up to his shoulder.

[derp. She's short ]

Axel attempted a pleasant expression in response - not quite a smile - but as usual, it didn't quite work. Luckily, Ruth had a question to save him from the awkward silence.
"Were you working on something?"
She craned her neck to see past him, and Axel stepped obligingly aside. "Well, uh..." He cleared his throat again, and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I was, uh... Calculating the route for the trip." He mumbled hesitantly, "Since we're heading to unmapped territory, they- they asked me to help. Not that I can do much." He shrugged modestly, and glanced at his feet. He couldn't quite find the courage to make eye contact again after that.
He felt stressed in the silence that followed, and he wanted to break it - but as usual, Axel just didn't have anything to say. He spoke when spoken to - it was simply his wont.

Ruth nodded approvingly as he explained what he had been doing, not really looking at him. However, when he said something about not doing much, the smile faded and she looked at him with a very serious expression.
"That is highly doubtful. Without you we wouldn't get anywhere, so there would be no expedition." The smile came back, but this one was genuine. "I don't know about the others, but I'm definitely no good with directions. I may be able to build and fix things, but directions...yeah, no." She laughed softly. "Oh, and speaking of the others, you probably should come meet them." She suggested with a nod.
However, as Ruth said it there was a clang from the stairs and three people walked down. One she recognized as Dr. Rosemand, and the others she didn't know. She figured they were the archaeologist and the guy who was funding this thing.
"Oh, hey Ruth. This is Dr. Amy Jackson and Mr. Douglas Theodore." He introduced them, each one nodding in turn. Dr. Jackson was a tall woman with crow's feet around her blue eyes and pale blonde hair. Mr. Theodore was a short man with a beer gut, and a balding head with brown eyes. She had expected him to be more official looking, but if he was funding this expedition she supposed he could wear whatever he wanted.
Dr. Rosemand looked at Axel and smiled a bit. "Hello, son. I'm Dr. Rosemand." He introduced himself and held his hand out to him.

Axel blushed slightly at Ruth's praise, glancing away uncomfortably, and mumbling half-hearted objections. Before he could get too caught up in his shyness, Ruth suggested that he go up and meet the others. He would have objected, but he never got the chance, because the next moment the whole procession trooped down the stairs. Axel seemed to automatically shrink into himself, escaping as far away as he could without visibly moving.
He took Doctor Rosemand's proffered hand reluctantly, and mumbled in response, "Axel Phoenix."
He raised his shoulders in a slightly vulnerable, defensive fashion - uncomfortable with all the unwanted company.
He didn't want to meet them - he just wanted to go back to his computer, where there were no social situations to stress him out...

"Well, pleasure to meet you, Axel." Dr. Rosemand said with a broad grin. He sensed the young man's discomfort, and glanced at the other two adults. "Why don't we go to our rooms?" He suggested, nodding to Ruth and Axel before stepping away and walking down the hallway, Dr. Jackson and Mr. Theodore following him.
Ruth shifted her weight and looked back to Axel. "Uh, well, I'll leave you to it then." She said, bobbing her head at him as she stepped back. "See you later?"

Axel could barely contain a sigh of relief when the others left; and when Ruth too bid him farewell, he actually relaxed enough to manage a subtle smile. "Yeah." He grunted, "It was good meeting you. Later."

Once Ruth had left, Axel spent a little more time at his computer, tweaking his program and alternating routes, then he left his room to go up to the deck for some fresh air. He was starting to settle in now, and it was getting easier to relax. He honestly felt quite ashamed of the way he'd acted around the others, but he couldn't help it. He was always like that.
He pushed his glasses up his nose, and raised his eyes toward the horizon. They had started sailing now, and the boat rose and fell gently as it crested each subtle wave. There was dark ocean all around them; vast and unforgiving. It gave Axel chills to imagine sinking into those crushing depths, but he trusted that the boat was seaworthy. It had to be, with the funding they had received.

((Sorry if this doesn't work with you, but I need an excuse to make this social retard socialize. XD ))

When Axel finally turned away from the ocean and glanced back over the deck, a small object lying on the ground caught his eye. When he walked over, he saw that it was a little leather-bound notebook; lovingly worn, but by no means tattered. He picked it up, dusted it off, and fanned briefly through it; eyes widening slightly at the series of impressive sketches and mechanical drawings inside.
Finally, he opened the front page, and saw Ruth's name scrawled neatly in the corner.
He raised his head and glanced around, as though wondering if he could just leave it there - but Ruth was nice, and he just wasn't the type not to return such an important item to its owner. So he shrugged, and headed back below deck.
It didn't take him long to find her room, since it was right across from his. Feeling faintly pleased by this - since she was his favourite of the group so far - Axel knocked quietly on the door, notebook in hand, and waited patiently.

