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+---- Thread: who told you what was down here (/showthread.php?tid=9568)
RE: who told you what was down here - Maea - 06-05-2024
The moment of stillness was very much needed on her part. It gave her the chance to catch her breath and assess the damage the rock-slider had made. Definitely some cracked ribs, crush damage to whatever organs was in her belly - she needed to read up on anatomy - and then there was the matter of the bloody taste on her tongue...
When Asta offered his hand, she took it without question and winced as pain grated through her body. Slipping free from the dead snake, Maea found that she couldn't stand on her own. [say]"Wait, let - let me sit -"[/say] Grimacing wildly, it didn't get much better to sit down. [say]"That's okay. I think I do..."[/say] Gazing up at her traveling companion, Maea sought his gaze, not smiling but with a solemn recognition of what he had done for her. [say]"Thank you, Asta. If you hadn't been here, I - "[/say]
She paused. Let that sink in. Really sink in deep, until it registered - carving into her very bones the reality she had been too afraid or too numb to see before. Thanks to him the was alive. If she'd come alone, if she hadn't accepted his revolting habits, if he'd decided that she was too much of a hassle to deal with anymore as she kept refusing to listen to what he was saying...
And then the real shock set in. Her hands shook so violently that she lost her grip on the chakram. Fumbling for it she dropped it again, fingers unresponsive - [say]" please - I need to - do damage - "[/say] Injure herself further in order to heal.
And if that wasn't a lesson in humility, she didn't know what was.
RE: who told you what was down here - Astaroth - 06-06-2024
She takes his hand and he begins to try and help her up out of the coils, only for her to start to crumble under the pain it had inflicted. Now, instead of the typical grin and niceties that accompany the butcher, there’s simply a moment where he works his jaw, while he offers her the announcement that he harbors no healing magic.
Wounding magic? Now that was his specialty. Healing, however, had never been a part of his repertoire.
Her pale gaze catches his nearly black ones at her solemn gratitude and he dips his chin as he wipes away more of the blood adorning his cheek, a silent and nonverbal you’re welcome clearly painting the air between them.
But then she starts to panic, hands shaking and the chakram falling into the tangle of rock slider and out of reach of Maea, and Asta bends to pluck the dagger from his shoe to hand her as he goes to grab the chakram. “[say]Damage yourself in a space where it won’t be prolonged. Avoid veins and tendons if possible.[/say]” He would know, it was often something he had to do himself back in the day. So much so that those little scars simply blend in with the rest of his mutilated skin.
RE: who told you what was down here - Maea - 06-06-2024
[say]"O-okay."[/say] Clasping the hilt of the dagger and his hand along with it like it was a lifeline, her skin was cool and clammy to the touch. Though she nodded that she understood, her teeth clattered as from a chill - alas, it was only fear of the pain to come.
Thinking hazily of where might be best to place the wound, in the end Maea pushed her coat collar down and pulled the armor dress away from a shoulder to reveal creamy white skin that never darkened at the touch of light. The big muscle in the shoulder must meet the criteria, right? The tip of the dagger pricked her skin, made her flinch, hesitate - but it had to be done. Bracing herself, she gripped the hilt with both hands and counted down from Three, two, one –
Pain. A half muffled scream lodged in the throat as the blade pierced flesh. It was blessedly sharp, hardly required effort to sink deep enough that she blood began to hum and sing with red-tinted power. It wrapped around her mind in a soothing daze, flowed into her hands as the dagger was slipped out again; it pooled around the cut and knit her flesh back together little by little in a prickly, burning, tingling sensation.
It took a while, mostly due to a lack of practice and understanding of the injuries. It worked though; when the healing magic finally petered out, color had returned to her face and Maea could breathe again. Coughing up recidual clots of blood, she gingerly moved about, testing her limbs - no problem.
