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+---- Thread: [SE] Keep on gettin' myself burned, you'd think I'd quit chasing the sun (/showthread.php?tid=12602)
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Keep on gettin' myself burned, you'd think I'd quit chasing the sun - Colt - 03-04-2026
Despite the dreary blanket overhead that’s freckling the world wet, the bright colors of the road persist. It’s a small rebellion, shining amid a storm, but struggles are not easily measured in size. She admires the walkway and its potency to resist being washed away and muted, and that’s when she knows she’s not well. Comparing herself to the bravery of an inanimate object and found herself wanting, and perhaps this has always been where rock bottom is, wedged in the grout of a colorful street.
Sighing, Colt flicks the ash of her cigarette off to the side, lips frowning around the filter when she plops it back against the corner of her mouth. [say]”This is just pathetic,”[/say] she grumbles to herself, which she doesn’t even try to hide with some animal at her side as a conversationalist this time. Just her, and the road.
Sweeping her hands into the pockets of her dark duster, she wrestles a seat from a curb and sits with her knees propped up in a sharp angle. She pulls one hand free, tilting her hat off and flicking away the water collected there, then turns it over a few times in her hand. She busies herself smudging minor flaws out, but it’s not real, just a distraction from the reality of where she’s at.
RE: Keep on gettin' myself burned, you'd think I'd quit chasing the sun - Thalassa - 03-04-2026
As someone who is perpetually by the ocean and wet more often than she'd care to admit, Thal is probably one of the few Ancients who doesn't mind the rain so long as it's not frigid cold. And lucky for her, Torchline is rarely cold, so as she walks the Rainbow Road, it's with a confident and comfortable casualness, fire flicking and sizzling where it weaves through her fingertips.
Despite the downpours and dreary skies, work doesn't stop for opportunists like herself. She'd come to meet a prospective client who was interested in some rare gems she'd found in a sunken chest a few months back. But he'd chuckled and asked her to bring the Captain next time. She hadn't heard anything else he'd had to say- and neither would anyone else ever again.
Blood dries and flakes from her fingertips as she hums to herself, satisfied with the trip even if it hadn't turned out the way she'd expected. It's probably better this way. One less misogynist in the world.
The geyser in front of her falls away in a shower of rainbow mist to reveal a depressing figure ahead. Thal tenses at first, always suspicious of strangers in stranger places. Her eyes narrow while the soft pad of her footsteps slow, scrutinizing the odd shapes that take form: blonde hair, muted smoke, a ranchers hat. Recognition passes, the adrenaline settling in light of the sad excuse for an adversary. Thal doesn't quiet the wet pad of her boots when she approaches, tail and fire mirroring each other in a silent, playful dance. Her voice is a lilting melody, a siren calling out sweetly to those stranded ashore. [Say]"Lost, cowgirl?"[/say] A fanged, teasing grin spreads across her face, eyes shimmering in the dim light of the rain to land on Colt in her sorry state.
RE: Keep on gettin' myself burned, you'd think I'd quit chasing the sun - Colt - 03-11-2026
Not paying much mind to the passing ons around her, figuring she'll be easily offered the same amount of attention and rather preferring it that way, she doesn't register the nearing footsteps and how they slow. She's dimly aware there's a figure nearing, her peripherals catching the motion, but it's not until the greeting lands that Colt's focus shifts from hat to ancient. Her cigarette is competing with the moisture in the air, cherry glow more like a muted brick, but it lights up suddenly as Colt inhales deeply.
[say]"Hey blondie,"[/say] she returns from the corner of her mouth, smoke soon streaming free after it as her exhale deepens beyond words. Despite herself, a flicker of a smile tugs into place on one edge as she tips her hat back on. [say]"Why, you peddlin' maps these days?"[/say] Her smile deepens. [say]"Lost, sure. That's a word for it. I've been calling it ruined, but yours has a better face to it. Sounds dreamier."[/say] Her hand has claimed her cigarette, the tattooed fingers seating around the filter nicely, riding it around the air as she talks, faint trails of smoke billowing after it.