Ruth walked down the opposite end of the hallway, down into the bowels(heh. bowels.) of the ship. She ran her fingers along the wall, smiling a bit. She found a nice secluded place and sat down. She reached into her bag, and frowned when her hand didn't immediately enclose around her notebook.
She set her bag on her lap and began fishing around through it, but still couldn't find her notebook. Sighing with frustration, she pushed herself up to her feet and started walking back down the hallway, then saw Axel standing at her door with her notebook in hand.
Ruth bounced up behind him and cleared her throat, then glanced down at the notebook.
"Oh! Thank you, I was looking for that." She said, grinning at him.

Axel jumped slightly in surprise at Ruth's sudden appearance; but then he turned and, pushing his glasses up his nose, handed the notebook back to her. "I found it on the deck." He explained, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. After a moment's uncertain pause, he took in her friendly expression, and added hesitantly, "I glanced over some of the designs. You're really talented." He actually managed a slight smile as he said this, and shoved his hands into his pockets to keep himself from twisting them nervously as he tended to do.
"How-" He broke off and cleared his throat, then tried again, "How long have you been an engineer for? You look way too young to be as good as you are."
This time he actually did manage a nervous smile, and though it was slightly marred by his constant uncertainty, there was something somewhat appealing about his smile. It offered a glimpse of the truth; Axel was not antisocial... He was just a little shy, and lacked self confidence sometimes. Well, all the time. But at least, for once, he was making an effort - albeit an awkward one.

[is it bad to say that I already love Axel? xD He's so cute. I just wanna hug him]

Ruth tucked the notebook protectively under her arm, and looked up at him.
"I found it on the deck." He explained, somewhat nervously. She was about to answer when he said something that caused her to blush and looked away. It was strange for her to ever act shy, but when it came to talking about her work, especially when it came to praise, she tended to shy away from it.
"Oh, uh, thanks, but I'm not at all as good as my brothers." She said nervously, then put her hands into her back pockets.
"How long have you been an engineer for? You look way too young to be as good as you are." Again, this caused her cheeks to go even redder than before.
"Ah, well I've been helping my dad in the shop for about as long as I can remember. I only started working with the tools when I was eleven or twelve. I just worked a lot." She shrugged and looked down at her feet, feeling a sudden rush of sadness.
She pushed it down and looked back up, returning his smile. However, this time his smile didn't seem like the awkward, 'I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-doing' smile, but a real one. And by God, it was even attractive.
She tilted her head a bit, and looked him up and down once more. She was analyzing him like she would analyze one of her machines. Taking him apart bit by bit. If he perhaps changed a few things he would be downright hot, which was an odd thing for her to think. But it was true.
Her gaze found his eyes, or rather his glasses, and her smile broadened.

((Aaaw, I'm so glad. ^_^ I'm actually quite fond of him, too. He's turning out just how I wanted him to... And that NEVER happens. XD ))

Axel ironically relaxed a little when he saw Ruth blush and look away. It made him feel better knowing that they were on common ground, though this thought was so bizarre that he almost wanted to laugh out loud. He didn't, though, of course. Instead he watched Ruth, nodding politely as she explained how she'd come about her skills. So her whole family were engineers? Well, that was certainly interesting - but he had a feeling there was a lot more to this story than she was letting on.
Always being the type to watch people from afar, Axel had grown into a rather perceptive man, and Ruth's brief blue moment did not go unnoticed. Still, when she looked up at him and smiled, Axel pushed it from his mind. Or rather, it was pushed aside for him, because he was struck by a sudden bout of shyness so intense it made him giddy.
He noticed her looking him up and down, and his mind automatically went into overdrive imagining that she was judging him, and all the terrible things she might be thinking. But then Ruth smiled even brighter, and damn it all, if he didn't smile right back. He wasn't even sure how or why, but in a moment he was grinning, and he felt so idiotic with that bright bloody smile on his face that he was forced to look away, letting a subtle laugh escape his lips. It was most unusual for him to behave like this, but somehow, Ruth just made it easy to be around her.
Axel pushed his glasses shyly up his nose again, scuffing his foot slightly against the ground.
"I guess, I should... Um.." He cleared his throat, "I should go..." He took a few steps back, and managed another awkward half-smile. "I'll- I'll see you around."

