you crazy-assed cosmonaut

The self is not so weightless, nor whole and unbroken
Remember the pact of our youth

The first minute of the journey? Terrifying.

The rest? Incredible.

"This is the coolest thing I've ever done!" Koa has to shout to be heard over the wind rushing past him, but he doesn't mind at all. Flurries of snow dance around them as the world streaks past underneath; Koa's eyes move as quickly as the snowflakes, eagerly chasing every sight and sound. "I don't know why you don't fly all the time!" Dangling as he is from Sunjata's arms, he ought to be terrified - there are so many ways this could go wrong.

But even if he slips Flood's embrace and crashes to his doom below, Koa thinks he would die happy. He's reached the ultimate high, after all. What better way to go?

Koa Carpenter

Where you go, I'm going, so jump and I'm jumping
Since there is no me without you

// now we are hanging out in the backyard //

He’s strong enough to barely even feel the strain of carrying Pemota and the Dragoon through the snowy skies of King’s End. And while he hates snow and everything to do with it, the Flood has learned to live with it (even if his attire seems to suggest anything but). It’s fine, he’s sure Hotaru will give him the lecture the second he gets home. For now, more important matters are at hand, like making sure that Koa doesn’t freeze to death out in the middle of nowhere amongst the other graves.

Chuckling over the wind at Koa’s shout, a crooked smile blooms on the Flood’s face. “I do fly all the time! I just prefer my full shift if I am!” He calls back over the wind at precisely the time that the House of Midnight comes into view. Feathered wings start to slow their beating a fraction, lowering him in a controlled way to the ground before it until his feet hit the cushion of snow, and Sunjata folds them back when he’s confident there’s going to be no chance of losing his grip on the Dragoon or Petronella, as well as making sure he doesn’t lose his own balance. “Flight is definitely the best mode of travel.” He offers as he sets Koa down to orient himself back to standing on the ground, but at least now it’s within the covered awning of the House of Midnight, where snow has been carefully swept away from the steps leading up.

Stepping over to open the door and share some of the warmth that leaks from inside, Sunjata lets Koa step in first – before he follows after, shaking out snow from his hair and wings before he steps in completely.

the flood

// looking at a new point of view //

The self is not so weightless, nor whole and unbroken
Remember the pact of our youth

"How many flying shifts do you have?" The jealousy in his tone is stolen by the wind, but it's certainly felt. Koa can't regret not becoming Attuned, because it means he never would have bound to Pip, but a part of him will always wonder what it might have been. Would he have gotten a great eagle shift? A sea panther? A dragon?

(More likely a cloud wyrm, but we won't tell him that).

The House of Midnight yawns before them, and Koa finds himself looking around with boyish enthusiasm as he pads through the door. There are parts about it that are familiar, the boy having spent much of his formative years in communal living habitats (the Heart, Molly's...). But at the same time it's all quite new, a unique creation that glitters with magic and radiates comforting warmth.

"I've heard a lot about the House of Midnight, but it truly exceeds expectations," Koa announces, gesturing to their surroundings as he turns back to his host. "Though... I don't suppose you have any, er, lost-and-found on the premeses? Maybe featuring shoes?" He grimaces down at his shredded socks, wiggling his toes for emphasis.

Koa Carpenter

Where you go, I'm going, so jump and I'm jumping
Since there is no me without you