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Take this body home - Maea - 04-29-2025
The water really did look like blood. Stopping mid stride to squint up at the river, an impulse had Maea reaching up with both hands until her fingers touched a low dip in the suspended flow. Cool droplets sprayed against her palms, coalesced and fled in runnels down her arms until they appeared blood-soaked from fingertip to elbow. With brilliant sunlight filtering through the crimson stained liquid, it would be easy to mistake it for something more sinister. Except, the consistency was off. The scent, too. No coppery salt-sweet tang hit her nose, only that fresh, clean aroma of water. Tasting it revealed the illusion even more. Clean, mossy, with a faint aftertaste of the algae that caused its ruddy hue. She sighed, conflicted between disappointment and relief and beyond tired of this endless fight within herself.
Shaking droplets off her limbs, Maea returned to the tracks she had been following. A wolf had passed by recently, and she was tracking it back towards the den. Liz had suggested watching predators out of their hunting states, and now that she had confirmed the worst - or what had seemed to be, except for its staggering commonplace nature - she had to find out if there was something else to learn.
This season there should be pups, and plenty of food; hardly a more peaceful time of year for the animals. If there was anything to see at all, now was her chance.
Crouching low on light feet she stalked through the underbrush, rounded a pile off boulders and crossed to the other side of the river. From up ahead she could hear faint yips and snarls, the sound of paws treading the ground... and carefully, keeping herself downwind, she eased herself onto a tall rock, from which she could study the pack in all its shaggy, untamed glory. Just as expected there was a female with a litter of puppies, four that she could see, and three other adult individuals that either dozed in the afternoon sun or tumbled with the younglings. If she was surprised by anything, it was how peaceful it seemed. Nothing at all like the rumored cruelty or vicious savagery tales and rumors would have them to be. Mystified, Maea made herself comfortable and prepared to stay there for a good while.
RE: Take this body home - Dantalion - 04-30-2025
Searching for peace and contentment are foreign concepts for Danta, especially as of late, because these days those things rumble in his blood as if they were made for him and him alone. The Maverick of ages past might have scoffed at this version of himself, believing such a future to be a fantasy worthy of mockery and scorn, and to that Danta says: shut up and watch this.
Swooping into an effortless dive betwixt the branches of the Greatwood on the dark wings of a corvid, the ribbon of crimson below has caught his eye a few times on his flights across or through the region, but he's never had cause to investigate it further. Now, though, with Longheat brimming on the horizon and little to do with his afternoon other than find ways to fill it, the Hollowed Grounds' theocrat cuts smoothly into the Crimson Cataract, managing to splash through the hovering waters and out the other side.
Already shifted back into himself as he lands in a roll and a tumble on the grasses, Danta might be soaking wet, but he's still grinning to himself as he sits up, shaking his hair from his face and wiping at his eyes to see more clearly. It really is red, he realises, pulling bits of scarlet algae from his clothes before it can latch on too tightly. Somewhere behind him, he hears the startled movement of what appears to be a pack of wolves, not that the Maverick is much bothered.
Always hungry, but not nearly in the throes of bloodlust right now, he'll hold his own against the pack if they come to bother him, but he's just as content to live and let live today.
RE: Take this body home - Maea - 04-30-2025
The change in the behaviour of the wolves was instant, despite the source of their alarm not being apparent at first. In a heartbeat they went from lazy and lounging to tense, on high alert. Some command from the mother wolf had the pups scurrying back into the safety of the den, while the adults sprang to their feet, eyes combing the vegetation for a sign, a glimpse, a whiff of the intruder. Maea tensed too, afraid it was something she had done – but the wolves were looking away from her, towards a winding of the river. From her high vantage point she could see a figure standing where there had been none a moment ago. A tall, rangy looking fellow, fair haired and shockingly familiar.
