See the candle in the window

If the words themselves were insufficient, still they painted a picture of celestial beauty, ethereal and lovely. Hadama listened, letting his eyes drift closed to better imagine the place that Seren had spent her years away from Caido's more worldly affairs.

When her description trailed off and she turned to him he blinked back to the waking realm and looked down at her as she made her offer. He considered the hand she extended for a thoughtful moment before nodding and reaching out to take it gently in his, callused fingers curling carefully closed around her own. "It would be an honor," he assured her. She was, after all a fellow demigod of Safrin. If he could not trust her then who could he trust?

With the decision made he would follow obediently where she led.

Seren

Smiling with warm pride at the  courage and trust he displayer, the starchild responded in kind. Her oft hand closed around his large one as though they had known each other for a lifetime, and when she stepped back and pulled him along, a touch of magic would let the merman feel as though the weight of the world was falling away. Seren's feet vanished momentarily, the very fabric of reality shifting and rippling around them, and once they were through –

– the lighthouse had disappeared, and the cliffs along with it. Night closed in around them and bare feet sunk deep into warm sand that had never known the touch of sun. A dark ocean sighed and whispered its rolling waves onto the shore, and overhead a myriad of stars hung suspended, glimmering with a soft light - so close it seemed one must surely be able to touch them if one only reached out far enough.

Looking further would reveal that they had arrived upon an island, just large enough to allow for a satisfying stroll. Nestled into the sand was innumerous items; seashells and driftwood of curious and appealing shapes, old pots where plantlife had once thrived, daggers and shields, an orb of some dark material nestled alongside books and utensils for eating and writing and chests where clothing spilled out in torrents of frothy lace, embroidery, furs and pearls. As the sands piled up in a dune towards the center of the isle, it grew apparent that it hid more than one treasure; if indeed by treasure one meant the tale of how a unicorn had come to perish within the sand, or where that gargantuan bone might have come from.

As she had done many times before, Seren allowed her guest to get his bearings in his own time; merely watching as he took it all in, there to soothe or explain whenever he was ready.

I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces
Reaching the starlight and silver fields

He stepped forward as she pulled him back towards the lighthouse--

Only not the lighthouse as his foot came down onto sand once more, as light as air, but it wasn't the sand of Aumakua. The ocean here did not spark with living light within its waves but the stars above made up for it, closer and brighter than he had ever seen before outside of dreams. Dreams, and Safrin's direct hand in calling her chosen to meet in the clouds above Torchline, back in the quiet days between War and Void, when Dygra was newly returned to the world.

And the tower of stone that speared the light of Safrin and Vi out over the sea was gone and in its place were curious magical oddities mixed in with the banalities of everyday life. From books to bones and everything in between, Hadama stood and looked slowly around at everything his eyes could see. His hand remained in Seren's as he stood still except for the turn of his head as his gaze moved from curiosity to treasure to simple necessity and then finally back to the water. He breathed deeply of the clean night air before he finally found the words to ask: "Safrin made this place... for you?" There was rarely awe in the former-Mer's voice, but if Seren listened hard she might hear a thread of it there now behind the serene facade that was so near to cracking beneath the magic of the starlit world-splinter.

Seren

"Yes," she nodded happily, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze. "It was only a pocket at first, useful for storing away bits and bobs. It grew alongside me, until it became what you see here." Sans the hoard of knick-knacks, which was entirely of her own making. "It is comforting to me, to have a piece of the stars that I can return to whenever I miss home. And it has become quite useful."

Letting go of Hadama, the starchild danced off along the beach, her feet driving up cascades of black water that glittered only in the light of the stars. There was a wild abandon about the way she spun, as though the refused to leave behind the freedom of childhood. Unaccepting of sorrow and discouragement, fully embracing a deep abiding love for the world and all it encompassed. It radiated from the smile she turned on her guest, enticing him into letting go of the mask.

There were only stars watching them here.

