just for the halibut

DEIMOS

Unaware of all the scruples and lines walked and drawn, though perhaps he should’ve expected it, given the Flood’s history, he bounced the gloves along his palms again while listening. Haven’t been able to meet any of the big gods made his head tilt, and that Frey didn’t seem concerned – his jaw beginning to do its residual clench.

So it sounded like…nothing, essentially.

Letting out a long and low breath that ended up billowing along the water in bubbles, he reserved the judgement that yearned to cling to his mind. You do not have to meet with the big gods to get something done – we only did so with Rae for the springs. For void-related things, anyway. And if Frey wasn't bothered, perhaps all the reason to strive for something else. Pausing, remaining calmly neutral because King’s End was not his jurisdiction and that advice was the only one he was going to give…How are you separating them? Like some kind of natural border? Walls?

who we were before bones, before dirt, before even light
we have always been deep, restless souls

promise me you won't die

having never skinny-dipped

Mentally sighing, the orca nods as Sunjata swims back in another lazy loop. If I wanted to keep the Family out, I would need to, right? Sunjata pauses, filtering through his mind as if to try and recall information. And if Frey doesn’t seem to care much, I can’t exactly go and see Safrin. Twisting within the water, the orca’s grey eye scouts out the Sword as if needing to punctuate the point.

Though it wasn’t surprising that he couldn’t or refused to go and see Safrin.

And I’ve never met Ludo, but from what I hear I don’t think I’d be granted much help. Whether because he was a demigod of someone else, or simply because he didn’t think it would find it interesting to help someone with absolutely zero connection to the raggedy god aside from his niece.

As for how he’s been trying to keep them separate? Killing what plants grow, caging the ones that can fly, and trying to corral the infected unicorns and the rest of them from being able to spread to the rest of the unicorn herds. He offers up, before he starts to twist and swim in another lazy loop that looks more like a figure 8.

in the moonlight

SuNJATA

DEIMOS

The Sword withheld his own sigh, certain it was caused by a litany of things and choices. Right. But only for void related things, or so I have heard. Frey has been helping us with other projects. Which made everything else feel off and strange. Perhaps Sunjata had meant only his preferred side of the deity – or maybe the herald truly remained indifferent – but it shouldn’t have stopped him from pursuing other angles. Is that what Frey said specifically? They did not care? Safrin certainly did – given everything that had occurred. He wasn’t certain where Ludo stood on the issue either.

His gaze went back to meandering fish and glowing particles. I wonder if you could just create a wall around your buildings. Much like Halo had done. It would limit expansion, depending on how far and wide the barrier was set, but it would keep most animal multitudes out without needing a higher being. A suggestion; and potentially the only one the Sword would make. In the end, it would come down to Sunjata's methods over his jurisdiction - but the nothing still felt bizarre.

who we were before bones, before dirt, before even light
we have always been deep, restless souls

promise me you won't die

having never skinny-dipped

He has to bite back the annoyance that wishes to flare within him, because he was under the impression that Deimos had been speaking of the void in general – only to have it not be that? Other projects that don’t have to do with the void? You asked about prep against the void, not whether or not I was doing anything else not related to the void. He tries to clarify, because he is working on other projects in the background. But he suddenly feels all too inclined not to share each and every tidbit with the Sword.

As for Frey’s comments on the void, this is a trickier subject, and it’s one that has him filtering back toward that meeting where he’d found out his situation. He floats and swims idly in the few spans it takes. They said that the Family were predators, but that was how nature worked. You can either fight, evolve, give in, or die. Unhelpful, really, but it painted enough of a picture. And they mentioned that life was too short to keep looking for wars to fight. Hence, the whole idea that Frey didn’t care.

So he sends over the bond the sensation of a shrug – because he had been trying, but it was all so complicated.

And when it comes to the walls around the buildings, well, they’re so far and in between, splattered throughout King’s End that it would be quite the undertaking. They are very spread out at the moment, but I’m working on figuring out how to best equip the town we’re building to keep it safe. A wall is one of those options. But alas, he needs the town first.

in the moonlight

SuNJATA

DEIMOS

Deimos fought off his own irritation and rolling of his eyes at the intertwining of misunderstandings – leaving it neutral rather than poking and prodding into things either unsaid or overt. It wasn’t his fault if Sunjata interpreted different means and measures – because the Sword and his cohorts were doing things to defend against anything and everything – including void or Family sentiments, simply by definition of barricades and armaments. That does not solely mean asking the Big Gods. You can defend King’s End with other things, like weapons, fortifications, and so on. Those would be able to impact larger void creatures from coming in, to some degree. He thought he was being helpful – but if the Flood didn’t want the advice, he’d cease.

