[SE] Mine your own business

Thalassa

Sometimes you have to
burn yourself to the ground

Things felt strangely familiar as Thal made her way across the Crust. She was quite certain she hadn't been here, but it was like de ja vu. Feeling weirdly suspicious of the feeling, Thal sped her progress across the expanse of rock. The heat of the lava rivers was warm against her skin, bringing her an embracing comfort as the dry breeze rustled her cloak. Sunlight didn't come so much in rays, but as a misty light that filtered through the heavy smog of ash. It didn't bother her considering the light source of bright liquid rock. She glanced at it all fleetingly, more focused on finding a suitable place to mine. 

A large protuberance of stone caught her eye just ahead. Excitement coursed through her at the glistening black stone jutting out from the surgace. The igneous rock would make the perfect base for her blades. So without wasting a second, Thal approached the column and placed her bag on the ground, rummaging through it to find the pick that had somehow made it into her pack. She then proceeded to strike the surface, letting a loud 'clang' echo across the area with each swing of her arm. The pick made quick work at chipping away and she was comforted that it wouldn't take long to complete the task.

before you can rise
like a phoenix from the ashes.

// think of the sun that shaped them //

Lena’s frequency into the Climb wasn’t very often; here and there, when she had the inclination or information to go wandering and meandering. Never without a purpose, of course, for the Caretaker’s time was limited between responsibilities and duties, but curiosity and exploration were noteworthy exploits too.

Having already jotted down some fyrhund antics, she’d roamed further into the Crust, where she’d only been for Tanau’s limbo contest before – an amusing affair, with things weren’t as solemn or pressing. But the sounds of other movements and motions enticed and lured her attention; for they certainly weren’t animalistic.

Approaching further, it became apparent that it was the pirate captain, mining away at something within the rock. Not wishing to disturb her, the Caretaker continued to slip by, quietly and politely, with a generous wave. “Hello again.” She would’ve asked the Ancient if she needed any assistance, but the woman seemed to have things well in hand.

Lena

// the speck of truth that's ours //

Thalassa

Sometimes you have to
burn yourself to the ground

The time seemed to pass in a blur of heat and rhythmic movements. Each strike of the stone reverberated through her body and became a song in her mind, a working tune that helped empty her thoughts of anything other than the mining. Before long, she had exposed a large chunk of the mineral. The surface was a reflective, glassy black with sharp edges. It would only take a few more hits to break it away, leaving her work done and the material ready to be forged into her blade. 

Between the swing of her pick, Thal heard a voice that made her pause. When she lifted her head from her physical exertion, a familiar face was passing by. A few strands of dark hair clung to the sweat of her forehead and she lifted a hand to wipe it out of her vision. Straightening, she gave the woman a nod of greeting. "It was Lena, right?" She glanced around at the otherwise empty expanse of lava and stone, pointedly noting that the abominable snowball was rightfully missing. "What brings you out here?"

before you can rise
like a phoenix from the ashes.

// think of the sun that shaped them //

True – Mittens staying home had been a quick decision by Lena, when opting for exploration of the current surface. The snowball wouldn’t have lasted long, and the Caretaker couldn’t fathom being so irresponsible and horrible to her own companion – so the chaotic creature stayed at home, likely scaring away Celestine visitors. She’d take the safer alternative and route for now.

At the inquiry, Lena raised her notebook page for the Ancient to see. “Research,” she declared, with the fyrhund notes and pages clasped together in notations and pictures. “I’m glad to see not much of the void has been lingering here.” Save for a few animals and plants, which seemed to be everywhere. Her eyes went towards whatever Thalassa had been chipping away, and opted to inquire, but she wouldn’t be surprised if the Captain deigned not to answer. “Yourself?”

Lena

// the speck of truth that's ours //

Thalassa

Sometimes you have to
burn yourself to the ground

Her eyes scanned the page, noting the scripted observations and sketches. Lena was obviously talented in that regard and Thal gave her a subtle nod of respect. "It hasn't spread much this way. I'd assume it's because of the stark lack of flora." Considering that the most infected areas of Caido were plant dense biomes, she wasn't as surprised that it had difficulty taking hold in the Climb. It helped that there wasn't much of importance in the area. Tilting her head at Lena, she asked, "In your observations, where is the worst right now?"

Looking back down at the glossy black rock being chipped away, she shrugged her shoulders. "Mining for my new set of daggers." Not much more explanation was needed since most people knew that magical items didn't play by the same rules as man-made ones. The igneous rock would look dazzling on her new pair of blades and she was impatient to continue her work, however, she would wait for Lena to leave, so she set aside the pick and leaned against the stone, giving the woman her full attention.

before you can rise
like a phoenix from the ashes.

// think of the sun that shaped them //

Humming under her breath to stem any restlessness, her mind contorted at the subject matter; as she hadn’t thought about it that way. “Perhaps,” she uttered, brows furrowing as she leaned against a portion of the wall that wasn’t molten. “It would affect a lot more creatures here then.” She didn’t want to fathom how awful it might be for something like a black dragon to be infected and infiltrated by the Void.

