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+---- Thread: [se] stay above the tide (/showthread.php?tid=6667)
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[se] stay above the tide - Melita - 01-08-2022
Stepping down from the skyboat, which she would love to use just about every day out of sheer enjoyment and amusement, her eyes took in the Sidhe Village. She’d been here only a couple times before, and most of it had been on business (or making snowmen). Without Maeve there with her though, it felt as if she wasn’t truly supposed to be here, and that unsettling feeling continued to crawl down her spine as she drifted further down the market-square. So she perused a few stalls, putting on an air of pretenses of calm and composure, when her eyes were really just looking for one person in particular.
After a few seconds, the honeybee realized she probably should’ve sent a note instead of impulsively launching upon a skyboat, but then again, that tracked all her other actions to date. Quickly grabbing hold of some paper in her bag, and Fangorn grumbling (and rollng his eyes) at her antics down by her ankles, she jotted down a miniature letter on a piece of charcoal for Ronin, and then went to ask a few Fae where he could be found, if it could be delivered. And that there was a promise of muffins for the occasion.
RE: [se] stay above the tide - Ronin - 01-08-2022
The Fae know Ronin, because of course they do. Taking the letter and flitting off into the Greatwood with it, Melita will only need to peruse the stalls for perhaps thirty minutes more before Ronin appears through the trees; he'd been hunting a wild boar, but muffins offered much more instant gratification, so here he is.
With Sugar coiled around his shoulders and her snout nuzzled against his dark hair, it might seem like a sheer act of affection between bonded, but honestly, the dragon is the coldest thing Ronin can find in Longheat. And she makes a good ice pack. Still, he raises a hand in greeting with Melita and crosses a small bridge to come and say hello properly.
[say]"I didn't expect a message from you, of all people."[/say] He smiles. [say]"Is everything alright? What's going on?"[/say]
RE: [se] stay above the tide - Melita - 01-08-2022
Melita did end up spending some time perusing the market, gilded gaze catching over purposeful wares. But she hadn’t intended to barter anything away today, so she wiled around, gazing along canopies, inquiring over bits and pieces, before she saw Ronin from the corner of her eye, Sugar in tow. She turned swiftly and made her way over, Fangorn rumbling behind her and flailing his vines in a makeshift greeting. [say]“Hello!”[/say] She offered by way of a hearty salutation – and then cringed slightly, alarmed that she’d made him think something was amiss.
[say]“Sorry, everything’s fine! I probably should’ve said that in my note,”[/say] and here she frowned slightly, nose wrinkling, realizing that her impulsiveness hadn’t done her any favors here. But her gaze brightened again quickly, efficiently, with another breath or two to ward off the awkwardness. [say]“I have a quest from Ludo. I was interested in acquiring a dragon companion myself.”[/say] A proud grin notched along her features. [say]“And it sent me to find someone with one – you came to mind first.”[/say] She reached into her bag, pulling out the promised treats, extending a bag full of an assorted mix from the local pastry shops in Torchline – nutmeg, chocolate chip, and blueberry for an attempt at something healthy. [say]“The muffins were bribery.”[/say] The honeybee paused eventually, parsing through her actions and responses, before finally settling. [say]“Is everything okay here?”[/say]
RE: [se] stay above the tide - Ronin - 01-09-2022
Everything looks fine, and when Melita confirms it Ronin feels himself unspool inside, invisible tension draining out of him. Sugar feels it too, trilling out a greeting now that there's no immediate danger to address. [say]"I'm glad to hear it,"[/say] he says with a smile, raising his eyebrows primarily at the bag of muffins as they're offered, only hearing the quest part once he's already pulled out a nutmeg one to nibble on. [say]"Oh, you want to get a dragon?"[/say] Grinning, he reaches up to offer a chunk of muffin to Sugar, who snaps it up happily.
