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+---- Thread: we grew nettles and thorns (/showthread.php?tid=11298)
we grew nettles and thorns - Melita - 05-09-2025
[say]“This is going to shock you,”[/say] she’d started, humming a little to indicate it actually wasn’t a big deal. [say]“But I need to get more rocks. And some ore.”[/say] So trudging up Apopo didn’t sound too awful, though Melita had long since lifted her hair into a makeshift bun so the sweat didn’t cling too rapidly to all the crimson curls and strands. Lifting her foot amidst the soil, and swinging her back over shoulder, she continued climbing upwards with Flora, only occasionally glancing over to the site of the volcano – because, while detrimental to their health, the Honeybee always thought it was neat.
Fangorn seemed wholly unbothered, whipping his vines back and forth as he bobbed around the slight knolls, and Sila was long since adrift in the warmer thermals, content to keep climbing upwards. The Honeybee glanced over her shoulder back at the Queen, contemplating other subject lines. It wouldn't be Jack, nor any of the other relationship dilemmas circumventing through. [say]“So, your new boat. Have you figured out how fast it can go yet?”[/say]
RE: we grew nettles and thorns - Flora - 05-09-2025
[say]"Oh my gods"[/say] Flora groans, dramatically dragging her heels through the dirt like each step might be her last. [say]"Why is it always rocks???"[/say] Despite her protests, she keeps pace—just with the mournful air of someone who believes she was destined for chaise lounges and cocktails, not trudging up a volcano for more fucking rocks.
Thankfully, Spice is with her, the little dragon flitting around her shoulders like a snowflake caught in summer, exhaling a constant cool mist that keeps the worst of the Apopo heat from making her hair frizz into oblivion. [say]"You are my only salvation,"[/say] she tells the dragon seriously, tilting her face into the frosty breath with a blissed-out sigh.
At Melita’s question, she perks up slightly, nudging a small rock off the path with the toe of her sandal. [say]"The Sugar Tide,"[/say] she announces, like she’s unveiling a royal proclamation. [say]"That’s her name. The one time I tried to open her up, it was so dark I could barely see past the bow, and I bailed before it got really dangerous."[/say]
Then, turning toward Melita with a grin and a gleam in her eye, she says, [say]"Wanna race sometime? You’d win, obviously, but it’d be fun. Plus we could make everyone bet on us and then split the winnings."[/say]
RE: we grew nettles and thorns - Melita - 05-10-2025
[say]“Seems like they’re easy to get and you can do a shit ton with ‘em?”[/say] By way of logical explanations, which Melita was often short on, but willing to go to bat for her favored stones. But yeah – it did seem the deities revered them for certain obligations. Maybe they also enjoyed shiny objects. The Honeybee wouldn’t blame them.
Opting to hop along at her usual content pace, and with Fangorn occasionally swinging his vines around as another rock was found, the smuggler would pause and collect it in her bucket. Listening to Flora’s answer though gave her more than a pause, grin widening at the potential parameters of brazen and ridiculous antics. [say]“Ooh, yeah. I wonder if you could get some magical lighting in it.”[/say] Rigged right at the front so everyone on board would always be able to see. She’d be more likely to be spotted herself, but maybe Flora didn’t mind that.
[say]“And obviously. I just beat Hadama at chicken the other day,”[/say] with a casual handwave, because it was fun and she’d one hundred percent do it again. Bets and winnings sounded even better.
RE: we grew nettles and thorns - Flora - 05-11-2025
Flora scoffs, dragging a hand across her forehead like the long-suffering heroine in a tragedy about lava and poor choices. [say]"Ugh, no, don’t you dare make this sound reasonable. I refuse to believe rocks are anything but divine punishment for something Torchline did before we were even born."[/say] Still, her hands move on autopilot, fingers plucking the right kind of stone with the instinct of someone who’s done this too many damn times for someone of her social standing. With the air of a queen flinging gold to the masses, she lobs each rock into Melita’s bucket without so much as breaking stride.
At the idea of magical lighting, she perks up, though her grin turns sly. [say]"Actually,"[/say] she says, [say]"I was thinking the opposite. You know how I can turn invisible, right?"[/say] She vaguely waggles the hand with the ring on it that allowed for such things. [say]"Well, I figured... why not the ship too? I don’t need stealth, but when has being invisible not been useful?"[/say]
At the mention of Hadama, Flora cackles, nearly tripping over a root in her glee. [say]"You what? How do you even play chicken with Hadama? Was it underwater?"[/say] But then how would the Firecracker have been involved?
