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[se] how to keep myself from thinking - Wessex - 07-09-2020
Busy hands help quiet the mind. Shoveling snow of this height is new, but manual labor has always done the trick; so has fighting, but she’s unwilling to release her new upgrade on someone who just wants to learn. Or one someone who isn’t quite as strong unless they know what they’re getting into. That would be straight up shitty and irresponsible, and the Wraith is trying to leave that kind of behavior behind. This is the new, helpful Wessex. Right?
Once again, she finds herself at the Halo portal in early Flowerbirth. The irony isn’t lost on her, though this time there’s no super pressing agenda, other than to clear the path for
RE: [se] how to keep myself from thinking - Delphine - 07-09-2020
Delphine wanted to be helpful, so she bundled herself up and headed out with a group of people to help shovel a proper path through the snow from the portal. She knew it'd piled high, and that was why she'd not been able to flee to Torchline for LongNight. Not like she'd have enjoyed the warmer climate by herself, anyway.
She carried her own shovel and had told Noah where she was going. She'd learned her lesson, wandering into Whitebrim while trying to find her way to the portal. Never. Again. As her group comes to the small path that's currently cleared, Delphine took a moment to study the stranger that was already there, digging and stomping. It made sense to dig out the path, then stamp it into place.
Delphine eventually stopped staring and began to shovel the path to match the width that Wessex had started. She's slow, and out of element--physical work has never been something she's enjoyed, but she'd mentioned to someone she wanted to be useful... So here she was.
She really hated the snow. The group she had come with dispersed, each picking a task and setting to it, chattering amongst themselves. She hadn't really known any of them, so she dug in silence.
Sometimes it sucked, being too shy to make friends but not really having any friends.
RE: [se] how to keep myself from thinking - Wessex - 07-13-2020
Staring comes with the territory; if it’s not for one thing, it’s for something else. The Wraith is somewhat used to it, but Wessex, occasionally, is not, and yes - there is a difference sometimes. When she feels heavy eyes on her, she pauses to give the younger woman a mildly curious glance before continuing on with her chosen task. Head down, focus on the next clump of snow, it takes a few minutes of working in silence for her to realize that the others have dispersed and it’s just her and the other woman.
In the midst of pushing her shovel into a pile, she’s torn. To introduce herself or not? To initiate the conversation or keep working in silence? On one hand, Wessex isn’t exactly in the mood for small talk - on the other hand, this might be a good opportunity to reach another person. The ongoing battle between duty and personal life rears its ugly head again and the demigod is, unfortunately, predictable.
[say] “I’m Wessex,”[/say] she begins, without really looking at the blonde girl.[say] “You?”[/say]
RE: [se] how to keep myself from thinking - Delphine - 07-14-2020
Delphine smiled, brightly, when the stranger acknowledged her. She didn't have many friends, because she was a bit shy--a bit too invasive, as Korbin had taught her. [say]"Delphine."[/say] She responds, easily. She decided since the other woman had stopped to speak to her, it's a good time to take a bit of a break.
[say]"I've not seen you around before. Are you from Halo?"[/say] It wasn't meant to be rude--she was a people-watcher, an observer, more than she was a talker. And lately, Halo was home--had become home. It might be cold and icy, but... Noah made it worth it.
RE: [se] how to keep myself from thinking - Wessex - 07-17-2020
Delphine. Delphia. Clearly not related, (or so she assumes, based simply on physical appearance), the Wraith nevertheless finds it intriguing. She hums softly in the back of her throat, tossing that shovelful of snow up and away. Continuing the work while girl takes a break, Wessex tries not to be judgemental, considering that it seemed like she’d only just gotten here. Why volunteer to shovel snow if you don’t have the endurance?
[say] “I come and go,”[/say] she responds casually.[say] “Haven’t been around since a couple of days before LongNight.”[/say] There was the cleanup, the Kraai, the election, and then everything else going on in her life. Hopefully Neron was alright- she hadn’t heard hide nor hair from him, so - good luck, dude.[say] “Grounder born ‘n bred. And you -”[/say] pausing to take a real good look at the little blonde, she comes to a cautious, educated guess.[say] “ - are an Outlander?”[/say]
RE: [se] how to keep myself from thinking - Delphine - 07-17-2020
Delphine hummed, listening and watching the woman work. As Wessex addressed Delphine again, the woman began to shovel snow once more, [say]"Hm? I am, yes."[/say] She's used to it, never fitting in anywhere she goes. It happened in her own world, too, so it's nothing new.