A pang of mixed feelings hit Maea so suddenly that she sat up without thinking, staring wide eyed at the ancient. This might be the last place she had expected to see Danta. Was she... glad? Worried? For a bewildered moment she wondered if he was here to tell her to come back home - and immediately scoffed at how delusional of a thought that was. It was Danta, after all, and she had never heard him tell anyone to do anything. Except when he forbade her from setting foot in the Last Whisper.
Torn between slinking away before he could see or recognise her, and a rather painful longing to talk like they had, once, so very briefly, she sat frozen and simply stared at him, eerily still as though her Ascended days had taught her how to get by without breathing.
RE: Take this body home - Dantalion - 05-01-2025
Busy wringing the water from his shirt - a blue linen thing made darker by the waters of the Cataract - and turning to face the wolves suddenly on high alert, at first Danta doesn't realise that Maea is semi-accompanying them, so good a job does she do at freezing and fading into the background. Baring his teeth in a grin that may as well be a snarl, with his tail thrashing almost playfully at his heels, the Maverick turns to face off against the wolves, fire flickering at his heels and water dripping from his horns.
One is beginning to prowl forward when he finally notices the pale addition to their pack, and any amusement and loose enjoyment instantly drops from his expression and his body. Stiffening and straightening up properly, the peace and contentment of just a few moments earlier vanishes at the sight of Maea. [say]"Didn't realise you were hanging out with wolves now,"[/say] he says, sweeping his wet hair back behind his horns and acting as haughtily as a soaking wet slip of a man can.
[say]"I'll leave you to it,"[/say] he decides, clearly wanting no part of this.
RE: Take this body home - Serendipity - 05-01-2025
Was that a scream? Could they be in trouble?
Is it all in your head? Just your imagination?
Or something else altogether – because what if it’s true?
You’ve encountered a Will-O-Wisp. This counts as a common creature encounter for the purposes of levelling, but does not count as a Random Event for levelling or MP. There will be no further admin/re intervention. If you choose to follow this creature, you do so at your own risk, however, just having it in this thread is enough to satisfy your levelling requirements.
Will-O-Wisps (common): Glowing orbs of light that dance and weave between the branches, despite their usefulness, these creatures are not to be trusted. Mischievous and loyal to no one, they will lead travellers astray at a moment's notice.
RE: Take this body home - Maea - 05-01-2025
Any illusions of still being a welcome presence in the Grounds shattered as the Maverick noticed her. If she ever needed a visual representation of what a burned bridge looked like, there it was; the fact that he even deigned to speak to her at all was a small miracle.
It hurt. Like stinging nettles pressed against her heart, turning it raw and blistering. That it was well earned or her own fault did nothing to ease the sensation. If anything it just made it worse, as she had no one to lay blame on or look to for solutions but herself.
Perhaps she would have simply let him walk away, if it wasn't for the wisps. Like ghostly fireflies they winked into being in the shade, emerging around the Ancient man as if to point a neon sign towards the path she could be walking. Guides, mischief makers, so much like the missing piece of her own soul, their appearance and the subtle whispers coaxed her voice past the lump in her throat, before she'd fully realized she had anything to say.
[say]"Wait!"[/say] she called out, slipping and tumbling off the boulder. Maea staggered slightly as she landed on her feet, an ankle stinging as she twisted it slightly on the uneven ground. Then she caught up with herself, hesitating with a hand still lingering on the rock. Beneath her hand it felt cold, rough and unpolished... not dissimilar to herself. [say]"Please? I - I'd like to ask you something."[/say] She wanted to ask a great many things, as a matter of fact, but she didn't think he'd allow that. So of she could get just one, just once...
The wolves had scattered at the sound of their voices, but Maea still sensed their presence nearby. Golden eyes weighing down on the intruders, watching for openings to retake the space that was theirs, so suddenly invaded by these two-legs. From what she had seen so far, they possessed a wealth of patience, tolerance and capacity for forgiveness towards one another. Traits to admire, and emulate - traits she knew she had to cultivate if she ever wanted to get away from the corner she had painted herself into, regardless of the outcome of this unexpected encounter.
