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+---- Thread: my hallelujah (/showthread.php?tid=10474)
RE: my hallelujah - Sunjata - 12-16-2024
“[say]You’re welcome.[/say]” He says, offering a brighter smile to Niki as he flashes one over toward him in turn. It’s a smile that remains but looks a touch more fake as he finds out it’s an old funeral parlor, even more so to find out that the man in front of him doesn’t use those parts of the building anymore.
He supposes it’s only fair with how many near death experiences the Flood has under his belt. “[say]Oh, huh.[/say]” His hand ruffles through his hair as he takes in the building with a new perspective, relieved that it smells like tea tree and peppermint rather than ammonia. It’s a welcome relief.
Following the gestures of where everything was, the Flood flashes him a grateful smile as he takes a step toward Niki, warm hand lifting to squeeze his shoulder gently. “[say]Thanks again.[/say]” He hesitates a little, grateful for the less oppressive sensation inside the home than the woods had started to become before he withdraws and heads toward the room pointed out to be the living room. Opening the door to slip inside in search for the couch.
RE: my hallelujah - Nikandr - 12-16-2024
Unable not to laugh at Sunjata's reaction, at his forced politeness and veneer of a smile, one might swear that Niki has chosen his words on purpose and that he might be teasing the Flood. [say]"I was an apprentice to an undertaker,"[/say] he explains to the demigod as they head into the house proper. [say]"My teacher passed away before I could complete my training - of natural causes, before you ask."[/say] He raises his hands placatingly. [say]"But I did not have anywhere else to go, so I changed the house to suit my purposes."[/say]
Hopefully that will assuage any worries of things going bump in the night. Clicking the door shut behind him, the boy glances up at the warm hand that suddenly clasps his shoulder, at the sudden proximity of Sunjata in the relatively narrow entranceway, and his smile in somewhat strained in return. [say]"Of course,"[/say] he says softly, before letting him go.
Within the livingroom Sunjata will find said couch - a comfortable fabric thing more than long enough to accommodate his lanky frame - as well as a fireplace with embers still dancing in it, a small dining table and chairs, and various other decor, bookcases and the odd houseplant. Niki appears in the doorway a moment later, having shed his heavy coat, leaving him in a slightly too-large button up shirt. [say]"I have spare blankets and pillows I can get for you,"[/say] he says. [say]"Did you need anything else? You can build up the fire again if you are cold."[/say]
RE: my hallelujah - Sunjata - 12-16-2024
“[say]Ahh,[/say]” Sunjata says with a soft huff of a laugh, his expression softening as the placating mask slips away into an easier one, shoulders relaxing tenfold. “[say]Sorry about your teacher.[/say]” He doesn’t know how long it’s been, but he imagines the apology is welcome either way. Whether or not his hand is, is another story, but it seems to not mind the necromancer much with the soft of course that accompanies his thanks.
Stepping into the room, the Flood finds it quite charming. He’s busy taking it in as he slips out of the dark sweater, left in a tank top that allows for his wings to flare out easier and without restriction. Wings he picks to be the Pegasus wings, flaring in hues of teal, black, and navy blue. One teal primary feather slips out, falling along the floor and isn’t noticed by the Flood as he lets them ruffle a bit before they tuck in tight to begin the process of conserving his warmth, not hiding the gnarly scar that has fucked up the feathers toward where they branch out from his back, when Niki’s voice reaches him from the entrance.
Sunjata hesitates in his approach to the fireplace, turning to shoot Niki a lopsided smile as he takes in the too large button up shirt hiding the other man’s likely gaunt frame. “[say]I don’t want to impose more than I have already. I’ve slept on my wings plenty of times.[/say]” He explains, as if to tell the abandoned that he doesn’t need to go and retrieve the pillows and blankets and that he’d be just fine.
In fact, the wings drag against the ground when he kneels to add more wood to the embers in the fireplace, coaxing the fire to grip the dry wood with a few puffs of his breath. Here the full spread of his wing tattoos are seen, the navy matching the middle section of his plumage, stretching down the backs of his arms. “[say]There we go.[/say]” Comes the grateful hum as the fire sparks to life, relief still smoothing the lines of tension in his body of not having to spend a night outside around any wandering void again.