[say]"... I'm sorry, for yelling at you,"[/say] came her quiet voice. Gazing at the snake, then at Asta, she rubbed blood from the corner of her mouth. [say]"Do you - are you hungry? I need the skin, but you're more than welcome to the rest of it – "[/say] She gestured to the still form of the serpent. Massive as it was, it could have easily fed ten people, if not more. Looking closer, she found the coloration of the skin to be nearly black in hue, with an oily rainbow shimmer about it where the light hit a certain way. Beautiful, in a subtle way; it would do nicely.
Getting up, she offered Astaroth his knife back with another murmured 'thank you'.
RE: who told you what was down here - Astaroth - 06-07-2024
Pinned in place by her hand that grips onto his, Astaroth sinks a bit lower into her space to allow her to cling to him for however long she needed – all while his gaze calculates the rock slider and the memories of the life he’d lived amongst these very caverns. The parties held, carving into the oil sheen pelt, the feasts of them in addition to the temptations he harbors. A bit of variety for those that wished to have it.
It's his distraction as she carves into her flesh to heal herself, and once it works and she can move he remains half crouched, dark gaze sliding over to her at her apology, a dark brow lifting. “[say]Thank you for the apology.[/say]” He says at first, before he nods to her follow up question. “[say]Take what you require first,[/say]” because he wasn’t about to try and ruin whatever part of the pelt she needed, and once she has he takes the knife he’d handed her and with utmost precision, he starts to carve into the flesh.
Caring little for the speck of blood on his cheek as it pours out along his non dominant hand, Astaroth begins to carve out pieces of the flesh around its quite long rib cage, splitting up the difference for her to have some should she wish to. “[say]You know, I used to have a rock slider shift.[/say]” He offers her with a casual shrug, plopping a cube sized bite of it into his mouth.
RE: who told you what was down here - Maea - 06-07-2024
It didn't mean things were back to normal. She understood that much. But at least he was accepting her offer for what it was, and the apology too - it would have to do, for now.
Maea busied herself with flaying the rock slider while Asta hung back. Giving him all the space he wanted, it was good for both of them; her hands were growing steadier for the simple task of cutting and scraping back the scaly hide, and the ordinary nature of the act steadied her mind as well.
Shifting to make room for her tall friend when she had progressed enough that he could process the meat, Maea glanced over at him. That was some confession while actively butchering the same kind of animal, and she looked down on her bloody, gore-covered hands.
[say]"Yeah? Then I'm sorry again, if this is difficult for you."[/say] He didn't seem bothered, but what did she know? An old conversation with the Voice echoed faintly in the back of her mind - about how little she knew, and all the things she couldn't possibly understand. If felt less like a threat, today, and more like advice. [say]"What's it like, being a snake? I like them, but they're not very... expressive. Not like horses, or even cats."[/say] Or dragons - but those she knew even less about.
RE: who told you what was down here - Astaroth - 06-08-2024
A deep chuckle leaves him as he shakes his head – it doesn’t bother him in the slightest. He ate people, after all. This was simply just part of the course. “[say]It isn’t difficult for me.[/say]” He offers her as if it answers any questions but instead might draw more (but figuring that once her head clears she’d be able to figure out the coincidences between the fact he’s sitting there eating and picking at the rock slider while having once harbored a shift of it himself).
Swallowing down a bite of the raw meat, his dark gaze and head cocks toward her, fingertips scarlet in the blood that pools from the serpentine creature. “[say]They can be.[/say]” He starts to say – though while it isn’t so much of a facial expression, it certainly is for body language. “[say]It mostly feeds off of instinct. Catch a scent or vibration, seek it out.[/say]” There wasn’t much of… Anything else that went on with it. “[say]However, what it lacks in facial expressions, it forces you to focus on its body language.[/say]” Shrugging lightly, Astaroth slices another portion off. “[say]Especially for a constrictor, like these are.[/say]” As she found out personally.
RE: who told you what was down here - Maea - 06-08-2024
Accepting his word for it, Maea resumed the task of flaying the serpent. Listening to Asta while working, his point about the rock slider thinking only about food and expressing themselves through body rather than expression gave her pause.
