Even before the woman had landed on the ground and started laughing Cian had heeded the vampire's warning and started to back away, still not feeling any real humour at the situation, other than he was beginning to think that the green was pretty damned iridescent, and reminded him of paint that was used on safety signs, when... he stopped and shook his head, the fuzziness creeping in making him frown.

He started to move around the pit, to be upwind of it. That would have worked, except between the odours, looking at the bright green and then the dark, watching Echo, and the half-hysterical demoness he didn't notice the rock, and his boot caught on it. It was only his ability to remain on his feet that had come from his years of dribbling a football every waking minute of his youth that prevented him from sprawling across the ground. Instead he executed a rather strange but impressive pirouette that took him perilously close to the edge of the pit. He flung himself backwards, and managed to remain upright, just. And landed him finally at the other end of the crater.

At least at this end he was closer to where he'd hidden his bike.