you crazy-assed cosmonaut

The self is not so weightless, nor whole and unbroken
Remember the pact of our youth

The first minute of the journey? Terrifying.

The rest? Incredible.

"This is the coolest thing I've ever done!" Koa has to shout to be heard over the wind rushing past him, but he doesn't mind at all. Flurries of snow dance around them as the world streaks past underneath; Koa's eyes move as quickly as the snowflakes, eagerly chasing every sight and sound. "I don't know why you don't fly all the time!" Dangling as he is from Sunjata's arms, he ought to be terrified - there are so many ways this could go wrong.

But even if he slips Flood's embrace and crashes to his doom below, Koa thinks he would die happy. He's reached the ultimate high, after all. What better way to go?

Koa Carpenter

Where you go, I'm going, so jump and I'm jumping
Since there is no me without you

// now we are hanging out in the backyard //

He’s strong enough to barely even feel the strain of carrying Pemota and the Dragoon through the snowy skies of King’s End. And while he hates snow and everything to do with it, the Flood has learned to live with it (even if his attire seems to suggest anything but). It’s fine, he’s sure Hotaru will give him the lecture the second he gets home. For now, more important matters are at hand, like making sure that Koa doesn’t freeze to death out in the middle of nowhere amongst the other graves.

Chuckling over the wind at Koa’s shout, a crooked smile blooms on the Flood’s face. “I do fly all the time! I just prefer my full shift if I am!” He calls back over the wind at precisely the time that the House of Midnight comes into view. Feathered wings start to slow their beating a fraction, lowering him in a controlled way to the ground before it until his feet hit the cushion of snow, and Sunjata folds them back when he’s confident there’s going to be no chance of losing his grip on the Dragoon or Petronella, as well as making sure he doesn’t lose his own balance. “Flight is definitely the best mode of travel.” He offers as he sets Koa down to orient himself back to standing on the ground, but at least now it’s within the covered awning of the House of Midnight, where snow has been carefully swept away from the steps leading up.

Stepping over to open the door and share some of the warmth that leaks from inside, Sunjata lets Koa step in first – before he follows after, shaking out snow from his hair and wings before he steps in completely.

the flood

// looking at a new point of view //

The self is not so weightless, nor whole and unbroken
Remember the pact of our youth

"How many flying shifts do you have?" The jealousy in his tone is stolen by the wind, but it's certainly felt. Koa can't regret not becoming Attuned, because it means he never would have bound to Pip, but a part of him will always wonder what it might have been. Would he have gotten a great eagle shift? A sea panther? A dragon?

(More likely a cloud wyrm, but we won't tell him that).

The House of Midnight yawns before them, and Koa finds himself looking around with boyish enthusiasm as he pads through the door. There are parts about it that are familiar, the boy having spent much of his formative years in communal living habitats (the Heart, Molly's...). But at the same time it's all quite new, a unique creation that glitters with magic and radiates comforting warmth.

"I've heard a lot about the House of Midnight, but it truly exceeds expectations," Koa announces, gesturing to their surroundings as he turns back to his host. "Though... I don't suppose you have any, er, lost-and-found on the premeses? Maybe featuring shoes?" He grimaces down at his shredded socks, wiggling his toes for emphasis.

Koa Carpenter

Where you go, I'm going, so jump and I'm jumping
Since there is no me without you

// now we are hanging out in the backyard //

“Quite a few.” Sunjata offers with a soft laugh, opening the door so that Koa can slip into the House of Midnight’s comfortable warmth. “A macaw, a fox, a bat, my dragon, and my pegasus shift.” He lists them out on his fingers, before holding the hand up for all five to be visible that he wags playfully. “I choose the pegasus or the dragon depending on my mood, but, for you with the wings I chose the pegasus one.” For obvious reasons, they were so much more soft and easy to deal with in the winter landscape.

Allowing Koa to look around and take in the sights, the Flood steps forward to mention to his front desk about the subject of getting some new clothes and something warm for Koa to drink, flashing a knowing and cocky look at the mention of the reputation it harbors. “It’s quite homey.” He admits, especially in regards to the blue and copper that feed through each of the communal spaces. Petronella gets the hint they’re home and hops off his shoulders to go and peruse and chase after any rats, content to remain mostly hidden as her dark pantheresque body was best utilized for, even without the water.

At the mention of clothes, though, Sunjata steps forward and wraps an arm around Koa’s shoulders, guiding him to a quieter part of the main living spaces, where they can settle into a booth nearby the bar (and close to the bathroom should Koa decide to change). “I have a new set of clothes coming for you and shoes along with it.” Something warm for the dragoon to get out of his chilled clothes, and a multitude of varying pairs of shoes that may or may not fit depending, all arriving shortly on the end of his sentence.

