It’s All About the Spelunking! (Dean)

[Mai Adaire]

Ah, the crisp air!

The big blue sky!

The crunch of long dead foliage beneath her boot while slinging her cave pack over one shoulder. Much of the snow had melted away and the day had warmed up considerably thanks to New England’s well known and capricious weather patterns. Thankfully, it had happened just in time for the Vermont Cavers’ Association group trip. Maiella’s joining had been fairly recent, having found out that there even WAS an association dedicated to one of her favorite pastimes. Not to mention this had been one of the few weekends where she needed to get away, to do something to exert the pent up energy of her usual work at Hammel.

And maybe just to not see a certain partnering recruiter’s face for a weekend provided some relief too!

The association and its members met up at Morris Cave, New England’s second largest cave and had begun trudging to the location. Maiella had not the time yet to really get to know any of the other members just yet. A quick sweep of the group made it clear that most of the members knew each other pretty well and chattered on about the goings on in their lives. Maiella listened, though she had to really force herself back from cheerfully commenting.

No matter, she thought as she adjusted the chinstrap of her hardhat! The group had made it to the entrance of the cave while the guide began to explain the finer points of what they’ll be dealing with. The drops, the pinches, rock formations oh my! She felt her excitement bubble with every word. It had been so long since she felt the constrict of squeezing through a night passage or that brief weightless sensation in her stomach as she descends into darkness all to see all sorts of fantastic natural formations.

Certainly this trip will be fun no matter what!

[Dean Rexford]

Dean hadn't banked on bumping into anybody he even remotely knew during this cave exploring. He had actually wanted to geek out alone, seeing as he knew nobody else his age who actually enjoyed doing things like this.

There weren't a lot of people in the association to begin with but Dean was already abuzz with different sets of emotions he tried his hardest not to manipulate. One in particular stood out because it was just sheer adrenaline and positivity and he was naturally drawn to it.

Momentarily ignoring the guide, he patted his hardhat down so his unruly hair would not get the best of him and approached the owner of the sunny aura. Frowning slightly, Dean plastered his trademark smile and patted her on the shoulder.

"Mai...?" The English recruiter's voice echoed a little at the mouth of the cave. Not enough for everyone to hear but he could hear it bouncing off the wall himself. He cleared his throat and chuckled lightly. "Sorry, you're from Hammel, aren't you?"

[Mai Adaire]

One by one, people were entering the cavern, which was a tight looking space. The guide had mentioned that beyond that space was a short drop, the space they called the Changing room if one had not decided to gear up had they not decided to gear up at the mouth of the cave. Mai had already been making equipment checks, wanting to get into the meat of the experience as soon as possible.

The brunette perks up at the sudden mention of her name, not expecting to have someone suddenly approach her. And mention Hammel! Bright blue eyes lit up and she turned to the equally cheerful looking young man.

“Oh yes hi sweetie!” She chirped happily. “I mean, also yes I am. I haven’t been there long, but I am from Hammel.” Wow, that really sounded nice, nicer than the one she once hailed from long ago. Nevermind! The woman shot her hand out to grab and shake his whether he expected it or not!

“This is fantastic! I joined a few weeks ago and wasn’t expecting to see anyone else here from work; I don’t think many favor this kinda thing you know?” She stops her silly rambling, staring at his face before trying hard to hide the glimmer of recognition. The woman was already odd enough, no need to further add her...ways of learning about her coworkers to boot. Also she quickly released his hand, sometimes her excitement got the better of her!

“Maiella, recently hired recruiter. I think it's like...been a few months actually. You?”

[Dean Rexford]

Much like Maiella, Dean had made prior equipment checks and only had his headlights to switch on once they went all in.

Her surprise and response to his question made him grin widely. Her emotions were a lot to take in but it didn't effect him as much as negative emotions did so that was always a good thing.

He let her shake his hand, reciprocating the action as well, enthusiastically as well. "Oh I didn't expect to see anyone I knew either. Guess we had conflicting schedules though, might explain just now bumping into you and I suppose yeah, it's not everyone's cup of tea for sure." He nodded, agreeing with her statement, having thought of it a while ago himself.

"Dean, not so recently hired recruiter." He replied with a nod. "Two...three years, give or take?" His nose scrunched up in thought, Dean tried to recall when he got to Hammel. "Yeah, thereabouts." He nodded slowly, tugging at his bag strap. Something strange emanated from her but he quickly quelled the urge to ask her what it was.

"Shall we?" Dean asked, gesturing into the cave. "I hear there's going to be a section of marble in this cave. I don't know if we'd actually get to properly see it but just the thought is sending me into a frenzy."