[say]"That's very different from the molten tiger, and worlds apart from the gore crow,"[/say] she contemplated. [say]"Those birds are incredibly intelligent. Not that far removed from us; from what I have noticed so far they're social, play games, prank each other and protect one another."[/say] Scraping carefully at a patch of the skin that wanted to get stuck near the tail, it finally came clean off the carcass. [say]"Do you think you will get it back? The shift?"[/say]
Given the choice between her own shifts it was difficult to decide which one she loved more. They were both good representations of her own nature; solitary and temperamental as the tiger, problem solving and social as the Crow. It was only mental health issues that kept her from engaging more with the people around her. Losing either might be like disconnecting from a part of herself, and she glanced at Asta, wondering if he felt the same.
RE: who told you what was down here - Astaroth - 06-08-2024
He’s content to keep taking bites and offer little bits and pieces about what it’s like being a rock slider, when initially she speaks of her molten tiger shift — one the Butcher also harbored in a previous life, one with dark stripes and an almost Damascus kind of dripping metal, before his nose wrinkles as she starts to talk about the social friendliness of gore crows.
Now, she could be completely right, and objectively he does know how the saying goes about crows, but to him they’re nothing more than ruthless, cunning, conniving beasts that he’s pretty sure he could live for another fifty years and never seen one and it would still be too soon. “[say]They are also conniving and like to play with their food.[/say]” Asta comments, nose still wrinkled and decidedly not finishing the cube of meat in his fingers.
He snaps out of it at her next question, shrugging a shoulder in his uncertainty. “[say]Perhaps. I did retain my fyrhund and I believe I can feel my lial shift returning.[/say]” Two of his favorites, thankfully.
RE: who told you what was down here - Maea - 06-08-2024
Sparing him a sideways glance, Maea could see the unease in him. So even talking about crows was too much? [say]"So do cats,"[/say] she admitted, gently steering the topic away to spare him the discomfort, [say]"though I haven't allowed myself to lean into the urge. I don't want to be cruel, not in any form."[/say]
Dropping her gaze as she began to fold the skin, she was glad for the relative lightness of it. There was more than enough to cover every inch of the dress, and should do very nicely to strengthen the armor properties.
[say]"I hope I get to see it sometime,"[/say] came her soft reply. Not quite familiar with what a lial was, or indeed the bear-sized canine she'd seen him use once or twice, Maea nevertheless wondered if there would be any more chances. The way things were... [say]"I'll probably stay here for the forseeable future."[/say]
RE: who told you what was down here - Astaroth - 06-09-2024
“[say]Mm,[/say]” Astaroth starts to say – only because the discomfort is caused by the fact that thinking about what crows do in their day to day reminds him of what they’d done to him day after day, and so it’s with a shake of his head that he continues. “[say]While true, cats are often solitary hunters. At least, my molten tiger shift was.[/say]” A brief pause as he considers it. “[say]Gore crows, on the other hand, preferred to have a party.[/say]” The echoes of meat, eyes almost feel as if they’re reverberating in his mind, grateful to have even kept his eyes.
He shakes his head again and turns his dark gaze toward her. “[say]Would you like to see it now?[/say]” He asks curiously, sated enough from the meat the rock slider had offered, and with it a contentness to the otherwise awful thoughts suddenly running through his head. At the mention of her staying here for a while – well, he can’t blame her. It was a perfect place to regain thoughts and become closer to their goddess, as far as Astaroth was concerned. And so he just dips his chin in answer, accepting it for what it was.
RE: who told you what was down here - Maea - 06-09-2024
Sympathy overtook any remaining peevishness as Asta seemed unable to let go of the fear towards crows. Feeling bad for having induced it in the first place, Maea leaned over to nudge his arm briefly with a shoulder in a rare moment of outreach. [say]"We don't have to talk about it anymore if you'd rather not,"[/say] she offered gently.
