[RQ] always on the upswing

// i am heaven sent, don't you dare forget —

Thorn very obviously rolls his eyes to the Flood’s comment, exhaling an exasperated and dramatic sigh. Its shortly after they’d nearly rolled out of his head that the courtesan looks toward Colt with the laugh and the nudge, a slight flush painting his jeweled ears as he sighs even heavier after. “Thanks.. I think?” He says with his own laugh, before he starts to down the rest of his sandwich and the juice, content to listen to Colt and Sunjata speak on the unicorns. He avoided most wildlife, especially those of the purple variety as of late, and instead leaves it to those better equipped to deal with them – ie, Colt and Sunjata.

It wasn’t his job, after all.

Though he does focus on finishing his meal before he plucks his basket back up and goes back to collecting flowers, mulling over Colt’s question with a little bit of amusement, curious how the Flood might respond to that. After all, he knows the Archon’s reputation. Who doesn’t?

---

Thorn picks more flowers!

thorn

— i am all you've ever wanted,
what all the other boys all promised //

the first cut was the deepest, but it healed up whole

Oh, he will keep that mindset when it happens. He’ll also be horribly prepared for it, if and when it happens, with all the tricks up his sleeves to try and prove her wrong. It’s all in good fun, though, as they finish up their meals and get back to work, flooding through the rows of flowers again, plucking away at the roots of all the other color flowers that Colt and Thorn aren’t picking. His basket fills quickly as he listens to Colt’s answer about the unicorns, humming a note of understanding.

“Huh. Wonder if maybe I can get some lightning from the Grounds and we can fortify it sometime.” He muses idly, perhaps trading a few bottles of lucky unicorn shavings for the lightning in a bottle that the Grounds had as a resource. Maybe he’ll send a letter to the Maverick to find out.

For now, though, her next quip has a low chuckle leaving him, a bit of exhaustion overcoming his face. “Well, y’know, usually a no goes a long way. Animals, though?” Grimacing slightly with a shrug before he dumps his basket and goes back to picking flowers. “Could you put up some fake predators around that wouldn’t drive your herd insane but might ward them away?” He muses idly, glancing up at her before he takes in the expanse and the wagon.

“I think another round of flowers and we should have enough.” He hums, interjecting a little, before he listens to Colt’s response.

---

Last round of picking flowers!

the flood

and the next one was a soft touch, but i bled out below

totally sniped from odd ilu

COLT

The Archon would never cease to surprise her, it would seem. What she took for a mild curiosity to pass the time, he was transforming into the seed of a new project. Not even just an idea for her to chew on, but work he was freely offering, an exchange of valuable regional assets even. She had to pause for a moment from her plucking, wonder and a dose of suspicion gathering in her eyes as she watched him for a beat, silent in her assessment. She was not accustomed to receiving help, least of all for...nothing? She couldn't let him do something so grand for nothing. Ribs wouldn't be enough this time, not even a herd of cattle would.

Time would tell though. Sometimes men were all talk. He didn't strike her as the sort to bluster, but people could surprise you in the worst ways sometimes. She hoped he was a better man than that, because there's little worse than the removal of hope, and even crueler yet to rouse it when it wasn't there to start with. "That would mean a lot," she said softly, unable to muster anything else for the time being. Much like her toe-loop, this too would have to wait for the future. Maybe by then she'd know how to repay him properly.

She returns her haul to the cart and the ox, a shower of blue as Sunjata mulls over the last bit of her problem. She wipes her 'brow with the back of her hand, pausing for a breath to readjust her hat and hair which had begun to spill with the work of the day. "Hmm, I've heard that works for birds, but the band stallions are willing to face off with threats if they think it'll garner favor with the mares. I'm not sure it wouldn't scare everyone else around either...silly creatures." She shook her head and headed back to the grassy knolls, the blue flowers no match for the tool in hand. "Appreciate the thought, but I'll just keep playing whack-a-mole with fence repairs. Gotta keep up my figure some how, especially with all the ribs you keep sending my way." she grinned, flicking a dirt clod at each of them as she pulled it free of her most recent root ball, a high risk for Thorn's ire she knew.

---

Gathers ALL the blue flowers that ever existed

Go and fix your makeup girl, it's just a breakup
Run and hide your crazy and start actin' like a lady
Gotta keep it together, even when you fall apart

// i am heaven sent, don't you dare forget —

Having absolutely zero idea anything about keeping wild unicorns out of Colt’s pastures, Thorn spends time plucking more flowers, loading them up into his basket and returning to dump them into the wagon. It’s an easy back and forth, and he takes a moment to even snag a yellow flower as it snaps from its stem in his attempts to remove it, deciding it can be the sacrifice to stick into his hair.

It's precisely that time as he snags the last of the flowers in the general vicinity that the courtesan looks up to see the dirt flying his way – and in a similar fashion to the water, he squeals a little and snags a bit of the breeze to spread the flare of dirt back at her. “Oy! Now ‘m gonna need to shower again!” He complains, the little peppering of dirt splattering his wrists and subsequently smearing a line across his forehead as he brushes his hair out of the way with his tongue poking out toward Colt for the audacity.

---

Thorn also picks ALL THE FLOWERS

thorn

— i am all you've ever wanted,
what all the other boys all promised //

the first cut was the deepest, but it healed up whole

“I’m trading with Halo this season, but I’ll reach out next season and see what we can do.” He murmurs, flashing Colt a smile – because none of it would really work if he didn’t reach out and make a trade with Dantalion for it. But for now, the option is there, and the reminder that he sorely needs to put into motion the fact they’re collecting the jars of unicorn sheds solely for the snowy region. But for now, flowers are taking the precedent, and as he offers his thoughts, he collects more bundles of flowers while Colt speaks.

Chuckling a little, he shrugs his broad shoulders and nods back toward her. “I haven’t spent a lot of time in my Pegasus shift to kinda know what it feels like yet to give in.” So it makes sense that the options he thought might work just simply… wouldn’t. But as she spreads the dirt toward him from the rootball, Sunjata snorts and takes it – uncaring whether the dirt lands on him or around him. He could wash it off in the blink of an eye.

They continue to work easily and once the wagon is full, the Flood steps back and brushes off his hands, summoning water again for everyone to clean up from should they wish to. He takes the moment to wash his hands. “Looks like we got plenty here. Should be good now to head back and give you both those ribs you’ve been daydreaming about.” He teases, slanting an amused smile toward them.

---

All done!! THANK YOUUUU

- FIN

the flood

and the next one was a soft touch, but i bled out below

totally sniped from odd ilu