"There's definitely some kind of locking cuffs," Nathan tells him, circling around Finn hurriedly but carefully. He doesn't want him to burn to death, if he takes too long; he also doesn't want to make things worse, if he's sloppy, however. "Looks like silver, which would be in line with fifteenth, sixteenth century Spain."
A pause and then he adds, "And I'm gonna guess the floor's made up of pressure plates, if our friend is any indication." The guy Elijah threw into the room, he means.
He doubts that the whole floor is one giant pressure plate, if only because that means no one would be able to get to Finn, and the Spanish were definitely using him as a Fountain of Youth. He figures there's some kind of trick to it, instead, so that the right people could get in and out. He's also not sure they passed anything that screamed secret answer to the plates problem, either, but, "Elena, help me move him."
Maybe, if they get the corpse off the trigger, the ceiling will close again and they'll be afforded a few minutes for him to think.
Elena didn't really want to touch a corpse, and she also didn't want to go into the room with the burning, starving vampire, but she doesn't fight him. It's better than nate trying to drag out the body on his own.
She studies the positioning of the body, before moving towards the side, still putting some distance between them and Finn, rather than one of them being closer than they should.
Nathan doesn't really want to touch a body, either, but it's not the first one he has touched, and it's better than the possible alternative -- which is the sun burning Finn to a crisp and Elijah eating them for not having handled this better. That would definitely be worse.
"Just -- just think of it like moving a sack of potatoes," he offers as he takes up the side Elena indicated. It's hard to tell whether he's trying to reassure her or himself, however. Maybe it's both.
She gives him a mild look at that, because this is a very messy and oddly shaped sack of potatoes, but she doesn't comment otherwise. Taking a breath, she braces herself before counting off.
"One, two ..."
And as they both lift, she'll start shifting her end of the body towards the entrance. Nothing changes at first, but as they both cross the threshold, the stone walls recede and the pockets of daylight close.
Nathan shrugs vaguely, helplessly, in response to that look but doesn't add any further commentary. Instead, he counts off with her, lifting on three and with a grunt, and together they move the body out of the light. When the wall slide back into place, Nathan blows out a breath.
"Boy, am I glad that worked."
At least they didn't have to touch a corpse for nothing?
"Yeah, that was my thought, too -- or, like, some kind of path through the room that doesn't trigger the ceiling." He glances back into the room, frowning, before, "I think there's some kinda lip up near the top."
Where the ceiling meets the walls. Where it rotates, if you step on the wrong part of the floor.
"I wonder if I can get up there and take a look around." Maybe there's something he can do, from up there, that will stop the ceiling from triggering. Maybe he'll be able to see where the problem lies, if not there, from above. It might be worth a shot, either way?
It looks sturdy enough, what with it moving around all the time, but it can be hard to tell with old rocks. Sometimes you put the wrong amount of weight on it and it'll crumble right under you.
"If he gets hurt, I could always give him my blood. It will likely heal any damage."
Elena glances back to Elijah with a frown. "That's not exactly comforting."
"Let's kind of -- let's just keep that on the backburner." Nathan really doesn't like the idea of drinking someone's blood any more than Elena does. Nor does the idea of falling to his near-death in the first place tickle his fancy.
"Otherwise, uh -- it should be okay?" It's hard to tell whether he's trying to convince Elena or himself, at this point, that in mind.
Nathan looks right back, offering her a small, almost imperceptible nod. When he finally looks away, it's to glance back at Elijah, eyebrows arching. "Depends on what you mean by 'boost'."
He really doesn't want Elijah pitching him into the wall.
"I know what a boost is," Nathan shoots back, making a face at him. "I was more wondering if 'providing support' involved, like, trebuchet-ing me into the wall or whatever."
Whether he means to or not, Nathan glances pointedly towards one of the corpses Elijah made of the men following them. When he returns his attentions to him, he frowns for a long moment before, "Okay, then maybe I can use a boost."
Elijah's mouth flickers up in the edges of what could have been a smirk at that glimpse, before clarifying. "They intended to do harm. It was more necessity than fun." Though it was a little fun.
But still, he moves to brace himself beneath the edge of the room and folds his hands, prepared to take Nate's weight.
"Right," Nathan answers, dryly. Despite that, though, he still crosses to meet Elijah, putting one hand on his shoulder to steady himself as he puts a foot on his cradled hands. "Ready?"
And with that, Elijah lifts him as easily as though Nate were a man half his size. The gesture is smooth and easy, and Nate very quickly finds himself face to face with the panels he wanted to observe.
