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+---- Thread: adjustment on a whole new level (/showthread.php?tid=12496)
adjustment on a whole new level - Grimm - 02-07-2026
If Grimm thought the Celestine was big before, it feels huge now. Whereas most would have assumed the fall would break the sanctuary apart or compress it, the cataclysmic event proves quite the opposite, stretching the space into separate levels and habitats requiring magical lifts or shifts to traverse. He hasn't even had a chance to fully explore the new aspects, too busy grumbling about needing help and directing the few people he's found that he's willing to put up with so far. Somewhat confident that the current selection of workers isn't going to kill anything or burn the place down (yet), Grimm takes to the skies and the floating platforms above.
It's like an open aviary filled with miniature enclosures dangling magically from the sky. Some contain large avians in rocky caverns, the scent of blood and gore indicating their carnivorous diets, while others are bright floral trees full of colorful feathers and lilting song. The spectrum is wide, but the Celestine provides, the air clear of smoke or danger for the creatures, Grimm included.
His wings catch the air current, guiding him between the various formations where his eyes scan, taking in the layout and scenery for later consideration, annoyed with the increased responsibility even as he's celebrating the creatures' new home and safe haven. Still, he has work to do, and he takes it one flap of his wings at a time, a begrudging protector fulfilling his duty.
RE: adjustment on a whole new level - Marcus - 02-08-2026
Marcus rode the wind in widening spirals, wings locked and steady as the updrafts curled off the broken ribs of Stormbreak. From above, the fallen islands looked like a shattered crown. Air threaded with hot, Longheat heavy fingers through his feathers, carrying the scents of rain, moss, and distant animals.
He did not have a memory to compare it to. No before-image. No story of what had stood proud and polished. Only this.
The Celestine revealed itself gradually beneath him, unfolding from sea into something vast. Not a cage, not a garden, per say, but a breathing expanse. Green poured across terraces and cliffs in layered canopies. Water flashed in silver ribbons between groves. The air above it trembled with calls and motion. His sharp eyes tracked a pair of antlered deer pacing the edge of a pond, a scaled creature sunning on warm rock, birds rising in synchronized bursts like thrown confetti.
Wonder struck him mid-flight, nearly breaking his rhythm. He tilted one wing and drifted lower, circling.
RE: adjustment on a whole new level - Grimm - 02-08-2026
Weaving through the floating exhibits, Grimm's sharp eagle sight catalogued the precise location and status of each variation of birds. He ensured that each habitat was in proper order with no threats or signs of damage from their recent descent. Some of the flocks still appeared rattled by the change, bristling when his shadow cast over them or the flap of his wings rustled the leaves. He made note of it for later, already brainstorming how he can help ease some of the stress from recent events.
After some time of assessing and analyzing the spaces, Grimm drifted down to the small cliff of a vacant lot. His talons clicked against the stone, his large wings brushing aside the last hold of air to tuck gently at his sides. He clicked his beak and shuffled his feet, settling comfortably to watch the world below, looking for further signs of disarray or distress.
Something immediately caught his eyes, suspicion making his head tilt as his gaze followed the bird that seemed out of place amongst the smaller avians, but he chose to observe for now, a predator waiting for the signal to strike.
RE: adjustment on a whole new level - Marcus - 02-09-2026
Marcus let the circle tighten, each pass lower than the last, until the thermals softened and the layered sounds of the Celestine separated into individual threads. He angled his feathers and dropped, landing in a controlled glide on a sun-warmed outcrop overlooking one of the wider enclosures.
His talons found purchase in the stone. He folded his wings with a careful shake, feathers settling back into place. Marcus hopped once, twice, down the rock face to a lower ledge. A cluster of bright-plumed birds burst upward at the motion, and he stilled immediately, lowering his head and loosening his posture. When they resettled, he resumed, slower.
A scaled creature shifted near the waterline, and Marcus leaned forward, curious, memorizing the set of its armor and the lazy blink of its inner lid. Focused, methodical, he worked his way along the perimeter—never once lifting his gaze high enough to catch the silent watcher above.
