[RQ] Earn the stripes

Maea

Waking from the dream
Witnessing the smoke that's rolling in

The best way to get used to unfamiliar things was, in Maea's experience, to repeat them over and over until they became familiar. The taste of blood, the ability to shift, all the instincts of the tiger and the simmer of bloodlust like an ache behind her eyes that ebbed and flowed; all of these were things to accustom herself to. An answer to her biggest problem - the risk of starting to hunt people - was to simply never let the bloodlust overcome her sanity. That in turn meant regular hunts for smaller prey, which in turn required a steady, slow simmer that made her slightly more on edge than normal, slightly more fond of raw meat and far less anxious about sating her needs. It was not a perfect solution, but it would do for now.

Stalking rabbits at the outskirts of Jack Tar Landing also proved a good way to pass the time while waiting for her guest to arrive. Armed with her throwing disc and decent amounts of patience, she prowled the dry hills with the wind tousling her hair and little thought about anything except the present. It was almost relaxing; and when a careless rabbit poked out of its burrow, she quickly felled it with a throw of the Lasracha.

Chewing her meal slowly from a high perch on a rocky outcropping, she tried not to think too much about what she must look like in that moment. Better to focus on the brilliant sunlight, and the vastness of the southern horizon, and how the ocean waves crested as they fled the strong winds. A scent of brine was in the air; soon enough that wind would start to cool as seasons turned. Strange, how quickly time passed. It felt like it was only yesterday she met Vi's demi-god for the first time.

The end is what you fear
The scent of embers lingers in the air

Finding that his company for Frey's task would be Sah and Soleil, Noah was ready to go as soon as Deimos and Evie had given them their orders. Together the three of them made their way to Halo's skyport, boarded a boat, and made their way to the Holloweed Grounds. Conversation was easy and kept the travel time going by at a pace that still would have bored Noah's children, but kept him content.

Landing in the Grounds, Noah couldn't help but notice which parts of the landing had been damaged by floodwaters. It was difficult to navigate the docks without effort. A frown held Noah's face and he wished he could express his full feelings about it over the bond, but neither of his companions held it. Taking note of what Noah would come back to fix, he pressed on with the other Halovians towards their task.

Finding Maea would hopefully be easy, as she was expecting them.

the forsaken

Sah

Sah had always planned to take a trip with Soleil to Torchline, Luka too if they could convince him. His daughter's love for the sunny region was clear. This adventure would not be that, unfortunately. They had a task to complete, and although they could stop in Haluani after, Sah was more inclined to help with repairs than explore. Noah's presence, however, was a boon that outweighed the minor disappointment by far.

The task ahead of them made the Abandoned mildly squeamish. When hearing about what needed to be harvested, his idea was to track down a wild molten tiger and use telekinesis to gently remove the drips without disturbing the cat. Knowing that instead it would be an Ancient, one he'd never met as well, made him somewhat uncomfortable. He couldn't imagine standing still and letting people harvest anything from him, even if it was basically the magical equivalent of shedding fur. Just molten. Still, Sah vowed to try and do this in a way that made Maea as comfortable as possible.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

Soleil

my aloneness feels so good

It's a little strange to be flanked by her father and Noah on a task such as this. It makes her feel much younger than her twenty years (though she had not earned all of those fairly) but strangely enough it also takes some of the anxiety of performing badly off her shoulders. Instead of feeling like she must impress them, there's security in knowing that if she fails in any way, their experienced hands will surely make up for it.

She is only slightly less squeamish about all of this than her father. There were plenty of Attuned in her classes growing up, and they'd been perfectly aware of themselves in their shifts, so as long as Ancients follow that same line of logic surely this will be as easy as standing around for someone to take tailoring measurements?

Following quietly in their wake - and missing Diana a little, who she had left back home just in case it would be too hard for Maea or her companion - she keeps her eyes in an idle path across the horizon, searching for their volunteer.

I'll only have you if you're sweeter than my solitude

Maea

Waking from the dream
Witnessing the smoke that's rolling in

The group would not have to travel far from the harbor town before finding Maea. By the time they appeared on the path up the gentle hillside she had finished her meal and sat on a big rock, literally twiddling her thumbs as she waited. Out of all of them only Noah was familiar to her. Quick nods and the sharp scrutiny of pale lavender eyes that missed very little was offered to the strangers, before she focused on the demigod with a faint smile.

"I thought you would never get here," she said in way of greeting, her naturally soft voice a touch gruff - mostly from nerves. "I trust the journey went well? Who are your friends?"

She tried to stay casual, but it was undeniably a strange situation. If someone had asked for a lock of hair she could have delivered it by way of raven. But how did you harvest metal from a Molten Tiger? Would she have to do anything, or just... shift and ooze a bit and that was it?

