soft words ricochet

- You think that you're the man. I think, therefore, I am. -

The response earns him a sharper smile, a laugh nearly bubbling from her lips. "Why am I not surprised?" But there's a knowing look in her eyes that implies she knows the exact person reason, and she eats her own bite of meat with all the cockiness of a younger sister who knows more than he probably wants, with secrets of her own that he'd have to go cry about later. 

The tension melts a little as they leave her 'first time' (darting) as a thing of the past, and it's enough to make her scoff softly at the questions, unable to see the harm in answering. "More like throw a dagger with my voice." She flicks out one of her obsidian daggers, the black blade and red etchings catching the sunlight, making the enchantments obvious. With an elegant twist of her hand, it lodges in the skull of the shark, a flame bursting to life around it, Thal acting very much like it's a normal occurrence as she sinks her fangs into the juicy meat. After a dramatic second, she smothers the flames, the sizzling of wet flesh going silent as she swallows. "After this quest, I should be able to direct these with my voice during battle."

Thalassa

- I'm not your friend or anything, damn -

// I thought of angels choking on their halos //

"I think it might have something to do with owning the brothel," Danta hazards with a playful scrunch of his nose, continuing to gnaw apart his shark fin before finally seeming done with it, tossing it casually into the water in a lazy arc. "Don't quote me on that though," he adds, winking. Shifting to sit himself up a bit more and brushing the sand from his hands and sleeves, he watches with a raised eyebrow as she produces her dagger and plunges it into the shark skull, where it ignites and sizzles.

"Very nice," he purrs. "A gift from our lady?" It's a guess, but quite a good one he thinks, especially given what she says next. Danta cocks his head at that, and suddenly the echo element of the sharks makes much more sense. "Only in battle? Or for fun as well?" he asks with a waggle of his eyebrows. "Either way, let's hope you never come down with a case of laryngitis."

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

- You think that you're the man. I think, therefore, I am. -

A twinkle enters her eyes as she pops the last bit of her piece into her grinning mouth. "I figured it was the other way around." Because they wouldn't let someone run a brothel if they didn't already have an inclination to the scandalous and salacious desires, although she admittedly hasn't spent much time in the establishments, preferring to find her satisfaction from the unsuspecting. The curious tilt of her smile might suggest as much as she props her chin on her hand, watching Danta toss aside his fin. 

Her head nods as she confirms his obvious assumption, the rustle of her dark hair catching some of the blood against her cheek. She lazily swipes a thumb over her cheek, her tongue running over the damp blood as she shrugs her shoulders. "For fun as well." Pulling away her hand to see if she'd gotten all the blood, she clasps her hands together with a rolling of her eyes. "Considering my penchant for curses, it wouldn't surprise me if that's next on the list."

Thalassa

- I'm not your friend or anything, damn -

// I thought of angels choking on their halos //

”Perhaps,” Danta concedes with a grin. ”I’ll admit, this is the first brothel I’ve ever owned. Let alone one that doubles as an office for Theocrat business.” It’s his first time being a theocrat or having his own life to properly lead too, if he’s being honest, but he thinks he’s doing a pretty good job of it so far. (There are more cries of pleasure than complaints, put it that way). ”Maybe you’ll just have to drop by and see it for yourself.”

He tilts his head at that - at her penchant for curses, Danta wondering if he detects a note of bitterness that isn’t really there - or is possibly just a part of Thal’s naturally prickly nature. ”Cursed often, then?” he ventures. ”Perhaps our lady is just testing your resilience. Or playing hard to get. Both seem to be in her wheelhouse.” He winks.

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

- You think that you're the man. I think, therefore, I am. -

"That's definitely a distinguishing factor." One that makes her wonder at the other leaders' comfort with his office location, or how it had even been decided that it would reside within the walls of the Dusklight. All lofty questions for someone more politically inclined than herself. Shooting him a wink, her tail flicks playfully behind her, like she might have hurt his feelings by not gushing over his business. "Don't worry, I frequent your establishment more than you might think." She doesn't mention that it's purely for the drinks and the fact that he has/had her friends in his employment. Let him think what he will. 

Bitterness. Annoyance. Exhaustion. Whatever he wants to call it, Danta would probably be right, but Thal brings her shoulders up in another noncommittal shrug. "A few times." Although she can't deny that her most recent experience has left her with quite a few unforeseen benefits, including her growing bond with Asta. As such, her lips quirk into a fond grin for the goddess. "She does seem to have a flare for dramatics, wouldn't you agree?" Perhaps not in the fire and brimstone, flashes of light and grand entrances kind of dramatics, but the irony and subtle chaos kind, the kind that lingers with you long after.

Thalassa

- I'm not your friend or anything, damn -

// I thought of angels choking on their halos //

”Oho, is that so? Must be at the busier times - I doubt I’d have missed you if I saw you lurking at my bar,” Danta says with a crooked smile. Then again, if she’s frequenting his establishment for all manner of its wares, it’s just as likely that he’d have missed her because she’s enjoying herself in one of the rooms. Regardless, he looks forward to potentially bumping into her in the future, the Maverick leaning back on his elbows now on the beach to enjoy the lap of the water and the lingering scent of blood on the air.

