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+---- Thread: feast your eyes on this (/showthread.php?tid=12436)
RE: feast your eyes on this - Iskra - 02-09-2026
He can't imagine everything he feels for Melita just being gone. Even on smaller scales, like how he feels for Goose, or the memories of his mother... just a void? He has tried his best to be numb before, and though he sunk into a drunken haze that barely kept back the ghosts, he knows he never fully managed it. Those had also been ones he'd wanted to block out, not just stolen from him with an unknown withering. He shakes his head, still half at a loss for the depth of what Sunjata's sunken into.
[say]"We'll be there, when you need,"[/say] Iskra murmurs without doubt in response. He let's it fall off to nibble on dinner though and hear Mel's claim. He'd purposefully left it to her, uncertain himself what to explain or describe. Love, he'd told her, and he believes it, but it also feels like a strong claim to be brandishing about to everyone when he's never even called her anything other than Mel. Has adventured with her, a date even, but has he done enough? So he strategically waits for what label she might give them, and though he catches the wink and the smile she offers, it is a meager thing she offers up to stand as them. Good, he notices. Not great. Not anything more than two words, even, and then onto other topics.
He shifts in his seat, offering her back the smile, though ice creeps inward with a rattling doubt. [say]"Can never have too many cannons,"[/say] he offers up with a laugh for show, sinking back the rest of his drink in a quick gulp as they jaw about the banshee.
RE: feast your eyes on this - Melita - 02-10-2026
Another somber turn twisted at the inquiry; and she could feel some age-old rancor stirring against her ribs. She couldn’t recall a time where she’d ever been numb - there was always a collective threshold of emotion brewing below the surface – usually rage. Her eyes flicked back and forth, from Sunjata, then to Iskra, then to her own plate, pondering over the platitudes, the way someone could even relent to nothingness. What would it be? Just an echo? A void? An intangible, weightless thing of indifference? Then what would be the point of existing, without all the - the Nate comment made her jaw clench, a thought interrupted, then a long breath unfurling in between bites of food. [say]“Well, that fucking sucks,”[/say] she offered as a balm of sympathy, not even verging on the I-told-you-so now. [say]“I bet Frey can fix it all.” [/say]Because what else was the alternative? [say]“And yeah, just let us know.”[/say]
Unaware she’d dropped anything profound or awful in response to the initial inquiry, she’d kept it safe. Especially when Iskra had offered nothing on his own end, leaving her to wonder inwardly on more than one thing – what else was she supposed to have said? She had no intention of granting her uncle any intimate details, and they (well, she was) were sorting through meanings and figments and fragments. The fact that she was here, inviting and trying at all, was a monumental step for an individual who usually only relied on herself. Now she seemed to not be doing or saying enough.
But she caught that slight shift in Iskra’s posture, brow furrowing in confusion as she glanced his way, mouthing a ‘what’ but not expecting much of an answer. Turning back to address Sunjata’s question, she felt that slide of dread pitch its way into her bones again, mulling it over for a grin. [say]“Well, I was inspired by Ronin’s bolts. I think it’d be awesome to just start blasting.”[/say] Using finger guns for emphasis, she gave another slight smile, a light laugh at Iskra’s comment. [say]“Exactly,”[/say] she snapped with her thumb and middle finger, leaning back and taking another sip of her drink because she was starting to need it. [say]“Already have cannons for my ship, why not just for me?”[/say] As a little treat.
As for Jack, she snorted. [say]“Maybe like once or twice? I can see why he asked for us to go. Though...not like…the actual reason for going after a banshee.”[/say] To be fair, Melita hadn’t required a motive at the time either – lured easily by vehemence and violence. Still striving to keep the conversation light, she wrinkled her nose, pondering through her other actions recently. [say]“Oh, and Koa and I blew up some of Kaisel’s underwear. Revenge and all that. Did you know they have demigod day of the week ones?”[/say] she looked incredulously from Sunjata to Iskra, giving the latter a warning look of ‘don’t even think about it’, before rounding over to her uncle once more. [say]“Yes, you were Wednesday,”[/say] with a roll of her eyes.