RE: Take this body home - Dantalion - 05-01-2025
Unlike Maea, Danta's experience of will-o-wisps is precisely zero, and as the blinking little lights and chirping voices begin to materialise nearby, he swats out a hand towards one automatically, like a cat being enticed to play. And were it not for the pale Ancient calling out to him, for better or worse he might well have followed the lights into the endless labyrinth of the Greatwood. Never to be seen again, perhaps? Or more likely just to be spat out somewhere entirely random.
Either way, with the wolves still circling, barely seen through the trees, as Maea's voice hits the air, Danta considers themselves mostly alone for now. Or at least, not actively being attacked or set upon. Not yet, and not by wolves. [say]"Oh?"[/say] His eyebrows raise and he turns back to face her, jaw feathering, hands clenched into careful fists. [say]"You want to ask me something?"[/say] he echoes - because of all the things he might have expected, a question isn't one of them.
[say]"What?"[/say] he asks.
RE: Take this body home - Maea - 05-01-2025
Her mind went utterly blank. So convinced that she would be ignored or brushed off was she that his question bounced around her head like a flipper ball. What, indeed? What could she ask that he could answer? How to change was something only she could answer. What made a good ancient was so irrelevant, it was laughable. Questions of ethics and morality weren't the thing you answered when you could barely stand looking at someone, and it wasn't actually what she wanted answered, either. Looking at Danta now, here in the middle of nowhere, it wasn't his reasons or comparisons or personal beliefs that she craved, but something much simpler and altogether more difficult.
[say]"That - I - "[/say] Stammering, she had to pause and try again, digging for courage, for honesty, for strength enough to bear the response whatever it would be. [say]"how... can I apologize - to Asta, and you - in a way that you would believe?"[/say] Ah, damn, her hands were shaking so bad. [say]"I realize... I've said 'sorry' so many times it probably doesn't mean anything anymore. So if there's anything I can do... What would you need from me?"[/say] Not to forgive. Not to accept her back into their lives, or even stop being angry, or - or anything like that. Just to believe her, and know that she meant it when she said she was trying to - willing to - change. To be a better, kinder, more open-minded person - all the things she thought she was, before Asta showed her the truth of that delusion.
RE: Take this body home - Dantalion - 05-02-2025
Raising his eyebrows expectantly when an answer isn't immediately forthcoming, as if wondering whether Maea has blurted out any old thing just to get him not to fuck off into the trees, Danta turns to face her fully, shoulders set, jaw clenched. And the question, when it comes, is both so obvious and yet so ludicrous that it takes him a second or two even to let it sink in. When it finally does, though? His laughter echoes around the clearing, mirthless and a little disbelieving.
[say]"For a start,"[/say] he says, tail lashing as his hands shove their way into his wet pockets, [say]"what if you didn't tell every person you fucking see that Asta's a dirty cannibal and that the Grounds is horrific for condoning it?"[/say] He raises his eyebrows.
[say]"Not that you ever bothered to ask for details, but that little incident at Longnight was a one-off, and it was done to keep you and other people safe. What he did was nothing compared to what I'd have done if I'd have gotten hold of that piece of shit. The rest of the time? He's got an agreement with the infirmary and all the people in it. Consenting. Above board. Or do you get to decide what other people do with their bodies, too? Because that makes you as bad as the man who tried to assault you."[/say]
As for the rest? Danta snorts, derisive and already fuelled by an anger that's been kept at bay for arguably too long. [say]"When it comes to Asta? I don't know. I don't speak for him, and I don't control him. If he ever decides to talk to you again, let alone believe your apology, that's between you and him."[/say] For Danta, though...
For Danta, maybe there is something, the Maverick letting his arms drop to his sides.