I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces
Reaching the starlight and silver fields

"It is... incredible," Hadama murmured, releasing her hand as she danced away over the beach. Another look through the star-strewn sky, across the star-strewn ocean, and over the sand scattered with stories and he drew a slow breath of the warm fresh air to steady himself. This place, this... pocket... was an incredible gift, and an indication of how much Safrin loved her daughter.

He did not know how to dance, but Seren's joy was infectious and Hadama's shoulders relaxed as he stepped down the beach and into the water. The dark waves held no fears for him, not in that place and reflecting those stars, and the Tidebreaker slipped his bare feet into the surf. He waded along in the starchild's wake, less exuberant but nevertheless quietly enjoying himself as his steps kicked up small splashes through the warm waves.

After a time of dancing and walking around the island he paused in front of the unusually large bone, considering the size of it though he didn't reach out to touch it. "Is there a story behind this?" he asked curiously.

Seren

The island was a contained space, connecting to nothing except itself - wherever the starchild had been in the world. Should Hadama descend into the cool waves, he would find that swimming straight into the night was quite possible, but that no matter how far he swam the only thing he would find on the horizon was that same secluded island.

Turning towards him, Seren slowed down and walked backwards so she could speak comfortably with him, her hands folded behind her back. "I'm sure it does, but I don't know it," she replied cheerfully. "A friend gave it to me, though he was mum about where he got it. Do you like it?" Bouncing a few times, she made a huge leap and drifted down to where the bone sat nestled into the sand. Picking it up with startling ease, she returned and handed it over to Hadama in one hand. It was eerily light, and resembled the arched rib bone of some giant creature.

I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces
Reaching the starlight and silver fields

His surprise at hearing that she did not know the strange bone's tale manifested only in the slight rising of his brows before he nodded in acceptance. His curiosity, it seemed, could not be sated as to the origins of the unusual item but there were many things he did not know the answer to, and remaining ignorant on this matter would cause him no harm.

"Indeed," he confirmed, and then he blinked twice in quick succession as she lifted the large bone without any effort at all. He reached for it gingerly, still expecting the weight to be significant when he accepted it from Seren--

And nearly threw it into the air on accident as it proved to be as light as a feather despite its size. He locked his muscles at the last moment and just barely managed to keep his grip on it and avoid disaster. Drawing a deep breath, he marveled at the incongruity between the visible mass and the actual weight, hefting it - carefully - a few times. "An unusual magic," he observed. "Though the size is... inconvenient." The diplomatic way of saying: how is one supposed to carry it around? "I wonder if it could be made into a lightweight armor?" Far more comfortable than something heavy and constricting in the more traditional metal or leather.

Seren

Smiling happily as he examined the bone, Seren just wiggled her toes into the sand and tried her best not to laugh at his surprise. The speculation was sound, though she didn't know how anyone might work the bone without killing its properties.

"Oh, yes. That might be a good use for it." She wrinkled her nose a bit. "I don't think I would like to wear bone, though. Do you know anyone who would? If I'm not going to use it, it's probably better to give it away." For all that she enjoyed hoarding items of interest, she was not greedy. Giving away gifts was just as fun as the collection in itself - and if it turned out to be something that would protect someone, all the better.

I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces
Reaching the starlight and silver fields

He tilted his head at her question and his hand rose to cross his body and touch the armlet on his other bicep, the silver spiral pressed with stars. "I already have armor from Safrin," he rumbled slowly, thinking aloud. "Hmm. Perhaps Melita?" The chaos-loving honeybee seemed like she might appreciate the aesthetic, though he hadn't seen much of her in the past year. His own fault, for being too busy to seek her out, and a reason for quiet regret.

Gods' light, but he had stopped breathing at the tournament when she had gone down. Ronin's new ability had been a timely boon, indeed.

"It seems more suited for one of Ludo's followers," he agreed after a little more contemplation of the bone. He handed it back to the starchild with a flicker of concern in his emerald eyes. "Do you have armor of your own?"

