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+---- Thread: up and down your waves (/showthread.php?tid=11018)
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up and down your waves - Everest - 03-28-2025
The oars sliced through the warm turquoise shallows with a smooth, unhurried rhythm, each stroke deliberate, even meditative. The sun hung high and bright in the sky—a proper Flowerbirth sun, coaxing the air into something soft and humid, fragrant with salt and blooming things.
Everest had rolled up the sleeves of his linen shirt to his elbows, the pale fabric already sticking slightly to his forearms. He’d abandoned boots entirely in favor of bare feet planted against the wooden braces of the rowboat, and his usual layered attire had been traded in for light, breathable clothing in ocean-washed blues and creams, rolled cuffs and an unbuttoned collar that let the breeze thread its way across his collarbone.
A woven bag nestled between his ankles held a folded hammock, three books—one of which had been carefully bookmarked halfway through—and a tin-wrapped picnic of fresh bread, sliced tropical fruits, salted cheese, and something that smelled faintly sweet and roasted. There was also a map, though given the nature of the Kuali’i Isles, it was more for his own sense of order than actual navigation.
[say]"I prefer to think of it as being prepared, rather than overpacking,"[/say] he murmured, glancing toward Isla with a small smile. [say]"This way if you decide you would like to hunt instead of read, I have things to clean up with after, and if you decide you'd like to go searching for shells, I have something soft to keep them protected for the trip back."[/say]
RE: up and down your waves - Isla - 03-28-2025
Isla smiles back at Everest from her place seated on the other side of the boat, her chin propped in her hands, her elbows resting atop her knees as she watches him. She had, of course, offered to row the boat with him - several times, in fact - before admitting defeat and sitting back like a good passenger, the sun playing through her loose curls and setting the silvery threads adorning her blue sundress to sparkling. [say]"I would never accuse you of overpacking,"[/say] she informs him sweetly, eyes sparkling with mischief. Not in so many words, anyway.
Sitting up and gazing out across the isles, Isla's smile fades somewhat as her mind circles back to where it always seems to end up these days. The marks of fatigue beneath her eyes can be shrugged off as too many late nights working or too many stressful patients, but in truth, it's the man opposite who consumes most of her waking thoughts.
[say]"Are you happy, Ever?"[/say] she asks suddenly, gazing across at him. [say]"As you are, I mean. It doesn't... bother you, or anything, that you're so wrapped up in this business with the void and The Family? Or that everyone is trying to cure you?"[/say]
RE: up and down your waves - Everest - 03-28-2025
The oars slowed, not all at once, but enough to shift the rhythm into something momentarily measured. The rowboat rocked gently in the tide, the bow pivoting slightly as Everest let the current take them for a moment—just a moment, while he turned his eyes back to Isla. Her voice wasn’t sharp or prying. It was quiet; the kind of question you didn’t ask unless it had been sitting behind your teeth for a while, and though the man the aviator had once been wouldn't have understood such things, the one in the boat with the Remedy did.
And so he didn’t answer right away. Instead, he rested the oars across his knees and glanced down at the water between them, watching it fracture the reflection of her dress into ribbons of colour. [say]"I don’t feel infected,"[/say] he said finally. [say]"That’s the part that makes this difficult. I know I should. I know there are things about me now that wouldn’t make sense to the version of me you first met."[/say] His tone wasn’t defensive—just… quietly factual. He lifted one hand and rubbed the back of his neck. [say]"But everything that used to make my head feel like a hallway full of tripping hazards is just… gone. There’s silence. Room to breathe."[/say]
He paused, fingers trailing over the edge of the boat.
[say]"Room to love you."[/say] Lifting his eyes, the aviator forces his restless fingers away from the side of the boat, reaching out a hand for one of Isla's. [say]"Truthfully, I want them to stop what they're doing. With these flowers, with marching on Starfall, and not because the Family is making me feel that way, but...because I don't know who I'll be if I'm forced back to the way that I was."[/say]
RE: up and down your waves - Isla - 03-28-2025
Content to drift right out to sea if it meant that she could spend a few more hours uninterrupted with Ever, the Remedy manages a gentle smile and reaches out to grasp his hand in her own, giving his fingers a squeeze and remaining silent to hear him out. His response is as measured as ever, following a train of logic even with his own emotions weaved into it. And it's easy to believe - likely what makes it so dangerous, if she thinks about it - Isla letting out a long sigh and nodding.
[say]"While I do think there was room for love even with the way you used to be, I can't argue with your reasoning,"[/say] she says slowly, bringing his hand to her lips to kiss the back of his palm. [say]"...I just can't feel the same way about the void. Not with all that people are saying, with everyone who has gotten hurt."[/say]
But ultimately, for all that curing people and cleansing the void and wiping out Starfall is meant to be The Priority, Ever has been infected for longer than anyone else Isla knows, and he's fallen by the wayside every single time. And gods, she's tired of it. Tired of being told not to be with him, not to trust him, not to even be around him until he's cured, only for things to fall to pieces over and over again.
If only Ever were Ronin, perhaps he'd have been helped seasons ago.
