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+---- Thread: in the smoke of the bridges I've burned (/showthread.php?tid=5350)
in the smoke of the bridges I've burned - Nate - 04-05-2021
Back again. Not only in the Grounds, but in the Labyrinth. Joy. If it wasn't for a certain someone's stupid decision to throw a sword at a monster, Nate wouldn't even be here, but as it is, he needs to find something borrowed. If Flametongue had been his, he'd simply take the loss and forget about it, let the thing rust and crumble away into dust.
It's not though, so here he is.
It had been dusk when he'd first ventured out, wandering along the paths and ignoring the squirrels that tried to call him this way and that. Pemota drifts low to the ground before him, her eyes poor but her light supremely helpful in finding things that glint and glitter.
The moon is high in the sky when he rounds a bend and finds himself back at the mouth of the labyrinth, a realization that takes a moment to really sink in, ugly rage welling up in his chest. A string of curses so dark they should stain his tongue leave him, and he kicks childishly at the nearest hedge, intent on leaving some damage to it. Maybe that's the real strategy, leaving behind enough damage that he'll know when he loops.
RE: in the smoke of the bridges I've burned - Wessex - 04-05-2021
It’s Loki who alerts her to Pemota (though at first, Wessex thinks she means Jyoti and mixed feelings abound), and the two of them wander towards the Labryinth. The dragon flies ahead, announcing the pair with an energetic trill while her bonded continues on foot. It doesn’t take them long to make it to the entrance. There, Wessex spots a disturbance in the hedges and begins to follow that, unaware of the ragefest she’s walking into.
[say]Nate?[/say] she calls to her brother, pausing in her tracking to stop and listen for anything other than the chittering of talking squirrels and the brush of their tiny, clawed feet against the densely packed shrubbery.
RE: in the smoke of the bridges I've burned - Nate - 04-06-2021
The absolute last thing he expects (or wants) is company, but he’s never lucky is he? Loki appearing first is a small mercy, Pemota immediately moving to greet the dragon with her own rumbling call, starlight blotting out the tail ends of Nate’s rage. Silence overtakes him, doubled over and staring through a messy curtain of hair at the path, the approaching footsteps that seem to stop just as suddenly as he has.
[say]”Wessex.”[/say] He replies out loud, calling through the hedges to give her something to follow. She’ll come upon just as he’s straightening up, a hand pushing errant strands of hair back out of his face. It should be impossible for him to look so put together, but not being able to run out of breath or truly exert himself has its perks. [say]”What brings you out this way?”[/say]
RE: in the smoke of the bridges I've burned - Wessex - 04-08-2021
What is she doing out this way? Once she rounds the corner and finds him, Wessex gives Nate an odd look at his question, trying to remember that he’s under a lot of stress.[say] “I do live in the Grounds,”[/say] she says.[say] “Kinda lead it too, on the good days. And I can get just about anywhere. So - ”[/say]
So is the Labyrinth really ‘out this way?’
No. No it is not. It’s genuinely a coincidence, nothing brought on by Hotaru’s request, though now she can say she’s at least tried to live up to her promise to their favorite little lightning spark.
[say] “So we’re thinking of razing the Ruins and building everything new in stone.”[/say] Which might explain why she’s out that way, towards the haunting figureheads of the past. Loki dragged her towards the pair of them, as she usually isn’t a fan of the Labyrinth’s mindfuckery. Raising both brows, she throws the question lightly back at him.[say] “What are you doing out here?”[/say]
RE: in the smoke of the bridges I've burned - Nate - 04-12-2021
All Nate offers back to the look is one of his own, his one good eye wide and unblinking. [say]"Right."[/say] He nods, licking his lips. [say]"Right, that makes sense."[/say] What a stupid question. Pulling himself straighter and fiddling with his jacket, Nate looks around suddenly, as if he's afraid the labyrinth is once again going to shift and swallow them up.
[say]"Are we thinking of doing that?"[/say] Brows lift in surprise, Nate considering the ruins, the scope of a project like that. [say]"What uh... what's gonna be built up?"[/say] Pemota drifts to his side again, more of a lifeline than a companion at this point as a hand rises to rest against her, fingers tapping out some silent, senseless beat.
He doesn't expect the question to turn back on himself, if the slow blink is anything to go by. [SAY]"I'm uh... I'm looking for a sword. Dropped it. Over Longnight."[/say]
RE: in the smoke of the bridges I've burned - Wessex - 04-15-2021
It was a stupid question, but they both know that now. Moving easily on, Wessex nods, almost enthusiastically.[say] “Don’t know exactly what yet, other than new Barracks that can’t burn. Azrael is working on some plans. They’ve got some solid design and planning skills - might actually be able to turn the Grounds into something more than a backward shithole.”[/say] Brightly said, the Queen is clearly optimistic, refusing the linger on the unsaid if.