Two drinks are also set in front of them, steaming from their warmth.

the flood

// looking at a new point of view //

The self is not so weightless, nor whole and unbroken
Remember the pact of our youth

They begin to settle in,  Petronella heading off in predatory pursuits and Pipsqueak puffing plaitively with the desire to join in. She's nervous about leaving Koa alone, something he senses and soothes through the bond, reassuring his dragonling that his death is not imminent. A final gentle nudge is all it takes, Pipsqueak squawking as she scurries off in pursuit of the panther, ready to show off the "superior" hunting skills afforded to her by age.

Koa watches indulgently. "She's gotten so big," he remarks of Petronella, remembering her as a tiny kit. Following Jata, he's relieved and touched as the clothes come out, and wastes no time snatching up some suitable attire to replace his own damp clothes. "God's, you're a lifesaver," Koa all but moans, turning around to strip off his layers. Shameless, perhaps, but he's a soldier in a whorehouse. Shame has no real place here.

Finally clad, Koa sinks down into the couch with a contented groan. He's chosen a knit green jumper, soft brown pants, and the fluffiest woolen socks on offer, foregoing shoes for now. With his palms wrapped around the comforting warmth of his hot toddy, he's begun to feel human again. "Oh, this is awesome," the Dragoon sighs happily, casting Jata a grateful look. "Seriously, where were you when I was stuck in the Wilds for a season?" He laughs, but there's a edge to it, the memory bitter in his mouth.

Koa Carpenter

Where you go, I'm going, so jump and I'm jumping
Since there is no me without you

// now we are hanging out in the backyard //

“Hasn’t she?” Sunjata asks, fondly looking over at the disappearance of Petronella and Pip. It’s a nice change, though, since the day Petronella had become his companion and poor Koa had to be there to witness the panic and upset. Now, in lieu of all of that, comfort clings to his face even as his attention returns to the dragoon, humming a laugh and thanking the worker that had brought the clothes. “I’m not really a fan of the cold myself, either.” He doesn’t mind that Koa immediately strips down and gets into the clean, warm clothes – this is a brothel, after all.

The drinks are set and they steam on the table and the Flood leans forward to take his mug and look across the surface toward the other man. “You’re welcome.” He says softly, before his head tilts curiously at the final comment, the edge in the laughter that immediately captures Sunjata’s mind. “Was that where you were?” He asks, brows pinching as he waits for an answer before he continues.

the flood

// looking at a new point of view //

The self is not so weightless, nor whole and unbroken
Remember the pact of our youth

Koa takes another sip, nodding through the steam in his cup. Yes, that's where he was: stuck unceremoniously in the mud, trying to figure out how to get home. "The Wilds, and then Torchline."

And now here.

Pensive, the Dragoon stares at the swirls of steam that dance upon his drink. "I got cast out of Stormbreak," he explains quietly, though a part of him wonders if Sunjata already knows. At least it stings less to talk about, with distance between himself and the event. "It was right when Dahlia took over. I... found one of them," meaning the Family, "Kidnapping Sohalia. I tried to stop him, but..." A bitter sigh; a shake of the head. Even now, it's a hard pill to swallow. "Before I really knew what was happening, I was just... gone. Lost, somewhere in the Wilds. Took me weeks to find my way back." At least he hadn't been alone. He'd had Pipsqueak, and that had given him the hope to power through.

He glances back up to the Flood, weariness in his copper gaze. "By the time I got out, Sohalia was gone, and Dahlia - the Reaper - had taken over Stormbreak. I've been lying low in Torchline ever since." Until, y'know, he'd wound up concussed and shoeless in a winter maze.

Koa Carpenter

Where you go, I'm going, so jump and I'm jumping
Since there is no me without you

// now we are hanging out in the backyard //

Listening as Koa clarifies the Wilds and then Torchline, Sunjata nods even if confusion flares. So much so that the continued story of kidnappings and overtaking reach his ears and his dark brow rises. It doesn’t sound like Dahlia to have any of that, in his mind at least, and if she had he assumes it was for a good reason. So he sips lightly from his glass, letting the warmth chill his bones from the cold only and nothing else, head tilting slightly as he looks back at Koa.

“Lying low?” He asks curiously with a raise of his brow. “You think Dahlia’s gonna do something to you?” The question ends with a slight huff of a laugh, like he can’t fathom the idea of it. And he can’t, because the only thing he can imagine the Reaper doing is doting on everyone. Either way, Koa seems stressed about it even though the Flood can’t fathom it, and so he offers the dragoon an easy and crooked smile. “I’m glad you’re here.” In lieu of anything else.

the flood

// looking at a new point of view //