[say]"Perhaps I should just... join you, in whatever this is. We could go up to Stormbreak for a while and take some time to ourselves."[/say]
RE: up and down your waves - Everest - 03-28-2025
Everest didn’t flinch when Isla kissed the back of his hand, but something in him shifted—a quiet breath through his nose, a slight unclenching of his jaw. When she spoke of the danger, of those who’d been hurt, Ever didn’t bristle; instead his expression remained smooth, his voice as measured as ever when he replied. [say]"People walk into a lion’s den and then seem surprised when the lion doesn’t want to be tamed. But if you already know it’s dangerous—if you still choose to approach it—can you really say it’s the lion’s fault?"[/say]
His hand tightened around hers just slightly. [say]"I know it's not in our nature to want to be bested by anyone else, but...look around. Sunjata, Deimos, Remi and Ronin...all outlanders who came and took up mantles of leadership. They've each hurt and killed in their own ways and changed parts of Caido. Not with as much speed or power as the Family, but it really isn't so different."[/say] It only seemed that way because for once, most of Caido had drawn the short stick.
As for Isla becoming infected?
The aviator's brows rise as he searches Isla's face [say]"Does the void really bother you that much? Everyone else seems fairly good at just ignoring it, couldn't you...?"[/say] Trailing off, it only just occurs to him then what the problem is, and, glancing down at where their fingers are still intertwined, he sighs softly.
[say]"But you can't,"[/say] he reasons quietly. [say]"Because I remind you of it."[/say]
RE: up and down your waves - Isla - 03-28-2025
Isla's lips part for a moment, as if she's considering stepping out to meet Ever on the intellectual playing field, before she thinks better of herself and instead leans in to plant another kiss against the back of his hand. There are times where she'd happily debate with him for hours about the merit of Outlanders and the things they'd done, not to mention the context within which they'd done it (and whether or not it had been an overall positive). But there's no swaying him from his standpoint when it comes to the void and The Family, however gently phrased or how jovially she might present the argument. And that is due to the infection.
Smiling tiredly and giving his hand a squeeze before releasing it at last, she sits up with a raised eyebrow as her suggestion isn't met with immediate enthusiasm. [say]"I thought you'd have been happy I was considering becoming a Friend of the Family,"[/say] she admits. [say]"...But yes, if you must know. You remind me of it. Sunjata has been cured of the infection and says he can see it in you, and it frightens him, Ever. Remi is worried as well."[/say]
RE: up and down your waves - Everest - 03-28-2025
Everest’s smile flickered—not out of amusement, but surprise—at her initial comment, the idea that he wasn’t happy about her suggestion. [say]"I am happy about it,"[/say] he said immediately, tone threading between earnest and faintly incredulous.
At the mention of Sunjata and Remi, Ever’s jaw tensed—not sharply, but likely enough for the Remedy to notice. [say]"Sunjata,"[/say] he echoed flatly. [say]"And Remi...both of whom you used to...be with?"[/say] There was no malice in it, but there was a tension beneath the words, as if the patterns he saw didn’t quite sit right. [say]"It’s hard to take their concern at face value, Isla. Don’t you think?"[/say] His voice was quiet now, but sharper. [say]"That the people who’ve been with you before are suddenly so worried about the one who is with you now?"[/say]
RE: up and down your waves - Isla - 03-28-2025
Smiling to herself a little, Isla sits up and smooths out her sundress, tipping her head back for a moment as if to consult the breezy blue of the sky about the matter. As Ever speaks again, though, it draws her focus to him completely; she doesn't think she's ever heard him with that particular tone of voice, and though she can see the tension in his jaw, she can't help the quiet amusement lacing through her expression.
[say]"Remi is happily married and Sunjata is engaged to be the same,"[/say] she points out quietly. [say]"I don't think either of them have anything but our best interests at heart, which is why they brought it up in the first place. But,"[/say] she continues, holding up a hand as if to gently stall any objection he might have, [say]"it isn't their choice what I do. It's mine. And if becoming a Friend of the Family means I don't have to worry about the void any more, or keep having conversations like this with you... I think I'm ready to just stop worrying about it."[/say]
Sighing, half in resignation and half in relief at the prospect of being able to enjoy her time with Ever again, she sheepishly shrugs her shoulders. [say]"What do you think?"[/say]
RE: up and down your waves - Everest - 03-28-2025
Everest watched her with that quiet intensity he so often wielded—subtle, composed, but wholly focused. He didn’t interrupt, didn’t bristle further at the mention of their names, though a muscle in his jaw did flicker once more when she said best interests. That was always the phrase, wasn’t it? Best intentions. Best interests. Spoken by people who always seemed to want something different for her than she did for herself.
But he didn’t argue the point, despite wanting very much to point out that Remi had been happily married during the time he'd been with the Remedy and being engaged or married had never stopped the Flood's extracurriculars in the past. When she finished, when she asked what he thought—really asked, without deflection or euphemism—he let the silence stretch for a few breaths, watching the way the light kissed the edge of her cheekbone, the way her curls shifted in the wind.
[say]"I think I’d like that more than I can say,"[/say] he whispers, a touch breathlessly. And gods, if ever there was a sign that Ever was infected, it was putting his own happiness above Isla's safety and health.