At the inquiry, she grimaced lightly; mostly for her part in not being able to stop the barrage. “From what I’ve heard and experienced, the Oerwoud, Greatwood, and Feverlands have been fully infested.” She couldn’t imagine the captain journeying to any of those places, but the sentiments were still there. “Most inhabited regions are taking precautions against it.” Her own, however, seemed to be doing just fine with the helm of leadership applying naught but her existence, which still made her jaw clench. “Have you heard anything else?”

And then she nodded at the notion of daggers; despite not craving to utilize weapons herself, she wouldn’t begrudge anyone the need or use of them. Not in this day and age.

Lena

// the speck of truth that's ours //

Thalassa

Sometimes you have to
burn yourself to the ground

Thal didn't comment on the creatures of the Climb. She could only speak on what she'd seen so far, which was a lack of Void wherever she looked. It was a major contrast to most of the other areas of Caido, but it was also a completely different atmosphere than other places. The thick clouds of ash hid away most sunlight while the heat of the lava withered most living beings into dark husks of their former selves. Only the most resilient of creatures survived. And the Ancients were the most resilient.

A map of Caido overlayed in her mind as she listened to Lena, an inky purple substance oozing over the land like a slow-eating amoeba. The oily liquid stained the map, leaving a spoiled stain of decay in its wake, the hungry being moving anywhere in reach. And it didn't seem to be slowing. Thal frowned at the image, sharing her own observations with the Attuned. "Suvahasi had a lot of Void Lotuses, but we were able to clear out a large portion of them to hopefully hinder its spread." The memory of the purple flowers didn't bother her, but the dark despair of the black water chilled her blood despite the surrounding heat. She would have been lost to the depths of her darkest thoughts, the ones she disguised behind glinting fangs and sparkling eyes of violence. Talyson was the only reason she'd made it out - and her will to live. 

Shaking away the thoughts, she shrugged her shoulders, shifting the dark waves along her back. "It seems like unless we set up gods-blessed wards, we're not going to stand a chance against this aggressive spread." The Grounds had been especially proactive with their protections, sporting a new ward around the Inner Quarter thanks to Dygra. Torchline was also taking steps to protect itself, but Thal hadn't heard of many other placing making progress against the Void. If it continued, nowhere would be safe.

before you can rise
like a phoenix from the ashes.

// think of the sun that shaped them //

Lena was an avid listener; used to being the calming, soothing one. So nothing changed as she leaned against the cavern wall, eyes wandering along the patterns of crag and rock, trying to find something in the molten annals. When nothing presided, Thalassa’s information contorted instead, about the Suvahasi, where even the desert could the void spread through its lonely, empty reaches. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Hak Etme was next,” as the wild regions fell in despair – rankled and defiled and chiseled away.

She glanced down at her hands, fingers beginning to intertwine so the ebb and flow of her restlessness didn’t go any further. “There must be other ways though. It’s all been too easy for them.” The Caretaker wouldn’t believe they were so weak, so pathetic, so ineffectual – there were methods to undermine these tides. She just didn’t know what they were yet. “I’m going to keep asking around, to see if anyone has heard anything.” She didn’t know if the Captain was willing to do the same, or if she even cared for the information, but it was a line, a tether, out there.

Lena

// the speck of truth that's ours //

Thalassa

Sometimes you have to
burn yourself to the ground

Leaning against her own stone, Thal crossed her legs. She wasn't overly invested in the conversation, but Lena might prove to have useful information, so she kept her attention on the wandering gaze of the woman. The diligent notes she'd shown and the scanning sweep of her brown eyes gave Thal a good idea of her perceptiveness. So when Lena commented about the anticipated decline of Hak Etme, the words had weight to them. Sighing, she said, "Me either, but maybe now it will happen later than it would have."

The sentiments felt too far away from her own capabilities and her shoulders came up in a shrug of mock indifference. In all honestly, she didn't know what to think or how to deal with the powerlessness that lingered within. Instead of processing the emotion, she ignored it, putting up walls and seeking control through coordinating chaos. "Perhaps we should give them a little more of a challenge." Her smile was sharp and suggestive, flames flickering in her blue eyes. If Thal was going to watch the world crumble around her, she wanted to play a part in its destruction, or bring the culprits down with her. 

Although Thal didn't have a lot of close relations, she had a larger network of sailors than one might expect. When they called the ocean waves their home they had to make their own community, watching each other's backs when they didn't have anyone else. There was an unspoken pact amongst them that made it easy to bargain for information. But was she willing to share that with an outsider? Not quite willing to make the commitment, Thal nodded her head. "I'll keep my ears open." Whether she would pass it on to Lena was yet to be determined.

before you can rise
like a phoenix from the ashes.

// think of the sun that shaped them //

When it only seemed to be agreement and an oath of a challenge, Lena barely smiled. Her steadfast determination wasn’t mired in violence or chaos; but in a formidable, peaceful stalwart comparison. Grace, poise, dignity, ethics, and morals – which might have made her predictable, but far less likely to engage in caustic actions. She would rather mend and care, soothe and assuage, tend and heal, than drive herself into any onslaught. “Perhaps,” was all she could add, moving off the wall and dusting off her clothing. “I’ll leave you be. I’m sure you have many things to do,” in regards to her weapons and such, beginning to maneuver towards the exit.

And should they meet again in the near future, perhaps by then the Caretaker would have more than wishes and hopes up her sleeve.

[FIN]

Lena

// the speck of truth that's ours //