RE: Keep on gettin' myself burned, you'd think I'd quit chasing the sun - Thalassa - 03-13-2026
The greeting isn't as biting as she'd expect, muted in comparison to what she's come to associate with the rancher. There's no insult or cocky grin beyond the slip of a smile and casual question that contain none of her usual energy. Intrigue flashes in Thal's eyes as she gets close enough to smell the damp scent of smoke. Her own fire trails through her fingers, sizzling as it eliminates the last bit of evidence.
[say]"Not unless they lead to treasure."[/say] It's true that her cabin is covered in maps, but they're useless for anyone unfamiliar with the currents of the ocean, written in a code that few could understand. On the rare occasion she finds a treasure map, she'll claim it for herself (if there's anything left to claim) then pawn it off to some overly ambitious pompous ass who thinks they can turn rich in an afternoon.
But Colt doesn't seem to be looking for treasure, and she's a long way off from looking ambitious right now. In fact, she's spouting some depressing shit that threatens to be more stifling than the smoke she blows into the air. Thal can't help the raise in her eyebrow, curious and somewhat accusatory when she says, [say]"You didn't strike me as the wallowing type."[/say]
RE: Keep on gettin' myself burned, you'd think I'd quit chasing the sun - Serendipity - 03-13-2026
Overhead the sky begins to moan and rumble, a cacophony of voices that seems to echo right through your bones. The choir of screams grows loud and unruly, rising to a fever pitch without end...
And then nothing. Gone in the purring of a distant storm, vanished as if the thunder existed only in your mind. The silence it leaves is almost worse.
You have encountered one of the Scream Rain SE serendipities! You may use this to complete requirement 1. of the seasonal event. Please note: this serendipity CANNOT be used for levelling purposes.
RE: Keep on gettin' myself burned, you'd think I'd quit chasing the sun - Colt - 03-14-2026
The funny thing about losing everything is that Colt feels light. Maybe that’s what having so much ripped out of you always feels like. It’s an emptiness that threatens to float her away with a strong enough breeze. In the past, any bit of her that’d been carved away, that always felt heavy. Almost as if it’d drag her down and pull her under if she didn’t fight back tooth and nail. She had something left to fight for all those times. Now? There’s nothing waitin’ for her back in King’s End, not really, so no reason to hurry on home and not sit on the side of the road in Torchline. In fact, some could say she’s avoiding heading back at all, where the reality of her situation stares back at her, and all the people hand out apologies to her like understanding suffering is enough to help her through it.
Flocking away her ash, Colt glances between her feet and simply says, [say]”I’m not wallowing.”[/say] She is, in fact, an expert wallower. She just normally does it in private, or tucks it into some sort of vice or another generally deemed publicly acceptable, especially drink where she could get halfway back to fun. Always inclined to put up a fight when being accused of an unfavorable truth, as if out of sheer spite, she’d do the opposite just to prove someone else wrong, she doesn’t immediately agree.
Instead, Colt glances around, as if searching for something. An answer maybe, out there in the mist. Her hand rides the cigarette around with her gaze as she gestures at the general vicinity, as if the picture should be clear to Thal. [say]”I’m… admiring.”[/say] She finally settles on the word, and nods after it, as if tasting a freshly poured drink rather than a dressed up truth. [say]”The road’s pretty, even when the surroundings are shit.”[/say] This is not a wild, energetic storm, this is a dreary cloud cover and miserable mist. Or, it had been, but it’d clearly been building into something more.
The sudden shriek across the sky makes Colt jump on the spot, her head whipping up and around, cigarette dropped from her limp hold. [say]”The fuck was that?!”[/say]
RE: Keep on gettin' myself burned, you'd think I'd quit chasing the sun - Thalassa - 03-14-2026
Her eyebrow doesn't lower, daring Colt to feed her something that isn't bullshit. [say]"Mmhmm."[/say] She draws out the syllables and pops a hip where she stands over her, clearly unconvinced. Her tail waves tauntingly behind her. [say]"Is that why you're in Torchline? To look at a road?"[/say] Thal would have thought she'd be at her ranch or holing up somewhere in King's End, especially if she's too depressed to make an effort.
Still watching the woman, the rain shifts and rumbles in a familiar cadence that has Thal bracing for the impact. When it hits, the screams echo through her head like pathetic attempts at making cats into a musical. She rides it out like her ship through a storm, sighing as it dissipates back to the unexciting patter of rain.
