[RQ][SE] the only way out is through

Flapping nearby until it's clear that he's got a welcome seat at the table, Danta lets out another cry of "Meat!" and swoops down close to the tigress. Content to feast on whatever Maea leaves behind, his bloodied beak digging around in the pyrina's innards for especially tasty morsels, he remains long after she pads away to clean up until he's thoroughly satisfied that there aren't any remaining treasures within the carcass.

Where Maea might be expecting taunts or lectures, though, Danta only offers a pleased croak before shifting back into a shape with more limbs and opposable thumbs. "You are very good at that," he purrs, not having bothered to clean up and so still speckled and streaked with red. "Do you suppose we could take this wool with us? Never seen anything like it before." Fireproof sweaters for Ancients, anyone?

Dantalion

put your emptiness to melody, your awful heart to song

Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

It only goes to show that the Maverick is impossible to predict. At least to her he remained ever an enigma, puzzling and peculiar - and perhaps that was part of the reason why he intrigued her so much. Let it never be said that Maea balked before a good riddle.
In this instance, she was relieved to be spared mockery. Shifting back so that she could respond, she remained stretched out on the ground with her curves fitted comfortably to rock and crag. It was uncomfortable, her stomach far too full after consuming more meat than her petite frame should be able to hold.

"Oh. Well... thank you." Flushing delicately at the unexpected compliment, she rather hastily turned her gaze to the carcass and assessed what remained of the black pelt. Ripped and torn and bloodied, she wasn't entirely sure what he wanted with it, though she admitted that the fireproof quality was very interesting.
"We could. Or, if you wait until the portal is done, we might be able to shear some of them, and get you some clean wool? Just a suggestion though."

Pushing herself up to sit, Maea tugged at the sleeves of her dress to make the bloodied fabric come free from her skin. Less unpleasant than it ought to be, it was not the sticky mess that bothered her so much as the itchiness once it began to dry.
"Danta, has anyone told you about the meeting that demigods and others held in Torchline last season? Apparently they figured out some weakness the Family might have, though I don't know exactly how major of one it is." It had been on her mind to tell him what she'd found out over Longnight, but then things had happened and the matter completely slipped from her memory.

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3

"Shear them?" Crouched over the pyrina, having been able to take some wool to rub it curiously between his fingers, Danta raises an eyebrow across at Maea. He's never been around sheep, given that he was brought up in The Climb and until recently none existed up here, and the idea of shearing them is quaint and quite frankly fascinating. (And it will continue to be so, until people find him chasing the pyrina around armed with wicked-sharp scissors, of course).

Shrugging, since there are clearly enough of the creatures around that they won't be going anywhere any time soon, the Maverick rises slowly to his feet and flicks the bit of black wool away. "Mm? No, I don't think so. Kia usually pins important things to my desk with a knife." You know, so he's entertained enough to look at them, gods bless her. "Did they say what?" he asks, weakness wise. And more importantly, is it fire?

Dantalion

put your emptiness to melody, your awful heart to song

Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

"Oh yes," she told him with a little grin, eyebrows bouncing. "You catch them, wrestle them, flip 'em upside down and cut the wool off with really sharp scissors. Then you let them go, and if they're anything like normal sheep, it'll grow right back in about half a year. It's dirty, messy, backbreaking work, but can be worth it for the end product. I grew up on a sheep farm. I can show you how it's done, if you want." Or you know, round up some farmers to do it while Danta watched, because she had a suspicion that he would be balking at the very idea of breaking a sweat.

Huffing as she sat up a bit better, Maea nodded with a quiet breath of laughter at Kiada's antics. "Well, according to Talyson, the Messenger? they tested a variety of magic on some orb that Safrin stole from the Family. Turns out that ice and earth magic does nothing, most other elements do the same kind of harm they would to anything, but what really worked the best is air and gravity." Watching him stand and throw the wads of wool into the wind, she cocked her head in curiosity. "Can we do any of that? I know we have fire, and can disintegrate certain materials... what else can we do?" There was no end to the things she didn't know about the ancient race, not least of which were their raw potential for magic. How deep did the well go?

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3

Once again, Maea may find herself bewildered by Danta, because the Maverick can think of nothing more entertaining than catching a harmless (well, mostly, look at the horns and propensity for headbutting) creature, flipping it over and shearing off all of its wool before sending it prancing off, naked, into the wilderness again. "Uh, yes," he says enthusiastically, glancing at her a couple of times as if wondering if she's being serious or just messing with him.

Alas, the conversation moves swiftly on to more iMpOrTaNT things, and Danta stretches his arms above his head as he listens, brows furrowed. "Gravity and air," he repeats. Right. Both things definitely easy to come across. "Fire and disintegration is about all I can say for certain," he admits. "I remember a few Ancients back in the old days having other magic, maybe? Not air, though. I don't think, anyway."

But who knows - things are changing in The Climb, so perhaps they are changing with the Ancients, too.

"Come on," Danta suggests, nodding at the herd of remaining pyrina. "They look like they're going to charge us any second. Let's head home."

Dantalion

put your emptiness to melody, your awful heart to song

Horns: Diamond - they look very similar to #2 in this image.

Sing to me, I am not doing well
Getting tired of my own words

Would she do that to a friend? Get his hopes up only to dash them just as quickly? Laughing at his enthusiasm, Maea made a note to return later with the Maverick so he could wrestle sheep to his hearts content. "Alright, once the portal is ready," she promised cheerfully.

Now, whether the topic of magic was more important than not, it certainly sparked far more interest in her. A gleam entered her gaze as she considered, hope surging at the notion that fire and destruction might not be the extent of their gifts.
"It would be nice, if it were true... I might try looking into that." If Danta didn't know, perhaps Charlie might. Or she could try asking Dygra herself. An old longing was rearing its head, painful and driving; perhaps she could still regain some of the potential she had squandered in the past. Perhaps it was not too late. 

Drawn back to the immediate present by Danta's suggestion, she saw that he was right. Now that the tiger was gone the heard had reassembled and was approaching them with tossing heads and gleaming eyes, looking feisty in the absence of immediate danger. It would have been funny if she hadn't seen them clash together with enough force to send the echo flying for miles around.
"Ah, mhm. Good idea."

Shifting with some difficulty, it was a well fed crow that launched back into the air and veered off towards a lava vent to gain some lift. She hoped the dragon would have found somewhere else to be; it would be a while before she could do anything more than soar lazily towards the spot where the skyships used to land.


[Fin] <3

Sing to me, cause I can't hear myself
through the loudness of my own hurts

base inspired by Odd <3