If they all survive what’s coming.
If there’s time.
Looking for a sword shouldn’t be too hard. A couple of speaking squirrels seem to linger on the fringes of their conversation, quiet for now, but either looking for handouts or to lure them deeper in. Loki eyes them with a little pulse of predatory instinct along their bond, and Wessex returns the feeling, reaching for her discus.
[say] “Want some help looking for it?”[/say]
RE: in the smoke of the bridges I've burned - Nate - 04-20-2021
[say]”Oh. Huh.”[/say] Nate nods, wondering if it’s obvious that he’s only cycling through the motions, half-heartedly at best. [say]”Thats... they’re a bright kid. They’ll figure out something cool.”[/say] Nate doesn’t mention that he thinks he might have shattered Azrael’s innocence, doesn’t mention anything else.
Licking his lips, Nate let’s his one eyed gaze fall away, moving towards the speaking squirrels and narrowing. Lips circling into an ‘o’, as if he’s about to whistle, when it seems he thinks better of it, and leans in the direction of the little beasts instead. Arms appear, fast as light, wrapping around the little bodies and squeezing, while Nate’s gaze moves back to Wessex.
[say]”I wouldn’t say no to a little company.”[/say] He decides, arms disappearing and releasing the little lifeless bodies. [say]”Between you and me, I think I’ve been going fuckin’ crazy tryin’a do this myself.”[/say] Pemota trills softly, then begins to lead the way into the labyrinth, Nate following the first few turns he makes, eyes locked on the ground.
RE: in the smoke of the bridges I've burned - Wessex - 04-21-2021
Well she was going to aim her disc at the speaking squirrels
[say] “Well that’s fancy.”[/say] Whereas she knew Osozo and Azrael soon after seeing them, the demigodness in Nate is lost amongst everything else that’s going on. She can’t see the brightness for all the dark that muddies it, and even if she knew, that would make sense. He’s been through a lot, and she doesn’t want to be the next person to ask unwanted questions. So instead she flashes him an appreciative look and settles in to walk with him, with Loki flying up above. Eight eyes are better than four.
[say] “What prompted the idea?”[/say] she asks as a follow-up, curious about its generation. And honestly, she's had some difficulties coming up anything new.
RE: in the smoke of the bridges I've burned - Nate - 04-27-2021
[say]”Yea?”[/say] Nate can’t help but to flex the faux arms, though it’s automatic, half hearted at best. [say]”They're new. Never a fuckin’ dull moment for me.”[/say] A huff leaves him, the sound trying and failing to be a laugh.
[say]”I dunno. I just... I need something to do. Might as well be something fuckin’ useful, right?”[/say] It’s not like he can do that anywhere else, not in his relationship, not in Torchline. But it’s easy to go running after lost items, easy to try and tuck away the loose threads of his life so there’s something neat to go home to. If he decides to go home.
A heavy sigh leaves Nate, his hand lifting to brush hair back away from his face, the other digging in a pocket for a smoke and a light. It doesn’t do anything, but hey, it’s a habit. Only when he’s puffed his way through half the smoke, once they’ve taking turn after turn after turn does he look back up at his fellow Demi-god. [say]”Do you worry about it?”[/say] He asks, stepping ahead of her and twirling on a heel, Pemota picking up the slack where he can no longer see. [say]”About the future. War.”[/say]
RE: in the smoke of the bridges I've burned - Wessex - 04-29-2021
It turns out Speaking Squirrels aren’t always the smartest creatures, because it doesn’t take long for them to creep back out again, keeping their beady little eyes on the two Ascended and their companions. Quiet for now, there’s only the scratching of tiny paws and tiny claws at the shrubbery as the two demigods wander on.
[say] “No, doesn’t seem like there is,”[/say] Wessex response with a throaty chuckle.[say] “Well, keeping busy is rarely a bad thing,”[/say] she offers, trying to both acknowledge what he’s been through lately without explicitly bringing it up. If he wants to not think about things, she’s a master at staying busy in order to avoid feelings.
His question, however, has her torn between a snort that says obviously and letting herself be a little vulnerable. Her censorship takes too long and the Wraith seems to pull inward a bit.[say] “Every day.”[/say] Shaking her head slightly, Wessex clarifies.[say] “Sometimes it seems like every hour.”[/say]
The truth is that she’s been thinking about it, even unconsciously so, for at least a year now. And most of her actions in the past season have been done with an eye towards the long game. But no one’s every asked her that before, and she glances at Nate from the corner of her eye, not ungrateful for the question, but again, curious as to what prompted it.
