[SE] good ideas and power moves

I salute you if you're much too much to handle

It will most certainly not be her funeral, thanks very much, but the warning is appreciated all the same. Still, it does not deter Aithne, who observes the carving of the ROUS with a great deal of interest but very little practical ability to assist, especially once the other Ancient has summoned a small light from which to work. But her time as a casual bystander is cut short by the woman's sharp, barking instruction, and Aithne quickly jumps to, eager both to prove herself and prevent the loss of a teacher before she's even had the chance to learn.

She begins by peeling back the skin of the ROUS as Thalassa cuts and carves, rolling it neatly to set nearby. Without a dagger, she has limited ability to portion out the meat, but she can collect it and stack it to the side in sections: the thighs here, the fatty portions of the stomach here, and so on and so forth. Eventually, she stands before a pile of destroyed ROUS remains, covered in putrid blood and beaming as though she's just won the lottery. "Where do you want it?" she chirps. "I'll carry these bundles -"

Aithne

Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Aithne.

Thalassa

Thal won't admit that the work goes faster, and for other reasons, she won't say she likes the orderly fashion in which the woman sets aside the meat. It's a messy business, her arms coated in blood that glints in her small firelight as she stands to look at the meticulous piles. Her eyes narrow, cutting off the energetic attempt to be proactive about whatever the hell the woman thought they were doing. "No. You always eat first. Fresh blood is always best for bloodlust. You should know that." The glare she sends her way suggests that if she doesn't, Thal is already underwhelmed by her observational ability and looking for any reason to get rid of her. 

Stepping forward, she reaches a bloody hand to snatch a dense strip of thigh from a pile, not bothering to fix it when a few smaller pieces tumble down. "If you don't keep track of it, the bloodlust will sneak up on you, and if you eat one of my crew..." Her fangs flash dangerously, the threat clear enough that she doesn't even finish the sentence. Instead, she rips her fangs into the meat. It's not warm anymore, but the blood is fresh, the muscle tissue melting on her tongue. It has somewhat of a sour flavor to it, but Thal ignores it, moving to lean against a wall as she sates the constant urges of her nature.

I'm in love with my future

I salute you if you're much too much to handle

Eat first, commands the other Ancient, and despite having eaten just that morning, Aithne does not need to be told twice. She grabs a piece of thigh from the pile, quickly replacing the smaller pieces displaced by the woman, and tears a bite off. It's a bit sour and unpleasant, like meat that's gone a bit off, but Aithne doesn't complain. "I'm not going to eat one of your crew," she promises. Then, realizing a bit belatedly that she knows very little about her new teacher, she adds, "... how will I know they're yours?" As though she might eat them on accident (which, let's be honest, has happened before RIP Callum).

Aithne takes another bite, ignoring the blood that drips from the corner of her mouth and coats her lips. She regards the woman with curiosity, as though by watching her she might learn how to lean against the wall more effectively. "Oh!" she says suddenly. "I'm Aithne, by the way." She almost doesn't expect a name in response, but anything would be better than having to yell, hey you when trying to get the woman's attention.

Aithne

Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Aithne.

Thalassa

The meat pauses on its way to her mouth, an eyebrow raised dangerously high with disbelief. "They'll be on. my. ship." She enunciates the last few words like she would to an imbecile incapable of understanding, slow and thick with annoyance for something that seems so clear to her. 

Shaking her head, Thal rips another bite from the muscle, content to eat in silence and be on her way, but the woman has other plans. Her voice presents the unwelcome reminder that they haven't completed the social nicety of exchanging names. The thought alone has Thal casting her eyes upward, head tilting against the stone as she huffs a rough response. "Captain Thalassa."

I'm in love with my future

I salute you if you're much too much to handle

"Oh," says Aithne, unbothered by either the raised brow or the slow, thick tone with which the woman speaks. She shrugs. "So they, like... never get off your ship?" Seems strange to her, but hey - who is she to judge? She rips another bite from the chunk of meat in her hands, considering this new information. She has previously not considered that there are limits to who she might eat, although she has subconsciously drawn the line at cannibalism (when she knows it's cannibalism, anyway RIP Callum). She's not quite sure how she feels about the restriction.

Still, she does know that she needs to get stronger, and to do that, she must make nice with the other Ancient - Captain Thalassa, as it turns out. A part of Aithne wonders what might happen if she drops the 'captain' and simply calls the woman Thalassa - but, perhaps realizing that she has pushed her luck quite far enough today, elects not to do so. Instead, she finishes her meal in silence and, when she next asks the captain where she can carry the rest of the meat to, it is with an annoyingly cheerful level of respect.

fin

Aithne

Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Aithne.