Grinning wide, she bumps their shoulders together. [say]"Okay, but seriously. What’s your quest even for?"[/say]
RE: we grew nettles and thorns - Melita - 05-11-2025
[say]“I won’t invite you to see my rock collection then,”[/say] Melita shook her head, but granted a grin just the same; half-joking (though she really did have some neat stones). Plucking more of the earthen fixtures from the soil, she examined several very obsidian-like portions, before placing them in the bucket, listening to the metallic echo rattling around until they settled.
As for the ideas of invisible boats, Melita’s mouth rounded into an O of surprise, and then curled back into devious quandaries with a vague clap of her hands. [say]“Yes. That would be perfect. You’d have to avoid others, but pff, that can be done.” [/say]Especially if the captain wasn’t going at maximum speed, but eh.
Picking more, and then watching Fangorn and Sila each contribute again, she laughed. [say]“Nah it was during the whole ‘let’s put rocks here’ campaign again. He had a boat – I think he really was going to try and outspeed me,”[/say] placing a hand on her chest for emphasis, but jocular motions too. She was certain Isla enjoyed the ride too. [say]“Oh, I’m putting cannons on ‘er." [/say] i.e. Gonna fuck a lot of shit up.
RE: we grew nettles and thorns - Flora - 05-12-2025
Flora snorts, rolling her eyes like she might fling them straight into the crater below at the mention of the Honeybee's rock collection. Still, the grin she throws her friend is fond and mischievous, especially as another stone clunks into the bucket with unnecessary flourish.
At the mention of having to avoid others while sailing an invisible ship, she groans dramatically, flinging her arms wide as if the gods themselves might witness her suffering. [say]"Fuck, that's a good point. I lost the wind the other day and was just drifting, right? And who nearly runs me over?"[/say] She doesn’t wait for an answer, already lifting her brows with incredulous emphasis.
Her curls bounce as she shakes her head, expression caught somewhere between exasperation and amusement. [say]"I mean, I was literally just lying there. No wind, sails slack, getting a tan. And suddenly whoosh, angry ex's and self-loathing bearing down on me at forty knots, and there's no way Murph didn't see me."[/say]
She huffs, sending another rock flying into Mel’s bucket like a missile. [say]"So yeah, maybe I need a backup for invisibility if I'm already getting run into when they can see me from miles away."[/say] Assholes.
As for Hadama, Flora eyes her friend like she’s been tricked into a fever dream. [say]"Are you sure it wasn’t a mirage? A trick of the light? I can’t even picture him playing chicken, let alone doing something like racing. I always figured if you handed him a water gun, he’d just sigh and give you a lecture about regional aquatic etiquette."[/say]
But at the mention of cannons, Flora lights up. [say]"Shut up."[/say] She bends to snatch up a particularly shiny stone, inspecting it before dropping it reverently into Melita’s bucket. [say]"I will collect every rock on this damn volcano if that’s the plan. That's epic. How many do you think you'll need?"[/say]
RE: we grew nettles and thorns - Melita - 05-12-2025
Listen, some of the rocks were really cool there – like some from the Crimson Cataract, all blood red and freaky –
Anyway.
Melita hadn’t anticipated the impending story, so when she swung another handful of rocks, they missed the bucket in her surprise, and then she had to pretend like it’d been purposeful when she swung her gaze to meet Flora’s again. Balls, that sounded like a whole unfortunate scenario, and she grit and clenched her teeth for her friend. [say]“So he just did that shit on purpose?”[/say] She could ask why, but knowing Jack, it truly was just for vengeful, spiteful notions. Which she regularly employed on other days, but that was beside the point. [say]“Or you get stuff so you can shoot him too.”[/say] She shrugged, liking both options.
The scenario with Hadama had been bizarre, but then again, the Honeybee was always ready to make anything a challenge. [say]“I was shocked too,”[/say] but not long enough to think through anything beyond the impulse of winning. [say]“Like the lectures about the mantas?”[/say] She grinned again, ensuring all the rocks from this toss landed, and then proceeded onwards.