And the more she looks at his arms, the more something niggles in the back of her brain. What kind of upgrade is it?[say] “Is there something different about you?”[/say] she asks, trying to keep it casual and off-handish.
RE: in the smoke of the bridges I've burned - Nate - 05-03-2021
Silence stretches out, a second, longer. A moment that should feel like a heartbeat, except that’s not a metric he can really keep track of anymore. Nate wonders for a single, stupid second if maybe it’s just him, maybe it’s only his shoulders bearing the fucking weight of this numb realization.
[say]”Yea.”[/say] He agrees softly, working his jaw. [say]”We’re fucked, huh?”[/say] A desperate little chuckle accompanies the rhetorical question, Nate shaking his head. The labyrinth rustles around them, wind or something more sinister kicking up the branches. Irritation huffs out of Nate again, his teeth groaning with how tightly he clenched them.
Shoulders fall at her question, that thin ice Nate had been skating along finally breaking, dropping him into the freezing water of reality. The faux arms fade away into nothing while Nate’s real ones cross over his chest. [say]”Theres a lot different.”[/say] He offers bitterly, after not enough thought. [say]”I might be single, I’m a Demi-god, I’m half fucking blind again. Take your pick.”[/say] Despite the emotional, less than casual outburst, Nate’s gaze doesn’t drift up from the ground.
RE: in the smoke of the bridges I've burned - Wessex - 05-06-2021
Not for the first time does she disagree at the idea that they’re fucked, shaking her head quietly.[say] “I don’t think we are quiet yet - but we will be if we don’t start working together - not just as fighters, but as a group to get shit done.”[/say]
The squirrels that follow them seem to have grown bold enough and start to chatter again, so Wessex whirls on a couple and sends her disc flying; the distance isn’t large, so she’s able to hit one, killing it with the force. The others scamper away. Wessex stops searching to retrieve it.[say] “Flowerbirth has always been for recovering, but we can’t waste much more time,”[/say] she says while bent over, casually collecting the small, limp body for Loki.
They’ve got to act. She doubts the Order is wasting any time.
And by the time she’s turned back, he’s quite upset, listing all the ways he seems to be struggling, though one of them stands out. And now it makes a lot of sense - the demi-ing, Sunjata, all of it on top of everything else. Sighing silently to herself, Wessex crosses over to him and wraps her arms slowly around his chest, hugging him from the back if he lets her.
Pressing a cheek to his spine, the Wraith offers to be strong for him.[say] “You’ve been through a lot lately. It’s okay.”[/say]
He isn’t alone. And she isn’t either. Azrael’s a great kid, but they’re a kid. Nate is… well, part of a prayer answered, and the Voice probably knew that. Wessex is awkward and all sharp edges, but she asks no further questions and embracing or not, lets Nate just be.
RE: in the smoke of the bridges I've burned - Nate - 05-11-2021
A sharp, humourless laugh gasps out of Nate, his head shaking. The idea of banding together, one big happy family all aimed towards a common goal, feels impossible. A hand comes up to pinch at the bridge of his nose while a dull thud sounds behind him, halting the renewed chittering.
Some part of him is embarrassed, ashamed of the outburst, his shoulders shrinking in, while the rest of him is angry, a hissing, spitting fire, threatening to catch everything around him alight. Fire can be smothered though.
Nate stiffens, falling completely still as arms wrap around him, encasing him from behind. Tactile as he might be, being held is not something he is used to, and a long moment passes before he moves again, jaw working while his leg begins to twitch, the heel of his foot tapping shallowly against the ground.
Turning, and breaking the embrace, Nate lets his eye find Wessex without really looking at her, his hand rising to squeeze her shoulder. [say]”Thanks, Wessex.”[/say] He says, shards of sincerity intermingling with the careful distance in his tone.
RE: in the smoke of the bridges I've burned - Wessex - 05-14-2021
Terribly awkward, but it might just be terribly necessary, too.
She is not a hugger. She is not warm and soft (not that he would appreciate it), nor is she gentle except when she’s trying not to break something and has to be keenly aware of her strength. So this is… like that, almost. Even though Nate could take her strength.
It’s a gesture, if nothing else.
So when he responds awkwardly, she straightens and releases him, nodding and then that turns into a little fake cough.[say] “Of course,”[/say] she says quietly.[say] “Now - what do you think you went this far in?”[/say] she asks, fully back to the task at hand. They were gonna find his sword if it killed her.
(spoiler alert: it won’t.)
{Fin}