rose and shine

mama bore a girl with a gun for a mouth

The Crimson Cataract happened to be one of Melita’s fondest places, despite not having traversed there in some time. The rush and flow of the water, bloody-based and ruddy as it was, amused her immensely, and she’d picked up many a stained rock from beneath the lazy current of vibrant vermillion and cerise.

Contemplating it now, despite her current twofold mission, she sighed and angled her wares and offerings towards the small stone statue nearby. “All right, some fruit and cream for Frey,” she advised Sila and Fangorn, who sat nestled at her side, watching the proceedings – already told off for trying to grab hold of the food. “And some plants and herbs for Rae.” She wasn’t entirely certain on the latter, but it was all life and shit, so that ought to have worked.

Brushing off her hands and rising from the ground, she whispered to her companions. “Now – flower searching…and if we don’t see anything here, we’ll at least come away with a souvenir,” indicating, of course, to the waterfall itself, and all the ruby and rusty portions lingering below.

Melita

of both beauty and battle cries

Can't touch me, like Gojo—Look good in all my photos

Flowers, flowers, and more flowers. Flowers from King's End. Flowers from the Greatwood. He's starting to think someone has given gardeners way too much control of his life these days. At least this place is much less creepy and weird than some of the places in King's End, which is saying a lot, because this river is fucking floating and they don't usually do that. He's wandering, hands in the pockets of his jeans, head tilted back to watch the wind of the water overhead when he sees a familiar figure.

He pauses, glancing over with a growing smile and overall brightening that suggests Kaisel is best suited when not left alone. "Hey! Mel!" he calls out with a hand lifted in greeting, flouncing over to her whether she likes it or not. "Gotten into any good mischief lately?" he asks as he nears, eying the nearby shrine and its assorted offerings. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to walk over your prayers or anything." The last things he needs to add to his plate is a miffed god, or an angry Mel.

Kaisel

Sexy jutsu, I feel like Naruto—Fightin' demons in my head like I'm Itadori

mama bore a girl with a gun for a mouth

Upon another’s approach, Sila crooned a warning and inevitably rose to the sky, giving Melita a brief moment to tense, decide upon a choice of weapon or –

Oh, it was Kaisel.

Visibly relaxing, enough so that Fangorn rummaged from behind her and gave a vine embezzled wave, her shoulders slanted downward, while her gaze took in Koa’s cousin. She’d yet to effectively bully and terrorize this portion of the bloodline – but there was always time. “Hey! Oh, yeah, we were just getting rid of the void in the desert a few days ago,” though she wasn’t certain how much that qualified for mischief, so much as danger. “All good. Just leaving some offerings.”

Skimming over to the river, she eyed it, pondering over potentials, before narrowing her attention and focus upon the younger lad; which may or may not have been a good thing. “What’re you up to?”

Melita

of both beauty and battle cries

Can't touch me, like Gojo—Look good in all my photos

He leans towards the green-leafed arm, his smile turning lopsided as he laughs softly at the gourd, hand waving back at it. His gaze slides back to Mel though as she just nonchalantly explains that they cleansed the desert. He'd heard a bit about it from Koa and Zav, but he's pretty sure it deserves way more umph than she's giving it "Fuck yeah, you guys faced down that mega-dong in the sand!" There's some awe to the way he says it, because he can't wait until he's the one out there vanquishing monsters. Right now the only beast he's annihilating is the spider he found in his room the other night.

He catches her glance to the river and looks over his shoulder, half expecting some sentient plant or red-stained fish with a thirst for blood to have made an appearance. Nope—jack shit. He turns back as she asks, shrugging faintly. "Been settling into King's End, I guess. Just decided to come look for more of those roses. Can't do much else, it feels like." He wants the family gone, by whatever means, by however many nights he has to camp here.

"Just wanna go back home as soon as I can, yanno?" he admits a bit too quiet, too honest.

Kaisel

Sexy jutsu, I feel like Naruto—Fightin' demons in my head like I'm Itadori

mama bore a girl with a gun for a mouth

Mega-dong in the sand earned a charitable and Cheshire grin for the insult; even if Melita had found herself very wanting on the action side. There’d be more opportunities, especially with her thoughts rummaging and roaming to the Oerwoud. “Yeah. Zavien and Koa called on Hadama and Ronin and Safrin – it was over before we knew it.”

Her features furrowed only slightly at the notions of the displaced – she’d only talked to Sunjata briefly about the refugee thresholds, and hadn’t considered how many had flocked from Stormbreak’s gates. “Yeah I heard, sorry about all that. Hopefully at some point you’ll be able to go back - ,” when Dahlia was ransacked and thrown off her throne or the Family was decimated. High hopes, but the Honeybee was the sort to funnel that determination overtly, impulsive schemes managing and mustering their way to the surface.

When nothing turned up, flower wise anyway, she sighed – she’d been looking forward to something, but emptiness wasn’t it. Plucking a crimson stained rock though, she slipped it in her pocket for later purposes. “Why don’t we head that way,” in the direction of the Wildwood, “and you can tell me about King’s End and shit. My uncle runs it, but I don’t stay over very often,” and maybe all her blabbering on would distract him from those doldrums.

[FIN]

Melita

of both beauty and battle cries