Unable to go to her properly, given the nature of their little boat, all the aviator can do is pulse his fingers against hers as his dimples bloom to life beneath the scruff on his cheeks. [say]"It's the easiest thing, too. We could go and see Dahlia so you could meet her yourself, or..well, with Vox always listening, I'm sure we could have him here in no time at all."[/say]
RE: up and down your waves - Isla - 03-28-2025
Isla knows, too - that's the saddest part of it all. She knows when the parts of Everest that are truly infected rise to the surface and when his ease and wit and humour are all his own. She knows that this is a terrible idea, a cowardly idea, that it's succumbing to a future she doesn't at all believe in, not in her heart of hearts. But when all is said and done, after she's infected... well, she won't really care about that any more, will she?
And after seasons of worry, of anxiety, of going so far as to avoid the person she wants to be with, of having to sit with the idea that he's only this person at all because of the Family's influence... Isla is done. She's done with promises of a cure dashed into pieces with the destruction of some magic hotspring or rare flowers that are too good to waste on an aviator with a kind heart. If others get to be selfish and decide to use a lily or a rose on their loved ones instead of on the purple isle looming nearby, then Isla gets to be selfish and stop worrying.
[say]"I think I'd probably prefer to meet Dahlia for the first time without having her kiss me,"[/say] she says slowly, releasing Ever's hand and nodding to the nearest little island in the distance. [say]"So perhaps we can go there and see if Vox decides to appear? I wouldn't want him to capsize the boat accidentally..."[/say]
RE: up and down your waves - Everest - 03-28-2025
Everest’s gaze lingered on Isla for a moment longer, something unspoken winding tightly through his chest. He could see it in her—the calculation she didn’t voice, the weight of what she was giving up in order to feel light again. Maybe not forever. But just for a while, and all because of him. But gods, if anyone had earned that—it was her.
Still, he seized on the one thread he could tug without unraveling everything.
[say]"That’s fair,"[/say] he murmured, lips twitching. [say]"She’s not exactly a gentle introduction."[/say] The boat rocked gently beneath them as he adjusted course, the oars dragging water into quiet spirals behind them. [say]"Worst case, Vox doesn't show and we have to spend the afternoon as I'd originally planned for us."[/say] Flashing her a boyish and lopsided smile, Ever picks up the oars in earnest in order to row them toward the island, perhaps a touch more swiftly than he had been doing before they'd taken their brief pause.
[say]"I love you, Isla."[/say]
RE: up and down your waves - Isla - 03-28-2025
[say]"So I have heard,"[/say] Isla says with a smirk that tries very hard to be playful, but of course while she still has her senses and reservations about the Reaper, any joke about her will regrettably fall flat. Settling back comfortably in the boat as Ever takes up the oars again, his worst case scenario does draw a real laugh from her at least, and she inclines her head in agreement. [say]"And what a shame that would be, to read and eat a picnic with you on some endlessly sandy bit of beach."[/say]
Terrible, truly. Watching as the island draws closer and closer, once they finally hit the shallows enough to start running aground, Isla kicks off her sandals so she can hop into the turquoise waters and help to push the little boat onto the shore where it won't bob away again. [say]"Gods,"[/say] she pants when it's finally secure, Isla straightening up to look around, shading her eyes from the sun, [say]"we really could be in paradise out here, couldn't we?"[/say]
RE: up and down your waves - Everest - 03-28-2025
Everest’s smile softened as she laughed, as she leaned back and let the sun find her again. There was something so simple in the sound of her—something unburdened, even if only for a moment. He rowed steadily, keeping pace with the shifting currents, and let the tension drain from his shoulders bit by bit.
Once the boat hit the shallows, he moved to rise, but Isla was already in the water. Of course she was. Always first in, always doing even when she didn’t have to.
He let her push, stepping lightly out only once the boat was fully secured. The water was warm around his ankles, the sand soft beneath his feet. [say]"We could be,"[/say] he agreed, eyes sweeping over the vibrant foliage and lazy arc of sun-drenched beach.
Then, glancing sidelong at her, his voice dropped just enough to be playful. [say]"Though I imagine that depends on how long I can keep you from trying to make a medical station out of palm fronds."[/say]
RE: up and down your waves - Isla - 03-28-2025
Feeling a strange mix of trepidation and relief as they reach the island where Isla presumes she'll be meeting a member of the Family face to face within the next few moments, Ever's presence at least serves to ground her and keep the tension from her shoulders. Padding further onto the white sands before sidling up beside him, she offers him a wry smile for his trouble. [say]"Try?"[/say] She sighs, as if he's sorely underestimating her, reaching out to gently loop her arms around his waist.
[say]"Bold of you to assume I won't be successful in my endeavours, Everest Hart,"[/say] Isla informs him, leaning up for a soft kiss against his lips. [say]"But you're lucky today. It's hardly paradise if it's in need of a medical station, no?"[/say] Presumably no one gets sick or injured in paradise, Ever. [say]"Do you want me to carry the books or the picnic? I won't interrupt your very specific set-up, I promise."[/say]