RE: my hallelujah - Nikandr - 12-17-2024
[say]"Ah, do not be,"[/say] Niki says of his teacher with a crooked sort of smile. [say]"He would not be sorry for you, put it that way."[/say] But the less said about the resting dead the better, especially on tonight of all nights. And it's a subject Niki finds quite easy to drop, in fact, what with the sight of the Flood and his wings all but filling his vision as he lingers in the doorway. Slate blue eyes widen a fraction before he can school his reaction back into something neutral, following the spiral of a teal feather onto the carpet.
Swallowing hard and trying to both examine Sunjata's wings (scar and all) and also not to seem as though he's staring, he's left somewhat helplessly lurking, a quick smile flashing across his face at the other man's remarks. [say]"I do not think it can be called imposing if it was an invitation,"[/say] he points out, though his fascination with the Flood has made him conveniently forget about the offered blankets and pillows anyway.
Then Sunjata goes to kneel before the fire to stoke it, inadvertently giving Niki the opportunity to look at him to his heart's content, and he has taken another step into the room rather without his own permission by the time the Flood speaks up. [say]"Mm? Oh, yes,"[/say] he says of the fire, before curiosity gets the better of him and he can't bite his tongue any longer. [say]"Please do not feel as if you have to answer, but I could not help but notice the injury to your wing. What happened...?"[/say]
RE: my hallelujah - Sunjata - 12-17-2024
It makes him wonder what kind of man Niki’s teacher had been, to warrant that comment in turn. Or, perhaps it’s better to let those thoughts lie, leaving them behind in favor of stoking up a fire to warm the room. Niki’s response earns a snort from the Flood, a shrug of his broad tattooed shoulders. “[say]I suppose that’s true.[/say]” He won’t stop him if he insists, but he also doesn’t have to if he doesn’t want to.
Sunjata’s dealt with worse. At least the couch would be comfortable — far more than the hard earth outside and the potential void beasts lingering in the dark. He’d be lucky to get any sleep at all.
He sits back on his heels once the fire comes to life, pulling his gaze away from it when Niki speaks, distracted he assumes, though for why he isn’t entirely sure (he might be sex Frey’s demigod but he often forgets he was meant to be attractive). His wings rustle with the inquiry, while the wing in question stretches out far. “[say]Oh. My father, uh, broke it.[/say]” His nose wrinkles with the memory before he shrugs. “[say]He did it to my dragon shift, but, it’s reflected in this one too.[/say]” He runs a hand along the top of the wing, smoothing out black, navy feathers before he casts a glance back toward Niki. “[say]I can fly with it, at least, but it does get sore earlier.[/say]”
RE: my hallelujah - Nikandr - 12-17-2024
Watching with both an academic and a personal interest as Sunjata spreads the healed wing, Niki traces the flight feathers where they fan out and then warp with the scarring, head tilting ever so slightly as if the Flood has become little more than a very attractive study in anatomy. [say]"I am sorry to hear that. It is a very callous thing, to clip a bird's wings,"[/say] he says softly. Undoubtedly worse when it's done courtesy of one's father, not that he has any reference for a paternal relationship.
[say]"I am glad you can still fly at least. And I thought your wings were different in the woods, though I did not want to say anything in case it was my own imagination."[/say] A dragon had certainly made quite formidable sense given the rest of Sunjata's partial shift, though. Clearing his throat and forcing himself to look away from the demigod, Niki straightens as best he's able and nods to the other man. [say]"I will let you sleep,"[/say] he says. [say]"There is tea in the kitchen, and water. Help yourself, if you need anything."[/say]
RE: my hallelujah - Sunjata - 12-17-2024
Well, he hasn’t ever really thought about it that way, but Niki is absolutely right. It’s a thought that meshes with the memory of his wing snapping, and he fights to keep the shudder from appearing and ruffling more of his feathers especially as he smooths it out. “[say]Yeah..[/say]” He muses, before he puffs out a sigh and pushes those thoughts away, half debating on reflecting the question to ask about Niki’s leg, but he refrains.