But invigorated by her friend’s shared enthusiasm for blowing things up, she gave another Cheshire smile, all potential lances and maelstroms. [say]“Probably a shit ton, but I figure we fill these buckets up and call it good.” [/say]
RE: we grew nettles and thorns - Flora - 05-13-2025
Flora’s eyes go wide—scandalized wide—as she nods, hair bouncing like each curl has its own opinion. [say]"Oh, he absolutely did,"[/say] she huffs. [say]"Dropped a line and just slid down onto my deck like it was still his, before having Bassian throw all my shit down to me."[/say] The next sigh that escapes her is sharper than it should be, more breath than sound, then she grins, too bright, too sharp. [say]"So yes. I think the option where I get to shoot him is sounding better by the second."[/say]
She bends to snag another stone and tosses it into Mel’s bucket with unnecessary flourish. [say]"Though I probably need to not suck at flying first. Kinda hard to shoot the Ark if I’m crashing every time I hit the accelerator."[/say]
At the mention of Hadama’s manta lectures, she snorts, grinning sidelong at her friend. [say]"Exactly that energy. Every time we meet about the canals, it turns into a whole TED talk about regional biodiversity and silt displacement."[/say]
Winking, she resumes lobbing rocks with casual precision, bobbing her head in agreement at Mel’s chosen measurement. [say]"Right. One shit-ton it is."[/say]
RE: we grew nettles and thorns - Melita - 05-13-2025
Having known Jack for as long as she did, at least on employee and boss basis, Melita should’ve figured the petty ex rounds were incoming. But maybe she just figured, with all that relationship stuff they’d gone through, he wouldn’t be quite so shitty. She’d been very wrong, obviously, based on Flora’s story, eyes also going comically wide before she gave a huff of a breath, chucking another rock in with a little more force behind it. [say]“It probably won’t solve anything, but it'd feel pretty good for a second.”[/say] Unless the Doubletake went for the heart or the head, or even his balls, but eh.
As for flying better, she tilted her head. [say]“I could help, but honestly all I do is go fast and suck at landing.”[/say] Which was an honest admission, shrugging her shoulders through it. [say]“But there’s a lot of open water to try it on, and some nicer shores that maybe the Ark won’t be in.”[/say] Unless he was intentionally following her, which she wouldn’t put past the Captain.
Hadama’s manta lectures, and then the other portions revealed, made Melita wonder if this was some new kind of torture device. [say]“Gods all mighty – no thank you. What do you say in response?”[/say] Maybe she informed him of all her relationship drama. She couldn’t see him sitting through that willingly. Then she chucked another pile of rocks into the bucket, noticing how it was nearly to the brim with some sublime satisfaction.
RE: we grew nettles and thorns - Flora - 05-13-2025
Flora huffs, scowling in mock-agreement as she fires another stone into the bucket like it personally insulted her. [say]"Oh, one hundred percent. I’ll try to give you a heads up if I decide to take the shot,"[/say] she says brightly. [say]"That way if I get straight-up murdered for it, you can at least give a super dramatic retelling at my funeral."[/say]
Melita’s offer about flight practice has her humming thoughtfully as she adds another chunk of volcanic glass to the bucket. [say]"Open water sounds perfect,"[/SAY] she agrees, mentally filing away a few coastal spots she could test the Sugar Tide's limits at—preferably ones not directly under the Ark’s shadow.
At the mention of Hadama’s lectures, Flora just grins, the picture of royal irresponsibility. [say]"Oh, I just nod solemnly and tell him I’ll get people on it...I never do, though."[/say] She tosses one last gleaming rock into the near-brimming bucket and dusts her hands like the task has been some grand, mythical trial. [say]"Alright. That looks like one shit-ton to me, what about you?"[/say]
RE: we grew nettles and thorns - Melita - 05-13-2025
[say]“Of course. I’d be happy to oblige,”[/say] she winked, clearly not intending for Flora’s impromptu exit from the world again. Give him hell was there in her grin regardless, a round of support for the maelstrom to follow, if Flora ever got the opportunity.
Wrinkling her nose again at the mere notions of regional biodiversity (her soul would probably leave her body again if she’d ever have to listen to that – or at the very least, completely disassociate), she did laugh at the exchange. Thereafter though, the piles of stones had filled away in the buckets and pails, leaving exactly that damned shit-ton amount. [say]“This is perfect. I’ll call on you anytime for rock collecting,”[/say] and she blew a raspberry in the Doubletake’s direction, just for the impending dramatic reaction. [say]“Thank you for the help though. I really do appreciate it.”[/say]
Maybe Melita would even let Flora fire said cannons when they got the chance.
[FIN]