[Mai Adaire]

Not everyone’s cup of tea for sure! Who WOULDN’T want to crawl, squeeze and climb through cold, wet caverns just to see the awesome geological structures and creatures that lived beneath the earth? Maiella was all for it, but at least she had someone from her part of Vermont with her. It made for a little less awkwardness at least! Not that she worried, but it was sometimes difficult to break into a group that was close knit as it was – a challenge, yes but at least this was palatable.

“Oh, you’re a recruiter too, Dean!” Her already bright blue eyes lit up with cheer. Someone from her end of the job at Hammel too, what luck had shined upon her today!
“We’re usually all over the place anyways right? This is totally why I needed this trip, get back to my center.”

A quick glance to the opening of the cavern, where it was now their turn . Oh my, they were the tail end of the group! The idea of seeing this fabled section of marble in the cave sounded like absolute fun! Maiella had recalled many of the others were waiting to gear up in the chamber known as “the changing room”, but she and her new companion were already suited up.

FANTASTIC.

“We’re so gonna see it first.” She gave him a thumbs up of certainty before slipping into the first squeeze at the entrance. A slide in, she feels the brief weightlessness of a few-foot drop before her feet lands on the bottom. Had she not been an avid adventurer, that first drop would have ended with her landing on her rear end! Maiella grinned and stepped out of the way for Dean to drop down. In the meantime she wanders, brushing her gloved hand along the walls of the cavern.

“This is going to be great~”

[Dean Rexford]

Crowds of people always made Dean nervous. The possibility of his abilities getting let loose always scared him. Which was why most of the sports he involved himself in were things he could do alone. Cave exploring, though almost always done in groups, gave him the opportunity to break away. The guides knew him well enough to know that it wouldn't do any harm if he strayed from the group.

But having Maiella around didn't seem too daunting. It was good that her emotions were basically the same level as his at the moment.

"Yep! Agreed. I actually just came back from a recruitment." He admitted with a grin, tugging at his bag strap.

Dean adored her enthusiasm and determination and used it to pump himself up a lot more than he already was. Following after her drop, he made sure she was away from where he was going to land, and then dropped down.

"It is." He bumped into her in the dark and apologised with a chuckle. "Sorry, sorry." He fiddled with his headlight and then took out his videocamera. "So how long have you been doing this sort of thing? Cave exploring and all?"

[Mai Adaire]

A bump into her but no harm done, the brunette would brush it off without so much as a second thought! She flicks the head light on her helmet, peering into the first crevice the group would have to maneuver through. Thankfully, she had no fear of confined places otherwise her legs would be noodles…ooh, and noodles will be divine after they were done! She turned to offer her companion the idea for food later when – oh! A camera! Maiella smiled bright and waved, naturally.

“Oh! Uuum, I’ve been doing all sorts of crazy stuff since I was about 20. It’s hard NOT to with the way I was brought up.” Yes, that’s a good word for it! She pauses a moment and then nods, finally settling to agree with her choice of words. “Adventure is so good for the body and mind; it boggles my mind that so many people choose not to have these kinds of experiences. I’m psyched though! Spelunking is life~”

She’d look to the group with a small pout. The group was taking SO MUCH time gearing up! And yes, she understood but at the same time, the entire reason she geared up outside was not to hold anyone up. Maiella waved over her shoulder towards the crevice, the cool air far too inviting to ignore.

“Hey Dean-dear, let’s get a head start.” The woman winks at the camera and marched to the crevice, putting a foot down first to stabilize and slide herself along the slight curve of the crevice. Ah, she missed the feel of cold rock against her back!

“I don’t think the guide will mind as long as we stick together, yeah?”

[Dean Rexford]

Dean chuckled quietly at Maiella's reaction to the videocamera. He trained it on her for a bit before moving it where he thought were interesting. He had to mind his footing as well, but thankfully, his shoes had enough traction that even if he did step into a slippery patch, the friction would at the very least squeak him into a stop.

He didn't think anything by her response at first, not knowing where she had been brought up, but curious now as the chosen words brought on a sort of...vibe off his fellow recruiter. He quelled it and let it go, not wanting to come off weirder than he could possibly be later on.

Her enthusiasm about outdoor activities got Dean grinning widely. "I couldn't agree more!" He responded, looking up at her instead of training his eyes on the videocamera.

When called to attention, Dean frowned curiously before his eyes sparkled with delight at the idea. "They wouldn't. They have no reason to, two seasoned cave explorers together...nothing could go wrong."