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+---- Thread: where's the truth in that? (/showthread.php?tid=10199)
where's the truth in that? - Flora - 10-03-2024
Flora wasn't the type to avoid an entire region simply because of one boy, but that didn't mean that from the second Melita had landed the Firecracker, the Doubletake hadn't been glancing surreptitiously around for a certain dragoon. Though Stormbreak was large, the queen's guilt over what had happened loomed larger. Still, she did her best to put Koa out of her mind as she and Melita wandered away from the Skyport.
[say]"I always expect everything to just be...purple, y'know? Like void shit everywhere, but actually.."[/say] Given who the region was now ruled by, Stormbreak seemed to be in relatively good shape. What that either did or didn't say about Dahlia, Flora had no idea, and so it was with her lips pulled into a slight frown that the queen shrugged as she glanced around. Everything up here looked fine to her, or at least as fine as any region that hadn't taken active measures to keep the void out, could look.
[say]"Do you come up here much?"[/say]
RE: where's the truth in that? - Melita - 10-03-2024
Melita was the type to avoid a region simply by pettiness, which was probably why she hadn’t see much of Stormbreak at all. Between the stories, the relic battles, her uncle once being held imprisoned here, and now void shit, she only touched down upon the floating isle when the notions and impulses struck. Patting the Firecracker, she ensured it was hooked properly, before they began meandering their way towards the Falling, and she took more than one glance along the fringes with a wrinkled nose, uncertain if she liked the place at all. [say]“Yeah,”[/say] was all she could say at first. [say]“You’d think she’d have it all taken and overgrown.”[/say] But instead it seemed Dahlia’s leadership served as a placeholder, so no one else could snag it. [say]"Congrats on the Oerwoud shit by the way." [/say]
Having never been involved in power trips, the Honeybee shrugged. [say]“Nah, not really. Sometimes to spar with some of the dragoons,”[/say] she offered casually, because it was true – she’d bullied Koa and Zavien enough. [say]“Do you?” [/say]
RE: where's the truth in that? - Flora - 10-03-2024
[say]"Oh..yeah."[/say] Glancing at the Honeybee the Doubletake wrinkles her nose. [say]"It was kind of a shitshow as you can imagine. The whole jungle seemed to be attacking us, and then at one point these roots came up from the ground and stabbed into Noah and then Sah accidentally hit him, and..."[/say] Honestly, it had gone about as well as Flora would have bet it would from the beginning. [say]"Based on hearing Vox in my head the other day, it seems to have done what Safrin said it would."[/say] At least that part of it had worked out.
[say]"Hah. I hope you kick their asses every time."[/say] It's about as lighthearted as Flora can manage given the way her thoughts immediately want to curdle at the barest mention of Koa. [say]"Sometimes."[/say] Shrugging, the queen wanders nearer to the edge, resting her hands on the retaining wall and peering over. [say]"Usually it's just to visit my brother, but..uh...Jack and I came up the other week for a few days.."[/say] The majority of the Ark's crew knew that something had changed between the Doubletaken and their captain, especially given how much more affectionate Jack was prone to be with her in public ever since they'd made things official. How much of that Melita had picked up on Flora couldn't guess, especially as she had her own ship to manage now.
RE: where's the truth in that? - Melita - 10-03-2024
Melita’s features became a reflection of Flora’s own – she had been in enough shitshows to understand the particular nuances of nonsense, danger, and potential death. She was also petty enough to think it slightly amusing that both Noah and Sah had been roughened up a bit. [say]“No one died though?”[/say] And it was good information to have, should any of them embark into other stretches of Void upheaval.
Stretching her limbs and still glancing over the Falling’s aspects, she snickered. [say]‘I do,”[/say] on a promise; Koa had been buried in ducks once before, and then they had plans to meet and do some demolishing for no other reason. But without all the other nuances about that certain Dragoon, she shrugged, until the whole Jack thing came along.
She grimaced and groaned and made some faces even toddlers might be appreciative of. Beyond the gross and why would you want to, the closeness between the pair hadn’t gone unnoticed. Even if Melita was away for days at a time doing Melita-shit, her and the fellow Ark members gossiped frequently. [say]“Huh,”[/say] was all about she could summon in some polite accord. [say]“So why here today?”[/say]
RE: where's the truth in that? - Flora - 10-06-2024
[say]"Nah, no one died."[/say] The queen confirms. [say]"Which is a good thing, because I only have one channelling slot left for this season and I'd rather not waste it on rushing Ronin into the jungle just because someone was an idiot, you know?"[/say] One of the principal reasons the Doubletake had no desire ever to become a demigod was because of the responsibility, only she'd inadvertently fallen into something close enough to make her bristle.
[say]"Have they tried to get you to join in, yet?"[/say] Flora wonders. No doubt Melita was probably a bit too chaotic for a group as regimented as the dragoons, but they were almost always recruiting, and it wasn't as though the Honeybee's abilities could be overlooked, especially with
Faces aside, if Mel didn't want to talk about the Jack of it all, Flora wasn't going to make her. Honestly she hadn't known how her friend would react, but she couldn't say she was overly surprised. Then again as one of the few people who'd seen firsthand that the captain wasn't always a murderous bastard, if there was anyone who'd understand Flora's attraction to such a man, she thought it might be the Honeybee.