((Note: I have a plan to 'show Axel off' a little bit. I'm going to need something important to fall overboard. Don't particularly care what, how or when - but it must be done.
That's your mission. *Salites*

I'm really enjoying this RP. XD I love how Ruth is like, the PERFECT character to get along with Axel. Awesome. ))

[He's wonderful
I hope this is alright ]

Ruth was extremely pleased to see him grin right back at her. She imitated his small, nervous laugh and glanced away from him.
"I guess, I should... Um..I should go..."
She watched as he took a few steps away from her, then returned the half smile and nodded.
"Oh, uh, yes. Definitely." She agreed, then(just assuming here) watched as he walked away. Once he was gone she sighed heavily and her shoulders slumped. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something just...right about him. She shook her head and opened the door to her room, slipping in.

A few hours later, Ruth awoke from an unexpected nap and looked out at the sky from the porthole. She frowned as she saw the clouds growing darker, but the storm hadn't begun yet. She immediately bounced up and ran up the stairs to the deck, her hands gripping onto the railing as the winds picked up. It didn't look like it would be a big storm, but you never knew.
Ruth was soon joined by Mr. Theodore. She glanced over at him and flashed an awkward smile to him before turning back to watch the waves. As the boat rocked more with the increasing power of the waves, Mr. Theodore was thrown forward into the railing, and a small bottle flew out of his coat pocket and into the waves.
As this happened, the winds began to die down a bit.
That's odd... Ruth thought, looking up at the sky. A very distressed Mr. Theodore was stomping about beside her and cursing as the bottle drifted beside the boat, gradually getting farther away with each wave.

[Oh yay! I'm glad you like it xD
I'm shocked that I like Ruth I didn't think I would. She's a character in a story I'm planning, and I was going to have her be a traitor and try to keel the main character and his real friends <.< but I like her too much now xD]

((Haha! Well, sorry about that. Ruth is far too awesome to be a traitor, though. Going to have to make a new character. Borrow Mitch - he'd make an excellent traitor. XD Haha! ))

When the boat began tossing around, Axel was so deep in his word that he didn't even notice. That is, not until a particularly large wave rocked the boat so heavily that both he and his laptop slid off the bed. He hit the floor hard, yelped in surprise, then glanced around with a bemused expression, finally noticing the vicious rocking.
Wincing and grumbling to himself, he rubbed his bruised hip and stood up, putting the laptop back in its case, and setting it safely on the nearest table.
He could hear shouting voices coming from the deck, and he thought that whoever it was sounded rather upset.

Frowning, Axel jogged up to the main deck to investigate. He saw Ruth staring over the railings into the sea, with a highly upset Mr. Theodore prancing around beside her, cursing at the top of his lungs.
He hurried over, reaching the railing between the two, and stared out at the now-calming waves. It took him a moment to locate the little bottle, but when he did, he glanced curiously at Mr. Theodore. "That yours?" He asked, and Mr. Theodore nodded miserably in response.
Axel glanced out to sea again, judging the size of the waves, then shrugged and unzipped the baggy hoodie that he wore for warmth. He pulled it hurriedly off, and shoved it quickly into Ruth's hands, along with his glasses. Then, without missing a beat, he jumped up onto the railing, and dived straight into the sea.
He was submerged for a good few seconds, but then he made his way back up, and broke surface just a few meters from the little bottle. He swam over and grabbed it, then proceeded back to the side of the boat, where Mr. Theodore obligingly threw down a rope ladder for him. He managed to climb up with some difficulty, and handed the man his bottle - acknowledging the thanks that followed with an awkward mumble. He avoided eye contact, but luckily Mr. Theodore was too busy drying off his bottle to notice.
Axel shivered, his thin white T-shirt clinging damply to his surprisingly well-muscled torso. He hugged himself, rubbing goosebumps from his arms, and hurried over to Ruth to retrieve his things.
Seawater plastered his hair back from his face, and without his glasses, Axel showed his eyes for once.
They were a shockingly bright shade of blue, almost unnaturally brilliant. It was as though he'd stepped directly out of an HD movie with a few too many special effects.
With sharp ice-blue just around the pupils, stretching outward into radiant electric-blue and brilliant liquid patterns that seemed flecked by silver, Axel's eyes were certainly beautiful, but he didn't seem to realize it. If anything, he seemed a little shy to meet Ruth's eye without his glasses on.
"I'm freezing..." He muttered with a nervous laugh, glancing briefly at her, and taking his hoodie back. He pulled it on, then accepted the glasses, and put those on, too.