RE: feast your eyes on this - Sunjata - 02-12-2026
“[say]Yeah.[/say]” Sunjata says with a soft huff of a sound that could be considered an unamused laugh, but to hear that Iskra and Melita would both be there to help him does give him a moment of pause. Because he knows his niece, but he’s only met Iskra a handful of times, and something about the tone seems to suggest that maybe it’s a bit more than he’d originally imagined between them. Maybe they weren’t just good friends reconnecting, maybe they were something more, and with the way that Iskra seems to be burying his head in the sand while Melita dives straight into filling the conversation with something else other than the Debbie downer that Sunjata’d offered, it makes him think.
“[say]I’ll let you know.[/say]” He opts for instead, shooting them a brighter smile that seems a little more like him and less like the sleepless, heartless demigod he’s become. Latching onto the topic of inspiration that Melita offers, Sunjata does find some humor in it enough to laugh lightly. “[say]That sounds great, honestly. I’m sure Ludo’ll make it fun?[/say]” He suggests, squinting for a moment at his niece because he’d still never gone to see the trickster deity. “[say]Lemme know if I can help, too.[/say]” He offers out just in case, right before it descends into a playful little shit talking of their mutual… friend? Friend.
Sunjata owed Jack a lot in the time he’s been in Caido, but he still thinks it’s fair to jest about the fact he’d hardly hit something despite Sunjata’s best attempts to distract the banshee. It’s partially why he’d called Ronin in, tired of the fact of not dealing enough damage. But that wasn’t here nor there, instead he latches onto the fact that they blew up some of Kaisel’s underwear and the story of the demigod day of the week.
He’s taking a sip of his drink when she tells him that he was Wednesday of all days, choking on the sip he’s trying to swallow in a fun fanfare of Iskra’s earlier attempt to choke and die – his face is red as he sits up and grins incredulously at the two. “[say]What the fuck?? Wednesday?[/say]” He groans dramatically, like it’s the worst day. “[say]Did… Did they have our faces on them or.. just like, the name?[/say]” He’s not sure why he wants the details, but somehow Sunjata would like to know whether or not his face is
RE: feast your eyes on this - Iskra - 02-13-2026
Catching the silent wonder of the what she mouths, he only marginally shakes his head, brows lifting in quiet answer, a suggestion to wait. Though, he hopes she'll forget, because he has his own things to extrapolate and sort through before being able to put any of it to cohesive voice and offer it to her. Or better yet, do more than talk. Show her.
As usual though, violence distracts her and is something they can both lean into. For her, it's a familiar comfort, tried and true. For him it's quick become a new itch to scratch, as if holding back all these years has not wasted the time but doubled the fervor. [say]"Might need to start calling you The Cannoneer at this rate,"[/say] he teases lightly, features tilting into crooked play, suggesting that if Sunjata is getting a new name maybe she could workshop one too. Though Sunjata has a point, Ludo is sure to put some manner of spin on this. [say]"Maybe a cannon that shoots cotton balls, for when you want to beat someone up but not actually, yanno, bludgeon them to death."[/say] Himself, perhaps, in that consideration.
Nibbling more on his meal as the banshee situation comes more to light now, Iskra's gaze bounces back and forth between their banter. [say]"Really?"[/say] he wonders, brow wrinkling slightly in thought. [say]"Jack, the broody looking captain fellow, right?"[/say] He looks up for confirmation. [say]"I've killed a few things with Jack now. He always had damn good aim then."[/say] In fact he's always been rather impressed by the show of power, and Iskra has routinely found himself dwarfed by the Captain and the Sword. Not that he's surprised, given all the time he lazed away. [say]"Although, we've never had demigods in tow. Maybe the two of you have better aim than the rest of us,"[/say] he suggests as he reaches for his drink, smile broadening easily at the confession, quite certain any of Caido's demigods could show him up even with more training. He's already been personally bested by one, and all his grand dreams of standing right alongside Mel are perhaps better left on the pillow than reality. Not that'd he'd dodge adventures with her, but perhaps he ought to pick up a revivify feather somewhere along the way.