[say]"Well, I accept your bribe and I'm proud to have been your first choice,"[/say] he says, giving the pale reptile a nudge around his shoulders. She sticks her nose in his ear to be a shit, then straightens and clambers down into the crook of his arm, where Ronin offers her out to have a ride on Melita instead. [say]"Things are alright here in the woods. In general they're pretty tumultuous, honestly. What's new in Torchline?"[/say]
RE: [se] stay above the tide - Melita - 01-09-2022
She hadn’t meant to raise any suspicions or alarms, and perhaps this can be a decent outing for the both of them. No stress. No dramatics. No beatdowns of any cosmic degrees. With those ruminations put in place, the youth adhered back to her quick, sunny smiles and fiery disposition, nodding in affirmation at the question – eagerly and excitedly offering her arm for Sugar to climb upon. From his position along the ground, Fangorn waved his vines again.
That events were fine in the Greatwood was a welcome relief too – though the next few set of lines caused a brief furrowing of her brow, even as she reached into her pockets, trying to find a treat of jerky for both gourd and dragon. [say]“Oh, well… some priest named Gideon made a major stink on the Noticeboards. And I heard he started shouting about Ascended in the streets.”[/say] She hadn’t been there, likely focused on something else at the time, but the rumors had spread pretty quickly up and down the sea-based land. [say]“And... the whole Sunjata thing.”[/say]
RE: [se] stay above the tide - Ronin - 01-11-2022
Warmed by the bribe, Sugar offers a pleasant enough chirp to Fangorn as she nestles around Melita's shoulders instead, and the honeybee girl will find her chilly scales to be a welcome reprieve from the Longheat weather. Ronin falls into step beside Melita for his part, strolling along and past the stalls to admire the wares while enjoying his muffin. His brow furrows at the mention of Gideon, however, and he nods gently.
[say]"Mm. An Ascended murdered Cian. Or rather, the Voice did - using an Ascended,"[/say] he tells her in a low voice. [say]"I'm not sure how well-known the news is yet, or what the repercussions will be. But I would keep your head down until we know more,"[/say] he advises, smiling sadly to her. They both know war is on the way, but there's no need to hurry it along (not that they might have much of a choice).
And the whole Sunjata thing. Ronin winces. [say]"Ah, so you've heard."[/say]
RE: [se] stay above the tide - Melita - 01-13-2022
Sugar’s icy scales were a wholesome respite, a rampant chill along her shoulders and down her spine, and she permitted a grin. Both companions received treats for their camaraderie, and she walked very carefully down the stretch of the market alongside Ronin, being certain to keep up in stride and assured Sugar stayed put. [say]“What do you feed her?”[/say] Inquiries based on a likely carnivorous appetite – it wouldn’t be much more difficult than Fangorn’s diet, if her presumptions were correct.
Her eyes rounded at the other news though – because she didn’t know anything about Cian, but a murder by an Ascended meant the dramatics, the fear, the apprehension, would be ramping up. That war was far more than a glimmer or timestamp on the horizon. Approaching, little by little, with each passing day – and sometimes in these dramatic, contemptuous leaps. [say]“Oh. Do…do they know who did it?”[/say] Was there any thought to snagging and imprisoning, rather than ramping up the stakes?
And then to keep her head down. She frowned, and nodded, justifying the measures, the facets of natural curiosity taking over.
She missed his wince, too busy staring at the ground, or brushing a hand over Sugar’s head, offering a scratch. The honeybee could only respond with what she knew, unaware of any other consequences and complications. [say]“Thank you for healing him.”[/say]
RE: [se] stay above the tide - Ronin - 01-13-2022
[say]"Oh, she tends to do most of her hunting herself,"[/say] Ronin says with a smile, nodding up at the large canopy of trees above them. [say]"Birds, squirrels, that sort of thing. But she gets table scraps when she's good. So always."[/say] Grinning, he reaches out to scritch Sugar's scales, the dragon warbling something positive around the jerky she's still munching on.