Ruth blinked in response as she had a hoodie and a pair of glasses shoved into her hands. She didn't even know who's they were until she looked up and saw Axel diving into the waves from the side of the boat. She tucked everything under her arm and ran over to the railing, watching him swim. She was entirely worried, but breathed a heavy sigh of relief when he swam back to the side of the boat.
She watched as Mr. Theodore threw the ladder over the side, then pranced off with his bottle. Ruth was still speechless as Axel came back over to her, his shirt clinging to his body. She couldn't help but stare, and good Lord he certainly was attractive. Finally she was shaken from her shock by his voice, and obligingly handed over his hoodie and glasses. She immediately looked up to his face, and caught his eye even though he was attempting to avoid hers.
Again, she blinked with surprise until he put the glasses on again. Then he just looked like his normal self, the one she met in the hallway.

"That was really amazing...what you did." She said softly, smiling at him. She felt like some foolish school girl, even though she had graduated early and was definitely not a schoolgirl. But she certainly felt like one, and she wasn't entirely sure if it was from motion sickness or him.
"I didn't expect you to be able to do something like that." She admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.

"That was really amazing...what you did."
"Hm?" Axel grunted, glancing up at Ruth in surprise. People didn't really say things like that to him, and honestly he wasn't too sure how to react. So he blushed, and looked away again, mumbling half-heartedly, "Well, not really..."
"I didn't expect you to be able to do something like that." Ruth interjected, and Axel smiled slightly at the ground. "I, um..." He raised his awkward smile to meet Ruth's eyes and, hugging himself for warmth, explained, "I was a lifeguard for a little while after I finished school, so I guess..." He trailed off, shrugging, "I guess it's just old habits."
He shivered, and rubbed the goosebumps from his arms, then added with a shy chuckle, "I'd better get into some dry clothes before I freeze. I hope that stupid bottle was worth it." He rolled his eyes, then waved awkwardly to Ruth, and turned to scurry back to his room, very keen to get warmed up again.

Ruth nodded, and looked over him once again. Being a lifeguard...now that made sense. Well, for his body at least...it didn't really fit his personality. She was about to ask him about it when he shivered, and then excused himself.
She returned his wave with small smile, then looked back out at the sea. It had relatively calmed, but the waves were still choppy. She liked it that way, she hated the ocean when it was calm. It was so...boring.
Ruth sighed and turned away, walking across the deck and down below. She trailed her fingers along the walls of the corridors, which were drab and not very inviting. She really couldn't wait to get to land, she missed it.

As she reached her room, her walkies-talkie made a beeping noise, so she pulled it off of her belt loop and changed the channel.
"Yes?" She asked into it, and she heard the gruff voice of the Doctor on the other side.
"We need you in the engine room." Was all he said before turning his device off. Her eyebrows furrowed together, and she hurried down the hall and into another corridor, which lead down a small set of stairs to a hatch, which then lead to the engine room.
It was hot and stuffy when she reached it, so immediately she knew something was awry.

Lex spent a while in his room, drying himself off and trying to get warmed up again - but eventually the tense silence around him dragged him outside, and he ventured timidly toward the engine room, where he heard the nearest voices - wondering what exactly was going on. He was still shivering intermittently, but he had huddled himself in a thick grey blanket, and the shivers were more from the blissful feeling of warming skin than because he still felt chilly.
"Is everything okay?" He asked, tiptoeing into the engine room, and casting a nervous glance around - finally letting his eyes come to rest on Ruth.
Was she fixing something...?
Curiously, he stepped closer, and watched what she was doing with interest. He was excited to see the talented young engineer in action... That little notepad had really impressed him, and if she was half as good in practice as she was in theory, then he would be incredibly proud to know her.

Ruth glanced back at Axel and shook her head.
"Not sure, but I'm pretty sure something's wrong." She said, then looked around at the machines. There was a loud BANG and then a clattering, and immediately she hurried off in the direction of the noises. There was a valve turned open, and steam was pouring out. Well, that certainly explained the heat.
Carefully she moved forward, careful to keep herself away from the steam.
"We have to shut that valve." She said to Axel, since he appeared to be the only one in the room. The others seemed to have fled. She sighed and pulled on a pair of work gloves, then looked over the pipe that valve was attached to. The only way to get to it would be to go under the steam, but there wasn't much room. She glanced around, then sighed and dropped down onto her stomach. She crawled directly beneath the pipe, the heat causing her cheeks to flush. She finally popped up on the other side, and attempted to turn the valve with her hands.
"Well, it's stuck." She called over to him. "I'll need you to slide a few tools over to me." She said to him, wiping her brow with the gloves still on.