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(SE) we've met your kind before - Astaroth - 07-17-2024
The little seed pod he and Danta had collected, sits comfortably in his breast pocket as he makes his way through the outer islands. Trying to pinpoint where exactly he was in relation to the Greatwood, Astaroth has notably always been awful with geography, he finally manages to make it to the edge of one of the forested areas, toward where the treeline ends and the sands began. This particular space has sporadic trees, perhaps from the movement of the land ever since the war ended – but alas, Astaroth had been in stasis then. He has no idea what’s true and what’s not.
He has managed to snag a shovel, though. Hoisted over his shoulder as he scans out over the sea, trying to determine where the most precise spot would be. Once he’s satisfied, the butcher plunges the shovel into the earth and begins to dig a hole, humming an old song that the majority of those in Caido would never have heard before. Which is fine, he doesn’t expect to be asked any questions given the fact that for the most part, he’s out here alone.
RE: (SE) we've met your kind before - Thalassa - 07-18-2024
The precious golden seed sits safely in the coin pouch tucked into her boot. Not many people would attempt stealing from a menacing Ancient clothed in all black, but she hadn't wanted to risk running into an especially suicidal idiot. After all, her newly acquired item was practically begging to be planted and she wasn't about to resist the urge to bury treasure. It helps that she had been finishing up a hunting trip with Maea and Talyson in the Outer Islands, making it easy to hop out and dig a quick hole. But apparently, she isn't the only one with a burning desire to bury the golden seed on the edge of the Hollowed Grounds.
As Thal makes her way through the spattering of trees, a familiar voice lilts towards her on a flowery perfumed breeze. The tune is unfamiliar, even as the notes progress in a predictable manner, rising and falling with the cresting of the waves. She finds herself in a good enough mood to relax, adding a harmonious hum to the melody, drifting back like a salty ocean draft.
Following the combined music like a charmed snake, Thal weaves her way through the foliage to find a dapperly dressed man wielding a shovel. It would usually be a confusing sight but considering that last time she'd seen Astaroth he'd been similarly attired, she isn't entirely surprised. Content to simply watch for a moment, she leans against a nearby trunk and tilts her head, wondering about the song's origins. A smile playing on her lips, her humming seamlessly transitions to a snarky tone. [say]"I haven't heard that one before. Does it have lyrics or are you so old that you've forgotten them?"[/say]
RE: (SE) we've met your kind before - Astaroth - 07-18-2024
Perhaps it was a longshot to go and assume that he wouldn’t have any company. At any rate, he doesn’t notice the additional tones, the humming vocals, harmonious in how they match the ebb and flow of the tune that slips from his lips. At least, not until she speaks – to which Astaroth, lifting his horned head to let his dark gaze scan over toward her, taking in her appearance of leaning against the tree trunk and listens for her snarky quip – something that despite how little the two of them have interacted, he finds that it wouldn’t entirely be her without it.
Flashing that too sharp grin toward her as he plants the shovel again, his horned head tilts toward her. “[say]There are no words for this particular tune, but if you would prefer a jaunty song from back in my day, I can offer it as a deal if you allow me to call you my dear.[/say]” That grin grows a bit sharper and wider, a playful quip of the butcher’s own offered toward her as he rests both of his hands on the handle of the shovel still stuck in the dirt, in the hole he’s got about halfway dug.
RE: (SE) we've met your kind before - Thalassa - 07-21-2024
She laughed aloud at the offer, a melodic sound that somehow took a harsh edge of abrasive humor. It nearly shocked her with its force, but she let the sound ring without resistance. Her body stayed propped against the tree, but she leaned backward slightly. Tilting her head, she considered the proposal seriously. Thal couldn't resist the urge to learn a new song, however, the terms were... peculiar. What was his obsession with calling her 'dear'? The term rubbed her the wrong way. It seemed to demean her while also pulling her into an overfamiliar embrace. Yet, she wouldn't admit to the physical discomfort the endearment evoked.
Decided, Thal pushed the feeling aside and lifted a single finger. [say]"I will allow it on one condition."[/say] Her pause was pointed, stressing her seriousness on the matter. It was not to be negotiated. [say]"You may only call me 'my dear Captain.'[/say] Even saying the words herself threatened to run a shiver down her spine, but she allowed a large, roguish smile grace her features. She wouldn't have her discomfort show.
Pushing off against the trunk, she stalked closer to look into the hole with a small smirk. [say]"And you have to let me put this in there."[/say] She presented the seed from her pocket, held between two fingers for the golden sheen to reflect the light. As often as she'd buried treasure, Thal had no desire to spend time digging a hole of her own.