[say]"Fight me,"[/say] he says. [say]"Fight me the way you fought him back at Jack Tar Landing. I want you to realise exactly what you did that day, but against someone able to give as good as they get."[/say]
RE: Take this body home - Maea - 05-02-2025
She had had the decency to blush in the face of his rebuke, a slow, unmistakable flush of shame that crept up the neck and erased the cool pallor that often made her seem so detached. Sucking in a breath to argue back, caught herself before her tongue ran away with her (again) and let him finish before she tried to speak at all. A small hand clenched around the dark fabric of her trousers like it might keep her together.
[say]"When we did speak of it... the first time? my impression was that you wouldn't care, or do anything, even if he did make a habit of it."[/say] She swallowed, reaching for the glimmers of insight she'd gained into her own thoughts over the past seasons. [say]"I felt dismissed by him, and by you... like nothing I said would matter. Like I didn't matter. That's... probably why I didn't try. "[/say] And so she had taken what she'd seen, made a truth out of it without pausing to examine the facts, and let unprocessed fear take the wheel. Perhaps she hadn't shared the tale with quite as many as Danta made it sound like, and it had been shared only to make sense of a tangled situation when she needed to process it... But undeniaby she really had spoken of the matter, with names and no thought to the consequences. Dangerous... just the kind of careless behaviour she had accused Asta of.
[say]"I've been... an unmitigated hypocrite, an ass, and a fool,"[/say] Maea admitted, forcing herself to raise her head and meet Danta's gaze. To fully face the scorching derision within it, and finally attempt some actual accountability for her actions. That she'd come from a place of care towards others was nothing short of a lie. It was fear, plain and simple, that had been driving her, the result of avoiding unpleasant thoughts and emotions until they festered and took on a life of their own.
Something cold and unsettled lurched in her gut at the thrown gauntlet. A hint that she knew painfully well the extent of the injuries she had inflicted upon Asta (and he on her, which was completely irrelevant). At the same time... the karmic justice in it appealed to her. Here was true accountability, in its most visceral and tangible form.
[say]"Alright."[/say] Her jaw sett with determination, banishing all though of excuses, bargains, mitigating circumstances or ideas of ending cycles of violence. It could end after she'd tasted her own medicine. It could end when the men she had hurt were satisfied with her apologies. Wolves settled disputes with their teeth, too, and there was no reason why she shouldn't embrace that. [say]"Asta was launching himself at me. I shoved him back. He did not stop until he couldn't move anymore."[/say]
Taking a step forward, away from the support of the rock at her back, Maea shifted into the sleek form of the molten tiger. Steeling herself, she waited a moment to see if Dantaa too would shift.
RE: Take this body home - Dantalion - 05-03-2025
[say]"The first time, in my office, when we came to an agreement and you shared a drink with me?"[/say] Danta shakes his head. [say]"Let's not rewrite the past, Maea. We talked and things were fine. And then you pushed Asta to the edge at Jack Tar."[/say] However she might have felt outside of their conversations and all the tangled webs that were further knotted between their meetings, things had leapt from black to white in an instant for Danta.
And in the time since then - in all the ways he's changed, in the way he and Asta have become more to each other than he'd ever deemed possible - here Maea stands, exactly the same. An unmitigated hypocrite, an ass, and a fool. They might as well be repeating the conversation they'd had in the Temple all that time ago. The difference now, of course, is that he's not promised to behave himself.
[say]"Saying all those things doesn't excuse you from them, you know. You have to change for it to sound anything other than self-indulgent."[/say] He scowls.
And there is one change at least - she agrees to fight him, and that alone has his eyebrows raising, Danta cocking his head to the side and subtly adjusting his stance. [say]"I know,"[/say] he says sharply, of how the fight had gone. [say]"And a lot more than that besides."[/say]
She shifts into something pale and molten and deadly, and for a moment the Maverick has to consider his own actions. But some new and thrumming instinct purrs through his veins at the sight of the tigress, and it's with a roll of his shoulders that he follows suit. Unlike Maea's sleek, white form, Danta is a typical example of the shift, his orange paws digging into the soft earth, oozing something molten and metallic and black from his stripes.
