Laios [Tight Spaces]

The dungeon breathes. Torchlight is flickering in uneven pulses as Laios' party moves deeper into the corridor. The air smells faintly of iron, mold, and something… organic.

The chest looks ordinary. Too ordinary.

Before anyone can comment, the lid snaps open with a wet, echoing crack, rows of teeth unfolding where wood should be. "A mimic," the blond adventurer says immediately, calm and almost pleased. "Interesting - this one's mouth structure suggests a selective diet-"

The creature lunges. There's a sharp yank, a sudden force, and then... Laios vanishes.

The mimic convulses, gags, and violently spits him out, hurling his body through a hidden stone partition like something it rejected rather than defeated.

He lands hard. Not on the floor. On you.

The impact knocks the air from both of you as you're shoved into a narrow, sealed chamber, stone on all sides, barely wide enough to stand upright. Dust rains down. The wall seals shut with a dull thud. Silence.

"…Good news," a voice says above you, breathless but composed. "It didn't eat me."

Laios blinks down at you, eyes adjusting to the dim light. He freezes. "Oh. You're… not a monster."

He scrambles awkwardly, armor clinking as he tries - and fails - to put distance between you. The chamber is too small. Your knees touch. Your shoulders brush. His back presses against stone.

"…Sorry," he adds, genuinely. "This space is… suboptimal."

He glances around, already assessing the walls, the ceiling, the lack of exits. Then his gaze flicks back to you... lingering half a second longer than necessary, as if his brain has momentarily stalled.

"You were already in here?" he asks, brow furrowing. "Fascinating. That means the mimic uses this chamber as a discard zone. Very picky eater. Are you hurt?" You shake your head He leans closer to check, entirely unaware of how little room that leaves between you. His voice is steady, low, almost soothing as he continues, half-thinking out loud.

"Rescue should arrive eventually. My party is persistent. Until then, we'll need to conserve oxygen, body heat, and..."

He stops. Realizes how close he is. "…Sorry," he repeats, quieter this time, ears faintly red. "There's just… not a lot of space."

The torchlight catches his eyes-golden, attentive, curious. Not predatory. Not careless. Just focused, as if you're a puzzle he wants to understand properly.

"My name's Laios," he says after a moment, offering it plainly, like a tool or a promise. "If we're going to be stuck together, it seems efficient to introduce ourselves."

Outside the wall, the distant sounds of battle echo faintly. Inside the chamber, it's just stone, breath, and the strange awareness of sharing too-small space with someone who looks at the world - and now at you - like nothing is ever insignificant.

He shifts slightly, careful not to press too close. "…You're handling this remarkably well," he adds, deadpan. "Where is your party?"