RE: (SE) we've met your kind before - Astaroth - 07-22-2024
His obsession with it is how much she rebelled against it viscerally the last time they’d met – and it’s honestly quite amusing to him even as her laughter breaks the distance between them. He clearly doesn’t think there’s an issue, even as she lifts a single finger and offers her own terms – and the butcher’s dark eyes light up with pure delight and intrigue.
“[say]Two conditions, as it turns out.[/say]” He hums, that sharp grin growing even more impossibly sharp as he straightens up a fraction and tilts his head, a piece of his dark hair falls into his face as he regards her in thought. “[say] I will accept on the second condition that you owe me a favor.[/say]” Keeping his hands planted on top of the shovel still in the dirt, he scans the golden seed in her pocket that matches his own, before he lays out the terms for Thalassa to decide. “[say]I will give you a song and allow you to plant that seed here, so long as I can call you ‘my dear Captain’ and receive a favor whenever I require it.[/say]” A playful dance sparks in his eyes, realizing that the deal was unbalanced – though it isn’t like he cares either way.
Deals were deals at the end of the day. Everything got bargained.
RE: (SE) we've met your kind before - Thalassa - 07-22-2024
Thal shrugged her shoulders at the correction. She didn't care much for semantics. After all, her second condition didn't require any additional work. He was already digging the hole. So when he countered her offer, she crossed her arms in disapproval. [say]"Now that doesn't sound like a fair trade."[/say] Her fangs flashed in the sunlight at her bristling smile. [say]"My favors cost much more than that."[/say] It also felt extremely dangerous to give Astaroth permission to hold anything over her.
Considering the terms again, she shook her head. [say]"I won't give you a favor, but I will promise to assist you with one reasonable task, should you request it."[/say] Favors were out of the question, but her word meant something and if he asked, she'd help him with something that wasn't too much of an inconvenience. Her unwavering expression and firm stance told of her unwillingness to compromise on the whole 'favor' aspect. He could either accept her new offer, or Thal would cancel the deal entirely. No 'my dear's either.
RE: (SE) we've met your kind before - Astaroth - 07-24-2024
A bark of laughter escapes him once more to hear her rebuttal, meeting her bristling smile with a too sharp one of his own. She’s smart, he’ll give her that. And each and every time they’ve met there’s been some amount of amusement either way with how she reacts to things. So he inclines his head with a raise of his brow, horns casting a taller shadow than they otherwise are with how he moves, lifting the shovel to remove it from the dug hole. “[say]For being quite smart about it, how about I offer a twist to make it one reasonable Ancient task. To limit the broader range of options so you needn’t worry too much?[/say]” His dark brow lifts curiously, sure that he can surmise what reasonable Ancient things might be that she would be okay with.
Stepping away from the hole dug, Astaroth gestures to it for her to place that golden seed should she agree to the terms. And while she decides, he plucks his own golden seed from his inner breast pocket, the gold glimmering in the light as he twists it in his hand. If she doesn’t place the seed within and accept the offer, then he’ll happily drop his own within to bury it.
RE: (SE) we've met your kind before - Thalassa - 07-26-2024
His laugh was blunt and forceful, making her smile grow wider. Thal returned it with a laugh of her own at the idea of her 'worrying.' [say]"Don't start being concerned with my comfort now."[/say] She couldn't think of what an 'Ancient task' might consist of, but she had a feeling it would involve a lot of blood, which more than suited her. So with a graceful saunter, Thal moved past his towering figure to the churned earth. Lifting her sparkling blue eyes to him, she smirked before reaching her arm out, seed pointedly dangling between two sharp fingers. It was a moment she let linger, whether or not she would agree. Although she would love to play a game of cat and mouse, the curiosity of the song fueled her on. Without breaking eye contact, she released the golden seed, letting it spin and glint in the sunlight as it plopped into the hole. Her grin was devious and full of excitement. [say]"Deal."[/say]
Despite being dwarfed in his presence, Thal had the appearance of a poisonous scorpion, tail swaying gently as she stepped away from Astaroth. She returned to her tree, lounging back against the rough bark. A raised eyebrow was the only indicator of her impatience for him to make good on the other aspect of their deal.
RE: (SE) we've met your kind before - Astaroth - 07-27-2024
“[say]Why shouldn’t I be?[/say]” He asks, flashing her that same sharp grin and a raise of his brow playfully as she debates the deal and he steps aside, allowing her to make up her mind as he lets the seed within his own hand glimmer in the light as he moves it in his palm, his dark gaze tracking Thalassa as she saunters closer and he meets her sparkling blues. His head cocks with that sharp toothed grin still aimed at her, as she then decides and drops the seed into the hole he’s dug.