[say]"I was hoping you'd help me with something, actually, and I thought based on how I imagine you're going to do it, it'd be best without many people around."[/say] Flora explains, grinning. [say]"I have this quest from Safrin where I need to try and keep my mind clear while someone distracts me."[/say] No doubt with Melita that would involve bombs or ducks or some other facet of her wild magic, hence their location away from Stormbreak's city-centre.
RE: where's the truth in that? - Melita - 10-06-2024
Melita looked away as Flora ruminated on ‘calling Ronin’ and ‘just because someone was an idiot’, pretending to be very interested and intrigued by a bug on a nearby plant. [say]“Yeah, true.”[/say] Stretching her arms upward as if warming up to be said fool, she rallied on alternating subject lines. [say]“Maybe we ought to gather a crew to tackle the Greatwood or Feverlands then, if we can’t find these fuckin’ flowers. I don’t remember them being so hard to find before.” [/say]
At the question, she did manage a cackle. [say]“Oh yeah, Koa asked me ages ago. I never really gave him much of an answer.”[/say] Sila had been young, and Melita had been busy doing Melita things. Not that she wasn’t now, but the motivations had been slightly altered. [say]“I’m not sure they could handle me anyway.”[/say] She gave a bright grin and a wink exchange; because she rarely followed anyone’s orders and the strict notions of being a soldier and marching around made her want to break out in hives. [say]“Did they recruit you?”[/say] Flora had a dragon after all – and while she was quite occupied in Queen duties, the Honeybee could imagine her pseudo-almost-cousin could probably manage other duties.
When she wasn’t busy with Jack – gods, ew. The Doubletake would be wise to not ask Melita her opinion on the matter, even if her facial expressions were enough of a clue. He was old. He was her boss. And he was a persnickety shit. Even if he did let her shoot the Spire.
Then they were on other topics, thank the gods, and she perked up again. [say]“Oooh, fun! I can do that.”[/say] And there were multitudes of ways, and quite frankly, the smuggler didn’t know which way some would fall. Heh. [say]“Let me know when you’re ready then.”[/say]
RE: where's the truth in that? - Flora - 10-07-2024
[say]"Agreed. As much as I like the hotsprings, it is super far."[/say] Flora's compass couldn't just zap her there, meaning if she wanted to go she either had to hitch a ride with someone who had their own skyship or hop aboard one of the public ones. It was arduous and thus far, completely unsuccessful. [say]"How long until you figure you're back at full strength?"[/say] As with Hadama, presumably Mel was going through the demigod equivalent of puberty, though to Flora's eye, the Honeybee seemed as strong as she ever had, if not more so. Regardless, the queen would much rather take on one of the void-areas with the Honeybee rather than the gang she'd recently teamed up with.
Snickering, her amusement helping to hide the way she inwardly flinched at Koa's name, Flora nods expectantly. [say]"It's also a huge sausage fest."[/say] She adds, wrinkling her nose before giving her head a shake. [say]"Nah, not really my thing."[/say] Flora was happy to piggyback off their training if and when it suited her, but by and large being part of such a regimented and proper organization held absolutely no pull for her. [say]"Besides, I've got my guild in Torchline to run."[/say] She adds with a shrug.
Moving onto the Safrin-quest-portion of it all, Flora widens her eyes dramatically as she moves to lean against the nearby retaining wall. Closing her eyes she shakes out her hands before lacing her fingers between one another. Taking a deep breath the queen does her best to clear her mind, though of course no sooner had she started to push various thoughts away, more and more seemed to pour in. Internally grimacing, she shrugs and nods. [say]"Okay, all you."[/say]
RE: where's the truth in that? - Melita - 10-07-2024
Melita kicked at a random stone, uncertain how to answer the question. [say]“I feel stronger than before, but also…like, not? I’m not sure that makes sense.”[/say] It was difficult to describe the transformation from on top of the world, to absolutely humbled and dead, and back to muster and fortitude. [say]“I don’t think I can get hit quite as hard anymore and still get back up, y’know.”[/say] Her nose wrinkled at that – because she wouldn’t readily admit the notions to many others. [say]“I won’t be able to be with the big kids for a bit,”[/say] and she shrugged, not willing to peel back the layers and see how much it bothered her.
Sausage fests aside, the Honeybee cackled. [say]“Wait – what guild are you running?”[/say] Maybe she’d had her head in the sand, metaphorically and literally and figuratively. She’d be much more entertained by Flora’s aspect of associations and coalitions rather than the regiments of rigid organizations.
But then there were other aspects – like being a distracting and chaotic nuisance – to deal with. She waited, somewhat dutifully, until Flora seemed like she was ready, before casting her first attempts at deterrence and mayhem.