Laughing into his cup as Mel reveals her latest victim, Iskra keeps his composure far better than Sunjata, though he's forced to drop his cup and really lean into the belly laughs as the Heartless begins to flood himself. Absolutely the type to enjoy (assumedly harmless) misfortune placed upon others, then ask if they're okay much later, he does just that. [say]"I swear it's the drinks tonight,"[/say] Iskra offers with a grin, a playful out for Sunjata and him, to blame the liquid and not their poor timing and off the wall topics. [say]"Come now, hump day is a great day."[/say]
RE: feast your eyes on this - Melita - 02-14-2026
The lighter mood seemed to remain over the darker dirges, and she gave herself a little mental pat on the back – bolstering the heights of the dinner simply by talking about potentials and gossip. She sat straighter, parsing along the rest of her kebab and pondering on getting more, content over their agreements and accords. It wasn’t to diminish her uncle’s current situation; but gods could they be some downer qualities. They’d move forward and ahead when he was given his quest, and then go from there. And judging by the look on Iskra's face after her silent inquiry, more prying to come.
Her brow arched at the insinuations, another tiny menacing grin beginning to round along the corners of her mouth. [say]“I did insist on confetti being used too,”[/say] at which she wouldn’t elaborate on the how or why; they’d have to see it in action for themselves. As for the Cannoneer, she pondered over that notion with a certain angle and twist of her nose, uncertain if she liked it or simply wanted to remain the buzzing nuisance. [say]“But if I can’t bludgeon them, then what’s the point?” [/say]she offered instead, not one to soften her blows. She wasn’t the demigod of kindness or goodness after all.
Mildly surprised Iskra had been around Jack (he didn’t seem the type to meander towards the grumpy, broody, clearly murderous individual), her brow arched, granting a slight ‘hm’ under her breath. [say]“Or it was the banshee that was quicker. She did try to choke him to death.”[/say] Giving that consideration up into the air, she shrugged, while some mercurial nuance began to claw its way through her mind. [say]“What were you killing with Jack?” [/say]
Her uncle’s reaction to the Wednesday underwear of it all brought her right back to the forefront of the stupefying conversation; a proud smile flickering over the response. [say]“Ohhhh faces and names. Some had poses.”[/say] Whether she was disgusted, impressed, or both, she didn’t say, though she reached over to clap the Heartless on the back too. Agreeing with Iskra on the name forefront, she tipped her drink towards him in a show of accordance. [say]“Could be worse. You could’ve been like…Tuesday.” [/say]Taking another sip, she contemplated further. [say]“Didn’t even see Noah on them. But Remi, Ronin, Hadama…,” [/say]she made no mention of Ru. [say]“The Rae one in Halo…”[/say]
RE: feast your eyes on this - Sunjata - 02-18-2026
Snorting a little at Iskra’s suggestion, Sunjata’s lips quirk in an amused smile as he swallows down the bite of food he’s snagged – a little bit of ramphire steak that makes it feel a little more like home – like this is normal in a sea of things that have started feeling very not normal lately. “[say]Bean bags. Still hurt but less likely to outright murder someone.[/say]” Sunjata offers as a side note for the cotton cannon balls, winking to Iskra before he grins to Melita. “[say]Still bludgeons but in a way you could do it over and over again.[/say]” And if he knew his niece at all, the more opportunity for such adventures the better off she was.
Hearing Iskra talk about Jack though has him settling in and nodding alongside his niece with the confirmation. “[say]Maybe he had some performance anxiety.[/say]” He highly doubts it and he’s sure if Jack could hear their conversation right now he’d prove them otherwise – but it’s behind closed doors and among friends, and truth be told he does like the Captain quite a bit for everything he’s done for him.
