Kella and the Catacombs

A candle burned low on the end of Kella's staff. Her robes were filthy with dust and grime from the catacombs.

"Are you sure it's here?" Shasson inquired, for the fourth time.

"As sure as the last time you asked." Was her curt reply. She ran her hands across a few skulls, wondering to whom they had belonged. What lives they had lived. Who they had loved.

"Well, I'm less sure." He rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall. He startled off of it as soon as he realized it was thick with spider's webs, much like every surface in the subterranean vault.

"Hm. Let me see..." She put her hand to her temple, closed her eyes in a mockery of concentration. "Wait... wait... Hold on...." She opened them again and looked at Shasson irritably. "Yep. Seems I still don't care. Now help me look."

Shasson grumbled and tore at the webs covering his robe, before returning to the search.

The two of them pored over shelf after shelf of remains, Kella gingerly moving and replacing the bodies with as much reverence as possible. Shasson was less subtle.

After another hour the candle was almost to its end. A sigh escaped Kella. She turned to admit defeat to Shasson, and found him still absent-mindedly searching alcove after alcove with a glittering golden canister in his hand.

"Shasson..." she spoke.

"Hm?" He turned and looked up at her curiously.

"Is that..." She indicated the canister in his hand.

"Oh, yes. I found it about an hour ago." He held it up, and it twinkled in the flickering candlelight.

She snatched it from his hand. At last. At last! After all the years of looking... She clutched it to her chest. She could finally proceed.  It was not all in vain.

She basked in the victory for a moment more, before Shasson's words sunk in. She cocked her head and looked at him.

"And you didn't think to tell me you'd found it?" She asked.

"Oh, I just thought you liked looking at bodies." He shrugged.

She wasn't even mad. This time.