Colt's reaction isn't quite as contained, and Thal watches with no attempt to disguise her amusement. [say]"Oh? You haven't heard the lovely screaming rain this season? It's been all the rage. Maybe you've been too busy wallowing to notice."[/say] She flashes Colt a cheeky grin.
RE: Keep on gettin' myself burned, you'd think I'd quit chasing the sun - Colt - 03-14-2026
The branch of lightning flashes and fades, and the pealing horror of screams goes with it, fading into what seems like an ordinary storm and leaving Colt briefly wondering if she has fully fucking lost it. This feeling isn't helped when Thal barely blinks at it, but at least she acknowledges it happened. With her spine ramrod straight, Colt swings her gaze back towards Thal and the offer of an explanation. Her expression of concern immediately dissolves at the continued ribbing, the air deflating from her in a long scoff, and all her rigidity with it. [say]"I fucking hate it."[/say] The rain, that is, although her shitlist has a noticeable length to it. Scream rain is just the latest addition.
Glancing down at where her cigarette lies in a collection of water and dirt, steadily getting soggier and soggier, she sighs. [say]"I'm in Torchline to sell most of my business,"[/say] she mutters to Thal, a bitterness coloring the explanation. [say]"The road is a plus."[/say] A bit too colorful for her tastes, truth be told, but she could appreciate it for what it is, especially this first time really seeing it. All her past visits to Torchline stayed close to the trading areas generally, but it's nice to see a different side of Frey here.
[say]"Ranch burned down,"[/say] she offers up, flicking out the words quickly, a bit of a grimace closing behind them. [say]"It's all gone. Everything."[/say] She's let her gaze stay trained on the shiny stones, but at last she glances back towards Thal. She doesn't look for anything from the ancient, just offers up the hard truth as the intensity of her expression solidifies what she means. [say]"Came here to sell off most the herds. Been thinking about what's next now."[/say] Day by day is fine, but the day's been damn long it feels like.
RE: Keep on gettin' myself burned, you'd think I'd quit chasing the sun - Thalassa - 03-14-2026
Scoffing, Thal shrugs her shoulders. [say]"I don't think anyone's supposed to like it."[/say] Except perhaps psychopaths who use screams like lullabies - and she didn't think many of those existed here. Too many demigods with high morals to let people get away with that kind of chaos.
Colt's declaration doesn't clarify much for her, especially when it doesn't explain the depressing mood; at least not until she gets to the part about her ranch burning down. Then it all clicks into place. The moping and wallowing and reek of despair. The woman has lost her entire livelihood - no wonder she's smoking cigarettes alone in the rain. Some of the enjoyment is leached from her. The teasing doesn't seem nearly as fun anymore, not when Colt isn't in any state to bite back.
Pursing her lips, she pulls an annoyed breath. [say]"Ah. Heard a rumor about that. Didn't know it was yours."[/say] There's no pity in her voice - Thal doesn't do pity - but there's a flatness to it and her tail flicks as she steps forward. She takes a seat next to Colt, not even bothering to look at her when she does so.
[say]"Any idea who did it?"[/say] The question is casual, professionally dark as she continues, [say]"Cause I've got a dagger with their name on it."[/say] Said dagger flashes in the murky light between them, silver and sharper than the glint in her eyes. [say]"Or I can show them the same treatment they showed your ranch."[/say] The dagger is suddenly engulfed in flames that flare hot and bright before vanishing just as quickly. The heat lingers along with an offer for Colt that not many others would receive, one that Thal wouldn't be caught dead admitting to - or the bit of emotion buried beneath the threat.
RE: Keep on gettin' myself burned, you'd think I'd quit chasing the sun - Colt - 03-14-2026
Admittedly, most things in life, weather included, don't seem designed around her tastes or those of most people. So Thal certainly has a point there, and Colt can't keep back the tug of a smile at that blatant truth. It is what it is, so deal with it. An attitude Colt doesn't usually need reminding of, but then she's never felt like such a husk of her usual self.