At any rate, she wanted to know who she was dealing with before any of it. So that it would feel less like selling parts of herself, and more like helping a friend.

The end is what you fear
The scent of embers lingers in the air

Finding Maea was easy enough and the demigod offered the ancient a bright, wide smile when  she approached them. ”Travel was easy enough. The docks are a little worse for wear down here.” Noah said, bright smile turning to a frown as he looked back towards them and then to Maea again. ”It would be a project I’d be willing to help work out in the future.”

When asked about his friends, he stepped aside slightly so he was shoulder to shoulder with Maea, and looking at his other Halovians. ”This is Sah, and his daughter Soleil.” Noah said, pointing to each of them in appropriate succession. ”Sah is a very accomplished mage who is going to make the vessel for the Liquid Metal.” Noah informed, giving Sah a reassuring nod as well.

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Sah

Sah smiled gently at Maea and nodded in greeting, "Maea, right? It's good to meet you." He truly hoped he was pronouncing her name correctly.

Noah's unexpected praise made the Wild Thunder chuckle, "Thank you." His magic had certainly grown leaps and bounds since coming to Caido but being referred to as 'accomplished' still caught him off guard. The remainder of the vessels had the Abandoned channeling his magic. Holding out his palm, a shape took form as he weaved his creation magic. Within a few moments, a vial rested in his hand, made of steel and other metals capable of withstanding high temperatures. He'd asked a blacksmith back in Halo on what kind of materials to use before he'd left.

Holding out the vial to Maea he tilted his head, "Do you think this will be suitable? If not, I can come up with something else." Perhaps an alloy of some kind? The blacksmith had given him a few options to work with.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

Soleil

my aloneness feels so good

The woman they are set to meet is a visually distinct, beautiful sort, and Soleil waves cheerily from between the two men as Maea and Noah take hold of introductions. She doesn’t have much to announce of herself - no title or achievements, and Noah had already shared her name - so she just radiates her normal sunny smile and rocks on her heels. “Nice to meet you!”

They busy themselves with shop-talk and creation, and while Soleil is eternally in awe of her father’s gifts, she feels supremely useless. And, well, Sol doesn’t often linger in that feeling for long.

Walking closer, Soleil tries to dispel the transactional feeling a little with a softer smile. “Is there a more comfortable way we can catch the drippings without being all up under your stomach? Maybe we can have you stand on the rock you were sitting on?” It feels like it undermines Maea’s offer to mother hen or worry about hurting her, so she tucks away those questions and concerns and focuses instead on maximizing the woman’s comfort during this strange procedure.

I'll only have you if you're sweeter than my solitude

Maea

And I only needed one more touch
Another taste of devouring rush

Pale violet eyes lingered on each person in turn as Noah introduced them. Maea didn't say much, only nodded and smiled at their pleasantries while working to suppress the unease that set her tail slashing in agitation. The thought of being surrounded while treated as a test subject was intrusive yet powerful, and it set her teeth on edge no matter how much they smiled.

"I'm no expert on glass. We'll have to try and see." Distracted from watching the jar take form in Sah's hands, spiking jealousy of his mastery over magic she had lost, Maea turned to follow Soleil with her gaze as the girl pointed at the rock.

Something about her had the Ancient's expression softening. Perhaps because she had been that young once too, and her ideas too often overlooked. "I am willing to try," she replied, fixing her gaze on Soleil. "And I wonder... would you be brave enough to collect the metal? I am sure your father's jar will hold it, and Noah can protect you if something were to happen. I would prefer it... woman to woman. If you know what I mean."

Cocking an eyebrow, Maea turned to the men, to see if they would question her request. Regardless, she proceeded to step back from their immediate presence, and in one smooth motion she melted into the shape of the tiger. Heat radiated from every lunch of the large predator and set heat haze rippling the air over her back. Blued steel stripes contrasted beautifully against the white coat and had already begun to superheat and melt at the edges; a process that halted when she moved, leaping up on the rock, only to resume in earnest as she slumped down.  

With surpreme feline arrogance, golden eyes watched the plebeians on the ground beneath her get to work.

But the room was so quiet
Whose side am I on?

Base by Skylark, Art by Midjourney

Noah did not mind Maea's request at all. It was obvious that this was not the most desirable task for any of them to take part in, and whatever would make the ancient more comfortable in the transaction, the demigod was willing. Glacier eyes flicked towards Soleil and he gave her a firm nod, softened with an encouraging smile on his lips. He wouldn't let anything happen to her -- not that he thought Maea had any ill intentions of those standing here -- but he did not want the young accepted to hesitate. Offense would not finish the task.