A fanged grin spreads across his face as Thal speaks of their dark lady and her necessarily chaotic nature, everything about him seeming to relax, as if even speaking of Dygra might conjure her presence around them. ”She certainly does,” he agrees with a gentle nod. ”And she’ll never ask you to do more than you can handle. Maybe by getting through all those curses, you’ll be in her good graces for the foreseeable future?”

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

- You think that you're the man. I think, therefore, I am. -

"Oh. You definitely wouldn't forget." She shoots him a playful wink, knowing that she often attracts attention for various reasons when she's in bars, not that she can blame people. Even propped against a dead echo shark, splattered with blood, she's quite the enticing image. Maybe next time she was in the Dusklight, Danta would get a chance to see her in action. 

A low chuckle leaves her at the 'silver lining' he offers, the sound mixing with the lapping of the waves at his feet. "Maybe. At least that would mean something good came of them." And honestly, she'd be willing to suffer as many curses as the goddess asked of her if it meant earning her approval, which is a strange thing that she'd probably never admit aloud. 

Ripping away another strip of underbelly, she chews casually on the meat as she tilts her head. "I'm assuming you've met her plenty of times when improving the region?" Her tone is nonchalant even as her eyes flare with intrigue, her tail twisting slowly behind her.

Thalassa

- I'm not your friend or anything, damn -

Dantalion

how the fuck am I supposed to know

Raising his eyebrows at Thal’s reassurance, but letting a smile curl across his lips in response to her playful wink, Danta can only concede the point with a nod. Who knows - maybe they’ll bump into each other in the Dusklight in the near future and they can put all these maybes and all of this dick swinging to the test. For now, though, there’s just the easy quiet of a death well delivered, one that grows even easier as they start to muse about their goddess.

”Mm, and before then,” Danta confirms, shifting to sit up properly, his tail curling around his feet. ”But more now that I’ve become Theocrat, it’s true.” Resting an elbow on his knee, his cool blue gaze casts a line out to the lapping waters, as if his mind is elsewhere as he considers his meetings with Dygra. ”She’s probably been the one consistent thing throughout my life,” he says. ”So to be able to be so close to her so often is a privilege I don’t take for granted.”

if we're in love or if we're in pain?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

- You think that you're the man. I think, therefore, I am. -

There's a hint of jealousy at his close connection with the goddess, but Thal washes it down with another bite of echo shark, grateful that she has her current quest and their meeting that will come when she's done. It's not like she's been an Ancient for long, so she can't expect to have the same kind of life-long bond that Danta must feel with her. Yet, Thal gets what he means; she's always aware of where her magic comes from and who she ultimately worships. Just like her call to the ocean, it's always there, and she looks at the lapping waves as she says, "I can understand that."

A mischievous smile creeps over her face, her eyes still very much on the watery horizon as she teases, "But that's good. I get the feeling your ego wouldn't be able to handle any more." They may not have known each other for long, but she can say with certainty that he holds an astounding level of confidence, and adding 'Dygra's favorite' to that list would probably make it very difficult to walk the streets, his balance a little off-kilter.

Thalassa

- I'm not your friend or anything, damn -

// I thought of angels choking on their halos //

Smiling back at Thal, the slant of Danta's lips becomes just as devilish as he starts to understand the sharp jab settled behind her grin. But, perhaps strangely given the state of his ego on any given day, he merely scoffs and waves a hand. "My ego is perfectly polite when it comes to our lady and the gifts she bestows on those she deems worthy," he tells his fellow Ancient without any of the expected pomp. In another life, a different life, Danta might have walked Charlie's footsteps as a priest of Dygra.

"If you ever want to pay your respects to her with company, whether or not you're looking for an audience, you can always count on me so long as I'm in the region," he continues, quietly certain about his availability if it's to give his goddess her due. "For now, though, can I interest you in more flying? I won't win a race back to the Inner Quarter as a crow, but I have missed feeling the wind on my feathers."

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

- You think that you're the man. I think, therefore, I am. -

His devoted answer earns him a roll of her eyes, turning near white at her disbelief, but she doesn't contradict him, just letting a smirk play across her lips. It softens a bit at his offer, turning to a teasing 'appreciation' when she looks to him. "I'll keep that in mind." Not that she's one to ask for help from anyone, but it's not something she'll forget if the need arises. 

Straightening from her perch on her kill, Thal pops the last bit of underbelly meat into her mouth as she moves around the carcass. "I'll never say no to a flight." She pauses at the head, digging her finger around the remaining eye and popping it out to throw in Danta's direction with a playful wink. "Why don't you take a snack for the road? Unless you'd prefer more fin?" Once he decides or declines, Thal shifts, leaving the dead echo shark for the opportunist predators of the area to finish off, 'kindly' letting the gore crow set the path and pace. 

[FIN]

Thalassa

- I'm not your friend or anything, damn -