RE: adjustment on a whole new level - Grimm - 02-11-2026
His claws scraped against the stone as he watched the eagle hop and maneuver in a manner that didn't suggest instinct. The form was natural, but the gentle method with which it disrupted and calmed the small birds was not. Most winged creatures of that size would avoid their smaller, annoyingly bright cousins, preferring solidarity or the limited exposure brought with the hunt. And yet, this one didn't appear to be hunting, and Grimm became increasingly suspicious of the eagle.
Spreading his wings, he caught a ride on the wind to carry him closer, wind ruffling the brown and white plumage of his feathers to keep him aloft. He circled overhead the enclosure, his sharp gaze assessing as his gruff voice called out through the bond, [say]Who're you?[/say] A slow flap of his wings and he angled around again, careful not to disturb the birds below as the suspected intruder had. [say]Wha's your pu'pose 'ere?[/say] he asked, the depth of his voice sounding like the low grumble of a dangerous beast warning from the depths of a cave.
RE: adjustment on a whole new level - Marcus - 02-17-2026
Marcus had just shifted his weight to step again when the voice slid through the attuned bond. It boomed close, heavy, and was unmistakably directed at him.
He jolted. His wings snapped half-open on reflex, feathers flaring wide as he threw his head up. He turned in a tight, awkward pivot on the ledge, talons scraping stone, scanning until he found the larger eagle overhead. Marcus felt the authority and threat in the way he circled him immedately.
[say]Not hunting![/say] he sent back quickly, the mental voice steadier than the ripple of nerves in his body. [say]Just, uh, looking.[/say] The pause that followed was too long, too obviously constructed. He added, [say]I’m not here to take anything.[/say]
Defensive, and he knew it sounded that way. He tucked his wings in with visible effort, forcing them still instead of mantling. The training sat in his bones even if the shape was different. His head dipped once in a gesture that was half respect, half uncertainty, but his heart hammered in his chest as the list of ways he could get out if needed ran through his mind.
[say]My name is Marcus.[/say] The name went across the bond a touch awkwardly, like he wasn’t used to announcing himself this way. His gaze dropped briefly back to the sanctuary grounds, then flicked up again. He didn’t try to mirror the other eagle’s dominance display, and he wasn't sure he could do it convincingly anyway.
RE: adjustment on a whole new level - Grimm - 02-26-2026
The startled response didn't immediately scream 'innocent' in the eagle's favor. Grimm dipped barely closer, his head tilting at the odd answer of what the Attuned was not doing rather than what he was. There were plenty of reasons for people to visit, but he hadn't listed one. It increased the Caretaker's suspicion further, dark golden eyes narrowing to watch them closer as his voice darkened to ask, [say]Then why're ya 'ere?[/say]
Angling his body to catch another draft, he clenched and unclenched the talons dangling beneath him, as if considering the nervousness an act that might shift quickly. But as 'Marcus' introduced himself, Grimm became convinced that he was young and naive, the voice too timid and awkward to be from someone experienced. Although still on alert, his theories began to shift, his countenance calming somewhat as he declared, [say]'m the Caretake', Grimm.[/say] And yet he waited to approach, circling above until Marcus could gather enough wits to tell him why he was wandering through the avian exhibits.
RE: adjustment on a whole new level - Marcus - 03-01-2026
The weight of Grimm’s scrutiny pressed against him, and Marcus felt it in the set of his shoulders even as he forced himself to remain steady. He did not like being questioned from above, did not like the way the other eagle held the air as if it belonged to him. Still, he knew he hadn’t done anything wrong, and that certainty kept him from shrinking beneath it.
[say]Exploring.[/say] he answered, measured despite the faint thread of unease winding through him. His gaze drifted over the sanctuary again, tracing water and canopy and movement below. But he didnt let his eyes stray from the imposing eagle for long. Cerulean gaze turned back, watching. He shifted his footing, grounding himself in the stone rather than the tension in the air. The Olson hadn’t been pressing any lines on purpose, but there was something of a confidence in him that he believed he wasn’t doing anything wrong.
