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+---- Thread: what brings us back (/showthread.php?tid=10505)
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what brings us back - Lena - 12-26-2024
Were it not for the glowing abyss and bioluminescent particles within the great, gaping maw, Lena might not have enjoyed the basin at all. Much too dark, overbearing, and overwhelming, it gave the looming sense of foreboding – as if within any moment or second, something could snatch from the underbelly of the deep.
[say]These are neat[/say], she offered in the depths of her calm, trying to radiate it as much as possible even when prey portions of her mind were firing off constantly. [say]The seastars, I mean.[/say] Not the swallowing and consuming Stygian angles everywhere else. But she made sure to stay very close to the incandescent and radiant creatures; not entirely jubilant about finding what lurked in the threads outward.
RE: what brings us back - Sohalia - 12-27-2024
Sohalia couldn't imagine what would have made a crater like this.
They were somewhere outside the Underwater City, and beneath them yawned a massive hole in the sea floor, lit only by the bioluminescence of sea stars scattered here and there. Sohalia flashed down into the hole, her eyes straining to see in the dim light. It would have been harder as a human, she thought; at least swordfish eyes were used to some level of darkness.
[say]They're pretty,[/say] she agreed, but there was a note of trepidation to her voice. She wasn't particularly keen to explore this particular area. There were too many brambling thickets that could hide any number of predators, and the Luminary wasn't quite ready to die today. [say]Is it just me, or is everything down here really, really blue?[/say] Why wasn't the bioluminescence, say, pink?
RE: what brings us back - Lena - 12-27-2024
That they were both uneasy wasn’t a great sign, and Lena hoped her trepidations weren’t bleeding over the Attuned bond and making Sohalia’s worse. She tried that equilibrium of calm measures and persistence, but occasionally looking over the brambles of thickets and thorns didn’t give her any more cause to feel safe and protected.
Nor had she thought about whatever made the hole. But don’t worry, now she was.
She immediately began to hover several feet away, coasting easily rather than darting and being some newfound target for a hidden predator. [say]Odd, isn’t it? Maybe it’s a particular chemical in the bioluminescence or…[/say] dolphins couldn’t shrug, but the meaning was there just the same. More questions for Hadama, she figured.
RE: what brings us back - Sohalia - 12-27-2024
Perhaps Lena's trepidation was fuel to the fire, or perhaps Soh was nervous enough as it was. She felt a semblance of calm from her friend, but it was muted in comparison to the normal serenity that she associated with the Caretaker. The swordfish flicked her tail and swam closer to the encantado, hoping that there would prove to be strength in numbers in case it was needed.
Together they swam about, exploring and chatting. They certainly had plenty to ask Hadama about, next time they saw him. Perhaps they could seek him out together to avoid him getting bombarded with the same questions twice.
Time passed as they swam, and a comfortable silence grew. As they swam and the silence lingered, Soh hesitantly brought up a new topic. Where else would be safer to discuss such things than under the sea, after all? [say]Lena? If the Family were gone from Stormbreak, would you want to rejoin a new Council?[/say] she asked, perhaps a little suddenly. There was no easy way to bring up this conversation, Soh thought, but it was one that might have been overdue.
RE: what brings us back - Lena - 12-28-2024
Once they’d cycled over and around the Basin, Lena would’ve been very content to vacate the entire area – surely there were more things to see across the vast array of depths and fathoms. But Sohalia’s question gave her pause – enough to chase away all the trepidation – the dolphin’s eyes widening at the inquiry, before layering back into her calm, dignified, and composed approach. [say]It would depend on who was leading[/say], she offered in return. Given how she’d openly refused Dahlia’s request, and continued to linger on the outskirts of rebellion with Zavien and Koa multiple times, the answer probably wouldn’t come as a surprise. The Caretaker didn’t linger or associate with those in power strictly for that dominance and control – she wanted to help, support, and give aid, credence, and faith.
Plotting miles away from home and where the rest of the world couldn’t reach them tasted like sedition again, and she found she didn’t mind it. [say]Are you planning something?[/say]
RE: what brings us back - Sohalia - 01-01-2025
With her question asked, there was no taking it back, and Soh continued to flash through the water as Lena contemplated the query. Rather predictably, the Caretaker caught on quickly; Soh was indeed planning something, though she wasn't sure how much she should share. Surely, though, if she was to ask Lena to rejoin her Council, she should trust her with more details than she'd entrusted Deimos or Hadama with? And besides, this far beneath the waves, who was there to hear them plotting?
[say]Yes,[/say] she said. [say]Or - well, Ronin is. He told me he's planning something big, and that it might give us an opening to retake Stormbreak. I was hoping - well, if I tried, would you help me? I understand if not,[/say] she rushed to add. [say]I mean, it'll be dangerous, and I don't want to drag anyone else into it in case I'm not successful, but - if it works, I mean.[/say]
RE: what brings us back - Lena - 01-01-2025
While she wouldn’t be able to entirely forgo glancing around the basin, her eyes were also widened with each new pull through the bond. Information shared confounded over a maelstrom of possibilities, and between Ronin intending something big, Sohalia wanting to take back her throne, and everything the rest of them had been working towards, Lena had to snag a few moments of consideration and calm. [say]Do we know what those plans are?[/say] She paused, trying to navigate multiple seas and sieges at once. [say]Because I would hate for all of us to put ourselves in a line of fire, and have no way to escape it.[/say]
It wasn’t a lack of trust in Ronin, nor Sohalia, but in all the things they’d seen and heard and knew about the Family. She’d gone out of her way to already defy them, and while there hadn’t been any repercussions…
They’d all been quiet. And careful. At least, she’d thought and hoped. And if something was overt…
She swam in a larger circle, clearly contemplating. [say]I would have no issue in rejoining your council,[/say] to be clear and frank. [say]But it’s about getting to that point.[/say]
RE: what brings us back - Sohalia - 01-02-2025
What Sohalia didn't know was sure to come back to bite her - which was why she'd been hesitant to ask Deimos or Hadama outright for help. What she didn't want was for the Family to turn their ire on those she cared about. If she failed on her own and her life was forfeit, well, that was one thing. But if her loved ones were in the line of fire... that, she would never be able to stand for.
