Soon enough, Arlen has packed everything Nior deems necessary, and Harin has secured his adventure kit/combat bindle. They are ready for adventure.
Mir takes the lead on the way to the cave, even though Nior remembers the trail better; Mir has more fun leading.
The cave turns out to be very explorable, folded into the side of a particularly large and craggly hill, filled with limestone pillars and strangely shaped rocks. Mir mandates the distribution of torches to everyone before they head in any farther than the entrance.
Arlen takes his and begins gleefully exploring! He wants to touch all of the walls.
Harin is content to look at the cool rocks, for his part. And shepherd Arlen, when necessary.
The cool rocks are very cool. Mir is so pleased about cave exploration.
(Harin sometimes catches himself enjoying Mir being pleased more than the cool rocks themselves. This is a disaster. Feelings are terrible.)
(Nior can tell something's up, but is having trouble figuring out what.)
Mir found some... he's not sure what it is, but it's sparkly and neat-looking.
Man, all Harin's found are uncomfortable questions about his own sexuality. Some people have all the luck.
Harin swallows. "Like clouds! Rainclouds!"
"Can't find if you don't look. Which way do you feel like exploring?"
"He's—" begins Nior, gesturing across the cavern; and then he stops, and frowns, and says, "not over there anymore, which he was five seconds ago."
Harin goes over to check for sinkholes and such.
No joy. There aren't even any passages he could have inexplicably fled away through.
"That seems unlikely, but I don't really have any other answers, here."
"He was here. I was paying attention. Then he wasn't. I don't know why or how. So: vanished, inexplicably."