“[say]It wasn’t your imagination. I have a lot of shifts.[/say]” Sunjata murmurs, casting a glance back toward Niki as he straightens up and Sunjata finds himself pushing up from the floor, wings adding an extra boon as he stands back to his full height, wings tucking in again. “[say]Thanks, Niki. I really appreciate it.[/say]” To the offer of water and tea, though whether his stomach would tolerate anything is another story.
Content with how things are, Sunjata drifts back toward the couch and sits upon it, wings wrapping around him for comfort and added warmth — no need for pillows or blankets with the comfortable down of this shift.
RE: my hallelujah - Nikandr - 12-17-2024
[say]"I would expect as much from Frey's demigod,"[/say] Niki admits with a small smile, though if he's honest he'd have expected it more from the nature aspect of the deity. Ah, well - something to ponder on while he's pretending to sleep. (He can't see himself getting much of it with the knowledge of Sunjata in the very next room). Nevertheless, he inclines his head in a nod before retreating out of the room on his crutch. [say]"Any time. Good night, Sunjata,"[/say] he says, clicking the door shut and leaving the other man to it.
And it is a sleepless night, as it happens, though that is mostly due to Niki finding himself, a couple of hours into his slumber, quite suddenly in his kitchen holding a hunk of bread and a spoon. To do what with he is entirely uncertain, but given that sleepwalking is apparently on the agenda, he takes pity on his house guest and opts to read and work while the sun is still well below the horizon.
When it finally does show its face in fingers of gilded amber through the branches of the trees, the boy opts to take his work out of his room, spending a few minutes dressing and buckling the brace to his leg before taking himself back off to the kitchen, creeping past his closed living room door as quietly as he can.
If and when Sunjata surfaces, it will be to find him leaning against the kitchen counter by the window, the light casting the shadows on his face all the darker. It's with a cup of coffee in hand - black, unsweetened - and his gaze rather far away that he lets his hand hover over what looks to be a tiny, lifeless moth at the window sill. A slow clench of his fist and a pulse of something cold and slightly unnatural, and the creature flutters its wings and takes to the air once again.
RE: my hallelujah - Sunjata - 12-17-2024
“[say]Goodnight Niki.[/say]” Sunjata hums, watching the younger man take his leave before Sunjata’s curling up into the couch. It’s comfortable — and gods, honestly? The best sleep he’s had ever since taking a dip in the hot springs in Halo.
He sleeps like the dead at odds with Niki’s lack there of, and wakes after the sun has risen, dragging himself up and awake and feeling far more normal than he had the night before. The scent of coffee rouses him, draws him toward the kitchen — wings nowhere to be found for the moment and so the Flood appears in Niki’s kitchen similarly to last night.
No wings on display, but no sweater to hide his scarring and tattoos — just the tank top and tousled hair that he tries to smooth out with his fingertips. “[say]Good morni—ing?[/say]” He starts off confident, before trailing into something of a question to see the rather crusty, dead looking moth come to life, enough that he hesitates from reaching for a cup to get coffee for himself.
RE: my hallelujah - Nikandr - 12-17-2024
Startled out of whatever reverie he's been in, evidently this idle practice of his magic is a regular occurrence (and the moth has likely been brought back several times already, in retrospect), but as his focus swings from the window to Sunjata he loses his grip on his necromancy, and the insect drops harmlessly back to the window sill. [say]"Good morning,"[/say] he murmurs, shifting to draw up the neck of the green sweater he'd pulled on where it has started to drop off his shoulder, revealing, if only for a second, the edge of a deep and diagonal scar creeping in towards his chest.
[say]"Ah - apologies. I am an Abandoned, and I... well. It is not a typical magic."[/say] Wincing, he gestures towards the pot of coffee and a few mugs stacked and ready for Sunjata to choose from. [say]"I hope you slept well,"[/say] he intones, reflexively wiping off the hand he'd been using to perform said magic and adjusting to turn away from the window to face the Flood properly.
