The two Lizardfolk spirits quickly moved to close the gap and cut off the ooze's escape route. The ooze responded, turning to try a new route, not knowing they could simply pass through the ghostly warriors as if they weren't there. They shot off toward the gap made by the Lizardfolk ghosts moving together, opening a new gap, but that was quickly closed as well. Down the line the ooze went until they were finally headed straight for Xalmann and the large pot that he had set on the ground in front of him.

The ooze leapt into the air, no gaps on the ground for it to pass through, so trying to escape by going over their heads. However, this route was also being blocked by Nimbus, so it couldn't jump too high. They tried to leap just over Xalmann's head, but the Lizardman just raised the pot lid to block it. The ooze crashed into the lid and Xalmann slammed it down onto the pot.

The ooze leapt around inside the pot, trying to find some way out, knocking against the lid repeatedly, but Xalmann held it down firmly, even setting a foot on top of it to be sure. He didn't want to have to deal with this any longer than he had to by letting the ooze escape from the pot and going back to square one. Eventually, the ooze must have tired itself out. The pot was still.

Xalmann looked to the summoned ghosts and nooded, saying a few words in the Lizardfolk language again before they all faded away and disappeared. Two of the Lizardfolk ghosts seemed just as serious as Xalmann, but the short, bulky one gave a slightly goofy grin and two thumbs up as they faded away. Xalmann ignored that and looked at Leni-Aura. He couldn't carry the pot and hold the lid down at the same time, so he just began to slide it along the ground through the curtain and back out into the bar. He felt another shiver down his spine as the curtain wiped against his arms.

Leni-Aura clacks her spear against the ground behind the ooze, cutting off its retreating routes while it scuttles and squirms down the line of Lizardfolk spirits, until it finally makes a brave bust stupid decision to try and jump over Xalmann. Nimbus flaps his wings rhythmically overhead, squawking when the ooze makes its final, glorious leap…

Right into Xalmann’s pot. “Oh, thank Avasha.” Leni-Aura sighs, rubbing her temples as Xalmann slams the lid onto the pot to keep the ooze inside, and proceeds to step on it with his full weight. She reaches out for Nimbus, providing her arm as a perch for the drake; and he happily rejoins her, trilling softly as he scurries onto her shoulders to make himself comfortable.

She looks back at Xalmann, then looks to the pot beneath his foot: it’s still now, so… perhaps it’s tired itself out? “That was much more effort than I would have liked to put in.” she murmurs, watching the spirits begin to disappear— one of them seems friendlier than the rest— but she simply nods at Xalmann as she walks after him. She would try to help carry the pot, but she is… not strong… So instead, she puts her hands on the pot to help him hold down the lid.

Really, she’s not actually doing that much given her size, but it’s probably the thought that counts. She does her best to avoid the curtain as they pass through it again. “George? We got them.” she calls, pressing up against the doorframe to avoid the slime-curtain as they scrape the pot beneath it.

George looks to them from their counter— heaven’s sake, there’s like, TWO inches of slime on the counter now— and looks completely expressionless. Their voice suggests relief, though. “I could hear the mess they were making… is it bad?”

Leni-Aura just nods.

“I was worried about that…” George sighs, then gestures at Xalmann and the pot. “I have some chains in the back room you can tie that up with for now, if you want to go get it.” Leni-Aura offers a glance at the pot. “It’s on one of the shelves, I think…”

…The one Georgetholomew knocked over?

Leni-Aura sighs. “Hold on, I’ll… go get it.” she murmurs, turning tail and slipping back through the slime curtain. She shudders when a bit of slime brushes against her shoulder; but the chain isn’t hard to locate, in fact, it was on the lowest portion of the shelf that Georgetholomew had knocked over, so it had gone mostly unnoticed.

She grabs it— it’s a bit heavy, but not that bad— and drags it back through the curtains for Xalmann to use.

She brushes against the curtains again.

She shivers— it really is very gross.

Keeping the pot closed with the chains was easy enough, and soon Georgetholomew was securely trapped within, in their little time out until they were no longer under the influence of the fermented fruit they had consumed. George took stock of the damage that had been caused by the rampaging ooze. Several crates were broken, many objects knowcked off the shelves and scattered about, and a couple other shelving units were lying facedown, but overall it was less of a loss than expected. Mostly because all of the broken and spilled wares were still considered entirely edible by the ooze people. There was practically no loss, just some cleaning and reorganizing to do.

"Thanks for the help. You two solids are alright. I'll have Geortholomew return the pot once they're back to normal. YOu two can come back anytime. Just tell Georgethany I said you can." George said, offering a gooey handshake to the both of them which Xalmann very, very hesitantly accepted. Yet another shiver went down the Lizardfolk's spine as their hand was coated in sticky green goo which connected their hand with George's when they separated.

Xalmann wiped his hand on his cloak before nodding to the ooze and heading toward the ladder back up to the surface. He glanced back at Leni and Nimbus, remembering what a struggle it had been for the Rabbitaur to climb down. He wondered if she would have more or less trouble climbing back up.

Leni-Aura watches as Xalmann wraps the chains around the pot— ultimately trapping Georgetholomew within to burn off whatever fermented fruit they’d eaten… although, she wondered how hard it would be to undo the chains when the ooze people didn’t appear to have any fingers and seemed to have more trouble disintegrating metal… would they be able to get them out?

It’s not their problem at the end of the day.

Georgetholomew would probably be fine.

She, in comparison to Xalmann, accepts George’s handshake much more hesitantly— trying not to visibly cringe when she touches the ooze person’s goo-covered hand. “Th…thanks…” she mumbles, ignoring the shiver up her spine while trying to remember her manners; her ears tilt back as she holds her slimy hand away from the rest of her body. A string of goo briefly connects her hand with his, and she has never wanted a bath more in her life.

She does not think she’ll be back; still, she offers the ooze an awkward smile before following Xalmann back to the ladder to the surface. As soon as they’re no longer within George’s eye-line, she wipes her hand on the wall, grimacing slightly at the feeling. She wipes the rest against her armour, deciding she'll clean it later, and then looks up as they approach the ladder. She hesitates a moment, taking a slow breath of preparation… and then sits back on her haunches, brows furrowed.

Nimbus squeaks.

“.... I’m not climbing back up that thing.”

Xalmann sighed and walked back to Leni-Aura and Nimbus. Ultimately, the Rabbitaur's ascent wasn't his problem, but he had just gone through such an ordeal with this person that he felt he should at least try to help. He needed someone else to have seen what he had seen. A witness. He couldn't just leave her down here, possibly never to be seen again, and unable to confirm his story.

He silently knelt down in front of her, offering his back for her to cling onto. He looked over his shoulder at her. She looked incredibly embarrassed, but didn't reject the offer. Once she had finished climbing onto the Lizardman's back, her arms holding onto his head while her front legs were over his shoulders and her back legs on either side of his waist, and Xalmann's tail helping to make sure she didn't slide down, he went back to the ladder and began to climb.

Soon enough the three passed by Georgethany, quickly and curtly repeating what George had said, and exiting the metal tree. Xalmann was relieved to be back on the swampy ground. He let Leni off of him, trying to forget his embarrassment at having given the Rabbitaur a piggyback ride, the first piggyback ride he'd ever given to anyone. He wanted to nod and bid her farewell, but couldn't.

The two still had to go see Lloyd, so they set off in the same direction, both awkwardly silent, not wanting to talk about what they'd just been through at all.