Her brows pinch in and her chin drops in the subtlest nod in response to Thal having heard the rumor. Another sign to her then that gossip had spread, although as it tends to, it stretches out from the truth the further it goes. [say]"One and the same,"[/say] she murmurs, lips thinning with the distaste of it all. She glances down to ensure there's a clean and dry section for Thal to sit as she starts to descend, and the quiet offering of the company is better than any sort of sorry she might have handed over otherwise.
As for the whodunit, Colt can't keep back the short, dry laugh. [say]"Yeah,"[/say] she drawls, rolling her tongue in her cheek with the displeasure of it not being someone she could target, else she'd not be sitting here on a curb. [say]"The weather."[/say] She glances back up at the cloudy sky, as if the accusor could be spotted amid the clouds. [say]"Not sure your daggers can kill unnaturally hot temperatures after unnaturally big rains."[/say] She smooths a palm down one of her thighs, pulling the denim taut, though the movement's really to feel the pressure and ground herself in it. [say]"We always get fires in King's End, but usually this time of year,"[/say] she explains. [say]"Lightning storms, usually. All the grass grew like crazy with the rain and the mud, so then with Tanau drying it all up... fires popped up everywhere."[/say] Hers was not the only thing to burn, she knew that much. [say]"So many at once, so late in the season too, everyone'd used up all their resources on other fire fights. Doesn't take long, once it starts, it spreads so fast."[/say]
She appreciates the offer though, for mayhem and revenge, and wishes she had something as solid as that to sink her teeth into. [say]"Could maybe start a charcoal business now,"[/say] she attempts, the humor as weak as the breath she offers it on.
RE: Keep on gettin' myself burned, you'd think I'd quit chasing the sun - Thalassa - 03-15-2026
She's already too wet to care if she's sitting in a puddle or not. In fact, it might distract her from the annoying bit of sympathy trying to make an unwelcome appearance on her face. Violence is easier. But revenge against 'the weather' isn't easy. She can't make longheat apologize to Colt, or fire's uncanny ability to devour everything in an instant.
Her eyes narrow, considering a geyser that bursts a few feet in front of them. [say]"No, but gods can die, right?"[/say] She flicks her dagger, catching it casually by the tip then the handle again before inspecting the glint of metal. [say]"Might need a bigger dagger for that though."[/say] Dygra would probably have something. She might even like the idea of taking on another deity.
Thal, on the other hand, has recently learned to be more careful about who she picks fights with, and she follows Colt on her thoughts for a new path. Her nose wrinkles her distaste of the first idea, shifting into a teasing smirk as she suggests, [say]"Or you could always give sailing a try. I could make a decent pirate out of you yet."[/say] She's got the guts for it if Thal can convince her to get over the whole 'being on the ocean' part.
RE: Keep on gettin' myself burned, you'd think I'd quit chasing the sun - Colt - 03-16-2026
The question that Thal poses catches Colt off guard enough that she twists in her seat to better behold the ancient. She blinks away the startling show of loyalty, the dew collected in her lashes giving a brightness back to her eyes that could rival the stones of this road. [say]"I'm guessing you don't let anyone ever make it onto your bad side?"[/say] Colt wonders with a huff of a laugh, shaking her head at the ridiculous notion of taking on Tanau for this, much as an unbidden streak of thrill at that idea rollicks through her. It's one thing to offer up an attack on behalf of her, but a willingness to face a god, even if only in show, is a bold claim to make. She can't imagine who makes it past affronting Thal directly. Colt tucks it all away into the shape of her smile, grateful.
She glances back out at the screaming sky as another streak of lightning daggers across it with a frightening display. Her shoulders only lurch up slightly this time, but she still feels it echo through her teeth. [say]"I do still owe you a day on sea,"[/say] she muses, the humor deepening even if she has not true intention of fulfilling that little arrangement. [say]"Such a shame you never got to be a cowpoke for a day,"[/say] Colt drawls, the words slipping sideways out her mouth. She glances sidelong at the ancient, if only to capture the look of distaste she's sure to find there.