RE: my hallelujah - Sunjata - 12-17-2024
He does take note of the scar. But it’s a brief thing when he sees the moth come to life and then vanish again, and it makes him wonder if the will o wisp laying limply beside Niki when they’d met back up last night was also part of it. But, without commenting on it, the Flood drifts further in — snagging a mug as Niki explains (even though he’s a guest and doesn’t have to explain himself to Sunjata).
Still, he’s grateful for it, and it’s clear in his body language that he doesn’t mind whether it’s normal magic or not. “[say]Don’t be sorry.[/say]” He starts to say. “[say]I haven’t seen that kind before.[/say]” The offer is open for him to explain more should he wish to as he starts to pour coffee into the dark green mug he’d picked.
Adding a bit of sugar to it, Sunjata lets it cool as he leans against the counter. “[say]I actually slept the best I have in days. Thanks again.[/say]” He offers a slanted, crooked smile from the scar on his face.
RE: my hallelujah - Nikandr - 12-17-2024
Smiling gratefully as if having been worried that Sunjata would immediately pull a face and leave the house, Niki sips at his coffee before setting down the mug on the counter beside him. [say]"I have not met anyone else with it,"[/say] he confesses, shaking his head and glancing fleetingly to the moth. [say]"It only works on small creatures - butterflies, will-o-wisps, birds... I did resurrect a cat once."[/say] Thoughtfully said, it had apparently been quite an achievement for the boy.
[say]"But never for long. I suppose if I were to train with it more, perhaps..."[/say] But that's easier said than done for someone who is never entirely sure if they're running a fever and who gets out of breath getting up too quickly. Clearing his throat and tearing his attention away from the macabre and back to his guest, he smiles to hear that the other man had slept well. [say]"I am glad. And as far as I am aware, nobody attempted to climb into bed with you, so a step up from the inn."[/say]
Finishing his coffee and grabbing his crutch, Niki straightens up properly from the counter. [say]"You are welcome to stay as long as you need. I was going to head out this afternoon, but this morning I will be working here, so there is no rush."[/say]
RE: my hallelujah - Sunjata - 12-17-2024
“[say]Really?[/say]” Sunjata hums thoughtfully, even if he does shy away from the idea somewhat. Death was something that had never been an easy presence for the Flood — having lost too much, too many times. Haunted perpetually by lost lovers and missing portions of his soul.
But anyway, he nods as the conversation continues. “[say]In my experience, it just takes time.[/say]” He offers a little helpfully, hoping that despite the other man’s condition that perhaps rather than saying practice makes perfect it’s solely just a time quantity.
Something that has a huff of a laugh escaping him in between cooling the cup of coffee. “[say]A huge step up, yeah.[/say]” His smile blossoms, widening and crooked before he finally hides it behind the rim of the green mug, taking a deep soft sip. “[say]I’m heading to the Grounds next, so I’ll probably head out soon.. but do you need help with anything before I go? It’s the least I can do.[/say]” Sunjata asks once he’s swallowed, his grey stormy gaze softer as he looks back toward Niki.
RE: my hallelujah - Nikandr - 12-17-2024
[say]"Mmhm."[/say] Sunjata doesn't have to say it for Niki to get the all too familiar sensation of pulling away, the boy immediately regretting that his guest had accidentally been a witness to his dark magic. [say]"Well, here is hoping that I am blessed with time,"[/say] he agrees, more than content to pack away that subject for now (for good, if ever he finds himself in the Flood's presence again).
With a crooked smile of his own, the necromancer heads past Sunjata and his coffee and down towards the living room where he'd been staying, clearly intending to make the most of the morning light to work at the table there; he has a study, of course, but given that he might yet have company for a little longer, he doesn't want to appear rude. [say]"That depends - how are you at math and measurements?"[/say] he asks, grinning over his shoulder and moving to draw back the curtains, letting the golden light spill into the room.
[say]"I am a metalworker by trade. Trinkets, mostly, to get by, but the Fae find them amusing. It requires a steady hand and a lot of sitting around, I am afraid."[/say]