Hesitating to hear Melita’s question to Iskra and waiting to hear the answer, it’s only the shock and surprise of his face and names being on the demigod underwear of the day that Kaisel sports. A grateful smile is flashed toward Iskra with the comment about the drinks, agreeing silently, before he’s focusing on the mention of hump day. His nose wrinkles as he lets the information settle, at least until there’s something that reaches him out of place that he realizes not everyone knew about what happened. Sunjata had heard through the grapevine, of course, so he shoots Melita an almost cheshire smile that screams gossip. “[say]Oh, that’s because Noah’s not a demigod anymore.[/say]”
RE: feast your eyes on this - Iskra - 02-20-2026
Admittedly, a cannon that doesn’t bludgeon at all isn’t a worthwhile tool for a demigod, but he likes the idea of confetti, and bean bags just the same, allowing it suit the wide range of her moods, from bludgeoning to celebrating. [say]”A bludgeoning scale,”[/say] he offers for clarification, briefly demonstrating with a hand the range of death and dismemberment she could select, as if the rising and falling scale were a fish he were measuring.
Grimacing at the notion of being choked to death, as if visualizing the cold hands against his own throat now, Iskra shifts in his seat and swallows his bite. [say]”Nasty things,”[/say] he finishes on comment about banshees. No personal encounters to speak of, but he’s heard enough to be content with leaving it that way longer still. [say]”Oh, some daemons around here, actually. And some cockatrices too. Some lightning, some fire, a bit of earth and ice, and they’re all dead now.”[/say]
Still partial to his Ludo board shorts he’d picked up in Torchline with Mel, he can’t say he’s surprised to find there’s underwear lines out there. [say]”You?”[/say] he wonders, eyebrows lifting with the question as he leaves Sunjata to recover on his own and considers Mel over the edge of his drink. The rough start of a grin is forming, as if considering perhaps he should be adorning himself in more Mel faceted styles of clothing, if only to flaunt them in front of her for her full horrific benefit. The possibility remains, but his focus swivels back towards Sunjata, head tilting as he sips at his drink.
Iskra has never really considered the loss of demigodhood, not giving demigods too much mind as an Abandoned, beyond learning all the trials and tribulations thathave come with accepting it for Mel. The boons it grants, but the struggles too. [say]”Did he retire?”[/say] Iskra wonders, knowing the man and finding him plenty fit enough to keep going, but he also knows the appeal of settling back into the cabin in the woods and finding peace.
RE: feast your eyes on this - Melita - 02-20-2026
The joint effort to say she shouldn’t be murdering and maiming earned them both another scoff, greatly offended on her own behalf. [say]“I mean, I could still do it over and over again,”[/say] she winked; thinking of turning enemies and adversaries into no more than bits of dust and decay. What could’ve been of fuckers like Loren or even Maea – wrath earned from the way they bludgeoned her own. Finishing off her pina colada, she deigned to snag more food in the interim, circling about by the refreshments and further honeyed, glazed items, refilling her plate as they talked about Jack and his performance anxiety. This earned a laugh from her, pleasant and buzzing, high and lofty, shaking her head. [say]“He’d never admit that.”[/say] News of Iskra’s motions towards daemons and cockatrices earned another arch of her brow as her head swung in his direction – mind already concocting several more adventures on the horizon then; smile turning wicked as she flashed it toward him.
Settling back down into her seat though, she snorted at the implications of the underwear and her own features. [say]“I was Friday,”[/say] as if this was some grand accomplishment, hand on her chest in a proud disposition as she raised her chin in a haughty manner; but then, glancing his way and seeing his own grin beginning to unravel, she had a sneaking suspicion this would be backfiring on her. Hoping not to be noticed by her uncle, she pinned a narrowed gaze on Iskra, mostly a warning – dropped immediately though, by her uncle’s news.
Head swinging and mouth agape again, her jaw had slackened to a humorous degree, eyes widening. [say]“What? I just saw him a little while ago, he didn’t say shit-,” [/say]and then her mind was whirling. She’d only heard of demigods, well, dying and no longer being in service, or changing heralds, like Remi and Ronin; circumstances of no longer being in such a scope had never once crossed her mind. [say]“Can...wait, can demigods retire? Or like…well, what happened?”[/say]
RE: feast your eyes on this - Sunjata - 02-23-2026
He can’t help but to laugh a little as Melita seems to reassure them that she could continue to bludgeon even after taking someone out – causing a playful little crooked smile to bloom on Sunjata’s face. “[say]Wouldn’t it be more fun to hear them complain at first, though?[/say]” He isn’t sure which he’d prefer – though he wasn’t often in the camp of intentionally maiming someone anymore.
