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special shades of blue - Deimos - 04-15-2025
The Outer Islands were still an intriguing sight; pieces of the Grounds broken apart, instead of the once elongated fields. He could imagine the farming remained difficult, for now different reasons; but perhaps it was best that those haunting measures had been altered so defiantly. One couldn’t place the shape of festivals gone awry or rampant destruction too clearly – just across the bays and bridges, inlets and shapes.
Instead on nostalgic measures though, despite the initial plunge, this was a day for amusement and renewal; and he’d much rather meet Hotaru here with a clear mind, rather than anything fogged and deluded by melancholy and angst. They both had enough of that, and had come out of the angst-riddled ventures with intrepid fervency – though the tracks weren’t parallel.
Settling himself upon a rock, she’d be able to see him, and Erebos, clear as day across any of the glades and thickets – so he opted to immediately start entertaining himself and his son. Lifting at the water nearby, he cast a few streaks of it across the vantage point, like ribbons of dragons, until they rippled along the cove. Erebos screeched with delight, clapping, hands extending as if to reach for them, and Deimos carefully permitted some drops to rain down – the youth giggling all the while.
RE: special shades of blue - Hotaru - 04-15-2025
He is not the only one craving a clear mind. It is partly why she’d desired a place outside of either of their purviews, why she’d chosen the Grounds - a place so changed after the war that it hardly resembles the Grounds of their memories. Their nightmares. As close to a fresh slate as she could envision that would not require combing through wild lands to find him.
As it is, he’s easy to find. Partly by his design, and partly due to Erebos’ loud exclamations of joy which are all the clearer to her avian ears. Winging down across the lake, she dips the tip of one wing into the water to cause it to ripple, and barrel rolls as she gets close to the pair in order to flick water upon them to join in their play. She circles them briefly before landing and shifting, boots making soft sounds in the damp earth around the water’s edge as she approaches.
[say]“Look at you, little man. You’re so big! Can auntie hold you?”[/say] Her arms extend in offering to both father and son, always taking the opportunity to instill consent and empowerment no matter how young. She’ll certainly be sad not to say her hello’s more physically, but it’s been more time than she would have wanted since last she saw her nephew. In these early years where memory is built on repetition instead of sentiment that can mean everything.
RE: special shades of blue - Deimos - 04-15-2025
Ru, ever forthcoming, made her essence known by theatrics – so while Deimos rolled his eyes, Erebos squealed again, giggling and uttering ‘bird, bird’, before realizing it was someone known to him. His expression altered into glee all the more; well versed and used to his father shifting, he wasn’t bothered at all as glider became Valkyrie. Auntie Wu! was shouted with raucous clarity, where the Sword would have to wonder if the toddler was taking vocal lessons from Belial.
Social butterfly that he was, the youth extended his arms to be snagged and held. Trust already well established, and without Ru’s infected portions he didn’t have much need to worry, he gave a singular nod of permission. Not without words of caution though. [say]“Do not let him trick you. He is still in the grab everything phase.”[/say]
Tilting his head a fraction and standing in order to give her a full saluation in the form of a side hug, he sighed, granting a little relief. He hadn’t spoken to her since the springs – and in all that time the tumultuous and tempestuous edges never seemed to cease. [say]“How have things been?”[/say]
RE: special shades of blue - Hotaru - 07-08-2025
Erebos has a far better grasp on words than the last time she’d seen him, though with all the growing he’s been doing she isn’t surprised. Heart utterly dissolved, but not surprised. The twins had grown so fast - preternaturally aged even faster - and she misses their youngest years all the more sometimes when faced with Erebos’ milestones. Not enough to diminish her joy of course given how she laughs brightly, delighted, at the raucous way he shouts her name.
Plucking him confidently out of Deimos’ arms, she spins them both swiftly and ducks her head to blow a raspberry against one of Erebos’ adorable cheeks. [say]“You can grab anything you want, Ere. I’ll spoil you.”[/say] The Valkyrie will happily lose fistfuls of hair if Erebos so desires. Surely Frey will do her a solid if she starts going bald. Actually, would her shape shifting fix that? A thought for another day; she has a baby to spoil.
Leaning into Deimos’ side hug given her occupied arms, Hotaru turns her smile onto him and does not hide the slight strains there. They don’t temper the truth of her joy enough to feel bad about showing them. [say]“Better than I could have asked for, or expected. Given everything. And you? The family?”[/say] A family grown larger than she could have expected from the Sword, but one she celebrates on his behalf.
RE: special shades of blue - Deimos - 07-08-2025
Erebos loosened another set of ear-piercing squeals and laughs as he was spun, arms out and trusting, forging one more interlude of such noises when she blew the raspberries against his cheeks. He tried much the same, enveloping his lips together and making several bubbly sounds, and Deimos shook his head, amused. [say]“He is spoiled enough,”[/say] without ripping people’s hair out – and as warned, the youth’s hands grasped for any of Ru’s golden locks lingering nearby.