Letting his hand drop and sadly shaking his head, Ronin can only shrug his shoulders. [say]"We don't know who the Ascended was, no. But... I'm fairly certain that Wessex was involved, at the very least."[/say] He sighs, only able to shake his head at the mention of Sunjata.
[say]"Don't thank me - I didn't know if my supernova would heal or harm him at the time. He betrayed Safrin. It's not as though I couldn't side with her,"[/say] he explains. [say]"If nothing else though, I hope the new path lets him find what he was looking for."[/say]
RE: [se] stay above the tide - Melita - 01-16-2022
Sugar being capable of caring for herself didn’t surprise her – the dragon seemed very self-efficient, and she gave her another scratch and pat at the notions. Fangorn did too, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t have treats, and portions and pieces from their hunts. [say]“Excellent,”[/say] she noted in the back of her mind as one less thing to worry about. [say]“Does she have her own nest and things?”[/say] Her gourd seemed to have no preference or where he took his naps – and she chanced a glance down at him, happily bumbling along on the makeshift paths.
Pleasantries aside though skewed back into recent news and plights, and she cringed at Wessex’s name. A former mentor some years ago, before everything altered and changed. Half of her wanted to know if anything could be, would be, done, but that wasn’t part of keeping her head down. And perhaps it was best to remain ignorant.
She swallowed something down when the other notions came ambling through, a harsh intake of breath as the reality became clearer and more defined. Her uncle traversed on trails never quite lined the way he’d wished or wanted – sometimes thorny, often rubbled, unclear, a vacant, vague semblance of how he wanted to achieve his ends. It was as if he didn’t glance anywhere but ahead. [say]“Would you have killed him?”[/say] She couldn’t help it – the question came along her tongue so readily that there was no ceasing – and her gilded eyes watched him, inclining upwards to catch any expression, any alteration. Hadn’t they been the best of friends?
But in the manner of gods, maybe it didn’t matter. [say]“He’s only ever wanted to make sure Nate was safe.”[/say] And perhaps he was getting what he yearned and craved for in the end – but all the other prices had been stiff and difficult to pay.
RE: [se] stay above the tide - Ronin - 01-17-2022
Ronin pauses at one of the stalls, having finished his muffin and tucked the wrapping in his back pocket. This one is selling raw meat - naturally - and whilst he does enjoy hunting, it couldn't hurt to grab something for dinner. Sugar takes the opportunity to stick her freezing snout into Melita's ear while he barters and trades, Ronin joining them once more soon enough with a package wrapped in brown paper.
[say]"Oh, yes - she makes a nest wherever we go,"[/say] he explains. [say]"Usually in the rafters of the building, usually with at least one item of my clothing shredded up,"[/say] he adds affectionately.
His gaze lowers, though, as their conversation returns to Sunjata, Ronin shrugging because he has no other way to respond to Melita. His insides twist at the thought of it all, but so too does his temper rise. [say]"If I had been asked to,"[/say] he admits. [say]"I can understand trying to keep Nate safe, but this... it's almost an obsession. He put Nate before his own daughter."[/say] Kamaria, he means.
RE: [se] stay above the tide - Melita - 01-17-2022
With no need for the raw meat, as she had some fresh stock back at home, Melita took the ample opportunity to laugh at Sugar’s mild torment – squealing and giggling as the freezing snout found her ear, shoulders rising in a noteworthy cringe. Otherwise unbothered and very much amused, the youth scratched and patted at the dragon’s head – Fangorn unwinding his vines in some shared bemusement. At Ronin’s return, and insight towards nests, another round of merriment met the pitches of the market. [say]“Wonderful. I’ll be sure to keep something handy.”[/say] Maybe she could find some nice blankets that would’ve inevitably get torched.