Jaws opening to uncage a roar from his throat - one that has the surrounding wolves suddenly very free of wolves and any other wildlife, in fact, the Maverick wastes no time in launching himself at Maea.
RE: Take this body home - Maea - 05-03-2025
It was part of the problem with her, that she so often held back what she really thought and felt. That she would smile and toast to keep the peace while silently falling apart from a turn of phrase that may or may not have been intended the way she thought was just another way in which she withheld herself from those around her. Keeping herself at arm's length. Playing her cards close to her chest, just so no one could see something she wasn't alright with losing.
Turns out, that didn't get her anywhere. Not when connection was what she really craved. Turns out, you gutta trust to receive it, respect to get any, accept to be accepted... Turns out, it took two to tango. And she hadn't been showing up for any of the dances she'd thought herself involved in.
[say]"I'm not... meaning to change the past,"[/say] she replied, pained that he seemed to think her that kind of manipulative. If she was, it wasn't by intent, which... honestly made it worse, if that's how she'd been behaving. [say]"It's just how I remember it. What I realize now that I've been doing. Saying it out loud... I'm only trying to show myself the truth. So I can start doing things differently."[/say] Perhaps that really was self-indulgent. She just didn't know any other way of reflecting on what she'd done, or process what to do next. If this encounter was a mirror of their last conversation, then let this be the opportunity to prove to him - and herself - that she really meant to end it differently this time.
That being said... knowingly walking into a fight she wouldn't win was more than just a little frightening. With no guarantees that her life would be spared, it was all she could do to stand her ground when Danta shifted into a colorful reflection of herself, and immediately leaped at her. With the mound of boulders at her back, there was no running away. The only way out is through flashed through her mind, and then she was rearing up on her hind legs to do just what she had when Asta leaped for her. Putting strength behind it, her front legs extended to grab hold of the tiger and smack him back down, into the ground.
The last time she'd sparred Danta, she'd been far stronger than him, faster, more agile... but somehow, Maea rather thought that had changed since then.
RE: Take this body home - Dantalion - 05-03-2025
The reasoning bleeds away under a new set of instincts and an old, old fury - whatever Maea has said or hasn't said, whatever justifications either of them have made to get to this point, now it's just the thunder of blood in his ears and the way his teeth and claws want to sink into something. They clash in a blur of stripes and guttural roars, birds fleeing the branches that cage them overhead, and though Danta goes down, he doesn't intend to stay there.
It's true that he's stronger - much stronger than the last time they'd so much as mock-fought one another - but if there's anything the Maverick has learned from becoming stone and being brought back out of it, it's to always expect to be the underdog. (And he was one to begin with, so it's not as if the habit is unfamiliar). Twisting, lithe and powerful in this form that none of his others can manage, discounting the last resort he keeps tucked away, he aims to roll them, to pin Maea down instead, a large paw lifting to swipe at her for good measure.
RE: Take this body home - Maea - 05-03-2025
Her heart wasn't in it, with this fight. She wasn't angry, or panicked, or pushed into a corner. The things she had to prove mostly concerned herself, and the rest... it was sad, sorry, a disappointment at herself an acrid burn in her throat. But unlike that time when she faced Thalassa and wound up bailing from the spar, this time she didn't run from the unease. Her limbs felt numb and heavy, her reactions were slow, and it was hard to put the necessary force behind her motions, knowing it would end up hurting Danta. She did it, though. Anything else would be disrespectful.
Swift and agile, he managed to maneuver so that she ended up beneath him. Gathering her rear legs up, the tigress attempted to heave him off her so she could rise and face him head on again. The blow across her face rattled her brain, the world swimming in her vision until the distinction between them and the rest of the world faded.
No matter. She wouldn't have to care about anything else until this was over.