everything that I have to live without

Sweet like honey, karma is a cat
Purring in my lap 'cause it loves me

Noe could have taken an easier path. Maybe she could have gone with her father to the Grounds, tried to build something there. Or she could have followed Koa to wherever he kept himself these days - Halo, last she'd heard - and made an attempt to settle into a life that wasn't really hers. And maybe that was the crux of why she hadn't. She wanted something that belonged to her, and her alone, a path to walk that was made by her own hands rather than relying on anyone else.

So the question slipped out before she could think the better of it, but the idea was already beginning to take shape in her mind. She wasn't afraid of hard work, and with the right people and the right tools and the right gods, anything could be made into something. So maybe taming Hak Etme wasn't such a crazy idea, after all.

So Noe smiled - the first true, unrestrained smile to cross her face lately - and nodded. "Count me in, then." If she had to rebuild somewhere, at least it would be on her own terms. "I'm Noe, by the way. Just let me know when, and I'll be there."

Flexing like a goddamn acrobat
Me and karma vibe like that

Noe

COLT

She's a heartbreak coming in cold
Trainwreck in a red dress

There’s no keeping back the wide, pleased beam of Colt’s smile now. Noe might be rather unknown still, but there’s something shared between them, and Colt can always appreciate someone who’s willing to seize the life they want. ”Hell yeah,” she commends, kicking off the rail to lean in and clap Noe on the shoulder. ”You got guts girl. I love it.” Evidence that Noe would not be defeated by her losses either. "I'm Colt. Pleasure."

Colt begins to walk, guiding Noe with her, head tipped into conversation. She’d have to miss seeing Grimm, this new opportunity far more important, but she’d leave him a note about the changes to the allogator hunt. It doesn’t give much detail, written in haste halfway out the door, but it’s there so he knows where to meet her when the time comes. Which is also part of what she talks over with Noe, including starting off by sending her copies of their current plans to get her look over.

[FIN]

She's a neon nightmare
Lookin' for a tab to put some trouble on ice