Looking then to Sah and thanking him for his creation, Noah gave him the same nod and smile. Glacier eyes followed the ancient as she started towards the rock Soleil had suggested. Her form turned to the tiger he knew could pack a powerful punch, and when she started up the cold frame of the stone, Noah turned his attention back to Sah to keep the awkwardness low.

the forsaken

Sah

Sah visibly softened at Maea's request and handed the jar to Soleil as he nodded at the Ancient. "Whatever makes you most comfortable is fine with me. If you want us to stop at any point, please just say the word. We'll come up with a plan B for the quest." Finding and restraining a wild molten tiger would be dangerous and difficult. But Sah would choose that option in a heartbeat if it was what the Ancient decided was best. He refused to push her boundaries. Maea was already so incredibly brave for agreeing to this in the first place.

The Wild Thunder then took a step back to give the two women room. With a small grin, he asked Noah, "How are Margot and Marcus doing?" He hadn't had the chance to see them since their apparent growth spurt.

I think therefore I am,
But what if all I do is bleed?

Soleil

my aloneness feels so good

Soleil is far from egotistical, but it feels like an inroad when Maea turns her attention her way, and the young adventurer smiles kindly while hoping she is worthy of it. The two men fall away in her focus until it seems it's just her and Maea, paying her full attention both out of duty and a genuine sense of curiosity that usually overcomes her whenever she meets someone new.

Bravery is something Soleil has in spades, and she is old enough now to back it with surety and the budding of experience instead of a headstrong desire to prove herself. "Of course! Any burns can be healed, right?" And this is an exchange of trust, so she does not even let herself consider that Maea could hurt her. Her smile softens in understanding, an exchange between women regardless of lack of privacy. "I do. I'll do my best to be fast," she assures. It hopefully will be more tedious than uncomfortable given the metal will drip off her regardless, but an abundance of caution never hurt anyone either.

Noah's encouraging nod is met with a trusting smile, and Soleil brushes her fingers against her dad's as she takes the vial he hands her. Soleil thinks the gravity of this is all quite serious, so as Maea transforms and looks regally down at her, Soleil lets her sweet voice fill the empty space the same way her father asks Noah about his family. Maybe it's a family trait to fill the silence with conversation? "I wonder if your drippings are collected by crows and magpies," she muses aloud, directed to Maea alone, as if they're simply two women passing time in the meadow. She holds the lip of the vial as close to Maea as possible without actively touching her, slowly coaxing the beaded end of molten metal into the opening of it and allowing the stream to carry to rest inside at its own painfully sluggish pace. "Do you think bits of your metal are carried throughout Caido, filling up nests somewhere? That's kind of a cute thought." A small titter of amusement escapes her, and though the heat so close to her arms is beginning to make her sweat, Soleil remains stubbornly still as she watches the metal slowly stream into the vial.

I'll only have you if you're sweeter than my solitude

Maea

And I only needed one more touch
Another taste of devouring rush

The true danger did not lie so much in the tiger herself or the molten metal that Soleil could see. It was more about the superheated shed that flowed down on the tiger's other side and set fire to the grass beside the stone. It lay in the mounting heat and the acrid smoke that built up gradually over time as the young woman collected the drippings.

Maea watched her closely as Soleil chirruped about magpie hoards and molten steel trails plucked clean by scavengers. Blew warm breath her way as the picked up on the sweet scent, and suppressed any natural desire to view the girl as prey. She hoped one of the others - Sah, was it? - would keep the fire in check so that it did not grow and surround his daughter.

All Maea could do was remain as still as possible, and wait while the jar gradually filled. It shouldn't be much longer now.

But the room was so quiet
Whose side am I on?

Base by Skylark, Art by Midjourney

At mention of his children, it did not take much prompting for the demigod to unleash his fatherly pride. "They're doing well. Evie is to test them soon to find out what their magics are." Noah said, a broad and proud smile breaking across his face like the sun behind the peaks of the Fangs. "Marcus is nervous but Margot is very excited." He chuckled, "Which isn't much of a surprise, given that she takes so much after her mother." They both burned with such heat that it sometimes took the breath right from Noah's lungs. His son was a slower burn, an ember, ready to be stoked but just as willing to lay in what he was. Noah admired that about the boy.

"Has Soleil thought of attuning?" Noah asked, motioning with his head towards the once-wolf's daughter without turning to look, still giving the women their air of privacy. That was, until, the smell of smoke hit his nostrils. Then Noah turned, eyes catching flames beginning to eat and devour the grass and lick up the sidees of the rock that Maea perched on. "We shouldn't need too much!" Noah called out with hands cupped around his mouth, alarm flickering in his mind as he looked to Sah -- the mage surely could quell the flames.

the forsaken