His suggestion was a good distraction. [say]"I'd love to,"[/say] she replied simply. Stuffing the snake skin into her pack, Maea thought she might as well shift too. It would be awkward to carry the backpack as a tiger, but she figured it was better to stop talking at this point. The mood between them felt brittle, and the last thing she wanted was to step in it and made things worse.
[say]"Race you to the next cave?"[/say] she suggested once she was done; to settle the food, and raise spirits, and perhaps the mood as well. This was one time where she wouldn't mind losing at all - apparently lials were fast, or so she'd noticed that one time where she hunted with one in the Grounds.
RE: who told you what was down here - Astaroth - 06-10-2024
“[say]I would rather not.[/say]” Astaroth agrees – flashing a twitch of a small smile toward her, grateful for the shift in conversation and her okayness with swapping it. Anything to do with those feathered corvids he’d prefer to keep out of his mind, especially when it comes to being in a place they frequented regularly. At least he’d come to terms with the Climb despite the trauma he’d sustained here – a lot of that largely due to his admiration for Dygra.
However, in terms of distraction, he offers the potential for her to witness his lial shift, something that has him pausing while she considers it, and when she agrees Astaroth’s smile broadens and he dips his head. “[say]See you there.[/say]” He hums, before he shifts – the tall spiderlike man becomes lial in a matter of minutes – long from snout to tail with black rocky scales surrounding him, and with far more teeth than his human form harbors but ironically just as sharp.
Glowing orange eyes seek out Maea, whom he assumes has shifted into a molten tiger, and with a flick of his tail and some magma that pools from the cracks in his armor, the Ancient nods his snout toward the tunnel that will guide them to the next. And perhaps it’s with some surprise for her that he quite literally takes off, utilizing the super speed of the reptilian shift to zoom through the tunnel to the other side.
RE: who told you what was down here - Maea - 06-10-2024
He was quite spectacular, in truth. Ever since she was a child, Maea had loved reptiles. From glass snakes sunning on rocks in the Glade to companion dragons and their far grander relatives, even to the Allogator she had seen once near the Black Lake, they held an appeal she couldn't quite explain. It was unfortunate that she only was allowed a glimpse of Asta's lial before he shot off along the tunnel.
While shifted into her tiger form, even being unburdened wouldn't have allowed her to keep up. Resigned to follow the trail of fresh magma the crocodilian creature had left behind, it was a winded and refreshed Molten Tiger that finally caught up just past the opening to a cavern.
At least then she could take a closer look at him. Dropping the bag for a moment, she circled him a few times, to really appreciate the patchwork of cooled lava plates and the ever burning furnace churning beneath. Positively magical, in ways that even her strange tiger was not, Asta was given a gentle head butt.
For no reason beyond, well... that she could. And wanted to. And possibly because he hadn't sent her packing for being stubborn and refusing to change her mind even when it didn't make sense. Maea was grateful for that.
RE: who told you what was down here - Astaroth - 06-15-2024
Superspeed is something the lials work with very well – if only because it doesn’t seem like a lizard this size can move quite that fast, and the second that it does occur it has the added benefit for any prey caught in the lial’s sights to quite literally not know what hit them. As such, the lial shifts and bolts, given Maea’s tiger shift nothing more than a few seconds to see the massive crocodile-esque creature before he’s vanishing into the tunnels.
Magma pools behind what trail he’d taken, ending up at the next cavern nearer to a magma wall, basking in the glow and warmth not unlike a bearded dragon to a heatlamp. Orange eyes scan the tiger as she approaches and circles him, his tail curling to offer her more room to investigate, before she headbutts him and confusion flares within him. Thankfully, it’s tough to see in the hardened lava panes of Asta’s shift, so all she’ll see is the tilt of his head and a too many toothed grin as his maw opens just enough to growl out a deep, grating sound that seems like it might be an attempt to say ready to head back?