[say]"It's different here, in Caido. But especially Halo."[/say] She stated, easily, as she stamps on the path, [say]"Colder than I'm used too. Do you mind the cold?"[/say] The other, Wessex, hasn't told Delphine where she's from, simply that she is a Grounder. So native, at the least.
She's not much good at multitasking, too used to getting fully engrossed in a project and forgetting anything but said project exists... but she's not that interested in shoveling, so it's easier to focus on the other woman and the task at hand. After all, she wanted to seem useful, and meet people. She couldn't keep envying Noah for having friends, when she made very little attempt to introduce herself to strangers.
RE: [se] how to keep myself from thinking - Wessex - 07-20-2020
Okay, so they’re doing small talk. Wessex hates it, but she can do a poor imitation of someone who doesn’t mind.[say] “I’m always amazed by the different worlds Outlanders are from,”[/say] she begins absentmindedly,[say] “and then by how many are from the same world.”[/say] Privately, she’s always wondered why her Lady chose that world, specifically - was it for their magics? The variety of people? The ‘x’ factor in all of them?
[say] “No. Temperature doesn’t really bother me anymore.”[/say] A slight grin, perhaps the slip of a fang to hint at why she’s no longer weather-bound, but otherwise the woman refrains from elaborating in the moment.
[say] “How’s the new Warden?”[/say] she asks, trying not to make it too out of the blue. An innocent question, for someone who saw the whole tragedy around Warden Hale go down. Warden Aristomache is someone she needs to keep tabs on.
RE: [se] how to keep myself from thinking - Delphine - 07-26-2020
[say]"It is amazing. Have you met many from my world?"[/say] She's aware they're out there; after all, she and Neron had once been... something. She and Zariah, best friends. She'd babysat Beatrix Launceleyn. Honestly, the downfall of the Launceleyn family was a sad thing to watch, and her thoughts reminded her that she needed to reach out to the Academy, and see about joining.
[say]"Ah."[/say] She observed, catching sight of fangs. [say]"I suppose that's lucky."[/say] She doesn't seem disturbed; Delphine's husband, Bellamy, had been a supporter of Bloodfiend lives, and... she had to suppose that Ascended were not that different in functionality, though she'd never researched the matter enough to know.
[say]"I guess she's good."[/say] She responded. Delphine still didn't know the woman personally, but she listened when Noah spoke about his day, about the Warden and the plans she had for Halo.
RE: [se] how to keep myself from thinking - Wessex - 07-29-2020
[say] “Ahhhh….”[/say] Of course she doesn’t know where Delphine originates, so Wessex can only shrug for a moment.[say] “Not sure. Where are you from?”[/say] No one as yet had mentioned the little blonde, but from the sound of things, she might place her either from Helovia or wherever it was Remi, Ronin, and Loren came from
[say] “Lucky. Useful. An Abomination.”[/say] Chuckling dryly, she does try to have a sense of humor about the whole thing.[say] “Pick one, we’ve heard it.”[/say] Particularly here, where the cold is deadly and she fur is a currency unto itself. The Warden would call it something along the lines of suspicious and a potential danger to Halovians, but Wessex thinks she knows better. But if Delphine doesn’t have much of an opinion on the Warden, then they can move on.
[say] “So what are you? Ascended, Attuned, Abandoned?”[/say] The Wraith already knows the girl isn’t Ascended. That much is obvious.
RE: [se] how to keep myself from thinking - Delphine - 07-30-2020
Delphine tipped her head, [say]"Northaven, originally. A bunch of us came over at once."[/say] She explained with a shrug, [say]"You probably know some of us... There was Zariah, Neron... Loren, Remi,"[/say] Delphine's only met Ronin once, a long time ago, but the people she listed off she was once close too.