While it's not necessarily a surprise, it is still a little unnerving how easy it is for Elijah to lift him. He looks down at him, briefly, frowning, that in mind, before he tries to force that little bit of discomfort out of mind and focus himself on the panels. Thankfully, it doesn't take much effort.
Elijah nods, before shifting, taking a step back and bringing him around the corner of the mechanism. As he gets closer, Nate will be able to see the markings, as well as the edges of the trigger that push and pull on the temple walls.
Nathan shifts a little with him, balancing as much as Elijah's working to keep him balanced. As they get closer to the mechanism that works the walls, however, Nathan straightens, ordering, "Hold on a second. I think I've got something."
His first thought is to wonder if he couldn't just jam something into the trigger, to keep it from moving. He doubts it would be that easy. There has to be a trick to it.
Elijah tips his head to the side, trying to get a look around the bulk of his body to see what Nate is looking at. "Is it possible for you to jam it somehow?"
"What do you need?" Elena asks, glancing around. "Like a stick or something?"
"Uh," he starts, effectually, "maybe something a little sturdier than a stick, if we have it?" He's pretty sure that rock beats stick, even if it loses to paper.
He's not wrong there. Elena goes out to snoop around, see what she can find, and in the end comes back with some options. "I've got bowie knives, I've got guns - how thick does it need to be?"
"Let's try one of the knives, first?" Nathan decides after a moment. He's not sure how well it will hold up, once things start moving, but it's definitely a narrow margin to shove something in that they have here. The knife, in that case, seems the more logical choice.
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A pause and then he adds, "And I'm gonna guess the floor's made up of pressure plates, if our friend is any indication." The guy Elijah threw into the room, he means.
He doubts that the whole floor is one giant pressure plate, if only because that means no one would be able to get to Finn, and the Spanish were definitely using him as a Fountain of Youth. He figures there's some kind of trick to it, instead, so that the right people could get in and out. He's also not sure they passed anything that screamed secret answer to the plates problem, either, but, "Elena, help me move him."
Maybe, if they get the corpse off the trigger, the ceiling will close again and they'll be afforded a few minutes for him to think.
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She studies the positioning of the body, before moving towards the side, still putting some distance between them and Finn, rather than one of them being closer than they should.
"Take the other shoulder."
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"Just -- just think of it like moving a sack of potatoes," he offers as he takes up the side Elena indicated. It's hard to tell whether he's trying to reassure her or himself, however. Maybe it's both.
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"One, two ..."
And as they both lift, she'll start shifting her end of the body towards the entrance. Nothing changes at first, but as they both cross the threshold, the stone walls recede and the pockets of daylight close.
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"Boy, am I glad that worked."
At least they didn't have to touch a corpse for nothing?
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He's doing his best to keep his promise here. Elena rubs the back of her neck, trying to examine the room from a distance.
"There has to be some kind of failsafe. Otherwise how did people get in there without turning Finn into a bonfire?"
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Where the ceiling meets the walls. Where it rotates, if you step on the wrong part of the floor.
"I wonder if I can get up there and take a look around." Maybe there's something he can do, from up there, that will stop the ceiling from triggering. Maybe he'll be able to see where the problem lies, if not there, from above. It might be worth a shot, either way?
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It looks sturdy enough, what with it moving around all the time, but it can be hard to tell with old rocks. Sometimes you put the wrong amount of weight on it and it'll crumble right under you.
"If he gets hurt, I could always give him my blood. It will likely heal any damage."
Elena glances back to Elijah with a frown. "That's not exactly comforting."
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"Otherwise, uh -- it should be okay?" It's hard to tell whether he's trying to convince Elena or himself, at this point, that in mind.
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Elijah goes and moves near the walls, before glancing back to the couple. "Would you like me to give you a boost?"
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He really doesn't want Elijah pitching him into the wall.
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"Provide a base of support as you examine a space far above your head." Obviously.
Elena just leans back to watch, because either way, this should be entertaining.
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But still, he moves to brace himself beneath the edge of the room and folds his hands, prepared to take Nate's weight.
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He is.
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"Do you need a better angle?"
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"Couldn't hurt?"
If only because he's not seeing anything, so far.
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His first thought is to wonder if he couldn't just jam something into the trigger, to keep it from moving. He doubts it would be that easy. There has to be a trick to it.
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"What do you need?" Elena asks, glancing around. "Like a stick or something?"
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