Once upon a time, sure, but the Heartless has long since changed, unless it came to beasts wandering in the wild. “[say]Ugh, yeah, the daemons are pains in the asses.[/say]” Sunjata says, looking over at Iskra with an understanding glint in his gaze. It’s a thought that vanishes as he looks back over at Melita expectantly to hear what day she got, and honestly? It’s probably the best day to pick.
“[say]Ugh, Friday is the best day.[/say]” He laments with an accented groan, huffing a laugh before the Heartless is offering little tidbits of drama, ones he doesn’t know the full amount of detail to, but enough that his smile can twitch toward conspiratory means when Iskra brings up a good point that Melita continues.
Confusion flares on his face for a moment, like he’s never really considered it. “[say]I don’t… Think you can?[/say]” He asks – because something tells him Remi and Ronin would have retired ages ago if they could have from being Ludo and Safrin’s demigods rather than become the demigods for those herald’s larger counterparts. “[say]But also… why would you?[/say]” He admits with a raise of his scarred brow, looking back at the two of them at a bit of a loss, because he couldn’t fathom not being a demigod anymore, truth be told.
RE: feast your eyes on this - Iskra - 02-25-2026
Mel, queen of weekday underpants, has its own ring to it, and he snickers under his breath at the regal way she holds herself with some version of the title. The sound cuts off sharply as the threat in her stare finds him, and he adjusts his gaze to the side of the room innocently, actively avoiding looking at her in case it should really undo him. [say]”Saturday is the best day,”[/say] Iskra counters, rising to grab another bite or two of food and refill his drink. [say]”Friday is a close second. Wednesday however, I’ll still assert is the start of things getting good. Not the chosen one, but the first bit of hope.”[/say]
Settling back down to munch and consider, wholly less bothered by the issues of demigod status compared to the two of them, his attention flicks back and forth. [say]”Well, if he didn’t retire, maybe with The Family gone, there’s just less need?”[/say] Iskra shrugs, like the idea seems sensible. Gods grant them an extra boon to serve as a tool more than anything, but if the job is done, the tools need not remain, especially not if you’ve got two or more already in the shed. [say]”Doubt the gods would keep you if you wanted to retire,”[/say] he considers though, because nothing worse than a tool that fights back or isn’t good for the job at hand. [say]”Bet getting whipped around with channels all the time gets tiring after so long.”[/say]
RE: feast your eyes on this - Melita - 02-26-2026
The way both of them seemed to think she should prefer only mildly maiming adversaries had her scoffing behind another portion of fruit; leaning back into her chair and propping her feet up nearby. [say]“No,” [/say]and she wrinkled her nose at her uncle. The arguments about the best days had her gasping out loud, mostly at Iskra ’s comment, shaking her head in some petulant fury beginning to build; though mild, given her grin, wondering if he said it because he believed it, or was just stirring the pot. [say]“But Friday is the start to the weekend. The promise of freedom.”[/say] A time to do whatever they wanted because even the next day was liberation.
Demigod discussions didn’t seem to be in consensus either, though that could’ve been due to the lack of knowledge, confusion, and relative ordeal. Her brows furrowed again, making a traceable line in her forehead as she pouted and frowned, considered a third drink while the conversation revolved. [say]“Still seems weird to me. I can’t imagine the heralds just…deciding they’re done with you after all that. I mean, Ronin is still tied to Vi,”[/say] as much as they knew; she hadn’t heard otherwise. Safrin was incredibly possessive, and she made no comment on those notions with Sunjata still in the room.