His eyes followed her movements too though, watching for the strain, the regrets, the lingering portions they all seemed to have. The Valkyrie hadn’t been without her own episodes and sagas to deal with, for even after she’d been cured, Flora’s assaults and sieges had likely landed their own wounds upon her mother. [say]“Good,”[/say] he responded in turn, content that she was so, even if some of the truth might’ve been in hiding, clustered and coiled away. [say]“They are well. And we are busy,”[/say] came along a shrug; an expectation nowadays, from improving the region, the guild, training soldiers, and finding the endings to wars – abrupt as it had been. [say]“Trying to get rid of the last void creatures still holding on.”[/say] He paused, arching a brow, clearly intending to procure a rise out of her, juvenile grin forming, seating himself back on the rock. [say]“What are the latest Valkyrie schemes?”[/say]
RE: special shades of blue - Hotaru - 07-21-2025
[say]"Impossible, glories and wonders through which to spoil are only limited by narrow minds,"[/say] she announces regally not to Deimos, but to the squealing baby in her arms. Her hair is sacrificed in the next breath, but the dull pain only makes the Valkyrie laugh in turn. It's an ache that makes her heart soar - it could never truly hurt her.
Settling Erebos on her hip in a practiced motion that time would never truly rust away, Hotaru's smile settles into a warmer, more lasting configuration as Deimos shares his succinct updates. Nothing she doesn't expect from the Sword, and she's rather practiced at reading between lines and filling in context most would find riveting but the Sword deems unnecessary.
[say]"Any good options for a more challenging hunt?"[/say] Perhaps not to the level of needing guild intervention, but something more unique to Halo's landscape that might entice the primordial elements in the Valkyrie's soul. [say]"I'm always happy to help."[/say] She may not be able to assist with quests and godly requirements as a non-citizen but spilling blood is second nature for all it may be a drop in the pond of the cleansing efforts.
As he sits on the rock once more she bounces Erebos idly on her hip, swaying and pacing mindlessly - though she wrinkles her nose at his plain baiting, partially because it immediately works. [say]"Nothing half as fun or interesting as I would hope,"[/say] she bemoans, leeching dramatics into her tone both because it always makes Deimos roll his eyes and because it will keep Erebos' attention. [say]"Training, lately. Slowly thinking of wedding plans so Flora won't implode in protest over nearly dying before we tie the knot again."[/say] She snorts a laugh, smile fond and yet still profoundly relieved that the chips had fallen in such a way as to ensure Flora remained among them to heckle at their heels. [say]"Aside from that, it's an excruciatingly empty forecast. Caido natives love their peace and open borders - I've never missed kingdom power struggles so much."[/say] Her eyes roll heavenward as if beseeching the gods, but the ill-repressed smile betrays the good nature of her exasperated nostalgia. Though she'd rejoice if given engaging targets and foes that were not world-ending titans of monstrous creation, Caido doesn't seem keen on providing them, so she'll take peace-times and all their accompanying boredom instead.
RE: special shades of blue - Deimos - 07-21-2025
Erebos made the motion to put said blonde hair into his mouth, and Deimos sighed at the proclamation. [say]“You only say that because you do not have to live with him.”[/say] Amused, somewhat, as he’d contributed to the boy’s spoiled attributes already, he watched as she settled his son on her hip, as she’d done with so many other children before, suddenly wistful and melancholic for her, and all those efforts time and time again when they’d gone awry.
Making none of that known, he waved to Erebos and watched as the toddler waved back, chubby little arms flailing about as he giggled. His attention deviated momentarily to Ru, brow arching slightly as he did his own reading between the lines. He wondered if she’d kept herself cooped up, locked and lodged away, after all the bouts of infestations – trying desperately not to cause more havoc or hysteria. And clearly in need of devastation thereafter. [say]“Of course,”[/say] as he often adhered to whatever request she had. [say]“Quite a few void ursurs still roaming and in need of demise. You are always welcome to join.”[/say]
The other baiting hooked its line, and he gave a small grin as she continued – though it stilted momentarily at the thought of marriage to Sunjata - and he struggled with it not dropping away and remaining steadfastly neutral. Perhaps she’d be proud he didn’t roll his eyes at that one. Or it was growth. He didn’t really want to commit to either. Not out loud anyway. [say]“Do you have a season picked out at least?”[/say]
Though he did laugh at the notion of no power struggles – remembering all of Helovia’s, and then their own measures once within Halo. Now firmly entrenched in his own clutches, the winter expanse grew, and he leaned back further on the rock, watching as the toddler cooed again. [say]“Well, no one has claimed Stormbreak yet. Again.”[/say] His nose wrinkled, gaze lifting upwards, intentionally setting another lure in either humor or machinations. [say]“You could always make a run for that.”[/say]
There they could joke and cajole some more; plans in some portion on the line.
[FIN]