Another chuckle leaves him, smirking again. “[say]Perfect.[/say]” He nearly purrs, his tail waggling contently behind him as he slips the seed in his hand back into his pocket so that he can bury hers and start on the hole for his own. “[say]I suppose now I owe my dear Captain a song, don’t I?[/say]” He starts, the shovel piercing the ground with ease as he starts to make another pile of dirt.
“[say]This one was often sung as celebration.[/say]” He explains, before he clears his throat and continues to dig through the dirt, picking up that jaunty tune. His voice is deep and his accent fades ever so slightly, warping into something else (as it turns out, the Butcher has quite a lovely singing voice).
Standing still is eternity; impossible to forget.
The bloodshed, trials, and pain we bear,
Are written in scars we are proud to wear.
Next time they’ll try, to take us one by one,
Only to see that we’ve already won,
And just like before, the time stands still,
Where the sun rises and sets, we devour our kill.[/say]”
RE: (SE) we've met your kind before - Thalassa - 07-31-2024
Leaning against the tree, her body tensed imperceptibly at the new term, but Thal gave him a humorless smile to disguise it. At least Astaroth got the hint and offered up the song without complaint. She could tolerate the discomfort if the song was worth it, so she waited patiently for him to begin, watching as he began filling in the hole.
His singing voice was better than she'd expected, resonating comfortably in her chest and causing her eyes to drift closed in appreciation. She was tempted to once again join his tune with a lively harmony, especially since the celebratory nature practically cried for it. However, Thal was too invested in learning the lyrics to compromise it. She'd never had difficulty remembering melodies or words when they were put to song and as his voice faded out, she already had the piece committed to memory, small ideas of creative embellishment already coming to mind. The last lines hit home and brought a smile to her face.
Opening her eyes again, Thal looked to the Ancient and nodded her head approvingly. [say]"Not bad."[/say] Her tone still held a healthy level of snark, but the deal had been a good one and she didn't mind giving him a slightly more genuine smile, one singer to another. [say]"A Hollowed Ground anthem."[/say] It was the highest praise she could offer without giving too much ground and she shrugged her shoulders like the comment was a fleeting thought, meanwhile, her mind circled around the idea of an official Hollowed Ground song.
Thal let her eyes drift away from the Ancient and the disappearing golden seed to the surrounding islands, their varying shapes and sizes peeking out from the crystal blue waves. She recalled the Enshadowed Delphinid she'd hunted with Maea and Tal in these very waters just weeks ago. Without much thought, she asked, [say]"Do you think these seeds will actually make a difference?"[/say]
RE: (SE) we've met your kind before - Astaroth - 07-31-2024
Unaware of any discomfort the term brought on the Ancient (and to be honest, uncaring of it, a deal was a deal after all), the butcher simply focuses on digging the hole to plop his seed into, offering up a song from centuries before, his singing voice rich and vibrant as the words pour from his lips, his accent muted in favor of getting the tune exactly right.
He glances up once toward her as he plants the shovel into the ground to grab the golden seed again from his pocket, holding it out to drop it into the second hole he’d made, when he hears her comment. The snark was still there, but there was something else in her smile that seemed far more genuine than anything else had been previously. To which, the butcher can only flash her a too sharp grin back in response.
Dropping the seed and moving to cover it with dirt from the pile he’d created, a soft snort leaves him at the idea of it being a Hollowed Grounds song. “[say]Perhaps now it can be reutilized for the Grounds.[/say]” He comments, thinking about it briefly and wondering whether Danta had ever heard that song from where he’d remained in the bowels of the Climb, what he might think of it.
Those thoughts vanish as soon as Thalassa is asking about whether the seeds would make a difference, and Astaroth leans on the shovel once he’d flattened the dirt to look over the shores toward the Greatwood in the distance, nose wrinkling slightly as he rolls a shoulder a touch unhelpfully. “[say]I am not sure. I should hope so, though.[/say]” Some divine intervention had to be worth something, didn’t it?
“[say]I am personally not inclined to see Caido taken over by it, so as far as I am concerned I will take whatever help we can get.[/say]” Knowing that he isn’t strong enough to handle any of it didn’t make it any easier for the fact the butcher did love his control over situations. The void itself so far had been terribly uncontrollable in what it chose to do. “[say]At least Dygra has helped ward away the void from the Inner Quarter.[/say]” He imagines she knows about that, but it never hurts to tack on information freely when it benefitted the rest of the Ancient populace as well.