Then she rolled her eyes. [say]“Ugh, the channeling,”[/say] as her first experiences had been noteworthy in potential drowning. [say]“Maybe it depends on how often you’re summoned. Like, I can imagine it gets real fuckin’ old.”[/say] Turning back to Sunjata, she leaned her chin on the palm of her hand as she relaxed further into the arm of the chair. [say]"Wait, how did you find out anyway?"[/say]
RE: feast your eyes on this - Sunjata - 02-27-2026
Listening to Iskra and Melita’s explanations, he banks on Melita’s own answer to bolster his – a familial trait, maybe. “[say]Mm, I dunno. Friday’s were always my favorite because it feels like you have the whole weekend ahead of you.[/say]” Whereas Saturday was often faced with the shitty realization you only had one day left before everything seemed to go back to normal. And all the shit that you didn’t get done Saturday that needed to be done over the weekend was suddenly forced into the last relaxation day.
Ah, but as the conversation shifts toward Noah and his no longer being a demigod situation, the comment of retiring comes up and Sunjata tilts his head. Iskra’s answer is one that does make him think – because what he knew about some of the gods, it was very unlikely that they’d let you go even if there wasn’t a threat. After all, Sunjata remained a demigod after the Ascended war and fast forwarded right into the Family war, remaining a demigod during the lull in between.
A groan does leave him with the mention of channeling though. “[say]I imagine they wouldn’t be upset having more demigods, honestly. Maybe something happened?[/say]” He doesn’t know more details than that, though, and instead chooses to talk about channeling briefly. “[say]Perks of being not in the favorites crowd.[/say]” He smirks slightly. “[say]I think I’ve only been channeled a handful of times?[/say]” Not that he minded it at all, don’t get him wrong.
As for how he found out, he flashes a smile to Melita that’s both cunning and innocent. “[say]Well, rumors spread, obviously, but I got the magic to call other demigods and I realized I couldn’t call Noah even if I wanted to.[/say]” So he’d done at least some amount of research to prove it, too.
RE: feast your eyes on this - Iskra - 03-01-2026
He could argue that Fridays are still a working day, which is why he reserves them firmly in second place (sorry Mel). They offer hope, promise, and it’s the first bite of freedom, but one that comes weary and dragged into the end of the day. Saturdays, on the other hand, are bright with the full potential of everything being leisure. Fridays are less the starts, more the end, and Saturdays are the beginning. [say]”Two against one, I know when I’m beat,”[/say] he offers instead, amusement coloring his tone.
[say]”Could go mad imagining the wills and whims of the divine,”[/say] he mutters with a shrug, less invested in the potentials, though that’s rather fitting given his lackluster bonds with any of them. [say]”Could depend on which god too. Maybe they each have their preferences on headcounts.”[/say] He figures demigods must feel a bit like children in the sense of being watched, so he wouldn’t fault a deity for deciding to untangle from too many youngsters scrambling around, especially since they’re immortal.
RE: feast your eyes on this - Melita - 03-01-2026
Melita winked at Iskra as he conceded the great best day of the week debate (there were always dumber arguments to gain victory over). [say]“To be fair, I think it was Remi or Ronin for Saturday,”[/say] so they could have their pick of notions on that front.
But with the demigod preambles, her eyes narrowed in speculation despite Iskra's warning, gaze going up to the ceiling initially, as if her brain needed all its focus on those edges. [say]“Yeah, like, Safrin loves having a shit ton, right?”[/say] or as many as she could; it seemed to be her mantra to collect and furnish and display them proudly until they pissed her off. Then she could break them. She wasn’t certain on how Vi thought about those semblances, nor the rest. Channeling wise, her brows remained furrowed, nose taking that usual wrinkled turn when she was due to be petulant about something. [say]“I would prefer not to be in the favorites. Unless they’re channeling me for something, y’know. Fun.”[/say] And not plunging her into an ocean.
The details, or potential thereof with Noah left her wondering. [say]“Hmm.”[/say] Her eyes swept back to Iskra, conspiring, another dangerous and impulsive Melita past time. [say]“You’ve got him in your Halo lot, yeah? Do you think he’d fess up if you asked?”[/say]