Seren

"Oh, yes maybe! I can alwsys ask her." Plopping down to sit in the sand, Seren crossed her legs beneath her and pulled at her crossed ankles. Rocking back and forth, seemingly always in motion somehow, she peered up and up at her new friend.

"Not yet," came her unconcerned reply. "I'm not really meant to be on the battlefield at all, you know. That is father's job. Or... it was. It might be yours, now. My task is a bit different." Digging into the sand, she fished out smooth rocks, the kind that lay perfectly in her hand and seemed made for skipping across a still pond. Tossing them one by one into the air, she began to juggle them instead. Not expert, but with the kind of intense joy of one who didn't need it to be perfect as long as it was done with feeling.

I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces
Reaching the starlight and silver fields

It was a strange experience, being the one to look down on someone else. Hadama was still getting used to his bipedal height - often awkward, and resulting in numerous bumps to his head on low doorways and ceilings - and after a moment's consideration he lowered himself to sit with Seren in the soft sand, making himself comfortable. Unlike his hostess he was still, a peaceful and quiet statue in contrast to her graceful, constant motion.

He tilted his head in acknowledgment of his place in Safrin's plan - or at least, what it might be. The goddess had not answered that question when he had posed it, leaving it open-ended for the moment. But it seemed as though her daughter had been given more direction in her service to her mother. "Mmn. What is your task?" he asked curiously as he watched her juggle with the fascination of one who was seeing the trick up close for the first time.

Juggling was not practiced much under the sea.

Seren

A dimple appeared within a softly freckled cheek, half ironic and half impish. That he was asking meant she had more to learn and far to go before she could truly say she had come into her role.

"To remind the world what it is fighting for," came her response, mild and wistful. "Art, music, knowledge and beautiful things... Hope." Fumbling a catch, her performance came to an abrupt end as the rocks tumbled to the ground. Patiently she picked them up and tried again. "Or so she told me, anyway."

I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces
Reaching the starlight and silver fields

He nodded slowly, taking her words and turning them around in his thoughts to see how they fit with what he was learning of the bright-eyed young demigoddess. "Hope," he echoed, finding the word sweet on his tongue. He watched her as her juggling ended and then began again, the rhythm unexpectedly soothing even when it was broken.

"A joyful burden. But not an easy one to embody," he said slowly, putting his feelings into words with the careful precision of a typesetter. He sat in silent contemplation for long moments before he spoke again, his voice a respectful rumble that blended with the quiet wash of surf upon the hidden shore. "May I ask what it is like? Being the child of a god?" All of the demigods he had met so far had been human once, and the memories of that mortality remained deep in their bones. Seren had a different experience however; a different viewpoint that might provide insight into Hadama's own purpose when Safrin had left him to discover it on his own.

Seren

He was always welcome to ask. Seren had few secrets, and none that was her own. Even when the question was difficult to answer, she did her best.

"Hmm... What is it like being Mer?" she countered, with a cheeky glimmer of laughter in her eyes. Then she plucked a particular stone from her arc, let the rest fall and made it float in the air with a touch of gravity. "I suppose... it might be similar to being born the child of any powerful parent, in many ways. Everyone knows who you are. There are no secrets. There's eyes on what you do, and how you do them, and even when no one seems to have expectations for you, they do."

Tapping the stone with a finger, she sent it drifting towards Hadama. It spun lightly, like a miniature moon suspended in space.

"And... The hardest part is probably that I will never be able to be my own person. I am a Taliesin. I am Ronin's daughter, or Safrin's daughter. The starchild, a demigod - I am never going to be 'just Seren'. Even if I never accomplish anything in life, my name is still written in history for all to know, and see, and judge. And I never once had a choice about it."

Settling her hands into her lap, she cocked her head aside, curious about how Hadama would respond.

I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces
Reaching the starlight and silver fields