[say]"I don't think abomination is the right word, and useful should never be used to describe someone's existence."[/say] She stated, quietly. Bellamy had made her useful, and useful had been all she was for a while. Here... she wasn't quite useful, just yet, but she was more than her actions, more than just a maid, which she appreciated.
[say]"Uhm, Abandoned."[/say] Nobody's ever asked so bluntly before; it's kind of nice.
RE: [se] how to keep myself from thinking - Wessex - 08-15-2020
[say] “Oh, yes, that crew.”[/say] Half of them were problems and the other half were maladjusted and the third half were okay, but always going through something. It’s very strange to observe a whole group of people consistently be able to get themselves into shitty situations.[say] “I know them well.”[/say]
Delphine is kind, or so it seems. It makes the Wraith want to push back a little, see where it gets her.[say] “Even if it’s true? Tools are useful and some of us have been elevated to Tools of the Gods,”[/say] she offers rather cryptically (and perhaps a little dryly). Pawns, she means, but in this company she can’t quite admit that.[say] “Or if I can do the work of two people, I’m awfully useful.”[/say] So saying, she directs her shadow to do the same work as her shovel, picking up what might amount to two handfuls of snow and lobbing it into the piles on the side. It does this repeatedly, while she stops shoveling and faces Delphine.
[say] “Might be better than being… unuseful”[/say] It’s not an eloquent way of putting it, but it makes the point.
{I’m soooo sorry about the lateness of this}
RE: [se] how to keep myself from thinking - Delphine - 08-22-2020
Delphine arched a brow, when Wessex called the Northavener's that crew. She doesn't ask, though. It doesn't surprise her that the other woman knows them well (perhaps she should have thought to ask who Wessex knows well, but... this is Delphine we're talking about, queen of focusing only on herself).
[say]"It shouldn't be used to describe someone's entire existence,"[/say] she repeated, quietly. [say]"It's good to be useful, especially to the gods,"[/say] How many times had she tried to get Ludo to hand her what she wanted, and walked out alive? [say]"But... I used to live only to be of use, and that wasn't a life."[/say] She murmured, much quieter.
Wessex' last statement is met with a shrug. The other woman has a point, but... Delphine had literally crawled into a cave and isolated herself from this strange new world, until recently. She was probably one of those maladjusted Northaveners.
RE: [se] how to keep myself from thinking - Wessex - 08-24-2020
[say] “Oh no, I agree, I’m just seeing what you think,”[/say] Wessex replies with a half-smile. Meanwhile, her shadow seems to have encountered some memory snow and is forcefully rolling it up into balls and lobbing it at a couple of unsuspecting workers. The snow doesn’t hit particularly hard and it doesn't break apart in impact, but it is unexpected; a man jerks upward and looks around, clearly a little angry. “Ey! Which one’a ye cunts threw snow at me?”
His gaze passes over the two of them, because of course, they’re innocently involved in a conversation and the snow piles are growing, hiding the ground from view. Wessex’s shadow creeps towards her and places a snowball into her open hand, which she in turn hands to Delphine.[say] “Go on, then. Live a little more.”[/say] Her eyes indicate the other workers, a sly, mischievous grin crossing her face.
Have fun, the Wraith seems to say, even as her shadow brings one more ball of memory snow over - the perfect shape, if she does say so herself.
RE: [se] how to keep myself from thinking - Delphine - 08-27-2020
Delphine startled, when the man turned around to shout at them, the tone of his voice almost a welcome sound, dragging her briefly through the recesses of her memories; of her mind. Alder...
Alder used to yell at her like that, all the time. She shook herself out of her daze, as a snowball was pressed into her hand, and the other woman's words reached her ears.
She used to be a good girl, but she was just too easily impressed upon. Besides, a little snowball never hurt anyone... and Delphine knew a bit about hurting people. She turned towards the man that had shouted, and surveyed the crowd of workers, before pitching the snowball at some other unsuspecting soul.
Delphine was an artist, who had a preference for long-range combat if there was combat to be had, so her aim was pretty good. [say]"Are you sure this is living,"[/say] she inquired, with a breathless chuckle.
It was fun.
And life was supposed to be fun. Not tragic and dark and death-y.
So this was living, right? Causing a bit of mischief?