[say]"Although,"[/say] she hums, head tilting back straight as she peers across the road to a distant horizon line. [say]"I am considering doing something a little wild. I keep thinking about it, but I keep coming back to it, even though it seems... crazy."[/say] She's slept on it for a few nights now, and has let it slip like a secret note to a few people, testing the yield or the balk like a new horse to a bit. She knew from the start she couldn't do it alone, but Deimos had been the first to tell it to her plain, and she doesn't disagree that she might be able to dream and scheme just fine on her own, but if everyone found her deluded, that's all they'd remain. [say]"I think Hak Etme might be worth turning into something. You ever been?"[/say]
RE: Keep on gettin' myself burned, you'd think I'd quit chasing the sun - Thalassa - 03-18-2026
Colt might not have realized it, but she's annoyingly likeable for someone like Thal, and after their stupid night of drunken bonding and friendly fights, she's earned the rare status of 'friend' in the Ancient's mind. For better or worse, she's stuck with it now, and that comes with a lifetime subscription to Thal's questionable means of support.
Her grin is sharp and wickedly proud of the question, fangs flashing like an extra set of daggers. [say]"They're welcome to - they just won't like it, and it won't last long."[/say] Unless she wants to prolong the suffering, in which case, they'd probably like that even less. She likes it though. It's fun to just let loose.
Blue eyes flicker to the sky then back to Colt, humming her agreement to the owed outing through a small smirk, fingers continuing to flip the dagger in her grasp. Her voice is thick with a playful sarcasm, twisting the disappointment into humor when she drawls, [say]"Such a pity."[/say] She'd gotten out of her own unwanted field trip, but the rancher won't get out of hers that easily. Unless her ship meets a similar fate, she's determined to get Colt on her ship one way or another.
The mention of something 'wild' and 'crazy' certainly draws her attention, eyebrow raising over her intrigued gaze. Her body leans forward subconsciously, the flicking of her dagger pausing with anticipation of something insane and exciting. She offers a hum of permission to continue, immediately laughing when it proves to be a different kind of crazy. [say]"A few times."[/say] Lounging back, she doesn't soften her opinion. [say]"It's nothing but sand and things that want to kill you. Why would you want to try making it anything?"[/say]
RE: Keep on gettin' myself burned, you'd think I'd quit chasing the sun - Colt - 03-18-2026
The laughter is the exact response she’s expected on more than one occasion now. It’s enough of a sudden and encompassing sound that Colt joins in before long, more mania than humor on her end of it. [say]”Exactly,”[/say] Colt answers back, clicking into the side of her cheek as if a correct answer buzzer. [say]”Sounds fun, taming something like that, doesn’t it?”[/say] Nothing but sand and things that want to kill you, and Colt has privately adored it ever since.
She’d always thought it’d been her midnight stallion carting her through hell, power and grace built into every stride as they faced unknown danger for the sake of a little luck. A trip like that, how could it do anything but captivate her? It’d been the start of so many things for her, and despite the heat and the chafing and the miserable moments, she’d romanticized it all time and again.
Yet, with that horse run out of the stable, the shine of the desert hasn’t dulled for her. Might’ve gone different, with someone else. Better. Worse. Could be she’s still wearing rose-tinted glasses, trying to find something that resembles happy again and that’s as close as she can get, even if it’s just a mirage. These are thoughts that’ve made her circle the idea in her own mind ever since she stared at ashes.
Yet, she thinks if she cuts him out of it, and pulls away everything he’d lent to it. The bare root remains the same. The desert had been a sense of freedom, of accomplishment, of harsh beauty. It stood before her like a challenge, full of untapped potential. [say]”Everywhere is nothin’ until someone makes it somethin’”[/say] she shrugs, like the idea is a simple one. [say]”The ranch? It belonged to my folks. Made it mine, the ways I could when they passed and I took over.”[/say] Changing the name to Deadiron had been one such attempt, and it’d helped. [say]”I love that life, and I don’t regret it, but this is the first time I’ve felt like I’ve had a choice to do… anything.”[/say]
Maybe Colt’s not the best at seeing her options, like a horse that knows its route and routine and doesn’t cross over to the fields past the fence line. The gate’s wide open now though, and the world is calling to her in a way that makes her restless to answer. [say]”I like the idea of building something, and when I do, I want it to last. The sand won’t catch fire. Fact, might even be able to run a glass business. Although I’m thinking there’s a market out there for what the Suvahasi plants provide, once they get a bit tamed and cultivated.”[/say]