Which turned out to be wonderful and grand, in Melita’s opinion, as a shocking bolt of lightning touched down some thirty feet away, hitting a rather unfortunate tree.
RE: where's the truth in that? - Flora - 10-11-2024
[say]"Mmm."[/say] Flora wasn't in a position to understand what it was Melita was describing, but certainly she'd been in enough encounters recently where it had felt like something was off between how she'd expected herself to be able to perform and what the reality of the situation had been. [say]"Well, if you ever want to train, there's more than a few things I know I need to work on."[/say] The queen offers with as equally a nonchalant shrug, not wanting to pull any harder on this particular thread if her friend wasn't keen to have her powers dissected.
[say]"Wh—"[/say] Glancing at the Honeybee, her eyes playfully narrowed in an attempt to determine if Melita was just trying to be funny, Flora frowned. [say]"You...don't know?"[/say] Given that Jack was a member the queen had just assumed that the majority of his crew knew about her guild, Melita included. [say]"The..uh..lost and found?"[/say] Hopefully her suggestive tone if not the clear raise of her brows would imply that the guild was not actually a lost and found.
Having been around quite a bit of lightning lately thanks to Jack's latest magical addition, despite the sudden crack of splintering wood and smell of fire, Flora was able to keep her thoughts relatively calm. Grinning, she bounces her eyebrows. [say]"Again."[/say]
RE: where's the truth in that? - Melita - 10-12-2024
For all of Flora’s nonchalance about the offer, Melita was grateful – sometimes it was difficult to find others willing to combat with her, and sometimes others were lined up to be pummelled. [say]“I’ll take you up on that sometime,”[/say] she smirked, mind already circulating through potentials of distracting measures again, when Flora frowned at the whole guild thing.
And seemed…surprised that the Honeybee wasn’t in the know. Which left the demigod to run through a whole gambit of experiences, notions, and threads in her head, but by and large, couldn’t lend anything to measure up to Flora’s regards. Still, the smuggler could at least take a hint, placing her hands on her hips as if to survey the Torchline queen in a whole new light. [say]“Huh. No, but, I assume more finding than losing?”[/say]
Then there were the other matters to consider, and when Melita’s lightning strike didn’t do much of anything, she scoffed, reaching into those folds of chaos once more. But, true to form, it even surprised her, because one more streak of blast and heat countered across the sky, replicating the same assault. Which uh, hadn’t happened before.
This one, rather than striking a tree, went for a close-by bush, setting it promptly ablaze.
RE: where's the truth in that? - Flora - 10-13-2024
Flora's smile grows by degrees as she regards Melita, the queen having always assumed that organized crime wasn't really the Honeybee's thing, rather than it being something she was instead simply unaware of. [say]"Yeah. We just..find things in places you wouldn't normally think to look."[/say] Like pockets, vaults, or strongboxes. [say]"That's what the room at the back of the tavern is."[/say] She explains with a casual shrug as if you say you know the one. The one only certain people ever go in and out of?
As what sounded like yet more electricity snarled nearby, Flora cracked open an eye. She supposed her curiosity counted as a distraction, and so despite the question that formed on her lips, the Doubletake cleared her throat. Sitting up straighter, her eyes firmly closed once again, she gave the demigod another nod.
RE: where's the truth in that? - Melita - 10-13-2024
Considering Melita’s occupation as a smuggler for years under Jack’s employ, most would probably label her (correctly) as simply not giving a fuck. Survival was survival in her book, and sometimes it took a lot more than others were even aware of. [say] “Oh. Well, let me know if you need more finders.”[/say] She gave a casual shrug, and then a corresponding smirk, satisfied with the notions of abominations and secrecy and being an outright shit for no real reason at all.
Then there was the matter of distracting Flora. The second iteration of lightning seemed to dispel some focus, and the Honeybee would’ve kept right on snickering – save for the bout of chaos saved just for her. Instead of sparks and abominations for the third time…she ended up punching herself directly in the upper arm. A hiss of disapproval was met with a faint muttering of ‘why is that a thing’, but she doubted that was going to muster Flora out of her focus.
RE: where's the truth in that? - Flora - 10-17-2024
[say]"Well, if you want in, you're in babe."[/say] The queen trills, her smile one of unfettered delight. [say]'We've got caches all around Torchline and in the Hollowed Grounds. You know, just in case you find anything that seems to have been lost and need somewhere to stash it."[/say] She explains slyly. [say]"They all have healing water in them too."[/say]
Having not expected her guild to gain a new member, it was with a rather smug smile that Flora went about trying to keep her thoughts clear from two rounds of electricity and...some self-harm? Cracking open one eye in time to see Mel rubbing her arm, it occurred to the Doubletake that being a demigod for Ludo was fucked up even when it wasn't having you actively go out and kill people.
Not wanting to see any more harm befall her friend, the queen slipped from the ledge with a shrug. [say]"That's probably good enough."[/say] She mutters, strolling toward the Honeybee and grinning. [say]"I say we go and get one of those honeyed-pita things they were selling by the skyships."[/say]
~FIN