The second tunnel was totally collapsed. To the point that the only thing that was really visible was the upper portion of the opening.
Yuze studied it for several minutes, trying to judge the age of the collapse.
"Want to dig it out?" Kai Low asked, impatient.
Yuze glared at him. "No."
They pushed on to the third, dug into the wall of a room full of shelves of jewelry boxes. Finn had found several pieces missing from this room during his inventory, and one look at the tunnel was enough for Yuze to know it was one of the more recent. The walls and entrance were still clean and neat, the dirt just inside several shades darker than the dirt outside.
It was a large hole set right in the middle of one wall; there was no way it would have been missed by anyone who set foot in the room. Yuze took the torch from Kai Low and crouched at the entrance.
"Well, they certainly didn't put much effort into hiding it." Kai Low remarked.
Yuze ignored him and leaned into the tunnel. The torch flickered, but the firelight managed to illuminate several feet into the tunnel. It widened dramatically a few feet in, enough that a short man could walk upright.
Yuze glanced at Kai Low, who annoyingly had an inch on him. They were both too tall to stand straight up, but not so short that walking half-bent over would be more comfortable than crawling.
"The next tunnel is a few rooms down."
Kai Low stared back at him. "So?"
Yuze sighed. "I need to map the tunnels. You can wait here."
Kai Low frowned. "Why?"
Yuze turned and looked at him, frustration suddenly boiling over. "I don't know, why don't you just fucking tell me what you want to do so I don't have to keep guessing?"
Kai Low raised an eyebrow, but he had the gall to pretend he had no idea why Yuze was frustrated. "You could just stop making assumptions."
"You can leave if you're so unhappy." Yuze snapped.
Kai Low shrugged. "I'm fine."
Rage shot through Yuze, white hot and overwhelming. "Can you just tell the truth for once? Do you have to lie every time you open your mouth?"
Kai Low reeled back. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
Yuze stood, just barely resisting the urge to throw the torch in a childish fit. He wasn't sure why he was so angry, but now that it had started, it felt like a rapidly growing avalanche that he couldn't stop.
And Kai Low was a convenient, often infuriating target who was always ready to fight.
"This means nothing to you. Whatever happens, it's not going to affect you. Not really. But it could destroy everything we have here. I could lose my brother, everyone I care about. My home."
The Bandri crossed his arms, defensive. "You realize if this peace falls apart, everyone I care about will be in danger? You're not the only one who's worried."
"You'll just go back to the way things were if it fails." Yuze hissed. "Nothing will change for you. And you don't care what happens here. You don't even bother pretending to try."
"Why would I?" It burst out of Kai Low. "We aren't friends. We've been enemies for all the history we remember. Did you think it would just change overnight?"
"You won't even try! Your people follow your lead, and you won't set aside your personal feelings to do what's best for them."
"You don't know what's best for my people! You do the same thing; all you think about is your own people." Kai Low's voice rose an octave in anger. "You're a hypocrite!"
"So are you," Yuze argued.
A smile that was nothing but mean crossed Kai Low's face. "No. I've never pretended to care about your people. I'll never care about them; I'm not Kai San!"
The unfamiliar name confused Yuze. "Who the hell is Kai San? What do they have to do with anything?"
Kai Low seemed to realize he'd said more than he meant to, because he clammed up and turned away, staring at the wall.
"Answer me!" Yuze demanded. He grabbed Kai Low's arm and forced him back around. He tried to meet Kai Low's eyes, but the younger man refused to. "Who is Kai San?"
~ tbc