Lena, fortunately, was one of the people Soh least wanted to see hurt, and she was quick to reassure her friend. [say]I don't want you to do anything to put yourself in danger.[/say] She didn't want anyone to do that, but if Ronin was determined to act, then she was sure as hell going to position herself to take advantage. [say]And no - I don't have exact plans from Ronin. I just... wanted to know if - if we succeed, if you would come back. I know it's not a lot to go on, and it's a long shot, but... I have to do something.[/say]
RE: what brings us back - Lena - 01-03-2025
[say]Okay[/say], she murmured at first, initially at a loss. While she was open to covert operations, furtive, necessary, and quiet, rampaging directly into a fight she was certain to lose wasn’t a keen aspect of her personality. The lack of exact plans made her all the more apprehensive, and she had to wonder if this was foolhardy, reckless, and beyond the pale – not to diminish Ronin’s capabilities, but hadn’t things already gone awry with…
[say]I know.[/say] She murmured quietly through the yawning and gaping sea, pushing and angling herself more towards the lighter aspects, perhaps as a means to comfort herself from the sudden influx of trepidation all over again. It was difficult, to sit back, watch, and wait, which was why probably most of them had strived to commit to little actions here and there. Sohalia had been recovering all the while, and likely felt even more listless. [say]If we can get it back, then yes, I would be willing to commit to your council.[/say] Dolphin eyes were downcast, formulating plans, trying to organize her thoughts into something coherent. [say]Do we have a timeframe? [/say]
RE: what brings us back - Sohalia - 01-03-2025
Foolhardy? Yes. Reckless? Most certainly.
But Sohalia didn't have the luxury of plotting a master plan. She didn't have the strength or the resources, and she was working with what she had, doing the best she could do. Was there more to be done? Of course. Could she do things differently for a better outcome? Probably. But maybe she was tired of hiding in the shadows, waiting for a someday that might never come.
Better to try and fail than never attempt at all. Even if it meant her death.
But having Lena on her side was more of a relief than she could explain, and that feeling traveled through the Attuned bond even though she didn't have words for her gratitude. [say]Ronin said he would send word when he was ready to move,[/say] she said. A timeframe, it was not, but it was better than nothing.
RE: what brings us back - Lena - 01-03-2025
It all seemed very rash, and that beat against Lena’s heart like a petulant, terrorizing drum. She’d been in the middle of wars and refrains and cities falling to pieces before, and to hear that it might happen again sent her down nefarious lanes in her thoughts that’d hoped to never see again. She kept it all tampered, swallowed and lined into nothing but her thoughts; Sohalia didn’t need to see nor hear of it – but gods, to hear of sent word with no season, no timeline intact, made the situation feel all the more dire and grave.
Hovering by the radiant light again, maybe trying to absorb it back into her heart, she gave one last inquiry. [say]Do you have others in mind too?[/say] For the council, or to fight?
RE: what brings us back - Sohalia - 01-16-2025
It was rash, and that was why Soh wanted to keep things very secretive. She hoped that by moving herself, and bringing in her council only after she had secured Stormbreak, that she could protect them. Of course, joining her if they were successful would probably only serve to put a target on their backs - but she knew full well that she couldn’t do this alone. If she could, she would never endanger others by asking for their help.
[say]Yes,[/say] she said, trying to supply the answers that she could in lieu of the ones she couldn’t. [say]I’m trying to get in touch with Koa. I’m not sure who else to trust, although Zavien has always been kind to me, and he seems quite capable as well.[/say] Not knowing of the relationship between the two, she continued on. [say]I haven’t heard from Anju or Everest since before I was taken. I heard Ever might be infected.[/say]
RE: what brings us back - Lena - 01-16-2025
How different the world had become too – for Anju and Everest to be individuals either no longer trusted or known. She swallowed down those unsettling feelings too, dolphin eyes going over bioluminescence and pretty pieces of coral while contemplating revolution. [say]I think both Koa and Zavien would be good additions. Those are the two I have been working with in your absence.[/say] Namely, amidst sedition – trying desperately to find pieces they could alter without violence and vehemence, carving their pathways in covert conditions.
Ultimately, it would be up to Sohalia, but she could at least confirm one suspicion, a large nod granted through abrupt sealife movements. [say]Everest is infected. I’m not sure if anyone has tried getting him to the healing springs in Halo.[/say]
RE: what brings us back - Sohalia - 01-18-2025
It was indeed strange to consider that those she had once held as trusted advisors were either nowhere to be found or to be found amongst the enemy. Soh sluiced through the water as they spoke, eyeing the darkness and hoping very much that they continued to be alone. If word of this got back to the Family, their little revolution would be over before it began. She knew that Lena and the others had been quietly working in little acts of sedition, but something like this was sure to draw the Family's ire. And Soh didn't want to lose anyone else she cared about.
[say]That's a shame,[/say] she said of Everest, a heavy sigh following her saddened words. The aviator had been of great use before - and besides that, she counted him as a friend. She wondered now what, if anything, he knew of her disappearance. If she saw him now, what would he think? What would he do? She hated unknowns when lives were at stake, and she was under no illusion - lives were definitely at stake. But then, hadn't they all been in danger since the moment the Void had first touched Caido?