He tucked his wings tight against his sides. [say]Did you come with it from Stormbreak?[/say]
RE: adjustment on a whole new level - Grimm - 03-01-2026
The answer that finally came was only partially acceptable. Although believable, he didn't enjoy people just wandering aimlessly through the Celestine, disrupting the delicate ecosystems of the creatures. The colorful collection of smaller birds was finally starting to settle, but Marcus's sudden presence had caused a wave of panic through them and he didn't like that. He couldn't keep people from visiting and learning from what the Celestine had to offer, but he hoped they'd have the decency to respect the animals.
Finally dipping down from his circling, Grimm warned the birds gently of his approach and took a perch on a nearby cliff. [say]Foine, be mo' ca'ful nex' toime,[/say] he warned. His talons clicked against the rock, eyes scanning the habitat as he answered the question distractedly. [say]Mhm.[/say] The sound was confirming, but he didn't say anything more, settling his wings comfortably at his side - watching, waiting with a predatory instinct.
RE: adjustment on a whole new level - Marcus - 03-03-2026
Marcus found himself studying Grimm’s response as carefully as he had studied the sanctuary below. The other eagle carried authority easily, but there was something else threaded through it. It was restrained. He did not waste words. He did not offer explanation freely. It wasn’t the comfortable kind of silence that he often found himself in when he was with his father or Deimos, but a silence pulled tight between them in what Marcus wondered was an attempt to keep control of the situation.
Marcus shifted slightly on the ledge, talons scraping stone in a quiet, grounding sound. Was that what this was? Not suspicion for suspicion’s sake, but protection. Of the Celestine, of course as the Caretaker, but perhaps of himself too. Maybe the gruffness wasn’t hostility. Maybe it was habit. Maybe it was what you built around yourself when the world had fallen once already, and you intended to make sure it never did again. He recognized it from Ravenna. From the way she used her attitude to shield herself from pain and suffering, having had it laced so intricately through her history.
So Marcus released the small feeling of indignation that had started to bloom into something warmer, softer. No longer submissive, but kind in its truest form. [say]Are you doing ok?[/say]
RE: adjustment on a whole new level - Grimm - 03-04-2026
The birds settled under his watchful eyes, trusting him to keep them safe no matter what threat might linger nearby. It was a sense he still had to get used to. He'd spent very little of his life protecting people, and even less having them trust him to do so. But these birds knew him as all the creatures of the Celestine did - a Caretaker who would do everything in his power to keep them from harm. He may not be soft or kind, but they'd come to accept his gruff nature in exchange for the healing and safe haven, and he'd come to accept his responsibility to oversee their wellbeing.
Marcus's question had him glancing at the eagle from the corner of his eye, not bothering to fully look away from his wards as he grumbled, [say]Wasn' miy 'ome.[/say] The loss of Stormbreak had bothered him as much as the loss of a local brewery. His usually watering hole and sparring ring had been lost to the waters, but he'd held no sentimental attachment to the city.
Tapping his talon sharply against the stone, his golden eyes narrowed. [say]Did maike mo'e work fo' me.[/say] Grimm had been forced to hire on workers to manage the smaller tasks, unable to attend to every animal or plant within the expanded Celestine. It had made for significantly more logistical nonsense than before, something that never failed to find new and creative ways to give him headaches.
RE: adjustment on a whole new level - Marcus - 03-08-2026
His sharp gaze lingered on the other eagle as Grimm spoke. The response was blunt, but Marcus had asked the question knowing he might receive exactly that. Not everyone wanted their wounds examined, even gently. He inclined his head slightly when Grimm finished, accepting it for what it was. [say]Fair enough.[/say] Marcus sent back after a moment. There was no challenge in the words now, only a quiet understanding. Not everyone mourned the same things, and not everyone spoke about the burdens they carried. He knew, though, if Halo fell, his whole life would be shattered.
His eyes drifted once more over the Celestine, tracing the restless movement of wings and the careful balance of life below. [say]Sounds like you’ve got enough on your plate without worrying about me.[/say] He said, the tone lighter now, apologetic as he had been before. [say]I won’t keep bothering you.[/say] He shifted his weight forward, wings spreading slowly as warm air slid beneath the broad span of feathers. For a brief second he balanced at the edge of the rock, feeling the pull of the sky again.
The drop lasted only a heartbeat before the wind caught him. He banked away from the cliffs and the sanctuary, climbing back into open air, leaving Grimm and the Celestine.
FIN