So while the orca swam around, the Warden took deeper breaths, wondering why he was bothering. Ru would be the only notion; still trying to keep things impartial and unbiased for her sake, and finding it more difficult in each iteration. He listened instead of grinding his teeth or clenching his jaw, still trying to muddle through the Frey aspects and preferences regarding the void. Though he found that explanation bizarre too – perhaps because he always found himself in a war, and had no inclination of giving in. Strange, for it was to him. So they believed we should just…give in? What did they mean by evolve? Change into what? Deimos's version of adaptation was by onslaughts and sieges.

who we were before bones, before dirt, before even light
we have always been deep, restless souls

promise me you won't die

having never skinny-dipped

Another round of miscommunications, it seems, and Sunjata wonders truly how many times his near death accounts have made it to where he misses things between the lines. And it’s with every inch of his being that he refrains from saying obviously. But we were talking about keeping the void out. Instead, the orca continues to carve the water with sharkbite scarred fins, his tall dorsal fin carving a swoop of water through as he rises to the surface to catch another lungful of breath, before returning. Maybe it would soothe the needles that feel as if they’re blossoming beneath his skin. I was under the impression you were talking solely of keeping them out. Which is what I was talking about. He reiterates, but the thrum through the bond seems to suggest that he isn’t interested in being chastised over semantics.

As for Frey, Deimos knows just about as much as Sunjata does – solely because he was intentionally leaving things out (for obvious reasons). They didn’t elaborate, but my assumption is the infection, yeah? He says as he returns, casting his steel gaze over toward the Sword with a mental feeling that’s as close to a shrug as he can manage in this form. We already know it can infect people. Flora was for a bit before she got healed, so, that’s all I could come up with. In which Deimos would know all too well, given that hotsprings that Melita keeps trying to get him to visit.

in the moonlight

SuNJATA

DEIMOS

He could feel a headache brewing, and instead of meandering into any further explanations, he dropped the subject entirely. If Sunjata thought he was doing enough, then so be it. The only one the Sword was concerned about within the sanction was Ru, and she’d be able to handle herself.

Instead, his machinations went towards the speculation and bewilderment of Frey’s disposition towards the infection. Visibly confused, and working through the semantics and parallels, his brow furrowed – going over all the other rampant diseases they’d had in the past. None of those had been beneficial, and he certainly wouldn’t think of his own experiences with them as an evolution; though perhaps he was missing some distinctions. Right – but what would be the benefit of such an adaptation? A rhetorical question perhaps, because Frey might not have mentioned it at all. But from what he’d remembered with Flora, she’d only mentioned a wound that wouldn’t heal. There weren’t any known symptoms. And the one name he kept hearing bearing such an alteration was Everest.

who we were before bones, before dirt, before even light
we have always been deep, restless souls

promise me you won't die

having never skinny-dipped

It does sound rhetorical, and if he didn’t have first hand experience, he might have been able to say without certainty that the adaptation and evolution of Caido’s inhabitants to indulge in the Family and the Void would be insane. But for now? Given what he knows? He feels perfectly fine and he has for a while – void creatures ignore him and act like any other creature would, defending their territory from others, spreading what they can amongst the populace to produce more of them.

But he isn’t going to admit all of that. He knows better. If anything, the Flood simply swims in another lazy circle, watching school of fish peek out from under colorful coral. I don’t know. I guess to not be a threat to be wiped out? They didn’t say. He murmurs unhelpfully, sighing mentally through the bond. They didn't stay on the subject, either. And he hadn't pressed it, either. All he can do is continue to look out for himself for signs of anything going awry. But much like Everest, the Flood was perfectly fine. Better in some instances, where anxiety had crept into his mind in regards to the void, now vanished.

in the moonlight

SuNJATA

DEIMOS

Deimos didn’t like the answer – but it was the only one he had for now. He supposed he could always end up asking the Nature aspect for himself, but having always followed Safrin, and her regards on the matter…he wasn’t certain where things aligned or adjusted so bizarrely. Narrowing his eyes, he ended up shrugging his shoulders, saving the notions for another day, or another individual, to contemplate with. Hm. We will see I suppose. With any newly infected. With anyone uncovering bits and pieces, with anyone capable of detecting.

From there, they could go their separate ways, perhaps both with other foundations on their mind.

[FIN]

who we were before bones, before dirt, before even light
we have always been deep, restless souls