RE: (SE) we've met your kind before - Thalassa - 08-05-2024
Letting the snark ramp back up, she gave him a vicious grin. [say]"Just sing it at the next ball and I'm sure no one will be able to get it out of their heads."[/say] The idea of practically forcing everyone to accept the song was more than a little funny as she recalled the assortment of people who'd attended the gathering. She herself had been dancing with wild abandon, hips swaying as the alcohol let her give in to the melody of the music. Everyone had been too intimidated to join her in the dangerously seductive twists and sways of her body. At the memory, Thal had an idea and didn't hesitate to wink at the towering man. [say]"But make sure to save me a dance. You must be quite graceful with your age."[/say] If he was going to insist on using the 'old' pleasantries, she was going to keep reminding him of his literal 'Ancient'-ness.
Thal couldn't comment on the take-over of Caido. She wasn't necessarily inclined to see the world consumed by purple (she preferred black or blue), but she was also in the business of opportunity. If it looked like the world was heading in that direction and the chance to join the 'winning side' presented itself, she didn't feel that she had any reason to say no. However, since the opportunity hadn't arisen, she was still doing her part in keeping the infection at bay, hence the burying of the supernatural golden seed. Astaroth's sentiments didn't give her a lot of certainty in their actions, though, so she didn't reinforce his hope with words of her own, simply giving a nod of understanding.
The mention of the ward had her shrugging her shoulders indifferently. [say]"That's true enough. If anything, the Grounds and Torchline seem like the safest places for the time being."[/say] She glanced at her nail, picking a small speck of dried blood from underneath. [say]"Not that being 'safe' has ever been a priority for me."[/say] Pirates didn't tend to choose security over profitability. Until it was absolutely necessary, Thal didn't think she would settle in the Grounds.
RE: (SE) we've met your kind before - Astaroth - 08-06-2024
Hearing her snark return, the butcher lets a chuckle escape his lips, shrugging lightly as he smirks, focused still on planting the second seed. He thinks back to it, determining if he’d seen her at the ball — but he’d been busy, dancing with Isla and making sure Danta didn’t claw his way out of that beautiful corset he’d worn.
His gaze snaps up when she mentions saving her a dance, that sharp grin remaining as he goes to stand and incline his head toward her, ignoring the age jest. “[say]It would be my pleasure to save you a dance.[/say]” He drawls with a soft laugh. The answer is yes, regardless of age, his spidery thin frame and long arms and legs definitely prove the point that he was agile when needed to be.
Planting the shovel in the dirt and wiping his hands together to rid them of debris before he starts to straighten out his clothing. “[say]I would vote here for the sheer fact that Starfall is just beyond Torchline.[/say]” Flashing a wink as his smile softens a fraction, he collects the shovel and makes his way toward the tree she’s claimed as her own. “[say]Ah, I am sure. There is a certain beauty in dancing amongst the fire of danger, isn’t there?[/say]” He asks, resting his hands on the top of the shovel, dark eyes surveying her curiously.
RE: (SE) we've met your kind before - Thalassa - 08-07-2024
Astaroth's too sharp grin and subsequent acceptance of her offer had Thal wishing that a ball was scheduled for that night. She didn't get a chance to surrender to her love of music very often and finding a competent partner had become a struggle. Perhaps the lanky Ancient would prove worthy of being the moonlight that reflected the rippling fluidity of her movements. Suddenly, her smile vanished and she glared with mixed degrees of serious and mock threat. [say]"Just make sure you don't embarrass me."[/say] The hooded shadows of her eyes didn't quite extinguish the excited fire of her gaze. It would take a lot for her to look bad on the dance floor, but she couldn't have him getting complacent.
However, a light laugh escaped her lips at his following wink. [say]"And I'm sure your recommendation is completely unbiased."[/say] Her rolling blues eyes twinkled as her voice dripped in playful sarcasm. Despite the aggression of their previous meeting, Thal found herself enjoying the spunky banter. Maybe it was the power of music or the binding of a trade agreement that inclined her to dampen the dangerous edge of her comments. Or maybe she was just tired and Astaroth was fun enough to make her want to drop her guard a little. The idea scared her to the point of crossing her arms to keep from fleeing the emotion.
Thal let her eyes follow his movements as he came closer, her hands tightening on her upper arms imperceptibly. His assessing gaze summoned her mask again, the uneven lift of her smirk opposing the softening of his expression. [say]"There is, but I find that fire doesn't hold quite the same level of thrill anymore."[/say] Fire resistance made it difficult to fear the tongues of liquid heat. Tilting her head in a modicum of her own curiosity, Thal asked with a healthy level of sting, [say]"How have you managed to keep things interesting over the years?"[/say] Over the long, boring years.