The statements thereafter quell anything else though, and it was back to the somber motions, and the bizarre interims that was Sunjata’s life, and all those snagged in his orbit. She wondered, very briefly, if Nate would’ve, could’ve, done the same in the Flood’s position – wincing, perhaps, at the nature of it all. Or at the Star’s statement of if he’d been asked to - ending it all right there and then.
She swallowed down something that sounded bitter, alarm raised in a swinging motion of her head back up to Ronin’s gaze, rapid, sharp, confused. [say]“Wait. What do you mean?”[/say] Despite her predilections towards the girl initially, given the circumstances surrounding her birth, she found she didn’t mind her relative. [say]“I thought Safrin would’ve kept her safe?”[/say] Hadn’t that been Maeve’s pledge? About the younger ones, especially one of her own? Was there something she was missing?
RE: [se] stay above the tide - Ronin - 01-17-2022
They continue to stroll and Sugar continues to enjoy her ride around Melita's shoulders, her ribbon-like tail waving down at Fangorn as if to assure him that she hadn't forgotten him. But the conversation necessarily becomes much more grave, as it's wont to do these days, and Ronin kicks a small pebble along the dirt path. [say]"Safrin can only keep children safe. Kamaria made the decision to Attune, and... well. She's sixteen now, for better or for worse. That puts her outside of Safrin's protection."[/say]
Shaking his head, Ronin reluctantly raises his eyes to Mel's face. [say]"Sunjata only bartered for protection for Nate. Not for her, not for the twins he and Nate took on in King's End. That was the agreement, as far as I understand it."[/say] He shrugs his shoulders. [say]"Safrin has asked me to keep an eye on Kamaria, though. So she's here in the Greatwood, under my protection."[/say]
RE: [se] stay above the tide - Melita - 01-17-2022
Fangorn waved back, but all the merriment had faded for something far more rancorous and embittered. Her eyes trailed downwards again, the anger building up in her fists, clenching, unclenching, until the reality sunk in further. Kamaria Attuning and out of her mother’s protective shield. Sunjata bartering only for Nate, and no one else. Not his children, adopted or blood related. And she’d certainly never been a thought – not that she wanted to be. Capable of fending for herself, and had been from an early age. It didn’t stop the hurt for everyone else though. [say]“I don’t -,”[/say] and she paused there for a second, choking back a thousand oaths, curses, and the multitudes of raw fury thundering in her heart. [say]“I don’t understand him sometimes.”[/say] Or often, lately. [say]“Gods, he pisses me off.”[/say]
And though she cherished Nate, and held a soft spot for all her kin, even the stupid Flood, she couldn’t quite fathom the reaches and pedestals he viewed. The alterations he made in everything, for one singular person. Maybe she’d just never experienced that kind of love. Maybe she didn’t want to. [say]“I asked him if he thought the Voice would even agree to that. He didn’t know.”[/say] All things seemingly done on whims and extremes. On hope; as if it had ever come to fruition for him.
She turned back to Ronin though, with her irate gaze, not for him, but for everything else tumbling around. [say]“Well, thank you for that too. Let me know if you want help or something.”[/say]
RE: [se] stay above the tide - Ronin - 01-18-2022
It's with a sad smile that Ronin reaches out to clasp Melita's shoulder, Sugar taking the opportunity to clamber back up his arm and to perch mostly about his head like a hat - the benefits of having a particularly small companion. [say]"I don't understand him either. I thought Kamaria's existence only came about for Nate's protection, too. When would it be enough?"[/say] he wonders. And did Nate even agree? Could he even decide to opt out of the war? He's not sure the Voice would take that too lightly.
And the honeybee girl beside him voices those very same concerns, Ronin letting his hand drop and sighing heavily. [say]"Of course he didn't know. What the fuck is he thinking..."[/say] Shaking his head, he tries to rally away from the purely negative, summoning a smile and nodding his gratitude. [say]"Thanks,"[/say] he says. [say]"I will. And I'll let her know you came to visit too."[/say]